Some, I know, look upon them both as very eafy fubjects of inquiry. Th y have fuch low conceptions of the divine purity, and fo high an opinion of their own dignity and worth, that they fee little, if any occafion at all, for a reconciling `mediator to introduce them into the prefence of God. They admit, that repentance for what hath been done amifs, appears highly reafonable, and perhaps may be neceffary; but when, like men of candour and probity, they have confessed their faults, and humbled themfelves fo far as to ask forgiveness, and to promife amendment, then, they prefume, that God is too generous to require any further reparation; that he will readily pardon what is paft, and receive them into favour, as if they had never offended him.

But however fuch perfons may magnify their own foolish imaginations, and arrogantly ftyle them the dictates of reafon; yet it might eafily be demonftrated, that this scheme is abfolutely irrational, and incapable of giving fatisfaction to any ferious unprejudiced mind. Nothing can be more obvious,

N4

obvious, than that the Source of all being deferves the fupreme love, and the most perfect unceasing obedience, of the creatures he hath made. This is the true law of nature, that is, a law founded in the nature of God and of man. It is no arbitrary conftitution, but infinitely fit and reasonable in itself; and therefore equally incapable either of repeal or abatement; fo that, in the language of our shorter catechifm, every deviation from it deferveth God's wrath and curfe, both in this life and in that which is to come. Nor would it be confiftent with the holiness and juftice of God, to remit the punishment, and receive the tranfgreffor into favour, without fuch a public fatisfaction to justice, as may testify his abhorrence of all unrighteoufnefs, and his refolution to fupport the authority of his law, as effectually as the due unabated punishment of the finner himfelf could do. Thefe are the dictates of found reafon; and therefore all whofe minds have been awakened to ferious confideration, will be folicitous to know what encouragement they have to draw near to a holy and righ

teous

teous God; and how they fhould approach him fo as to find acceptance.

Now, to each of these inquiries, the paffage I have been reading affords a direct and fatisfying answer. :

IF

I. If any fhall afk, What warrant or encouragement hath a creature, confcious of guilt, to draw near to a God of unspotted: holiness, and inflexible justice?

The Apostle will inform him, that the chief of finners (for this was the title he affumed to himself, 1 Tim. i. 15.) hath + boldness, or (according to the marginal reading) liberty to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new. and living way, which be, in the character of high-priest over the house of God, hath confecrated for us through the vail, that is to fay, his flesh, or that human nature in which he suffered, as a propitiatory facrifice, or finoffering, in our place.

It will readily occur to you, that all these peculiar forms of expreffion allude to the inftituted means of accefs to God under the Mofaic difpenfation: and it were to be

wifhed,

wifhed, that Chriftians were better acquainted with that ancient worship than they commonly are; for without fome knowledge of this kind, much, I need not fay of the beauty and energy of the New-Teftament language, but even of its true meaning and import, muft escape their obfervation.

The principal service of this day will not permit me to spend fo much time as would be neceffary for tracing out the feveral parts of the allufion with perfpicuity and accu racy: it must at prefent fuffice to give you a general view of the Apostle's reasoning in the foregoing part of this epistle, with which my text is evidently connected, as an obvious inference, and practical conclufion.

There we are informed, that the correfpondence with the God of Ifrael, in all the public exercises of religious worship, was maintained and conducted by the intervention of the high-priest. None of the other Jews, of whatever rank or office, were permitted in perfon to approach the fymbols of the divine prefence. To him alone

it belonged to pass through the curtain or vail, which feparated the first tabernacle, wherein the ordinary priests ministered, from the fecond tabernacle, or holiest of all, which had the golden cenfer, and the ark of the covenant, with the cherubims of glory over it, fhadowing the mercy-feat. "Into this fecond tabernacle," faith the Apostle, at the 7th verfe of the preceding chapter, "went the high-prieft alone, once

every year, not without blood, which he. "offered for himself, and for the errors of "the people." He then proceeds to observe, that the office of high-priest, the worldly fanctuary, and the various ordinances of divine fervice which belonged to it, were only figures for the time then present; and plainly fhows, that they were all typical of, derived their fignificancy from, and received their full accomplishment in, the priesthood and facrifice of Jefus Chrift; who, " by a greater and more perfect ta"bernacle, not made with hands, that is

to fay, not of this building; neither by "the blood of goats and calves, but by "his own blood, entered in once into the

holy