NOTES ON SCRIPTURE 1895 NO. 48

NOTES ON SCRIPTURE 1895 ^[p. 98] NO. 48

Leviticus 16: Hebrews 13: 10 -13

It is evident from this scripture that there are two companies, both saved by the blood of Christ, one company on the earth, and the other company within the veil. Christ’s work for the one company is represented by the two goats, the blood of one goat carried into the holiest and sprinkled on the mercy-seat, while the live goat, as representing the effectual sacrifice of the first goat, bore away their sins into the land of forgetfulness. This is always and for ever the beginning of divine grace, but this is the measure vouchsafed to God’s earthly people. There is more given to those who are Christ’s own in the day of His rejection; they are represented by Aaron and his house. Christ’s work for His own is represented by the bullock which Aaron offered for himself and his house. Now while Christ’s work, represented by the two goats - for it was all one work, the greater included the lesser - sets the believer on the earth in full forgiveness and in peace with God, the work of Christ as represented in the bullock gives every one of His own a place with Him in the holiest of all. This is the day of His rejection, and blessing for man on the earth has not yet come, though in christendom, as a rule, there is no apprehension of grace beyond forgiveness of sins, or what is typified in the two goats. The fact that Christ has been rejected here is overlooked, hence that all His own must be blessed with Him where He is, exalted to God’s right hand, a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec, is also overlooked. Because His rejection is not seen, the gospel is limited to the work represented by the two goats. But when His exaltation consequent on His rejection is seen, then the gospel of the glory is the rest and delight of the believer’s heart - that He has not only cleared us of everything that was against us, but that we have boldness through ^[p. 99] His blood to enter in, to share with Him in His own blessedness in the presence of God. Every one who has seen His glory inside the veil will be so transformed in taste into moral correspondence to Him, that it would be ever inconsistent with his feelings to be found here in any place but going forth to Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. In the type everything was effected before the carcase was burned. We must begin with God, and then we can truly bear the reproach of Christ here. We can have no sense of the blessedness of Christ but as we are in the holiest. When we are defective in the lower circle, it is because we are not fully in the highest. We have no power in the lower circle but as we are furnished from the highest. No man ever rises higher than his altar, that is, he can only be for Christ here in the measure in which he knows Christ where all the glory of God rests on Him. If you are inside the veil with Him, you must be outside the camp for Him.