n Hebrews 9 the cleansing
of both the earthly and the heavenly sanctuary is plainly taught. "Almost
all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood
is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in
the heavens should be purified with these [the blood of animals]; but the
heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these,"(686) even
the precious blood of Christ.

The cleansing, both in the typical and in the real service, must be
accomplished with blood: in the former, with the blood of animals; in the
latter, with the blood of Christ. Paul states, as the reason why this
cleansing must be performed with blood, that without shedding of blood is
no _remission_. Remission, or putting away of sin, is the work to be
accomplished. But how could there be sin connected with the sanctuary,
either in heaven or upon the earth? This may be learned by reference to
the symbolic service; for the priests who officiated on earth, served
"unto the example and shadow of heavenly things."(687)

The ministration of the earthly sanctuary consisted of two divisions; the
priests ministered daily in the holy place, while once a year the high
priest performed a special work of atonement in the most holy, for the
cleansing of the sanctuary. Day by day the repentant sinner brought his
offering to the door of the tabernacle, and placing his hand upon the
victim's head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from
himself to the innocent sacrifice. The animal was then slain. "Without
shedding of blood," says the apostle, there is no remission of sin. "The
life of the flesh is in the blood."(688) The broken law of God demanded
the life of the transgressor. The blood, representing the forfeited life
of the sinner, whose guilt the victim bore, was carried by the priest into
the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark
containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the
sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary. In
some cases the blood was not taken into the holy place; but the flesh was
then to be eaten by the priest, as Moses directed the sons of Aaron,
saying, "God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the
congregation."(689) Both ceremonies alike symbolized the transfer of the
sin from the penitent to the sanctuary.

Such was the work that went on, day by day, throughout the year. The sins
of Israe