unto the cleanness of the flesh: 14
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this
cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken
place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the
first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of
the eternal inheritance.

CHRIST OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST.

1. An understanding of practically all of the Epistle to the Hebrews
is necessary before we can hope to make this text clear to ourselves.
Briefly, the epistle treats of a two-fold priesthood. The former
priesthood was a material one, with material adornment, tabernacle,
sacrifices and with pardon couched in ritual; material were all its
appointments. The new order is a spiritual priesthood, with spiritual
adornments, spiritual tabernacle and sacrifices--spiritual in all that
pertains to it. Christ, in the exercise of his priestly office, in the
sacrifice on the cross, was not adorned with silk and gold and
precious stones, but with divine love, wisdom, patience, obedience and
all virtues. His adornment was apparent to none but God and possessors
of the Spirit, for it was spiritual.

2. Christ sacrificed not goats nor calves nor birds; not bread; not
blood nor flesh, as did Aaron and his posterity: he offered his own
body and blood, and the manner of the sacrifice was spiritual; for it
took place through the Holy Spirit, as here stated. Though the body
and blood of Christ were visible the same as any other material
object, the fact that he offered them as a sacrifice was not apparent.
It was not a visible sacrifice, as in the case of offerings at the
hands of Aaron. Then the goat or calf, the flesh and blood, were
material sacrifices visibly offered, and recognized as sacrifices. But
Christ offered himself in the heart before God. His sacrifice was
perceptible to no mortal. Therefore, his bodily flesh and blood
becomes a spiritual sacrifice. Similarly, we Christians, the posterity
of Christ our Aaron, offer up our own bodies. Rom 12, 1. And our
offering is likewise a spiritual sacrifice, or, as Paul has it, a
"reasonable service"; for we make it in spirit, and it is beheld of
God alone.

3. Again, in the new order, the tabernacle or house is spiritual; for
it is heaven, or the presence of God. Christ hung upon a cross; he was