of his blood, think to wash away their stains with the nitre and foap of their own rightcoufnefs, they fhall die before the Lord, be excluded from his beatific prefence, and become an abhorring unto all flesh for ever more. SEVENTHLY, The ordinance of the anointing Oil. IN Jefus Chrift we have alfo the antitype of the legal unction, no lefs than cf the divers wafhings and facrifices, which is to be declared. The Jewish lawgiver is commanded in a very particular manner, to take unto him of the principal fpices, five hundred fhekels of pure myrrh,-half as much of fweet cinnamon,-five hundred fhekels of caffia,and half as much of fweet calamus. Thefe precious ingredients were to be compounded by the apothecary's art in a hin of olive oil. The ufe of this holy oil was to anoint the tabernacle, and its furniture, and Aaron with his fons. But it was ftrictly forbidden to apply it to any other ufe, to put it upon any tranger, or to make any thing like it, after the compofition of it. "This," faid God to the Ifraelites, hall be a holy anointing oil to me, throughout your generations." Let us come to the concealed myftery of this ordinance. Then was this type fulfilled, when the Lord's Anointed was endued with the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghoft, which God gave not by meafure unto him. Hear what himfelf declares by the mouth of the prophet Ifaiah," The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed met." And therefore are the difciples of Chrift filed Chriftians, because it is fuppofed they have alfo auction from the holy One. Surely it is not without fufficient reafons, that anointing with oil, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghoft, are phrafes of the fame import in the language of infpiration. If oil is of a healing nature, and fit to appeafe the anguish of rankled wounds, the Spirit of God is that mollifying ointment, by which + Ifa. lxi. Į. * Exod. xxx. 31. the wounds, and bruifes, and putrefying fores, océafioned by the fall, are gradually healed, until at laft the cure is fo completely wrought, that not a fcar remains. If oil is of a beautifying quality, and makes the human face to fhine; by the benign agency of the fanctifying Spirit, our fouls are made as the wings of a dove covered with filver, and are prefented at laft in prefence of his glory, without fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing. If oil is favoury to the tafte, imparting to other efculents an agreeable flavour; without the Spirit what is the word itfelf but a dry morfel? but when he sheds his kindly influences, then do we find the word and eat it; it is to us the joy and rejoicing of our heart. If oil is an exhilarating virtue, greatly refreshing the animal fpirits of them who are anointed, this puts us in mind of the reviving operations of the Coniforter, who is the Holy Gholt, the true oil of gladness, whose fruit is joy and peace. In the fame manner we might apply the ftrengthning, foftning, preferving, infinuating properties of this ftaple commodity of Canaan, to the like operations of the divine Spirit. But let us rather reflect upon the fpecial qualities of the holy anointing oil, which Mofes made according to the divine difpenfatory. It was compounded of various coftly ingredients; to reprefent perhaps, the great variety of heavenly gifts and graces, which are conferred by the Spirit of the Lord, and the diverfities of his operations.-It fhed a moft delightful perfume, even to a proverb, when poured on the head of Aaron. Of a greater than he it is faid, * All thy garments finell of myrrh, aloes, and caffia*:"and again, "Because of the favour of thy good ointments, therefore do the virgins.jove theet." The quantity which Mofes made was confiderably large, and fufficient to anoint both the priest the tabernacle, and all its facred veffels. May not this faintly adumbrate the fullness of the Spirit, by which he is able not on ly to anoint our great. High Prieft, but likewife all the fanctified veflèls that are made meet for the maf• Pfal. xiv, 8. Song i. 3.1 ter's ufe? It was unlawful to make any thing like it; and the Jews affirm, with great probability, that it was never but once prepared; though they fabuloufly add, that it wafted not by ufe for many generations. This may denote how difpleafing it is to God to counterfeit his Holy Spirit; and as we are to try the fpirits, whether they be of God, fo in all generations there is but one Spirit, as there is one body myftical and one hope of our calling-The prohibition of putting any of it on a ftranger, may fignify, that the fpiritual unction is the peculiar privilege of faints, which, to use the expreffion of our Lord, the world cannot receive. And, Laftly, as this anointing oil did fanctify the perfons and things to which it was applied, confecrated them for ever to the fervice of God, and entitled them to his protection; fo the happy fouls who have received not the fpirit of the world, but the Spirit who is of God, are fanctified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God are fealed unto the day of redemption: and the unction they have received abideth in them.. Because of this anointing, their yokes fhall be deftroyed, "Touch not mine anointed, ye enemies of their falvation," will the Lord fay," and do no. harm to my peculiar people". Let others drink wine in bowls, and anoint them with the chief oint ments; but give us O Lord, this holy oil for ever more. IV. The Land of Canaan.. HE land that flowed with milk and honey de Terves a particular confideration among the o ther fhadows of good things to come. God promifed to the fathers of the holy nation, "I will give you the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance," when they were but a few men in number, yea, very few, and rangers to it." This promife he per formed to their pofterity at the appointed time, when under the conduct of Jofhua, he drove out the Heathen, and planted them. But was this all which * Pfal. cv. 15:0 + Gen. xii 7. God, provided for his people? Was the promise of an' earthly inheritance, the blissful hope that fupported the believing patriarchs in the few and evil days of their pilgrimage? Was there no other reft remaining for the people of God, but that which Jo fhua gave them? Then indeed they had been upon the whole confiderable lofers by their religion, and God would have been afhamed to be called their God. It is true the earthly Canaan was a delicious country, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and deeps, that fprang out of the valleys and hills:-a land where they did eat butter of kine, and milk of theep, fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys, and wheat; they did drink the pure blood of the grape :—a land whose rich foil produced whatever could fill the cup of joy, or load the board of plenty. But, alas! what cruel mockery had it been, to propofe no fublimer enjoy. ments than thefe to the lovers of his blefled name? Are fuch things an adequate portion to the immortal fpirit in man Befides, the patriarchs themfelves fojourned in the land of promife as in a ftrange country, and had not fo much as a grave to call their own till bought with money. And their pofterity, the pedple of his holinefs, poffeffed it but a little time. What was the language of all this? Did it not pro claim in loudest accents, both to the patriarchs and their feed," Arife ye, and depart; for this is not your final rest*? I have provided for you, O my people, a better heavenly country, of which this pleafant land is but the pledge and fhadow." Beyond all doubt, the godly patriarchs regarded the promifed land in this amiable light and it is hard to imagine how Mofes, that wife and great lawgiver, could have Been fo paffionately defirous to fee, before he died, that good land beyond Jordan, if ye had not 'confidered it as a pledge of God's eternal reft. Let us add to all this, the fublime encomiums that are eve ry where beftowed upon Canaan, in Mofes, and the prophets. Shurely there was nothing about that lit : *Mic. ii. 10+ Heb. xi. 16. ༢༡.ནཾ་ལོ༣སྙ the fpot of earth to entitle it to fuch high elogiums, as the glory of all lands*, the pleafant landt, and thy land, O Immanuel." But when we view it as a type of the heavenly inheritance, the propriety of thefe grand epithets immediately difcovers itself. Let us fee where the refemblance lies. Canaan was a land originally poffeffed by other nations, whom the Lord drove out for their wickedness. It is revealed in the fcriptures, that the celestial manfions were firft inhabited by thefe once pure, but now apoftate fpirits, who for rebellion against their eternal Sovereign, were driven out from God and blifs, and their places in heaven shall know them a gain no more. It was a land of amazing fertility. And fuch is the tender condefcenfion of the heavenly Father, as to defcribe, by earthly fimilitudes, that fullnefs of joy in his beatific prefence, and all the rich variety of fpiritual and eternal bleffings. The plenty of Cataan, where they did eat bread without fcarcenefs, was an emblem of the fatnefs of God's houfe. In heaven they fhall not want any good thing that can be perfective of their natures, or conducive to their true felicity. There, to ufe the prophetic file, the mountains hall drop down sweet wine, and the hills Thall flow with milk." They fhall not hanger nor thirit, for the tree of life for ever hangs out his golden fruit, and the water of life for ever rolls its filver ftream. It was a promifed land; and promifed long before the poffeffion was actually taken, to the father of their nation, four hundred and thirty years before the law. Even fo, eternal life was promifed to Chrift, the everlafting Father, not only antecedent to the good works of his feed, but before the world: and though the Lord is not flack concerning his promife, yet we have need of patience, even though we have done the will of God, that we may inherit the promifes. It was a land which their own righteoufnefs could not merit, and which their own fword could not pro* Ezek. xx. 7. ↑ Pfal evi 24. Ifa, viii. 8. Joel iii. 18. > |