THE SPIRITUAL AND MAGAZINE, ZION'S CASKET. "For there are Three that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST; and these Three are One."-1 John v. 7. "Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." -Jude 3. "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."-1 Tim. iii. 6. AUGUST, 1848. WHAT the Lord said unto Moses concerning Aaron his brother. It contains a prohibition, by the which he is kept from entering within the vail at all times. The reasons are given for the same. This is expressed in the words of the text before us. "And the Lord said unto Moses, speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark, that he die not; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat."-Lev. xvi. 2. As the tabernacle prefigured Christ to be incarnate, and it being filled with the glory of the Lord, symbolically August, 1848] expressed how his humanity would be filled with all the fulness of the Godhead; as the essential Word and only begotten Son of the living God would by his personal union with it, inhabit and dwell in the same, so the Lord's speaking to Moses out of the tabernacle, or more immediately from the mercy-seat, was very expressive of Christ's speaking to his church. Agreeable to which the apostle says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son," Heb. i. 1, 2. The tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month, in the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt: this first day of the month Nisan was solemnized by the consecration of the tabernacle. The Lord having taken up his resicommands concerning sacrifice; then dence here, speaks and gives out his concerning the consecration of Aaron and his sons; Moses having at the Lord's command anointed the tabernacle with its furniture, Aaron also and his sons, whose consecration together with his sons engaged seven days: which being ended, the next EE day Aaron entered on his office of high priest, and offered sacrifice for himself and the people: then he went into the holy place, and burnt incense on the golden altar; he came out, and with hands uplifted blessed the people; and the glory of Jehovah appeared to all the people; then there " came out a fire from the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat; which when all the people saw, they shouted and fell on their faces." Now it is not easy to ascertain that it was immediately on this the two sons of Aaron offered strange fire before the Lord, yet, as it is immediately connected with the former, it leads us so to conceive; it seems very probable; if it was so, there is this objection lies in the way: Aaron himself had burnt the incense on the golden altar when Moses went in with him to shew how this was to be done; it therefore appears to me their offering strange fire was at the time of the evening oblation. If from this time the services of worship were carried on as they were in after ages, then certain it is Aaron himself had never been in the holiest of all. It must therefore be absolutely necessary he should be informed concerning the Lord's will, respecting what those acts of worship were, which should be performed in the holiest of all, as also by whom, and the time when, seeing there had been no day of atonement yet; if this be properly considered it will cast light upon the subject now before us. What is contained in this chapter, the first verse of which I have gone through, was delivered after the death of the two sons of Aaron. The passover was observed by the Israelites on the tenth of the first month; and what is here commanded concerning the annual feast of atonement was to be attended unto on the tenth of the month Ethanim. Thus I have given you some general preli minaries as an introduction to the words of my text. As I am entered on the first part of my exposition on this chapter, which is to close with the tenth verse, in which part an account is to be given of what was to be done before the high priest entered into the holiest of all, I judge it may be best in the sermon now entered upon, to enter into a detail of every particular mentioned; and this without casting the same into distinct heads, yet at the same time cleaving so closely to all expressed in the same, so as not to omit any particular in it. Thus I have given you to understand what I shall aim to set before you. It must also be kept in remembrance, that though the words in the former verse are so connected with the present, they are but one sentence; yet as the former have been descanted upon in the former sermon on the same, so no further reference will be made unto the same, seeing it is presumed there can be no necessity for it, as it will be understood sufficiently as being the preface to the present text, and a part of its explanation. "And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord and died; and the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place, within the vail, before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark, that he die not; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat." As the first verse expresses the Lord speaking to Moses, and after what event it was, so also the person whom it concerned, and also what was to be attended unto. Moses the man of God is the person to whom the Lord spake; he was to be the Lord's mouth to his brother Aaron; this was altogether according to the order the Lord had hitherto pursued ; he constituted him to be a god unto Pharoah; it was he pronounced from the Lord all the plagues that were brought upon the land of Egypt; he was the Shepherd of God's chosen ones; he led the people through the Red Sea; he delivered the laws and ordinances of the Lord unto them; he was taken up into the mount with God; he remained there forty days and forty nights; he delivered out all God's will unto them; it is to him the Lord said what is here commanded in this chapter, which should lead us to reverence all contained in it, because almost the whole contained herein was spoken by Jehovah to Moses; he was to speak the same to his brother Aaron; it concerned him to attend to the same; some parts of it most nearly concerned himself, as the particulars of what follows in this verse did; this will appear as we view or express the particulars contained in the verse before us: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark, that he die not; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat." As these words are the solemn entrance into this chapter, I conceive the majesty contained in the command, with all connected therewith, together with the reasons for the same, must have been very impressive on the minds of Moses and Aaron; it could not but be so, it being the first notice the Lord had given them of this; and it could not but prepare their minds for what was further to accompany this. Aaron the High Priest is particularly interested in that which Moses from the Lord spake to him of. Let it be here noticed, the tabernacle of testimony, so called because in the west end of it, the ark of the Lord was, in which were the two tables of stone, on which the law of the Lord was inscribed, and which being laid up in the same, it received this title, the ark of the testimony. The tabernacle was divided into two parts, one styled the holy, the other the most holy place; it was into the holiest of all, Aaron was not at all times to enter; yet it was not so termed here; the Lord's words are these, "Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place." The holiest of all was designed, and that there might be no mistake concerning it, therefore it is then most exactly expressed: "the holy place within the vail." This was a very curious curtain of fine linen, on which were embroidered the sacred emblems of the cherubim; which curtain was suspended on five pillars of shittimwood, overlaid with gold: hereby the holy and most holy places were separated. The place into which Aaron is not to enter at all times, is within the vail before the mercyseat; this was to all the rest of the sanctuary, as the heaven of heavens; it was the presence chamber of the Most High; here was the ark of the Lord, the mercy-seat, the throne of the divine Majesty; he dwelt in the visible representative of his divine Majesty, in a cloud of glory, immediately between the cherubim, above the mercy-seat. Thus Christ the head of the church, the Saviour of his people, the King of glory, the Lord of glory, the true Shecinah, was pleased to make himself known here in these outward visible tokens of his glorious Majesty. It may not be amiss to explain that which was contained in these symbols and memorials of our Lord Jesus Christ, as they may be the means of solemnizing our minds to an exposition of that which is contained in this chapter before us. As for the ark, it was made by divine command, to lay up the tables of the covenant of God therein, and for God to sit between the cherubim thereon. Thus he made known himself by this visible token of his presence with his church in Christ ; 66 it was the first and chief of all the holy things; for it the tabernacle was made; it sanctified the tent and house wherein it rested, as Solomon said, "The places are holy whereinto the ark of the Lord hath come." 2 Chron. viii. 11. It is prophesied by Jeremiah, that it should be so done away and forgotten that men should say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord;" chapter iii. 16; yet we have it mentioned in the church of the New Testament, as also the tabernacle, Rev. xi. 19, "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his Testament." The ark was a sacred chest, composed of shittimwood, covered over both within and without with plates of solid gold; it was four square: at the corners of it were four rings in which were two staves made of the same materials; these were put into the rings of it, that when the ark was to be removed, the Levites might bear it on their shoulders. As the ark bore these titles, the ark of the testimony, the ark of the Lord, the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the ark of the Lord of Hosts which dwelleth between the cherubim, so the same was very expressive of its relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. The shittim-wood of which it was composed, was a wood which would admit of no rot or worm; it was incorruptible, which served well to be expressive of the incorruptibility of the humanity of our Lord. This being enclosed in gold served as an adumbration of the Deity of our Lord; who taking our nature into union with his person, rendered it immaculately pure, sinless, holy, and impeccable, so as no taint of sin was, or ever could be found in it. The rings being round at the four corners, might be very expressive of the churches of Christ, who are, as instituted by Christ, most truly complete. As it respects their form, matter, order, government, &c, they are in union with Christ; they are not, neither can be separated from him; they are one in him, and they are one with him; he hath communion with them, and they have communion with him. The staves of the ark which were of the same matter with the ark itself, and were to be put into the rings of it, and never to be removed, but to remain there always, were very expressive of the ministers of Christ, who are to abide with the churches, for they are incomplete without them, by being their servants for Jesus' sake; to preach the everlasting gospel to them, to administer the ordinances of the same, to spread the name, person, work and salvation of Christ thereby. The ark was in the holiest of all; it was within the vail, which hid it from view; it was not to be touched upon pain of death. The cover or lid of it was styled the mercy-seat; in the ark the two tables of the law, which the Lord gave unto Moses were put, they were hid out of sight by the mercy-seat, which was the lid and cover of the ark; it was a piece of solid gold, four square, equal with the dimensions of the ark, which as it covered the ark and hid the two tables of the testimony out of sight, so it was a memorial of Christ: the law of God was in his heart; he transcribed it in his life "he is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." The mercy-seat was called the propitiatory; before it the blood of atonement was sprinkled by the high priest, on the anniversary feast of expiation. On the ends of the mercy-seat, or rather out of the same piece of gold, the cherubim of glory were formed, and these with their wings stretched out formed a kind of alcove, in the midst of which dwelt the divine Majesty, in the person of Christ the Mediator, as the King of Israel, whose name is the Lord of Hosts. As the holy of holies was the place of the holy ones, the seat of their residence, so the figures of the cherubim were representations of the holy ones, whose eyes were toward each other, and looking down upon the mercy-seat, expressive of their unity in one incomprehensible, glorious, and undivided essence; of their joint will in their covenant acts and offices; and of their looking with ineffable delight on the instituted memorials of the same, as hereby the church under that dispensation were made acquainted with the glorious method of reconciliation. The ark and mercy-seat, and cherubim, was an exhibition of what had transacted in heaven, and what was there to be completed by our Lord's entrance into it, when he should have completed his work on earth, by the putting away of sin, and bringing in everlasting righteousness, by his obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. The two cherubs' figures were exactly like each other, and made out of the same piece of gold which covered the mercy-seat, each had two faces looking inwards, so that all looked upon the mercyseat, and upon each other, so that in either respect the whole exhibition was complete. The apostle Peter is considered as referring hereunto, when he says of Christ and the mystery of salvation by him, "which things the angels desired to look into." Eph. i. 12. The Jews say, the ark, mercy-seat, and cherubim, were the heart and manner of the whole Levitical services; to speak briefly of these as expressive of Christ: the ark was expressive of Christ who is the King of glory, who is the Lord our righteousness, and the Lord our strength, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; he is our mercy-seat, our throne of grace; his blood hides all our transgressions from view; he liveth in the presence of God for us; he is our cover, so that in him as our propitiatory, we are safe and secure. It is in him the three in Jehovah shine upon the church, and remember the same with everlasting kindness. It is in the person of the glorious Mediator, and in the everlasting performance of his mediatory acts, that the divine majesty in all his persons and perfections rests fully satisfied. Now into this place, the residentiary of the Holy One, Aaron is not to enter but by divine command, nor then but by various sacrifices and offerings, both for himself and for the people. He must perform all the services of the day, he must wash himself several times, he must appear in two sorts of garments, he must be very exact in his performances; not one thing commanded but he must attend unto; his work is laborious, he is in danger of death; all which was to express none could approach to the Lord on the behalf of the church with safety, but the Lord Jesus Christ. None could remove sin effectually and truly from the people, but himself; none could enter into the holiest of all, and be the perpetual Intercessor of his people, but he who in his own person, was both God and man. Aaron was but his type to represent in shadow and figure what he was to accomplish in his own person, and in the execution of his own office of priesthood. Aaron, the high priest of the Jewish nation, was a type of Christ's priesthood; he was to transact before the Lord and the people, in a public way and manner, what the Messiah himself was to do in the fulness of time. 2514 years were past since Christ as a Saviour had been revealed and made known to his church. It was but 1500 and some odd years to his open incarnation. It pleased the Lord therefore that he should shine forth more visibly glorious in the view of his church in the following services, together |