and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession? But the thoughts of God are above our thoughts, and his ways are higher than our ways. He is determined that Jesus Christ shall see of the travail of his soulthat he shall reign victoriously from the rising of the sun to the setting of the same.

Under the consideration that the ways of God are higher than our ways, we should be submissive to his will when the events of providence are grievous, afflictive and disagreeable to flesh and blood, we should be calm and serene under them. The language of our hearts should be, the Lord hath given, the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Amen.

SERMON XXVII.

ON THE COMMUNION OF THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH WITH THE BLOOD OF SPRINKLING.

And to the blood of sprinkling.-Heb. 12 chapter,

24 verse.

This epistle was addressed to christianized Jews.The apostle is here pointing out the superexcellency of the privileges enjoyed by the gospel church, over those enjoyed by the national church of Israel, the members of the former are under a better covenant, better mediator, and a better priesthood than the members of the latter were. The national church was constituted at Sinai, under the ministration of condemnation; on a day of darkness, and of tempest, and of the sound of trum

pet, and the voice of words, producing terror and sink. ing of heart throughout the assembly; a day, when God from a pulpit of fire preached to the people a fiery law, while the mountain shook from base to summit, the thunders roared, the lightnings flashed through the horrid gloom like swiftly flowing streams of fire, and God shut down the portals of his sanctuary to prevent the approach of the people. But the gospel church is sweetly drawn to Zion's mount by the voice of atoning blood; they ascend the mountain to the city of God, by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus; they sit down with the general assembly of the spirits of the just; they walk in the footsteps of their great High Priest towards God, the judge of all, who is now seated on the throne of grace to justify all that believe in Jesus; and under the covert of the wings of the Mediator of the New Testament they move onward to the centre sanctuary, encouraged by the voice of the blood of sprinkling, which has silenced all the thunders of guilt and terror within their breasts. We notice,

I. The blood of sprinkling.

II. The coming of the church by faith to the Metropolis, where is the office of the great High Priest over the house of God.

I. God has shown a very special regard for blood in general-the blood of Martyrs-the blood or life of souls -and the blood of sacrifices. Cain the first murderer, had a mark or stigma put upon him by the hand of God as a sign of death, which, together with the worm of guilt upon his conscience, remained upon him all his life. Abel was the first martyr, and he died for the faith in Christ. When the earth opened to receive his blood, there was a voice from each of his wounds which pierced the heaven of heavens. God descended, summoned Cain before him, sat in judgment on the case

and pronounced his sentence, which he caused to be read by all after ages. In the 21st chapter of Deuteronomy, we find that if a man were found lying dead in the field, the Lord allowed him not to be quietly buried; the elders of the city next to where the slain is found, must take a heifer, and behead it in a valley, and wash their hands over it and declare their innocence. This was designed to impress their minds with the greatness of the crime of murder. God's charge to the watchman. recorded by Ezekiel, is very impressive. If he performed his duty faithfully in warning the city of its danger, then he was clear from the blood of the slain, but if he neglected his duty, sounded not the alarm in the time of danger, and any evil ensued-any lives were lost, the blood of the slain was required at the unfaithful watchman's hands. Paul (in the 20 chapter of Acts) applies this to gospel ministers. I am pure from the blood of all men. Not a soul will be found among the lost in another world, without the most scrutinizing inquisition for the guilt of his blood. If the preacher, instead of declaring the whole council of God, shall have taught his hearers a false way, and they perish, their blood shall be placed upon the head of the false teacher. Dr. Watts says of the rich man who opened his eyes in hell, that the deathless worm of his torment, consisted in part, in the recollection of the ruinous example he had set before his five brethren— therefore it was, that he so much dreaded to see them in that same place of torment. O, what a harvest of fery. sheaves will forever arise from Mahomedan and al errors; in the multitudes of impoisoned and ruined which sheaves shall be threshed and ground by ments of divine justice, in the inward ago. nies and gnawings of these false and destructive teachers.. The only way by which the minister of the gospel can

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free his skirts of the blood of men is, faithfully to discharge his duty and declare the whole council of God.

The blood of sacrifices, divinely appointed, was of great account in the sight of God. Blood, running water, fire, and oil, were four remarkable things connec ted together in the temple worship-all shadows of good things to come. Blood, denoted the atonement of Christ, water, the doctrine concerning him; the fire and oil, denoted the purifying fire and sacred unction of the Holy Spirit, by which sinners are converted into saints.

The blood of the sacrifices had a voice. The bellowings of the calves and bullocks,--the bleating of the sheep and lambs,--and the sound of the blood burning in the sacred fire upon the altar, addressed the people, and said: 1. Ye are condemned by the law of God. 2. Ye deserve thus to suffer and to burn. 3. Ye see that our blood cannot extinguish the fire, make atonement for sin, or purify the conscience; we are but types of him, who, according to the promise, shall make an end of sin by the offering up of himself. 4. Therefore look away over the temple-altars, to that blood which shall be offered without the gates on one of the ridges of Moriah, northward of Jerusalem.

2. But the blood spoken of in the text is of infinitely higher value than all creation's blood beside. By the once shedding of this blood, God's name was glorified, and the honor of his law was restored.

Here is a faultless sacrifice-an offering full without defect! It is sufficient to fill both heaven and earththe heaven of heavens in its demands, and the wants of the perishing earth. The former sacrifices were defective in two respects: first, they were infinitely too low in their nature for God, who had been displeased-too low for the demands of law, was the life of a beast for the sin of a man. Secondly, man himself stood too high in

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the scale of being, to be fitly represented by the substitution of perishing beasts. The life of one man is of more value than all the cattle upon a thousand hills. Man sinned, but the beast suffered. burn a bull for man's transgression was not sufficient. This incongruousness, and consequent defect of nature we find not in the sacrifice of Christ. As a divine Person he was equal with God, and being born of woman he was truly man. The Son given was one with God; the child born was bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. "The word was made flesh?"

II. The blood of sprinkling is "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son." By the phrase, "blood of Christ," we understand, first his material blood, which flowed from his hands and his feet, and from his head and heart, which, mingling with his bloody sweat, spread like a mantle over his entire frame. Each drop of that blood had a voice; but all in the language of love, mercy, and grace. By the voice of this blood were silenced the cries of guilt in the heaven of heavens, and also in the sinner's conscience. But secondly, the phrase, blood of Christ, in its comprehensive import, denotes every thing included in his passive obedience,—all his pains of body and all the agonies of his holy soul, by which he closed up the fiery pass and fully satisfied the law in its perfect weights and measures. Christ is the end of

the law.

In the third place, the offices and perpetual agencies connected with his atoning blood arise out of the holiness of his life, which, like sweet aromatic plants, beautified his body and his soul. "A sacrifice of sweet smelling savour." The odour of Mary's ointment filled the house at Bethany; but the sweet smelling savour of the sacrifice of Golgotha filled the very heavens, and that savour was the savour of life. This saving odour