brake it, and said to his disciples, Take, eat, this is my body." The New-Testament writers give us little, if any, insight into this subject : but they speak so fully and plainly on the subject of the candlestick, that we can easily by analogy trace the import of the shew- bread also. It has been shewn, that the candlestick represented the Church, and that the priests who trimmed the lamps represented Christ b. The same might therefore well be supposed in relation to the shew-bread : and the circumstance of the flour " being taken from all the children of Israel," and made into " twelve cakes," gives us sufficient reason to conclude, that those cakes did represent the twelve tribes, that is, the Church of God. Nor can we adopt a more satisfactory method of explaining the whole mys- tery, than that used in reference to the candlestick. Agreeably to the plan then which we pursued on the former subject, we observe, that the shew-bread shadowed forth the people of God, I. In their privileges —
To elucidate this, consider what is here spoken respecting the twelve cakes;
1. Their solemn presentation before God — [They were consecrated to God in an orderly and solemn
manner, and deposited on his table that they might be always before him. Being piled one upon another in two rows, frank- incense was placed on each row, which at the appointed time was burnt " for a memorial, as an offering made by fire unto the Lord." Here we see the Church and people of God con- secrated to him according to the terms of "his everlasting covenant," to be unto him a holy and peculiar people. As such they are esteemed by .him; and " his eyes are upon them day and night for good :" and, as the frankincense was to God an odour of a sweet smell, so their persons and services shall be
accepted by him True it is that they are mean and
worthless in themselves ; yet, being "set apart for himc" he will acknowledge them as his, and look upon them with com- placency and delight.]
2. Their periodical renewal —
[Whilst one generation of men is passing away, another arises to fill their place ; and amongst them all, God will have
b See the preceding Discourse. = Ps. iv. 3.