make atonement for him concerning his sin and it shall be forgiven him Levit. 5.6 He shall bring his Trespass-Offering unto the Lord for the sin which he hath sinned c. and the Priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin and ver 10. He shall offer a Burnt-Offering according to the manner and the Priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he had sinned and it shall be forgiven him Hence it is that we find the Saints under the Old Testament were so full of confidence and holy boldness in seeking and pleading with God for pardon and forgiveness of sin As we see in the Psalms and other Scripture-Prayers what strong and eminent actings of Faith they had this way Which to expect had been a presumptuous thing if they had had no promise to ground their Faith upon But they had very plentiful assurances and promises of it in those times and that is a second Gospel-blessing revealed and assured to them as well as to us the remission of all their sins III. Everlasting life and salvation in Heaven This is not a truth revealed only by the Gospel but was well known clearly revealed and firmly believed by the Saints of old They had assurance of this that they should live with God for ever in Glory When I awake I shall be satisfied with thy likeness Psal 17.15 Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel and afterwards receive me to glory Psal 73.24 In thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore Psalm 16.11 They looked for another Country whereof Canaan was but a Type and Shadow as the Apostle shews in this Epistle to the Hebrews cap. 11.16 They knew there was an eternal State of Happiness for the Saints as well as an eternal State of Misery for the Wicked they did believe this in those days Thus we see they had the same Gospel-blessings preached unto them of old that we have at this day and these blessings and good things are demonstrations that it was Gospel because these blessings are not promised in the Law It knows no remission or regeneration of a lost Soul no salvation of a Sinner This was the first branch of the Argument But for a more clear and full eviction of it the second part of the Argument was this 2. Because they had these blessings upon the same account and in the same way as we have them now I speak as to the principal and internal causes of them For in the outward way and manner of dispensation there was a difference but not in this For upon what account have we these precious benefits and good things of the Gospel you will find if you consider it aright that it was then as now We receive all from the meer mercy and free grace of God in Christ and this was the fountain of their supplies also If they had received pardon of Sin and Grace and Glory on the account of their own merits and works of Righteousness then it had not been Gospel But they had it in the same way we have it as to the internal cause from whence all blessings come even from the Mercy and Free Grace of God a very glorious Attribute of God and most abundantly yea continually held forth throughout the Old Testament That he is the Lord the Lord God gracious and merciful How many Prayers and Psalms and Songs of Praise unto him for that his mercy endureth for ever How sweetly how pathetically do the Prophets teach and preach it to them this all the Saints of old had recourse unto David Psal 51.1 when seeking pardon Have mercy saith he upon me O God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy mercies blot out my transgressions and Daniel 9.8 9. when he besought the Lord on behalf of the Jews O Lord to us belongeth confusion of faces c. because we have sinned against thee To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses though we have rebelled against him We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses but for thy great mercies ver 18. and for thine own sake ver 19. This then was that they had recourse unto as the Fountain of all the good whereof they stood in need and of all their supplies even the infinite mercies of God Moreover it was the mercies of God in Christ his mercies through the mediation of Jesus Christ For only through him is mercy communicated to Sinners so alone is mercy communicated Therefore Daniel there prays Dan. 9.17 Look upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake that is for the Lord Jesus Christs sake Hence they did so often make mention of Abraham Isaack and Jacob as being the Types of Christ in their Prayers and especially of David For thy servant Davids sake Psal 89. not as resting in David litterally but looking beyond the shadow unto him that was the truth thereof for by David they meant Christ Christ is oft called by that name because David was so eminent a Type of him And what is it in Christ that procures all these blessings in the Gospel for us It is his Blood and Satisfaction that atones Justice his Prayers and Intercession that prevails with mercy for us and so it was of old both these had an influence into their mercies as well as ours 1. The death and blood and satisfaction of Jesus Christ This all their Sacrifices pointed at For it was impossible that the blood of Bulls and Goats should take away sins Heb. 10.4 Yet it sanctified to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ c. Heb. 9.13 14. See how clearly the Prophet Isaiah preacheth this Isai 53. throughout the Chapter but look especially to ver 10. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand This was the mystery of all the Sacrifices wherein blood was shed they were Types and Shadows of the blood of Christ 2. His Prayers and Intercessions For look as mercy is purchased by the merit of his Death so it is communicated and applied through the vertue of his Intercession Justice is satisfied by his Death and mercy intreated in his Intercession and so both those great Attributes are acknowledged and glorified in Zach. 1.12 Then the Angel of the Lord that is Jesus Christ the Angel of the Covenant that appeared he answered and said how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years And the Lord answered the Angel that talked with me with good words and with comfortable words ver 13. here the prevailing power of his Intercession is set forth And as the merit of his Blood was shadowed by the Sacrifices so the efficacy of his Intercession was shadowed forth by
see things as in a Glass but in Heaven we have the things themselves And now to sum up all that hath been said in Explication the Doctrine amounts to thus much That the Ceremonial Law hath a shadow or a dark and weak representation of the good things of that eternal future happiness the more lively Image and Portraiture whereof we have under and by the Gospel Quest 4. What are the several parts of this Law of Shadows and Ceremonies these perpetual Types or everlasting Statutes Ans This is a large Field I shall refer them at present to five several Heads omiting Sub divisions lest they be troublesome to weak memories 1. The initiating Seal to wit Circumcision 2. Their Sacrifices and Purifications of sin and of uncleanness 3. The Temple and Tabernacle and other holy places 4. The Priesthood with the whole legal Ministry 5. The Festivals or Legal Times and Seasons These five general Heads will carry us through this whole Subject of the Types For the whole Ceremonial Law and all or most of the Statutes of it will come in under some of these Heads 1. The initiating Seal of those times which was Circumcision the first Institution whereof we have in Gen. 17.10 11. This is my Covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee Every man child among you shall be circumcised And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a token of the Covenant betwixt me and you Which is contracted and epitomized into a few words by Stephen Act. 7.8 And he gave him the Covenant of Circumcision and so Abraham begat Isaac and circumcised him the eighth day and Isaac begat Jacob and Jacob begat the twelve Patriarchs Wherein he briefly tells us the substance of this Shadow and the meaning of this Type namely that it signified and shadowed forth the Covenant of Grace 2. Their Sacrifices and Purifications for sin and for uncleanness of which Psal 40.6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required with Heb. 10.5 10. Many things will come in under this Head for they had both Sacrifices of Expiation for moral sins and Ceremonies of Purification for legal uncleanness and impurity I put them both together because they did both aim at one Scope namely the cleansing and purging away of sin They had burnt-offerings meat-offerings peace-offerings sin-offerings trespass offerings They had legal Uncleannesses of several sorts they had unclean Meats unclean Persons unclean Houses unclean Garments unclean Vessels the saddest of all their ceremonial Uncleannesses was the Leprosy for all which they had Purifications answerable The general scope of all which was to shadow forth Jesus Christ in his purifying cleansing power and virtue as cleansing us from the guilt of sin by his Blood shed and sacrificed for us and from the filth and power thereof by his Spirit dwelling and working in us Therefore he is said to offer up himself a Sacrifice for us Ephes 5.2 and to wash us and cleanse us vers 26 27. 3. The Temple and Tabernacle and the Utensils thereof with all their holy places For they had many and divers of them the whole Land of Canaan was an holy Land They had Cities of Refuge Jerusalem was an holy City Mount Sion was an holy Hill the Temple was an holy House And before they had a sixed Temple they had which was equivalent in signification as well as like unto it in outward form the Tabernacle Heb. 9.1 to vers 6. All which signified and shadowed forth both Christ and the Church Christ in his humane nature the Church both as visible and as militant and mystical and likewise as triumphant in Heaven Therefore the Church of God is called his House 1 Tim. 3.15 4. The Priesthood with all the rest of the Temple Ministry Heb. 8.2 They had beside the High-Priest the other Priests and the Levites some whereof were Porters some Singers And here the Temple Musick comes to be considered the High-Priest was an eminent Type of Christ the true and great High-Priest of his Church And all this Temple Ministry was a shadow of the true Gospel Ministry which though they cannot be called Priests in the Popish sense yet they may be called Antitypical Priests The further mysteries of all which legal Ministry we shall open more particularly afterwards the Lord enabling us 5. A Fifth of these perpetual Types was the Festivals or Holy Times appointed by the Law whereof they had many their weekly seventh day Sabbaoths their New Moons their yearly Feasts That of Tabernacles Passover and Pentecost their seventh year their Jubilee of fifty years containing the Revolution of seven times seven all which were a shadow of good things to come Col. 2.16 17. Vse 1. This Text and Doctrine gives much light for the resolution of that question whether the Law of Moses was a Covenant of Works or Grace The answer is That the Law hath a shadow of the good things of the Gospel but not the very Image of the things themselves There was a mixture in that Dispensation you may take the Answer more fully in three Propositions 1. The thing it self adumbrated and shadowed forth in this Law of Ceremonies is the future good things of the Gospel so that it was indeed a Covenant of Grace that they were under 2. The manner of representation of them was legal and in the way of a shadow not of a full and lively Image so that it was a kind of legal Gospel they had in those times Vid. on Heb. 4.2 3. The carnal Jews made it meer Law by sticking in the shell and shadow and rejecting the Gospel or the thing it self that was adumbrated and shadowed forth unto them Vse 2. See the Justice of God in the rejection of the Jews For might not Israel have understood They did not want a competency of outward means but they wanted hearts Deut. 29.2 3 4. Vse 3. Encouragement in the search we are now upon as to the Types for it is the Gospel and the good things of the Gospel that we look into when we enquire and search into the Types The Law having a shadow of them Vid. on Rom. 5.14 Serm. 1. Vse where there are three Rules for the better understanding of them To which let me add this as an Appendix to the first seek Light from God Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law You may see wondrous things indeed Jesus Christ and the Gospel and many precious mysteries in this part of the Law of God this Law of Ceremonies if God open your eyes but otherwise all will be dark to you Vse 4. Encouragement to believe and receive the Gospel for it hath been held forth to the Faith of Gods people all along and they have rested upon it and found peace We have it declared in the clearest way and indeed every way for we reap the Fruit
the Priest was not to go to him to fetch it but the man himself is to bring it vers 3. of his own voluntary will so Christ dyed willingly and offered up himself a Sacrifice and a whole Burnt-Offering unto God for us Ephes 5.2 Joh. 10.18 I lay down my life of my self so should we in all our Services be a willing people we should come before the Lord with willing minds when we present our Corbans our Gifts Services and Oblations to him God loves a cheerful Giver 2 Cor. 9.7 2. This leads us by the hand and points every way to Jesus Christ as the cause of our acceptance with the Lord in that they were to bring it to the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation to be offered upon the Altar which stood there For Christ is both the Door and the Tabernacle and the Altar and the Priest He is the door of the Sheep Joh. 10.7 And he is the true Tabernacle and the Sanctuary which the Lord hath pitched and not man Heb. 8.2 A greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with hands Heb. 9.11 And he is the Altar Heb. 13.10 which sanctifies the Gift and makes it accepted Mat. 23.19 And Christ is the Priest also that presents and offers up our Sacrifices to the Lord He is often called a Priest and our great High Priest This therefore teacheth us That all our access unto and acceptation with the Lord is only in and through Jesus Christ it is through him alone that our Services and Sacrifices are accepted there is no acceptance out of Christ For he that neglected this was to be cut off Lev. 17.8 9. 3. They are to bring it hither before the face of the Lord or the presence of the Lord this refers to the holiest of all where God dwelt and where his presence did appear So the meaning is that we are to see God in all our Services and to eye the presence of God and that he is to be seen there and there only even in and by the Lord Jesus Christ Luk. 1.75 that we might serve him before him 2 Cor. 4.6 the Light of the Knowledg of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 4. The Tabernacle was a Type of the Church which is often called the Tabernacle and Temple and House of God We are to worship God in his Church in the Assemblies of his people Heb. 10.25 and 12.22 23. So much for the first ceremonial Action about the Burnt-Offering 2. The Sinner that brought the Sacrifice was to lay his hand upon the head of it vers 4. this was not required in the Sacrifice of Fowls but only of Beasts see the like Exod. 29.10 There is some controversy here whether he was to lay on his right hand or his left hand or both but seeing it is in the singular Number and seeing it is expresly commanded that the Priest should lay on both his hands Lev. 16.21 that is both for his own sins and the peoples therefore it is thought by some not improbably that when any of the people offered he laid on but one hand But whether the right or the left We may suppose that whatsoever was not limited by God was left at liberty This Ceremony relates to the confession of sin and the translation of the guilt of it upon the Sacrifice the Offerer in this Ceremony disburthening himself of sin and putting over his own Guilt upon the Sacrifice so it is explained Lev. 16.21 He shall lay on his hands and confess over him the Iniquities of the Children of Israel So Christ hath born our sins and carried our sorrows Isa 53.4 5. And we are to confess our sins over him by Faith in Christ and through the blood of his Sacrifice it shall be forgiven us 1 Joh. 1.7 9. 3. The Sacrifice must be killed and slain and that upon the north side of the Altar vers 5. and vers 11. It is questioned here who did this whether he that brought the Offering or the Priest But doubtless it was the Priest for it is said of him that kills the Offering that he shall stay it vers 5 6. but that was the Priests work And to the killing of the Sacrifice of Beasts answers the wringing off the head of sacrificed Fowls But this is expresly affirmed to be the Priests work vers 15. Only this we find that the Levites were added to the Priests to assist them and help them in the whole work of their Ministry Numb 8.19 and we find it often recorded that they did so 2 Chron. 29.34 Therefore in vers 22. of that Chap. where the Killers and the Priests are distinguished it is not to be understood concerning the people as if they had killed the Offerings but rather the Levites see likewise 1 Chron. 23.28 31. and 2 Chron. 35.10 11. So much for the literal explication of this Ceremony now for the mystery and meaning of it What might be noted from hence concerning actions and administrations properly and peculiarly ministerial we shall observe when we come to that place to the legal Priesthood and Ministry But it is plain and obvious that it holds forth the death of Christ the Messiah was slain and cut off Dan. 9.26 His Soul was made an Offering for sin Isa 53.10 As to that Circumstance of killing it on the north side of the Altar vers 11. the same Rule is given concerning the Sin-Offering Lev. 6.25 and the Trespass Offering Lev. 7.1 2. There be various applications of this Some think there is no further mystery in it but that the Tabernacle door and the Altar were so situate and placed that on the north side there was more space for such Acts as required most room as the killing and dressing of the Sacrifices did so our own Annotators But others conceive this Law was not without something of mystery in it some note how their greatest Troubles and Sufferings were from the North Jeremiah sees a Seething Pot and the face thereof was towards the North. Jer. 1.13 and then vers 14. Out of the North an Evil shall break forth upon all the Inhabitants of the Land Therefore some conceive that to restrain the Evils and Judgments of God the Offerings were slain on the north side of the Altar also that the situation of the Temple was on the north side of the City Psal 48.2 Mount Sion on the sides of the North. Moreover here is no regard had to the Sun and to the East but thither the Ashes were carried forth as vers 16. Whereas the Heathen were accustomed to Sacrifice and to direct their Worship towards the East and towards the Sun which they made an Idol of In opposition to which Idolatry as some conceive the Lord appointed his people to sacrifice towards the North. And lastly the Gospel hath prevailed more in the northern Hemisphere of the World which also is more inhabited than in the Southern Ezekiel in his Vision of the holy City doth first describe the