read in the audience of the people

and they

faid, All that the Lord hath faid we will do,. and be obedient." It being usual for perfons to have written deeds' read over to them, or by them, when they fubfcribe them; and oaths, or covenants, folemnly administered to them when they enter into them. Their affent unto this covenant was only verbal indeed: The reason why it was not fubfcribed, perhaps, was, because writing and fubfcription was not then in common ufe for fuch purposes. It was as late as the days of Jeremiahere we read that this folemnity was used in confirmation of a civil contract; and it was only in the days of Nehemiah, that we read of it practifed for ratifying a religious

one.

4. THIS Covenant was ratified by facrifice : "And Mofes builded an altar under the hill: and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Ifrael. And he fent young men of the children of Ifrael, who offered burnt-offerings, and facrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto the Lord. And Mofes took half of the blood and put it in bafons, and half of the blood he fprinkled on the altar and Mofes took the blood and fprinkled it on the people; and faid, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you, concerning all thefe words *." We may obferve, in the firft place,

* Exod. xxiv. 4, 5, 6, 8.

The

The preparations which were made for this folemn confirmation; and they are:-The erection of an altar. The people were about to furrender themselves unto the Lord; but they could not expect that God would accept the dedication, but through a facrifice on an altar of his own appointment: And, at this time, God refted on the altar, as in his holy habitation. He fet up twelve pillars, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Ifrael: That is, a pillar for each tribe. The altar and the pillars were probably over against each other: And they certainly reprefented the two parties in the covenant; the altar, as was just now faid, being the facred habitation of the Son of God; and the book being laid upon the altar, to intimate the claims which he had on the children of Ifrael.He appointed YOUNG MEN unto the office of the priesthood; the Levitical priesthood being not yet inftituted. Thefe young men were the firft-born, whom God had confecrated to himself, when he flew the firft-born of Egypt: And they were commanded to difcharge that office unto which they had been feparated.- He affigned unto thefe young men the work which belonged unto their office: They are commanded to offer burnt-offerings, and facrifice peace-offerings *.

As

* BURNT-OFFERINGS. The rites of this facrifice are prefcribed Levit. chap. i. But it does not follow, that they were first instituted when these injunctions were given out; for they were offered as early as the days of

PP

Noah

As the typical offerings came infinitely fhort of the great propitiation, both kinds of oblation were neceffary to prefigure the, one offering of Jefus Chrift: And the burnt-offering pointed out the exquifite nature of his fufferings, while the peace-offering prefigured the fweet favour of them before God; and their efficacy to procure peace between God and man. This covenant was a covenant of peace; wherefore it was proper to be confirmed by facrificing peaceofferings: And the facrifices were probably cut in twain, and Ifrael made to pafs between the parts, as in the Abrahamic covenant. Mofes commanded the blood of thofe facrifices to be preserved, mixed with water, and divided for the purposes for which it was afterwards applied. The Mofaic account is not quite fo copious, indeed, as the Apoftolic.

Noah and Abel; but they were reduced to fyftem by the miniftry of Mofes. Thefe facrifices might confift either of bullocks or sheep, or even of goats; and alfo of fowls. This burnt-offering was probably of bullocks; for the Apoftle informs us, that Mofes took the blood of CALVES, or bullocks, for the confirmation of the covenant.

Peace-offerings. The rites of them are prescribed Levit. chap. iii. They might be either of bullocks, fheep, or goats. Probably both bullocks and goats were offered, for peace-offerings, at this time; and of each a confiderable quantity: For peace-offerings were divided into three parts, one of which was confumed upon the altar, a fecond by the priests, and the third by the per fon, or perfons, who offered them. If all the rites of the peace-offering were obferved at this time, then, Ifrael would have a feaft upon a facrifice,-a feaft with God himfelf, as an evidence of their reconciliation unto him.

Paul

Paul informs us, that he took the blood of calves, and of goats, with water, and fearlet-. wool, and hyffop *. The water was added, to keep the blood fluid during the reading of the book of the covenant, and to make it afperfible. The fearlet-wool and hyffop were ufed as fprinklers. Hyffop had been used for a like purpose in the firft paffover, when Ifrael kept the fprinkling of blood: And fome imagine, that it is an emblem of faith; others, of Chrift's human nature; hyffop being a humble plant, yet of a pleasant favour; but the former expofition, I prefume, is the most probable. The fcarlet-wool was probably put upon the end of the bunch of hyffop, and fixed on it to make it imbibe a large quantity of the blood. Again, We may notice the confirmation itfelf. Says the Apoftle, "Neither was the first Teftament DEDICATED without blood; our tranflators add PURIFIED, in the margin: But neither DEDICATED nor PURIFIED, perhaps, expreffeth the fenfe fo properly as coN

*Heb. ix. 17—20.

The original word is eyexusa. Scarce two tranflators have rendered it by one and the fame term: Arias Montanus renders it, DEDICATUM EST; Pifcator, SANCITUM EST; Eftius, INITIATUM EST. But, not to mention others, the best criticifin I have feen on this word is that of Fifcher, the editor of Stockius, Vid. Stock. in vocem. Verum in N. T. non nifi a Paulo in epiftola ad Hebræas adhibetur, cap. ix. 18. ad innuendum TESTAMENTI CONFIRMATIONEM, STABILITIONEM, et PLENUM COMPLEMENTUM, ut pro aliis valeat.

Pp 2

FIRMED,

FIRMED, or RENEWED. The Apostle is difcourfing concerning the things which are requifite to confirm a teftament, as is evident from the context. Now, this confirmation confifted,In a SPRINKLING of the book. There is no mention, indeed, of fprinkling the book in the Mofaic hiftory; but it is exprefsly mentioned by the Apostle. The Mofaic hiftory, however, includes one article not mentioned by the Apostle; namely, the fprinkling of the altar. To reconcile the one with the other, it may be proper to obferve, That, as the book was laid upon the altar, fo it must have been fprinkled along with it. We may alfo notice, that it was the book AS SPRINKLED, which was difpenfed unto the people. Nor was this rite infignificant, as it taught the people to vow obedience to the Law, typically magnified by this fprinkling of blood. Though the Law's demands were exceeding broad; yet this fprinkling of blood upon it exhibited to them, as in a glafs, the fource of their deliverance from its curfe and condemnation, by the blood of fprinkling. This confirmation included in it alfo a fprinkling of the people. He fprinkled ALL the people. This was done, fome think, by fprinkling the twelve pillars, the people's reprefentatives; others, that it was accomplished by fprinkling the elders, or the chief of every family: But, as peace-offerings were a feaft for the whole congregation of Ifrael, fo there might be abundance of blood

for