assured facts of the life
and death of Jesus Christ. If he could not do this, or if he neglects to
do it, feeble and unreal will sound his proclamation of the terrors and
joys of the world to come. The Gospel has for one of its primary objects
to appease the guilty conscience. How it achieves this purpose our
author will tell us in another chapter. For the present all we learn is
that knowledge of God is knowledge of His moral nature, and that this
knowledge belongs to the man whose moral consciousness has been
quickened. The evangelical doctrine that the source of holiness is
thankfulness was well meant, as an antidote to legalism on the one hand
and to Antinomianism on the other. The sinner, we were told, once
redeemed from the curse of the Law and delivered from the danger of
perdition, begins to love the Christ Who redeemed and saved him. The
doctrine contains a truth, and is applicable to this extent; that he to
whom much is forgiven loveth much. But it would not be true to say that
all good men have sought God's forgiveness because they feared hell
torments. To some their guilt is their hell. Fear is too narrow a
foundation of holiness. We cannot explain saintliness by mere gratitude.
For "thankfulness" we must write "conscience," and substitute
forgiveness and absolution from guilt for safety from future misery, if
we would lay a foundation broad and firm enough on which to erect the
sublimest holiness of man.

Our author infers from the words of Jeremiah that there was an inherent
decay in the former covenant. It was itself ready to vanish away, and
make room for a new and more spiritual one.[157]

II. A NEW COVENANT SYMBOLIZED IN THE TABERNACLE.

"Now even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and
its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world. For there was a tabernacle
prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table,
and the shewbread; which is called the Holy place. And after the
second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies;
having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round
about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and
Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above
it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat; of which we
cannot now speak severally. Now these things having been thus
prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle,
acco