11ymbolized, but in the veritable and immediate presence of God. •• A minister of the rmnctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not mau," " Christ entered not into a holy place made with bands, like in pattern to the true , but into ~eaven it~elf, now to appear before the face of God for us." 2. The access to this templ,; is pre-eminent. The Jewish high priest entered the holy of holies through the holy place. Our Lord passed into the true holy of holies "through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands." It seems to us that "the greater and more perfect tabernacle" cannot mee.n either (1) our Lord's human body or his human nat~e; or (2) his holy life, "his perfect inwa~ fulfilme?t of the Law;" or (3) his glor1 fied body ; or ( 4) the Church on earth. No mterpretat1on of this part of our text is without its difficu !ties; but that which seems to us to be the true one is, that he passed through the visible heavens as through an outer sanctuary into the inner sanctuary of "heaven itself." Our "great High Priest hath passed through the heavens" (eh. iv. 14), and "sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." The outer sanctuary of the Jewish temple was "made with hands," small and imperfect; but the heavens which Christ passed through were created by the Divine fiat, and they are immeasurably vast and unspeakably glorious. II. IN THE ATONEMENT WHICH HE MADE. "Nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, he entered in once for all into the holy place." The entering in through blood refers to the blood which the high priests took into the holy of holies to" make an atonement" (cf. Lev. xvi.14-16). Christ is represented as entering the heavenly sanctuary through blood. Not literally, but figuratively, must we accept this. He complied with the condition of entrance into the perfect sanctuary as our great High Priest. He me.de atonement for sin previous to his appearing" before the face of God for ns." But, unlike the Ae.ronic high priests, he needed not to make atone- ment for himself. For us and for all men he made the pre-eminent atonement-the perfect atonement. How? 1. By the sacrifice of the highest life. Not animal, but human life. Not a sinful or imperfect human life, but a pure, holy, perfect one. He gave his own life--the undefiled, the highest, the sublimest, the supremely beautiful life--as an atonement for the sin of the world. 2. By the voluntary sacrifice of the highe;;t life, Christ did not die as an unwilling Victim. He freely gave himself for us. "I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one taketh it away from mlj," etc. (John L li, 18). "Through his own blood," which was willingly shed for us, he effected human redemption, and then ascended to his mediatorial throne. IIL IN THE BLESSINGS WHICH BE OBTAINED FOB )UN, 1. He has obtained eternal redemption/or us. Man was in bondage. Wicked powers he.d enslaved him. He was the thrall of corrupt passions and sinful habits; "sold under sin; " " the slave of sin; " the" bond-servant of corruption." Christ redeemed me.n from this bondage. He paid our ransom-price. "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, with silver or gold ; but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ." He is the great Emancipator. He "proclaims liberty to the captives, and the opening of tlte prison to the bound." He delivers from the condemnation, from the guilt, from the defilement, and from the sovereignty of sin. " If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." And this redewP'ion is eternal. Its benefits endure for ever. It introduces man into everlasting liberty and light, and starts him upon a career of endless progress and blessedneHS. 2. He iB " a High Priest of the good. things to W'TM," These good things are the blessings of the gospel age, the privileges which Christians now enjoy. Under the former covenant they were in the future; now they are a present possession. They who lived during that dispensation had the figures of gospel blessings; we have the very blessings themselves. But there is more than that here. .Christ is a High Priest of good things yet to come. There are blessings which we hope for in the future, wd shall obtain through his glorious priesthood. We look forward to the time when we shall enter upon "the inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled," etc. (1 Pet. L 4-, 5). The blessings which flow to me.n from his priesthood are inexhaustible and infinite. Through him there will ever be "good things to come" fur those who by faith are interested in his gracious and blessed mediation.-W. J.
Vere. 13, 14.-0eremonial 4rul spiritual clean~lr,1, "for if the blood of bulls an4 of gl&tl," e$C. THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 245
I. TnE HUMAN NEED OF CLEANSING, By implication our text teaches the moral defile- ment of man, Both under the Mosaic and under the ChriRtian dispensation the impurity was moral. But in the earlier dispensation the external and ceremonial uncleanness was ma.de most conspicuous. A very small thing led to this rlefilement. If a man unwittingly walked over a grave, or touched a dead human body, he was accounted unclean seven days (cf. Numb. xix. 11-22), This was designed as a parable of epiritul\l uncleanness. It was intended to lead men to feel the contamination of sin. So in the Christian economy it is the internal and moral impurity that is exhibited, and the need of spiritual cleansing that is insisted upon. Sin is the corruptin", 0 defilino-0 separating thiug. 'l'he great need is a clean heart and a. right spirit. '