till 'the end come,' when he shall have accomplished all the ends for which his office ns Mediator hnd been nssumcd." "Ho who for man their Surety stood, Ancl poured on Parth his precious blood, Pursues in heaven his mighty plan; The Saviour and the Friend of m1tn." (Logan.) Many of the miracles which he wrought when upon earth are illustrations, parables, of the work which he is ever performing in human spirits. 1. As Saviour of sinners he is the same. 'l'ho cross upon which he gave himself in death for us has lost none of its ancient power. By his glorious gospel and his Holy Spirit he is still convincing men of sin, drawing them to himself, and imparting to them pardon and peace, liberty and joy. 2. As the Helper of his people he is the same. "He ever liveth to make inter- cession for them" (eh. vii. 25). "Christ's perpetual presentation of himself before the Father," says CRnon Liddon, "is that which constitutes his intercession." He is in the presence of God as our Representative, our Advocate, and our Friend. From the unchangeableness of Jesus Christ we infer: 1. That he is essenlially Divine. All created beings change. This is one thing in which each and all of them are alike. We are different to-day from what we were yesterday, and to-morrow we shall differ from what we are terday. Immutability belongs only to God (cf. eh. i. 10-12). 2. That he is worthy of our utmost confidence. If he were fickle, changeable in his character and purposes, loving man to-day and regarding him with indifference to-morrow, how could we trust him? Nay, if it were even possible for him to change, how could we calmly and confidently commit our souls to him? But seeing that he is what he is in his character and in his relation to us, and that he is "the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever," we may repose in him the fullest confidence of our being. 3. That the success of his cause is assured. In the preceding verse we were reminded of the death of Christian ministers and elders; but the great Head of the Church ever liveth and is ever the same. "He shall not fail, nor be discouraged," etc. (Isa. xlli. 4).-W. J. Ver. 10.-The Christian altar. "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat," etc. Here are three points which require notice. I. THE CHRISTIAN ALTAR. "We have an altar." One of the positions which the writer of this Epistle endeavours to establish is this, that by the renunciation of Judaism these Hebrew Christians had not lost anything of real value, or that the good in Judaism was perfected in Christianity. He shows that in Jesus Christ, the Head•of the Christian dispensation, they had One far greater than Moses, by whom the elder economy was given. For giving up the Levitical priesthood there was far more tha.ci compensation in the possession of an interest in the great High Priest. Moreover, the tabernacle in which our great High Priest appears for us is "greater and more perfect" than either the tabernacle in the wilderness or the temple at Jerusalem. And in our text he points out that Christians have also an altar with its provisions and blessings. By this altar we understand the cross upon which our Lord offered himself a Sacrifice for human sin.1 1. On lhis altar the per/eel Sacrifice was offered. (We have already dealt with the perfection of Christ's sacrifice in our homilies on eh. x. 5-10, and 12, 13.) 2. This altar has superseded all other altars. The perfection of this sacrifice rendered its repetition unnecessary, and abolished for ever the imperfect and typical sacrifices of the earlier dispensation (cf. eh. vii. 27; x. 10-18). II. Tm: PROVISION WHICH THIS ALTAR FURNISHES. The writer speaks of eating of this altar. The reference is to the fact that certain portions of some of the sacrifices under the Mosaic economy were eaten by the priests, and certain by the Levites also (cf. Lev. vi. 14-18, 24-30; vii.; Numb. xviii. 8-11; 1 Cor. ix. 13). 'l'he provision from the Christian altar is Jesus Christ himself, the great Sacrifice. By faith" we become partakers of Christ;" we appropriate him as the Life and the Sustenance of the soul. Our Lord said, "I am the livin~ Bread which came down out of heaven : if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever,'' etc. (John vi. 51-58). 1. This provision is spiritual. Not of the literal or mrLterial flesh and blood of Jesus do we eat and drink• 1 For the various interpretations of this altar, see Alford, in loco. 4.12 THE EPISTLE 'l'O THE llEDllEWS. [en. xm. 1-25.
~ut b:f faith we become partakers of his n1ind, his feelings, his principles, his spirit hie life, himself. He':1ce St. Paul writes, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,"' eto, (Gal. n. 20). Again, "Christ our Life" (Col. iii. 3, 4). 2. This 11rovision is delightful. 'l'o_tbo_se who are healthy the eating of snitable provision is not only necessary and 1,at1~fy1':1g,_ bu~ pl~urable. It gratifies the palate. The spiritual nppropriation of Christ 1~ Joy-mspmn!!:, In Christianity we have "a feast of fat things." 3. This proviswn is free, and free to all. Some of the Levitical sacrifices belonged to the sacrificing priest only, others only to the priest and Levites. But all may come to Christ by faith, and partake of the inestimable benefits of his ~great sacrifice. 11 Ho, every one that tbirsteth, come ye to the waters," etc. (Isa. lv. 1, i; Rev. xxii. 17). Ill. THE EXCLUSION OF SOME FROM PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROVISION, "Whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle."_ The reference is to the Jewish priests and Levites. They who clung to Judaism rejected Christianity, and were necessarily excluded from its benefits. They were self-excluded. They would not come unto Christ that they might have life. .All who reject the Lord Jesus are in a similar condition: e.g. the self-righteous moralist, the modem representative of the ancient Pharisee; the captious and the scoffing sceptic ; the world.ing wb.o elects to have his portion in this life; and others. The provision is free, free for all ; but these exclude themselves from participation therein. How is it possible for any one to enjoy the blessings of Christianity who rejects the Christ '/-W. J.