a perfect legal life, was his wafhing his offering in thefe ten lavers, in order to his prefenting it upon the altar for our fins. The lavers went upon wheels, to fignify walking feet; and Chrift walked in the law, and fo became a clean offering to God for us. The wheels were of the very fame as were the lavers; to fhew that Chrift's obedience to the law was of the fame, as to length and breadth, with its commands and demands to their utmost tittle and extent, The inwards and legs of the burnt-offering was to be washed in thefe lavers, Lev. i. 9, 13. 2 Chron. iv. 6. to fhew that Chrift fhould be pure and clean in heart and life,

We know that obedience, whether Chrift's or curs, is called a walking in the way, typified by the lavers walking upon their wheels, But I mean not by Chrift his wathing of his offering, that he had any filthinefs cleaving to his nature or obedience yet this, I fay, that fo far as our guilt laid upon him could impede, fo far he wiped it off by washing in thefe lavers. For his offering was to be without blemish, and without fpot to God. Hence it is faid he fanctified himself, in order to his fuffering; " and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal falvation to all them that obey him;" John xvii. 19. Heb. v. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

For albiet he came holy into the world, yet that holinefs was but preparatory to that by which he fanctified himself, in order to his fuffering for fin. That then which was his immediate preparation for his fuffering, was his obedience to the law, his washing in thefe lavers. He then firft yielded complete obedience to the law, on our behalf; and then, as fo qualified, offered his washed facrifice for our fins, without fpot, to God.

Thus therefore he was our burnt-offering, washed in the ten lavers, that he might, according to the law, be accepted of the Lord..

And he fet five of the lavers on the right-fide of the house, and five of them on the left. Thus

were the ten divided, as the tables of the law; one fhewing our duty towards our God, the other our duty towards our neighbour; in both which the burnt offering was washed, that it might be clean in both refpects.

They might alfo be thus placed, the better to put the people in mind of the neceffity of the fanctifi cation of Chrift, according to the law, in order ta his offering of himself an offering to God for us.

"HE

CHAP. XXXIX.

of the Tables of the Temple.

E made alfo ten tables,, and placed them in the temple, five on the right hand, and: five on the left," 2 Chron. iv. 8.

Some, if not all of thefe tables, fo far as I can. fee, were they on which the burnt-offering was to be cut in pieces, in order to its burning.

These tables were made of ftone, of hewen. ftones, on which this work was done, Ezek, xl. 40, 41, 42, 43, 44.

Now fince the burnt-offering was a figure of the body of Chrift, the tables on which this facrifice was flain, muft needs, I think, be a type of the heart, the ftony heart of the Jews: for, had they not had hearts hard as an adainant, they could not have done that thing.

Upon thefe tables, therefore, was the death of Chrift contrived, and this horrid murder acted, even upon thefe tables of ftone.

In that they are called tables of hewn ftone, it may be to fhew, that all this cruelty was acted un-. der fmooth pretences, for hewn ftones are fmooth, The tables were finely wrought with tools, even as the hearts of the Jews were with hypocrify: but, alas! they were ftone ftill, that is, hard and cruel, elfe they could not have been an anvil for Satan to forge fuch horrid barbarifms upon. The tables were in number the fame with the lavers, and were fet

by them, to fhew what are the fruits of being devoted to the law, as the Jews were, in oppofition to Chrift, and his holy gofpel: there flows nothing but hardness and a ftony heart from thence. This was fhewed in its firft writing, it was writ on tables of ftone, figures of the heart of man; and on the fame tables, or hearts, was the death of Jefus Chrift compaffed.

One would think, that the meeknefs, gentleness, er good deeds of Jefus Chrift, might have procured in them fome relentings, when they were about to take away his life; but, alas! their hearts were tables of ftone! What feeling or compaffion can a ftone be fenfible of? Here were ftony hearts, ftony thoughts, ftony counfels, ftony contrivances, a stony law, and ftony hands; and what could be expected hence, but barbarous cruelty indeed!" If I afk you, faid Chrift, you will not anfwer me, nei. ther will you let me fee," Luke xxii. 68.

In that the ftony tables were placed about the Temple, it fuppofeth that they were Temple-men, priests, fcribes, rulers, lawyers, &c. that were to be the chief on whose hearts this murder was to be de figned, and by them enacted to their own damnation, without repentance.

CHA P. XL.

Of the Inftruments wherewith this Sacrifice was flain, and of the four Tables they were laid on in the Temple.

T

HE inftruments that were laid upon the tables in the Temple were not inftruments of mutic, but thofe with which the burnt offering was flain.

"And the four tables were of hewn-ftone, for the burnt offering; whereon alfo they laid the inftruments wherewith they flew the burnt offering and the facrifice," Ezek. xl. 42, 43.

1. Here we are to take notice that the tables are

the fame, and fome of them of which we fpake before.

2. That the inftruments with which they flew the facrifice was laid upon these tables.

The inftruments with which they flew the facrifices. What were they, but a bloody ax, bloody knives, bloody hooks, and bloody hands? For these we need no proof, matter of fact decrlaes it.

But what were thofe inftruments a type of? Anfwer. Doubtless they were a type of our fins: They were the bloody ax, the knife, and bloody hands, that shed his precious blood. They were the meritorious ones, without which he could not have died. When I fay ours, I mean the fins of Tho' then the hearts of the Jews were the immediate contrivers, yet they were our fins that were the bloody tools or inftruments which flew the Son of God.

the world.

"He was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he died for our fins," Ifa. liii. 1 Cor. xv. Gal. i.

I

Oh, the instruments of us churls, by which this poor man was taken from off the earth, lfa. xxxii. 7. Prov. xxx. 14

The whip, the buffetings, the crown of thorns, the nails, the cross, the fpear, with the vinegar and gall, were all nothing in comparison of our fins. "For the tranfgreffions of my people was he tricken," Ifa. liii. Nor were the flouts, taunts, mocks, fcorns, derifions, &c. with which they followed him from the garden to the crofs, fuch cruel inftruments as the fe. They were our fins then, our curfed fins, by, with, and for the fake of which, the Lord Jefus became a bloody facrifice.

But why muft the inftruments be laid upon the Cables?

1. Take the tables for the hearts of the murder. ers, and the inftruments for their fins; and what place more fit for such inftruments to be laid upon ? It is God's command, that these things fhould be

laid to heart, and he complains of those that do not do it, Ifa. xlii. 25. chap. lxvii. 11.

2. Nor are men ever like to come to good, until these inftruments with which the Son of God was flain indeed be laid to heart. And they were eminently laid to heart, even by them, foon after; the effect of which was the converfion of thousands of them, Acts ii. 36, 37.

3. Wherefore, when it fays these inftruments must be laid upon the stony tables, he infinuates, that God would take a time to charge the murder of his Son home upon the confciences of them that did that murder, either to their conversion or condemnation. And is it not reason, that they who did this horrid villany fhould have their doings laid before their faces upon the tables of their heart? "that. they may look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn," Zech xii. 10. Rev. 1. 7.

4. But these inftruments were laid but upon fome of the tables, and not upon all the ten; to thew, that not all, but fome of thofe fo horrid fhould find mercy of the Lord.

5. But we must not confine these tables only to the hearts of the bloody Jews, they were our fins for the which he died. Wherefore the inftru

ments fhould be laid upon our tables too, and the Lord lay them there for good, that we also may fee our horrid doings, and come bending to him for forgiveness!

8. These inftruments thus lying on the tables in the Temple became a continual motive to God's, people to repentance; for fo oft as they faw these. bloody and cruel inftruments, they were put in mind how their fins fhould be the cause of the death of Chrift.

7. It would be well alfo if these inftruments, were at all times laid upon our tables, for our ore humbling for our fins in every thing we do, efpecially upon the Lord's table, when we come to eat and drink before him. I am fure the Lord Jefus