The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1867-06-26

by the curtain, manifested the nearnes
of the true child of God to his Father
when in the attitude of prayer. Th,
| light and bread, symbols in a subordinate
sense of knowledge and faith, taugh
that intelligent faith was an essential pre-
requisite to acceptable prayer.
The 'holy of holies" contained th'
mysterious "ark of the covenant" il
which, were again the symbols of the
Trinity; first, the tables of the law Civ
en- by the Father; second, the pot o.
mama, which Christ appropriated as hi;
own symbol, John vi: 59;) third, the
miracle-working rod of Aaron, typefying
the miraculous agency of the Spirit. y
at is the Spirit that quickeneth.
The doctrine of the Trinity was thus
set forth in a rude age by visible tokens
The veil was exclusive, as it shut out ac.
cess to the holy of holies; and yet
through it alone could this access be had
1t was, therefore, most beautifully the
symbol of the Redeemer's flesh. Heb.
x: 2O) Humanity is the barrier be-
tween God and the soul. Christ wore
that human nature on the cross, and it
shut out the light that shone between the
cherubims, appropriately symbolized by
the darkening of the sun. Luke, who is
systematic in the order of events, men,
tions the rending of the veil as the last
of the supernatural events which pre-
eeded the death of our Redeemer.-
Matthew and Mark, who were Indifferent
about the order of events, seem to place
the rending of the veil after our Saviour s
death. 1t is favorite theory with us,
that it took place simultaneously with
the breaking forth of the sun. The
Fathers frown being removed, Jesus, of
his own free will, gave up his life, rent the
veil of humanity and allowed full access
to the glorious Father without the inter-
vention of priests and sacrifices. The
veil, which had hung up as barrier be-
tween man and God, and forbade their
direct communion now opened up the
only approach to Him, who dwells be-
tween the cherubim. "I am the way,
the truth and the life; no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me- 81 am
the door; by me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall 60 in and out
and find pasture" May it not be in vain
for you and for me, that that precious
veil was rent in twain.
Much confusion prevails in the expo
sitions concerning Paul's reference to the
veil, from failing to perceive its dual Of
ice-excluding from "the most holy
-. and vet iptrcdpciae 70 i. When
- llI' y ~ pace ccs. III: IS,
Is, that the Hebrews could not stead
fastly behold the face of Moses; and in
another place that this veil is on their
hearts when they read Moses, it is plain
that the function of the veil is not the
same in the two cases. In the first, the
use was to temper the brightness of the
Shekinah which glowed in and around
the face of Moses. No man can see the
face of God and live, and even the lin
gering rays of his divinity upon the per-
son of his servant was terrible to the sim
full host. So the God, who is Ga con-
suming fire, must ever be an object of
terror to our guilty race; but when the
veil is thrown over the awful effulgence,
when He has become manifest in the
fesh,-He can be loved with filial ten
derness. And thus the veil of Moses,
softening the unbearable brightness, was
a true type of the Redeemer's flesh.
Heb. x: 20.) But the veil over the
heart of the Hebrew is cqrnahty; not
the flesh of Christ, but corrupt humanity,
Paul has beautifully unfolded the same
compound idea in another of his Epistles.
"But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who some
time were far off are made nigh by the
blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who
hath made both one, and hath broken dO,on
the middle scaU Of partition betseeen as ;
having abolished IA his flesh the enmity,
even the law of commandments contained
in ordinances; for to make in himself of
twain, one new man, so making peace
and that he might reconcile both unto
God in one body, by the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby. y x For
through Aiim zoe both hare access By one
SPIRIT unto the Father. (Eph. XII
1879
All Expositors agree in this that the
veil is meant by this "middle wall of par
tition between us" The Gus" refers tc
Paul as Jew and the Ephesians as Gen
tiles. The veil separated between Jew
and Gentle in this way. 1t shut out al
people from access to the inner sanctua
ry, even the Jews themselves. But tht
High Priest of the Jews entered withir
the veil once a year "not without blood,
/ Heb. TX: 7, The Jews had thus tn,
privileges of the inner sanctuary, while
all other people were excluded from it
The veil, therefore, could be properl.
called middle wall of partition betweel
Jew and GENTLE.
In the 18th verse of the chapter abov,
quoted, reference is had to the blood shet
preparatory to the entrance of the Higl
Priest into "the most holy place. =
Christ is now both victim and priest. l
is his own blood which gives the right
enter within the veil.
The remaining portion of the extrac
teaches that it is the rending of Christ
flesh, as the representative of carnality
which brings Jew and Gentle into tn
same blessed communion, and gives bot
access to the presence of the Father
without the aid of priests and sacrifice: