our behalf. The two goats which were offered on the day of atonement, and the two birds that were offered at the cleansing of the leper, exhibited this mystery in a striking point of view*^. The dying goat represented his death ; and the scape-goat, which bore away the sins of all Israel, his resurrection. The living bird, too, that was dipped in the blood of the slain bird, and was let loose into the air, for the perfect cleansing of the leper, suggested the same blessed truth ; that " Christ should die for our offences; but that he should rise again for our jus- tification.s" " Had he not risen, we had been yet in our sins'';" but, seeing that " he hath both died and risen," we may defy all our enemies ; and say with confidence, " Who is he that shall condemn me'?"]
In this tomb, also, you may see,
II. A pledge to us —
Yes, verily, it is a pledge,
1. Of Christ's power to raise us to a spiritual life —
[The resurrection of Christ is set forth in the Scriptures as a pattern of that which is to be accomplished in all his followers ; and by the very same power too, that effected that. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, St. Paul draws the parallel with a minuteness and accuracy that are truly astonishing. He prays for them, that they may know what is the exceeding greatness of God's power to us-ward who believe, according to the iDorking of his mighty power ichich he lerought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places''," And then he says, concerning them, " God, who is ricli in mercy, of his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together ivifh Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus'." Here, I say, you see Christ dead, quickened, raised, and seated in glory ; and his believing people quickened from their death in sins, and raised with him, and seated too with him in the highest heavens. The same thing is stated also, and the same parallel is drawn in the Epistle to the Romans ; where it is said, " JVe are buried with Christ by baptism into death ; that, like as Christ teas raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life^. But can this be effected in us ? I answer, Behold the tomb ! Who raised the Lord Jesus? He himself said, " I have power to lay down my life, and power to take it up again " : " and he has further
f Lev. xvi. 15 — 22. and xiv. 4 — 7. e Rom. iv. 25.
i> 1 Cor. XV. 17. ' Rom. viii. 34. ^ Eph. i. 19, 20.
' Eph. ii. 4, 5. ^ Rom. vi. 4. " John x. 18.