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ing that as a man dies with fever, or consumption, so Christ was offered to bear the sins of many. The comparison does not hold good, and the connectives, "As" and "so" are without meaning.

To appreciate the apostle's meaning in the passage under consideration, we must carefully consult the context. As already indicated, Paul was instituting a comparison between the office and mission of Christ, and the mission of the High Priest, and was showing the superior excellency of Christianity, over the law dispensation. Once a year the High Priest went into the holy of holies to offer sacrifices for the people. The first verse of the context informs us that the High Priest went into the second tabernacle with blood, which he offered for himself and the errors of the people. This was a figure of Christ and the second covenant, Christ being come, an High Priest entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. The context reads as follows:

"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the High Priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others: For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and

unto them that look for him shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. ix. 2428.

From this it clearly appears that as the High Priests were the men set apart, or appointed to die a sacrificial death, so Christ, as the High Priest of a better covenant, died to put away all sin-offering, and now there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. After the sacrificial death of the High Priest, he appeared again for the justification of the people, and through him, they were accepted by the Lord. When the High Priest went into the holy place before the Lord, he bore upon his heart a plate, upon which was inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. This was called the "breastplate of judgment," or "judgment of the children of Israel," in Exodus xxviii. 29, 30:

"And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually."

After the sacrificial death of the High Priest, he entered into the holy place beyond the veil and appeared before the Mercy Seat, where his offering was accepted by the Lord, and thus through him the people were ceremonially purified. And when

the people without, heard the sound of the golden bells which were attached to the garment of the priest, they shouted for joy, as that was a signal of their acceptance. This was the judgment of the children of Israel. After the offering of the High Priest, or his sacrificial death, judgment of acquittal was pronounced and the people stood ceremonially purified before the Lord. So Christ was once offered to deliver those subject to ordinances from the ceremonial law, to blot out the hand writing of ordinances, nailing it to the cross, and thus offered himself once for all, and in this way put away all sin-offering by the sacrifice of himself; and thenceforth all were to look to the truths of the gospel for justification and eternal life.

The apostle teaches that Christ as the great High Priest, superceded the old priesthood; and now we are to look to Christ, in whom we have eternal redemption. Unto them that look for him, shall he appear the second time without sin [sin-offering] unto salvation. Many misapprehend the meaning of the term look in the passage, by supposing that it teaches the personal re-appearance of Christ. We do not so understand the language. To look to Christ is to have faith in him, and to accept him as a true Teacher sent from God. We look to him when we repose confidence in his word, and accept him as our guide. In this sense we find this word used in the Scriptures. "Look unto me all the ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God, and there is none else." Isaiah xlv. 22. To look

unto God is to have faith in Him and obey his commands. To look unto Christ is to believe on him to the salvation of our souls.

Our attention is now directed to Christ for salvation; and unto them that look for him, who seek for him, and desire to know him, does he now appear, not in the light of a sin-offering, but as.the author of eternal salvation; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Through Christ we obtain a hope of eternal redemption for all.

Judgment came upon all men to condemnation, through the disobedience of one; so through Christ the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Christ now appears to every believer in him, without sin-offering unto salvation. He appears to the believer, through his truth and manifestation of his spirit. He appears not as a crucified Redeemer, not to offer himself again in sacrifice, but he appears as the risen Christ, having brought life and immortality to light.

Him, hath God the Father sealed, and we now see him as the Conqueror of hell (hades) and of death, as the one who plucked the garland from the grim-messenger's brow, and rose triumphantly over the power of the destroyer; and he appears to us as the Savior of the world: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

VENGEANCE OF ETERNAL FIRE.

"Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."—JUDE 7.

"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly."-1 PETER ii. 6.

The object of these writers is to exhort the brethren to be constant in their profession of Christianity, and faithful in all their trials and persecutions. False teachers had crept in'to pervert the ways of the Lord, and turn the brethren away from the truth; and Jude exhorts them to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. To show that these false teachers would be punished, this apostle referred to several cases where it was conceded that the sinful and disobedient had met with an adequate retribution. Among them, Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned, together with the cities which were destroyed by fire. No reference is made here to the immortal world, to the destruction of the soul in eternity.

Not unfrequently the destruction which came upon Sodom and Gomorrah, is referred to for the

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