bullocks, and not either of goats or lambs : for in the very same offering which was made for sins of ignorance, the blood of bullocks which was shed for a priest, and for the whole congre- gation, was put upon the horns of the altar of incense ; whereas that which was shed for a ruler, or a common person, which was of goats and lambs, was put upon the altar of burnt-offering ; by which the sins of priests were marked as of greater enor- mity than the sins of others ; and the altar of incense as of higher sanctity than the altar of burnt-offering1. This is very strongly expressed in the New Testament, there being always a superior efficacy ascribed to the intercession of Christ than even to his death. Thus when, to the question, " Who is he that condemneth ?" the Apostle answers, " It is Christ that died," he adds, " yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for usk." Again, in the Epistle to the Hebrews he lays the greatest stress on the intercession of Christ as being the most effectual for the salvation of his people : " He is able to save to the utter- most all that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them1." And to the same effect, also, in his Epistle to the Romans : "If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life™." Whether this was intended to be marked by the atonement being only annual, whilst the offering of incense was daily, I pretend not to say. I should apprehend not. I should rather think that that part of the appointment signified that Christ would make the expiation but once, whilst his intercession would be con- tinual : but, at all events, the union of the two is absolutely indissoluble ; as St. John intimates, when he says, " If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is also the propitiation for our sinsn." In fact, his atonement is the very plea which he offers in our be- half. When the high-priest entered within the vail, imme- diately after burning the incense he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat ° ; intimating thereby, that all his hope of acceptance, whether for himself or others, was founded on the sacrifice which he had offered. And precisely thus does the Lord Jesus Christ prevail : for it is in consequence of his having offered his soul a " sacrifice for sin," that he is authorized to expect a spiritual seed to be secured to him ; and in consequence of his " having borne the sins of many," that he confidently and with effect " maketh intercession for the transgressors p."]
1 Compare Lev. iv. 7, 18. with Lev. iv. 22, 25, 27, 30, 34. k Rom. viii. 34. l Heb. vii. 25. m Rom. v. 10.
" 1 John ii. 1. ° Lev. xvi. 11 — 14. p Isai.lih. 10, 12.