al purpose except as
means of revealing God. It would be a serious misapprehension to suppose
that our author had forgotten this fundamental conception. His aim has
been to show that the economy of the new covenant _is_ the perfect
revelation. God has spoken, not through, but _in_, the Son. The Divine
personality, the human nature, the eternal priesthood, the infinite
sacrifice, of the Son are the final revelation of God.

In the sublime contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion the two
thoughts are brought together. We have had frequent occasion to point
out that the central fact of the new covenant is direct communion with
God. Access to God is now open to all men in Christ. We are invited to
draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace.[361] Jesus has entered
as a Forerunner for us within the veil.[362] We have boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.[363] Yea, we have already
actually entered. We are come unto Mount Zion. Death has been
annihilated. We are now where Christ is. The writer of our Epistle has
advanced beyond the perplexity that, in his hour of loneliness, troubled
St. Paul, who was in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and
be with Christ, which is far better.[364] We are come to Jesus, the
Mediator of the new covenant. That great city the heavenly Jerusalem has
descended out of heaven from God.[365] The angels pass to and fro as
ministering spirits. The names of the first-born are registered in
heaven, as possessing already the privilege of citizenship. We must not
say that the spirits of the righteous have departed from us; let us
rather say that we, by being made righteous, have come to them. We stand
now before the tribunal of God, the Judge of all. Jesus has fulfilled
His promise to come and receive us unto Himself, that where He is, there
we may be also.[366]

All these things are contained in access unto God. The Apostle explains
their meaning and unfolds their glory by contrasting them with the
revelation of God on Sinai. We might perhaps have expected him to
institute a comparison between them and the incidents of the day of
atonement, inasmuch as he has described Christ's ascension to the right
hand of God as the entering of the High-priest into the true holiest
place. But the day of atonement was not a revelation of God. The
propitiation required antecedently to a revelation was indeed offered.
But, as the propitiation was unreal, the full revelation, to w