Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-02
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ever.
There are some however. who will
recolIect that great and wonderful let
ter called the Epistle to the Hebrews,
in which the ritual of Moses is used to
illustrate the truth as it is in Jesus
But let them remember again, that the
writer Of that famous letter-a
Hebrew, no doubt, whoever else he
may be, and writing to the Hebrews,
and anxious to conciliate and win them
Uses the facts of jewish history,
and the truth and terms of their ga
cred service. more S3r til contrasts
than the simjittules. 1t is sometimes
read and understood as teaching that
Christ was offered after the mos2io
Idea But the writer meant to show
what he actually says, that those rites
and ceremonies were only sshadoss of
good things to come" Note these
contrassS-Thoss priests were weak.
ignorant, selfish; Jesus Christ IS the
"Wonderful, the Counselor, the Mighty.
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace" Those priests lived few
years and passed away, succeeding
each other; Jesus Christ "is raised
far above all principalities and powers"
and liveth forever. Those priests of.
fered lambs, and kids, and calves
Jesus Christ offers himself. We must
remember also-though the writer o f
that Epistle does not particularly no
tice t-that those animals were offered
Gas | have before shown) in the way
of an impressive and instructive cere-
mony, with no self-denial on the part
of the priests or the part of any one
else; Jesus Christ offered himself to-
a0ork for the world, in any and every
way of se.fsacrifce, and with infinite
self-deniai. Those animals also were
offered on purpose to be slain; and
the slain beasts furnished food for the
priests and ministers of the sanctuary;
the kids and goats suffered no more
than they would have done at any rate,
being killed simply for food, or dying
natural death and neither those
who brought the lambs and kids nor
the priests who offered them and fed
upon them, suffered anything in so do
ing. The most we can make of it, is
an instructive and impressive cere-
mony for the general good of the:
people, and the special good Of such as
were deyout and hearty in the service.
But Jesus Christ offered himself not
to be slain in any such way as that
he offered himself to the world and to
God a tjojng sacrifice, not dead one,
that IS he offered to live here in the
flesh to teach to minister to want
and suffering; to be a revealer of God
a leader Of the people into the paths
of righteousness Since lie offered
himself freely to do all this for the
a0orId's sake, cren though acicked ones
should oppose and kiH him; aud since
he hnew they rouJd kill him, zee may
sag he altered himself to be slain. But
anyone can see that the being slain,
aad offered as a slain sacrifice was not
at all the purpose for which he offered
himself to the world. But note furth-
er, those offerings kept up the renem-
brance Of sins ; the offering Of Jesus
the self-sacrihcing love of Jesus
together with the truth be reveals, and
by his holy spirit, brings sinners to re
pent, and 50 lifts them out Of sin,
brings them to God with broken
hearts, and then Cot forgires, and re-
nea.bers their sin no more; SO, Christ
by has Offering takes array sin. These
and many other contrasts are presented
in that Epistle. Indeed it must be
a very careless or very prejudiced
reader, who can 60 over that writing,
and believe it's author meant to teach
that Jesus Christ was slain and offered
in the same legal formal way, as were
those kids and lambs in the Taberna-
Gle or Temple.
3. There is another still prevalent
notion of the missien OF Jesus to
Wit; that Jesus came here to take the
place OF the sinner and be punished in
the sinners stead. We ara told. that
in Gods government, penalty must BE-
inflicted, where there is transgrassion
of law; if the transgrcssor himself
does not suffer it, some one else must
We are then told that God IS very
anxious 10 rescue sinners, bat cannot
unless some one shall offer 10 take the
entire penaiTy and srffer su the nunish-