others by water: but these were for ceremonial only, and never for moral defilement.
Thus the law, with the one exception above mentioned, spake exactly the language of the text.]
The same way of salvation still obtains under the Gospel —
[The typical sacrifices are indeed superseded by the one sacrifice of Christ. But it is through his sacrifice, and through it alone, that any man is saved.]
This is capable oi direct proof from Scripture —
[The warning which Eli gave to his sons, when they poured contempt upon the sacrifices, and caused them to be abhorred by the people, not obscurely intimated, that acts of injustice towards men might be punished by the magistrate, and yet be forgiven through the great Sacrifice : but that, if any person poured contempt upon the sacrifices, he rejected the only means of salvation, and must therefore inevitably perish^
There is a yet stronger assertion to this effect in the chapter following the text, whei'e it is said in the most express terms, that they who reject this Sacrifice have nothing to expect but wrath and fiery indignation "^ ; which could not be true, if there were any other way of salvation provided for us.]
It may be yet further proved by arguments, which, though of an indirect nature, are not less satisfactory than the foregoing —
If salvation be not by blood, the whole Mosaic ritual was absurd —
[For what end could so many innocent beasts be slaughtered, and consumed by fire, if it were not to prefigure the great Sacri- fice ? If they were intended to shadow forth the way of salva- tion through the sacrifice of Christ, there was abundant reason for such observances ; and the lives of myriads of beasts were well bestowed in such a cause. But on any other supposition, the legal sacrifices, having no typical reference, were unworthy of God to institute, or of man to offer.]
If salvation be not by blood, the prophets grossly misreprese?ited their Messiah —
[Christ was spoken of as " making his soul an offering for sin ;" as having " our iniquities laid upon him ;" as " wounded for our transgressions," that he might " heal us by his stripes'':" it was foretold that he should " be cut off; but not for himself;" that he should " finish transgression, make reconciliation for
b 1 Sam. ii. 17, 25. <= Heb. x. 26, 27. '^ Isai. liii. 5—12.