Jezvs, through the ignorance of its nature, expected to he answered by it. As a scaffolding is of use for the building of a house, but most unprofitable if re- sorted to as a residence instead of the house, so the law was good, as a typical exhibition of the way of salvation, but weak and unprofitable to those who should expect salvation by it. Salvation was, from the beginning, intended to be, and could be, by the Gospel only : " for the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did ; by the which we draw nigh to God."
It is our intention to mark, I. The difference between the Mosaic and the Chris- tian dispensation —
By " the law," the whole dispensation of Moses was meant ; and, by " the introduction of a better hope," the dispensation of Christ ; which alone af- fords a solid ground of hope to sinful men. The things which the law could not effect, the Gospel does : it gives us,
1. Perfect reconcihation with God — [The sacrifices which were offered under the law could never take away sin. There was nothing in them that was at all suited to this end. What was there in the blood of a beast to make satisfaction to Divine justice for the sin of man? The Apostle truly says, it was not possible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take away sin *.
But the Gospel points us to an atonement which was of infinite value, even the blood of God's co-equal, co-eternal Son. This might well satisfy even for the sins of the whole world ; because more honour was done to the Divine law by His per- forming its commands and suffering its penalties, than could have been done by the obedience or suflfering of the whole human race. Hence the Scriptures invariably represent the Father as " reconciled to the world by the death of his Son ;" and as requiring nothing more of us, than to come to him in the name of his Son, pleading the merits of his blood, and relying wholly on his atoning sacrifice. To all such persons he says, that, " though their sins may have been as crimson, they shall be as white as snow," and that they not only shall be, but actually are, from the first moment of their believing, "justified
a Heb. X. 4.