reasoning of the apostle with sufficient closeness to have discovered the strictly sequential character of his argument. The ingenuity sometimes shown in discovering a meaning for the apostle's words is not always well employed on the discourses of so very logical a reasoner as the apostle Paul I would remark then, that the apostle in making the contrast just alluded to, presents his readers another, and a very evident contrast between the first coming of Christ to bear the sins of many, and his second coming for the salvation of "them that look for him ;" which two contrasts form the parallelism of his argument.

The reasoning of the same writer, in Romans chap v., is equally logical and conclusive with respect to the subject there discussed by him; but it is not the same subject he is discussing with the Hebrews, in the verses under consideration. In Romans his argument is, that, as by the one offence of one Adam, all his seed (that is all men) died; so by the one obedience of one Christ, all his seed (that is, "they who receive abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness') should reign in life, notwithstanding the "many offences" with which they were chargeable. Here, the judgment (that is, the verdict of condemnation) was pronounced upon all men, IN the offence of one; for in this one all offended, and therefore the sentence of death passed upon all men, in the person of the offender, the head of all. But the judgment (sentence, or verdict of acquittal), through the one obedience, was NOT upon all men, but upon those men only who were made to enjoy the life by the grace of God, and the gift by grace or favour, through the one obedience of the one Saviour, Christ Jesus. The antecedent of the apostle's argument was the sentence of condemnation, which passed upon all men in the one offence of one man; and although Adam was a type of "him that was to come," that is, to use a theological phrase, they were both foederal heads to their respective posterities. Yet these posterities were not indentical, therefore, by logical consequence, the typical similitude could not have respect to the offence and to the gift alike, for these, the apostle declares, were not coextensive, in these words, "but not as the offence, so also the free gift," see ver. 15.

Your correspondent is not satisfied with the two expositions given of Heb. ix. 27-28. because they both seem wanting as to the connexion with what precedes and follows it. It would have been more satisfactory had he pointed out the process by which he arrives at this conclusion, even if he had occupied a little more of your valuable space. As it is, your readers are left to suppose the grounds of his objection, in which they may be doing him and his interpretation an injustice not intended. Judging by the paraphrase he has given of the passage, there appears to be three points which he has assumed, each of which he should first have proven.

I. That the "men" spoken of are all mankind, the seed of Adam. If all mankind are the "men" of the text, the sudden transition from the Aaronic priests, to all men in the apostle's argument is inexplicably parenthetical and unaccountable. All men are not priests, and even A. J. admits that the priesthood of Aaron, with its sacrifices often repeated, and the sacrifice of Christ, and its one offering, is the subject the apostle is here discussing! It is not the typical headship of the two posterities the apostle is writing about, or alluding to, but the typical meaning, and temporary changeable nature of the priesthood of Aaron, and the antitypical unchanging nature of the priesthood of Christ,--The many men who were priests under the law, as

compared with the one man (or priest) Christ Jesus: the holiest of all in the temple in Jerusalem, and the high priest entering therein once every year, as compared with the heavenly holy place not made with hands, into which alone Jesus entered once.

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Before we are justified in assuming, in opposition to the admitted scope of the apostle's reasoning, that all men are here alluded to by the apostle, we ought to be able to point out their appointment unto death. That all men die is most true, and that too as the result of a curse or judgment pronounced upon them by God, in the one offence of Adam. But this cannot be called an appointment unto death, unless indeed it be argued that Adam's transgression was in consequence of his previous appointment to death; and if appointed thereto, his transgression was but the legitimate and designed result, which I apprehend is not what A. J. intends. Yet it is necessary to argue thus before I can admit that the appointment unto death in the passage before us refers to all men. But the apostle's arguments does not require this, for (rois avoρúπоis) "TO THE men" of the text can refer only to the high priests "entering into the holy place once every year with the blood of others,' the same men of whom the apostle had said (ch. vii. 8.) "the men that die receive tithes," &c. It was necessary that the high priests should go into the holy place on the day of annual atonement, before they could return to bless the waiting people in the name of the Lord; or, what was the same thing, before they could return to declare the judgment of Jehovah respecting those whose names were written on the breastplate of judgment, which the high priest had borne before the Lord in the most holy place. And it was only by making an end of offering that the priests could, ceremonially and typically make an end of sins; but which was done actually by the antitypical offering of Christ, as was foretold by Daniel (ch. ix. 24), "to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity," &c. And the second coming of Christ to judgment,-to the acquittal of those that wait for him, and to the condemnation of those that obey him not,-was the antitype of the priest returning to the people to bless them, as shown before. II. The second assumption of your correspondent is, that the word "judgment" in this text means the execution of a sentence; whereas it has no such meaning here, or, so far as I recollect, in any part of the scriptures, or in the language of men. The execution of a sentence may be immediately after the judgment is pronounced, or it may be more or less distant But the one is the duty of the judge, the other of the executioner, or officer that carries the judgment into effect, though it should only be to open the prison doors to let the prisoners go free; the two acts can never be identical, but always the one consequent upon the other. This is an important distinction in fact, and will be found of essential service in following the reasoning of the apostle Paul.

III. Your correspondent, in common with many Christians of the present day, assumes that the priesthood of Christ was to continue for ever. A sentiment, however commonly received, which cannot be proved from the scriptures. I am well aware that there are many phrases and words which seem to have this meaning, but I am also convinced that the perpetuity, or continual existence of the priesthood of Christ cannot be maintained without disorganizing the whole order and arrangement of scripture truth. On such a subject as this we must ascertain the meaning of things, with which we will find verbal statements to be quite consistent.

The priesthood under the law was a changeable priesthood. Though confined to the family of Aaron it was inherited by successive generations. Further, it was to be superseded by another order of priesthood, that of Melchizedec. This priesthood, as that of the first born, was before the promulgation of the law which selected the family of Aaron. And Jesus was constituted a priest after this order by the word of the oath which made him a priest, without change, without perpetuity, and without transfer. That is, not only should this be the last order of priests, but he should be the last or final priest of this order. For "this priest (Jesus), AFTER he had offered ONE sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God, till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected, without any further offering, all them that are sanctified." The word "for ever" which occurs so frequently in connection with the priesthood of Christ, as contrasted with the priesthood of Aaron, whose offering did not preclude, but on the contrary implied a further offering, cannot be understood in the sense of eternal or ever continuing, because we are expressly told it was to continue only till his enemies were made his footstool,—a period which entirely synchronises with his "second coming." The phrase (eis ròv aiwva) "for ever," evidently means that the period it refers to was a certain space of time, defined by connecting considerations. Thus in Deut. xv. 17, we find it applied to the life time of a servant, and in 1 Sam. i. 22, to the life time of Samuel. Moreover many ordinances of the old economy were to continue "for ever," as the passover, (Exod. xii. 14,) which was undoubtedly limited by the period of which the apostle speaks, when he says, "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us," 1 Cor. v. 7. So with respect to Christ's priesthood, it was to continue UNTIL he had put down all rule, authority, and power, TILL his enemies were made his footstool; but it was not then to pass into other hands, for, "by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US." Now of this, says the apostle, the Holy Spirit testifies to us; for after he had said before, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;" he adds, " and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." Now WHERE remission of these is, there is no-more offering for sin. But if there be no more offering for sin, there can be no more a priesthood; for every priest was appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore the priesthood of Christ ceased when he finished his one offering. And as the annual offering of Aaron was completed and finished only when he returned to pronounce judgment upon the waiting people; so the one offering of Christ was shown to be complete only when he returned (from within the heavenly holy place) to bless his people who were looking for him, and to condemn his enemies at the period when, as stated by the apostle, he would appear the second time, without sin unto salvation,

To confirm and illustrate the close and nervous reasoning of the apostle, I will conclude this letter by placing the varied topics discussed by him, in the three verses under consideration, in a parallel form, so that the eye may assist the mind in following his reasoning:

OBJECT.

Once in the consummation of the ages has Christ appeared,

To put away sin,

By the sacrifice of himself.

ORDER.

So Christ was once offered.

As it was appointed unto the priests

once to die.

But after this the judgment.

To bear the sins of many.

And unto them that look for him will he appear the second time,

Commending these observations to the consideration of all who feel interested in this important subject,—I am, dear Sir, yours very truly,

B. C.

THE WAYS OF GOD UNCHANGEABLE.

"Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the LORD commandeth it not?" LAM. iii. 37.

THIS text furnishes the people of God with one of those stable and unchangeable principles revealed in the sacred scriptures, namely, the illimited power of the great God of heaven and of earth,-to say-to command--and to bring to pass whatever pleaseth him. His purposes are fixed; there is no variableness with him. He commanded, and his commands stand fast. He said, and it was done; and the word of the Lord endureth for ever. The knowledge and the certainty of this unalterableness of mind in God is one of the many noble and gracious communications he hath made to the sons of men. Nothing can equal it. It calms the mind; it prevents vain and ungodly strivings; it is a source of constant joy and delight; and impels to a complete and cordial surrender of the whole body, and soul, and spirit, to be preserved blameless by that Great and ever blessed One "who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will."

I. As men can know nothing of God but in what he hath already revealed of himself, so in reading his revelation we find him thus declaring his character, "The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations." Psalm xxxiii. 11. And, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isa. xlvi. 10. This unchangeableness of nature ariseth from the truth that "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent." Num. xxiii. 18. Change is unknown to him. He saith, "I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Mal. iii. 6; and, "Every good gift, and

every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James i. 17.

The every work of God is a lasting memorial of his faithful word. "While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease." Gen. viii. 22. Seasons revolve now as at the beginning; in the same changeless manner the sun rises and sets over all the world. The immense and fathomless ocean had its bounds fixed by an almighty decree; this circumscribed limit it has never transgressed. The rainbow in the clouds is the token between God and every living creature that the waters shall no more go over the earth; and "He gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment."

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As in the works of creation so in the works of grace; God the Saviour is seen in and by his word declaring his mind, his purpose, and the good pleasure of his will. Of some New Testament believers, who had the word of salvation sent to them, it is said, "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world." Eph. i. 4; and of others, "Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 2 Tim. i. 9. The sacrifice-the Lamb, his character— spotless and without blemish, and with precious blood to take away sin, was foreordained before the foundation of the world," 1 Peter i. 19-20; and that to bestow freely and undeservedly on believing and renewed men, "the hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began." Titus i. 2. The purpose is fixed. It is a covenant made by God himself. It is "according to the good pleasure of his will." “I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies." Hosea ii. 19. "For thy Maker is thy husband; the LORD of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called." Isa. liv. 5. And this husband, this betrothing one, adds to the betrothed and married wife, "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee; neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee." verse 10. And well may it be said, "Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the LORD commandeth it not?" Or, in the words of the New Testament, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Rom. viii. 35.

II. At the creation of this world, God said, "Let there be light, and there was light." "He spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." Psalm xxxiii. 9. And all was declared "VERY GOOD." His power and his wisdom were at work, and his goodness is now manifest in every design. No one atom was beyond control, no agent was free to dispose of itself as suited its pleasure, no element could withhold its aid to resist his work; one and all of them were obedient to his will, and refused not to fulfil it. They yielded themselves up to the one only sovereign and almighty power which called them into existence, and by which they were kept in being. As in the natural creation even so in the spiritual. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." 2 Cor. v. 19. "For we are his workmanship, CREATED in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God had before ordained that we should walk