To make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins— The rabbis observe, that all these rites of expiation, however solemnly performed, were nothing in the sight of God without repentance and sincere resolutions of new obedience: so neither, under the Christian dispensation, can any man be entitled to the merits of Christ's atonement, without genuine repentance; a deficiency in which renders the most pompous forms of external worship mere solemn mockery. "The ceremonies of this sacred day," says Henry, "afford us on one side a type of what Christ our great High-Priest hath done for our salvation, delivering us from our sins by the free oblation of himself; after which, entering into the holy places, not made with hands, he hath opened an access for us by the efficacy of his death and the merits of his intercession. On the other hand, we see what we ought to do, in order to partake of the sacrifice and intercession of the Son of God. By faith we should lay our hands upon that precious Victim, regarding it as the only price of our redemption, and as the only means of salvation. By repentance we should afflict our souls, renounce sin, die to it, and live again unto righteousness."
The very ingenious editors of the Prussian Testament, Messrs. De Beausobre and L'Enfant, observe, that "this fast, in general, was the most lively representation of the atonement which was made for the sins of mankind by the blood of JESUS CHRIST." It is observable, that Philo-Judaeus had some notion of this truth; for, in his Treatise de Somn. p. 447 he says, that the Word of God, whereby he means the Son, is the Head and Glory of the propitiation, i.e. of what renders men acceptable to God. These passages of Scripture, that Jesus Christ gave his life a ransom for many, Matthew 20:28 that he was made the propitiation for our sins, 1 John 4:10 that he was the propitiation, not only for our sins, but also for those of the whole world, 1 John 2:2 and such like expressions, which occur almost in every page of the Gospel, can mean nothing more, than that Jesus Christ has, by the sacrifice of himself, performed that, which was only prefigured by the sacrifices under the law, and particularly by the general and solemn expiation we are now speaking of. The same Jewish author, quoted just before, had also some notion of this matter. It will be proper to set down his very words; not as if we thought they were any confirmation of the Christian religion, but only to shew that these were truths which the wisest part of the nation acknowledged, and had found out by close and serious meditation, accompanied with Divine illumination. He says then, that whereas the priests of other nations offered sacrifices for their own countrymen only, the high-priest of the Jews offered for all mankind, and for the whole creation. (See Phil. de Monar. p. 637.) And not only these sacrifices, which were offered on the day of expiation, were a more exact representation of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ than any other; but also the person, by whom the atonement was made, was in every respect qualified to represent the High-Priest of the Christian church: and that, 1. Upon the account of his dignity, which, according to the Jews, was at its utmost height when he entered into the holy of holies; for which reason he was called great among his brethren, ch. Leviticus 21:10. This dignity was so very considerable, that Philo does not scruple to say, agreeable to his lofty and rhetorical way of speaking, that the high-priest was to be something more than human; that he more nearly resembled God than all the rest; and that he partook both of the divine and human nature. (See de Monar. p. 63 and de Somn. p. 872.) It seems to have been with a design of expressing both the holiness and dignity of the high-priest, that the law had enjoined none should remain in the tabernacle while the high-priest went into the holy of holies; see Leviticus 16:17. [Further, the high-priest of the Jews, upon the day of atonement, put not on at the first his best suit of apparel, but was content with the holy linen garments which he wore in common with other priests; hereby signifying, that when our blessed Lord should come into the world, to do the will of God, he should not make a splendid figure, nor array himself with all that glory of which he is truly possessed.] 2. The high-priest represented our Saviour by his holiness: To denote which, a greater quantity of oil was used in the anointing of the high-priest, than in that of his brethren; whence he was called the priest anointed, ch. Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 4:5. Nothing can better represent the great holiness of Jesus Christ, than this great plenty of oil used in the consecration of Aaron. 3. The high-priest represented Jesus Christ by his being, on the day of atonement, a mediator between God and the people. For though Moses be called a mediator in the New Testament, yet it is certain, that the high-priest was invested with this office on the day of expiation. Moses must indeed be acknowledged as a mediator, God having by his means made a covenant with the children of Israel. But, as they were very apt to transgress the law, it was necessary there should be a mediator, who, by his sacrifices and intercession, might reconcile them to God. Now this was the high-priest's function; so that Moses and Aaron were exact types of the two-fold mediation of Jesus Christ. By him was the new covenant made, and by his own blood has he for ever reconciled God to mankind. 4. The entrance of Jesus Christ into heaven once for all, there to present his own blood to God, as an atonement for our sins, was very clearly typified by the high-priest's going once a year into the holy of holies with the blood of victims; see Hebrews 12:24. As for the two goats, we learn from the epistle of St. Barnabas, (which must have been written not long after the destruction of Jerusalem) that they were even then looked upon as typical.
Further reflections, 1st, On the fast of anniversary atonement in general: and, 2nd, on the ordinance of the scape-goat in particular.
I. On the fast of anniversary atonement in general.
Whatever our great High-Priest has done on earth beneath, or in heaven above, for the salvation of his people, was prefigured in this venerable solemnity. This the inspired writer to the Hebrews having at great length illustrated to our hand, it will not be necessary to enlarge upon. Let it suffice briefly to hint at the typical sense of some of the principal sacerdotal actions reserved for this memorable day.
The happy effects of the holy rites practised on this great anniversary, are said to be a cleansing the people from all their sins, Leviticus 16:30. Now, it is evident that these carnal ordinances have many marks of weakness and imperfection. If we speak of real atonement, it was utterly impossible that the blood of these bullocks and goats could take away sin as pertaining to the conscience. They were but brute creatures, of an inferior nature to the priest that offered them, and to the people for whom they were offered. They were offered by a sinful man, who needed an atonement for himself. They were offered year by year continually, and in them a remembrance was again made of sin every year. Now, if they could have made the comers to them perfect, would they not have ceased to be offered? Most certainly they would: because that the worshippers once purged, should have had no more conscience of sin. In all these things the priest of our profession has the pre-eminence. He needed not, like Aaron and his successors, to offer for himself, being harmless and undefiled. He needed not to shed the blood of others; for he was able to offer up himself. He needed not repeat his sacrifice oftener than once; for by one offering he hath for ever perfected all them that are sanctified. These necessary allowances being made, of the vast disparity between the type and Jesus Christ, we shall touch upon some of the grand evangelical mysteries which were enigmatically preached to the Jews in the transactions of this day.
That in future time a true and proper atonement should be made for the sins of Israel; or, to use the style of the prophet Zechariah, that "God would remove the iniquity of his land in one day," Zechariah 3:9 this seems to have been the leading doctrine held forth in all the sacrifices, but especially in those which were offered on this occasion.—Yet a little while, and God will exhibit a propitiation in the promised Messiah, who shall finish transgression, and make an end of sin, and perfectly do that will of God, which cannot be fulfilled by any legal sacrifices or burnt-offerings. And how shall this great event be brought to pass? How shall the Messias redeem Israel from all his iniquities? What shall he do? What shall be done unto him? How shall he begin; and in what manner shall he finish the arduous work? These questions may all be answered by these anniversary rites.
It was signified, that the great Maker of atonement should assume the nature of the persons for whom it should be made: for their high-priest was one of their brethren, and taken from among men.—That he should be constituted a public person: for the high-priest officiated on this occasion as the representative of the people.—That in this character he should suffer the punishment of death, and his life be violently taken away: for the sin and burnt-offerings were slain.—That the blood of Jesus should be shed in a public manner without the gate: for the bodies of the sacrificed beasts were burned without the camp.—That he should, when the work of purging our sins was finished, disappear on earth, and enter within the vail of these visible heavens, into the happy place where God resides among the blessed angels: for when the high-priest had shed the blood of the bullock and the goat, he went out of the sight of the Israelites, entering within the vail into that venerable apartment, where were the symbols of the Divine Presence, and where JEHOVAH sat enthroned between the cherubims.—That though the heavens should contain him, and the world see him no more, he should still be carrying on his priestly work in the presence of God: for when the Jewish priest entered within the vail, he perfumed the mercy-seat with incense, and sprinkled it with blood. Indeed, unless the high-priest had gone into the holiest of all with his blood and incense, he had not discharged the most glorious part of his work. If he had only offered the victims, and gone no further than the middle court, the inferior priests had been upon a level with him; for these things they did as well as he: so if Jesus Christ had continued upon earth, where he offered up himself; if he had not gone to the Father, and retired from the view of men, he could not have been a priest in the most eminent sense of the word: the most glorious parts of his function were still to be discharged, and the resemblance between him and the Jewish high-priest would have been very imperfect. But rejoice, O ye that believe on his name, who make his atonement the grand basis of your comfort; for we have a great High-Priest, who was once upon earth, but is now passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. There he appears as a Lamb that was slain, and stands with his golden censer, to offer up the incense of his intercession with the prayers of all saints. A time will come, when the interposing vail shall be drawn aside, and the great High-Priest return with sound of trumpet, to bless his expecting people, and absolve them from all their iniquities before an assembled world: for "to them that look for him, he shall appear a second time, without sin, unto salvation." Hebrews 9:28.
II. On the ordinance of the scape-goat.
The goat is none of those creatures which are supposed to have the most amiable properties. It may therefore seem singular, that the Lamb of God should be prefigured by such beasts, as are, for their uncleanly and unruly temper, emblems of the wicked, who in the last day shall be separated from the godly by the Judge of all the earth. But perhaps even this circumstance in the type might signify, that Christ was to appear in the likeness of sinful flesh. The goat, though commonly held an unclean creature, was, notwithstanding, of the number of clean beasts in the law of Moses: and Jesus Christ, though reputed among men a sinner, was most pure and righteous in the eye of God.
But wherefore two goats? Or if two, why not both used in the same manner? Why was one of them put to death, and the other saved alive? Doubtless they are both to be viewed as types of the great Propitiation. The first may signify that complete satisfaction which Christ made to Divine justice by the offering up of himself; and the second, the happy consequence of this propitiatory sacrifice, in finishing transgression, making an end of sin, and carrying it, as it were, into the land of forgetfulness; so that, to use the elegant words of Jeremiah, "the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found." Jeremiah 50:20. Nor ought it to seem strange, that such a momentous truth should be inculcated so many various ways on the same occasion: for it is a singular effect of the goodness of God, to exhibit such interesting truths in different views, that we may have strong consolation. Besides that all similitudes and types fall infinitely short of the great mysteries they point at, therefore they are multiplied, that they may mutually supply the deficiences of each other: for here the saying is made good, "Two are better than one; for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow."
That the first goat was an emblem of Christ sacrificed for us, as much as any other sacrifices, is clearly evident: but we are now to attend to the mystery of the scape-goat, and its likeness to Jesus Christ.
It was, like the other, to be taken from the congregation of Israel, and doubtless purchased with the public money. So Christ was taken from among his brethren, and bought, in some sense, for thirty pieces of silver out of the public treasury, that he might be numbered with transgressors, and bear the sins of many.
It was, like the other, presented at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord and all the people. So Christ presented himself to do his heavenly Father's will before God and the people, when, at the passover-solemnity, he went up to Jerusalem, not ignorant of what was to be done to him by Jews and Gentiles.
The sacred animal being thus presented, the high-priest was to lay both his hands upon its head, devoting it by this action to the service of God, and translating the sins of Israel upon it in a typical manner. Perhaps it might signify, that the hand of Divine Justice was to lie heavy on the surety of sinners; and it is expressly affirmed by the prophet, "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6.
That this was the meaning of the rite, appears more evidently from the following one. For in this posture did the high-priest confess all the sins of the people from whom the goat was taken. Why should their sins be confessed in this manner, if it was not to signify, that they were in some sort laid upon the head of the innocent victim? It was thus the great Doer of God's will, who knew no sin, was made sin, for us. The goat could not be guilty of these sins, for it was a brute beast: nor could its antitype, who was spotless and sinless, be a transgressor of the law. Yet both the one and the other did bear the sins of many, to which it was impossible in the nature of things that they could be accessary in the smallest degree. It was not thy sin, O spotless Victim, but the sin of the world, which consigned thee over to the bloody and shameful cross! Ours were the sins which took hold upon thee, and justified thy death. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, and the chastisement of our peace was upon him." Isaiah 53:4-5. How else could his heavenly Father, for whom it is no more good to punish the just than to clear the guilty, have been pleased to bruise him?
The devoted creature, thus laden with sin, is, by the hand of a proper person, conducted into the wilderness. Why should not this wilderness be viewed as an emblem of those afflictions to which the surety was exposed by the sins he was charged with? Or shall we say, it might be a faint intimation, that the blessing of the atonement should be extended to the world of Gentile sinners, which, in the style of the prophet, is called the wilderness of the people? Or, rather, the meaning may be, that, as the mystic goat was never more looked after, (for probably it would soon perish, if not by hunger, at least by wild beasts,) so Jesus Christ, by his atoning blood, would take away the sin of the world, and remove away all the iniquities of his faithful people, as far as the east is distant from the west. O condemning law, thou hast nothing to lay to their charge, for Christ is dead! Yea, rather he is risen again! therefore it is God that justifieth!
What thanks shall be rendered to that gracious Redeemer, who was manifested to restore to God that glory which he took not away, and to take away that sin of man which he did not introduce? But there are, alas! too many to whom this all-important truth is of small account, (for some deride, and more despise it,) yet to the weary soul, to the conscience burdened with guilt, it is grateful and delicious, as the full flowing stream to the hunted hart. The happy soul, to which the doctrine of the atonement is experimentally known, hears, upon the matter, the voice of the great JEHOVAH speaking to her in such ravishing accents as these: "I have made thine iniquity to pass from thee;" or in the words of Nathan to the penitent king David, "the Lord hath taken away thy sin; thou shalt not die." Who would not be constrained by this love, to put away the evil of their doings from before his eyes who has put away the guilt of them from before his face?
Draw near all ye whose consciences are burdened with the intolerable pressure of a thousand aggravated iniquities, who are ready to cry, "Mine iniquities are gone over my head, they are a burden too heavy for me." Psalms 38:4. While some, with Cain, go from the presence of the Lord, and drown their dismal thoughts in the delights of sense, or else in the whirl of business—while others have no ground of comfort but the general and unatoned mercy of God—while a third sort derive comfort to their troubled hearts from their own imperfect righteousness, their tears of repentance, their sorrow for what is past, and their resolutions to do better for the future; confers your iniquities over the head of the New-Testament scape-goat: for "he, who [thus] confesseth and forsaketh them, shall find mercy." Proverbs 28:13. Thus runs the gracious promise of the Holy One of Israel, "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many: for he shall bear their iniquities." Isaiah 53:11. But he, who despises this way of peace, shall bear his own burden, whosoever he be.