confirm, rather than relieve, the bondage of their minds. For how could they imagine that " the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin?" Hence " the offerers were never made perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;" and the annual repetition of the same sacrifices confirmed their apprehensions, that their sins, so imperfectly atoned for, were not effectually removed. The sacrifices were to them only " a remembrance of sins from year to yearV Moreover, the people in their own persons could not approach unto their God: they must deliver their offerings to the priests and Levites : nay, not even the priests could enter within the vail, nor even the high-priest himself, except on one day in the year, and then only in the precise manner that was prescribed to him. In all this, the Holy Ghost, who even under that dispensation was not alto- gether withheld from men, " signified to the Jewish nation that the way into the holy of holies was not yet manifest0."
Even the promises that were given for their encouragement were, for the most part, only such as were calculated to work upon an earthly mind, and in no respect to bring them to a state of peace and joy. Hence, except those few favoured saints who had an insight into the Gospel, and were enabled to look through the shadows of the law to Christ as the substance of them, all were in bondage, serving God from fear, rather than from love ; and rendering to him rather the reluctant ser- vices of the body, than the willing devotion of the soul.]
The Christian dispensation, on the contrary, tends to produce in us a happy childlike disposition —
[The new covenant, which it holds forth to us, offers life and salvation on far different terms than were prescribed by the old covenant. The old covenant said, " Do this and live:" the new covenant says, " Believe and be savedd." The Gospel reveals unto us a sacrifice, that is, "a propitiation for the sins of the whole world ;" and offers us a Saviour, who is " able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him." Under this dispensation every one is privileged to enjoy the most inti- mate access to God, to " come with boldness into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, to draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having his heart altogether sprinkled and purged from an evil conscience6." Further, these rich blessings are revealed to us as the fruits of God's everlasting love, no less than as the purchase of the Redeemer's blood ; and to the blessings of time are added all the glory and felicity of heaven, as the assured portion of all God's chosen people. But, besides this clearer revelation of God's grace and
b Heb. x. 1—4. c Heb. ix. 6—8.
d Rom. x. 5—9. « Heb. x. 19, 22.