LECTURE VI.

CHRIST'S SUPERIORITY TO MOSES.

Heb. iii. 1-11. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

THE Jews were a people who greatly prided themselves in their religion. First, because it had been given through the instrumentality of distinguished prophets and holy angels. In the preceding chapters the apostle endeavored to show, that in this respect christianity suffered nothing by comparison, since it had been communicated by one who was superior to the prophets, and who ranked in dignity and honor far above the angels. Next to this, they valued their religion because it had been imparted by so distinguished a personage as Moses. To that eminent man of God they looked with pride as the founder of their economy, and the medium through whom Jehovah had delivered the law. Next to him, their high priest was regarded as the most important functionary in the nation. Having no conception of any form of true religion where the important office of priesthood was not recognized, they considered this another grand distinguishing feature of Judaism, and something which justly entitled them to supremacy. The apostle comes then to show, that in these respects also the christian religion does not sink in comparison, inasmuch as it was founded by one superior to Moses, and could point to a priesthood far more excellent and honorable than any previous order. In the chapter before us, and part of the succeeding chapter, Paul enters into a formal comparison

between Christ and Moses, for the purpose of exhibiting more strikingly the superiority of the former, and impressing the consequences following the establishment of this fact.

You will observe here, as the only instance in the Bible, that our Savior is called an "Apostle." The word literally signifies a messenger-one deputed for the transaction of any important business. The reason of its application to Christ is not so much to designate his character or dignity, as to designate his relation to the new economy. Paul is just about to introduce a comparison of Christ with Moses; and as Moses was the apostle-sent to be the curator ædis sacræ of Judaism, so Christ was the apostle-the commissioned president and director of the affairs of christianity. The idea is, that Christ bears the same relation to the Gospel, that Moses bore to the law; both held a high and Divine authority, and both were occupied with the most important trusts relative to this world's interests.

To a consideration of this heavenly legate, Christ Jesus, and his desert of their confidence, St. Paul very affectionately invites the attention of his readers. "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession." Do not suffer your prejudices to run you into inconsiderate denunciation of his claims. Do not hastily or rashly decide against him.. As brethren with me of the chosen family of Abraham, suffer me to persuade you to ponder well everything which relates to the rank and authority of the minister of this new economy.

The first reason which he presents why they should give this attention and consideration to the claims of Christ, is his equal faithfulness with him to whom they were so much attached, and in whom they so much prided. "Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house." And here I shall have to ask your indulgence with a few more extended remarks.

1st. Moses was faithful in the fulfillment of ancient promises. About five hundred years before Moses, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, the grand progenitor of the Hebrew race, promising in one feature of that covenant that his natural seed should be increased in numbers like the stars of heaven, and that he would give them possession of the goodly land of Canaan. And though

Abraham did for a while reside in this country; yet by a succession of strange occurrences, his descendants became residents of the land of Egypt.. During their sojourn among these strangers, it so happened that they became the servants and the bond-slaves of the Egyptians, and were subjected to the most tyrannical oppression and barbarous indignities. Just at the time of their greatest suffering, Moses, who was the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, was called and Divinely commissioned to fulfill unto these afflicted Hebrews the promises which God had made to their fathers. To this appointment Moses was faithful. He was the agent in breaking the yoke of their oppressors he brought them to the promised inheritance—and every promise made unto Abraham concerning their redemption, and independent national glory, was faithfully fulfilled by him.

Nor was the Apostle of our profession any the less faithful in this particular. Ancient promises more glorious than those relating to earthly possessions had been made, which he fulfilled to the letter. Promises which were the hope and consolation of all ages and generations. Promises which were the only source of comfort to Adam and Eve as they turned from their last tearful look on Eden. Promises which served as the brightest lamps in the ark, as it rocked over the shoreless waves of an ocean world. Promises which gave to the first rainbow its fairest hues, as it bent over the smoking altar where Noah bowed in praise for his deliverance. Promises which charmed Abraham in the house of idolatry, and led his pilgrim steps from the land of Ur to the heights of Hebron-which shone in the serene imagination of Isaac brighter than the evening stars-supported the dying head of Jacob better than his staff and caused Joseph to turn away from the royal mausoleums and crave as a resting place for his honored bones some sylvan haunt in the land of the redeemed. Promises which fired the hearts of Moses-Isaiah-David-all Judea's minstrels as they swept from inspiration's harp those living anthems which filled the Tabernacle--the Temple-all Jerusalem-all earth-all heaven with perpetual praise! These promises, constituting the only ray of light that for forty centuries broke through the midnight gloom which blackened the whole canopy of our smitten world, were all faithfully fulfilled by Jesus Christ. He was himself the great subject of promise. He was "the seed of the woman"--the "branch from the stem

of Jesse"-the "Shiloh" of prophecy-"the sun of Righteousness" and "the Prince of Peace." And the crushing of the Serpent's head-the limitation of Satan's power-the opening of the fount for the washing away of moral pollution--the sheathing of the swords of the cherubic guards of Paradise-and the lifting up of the everlasting doors for the admission of the ransomed into the kingdom of glory-all date their accomplishment from the work of Jesus. He also was faithful as was Moses.

2nd. Moses was faithful in the discharge of the duties of his office. Though it was an undertaking of great difficulty, requiring great self-denial and moral courage; yet, he faithfully performed the work. Though it required the relinquishment of his royal title, and all the wealth and honor of a mighty empire; he cheerfully gave it up, "choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." Where there was unrighteous opposition he boldly confronted it; where there were ignorant prejudices and heartless murmurings, he stood up against them. And on all occasions, and amid all circumstances, he was faithful to the great mission which he had undertaken.

But as respects this point, Christ also was faithful. Though his work required much greater self-denial and still more daring courage—a self-denial which could lay aside the imperial robes of heaven, and turn from the happiness and glory of the highest world to the misery and meanness of the blasted habitation of mortalsand a courage which could face the furious tempests of infinite wrath, and undertake to endure in one pang that intolerable weight of anguish which an eternity of intensest suffering only could have expended upon the guilty world; yet, he was faithful in every particular, and to every claim. He cheerfully resigned his heavenly dominion and glory—took upon him the sorrows and afflictions of human life-marched calmly up into the face of the violated lawlaid bare his breast to the angel of justice-stept in between the guilty sinner and his angry God-and even bowed his neck to the bloody heel of death, faithful in all things, and faithful to the last extremity. There was no duty relating to his office which he did not perform; and no object of his mission which he did not fully accomplish. Every needful work he did; every necessary truth he revealed; every sin repented of he rendered pardonable; and for every soul he has opened the prison doors, and rendered eternal salvation possible.

3d. Moses was furthermore faithful to the confidence of his people. He did not deal with them as a designing impostor. He was true to the best interests of all those who confided in him as a man of God. None were losers by following his directions. And though many of the disobedient and unbelieving did perish in the wilderness; yet, all who complied with his commands, and accepted of his instructions were cheered at every point with the evidences of Divine favor, and finally entered upon their promised possessions.

But in this respect again, the Savior was not a whit behind the Jewish leader. He also was true to the confidence reposed upon him as the Son of God, and the promised Messiah. No dependence or hopes which have been built upon him in the way described in the Gospel, have ever failed. Many have trusted in him and were blessed. It was written that he would "save the people from their sins;" and none who have ever gone to him for relief or forgiveness, have been turned empty away. To every one making application to him, he has shown himself faithful to save even unto the uttermost. Whilst he walked the world, the guilty were cheered with the assurances of pardon-the afflicted were healed-and the lamented dead were called back to the warm embraces of wounded friendship as the preliminaries of still more stupendous acts of salvation. And the redemption joys that have swelled the bosoms of those multiplied thousands who constituted the church in all past ages, and of those still more numerous multitudes to which the finger of prophecy points us, all testify to his unimpeachable fidelity to those who have believed in him. He also was faithful as was Moses. If then the faithfulness of the ancient prophet entitled him to the veneration of his nation, and his teachings to their acceptation; Christ Jesus for the same reason has an equal claim upon their attention and obedience, and the attention and obedience of all men.

A second particular noticed by the apostle with a view of pressing Christ upon the consideration of his brethren, is his superiority to Moses. "For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch," &c. You will observe here, that it is not by the degradation of the prophet that the Savior is exalted. The eminence and distinguished honor of the Jewish law-giver are fully admitted. Every just claim to venerable distinction is fully con