which Christ, by the sacrifice of Himself, has called us to be partakers.

May He, who is now, and ever, present, according to his promise, among those assembled in his Name, grant you, in partaking of these sacred emblems of his body and blood, to partake of his Spirit, and to be united in the fellowship of love and peace with Him and with each other!

"Now to Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, the only wise God, be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages. Amen."

SERMON IV.

EXODUS XXIX. 44.

I will sanctify the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the Altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his Sons, to minister to me in the Priest's office.

THERE is much and very important instruction to be gained from a careful examination of some of those parts of Scripture which, at first sight, may appear to some persons to be wholly unconnected with the religion of the Gospel; and which, to others again, who study the Bible with veneration indeed, but without judgment and caution, are particularly apt to convey erroneous notions. An attentive examination of passages of this kind may serve not only to fix valuable truths on the mind, but at the same

time to remove prevailing and dangerous mistakes.

Of such a character may be regarded all the passages in Scripture relating to the Tabernacle (i. e. Tent), and the Temple which succeeded to it-the Altars and Sacrifices belonging to that Temple, and the institution and ministration of the Jewish Priesthood. You are, of course, well aware how numerous these passages are, especially in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus, and how exact and minute are the directions given respecting the construction of the Tabernacle and Altar, and the consecration and ministerial offices of the Priests. And such passages are, perhaps, deserving of even the closer attention on an occasion such as the present,* from the very circumstance of their being likely to suggest, in reference to that occasion, a false notion concerning the analogy between the two dispensations.

A superficial and unthinking reader, (which description will embrace, besides many believers, most of those who reject Christianity,

The consecration of a church.

and all of that more numerous class who are indifferent about it)—such a one, observing that in all the religions he is acquainted with, or has heard of, there are sacred buildings, often called Temples or Houses of God, and also religious Ministers, whom he has been accustomed to hear indiscriminately called Priests, concludes, naturally enough, that all these hold nearly corresponding places in each religion. And another, who reverently, and in firm faith, but without sufficiently vigilant attention and sound judgment, studies the Scriptures, is even the more confirmed in such a view, from his supposing (and certainly with good reason) that the Jewish Church (or "Congregation," as our translators have called it in the Old Testament) is the parent and forerunner of the Christian Church, (both bearing in the Greek the common appellation of Ecclesia);-that Christianity is a second part of the same divine scheme, of which the Levitical law is the first;-and that the two systems, in some way, answer to each other in almost every point;—while, at the same time, he observes that both have places of worship, and also Ministers of religion

(appointed in conformity with divine directions), to each class of which Ministers, the name of Priest is in our language applied.*

And, indeed, whether we regard Christianity as a really divine revelation, or as a series of "cunningly devised fables," in either case, we might expect to find, considering that it was introduced by the Jews, a close correspondence between the Mosaic system of Religion, and Christianity. And this accordingly we do find. We find Baptism answering to Circumcision,the Feast of the Lord's Supper, to the Feast of the Passover ;-and (many would be disposed to add) Christian places of worship answering to the Tabernacle or the Temple,-an Altar, in each, and Christian Ministers of different Orders, corresponding to the different Orders of Priests and Levites under the old dispensation. On a closer inspection, however, we find, that with respect to these last two points, the analogy does not hold good in the manner supposed; and that, though the correspondence between the two systems is not less real or less exact

* See Sermon on the Christian Priesthood, appended to the the third edition of the Bampton Lectures.