them everlasting life Hee 's that Joshua who leads us and gives us possession of our spiritual and celestial Canaan 2. This Captain Prince and Authour was made perfect of God by Suffering or God made him perfect by Sufferings To be perfected in this place is to be consecrated and made a compleat Priest or at least to be put in an immediate capacity to act as a Priest Aaron and the Levitical Priests had their Consecration and it was not without Blood and the death of Sacrifices and the form was instituted and prescribed by God who alone could give them this Glory Power and Office That Christ was a Priest is expresse Scripture as we shall understand in this Epistle hereafter Yet such he could not be without Consecration neither could he be consecrated without Blood and suffering of Death and offering a bloody Sacrifice And the difference of the Consecration of other Priests and him was this that though both were consecrated by Blood yet they were consecrated by the blood of Beaâ—â—s sacrificed He by his own Blood when he sacrificed and offered himself without spot unto God The reason of this was Because he must be a Meditatour between God and sinful Man to reconcile them but no reconcilion without Blood and no Blood but his own Blood immaculate would be accepted For though God was merciful and willing to be reconciled yet his justice would admit of no reconciliation but upon satisfaction to be made by this Blood God did manifest his Justice and hatred of sin by punishing it in Christ before he would pardon it in Man It was God that did Consecrate him for no Man or Angel could conferr this Office upon him or make him an universal and eternal Priest to officiate and minister in Heaven only God could do this And he as supream Lord and Law-giveâ— could appoint and accept him to be Redeemer prescribe the manner of Consecration and as supream Judge accept of his Consecration once finished and invest him with this sacerdotal Power In these respects God is said to Consecrate him By him thus consecrated many Sons are brought to Glory There are many Sons brought to Glory he that brings them to Glory is God he doth this by Christ consecrated and made their Captain To bring to Glory is in the end to give possession of Glory and that everlasting and most excellent Estate prepared for the Sons of God These are many and are made his Sons by Regeneration and Adoption The one doth make them capable of the other gives them right to Glory which they shall fully enjoy when their heavenly Birth and gracious Adoption are perfected They derive their title from their Captain as consecrated by Suffering and received by Faith For as they are the Sons and Heirs of God so are they joynt-Heirs with Christ and in his right And if he never had been consecrated by Sufferings they never had been either Sons or Heirs or Glorified For he by his Sufferings merited all and laid the foundation of their eternal Happiness And for this Suffering he made him Captain and Head of all his Sons and gave him power to give eternal Life to as many as he had given him It 's God who brings these Sons to Glory by their Head and Captain He loved Man he gave his Son to Death he raised him up again made him King and Priest and gave him power to convert us and by him he adopts us and by him he gives us Glory The sum of all is this The glorification of sinful Man from first to last is from God it 's he and he alone that brings him to Glory yet though the persons glorified be many yet they are all Sons and none but Sons shall enjoy the Inheritance neither are they Sons by Nature or of themselves He makes them such by Christ and Christ was consecrated by Sufferings and made their Captain It became him for whom and by whom are all things in bringing many Sons to Glory thus to do God is here described from his efficiency where-by he is the cause of all things the universal Agent who produceth preserveth ordereth all things to their end especially his Sons unto Glory For though his works be many then some are more excellent then others and one of the chiefest is the Salvation of man Some do think that by these words for whom and by whom are meant that God is the final and efficient cause of all yet in strict sense God cannot in himself be said to be the end of any thing yet the manifestation of his glorious Perfection may be said to be intended by him in all his Works To consecrate the Captain of all his Sons by Sufferings did become him that is it seemed best to his divine Wisdom to use this means as most fit to manifest his justice and mercy in the Redemption and Salvation of man What Ways and means as conducing to this end he knew or his divine Wisdom did dictate unto him is hidden from us but this here mentioned he resolved upon as the best and most agreeable to his excellent perfection For God doth nothing but that which becomes him so glorious in himself and so excellent an Agent Men may do many things unbeseeming and no ways befitting them to do nay Angels have done many things which did not become so noble Spirits to do but God doth nothing but what God may do And this is the reason why Christ must taste of Death for every man Because it seemed good to God by that way and means to save sinful man And this is the relative consideration and connexion implyed in the causal conjunction For. They give a reason why Christ was lower then the Angels and suffered Death And why It became God so to do Ver. 11. For both he that Sanctifieth c. § 14. The Apostle in these and the following words doth manifest how it became God to cast Christ below the Angels and consecrate him by Sufferings and he doth so manifest it as that it may appear to be agreeable to Reason which is a spark or ray of divine Light To understand this the better you must remember 1. That Christ was lower then the Angels in suffering Death 2. That as God or Angel he could not suffer Death 3. If he could have suffered Death as a Spirit yet that Death was not so fit to redeem Man or expiate his sin and sanctify him 4. That seeing he must both dy and dy for man he must be Man and mortal Man to sanctify man These things premised the Apostle proves that it became God to make Christ a mortal Man and the reason is because he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctifyed ought and must be of one and this is the coherence In the words themselves we have the unity and indentity of the Sanctifier and sanctified By the Sanctifier or the person sanctifying is meant Christ and by the sanctified sinful men by being of one that
and divine and that 's evident from the effect which is Salvation he is able to save This Salvation is not natural or temporal but spiritual and a full deliverance from sin the greatest evil and the most woful Consequents thereof for he so delivers that he makes the parties saved fully happy and blessed 3. He might save Man and that spiritually and yet but for a time but he is able to save for ever and this is full and compleat Salvation indeed and it 's indifferent whether the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be turned to the uttermost or for ever for both are intended Neither could Christ save fully and to the uttermost except he should save for ever with an everlasting Salvation 2. The subject and parties whom he thus saves are not all and every one but such as come to God by him Some will not come to God at all some will come to God but not by him But they who will be saved must 1. Come to God and none else And 2. Must come to God by him and by none else This is the qualification and right disposition of the subject without which it 's not capable of Salvation For Actus activorum sunt in passo unit disposito may be applyed here For as this rule is true in natural so it 's true in supernatural Phisophy To come to God some times is to turn from Sin and Satan to God and Righteousness and the further we depart from Sin the nearer we come to God For this coming is a spiritual and divine motion between the terms of Sin and God it 's from Sin and to God Sometime it 's to worship God which if done aright presupposeth the former motion When a man doth worship God he turns his back upon all other things and leaves all other business and company and turns his face the face of his Soul to God as Supream Lord and the fountain of all happiness One part of Worship is to pray and present our petitions unto God wherein as we seek for many things so amongst others we sue for pardon This is a principal Suit which sinful man hath to his God therefore to come to God in this place is by prayer to sue earnestly for pardon of Sin everlasting Salvation and the more sensible of Sin we are the more powerful is our prayer Yet we may come to God and sue earnestly for mercy and not speed except we take the right way We must therefore not only come but come by Him that is by Christ God is not accessible to sinful guilty man without a Mediatour who may and can satisfy his justice merit his favour and mercy and will effectually intercede for him and plead his Cause These things only Christ can and will do and if we will speed we must believe that he alone is our Mediatour and rely upon him alone as our only Propitiatour and Intercessour And all such as live under the Gospel must rely upon him as having suffered Death already offered his great Sactifice obtained eternal Redemption hath ascended Heaven and is set at the right hand of God where he is made an everlasting King and interceding Priest They who thus come to God by him renounce all righteousness in themselves acknowledg themselves guilty and miserable Wretches plead the Blood of Jesus Christ and cast themselves wholly upon his infinite mercy which he hath merited and God hath promised with a resolution to subject their selves wholly to him and obey him for ever Thus the Saints of God did come to him by Faith 1. In the Seed of the Woman who should bruise the Serpents Head Then 2. In Christ as the Seed of Abraham in whom all Nations should be blessed 3. In the Son of David who should sit upon his Throne and reign for ever and ever 4. In him as exhibited and glorified The faith of the former was but implicite the faith of these last is more explicite clear and distinct This is his ability to save wholly and to the uttermost 2. The reason of this is Because He ever liveth to make Intercession for then Where we must consider 1. What it is to make Intercession 2. For whom this Intercession is made 1. To intercede is to sue plead and sollicite for another and so in generall it 's taken here This Intercession presupposeth that he is immortal is in Heaven appears continually before his Father's Throne for all his Clients in the Court of Heaven He hath great interest in the supream Judge as a most beloved Son before a Father sitting in the Throne of Grace He sues for Pardon and Salvation He pleads his own Blood and Propititation his Father's Promise his Clients Faith and except he should plead his Propitiaion he could not make the cause of his Client good Therefore we have his Intercession and Propitiation joyned together for he is our Advocate with the Father and the propitiation for our Sins 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. This is directly against the Socinian 2. The parties for whom he pleads are they who come to God by him for it 's in vain and against the rules of that Court to plead for any others who are impenitent and unbelieving For though the Scripture saith He died for all to make their sin 's reâ—sissible yet it no where saith He makes Intercession for all to obtain actual Remission and Salvation For his Blood and Sacrifice doth merit Remission the Covenant doth promise it to Believers Faith makes us immediately capable and justifiable and by virtue of the Promise gives us right Christ's Intercession obtains actual pardon These who come to God by him are his Clients and he undertakes their cause and is alwayes ready to carry it for them The reason why Advocates were appointed by the imperial Laws as Civilians tell us was to supply the defects of such Clients as could not alwayes be present were ignorant of the Law and could not manage their own cause before the Judge So the imperfection of our prayers our unworthiness and our many defects gave occasion to the supream and universal Lord and Judge out of his abundant mercy to appoint Christ Jesus Advocate-General in the Court of Heaven and to make our Justification to depend not only upon his death suffered on Earth but his intercession made in Heaven He is that Angel which John saw in Heaven who came and stood by the Altar having a Golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense which he should offer or add unto it the prayers of all Saints upon the Golden Altar which was before the Throne Rev. 8. 3. This is an allusion to the Levitical Priest offering Incense in his Golden Censer upon the Golden Altar before the Throne or Mercy-seat of God and praying for the People And in this he was a Type of Christ making such Intercession in Heaven as that the prayers of penitent Sinners perfumed with the Incense of his merits and offered unto God the
Othâ—â— imagine it was the whole World which with the parts thereof both the Tabernacle and Temple did represent wherein the Heaven of Heavens is the Sanctum Sanctorâ—n the Holiest of all and the Sanctuary through which the High-Priest passed into the Holiest place the Aethercal part of the World where the Sun and Moon and Stars represented by the Lights in the Golden Candlestick do ever shine Others determine it to 〈◊〉 the Heaven of Heavens whereof they make some different parts as one to be the place of Angels and Saints and another far more glorious which was the place of God's most blessed and special presence That Christ entred the Heaven of Heavens and that 〈◊〉 he ever ministers and makes Intercession there is express Scripture what difference and degrees of places be there we do not certainly know But let the Tabernacle â—e his Body or the Church Militant or the World or the Heaven of Heavens the second doubt is Whither these words concerning this Tabernacle are to be referred If to the former words which say that Christ being rome an High-Priest of good things to come then it 's nothing but this That Christ is the Minister and High-Priest of a far more glorious Sanctuary But some refer them to the word entred and make the sense to be that as the High-Priest under the Law passeth through the first Sanctuary to enter into the second which is the Holiest of all so Christ passed through the Militant into the Church Triumphant And it 's very true that Christ hath his Sanctuary and Temple here on Earth and that 's his Church wherein God dwels in a special manner and he passed through and from this into the Church Triumphant of Saints and Angels where God is more gloriously present and powerful nay he entred through the Aetherdal part of the World into the highest Heavens and through the Heaven of Angels and Saints unto the highest and most glorious place and Throne of God But the former sense that Christ is come an High-Priest and Minister of a far more glorious and excellent Sanctuary seems to be more genuine and confirmed by Chap. 8. 2. § 11. The third Proposition is concerning Christ's Service and Sacrifice offered in this Temple For Christ not by the Blood of Goats and Calves but by his own Blood iâ—â—red in once into the holy place Where 1. We have the Holy place 2. Christ's Entrance into it 3. His Entrance once 4. His Entrance once by Blood not of Goats and Calvs but by his own Blood 1. The Holy place is the Heaven of Heavens signified by the Holiest of all in the Tabernacle and in the Temple for that was the place into which the High-Priest with Blood entred in once every Year so that there is no difficulty in this particular And that Christ entred into Heaven is clear enough For Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the Figures of the true but into Heaven it self there to appear before God for us Ver. 24. of this Chapter 2. Christ entred into this Holy place But there is a Question made of the time when he entred That he entred forty dayes after the Resurrection it 's clear and express For he was taken up into Heaven Acts 1. 11. He was carried up into Heaven Luke 24. 71. And He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all Heavens to fulfil all things Ephes. 4. 10. But there seems to be another entrance before this and that was immediately upon his Death For when he had given up the Ghost immediately the Vail of the Temple was rent in the midst from the top to the bottom and his Soul separated from his Body and commended into his Fathers hands entred into Paradise That he entred at that time into Heaven with his Soul separated from his Body the Text doth seem to affirm And what should the renting of the Catapetasm and the Inner-Vail immediately upon his Death signify but that the great High-Priest was ready to enter Heaven Again it may be said more properly that he entred Heaven with or by his Blood when his Soul was separated from his Body than when his Body was risen and made immortal and both Soul and Body joyntly ascended For it was the custom of the High-Priest according to God's Institution upon the slaying of the Sacrifice and taking of the Blood to enter the holy Place and the Type and Anti-type should agree especially in this particular Further the expiatory Offering was not compleate till the Blood was presented before the Throne of God in the inner Sacrary and it was suitable to the Type that the great High-Priest should after he was slain on Earth present himself as slain in Heaven before the Supream Judge as having suffered Death and satisfied Justice for the sin of man But all this I leave to the judgment of Learned men who shall seriously search the Book of God and impartially examine whether God doth not speak this in Scripture And howsoever it 's certain that whether he entred thus then yet he so entred at one time or other that he obtained eternal Redemption 3. He entred once This informs us that though the High-Priest entred once every year and so might enter above a thousand times yet Christ entred thus but once For as we shall read both in the latter end of this and also in the beginning of the next Chapter once to enter or one entrance in this manner was sufficient because one Death one Offering was able to do that which all the Offerings of all the High-Priests under the Law could not do neither was any more Offering needful seeing this had done all that was requisite for satisfaction and merit 4. This entrance was by or with Blood and this is set down negatively and affirmatively Negatively this was not blood of Goats and Calves and that with which the Legal High-Priests did enter within the Vail For as we may read Levit. 16. upon the day of expiation a Bullock and a Goat must be slain and with the Blood of these he must enter the holy Place The reason of this is because the blood of Beasts could not satisfy divine justice expiate the sin of man and purge his conscience and immortal Soul and so make the eternal penalty removable Therefore it must be a far more excellent blood the blood of the Son of God his own blood which was pare unspotted and most precious The reason 1. Why it must be by blood is because as without blood under the Law there was no Legal Remission or Expiation so it was the Will of God that without blood there should be no eternal Remission For though God was merciful and sate in the Throne of Grace and Mercy yet his Justice did require that satisfaction should be made and seeing sin was committed and punishment was deserved and due by his Law violated therefore sin must be punished before it could be pardonable
Oblatio the death of the thing Sacrificed and the offering of it to God and the blood must not only be shed but in the Law it must be sprinkled either upon the horns of the Altar without or upon and before the Mercy-seat within the second Vail The blood being shed was the death of the thing Sacrificed and the sprinkling of it upon the Altar or the Mercy-seat was the presenting it to God These both did signify that life must go for life and the blood wherein is the life must be presented to God as Supream Judge and accepted of him before the work of Sacrificing could be finished and made efficacious Therefore Christ's Sacrifice could not be compleated except he be not only slain on Earth but present himself as slain before the Mercy-seat of God in Heaven and both the suffering and offering must be with Incense and Prayer requesting eternal Redemption Whether he did miraculously take some or all his blood shed as some conceit into Heaven is not necessary to be believed except it be evident out of Scripture unto us that he did so Some Socinians affirm and inferr from hence that Christ was not a Priest till he entred Heaven because though his Suffering was on Earth yet his Offering was in Heaven But this is ridiculous and not worth the answering For though this work of Sacrificing was not finished before he entred Heaven yet it doth not follow that he was no Priest before that time because this great Sacrifice was not finished For Aarou must be a Priest before he can minister in the Tabernacle much more before he enter into the inner Sanctuary with the expiatory blood The Socinian doth not assert any entrance of Christ into Heaven but that only one by and upon his Ascension yet Christ was made a compleate Priest instantly upon his Resurrection For from these words This Day which was the day of Resurrection have I begotten thee the Apostle proves Christ to be made a Priest and that by those words This is point-black against his assertion Christ may be and was a Priest by Designation Consecration Constitution Confirmation He was designed from his Birth yet more solemnly upon his Baptism he was consecrated by his great Sacrifice he was fully constituted and made a compleate Priest upon his Resurrection he was confirmed Priest by Oath upon his Ascension and Session at the right hand of God He must needs therefore be very ignorant that shall think that he was no Priest before this confirmation in Heaven But 2. How was this propitiation made and this eternal Redemption obtained for us It 's said he gave himself a Ransome for all 1 Tim. 2. 6. That he gave his life a Ransonâ—â— for many Matth. 20. 28. That he was delivered for our Offences Rom. 4. 25. That he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole World 1 Joh. 2. 2. And more fully in the Prophet All we like Sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all Esay 53. 6. Out of all which places especially the last we may observe 1. That Christ suffered and by his blood entred Heaven for man 2. For man as sinful 3. To make God propitious to us for ever 4. God in this is to be considered as a Judge punishing us in him and by laying the iniquities that is the punishments of the iniquities of us all upon him 5. He did not suffer not offer for his own sins for God made him who knew no sin sin that is a suffering or propitiatory and redemptory Sacrifice for us so that the benefit redounds to us 6. Seeing he suffered for sin though not for his own his Death was a punishment in proper sense 7. The blood of Christ shed and offered to God as Supream Judge was the price of our Redemption and the immediate effect thereof was eternal propitiation 8. In this work Christ by God's appointment and his own voluntary submission became our Surety and Hostage and so liable to Death That God did punish sin in him was justice that he did punish our sins in him was mercy unto us It 's true that God considered as a private person and as the party offended was merciful and pityed Man but as supream Law-giver and Judg of Mankind he must be just and punish Sin that his Justice being satisfied he might have free and full power to pardon Sin and that without any breach of Justice The Intention of the Apostle in this Text is to prove and make it evident That this Service and Sacrifice was far more excellent than the greatest Service the Levitical High-Priest could or did perform This super-excellency is set forth in respect 1. Of the Blood which was not that of Goats or Calvs but his own Blood 2. In respect of the place into which he entred which was not an earthly Sanctuary but the Holy place of Heaven 3. And most of all in respect of the Effect which was not a yearly Expiation but an eternal Redemption In Form he argues thus That Service wherein by his own Blood he enters Heaven but once and obtains eternal Redemption is more excellent than the Service of that Priest who enters often with the Blood only of Calvs and Goats into an earthly Sacrary and obtains but a yearly Remission But Christ's is such and the Levitical High-Priest's Service but such as is formerly described Therefore Christ's Service is more excellent § 12. The Apostle goes on and proves by a second Argument that the Service and Ministry of Christ is far more excellent and that in respect of the Effect which it hath vertue to produce The former Effect was Propitiation or Expiation this latter and second is cleansing or Purification This as the former is delivered by way of Comparison and the Comparison is in Quantity yet presupposing another in Quality The whole may be reduced to Propositions in this manner 1. The Blood of Bulls and Goats and the Ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctify to the purifying of the Flesh. 2. The Blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without Spot to God purgeth the Conscience from deaÌ„d Works to serve the Living God 3. If the Blood of Buls and Goats and the Ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh then much more doth the Blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot unto God to purge the Conscience to serve the Living God The Comparison in quality is between the Blood of Buls and Goats the thing wherein they are compared and do agree is purging and sanctifying The Comparison in quantity presupposing also a dissimilitude in this that one doth sanctify the Flesh the other the Conscience is this That if the one hath power to purge and cleanse the Flesh the other hath much more
power to purge the Conscience To proceed unto particulars the parts of the Comparison are two 1. The Proposition 2. The Reddition The first Ver. 13 the second Ver. 14. In the first we have the Cause the Blood of Bulls and Goats and the Ashes of an Heifer then the Effect sanctifying to the purifying of the Flesh. Of the Blood of Bulls and Goats which is the same with the Blood of Goats and Calvs Ver. 12. you have heard before for that was the Expiatory Blood wherewith the Priest entring the most Holy place did sprinkle the Mercy-Seat and the Effect of this was the Expiation of the Sins of the Priest and the People whereby they were freed from such penalties as the Law imposed upon persons for some Legal and Ceremonial Offences The second purifying was by the Ashes of a red Heifer mixed with running Water and sprinkled upon Persons or things polluted by touching or being near the dead Of this you may read at large Numb 19. The Effect of both was sanctifying by cleansing from some Legal pollution and Guilt but neither of these could free any person from the Obligation to eternal penalties nor spiritually purify and make holy the Spirit and Soul of Man Some think that the Blood did signify the Death and bloody Sacrifice of Christ the Water the sanctifying Spirit Yet both are here compared with the Blood of Christ as Shadows of it This is the Proposition § 13. The Reddition followeth Ver. 14. Where we have two absolute Propositions and part of the Comparison 1. That Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit without Spot unto God 2. That the Blood of Christ who thus offered himself doth purge the Conscience from dead Works to serve the Living God 3. The Comparative part is that it hath much more Power or doth much more purge the Conscience The first Proposition is Christ through the eternal Spirit offered himself without Spot unto God Where we may consider 1. The Priest 2. The thing offered 3. The manner how 4. The thing by which 5. The Person to whom the Offering was made 1. The Priest was Christ the Word made Flesh and the Son of God designed a Priest by God 2. The thing offered by this Priest was Himself that is his own Life his own Body and some add his own Soul This was spoken in opposition to such things as the Levitical High-Priests offered as Buls and Goats for none of them offered either other men or themselvs 3. The manner how this was offered is this that it was offered without Spot The thing offered and the Offering and the manner of offering were all pure 4. That by or through which he made this Offering was the eternal Spirit By Spirit some understand the Soul which is said to be eternal because it 's immortal And certainly in respect of his Body he may rather be said to be the thing offered and in respect of his Soul the Priest offering For this offering is said to be the doing of God's Will and an Act of Obedience unto death the death of the Cross and this is a proper Act of his immortal Soul and Spirit Yet this Soul and Body too were united to the Word which as God was an eternal Spirit in which respect some understand by eternal Spirit the Word and Divine Nature of Christ And both Soul and Body were in the highest degree sanctified and supported especially in suffering death by the Holy Ghost which some think is here meant It 's certain he did offer himself by his immortal Spirit sanctified and supported by the Holy Spirit and united to the Word which with the Father and the Holy Ghost are one God and eternal spiritual Substance 5. The party to whom he offered himself was God as supream Lord of Life and Death Law-giver and Judg of Man-kind For he alone had power to appoint him to be Priest to be Offering and to offer and also to accept this Offering in behalf of sinful Man and thereupon to justify him believing and reward him with eternal Life All these are expressed and joyned together to set forth the Excellency and the immanent and internal Vertue of Christ's Blood For How excellent and of what rare vertue and causality must that Blood Death Sacrifice be which was the Blood of Christ who was by God's own immediate Commission and Designment made the highest and the greatest Priest and offered Himself the best Sacrifice that ever was and that through the eternal Spirit purely spiritual and most holy and impolluted and that unto God the supream Lord and Judg and in that manner that the very Act of offering from first to last was most exactly conformable to his Will It had all the perfections of a Sacrifice and in the highest degree The Levitical High-Priest was a Priest but far inferiour to Christ he offered Goats and Calvs but not himself and if he had offered himself yet the thing offered had been nothing to this he offered indeed to God yet he had not that near Relation unto Agreement with and Interest in God as this Priest had He offered by or through his own Spirit which was very imperfect and the imperfections of his very Act of Offering were very many and great Therefore it was no wonder that it should not have the like rare efficiency with this The second Proposition in this Verse is That Christ's Blood doth purge the Conscience c. This is the outward Efficacy and Working of this Blood upon a certain Subject rightly disposed In the words we may observe 1. The Conscience which is the Subject 2. The pollution of the Conscience 3. The purging and cleansing of it 4. The â—ind and Consequent of this cleansing 1. The Conscience is the Spirit and immortal Soul of Man which is Intimum Hominis the in most and most excellent part yet this is not here considered meerly as a spiritual immortal intellective and free Substance created and preserved by God but as subject unto his Power bound by his Laws conscious to it 's own Disobedience and sensible of it For the Blood of Christ doth actually purge no other Soul nor any Soul but thus qualified neither without this Qualification is the Soul immediately capable of this Purgation 2. The Pollution of the Soul is from dead Works where by dead Works it 's generally granted are meant Sins and that not only of Commission but Omission All the Works of Man should be living Works and issue from a Soul endued with a spiritual and supernatural Life have a spiritual and supernatural Form which is Conformity to Divine Law and should tend unto a supernatural and spiritual end When they either issue from a Soul destitute of this heavenly Life or want this Conformity they are dead Works base and such as becomes not so excellent a Creature The ordinary Reasons given by Authors why Sins are called dead Works are because they are the Works of men dead in sin want the Life and
People as a third part 1. In making the Covenant in signifying God's Will unto the People and returning the People's Answer unto God Exod. 19. 2. 2. In confirming it by Blood as an indifferent distinct person Exod. 24. To which place the Apostle doth allude as we shall understand hereafter in the illustration This is the meaning of the first Proposition The second may be divided for explication and made two 1. Christ by means of Death expiated Transgressions under the former Covenant 2. By means of this Death the Called receive the promise of eternal Inheritance The first implies 1. That there were Transgressions under the former Covenant 2. That there was a Redemption of these Transgressions 3. This Redemption was by the Death of Christ. The first is clear enough for Moses Aaron David and the Saints of God from the times of Moses till the exhibition of Christ had their sins much more others not sanctified The second cannot be doubted of for if there was no Redemption of those Sins and Transgressions then they could not be saved they must suffer eternal punishments as they did temporal By Redemption here is meant Expiation and Propitiation whereby their sins were made remissible and upon certain terms and conditions performed actually to be remitted The third will be granted in general that the Expiation was by Death and Blood but that they were expiated by the Blood of Christ many of the Jews denied Yet if they had understood the Books of Moses they might have known that the Blood of Bulls and Goats could not expiate the Sin of Man a rational and immortal Creature not free from the eternal Punishment Some Legal frailties and infirmities they might expiate and avert some temporal penalties Therefore there must of necessity be some other Death and Blood that must do it And this was the Blood of Christ which all their Ilastical Sacrifices and Lustrations did typify Yet this is not so to be understood as though their Sins were not remissible and remitted till Christ dyed and offered his Sacrifice for by vertue of this Death fore-seen and fore-accepted they were in their Life-time upon their Repentance Faith in Christ to come and their fervent Prayers pardoned They did not rely upon their Legal Sacrifices nor expected Remission from them but relyed upon this Death of Christ to come according to the Promise That in him all Nations should be blessed This Proposition is not to be understood exclusively as though Christ's Death did expiate no Sin but that which was committed under the first Covenant but emphatically to singnify 1. That there was no Expiation for Transgressions under the Law 2. That if Christ's Death expiate former Transgressions under the Law much more will it expiate such as are committed under the Gospel 3. That there was no reason as some observe why they should be offended with the Death of Christ seeing without his Death and Blood neither they nor their Fathers could be saved but must suffer eternal penalties The second part of this second Proposition informs us that 1. There is an eternal Inheritance 2. There is a Promise of it 3. The called receive this Promise 4. By means of Christ's Death they receive this Promise For in the words we have an Inheritance the Heirs the Conveyance the Purchase or rather the price whereby it 's purchased The Inheritance is eternal Happiness the Heirs are the called the Conveyance is by Promise and Covenant the price of the purchase is Christ's Death and Blood 1. The Inheritance is that blessed and glorious Estate which is to be enjoyed upon the Resurrection for the full possession and enjoyment is reserved for Heaven where it 's said to be laid up and reserved It 's said to be eternal in opposition to the Land of Canaan which was the temporal Inheritance of them and their Fathers and to be enjoyed with the Blessings thereof so long as they kept the Covenant of their God and this was the Inheritance promised in the former Covenant and to this which formerly was called God's Rest the Apostle seems to allude as a Type of this which was far more excellent and glorious of eternal continuance in respect of the Inheritance it self the parties enjoying it and the enjoyment thereof 2. This eternal Inheritance was promised there was a Promise of it It was God's and the disposal of it was at his Will Man for his sin was cast out of Paradise and forfeited Heaven with the eternal Bliss thereof yet it was in his mind to give it sinful Man who deserved it not so great was his mercy and bounty and Man must know this For this end he promised it and by his Promise bound himself to give it and in it did signify his Will The Effect of this Promise was Obligation on God's part and a Right unto it on Man's part an Hope to obtain it and a Comfort upon this Hope And here it 's to be observed that our Title to eternal life depends immediately upon the Promise and is derived from it for as the Israelites had the Land of Canaan and held it by Covenant and Promise so do all the Children of God expect the heavenly Canaan and hope to have it by Promise of the new Covenant Some do ' understand by the Promise of eternal Inheritance this Inheritance promised yet there must be a Promise received before we receive the thing promised 3. After the Inheritance and the Promise and Conveyance follows the Heirs which are here said to be the called Some are not called at all these have no Promise of the Inheritance Such were the Gentiles before the Gospel was preached unto them they were Strangers from the Covenants of Promise having no Hope and without God in the World Ephes. 2. 12. Some are called and have the means of Conversion but reject the terms of the Covenant and refuse to enter into it and engage themselvs such were the unbelieving Jews and many others Some are called enter the Covenant and solemnly bind themselvs to the observation of it yet do not observe it In respect of these two last it is that Christ saith Many are called but few are chosen Matth. 22. 14. None of these are Heirs Some are called and are obedient to the heavenly Call and keep the Covenant these receive the eternal Inheritance promised and first acquire the Title and after that the Possession Some were called before the Exhibition of Christ some after the former are here principally meant though the latter with them receive the Inheritance 4. These called Ones of former times with us receive this Promise by vertue of Christ's Death expiating their sins and of his Blood purging their Conscience To understand this you must consider that none but such whose Sins are expiated and their Consciences purged can be Heirs for they must be regenerated and acted by the Spirit and adopted Sons before they can be Heirs For as the Apostle argues If Sons then Heirs
put away Sin by the Sacrifice of Himself THE Subject of these words is the Sacrifice of Christ whereby he entred Heaven it self and of this it 's affirmed That it was but once offered and that by the one Offering of this one Sacrifice the heavenly things were purified by taking away Sin for ever This single Offering of this single Sacrifice is set forth by way of Dissimilitude and Opposition to the Levitical Sacrifices and that 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively Negatively Ver. 25. wherein we have two Propositions the one concerning the Levitical the other concerning Christ's Sacrifice The first concerning the former is That the Levitical High-Priest entreth into the Holy place every Year with the Blood of others This is meant of the great Anniversary Sacrifice of Expiation which in the beginning of this Chapter the Author singled out as the greatest and highest piece of Service that was performed under the Law with this design to prove the Sacrifice of Christ to be far more excellent in many things especially in the vertue and effects thereof In this we have 1. The entrance of the Priest into the holy place 2. This entrance made with the blood of others 3. This entrance yearly or every year 1. The holy place was that within the second Veil the holiest of all for into that the High-Priest alone might enter and that but once every year 2. Yet he might not enter without blood and this blood was the blood not of the High-Priest himself but of others that is the blood of Bulls and Goats 3. The principal thing in the Proposition to be noted is the frequency of his entrance and offering for he entred and offered every year God thereby signifying that it was not of eternal virtue The second Proposition is That Christ did not offer himself often He must offer and offer himself and by his own Blood enter Heaven yet he must not do this often his offering must be single and individual both in respect of the Sacrifice and the oblation thereof He must not once entred come out again and offer a new and another Sacrifice or the same again So that the thing that is denyed of this Sacrifice is frequency of offering § 25. In the latter part of the Text ver 26. we may observe 1. The reason why this Sacrifice must not be reiterated 2. The affirmative part of the principal point Yet the whole verse may be said to give a reason of the former Negative proposition and the same is two-fold The first is ab absurdo The second ab inntili â—â—â—-necessario For Christ's offering must not be reiterated 1. Because it was inconvenient and absurd 2. Because it was no wayes profitable or necessary I will sum up the whole in two Propositions The first If Christ should offer himself often then must he often have suffered since â—â—â—â— the foundation of the World The second But now once in the end of the World hath he appeared to put away sin oâ—â—â—â—â— by the Sacrifice of himself The first Proposition implyes 1. That where there is offering there must be suffering for in sacrificing living Creatures the thing sacrificed must be slâ—in as well as offered For mactation and oblation are essential to such as Sacrifice 2. That seeing there was Sin since the beginning of the World and Sacrifice for Sin appointed by God there must be suffering and offering from the beginning of the World or at least some Sacrifice offered which once presented to God should be of eternal Virtue 3. Because the offering of Christ requires necessarily his suffering therefore if Christ's own offering of himself once could not expiate Sin for ever then he must suffer often The absurdity and inconvenience of Christ's frequent offering of himself was this that if he must often offer he must often suffer and this was thought unreasonable to divine wisdom to put his Son so often to such a cruel Death For by Suffering is meant suffering of Death in that manner as Christ Suffered Yet it seemed good unto God to appoint the Levitical High-Priest often to offer and often with blood to enter into the holy place to signify the imperfection of the Legal Expiation that the People might expect a far more excellent sacrifice In the second Proposition concerning Christ's once offering we may observe 1. Christ's appearing 2. The time of his appearance 3. The end 1. Christ's appearance is 1. His Incarnation 2. The manifestation of him incarnate 3. The presenting of himself as a Priest having Sacrificed himself unto his heavenly Father without which his Incarnation and Manifestation had been to no purpose He appeared from the foundation of the World in the Word of the promise and in Types and Figures yet this was but obscure At length he appeared really and far more clearly when the Word was made Flesh dwelt and lived amongst men dyed and as a Priest offered himself unto God the Supream Judge for the Sin of Man 2. The time of his appearance was the end of the World which is opposed to the foundation of the World Yet as this end is not the last so the foundation is not the first day of the World therefore end and foundation must be taken with a Latitude Christ appeared to Suffer a thousand six hundred years ago and upward and yet the World is not ended therefore End signifies the last times of the World which may be many years yet to come as many years of these last â—inâ—es as parts thereof are past already And so the foundation of the World may be the beginning thereof and this beginning may be so far extended as to comprehend many hundred and 〈◊〉 thousands of years This end of the World is called the fulness of the time Gal. 44. because as some tell us the time appointed by God was fully come all things which were decreed to be before his coming were fully accomplished And though we understand not the reasons yet the end of the World was the fiâ—â—ell of all others for this appearance and though the last times seem to have the greatest benefit of his Exhibition yet the first times were not without it for the virtue of this Sacrifice extended to all times 3. The end of this appearance was to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Where we have two ends the one subordinate to the other The first was the Sacrificing of himself The second by this Sacrifice to put away Sin Christ was the Priest and the thing Sacrificed was himself and the blood by which he entred Heaven was his own blood and he himself was slain and suffered and he himself did offer himself slain The end and so the effect of this Sacrifice once offered was the putting away of sin This putting away was not the abrogation of the Law transgressed but a taking away the moral effects and consequents of Sin committed against that Law and principally of guilt For one certain and perpetual effect of Sin in
conducing and necessary 1. By a Similitude taken from a Testament and last Will For as the Death of the Testatour is necessary for to make his Testament of force and effectual so the Death of Christ was for the making effectual the Covenant of Grace ver 16 17. 2. From the manner of the Sanction and confirmation of the first Covenant which was solemnly confirmed by Blood God even then signifying That the better Covenant must be established by Blood yet by better blood ver 18 19 20. Secondly He manifests that it was as necessary for purification and expiation of the parties in Covenant and this also by a Similitude from the Law Ceremonial whereof we may observe two parts 1. The proposition concerning Expiation and Purification under the Law For then the Tabernacle and Vessels and almost all things were purified by Blood and without Blood there was no Legal Expiation and Remission ver 21 22 23. The Reddition follows and therein is signified That if it was necessary that these shadows should be purified with the blood of Sacrifice men certainly it was necessary that the heavenly things shadowed should be purified and that with the blood of some better Sacrifice and this Sacrifice was that of Christ himself by the blood whereof he enters Heaven and there appears before God for us ver 23 24. Yet lest they should think that as the High-Priest entred often and every time with blood therefore Christ must often suffer Death that he may often offer he informs them that though the High-Priest was a Type of Christ and was like unto him in many things yet in these two they did much differ 1. Then they entred often 2. They entred with the blood of Beasts But Christ 1. Offered but once and entred Heaven 2. He offered himself and by his own Blood entred Heaven and took away Sin for ever And in this God made him like to other men for whom he suffered For as he hath appointed that they shall dye once and after come to Judgment so he had ordained that Christ should dye but once and after that to come in Glory to reward his Saints with eternal Salvation § 29. Before I proceed unto the next Chapter it will not be amisse to take notice of the glosse of the Socinian Expositor upon the former proposition of this Text. For he would have us to believe that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bear the Sins is to take away Sin by removing it and sanctifying his People To this end he 1. Observes that the word sometimes so signifies and argues that because the Offering of Christ was performed in Heaven therefore it cannot here signify to bear Punishment for Sin But 1. The word doth no where in the New Testament signify to take away but either to take or bear up unto an higher place or to offer and suppose it should signify in some few places of the Old Testament to take away yet in many and very many places it hath another signification and under one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it 's used by the Septuagint 80 times for to offer Neither are any of the four places cited by him truly and sincerely but falsly alledged But suppose it should signify sometimes â—ay often to take away doth it follow from thence that therefore it must so signify here 2. Sin may be and is taken away 1. By suffering the Punishment to make it remissible 2. By pardon and Remission 3. By sanctifying and renewing the Sinner And To conclude that because it 's taken away by Sanctification therefore it 's not taken away by Suffering and Expiation is very inconsequent 3. For Christ's offering of himself in Heaven we know that in his sense it cannot be true For Christ's willing Suffering for the Sin of Man is the offering of himself and this was done on Earth as is evident from the Scriptures And though when he presenred himself in Heaven as having suffered and this before God yet this is seldom called offering Yet if it were it presupposeth another Act antecedent which is an offering in proper sense CHAP. X Concerning the Perfection of Christ's Sacrifice and certain Duties which we are bound to performs in respect of his Priest-hood § 1. THE Author continues his Discourse concerning Christ's Sacrifice which being finished he proceeds to apply the Doctrine of Christ's Priest-hood and Sacrifice and deduce some practical Conclusions from it The parts therefore of the Chapter are two 1. Concerning Christ's Sacrifice 2. Concerning certain Duties which he exhorts these Hebrews to perform This is so plain that there is a general agreement amongst Expositors concerning the same Christ's Sacrifice as in the former Chapter so here is considered and handled comparatively and with reference to the Levitical Sacrifices The intention of the Apostle is to set forth the Excellency of it as far above the other in respect of the Efficacy So that we have of this first part of the Chapter two Branches 1. Concerning the Imperfection and Impotency of the Legal Sacrifices 2. Concerning the Perfection and Efficacy of Christ's one Sacrifice This takes up the first part of the Chapter unto Ver. 20. where the Apostle begins the hortatory part grounded upon the excellency of Christ's Priest-hood and the Perfection and Efficacy of his Sacrifice The Duties exhorted unto principally are Faith Perseverance in Profession And both these are urged upon several strong and powerful Reasons The former briefly the latter largely unto the last Chapter The principal Arguments in this Chapter are taken 1. From the Punishment which must be suffered if we fall away where according to the Aggravations of the Sin the grievousness of the penalty is set forth 2. From their former Constancy and Patience whereof he doth remind them 3. From the glorious Reward which they shall shortly and certainly receive upon their perseverance This is the general Method and so clear and obvious to the intelligent and observant Reader that it 's generally agreed upon for the Substance of it The particulars shall be more distinctly delivered in the Explication To enter upon the words let 's begin with Ver. 1. For the Law having a Shadow of good things to come and not the very Image of the things can never with those Sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the Commers thereunto perfect THese words are in Effect the same with those of the former Chapter Ver. 9. and serve to infer the necessity of that better Sacrifice of Christ. For the Authour had said That it was necessary that the heavenly things themselves should be purified with better Sacrifices than these Ver. 23. These words therefore contain a Reason whereby is proved the Imperfection of the Levitical Sacrifices in respect of Sanctification The Argumentation in Form is this That which had but a Shadow of good things to come and not the very Image of the things themselves could not by the yearly Sacrifices continually offered perfect the commers
not respect The words give occasion of noting several things As 1. That the Word turned by our English to respect in the Hebrew signifies to behold or look upon with delight as well pleased with it The Chaldee Paraphrast useth a word which signifies to be well pleased with or graciously to accept Symmachus turns The Lord was delighted The Syriack translates to the same purpose But Theodotion saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inflammavit He fired or consumed with fire For by fire sent from Heaven God did signify his acceptation of Aaron's Sacrifice Levit. 9. 24. Of Solomon's 2 Chron. 7. 1. and of Elijah's 1 King 18. 38. 2. God had respect first unto the Person then unto his Offering for if the Person be not rightly qualified the Sacrifice cannot be pleasing unto God 3. The thing which rendered both him and his Offering so acceptable was Faith 4. That he did not thus accept Cain's because he was not righteous had no Faith Some and amongst other Cornelius Bertram think that by this acceptation of Abel's Sacrifice God designed him to the Priest-hood and rejected Cain and this was the cause first of Envy then of Murder But whether God did testify of his Gifts by Fire and by that testimony design him to be Priest we need not trouble our selves This is certain he accepted Abel and his Offering and that acceptation was some wayes signified and by that signification he testified of him that he was righteous All persons who worship God are Cains or Abels offer with or without Faith how careful therefore should we be in the Service of our God to come with prepared and disposed hearts For it 's a blessed thing and a matter of sweetest comfort to be accepted of our God and a sad and woful Curse with Cain to be rejected The Reward after his Death is expressed in the third Proposition And by it being dead yet speaketh Where it 's said 1. He yet speaketh or is spoken of 2. Being dead he speaketh 3. By it he speaketh The Copies and Books differ for some read he speaketh some he is spoken of yet both these may signify his fame and good report continuing in the Church to this Day He may be said to be spoken of because his Name and his Faith are upon Record in Scripture where he though dead is remembred and commended and shall be remembred and commended to the World's end and no length of time which consumeth many things shall ever raze his memory he shall never be forgotten Yet most do read he speaketh and the Translators most do follow that reading Now the Question is what he speaketh and to whom and what this speaking is 1. He speaketh Faith and Righteousness and Virtue and the Reward of Virtue and calls aloud for imitation of his Faith and Righteousness that we may be accepted of God and rewarded as he was This is the Voice of all good Examples made known unto us There is another thing which he is said to speak of which hereafter 2. He speaketh first to Men for to whom God in the Scriptures speaks to them the Saints and Martyrs by their good Example may be said to speak Now the Scriptures were written for men living and God in them doth speak unto us whilst we living read or hear them 3. This speaking is not like the speaking of Abel when he was living nor as one man speaketh to another but this Speech is Metaphorical For as by Speech we declare and signify something unto others so Vertues Rewards Crimes Punishments made known unto Mortals by word or writing declare and signify that Vertue shall be rewarded and that Sin shall be punished and by the punishments warn us to take heed of Sin and by the rewards encourage us to Virtue This is not a speaking immediate of the person by words but a speaking by things In this respect it may be said that the dead whose Voice shall never be heard on Earth do speak But seeing Abel speaketh it 's further inquirable by what he speaketh It 's said by it he speaketh and by it may be his Faith and Sacrifice or Blood By the former he speaks as you heard before and the voice of Deeds and good Examples is far more effectual then the voice of Words and continues to sound far longer For the Voice is but heard whilst those who live can speak but the voice of Deeds is heard after Death yet some understand that he spake by his Blood and that he might do two wayes 1. As living he spake by his Faith and Offering but being dead by his patience and suffering and by this he exhorteth us not only to live well but with patience to suffer Death for Righteousness sake This is an Alarum to Martyrdom the highest pitch of Virtue and of Obedience 2. As dead he speaketh by his Blood not only as famous for his Martyrdom but as crying for Vengeance For so God said to Cain The Voice of thy Brothers Blood cryeth unto me from the Ground Gen. 4. 10. And in the following Chapter Christ's Blood is mentioned as speaking better things then the Blood of Abel Chap. 12. 24. Abel's Blood cryed aloud for Vengeance but Christ's for Mercy and Pardon Abel's Blood joyntly with the Blood of all Martyrs may call for justice unto the Supream Judg and when the Sufferings of all are finished then full Vengance shall be executed upon all bloody Persecutors Something to this purpose we may read Rev. 6. 10 11. In this sense it may be said they being dead do yet speak and will speak as dead and being slain by their cruel Enemies And by Faith they speak thus for without Faith they might have suffered justly for their Crimes and then they could not solicite the Supream Judg to revenge their innocent Blood not expect any Reward and Crown of Martyrdom § 8. After Abel follows Enoch the seventh from Adam yet the second from Abel of eminent note in the History of Moses Of him it 's said Ver. 5. By Faith Enoch was translated not to see Death and was not found because God had translated him for before his translation he had this Testimony that he pleased God IN this Text we may observe 1. The Reward which was Translation 2. The Virtue he was translated by Faith 3. The Testimony and good Report of him he pleased God Yet these may be reduced to two 1. The Reward he was translated 2. His Virtue by Faith he pleased God If we take the two Verses together we may reduce them to two Propositions thus 1. Enoch was translated 2. By Faith Enoch was translated And because the latter Proposition is not evident as not expressed in the Text the Apostle first presupposing this Translation to be a great Reward and obtained by Faith he proves it thus He that pleaseth God must have Faith But Enoch pleased God Therefore he had Faith That he pleased God he proves it by Testimony for that he did so is express
High-Priest ascended into Heaven 2. This Blood of Sprinkling speaketh better things thau the Blood of Abel This Blood is the Blood of Christ and the End and so the principal Effect is to cleanse away Sin yet this it cannot do except it be first shed and then sprinkled Once shed it hath a cleansing Power and Vertue yet actually cleanseth and purifieth no man till it be sprinkled upon him The Blood of sprinkling is Blood to be sprinkled and it is to be sprinkled upon the unclean to make clean and therefore the Blood of Sprinkling is by a Metonymy cleansing and purifying Blood Yet there was a sprinkling of Blood in the Sanction and Confirmation of the Old Covenant and so Blood of Sprinkling here may be the Blood of Confirmation for as you heard Chap. 9. 16 17. a Testament is of force after men are dead so upon and by the death of Christ the new Covenant was made firm valid and in full force and power for that end God intended it If Christ had not dyed God might have abrogated or altered his Covenant but upon his death he was bound to stand to it for ever and the Title to the heavenly Inhâ—râ—tance is good to all such as observe the terms and conditions yet in this Expression it is very probable the Apostle alludes to the Legal Purifications by Water Ashes Blood which being sprinkled upon such as were Legally unclean or upon the Lepers did purify them The like Effect Christ's Blood hath upon all such as are capable of it therefore do we read that the Blood of Christ doth cleanse us from all Sin 1 Joh. 1. 7. and to cleanse is to forgive to be cleansed is to be pardoned as is implyed in that Text If we confess our Sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our Sins and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness Ver. 9. This Blood is sprinkled upon such as confess repent believe pray receive the Sacraments The means of sprinkling is the Word Sacraments and principally the Spirit or whatsoever worketh or increaseth and strengthneth Faith and then it 's sprinkled when it 's so applyed as that the Person receiveth the benefit of Christ's Passion one Effect and the principal is Remission of Sin and Sanctification whereby we are freed from Sin and the woful Consequents thereof for this Blood speaketh better things than that of Abel Abel's Blood was shed so was Christ's Abel's Blood shed speaketh so Christ's Blood shed speaketh Abel's Blood speaketh to God so Christ's speaketh to him likewise they both speak loud and cry so that God hears Abel's Blood was precious Christ's far more precious and the Cry of both is heard in Heaven Thus far they agree yet differ much for the one cryes for Mercy the other for Judgment the one cryes against Man that did shed it the other for Man though his Sins did cause it to be shed The meaning is that Cain's Murther of his Brother Abel did so much offend God that it moved him to revenge it Christ's death as caused by the cursed cruel impenitent Jews did so far provoke God that he fearfully punished them and their Children according to their own words Let his Blood be upon us and our Children yet as suffered for the Sin of Man and offered unto God it was so pleasing so precious and so highly accepted that for and in condsieration of it God was effectually moved both to reward him and pardon all penitent and believing Sinners and that for evermore This Blood spake when it was shed and speaks effectually when pleaded before the eternal Judg. 3. They were come to this Mediator to this Blood They were not come to the Mount of Fire Smoak Darkness Terrour Death where there was no Mediator to make their peace with God no blood to cry for Metcy and cleanse them from their Sin and free them from eternal Death But they were come into that Society where Christ was their Mediator and Priest where they were freed from the Law of Sin and Death and under the Covenant of Free Mercy Grace and Life where the Blood of Christ sprinkled upon their Souls did cry aloud to Heaven for Mercy and did cleanse them from all Sin for ever And now since they were received into an heavenly Society where Angels and the best of men both living and dead were their fellow-Subjects God Redeemer sitting in the Throne of Grace their Soveraign Christ the Son of God their Priest who shed his Blood to wash away their Sins and though they had many Offences yet upon their Repentance would make Reconciliation for them and though they had many failings yet he was a righteous Advocate with their Father and would plead their Cause with his own Blood procure their pardon according to the Covenant of Grace so that they should be justified and live for ever there was no Reason in the World to return to Sinai and the Law again and forsake the best and happiest Kingdom that ever was a Kingdom of eternal Righteousness and Peace If they did Heaven might be astonished and Earth amazed at their Folly In this with that which follows the Apostle seems to sum up briefly in a few words all the former Arguments taken from the excellency of the Prophetical Office of the Covenant of the Priest-hood of Christ and he doth this in that manner that he clearly takes away all colour of excuse from such as should incline to Apostacy § 23. Therefore he further argues thus Ver. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on Earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven THE words are a Dehortation wherein we have 1. The Sin dehorted from 2. The Reason why we should take heed of it 1. The Sin is to refuse him that speaketh 2. The Reason is taken from the greater Punishment to be suffered if they do refuse 1. To refuse him that speaketh implyes 1. That Christ doth speak and God by him To speak is not only to reveal the Doctrine of the Gospel which is the thing spoken but also to command Repentance and Faith in Christ with a Promise of Righteousness and eternal Life and a Commination of eternal Death unavoidable To refuse him that thus speaketh is either to reject this Doctrine and not receive it or if they have once received it to renounce it so that this Refusal includes both Unbelief and also Apostacy from the Christian Profession But they who had made Profession of this Doctrine must not refuse to continue in it nor renounce it to the dishonour and Contempt of God who out of greatest Mercy had tendred Salvation upon fairest terms 2. The Reason is taken from the hainousness of the Sin and the grievousness of the Punishment both which are set forth by a Comparison in Quantity And this Comparison presupposeth many things as 1. That God did speak in former times
that cannot be But he hath relation to the essence as acting upon it self and producing an Image of himself for Christ is the Word and Image of the Father and his Person This is the same with that we read in another place That he is the Image of the invisible God Coloss. 1. 15. The word invisible seems to be added for to distinguish Christ from these visible Images of visible things For God is not visible to mortal and bodily Eyes neither is his Image visible in that manner For though Christ had a body yet he neither in that body nor in his humane Soul but as the Word was he the express Image of his Father Crellius his glosse upon these words is grosse and nothing to purpose For he tells us 1. That Christ is the lustre â—ay and beam of God's Majesty this is very obscure and in proper sense affirmed of Christ as the Word is false 2. That he was thus a ray and beam only as sent and manifested in the humane Nature unto us This is agreeable to his erroneous Doctrine denying the Deity and Incarnation of the Word contrary to expresse Scripture 3. That Man resembles God in some attributes but Christ is the Image of his Person as Lord and Soveraign This is both obscure illiterate and impertinent For to resemble God in Power and Dominion and to bear his person as his Substitute is political to resemble him in Wisdom Knowledg Holiness is physical and to be his Image as he had said before that Man is These he jumbles and confounds together and contradicts himself Again to be his Image and bear his person in respect of Power and Dominion is the same with that of being Heir of all things And will any man imagine that the Apostle in so few words so full of different matter would tautologize And where do we find political representation for Power and Lordship signified in Scripture by such terms But that he was guilty of a willful Errour he would never have sought to elude the genuine sense by such a â—rosse sophistication § 8. And upholding all things by the Word of his Power As before he made the Worlds and with the Father created all things so here he is affirmed to support and order all things so that he is Creatour and Preserver We may here observe two things 1. The Word by his Power 2. The upholding of all things by this Word of Power his Word of Power is his powerful Word Christ is the Word in respect of the Father the eternal Word of the Father and there is a word of the Word in respect of some thing to be done and effected This word of the Word for effecting something ad extra out of God is here meant This is the Word of Creation whereby God sald ' Let there be Light and there was Light And it is the Word of Providence as in this place we must understand is This word is sometimes an expression sometimes a decree sometimes a command sometimes a deed Here it 's a decree and command expressed whereupon the deed follows and something willed decreed and expressed is effected This is a Word of Power that is very powerful of almighty Power so that what is spoken is done and what the Word signifieth is effected This Word Power is added to signify the efficiency and wonderful efficacy of the Word which is such that we cannot well distinguish betwixt the Word and the executive Power Therefore it 's said God spake and it was done he commanded and is stâ—â—d 〈◊〉 Psal. 33. 9. And the same Nown Verbal both in Hebrew and Greek which signifies a Word signifies a deed And Christ's Word is his deed this Word being a Word of Power is the cause the effect here is the upholding of all things The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signify to preserve and as Erasmus à Lapide Heinsius observe to govern And so it may expresse the two acts of Providence Conservation and Government and both universal for it upholds and orders all things This is the same which we find in another Scripture That by him all things subsist Coloss. 1. 17. In which place we may observe that as all things both visible and invisible were created by him so all things consist and be upholden by him This agrees to the Word not incarnate though being incarnate it doth not cease to exercise the same causal power because the Word made Flesh remains the Word and hath its universall causality as before the incarnation The Socinian lest he should grant the Deity and eternal existence of Christ understands this of Christ doing his Miracle by his Word and restrains all things to a few things done by Christ a Man And this is directly contrary to the Apostle affirming all things to consist by Christ even all things created and that from the beginning § 9. When he had by himself purged our Sins This was an act of Christ 1. As the word Incarnate 2. As a Priest 3. As a Priest offering himself a Sacrifice for our sins 4. This Sacrifice as not only offered but accepted of God had this power This purging of our Sin is not only actual pardon or sanctification but something antecedent and an immediate effect of Christ's Death as of a Sacrifice offered and accepted in behalf of sinfull man In the words we have an effect the purging of sin and the cause Christ by himself In the effect the object is our sins the act the purging of them By sins our sins are meant the consequents of sin in particular the guilt of sin yet joyned with the stain These are the sins of Men not of Angels our Sins The act of purging is the making of the consequents of sin especially the guilâ— removable upon certain terms determined by God our supream Judge and Law-giver This was done by satisfaction of divine justice and by merit For upon Christ's Sacrifice offered and the punishment due to us for our sins willingly suffered by him God was so well pleased as that he was willing to pardon that sin which was punished and by himself in his ownSon Sin therefore here by a Metonymie is said to be purged when this Sacrifice by which believed and pleaded sin is actually pardoned was offered and accepted because as offered and accepted it did make sin immediately pardonable and had a causal vertue to procure the actual pardon This causal vertue and vigour is said to be Purging But of this more hereafter especially in Chap. 9. The cause of this expiation is Christ by himself for he alone was the Priest he alone the Sacrifice He and he alone offered he and he alone was the thing offered he was the sole cause and efficient of this purging Neither Men or Angels did co-operate in this Work as co-efficients with him Crellius expounds these words yet so that his expression is neither exact nor clear nor altogether true For 1. By expiation and purging he
able to succour them So that the Apostle 1. Affirms that he must be Man and that being Man he must Suffer 2. Proves why he must be Man 3. Why being Man he must Suffer The Text is brought in by an illative wherefore and the conclusion inferred is That in all things it behooved Christ to be like unto his Brethren And the premisses do not go before but follow in the last words of this verse and is explained more fully in verse 18. The conclusion is concerning Christ and the thing affirmed of him is That he must be like his Brethren for it behooved him in all things to be like them Where 1. We must understand what the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behooved doth import 2. What it is In all things it behooved him to be like them The Syriack word which signifies it was meet convenient right doth best expresse the meaning For it was most agreeable to God's wisdom and Mans condition That he should be like his Brethren Some make this conveniency to be a kind of duty to be performed or debt of money to be paid or of punishment to be suffered because the Word is so used in other places of the New Testament but none of these significations are here intended or can well be meant 2. For the words in all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they may be referred either to the Verb behooved and then the sense is It was altogether convenient and in every respect sitting or to the Adjective like that is He must be like us in all things there must be similitudo â—nmimods And whereas some tell us that this must be understood with a limitation and exception of sin it 's needless For if he must be a Saviour and expiate the sin of others he must needs be without sin This exception is made by the Apostle Chap. 4. 15. but upon another account The meaning therefore is That he must be like unto us in all things which are necessary or requisite to make him a compleat Redeemer and Saviour of sinful man But to this sin was neither necessary nor requisit but it was absolutely necessary he should be free from it This is the conlusion § 20. The premisses or Principle from whence it 's inferred is this Because he must be a merciful and faithful High-Priest If we bring the Apostles discourse into form it 's this onto this purpose If Christ must be a merciful and faithful High-Priest c. then in all things it behooved him to be like unto his Brethâ—ren But he must be a merciful and faithful High-Priest c. Wherefore or therefore In all things it behooved him to be like his Brethren In these words and those that follow we may observe that Christ 1. Is a merciful and faithful High-Priest c. 2. How he became such and that was by suffering and being tempted In the first part we have 1. Christ's Office 2. The Qualification for this Office 3. The Work of Function of his Office 1. His Office is to be an High-Priest in things pertaining to God A Priest is an Officer in things appertaining to God that is in matters of Religion wherein we have some Communion or Converse with God the Supream Lord upon whom we depend for all things especially such as tend to our spiritual and eternal happiness Therefore Priest-hood is an Office distinct from all Offices of a civil state Of this we shall hear more Chap. 5. Amongst Priests some are inferiour some are superiour and some above all the rest and the chief and highest Priests differed from the rest by some power proper to them and to none else as to enter into the Holy of holies and make the general Expiation Christ was a Priest and Mediatour between God and Man in matters of Religion and he was the highest supream and universal Priest and had a proper power far above all other Priests and could enter the Sacrary of Heaven and doth minister in that glorious Temple This is his Office 2. His Qualification which is alwayes requisite in a Priest is in two things He was 1. Merciful 2. Faithful 1. He must be merciful for he must deal with God for sinful and miserable Man for to help him and relieve him And he is then merciful when he doth not only know Man's misery but is inwardly sensible of it as his own so as to be moved and resolved and that effectually to succour him This mercifulness is opposed not onely to Ignorance of others misery and senslesness but also to harshness severity cruelty And Christ was more merciful than ever any Man or Angel was and there was great need he should be so for if every Offence nay if many and great offences should move him to Passion and enrage him so as to reject them and their Cause or proceed to plead against them or condemn them how many thousands should perish everlastingly 2. As he is merciful so he must be faithful and such as poor sinners may safely trust unto and depend upon when they commit their Cause concerning their eternal estate into his hands Christ may be said to be faithful either to God who hath given the Office of High-Priest and a Command to discharge it or unto Man who according to the Rules of God's Word believs in him trusts upon him and commits himself and all that he hath unto him And then he is actually faithful when he performs all things belonging to his Sacerdotal Office and goes thorough with his Work until he hath perfectly finished and sinful Man attains that for which he trusted him Man may be merciful and not faithful Christ is both and will be sensible of our Case and Cause will minde it and do it as his own In this respect our Hope is firm and our Comfort is unspeakable Blessed are all they who trust in him This is his Qualification the best that ever was or can be in any Priest 3. The Work the principal Work is to make Reconciliation for the Sins of his People 1. He hath his People and they are such as know him and trust in him 2. These have their Sins and are guilty 3. Reconciliation therefore is necessary otherwise they dy they perish everlastingly 4. There must be some one and the same a Priest both merciful and faithful to make this Reconciliation and this is Christ. The word that is translated to make Reconciliation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which taken actively and transitively is to make God propitious and merciful to sinful Man so as to free him from Sin and the woful Consequents thereof And this must be done so as to deliver Man from sin fully and for ever before this Sacerdotal Work shall cease This Reconciliation is first made and the Foundation of it laid in his Suffering Death and offering himself a Sacrifice unto the supream and universal Judge for the sin of Man first to make it remissible But it 's actually made when Man
of Melchizedeâ—k 2. Conceiving these Hebrews hardly capable of that discourse concerning this excellent and eternal Priest-hood which he intended he iâ—proves their Ignorance caused by their great negligence In the first part he 1. Informs us what an High-Priest in general is 2. Shews that none can be a lawful Priest who is not called 3. Proves Christ to be called and by Commission from Heaven made an High-Priest and invested with a Sacerdotal Power But to proceed unto particulars and enter upon the Text which gives us a description of an High-Priest and lets us know that he is an Officer in matters of Religion 2. That his Work is to offer Gifts and Sacrifices for Sin 3. He must be of a mercifull disposition and inclined to compassionate the People as having Infirmities of his own 4. The end whereat he must aim to make God propitious and procure his favour for the remission of the Peoples Sin He is an Officer in matters of Religion To be an Officer is the general wherein he agrees with all others in any Office to be such in matters of Religion differenceth him from all Magistrates and Civil Officers Before we handle the parts of the Description we must take notice first what the definitum or thing described is and it 's said to be an High-Priest Priest-hood if we consult the Greek or Latine Name is a sacred Office the word Cohen in Hebrew also is an Officer either sacred or civil and comes of a Verbe in Piel which signifie to minister or act in political or religious matters and such a Person may be a Magistrate or Minister a Prince or a Priest For anciently Princes were Priests and Priests Princes so Melchizedeck was King and Priest and such if we may believe some ancient Authours were the first-born of Families and had the Power and Charge of Civil and Ecclesiastical Government in the Family This Office is a place of power and dignity Yet there usually was an inequality between Priests for some were high-Priests some inferiour and the High-Priest was President over the rest of greater dignity and power and could and might officiate in some things wherein the inferiour could not In this place the thing or Person described is an High-Priest though many of these things might agree to other Priests And first he is an Officer For He is one taken from among men and ordained for men By this with that which follows we may easily understand that the Priest here described is a Man and not an Angel and an Officer for men and for sinful men 1. He must be taken from among man which implies not onely that he must be a Man but of the same ranck and quality with other men who are no Officers no Priests but of no Priests made Priests yet they should be duly qualified and fit for the place how else can they officiate as they ought to do This phrase to be taken from among men we find Exod. 28. 1. where Moses is commanded to take Aaron and his Sons from the midst or from among the children of Israel and a like Expression is used Levit. 8. 1. when Aaron must be consecrated This is a kind of election and designation of the person whereby he is singled out of and separated from the rest to be put in another and higher rank and order This designation is made by Lot or Birth-right or Election or divine immediate determination for here there must be no Usurpation After the Person is once designed and determined upon he must be constituted ordained set over other men for their good for the end of all Officers is to seek and endeavour the temporal or spiritual good of those to whom they are made Officers For though God can do all things immediately himself yet he is pleased to make use of man and by man communicate his Blessings to man This constitution is by a Mandate of him or them who can constitute an Officer and by this Mandate is signified the Constitutor's Will The effect of it is to give the Person constituted Power and to bind him to officiate For every Officer by his Ordination receivs a power and a charge to do the Works of his place And as the power and charge are many times great so the Constitution is made with solemn Rites which are used in the Inauguration of Princes and Consecration of Priests This is the general Nature of a Priest he is an Officer Yet there be Civil and there be Religious Officers but a Priest is an Officer in Religion and the things of God For we have to do with Men and we converse with God The Subject therefore wherein a Priest is imployed is things pertaining to God for he is the Supream Lord to whom all Glory Service and Obedience are due in the highest degree upon him we all alwayes do wholly depend both for our Being and Happiness both spiritual and temporal And though all men must worship him yet there are publick Services which none but a Priest may perform so as to be accepted Every one doth not know how God will be served neither if they knew it are they fit or qualified for it Therefore God ordained Priests who knew his Will his instituted Worship and how it should be performed and to come to God without them was in vain and for any other to officiate in that place is an Usurpation and a great Offence By this Office God did signify that sinful Man cannot come near unto him without a Mediator And it was an unspeakable Mercy of God to institute such Services as he requires at Man's hands and to ordain such Persons for the performance as he would accept As Religion so Priest-hood in general sin presupposed seems to be of the Law of Nature For no Nation is without Religion no Religion without a Priest therefore we read in Authours so much of Temples Altars Priest and amongst these High-Priests and Supream Pontiffs Yet there may be Officers in Religion who are no Priests but subservient unto them therefore we must know what is the proper Work of a Priest which is the next thing whereof the Apostle informs us in these words That he may offer both Gifts and Sacrifices for Sins The Law and Ligh of Nature dictate unto us that something must be offered unto God in acknowledgment of his Supream Dominion and because men have their Sins and are guilty and God is just and hath power of life and death of punishment and pardon therefore Sacrifices must be offered to satisfy his Justice avert his Wrath and procure his favour But by what Gifts and Sacrifices God may be propitiated and in what manner they must be offered the Law of Nature will not teach us These things must be revealed and instituted from Heaven and so must the Priest-hood and party officiating too for every one must not offer these Gifts and Sacrifices either for himself or others but such as God shall either mediately or
in his prayers and most earnestly deprecare the Wrath of God as his Saviour did The sense of sin will break the stoniest heart and quicken our Prayers cause cryes and tears But we neither consider the grievousnesse of our sins nor the bitternesse of our Saviour's Passion therefore our Prayers are cold and weak and mercy stands afar off and pardon comes not near us 3. These Prayers were made and directed to God as One that was able to save him from Death All Petitions made to any Person either unable or unwilling to do that which is desired are in vain might and mercy power and goodness are necessarily required in him to whom Prayers which shall in the issue prove effectual are to be offered And because none but God is absolutely Powerfull and Good Almighty and Almerciful therefore to him alone as Supream Lord all Prayers are to be made as to the prime Authour and principal efficient of all Blessings and Mercies To addresse our selves in this manner to any other is flat Idolatry and a breach of the first and great Command None can deliver from Death but only He. Therefore Christ offered his Prayers and Supplications to Him as able to save from Death and this ability to save in greatest dangers was the ground of his confidence God was able to save from Death either by prevention and not suffering him to dy or if he suffered Death by raising him up again and restoring life once taken away and lost The latter he did the former he denied to do yet by Death in this place may be meant some other thing then loss of this mortal and temporal Life for in Scripture it signifies all kind of evils Man or Angel is subject unto and in this place something which he feared prayed against and was freed from by God his heavenly Father supporting him so that he did not sink under the heavy burden laid upon him He endured all with patience and willingness of mind and was not overcome or overwhelmed He suffered something far more terrible then all bodily pains and that Death which is only a separation of Soul and Body and this was violent temptation for he was tempted more violently then ever any was yet he never yielded the least but continued firm faithful obedient unto his heavenly Father in the midst of his greatest conflicts That which upheld him was the power of his Father and that which obtained the victory was his support obtained by his fervent Prayers For 4. His Prayers and Supplications were effectual he was heard in that he feared To be heard in the Hebrew is by a Metonymy sometimes to have our prayers granted and the thing requested done And to be heard when we pray for deliverance is to be delivered saved holpen This might be made manifest out of many places of the Old Testament translated by the Septuagint Two of them Heinsius observes as 2 Chron. 18. 31. where it 's written That Jehoshaphat cryed out and the Lord helped him so the Hebrew heard him so the Septuagint And Psal. 56. 16. As for me I will call upon God and the Lord will save me so the Hebrew hath heard me so the Greek So that for Christ to be heard was for Christ to be delivered But what was he delivered from certainly not from Death so as not to suffer it for he dyed but from something he seared For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifyeth fear Metonymically in this place signifies the thing feared which was the object and cause of his fear This word is once used by the Septuagint for so they translate the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Josh. 22. 24. But what did Christ fear Death No not bodily Death but such a Death as he suffered wherein he was so fearfully tempted For if God had deserted him wholly as he did in part and not have supported him he as man might have been overcome have sunk under the burden in distrust or dispair or impatience This he feared more then ten thousand Deaths of his Body and so to do was his holiness and though he knew his Father would support him yet he must offer vehement Prayers and be put hard unto it before he did obtain it Thus though he knew he must dy yet he defired vehemently that the Cup of his Passion if it were possible might passe and be omitted God began to hear him when he sent an Angel from Heaven to comfort him but then he heard fully when he had supported him to the end of his Passion so that he commended his Soul unspotted and victorious into his Fathers hand and made haste unto that Paradise into which no unclean thing shall ever enter When all was done and suffered the Devil found nothing in him could not charge him with the least Sin This was the efficacy of his Prayers which he offered for himself as different from all others that ever were made in his extremity whereby he learned to pity others in their temptations and necessities For an High-Priest must offer for himself as well as for others because he is compassed with infirmities So Christ though he had no Sin yet had infirmities and was tempted and had need to pray for himself as well as for his People and Ver. 8. Though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered VVHere we may observe two things and two propositions Two things 1. His eminent Dignity he was a Son 2. His obedience Two propositions 1. He was a Son 2. Though a Son yet he learned obedience by the things â—he Suffered 1. He was a Son the Son of God and in a more excellent manner then any either Man or Angel was or could be He was as the Word the Son of God so as that he was God and as Flesh and Man he was assumed by the Word and conceived by the holy Spirit in the Virgin 's Womb yet so that there were not two Sons but one the Word made Flesh and as such a Son he was nearer God then any other Heir of all things Lord of Men and Angels and the only-begotten Son of God Yet 2. Though a Son yet learned he obedience For though as a Son he was very high yet he humbled himself very low and took upon him the form of a Servant and in that form became obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross which was the Death of a Servant as he was sold for thirty pence the ordinary price of a Servant and Slave His obedience presupposed his subjection as Flesh unto his heavenly Father as his Supream Lord and a Command not only to Do but to Suffer even the Death of the Crosse and this was the highest greatest and hardest command to dye such a Death for the Sin of Man This command above all others he learned to obey He learned this hard Lesson not only to know it but chiefly to do it not meerly by speculation but real
experience For to learn to obey is to obey and to learn to suffer is to suffer God by laying on him the Iniquities of us all was the Master he by bearing that heavy burden became the Schollar for by the things he suffered that is by suffering so many things and amongst the rest the Death of the Cross he did perfectly learn and experimentally understand what obedience was This Lesson no Angel did ever learn in this manner they had no such command neither did they ever obey it though they knew it By the former words we understand that he offered prayers for himself and by these that he offered himself for us and learned to have pity upon poor Sinners who in their extremities cry unto God By this obedience was signified God's severity against Sin and his tender mercy towards Sinners § 8. Thus Christ was consecrated and by this Suffering and Sacrifice of himself fitly qualified for to be a Priest and a saving Priest unto all his loyal and obedient Servants For Ver. 9. Being made perfect he became the Authour of eternal Salvation uâ—to all â—â—â—m that obey him FIrst He is made perfect Secondly He became the Authout of Savation 1. To be made perfect is to be consecrated and made fit to minister before God as a Priest For though God did design Aaron for a Priest yet he did not suffer him to minister before he was consecrated There is no legal Consecration without Blood of Sacrifices therefore Christ was consecrated by his own Blood the Blood of that Sacrifice wherein he offered his life himself It was the Wisdom of God to order it and his Will â—o decree that Christ should first Suffer and shed his Blood for the Sin of man and so sanctify him by Suffering before he should have power to save For the best and most merciful Priest that ever was must be made in the best and most convenient manner Upon this strange and wonderful Consecration he became an Authour of Salvation Where we may observe 1. An Effect eternal Salvation 2. The Authour or efficient Christ consecrated 3. The Subject to which this Salvation is communicated such as obey him 1. By Salvation is meant deliverance from Sin and all the Consequents thereof so as that the party saved is made for ever happy There be both bodily and spiritual temporal and eternal dangers whereunto man by Sin is liable and this Salvation is a deliverance from all There is deliverance as from some evils and not all so deliverance only for a time and not for ever but this Salvation is a total deliverance from all evil and that for ever Eternal peace safety felicity is the issue and consequent thereof 2. This Salvation being so noble and glorious an effect must have some Cause some Authour and Efficient and this Efficient was Christ yet Christ as perfected and consecrated For by his Blood and purest Sacrifice of himself 1. He satisfied divine Justice and merited this Salvation 2. Being upon his Resurrection constituted and made an High-Priest and King and fit to minister and officiate as a Priest and Reign as King in Heaven he ascends into that glorious Temple and Palace and is set at the right hand of God 3. Being there established he begins as King to send down the Holy Ghost reveal the Gospel and by both to work Faith in the hearts of Men and qualify them for Justification and Salvation 4. When men are once qualified and prepared so as to sue for pardon in his Name before the Throne of God he as Priest begins his Intercession and by the plea of his own Blood for them procures their pardon and eternal Salvation So that as consecrated and perfect he becomes the great efficient Cause of this Salvation by way of merit intercession and actual communication There be many other ministerial and adjuvant causes of this effect yet he is the principal so the word which signifies a Cause in general was understood by our Translators who turn it the Authour 3. If it be communicated from and by him it must be received in some subject and if in him there be an eternal saving virtue and he exercise it there must be some subject and persons in whom this saving power shall produce this effect so as that they shall be saved And though this Power be able to save all yet only they and all they who obey him shall be saved Efficient causes work most effectually in Subjects united and disposed aright And so it is in this case for though the mercies of God mericed by Christ may be so far communicable to all as that all may become savable which is a great and universal Benefit yet they are not actually communicated to all because all are not obedient For the divine Wisdom and Justice have limited them to a certain subject and to regulate the manner of communicating them And seeing the proper subject of this Salvation are such as do obey this Saviour therefore here it 's presupposed that Christ is a King and Soveraign Prince and as such gives Commands and Laws to all his Subjects and such as submit unfainedly unto his Regal Power and obey his Laws and none else may expect this Salvation His Laws require this sincere submission and obedience in renouncing all others and a total dependance upon him and him alone in repenting of our Sins and believing upon him And this sincere Faith is the fundamental vertue and potentially all obedience Therefore is it said That whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting Life And he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life Joh. 3. 16. 36. § 9. Yet before he was an immediate and compleat Authour of eternal Salvation he must not only be consecrated But Ver. 10. Called of God an High-Priest after the Order of Melchisedec THese words are added and repeated not only to expound his former proof out of Psalm 110 but also to shew when and how he became so mighty and glorious a Saviour and also to bring in 1. The digression 2. The discourse that followeth 1. They are exegetical and declare the meaning of those words alledged ver 6. Thou are â—â— Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec For by this Text we are informed 1. That those words were spoken by God 2. That God by those words did make him a compleat and eternal Priest and by Oath confirmed his Priest-hood For this Text was alledged to prove that Christ did not glorify himself and usurp this Sacerdotal Office but God gave it him and so he came justly and legally by it They are 2. Added to shew when Christ became so compleat an High-Priest and to exercise his saving Power and that was not only upon his consecration but this confirmation of him at his right hand For then instantly he began to work and convert Men make Intercession for them and bring them to Salvation 3. Upon these words reiterated he takes occasion to deliver that
man yet willing upon certain terms to be merciful unto him And one condition which performed he will accept is that Christ as Surety for man should suffer Death for man to satisfie divine Justice In this respect is he said to give himself a Ransome or Price How far different this is from the offering here described is easy to understand The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used about sixteen times in this Epistle but never taken in his sense which is so absurd and unworthy that no rational man as rational much less a Christian and a Schollar can any wayes approve but reject with scorn The rest of his discourse upon this Text is like his description of Christ's offering and by it he seeks to cast a mist upon the divine Doctrine of the Apostle lest he should confound himself and suffer his Reader to see the truth Dr. Gouge upon this Text affirms Christ to be a Priest in both natures which cannot be true for though he that is Priest be God yet as God he is not he cannot be a Priest For a Priest is an Officer and all Officers as Officers are made such by Commission from the Supream Power from whom they derive their Office whom they represent and are Servants under them to serve them There are two prime and proper acts of Christ as a Priest to Sacrifice and offer himself to God as Supream Lord and to make Intercession to him To attribute either of these to God as God and affirm them of him in proper sense is plainly blasphemous and inexcusable it turns the Lord into the Servant and God into Man § 14. Hitherto the excellency of Christ's Sacrifice and Service hath been manifested by two glorious and excellent effects the one immediate which is Expiation the other mediate which is purging the Conscience from Dead Works The former made Sin pardonable and the Consequents thereof removable the latter actually takes away Sin and the Consequents thereof in him who believeth Besides these two there is a third effect shewing it to be yet more excellent and that is confirmation of the New Covenant for thus he writes Ver. 15. And for this cause is he the Mediatour of the New Covenant that by means of Death for the Redemption of Transgressions under the first Test ament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal Inheritance THe subject of this Verse is the confirmation of the New Covenant by the Death and Sacrifice of Christ which is affirmed here and illustrated from ver 16. to the 23. afterwards And here the Coherence is 1. To be examined 2. The Text in it self to be considered The coherence with the former is in these words And for this cause The Copulative and may be as in other places expletive or it may be used to signify that the Death and bloody Sacrifice of Christ as it was ordained for another end besides the two former of Propitiation and purging the Conscience so it hath another and a third effect which is The confirmation of the New Covenant For this is to observed that he speaks and still continues his discourse of the Death and Blood of Christ. The words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this cause which are turned by some therefore may referr either to that which goes before or that which follows If to that which goes before then they inform us that because Christ by his Blood entring the holy place of Heaven obtained eternal Remission and by it offering himself through the eternal Spirit without spot doth purge the Conscience to serve the living God therefore and for this cause and in respect of these two effects is he the Mediatour of the New Covenant If they relate to that which follows they are to be understood in this manner That because by the Death of Christ the Called receive the promise of eternal Inheritance therefore he is the Mediatour of the New Covenant This is the Coherence The absolute consideration of the Text followeth wherein we have two principal express Axioms or Propositions 1. Christ is the Mediatour of the New Covenant 2. By means of Death for the Redemption of Transgressions under the first Covenant the Called might receive the promise of eternal Inheritance 3. Christ is a Mediatour of the New Covenant that by means of Death for Redemption c. the Called may receive the promise c. In the first we have 1. A New Covenant 2. A Mediatour of this New Covenant 3. Christ the Mediatour 1. The New Covenant is that of the Gospel whereof you have heard in the former Chapter where it was opposed unto and compared with the Old Covenant made with the Fathers in the Wilderness Exod. 19. as established upon better promises And that word which was there turned Covenant is turned Testament not that there is any necessity but a conceived congruity For because here is mention of an Inheritance which is usually conveyed by the Will and Testament of man which Will is then firm and unalterable when the Testatour dieth therefore it was conceived by some that in this place that which formerly was called a Covenant should be called here a Testament yet notwithstanding it agrees with a Testament and may by a Metaphor be so termed yet it is more properly a Covenant 2. We have a Mediatour of this Covenant and what a Mediatour is you have heard before as also the distinctions of Mediators Some tell us that a Mediatour is aut â—untius aut sequester pacis aut arbiter aut sponsor yet we need not insist upon these terms for the Mediatour of this Covenant is a Priest and a Minister of it as the High-Priest was of the former Covenant 3. This Mediatour is Christ who may be said to be Nuntius à Dâ—o Intercessor pro hâ—mine Arbiter inter utrumque Sponsor pro utroque and he is a Messenger declaring the Covenant as a Prophet an Arbitratour between God and Man as a King a Surety and Intercessour as a Priest Yet though all this said may be in some respect true yet it 's neither accurate nor pertinent in this place Christ as a Priest and as a Priest officiating and offering himself a Sacrifice to propitiate God and purge the conscience of sinful Man is the Mediatour of this Covenant For as such and in this respect he mediates between God and Man to propitiate God and to make man fit for the receiving of the eternal Reward promised and both these he doth by his Blood and Death without which offered and applyed the promise would be void and never take effect It 's true that Christ doth procure the Covenant declares it confirms it and makes it effectual and in all these respects he may be said to be a Mediatour Yet here he is made such principally and most properly as confirming and making it effectual Moses and not Aaron was the Mediatour in the making and confirming the Old Covenant For he dealt between God and the
Rom. 8. 17. so may we likewise say If no Sons then no Heirs None can be Sons that are not justified none can be justified which believe not in the Death and Blood of Christ there can be no Belief in this Blood if not shed This Death and Blood of Christ 1. Expiates sin and makes it remissible 2. Merits the eternal Inheritance promised and the Promise too 3. It merits the Spirit to enable Man to keep the Covenant so as to obtain and receive the Inheritance 4. It merits a Power in Christ 1. To reveal the Gospel and give the Spirit to work Repentance and Faith in sinful Man's heart 2. Upon Repentance and Faith and his Intercession a Power to give Remission and the eternal Inheritance Take away this Death this Blood there is no Expiation of Sin no Inheritance no Covenant and suppose a Covenant and a Promise yet it 's ineffectual invalid without this Blood this Death For all the heavenly Promises are made for and in consideration of this Blood satisfying his Justice and meriting his Favour so that without it they are all nothing to purpose neither without it can the called though obedient to the heavenly Call ever have any Right unto or Possession of eternal Life So that the whole strength and efficacy of the Covenant doth depend upon this Blood for by it our Sins are expiated and our Consciences purged so as to be capable of the Inheritance This is a most clear Text to prove that the Saints even under the Law were called and saved and that not by the Ministry and Sacrifice of the Levitical Priests but by the Blood of Christ the vertue whereof extended to former times even the times of Adam Neither did they trust in their Sacrifices and their Priests and the Blood of Bulls and Goats and their Water of separation but in the Blood of Christ yet their Faith was very implicit The third Proposition is Christ is the Mediator of the new Covenant for this Reason and for this End An excellent Covenant must have an excellent Priest and Mediator and seeing this Covenant doth promise eternal Remission and an eternal Inheritance it requires such a Priest as shall be able by his Ministry and Service to obtain this Remission and Inheritance This no Priests by their Sacrifices or any other Service could do but Christ could and therefore not they but He and He alone was made the Mediator of this new Covenant For by his Death he expiates sin and purgeth the Conscience so that the called receive the Promise of eternal Inheritance and the vertue of this Death is universal in respect of time and persons called The Sum of all this is That Christ by reason of his Death and Blood expiating Sin and purging the Conscience is the Mediator of the new Testament or Covenant to confirm and make it effectual to the Heirs of the Promise § 15. This Confirmation of the new Covenant is illustrated from a two-fold Similitude the one is taken a Jure Naturali the other a Jure Ceremoniali The first is taken from the Law of Nature for to it the Civilians refer the Rules of Testaments and Wills and is delivered Ver. 16. For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator Ver. 17. For a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilest the Testator liveth THis is an imperfect and contract Similitude for the parts thereof as of all Comparisons are two 1. The Proposition 2. The Reddition And yet the Proposition is only expressed and the Reddition is only implyed and to be supplied from the antecedent Context In the Proposition we may observe two things 1. The necessity of the Death of the Testator barely asserted Ver. 16. 2. The Reason thereof rendred Ver. 17. The Argument in Form may be this That which is not of force whilest the Testator liveth that necessarily requireth the Death of the Testator to make it of force But a Testament is not of force whilest the Testator liveth Therefore it requireth to make it of force the Death of the Testator The Assumption is expressed 1. Affirmatively A Testament is of force after men who are Testators are dead 2. Negatively It 's of no strength whilest the Testator liveth The Comparison at large is this As the Death of the Testator is necessary to make the Testament of force so the Death of Christ is necessary for to make the new Covenant of force For though Christ might in some respect be a Mediator of the new Covenant yet he could not make it valid firm and effectual without his death neither we under the Gospel nor the Fathers under the Law could without this Death be saved by it And as the death of the Testator gives full force and efficacy to the Testament and this Confirmation is an Effect of his Death so the Death of Christ gives full force to the new Covenant and makes â—â— effectual and this validity and efficacy is an Effect of this Death of Christ and manifests the excellency of this Sacrifice and of Christ the Priest who offered it The things compared as like are the Death of Christ and the Death of a Testator The things wherein they agree are 1. The like Effect of both which is to confirm and make effectual some Instrument 2. The necessity of both for that end to confirm and make effectual § 16. The Propositions in the first part of the Comparison are these 1. There are Testaments of men 2. These are not of force whilest the Testators live 3. They are of force upon the Death of the Testators 4. The Death of the Testators is necessary to make them of force 1. The matter of all Testaments is a temporal estate of these earthly Goods which God hath given Man to preserve this temporal Life The Testator is one that hath a just Title unto these Goods so that he hath power to dispose of them The Testament it self is the manner of disposing these Goods so as to give the same Right which he had in them unto other Persons after his Death and therefore it must signify his Will concerning these Goods and nominate the Persons who must succeed him so as to have them And because it 's an Act of Reason so to do therefore the Testator when he makes his Will must be Compos mentis and have the Use of his Reason and also sui Juris and not under the power of another The end of it is to prevent future suits and dissensions and Injustice about his Estate The Light of Nature doth teach men thus to dispose of their temporal Goods and therefore they are of ancient and universal Use. 2. These are not in force whilest the Testators live and the Reason of this is not only because whilest they are living they have need of or do use their Goods and though they make their Will in their life-time yet they
respect of the prohibition and commination of the Law is guilt and rendring of the Sinner obnoxiâ—us unto vindicative Justice of the Law-giver and Judge This guilt can no waye he taken away but either by suffering or pardon or both as here it 's put away by Christ's suffering and God's pardon for Christ suffers for Sin God pardons it so Christ's sake and in consideration of his suffering and offering The effect of Sin is to render the party sinning obnoxious and liable to punishment and God's vindicative Justice and by this virtue of the commination of the Law God to make way for pardon by a transâ—endent extraordinary power makes Christ man's Surety and Christ voluntarily submits himself out of love to his Brethren to God's will so far as to suffer Death for man's Sin and offers himself as being â—lain to the Supream Judge Upon his submission he becomes one person with sinful man as a Surety with the principal and so is liable to that punishment which sinful man should have suffered as a Surety becomes liable to pay the debt of the principal From all this it 's evident that Sin is an efficient moral cause of Christ's suffering and Christ's suffering is a punishment in proper sense though both these be denied without any reason by the Socinian By this Legal substitution of Christ and the offering of himself Sin is made remissible and the way is made open to pardon and upon the penitency and faith of the Sinner actual pardon follows That Sin is pardonable and pardoned is the end and effect of Christ's Suffering To put away Sin is first to make Sin pardonable and the consequents of Sin removable For this is the work and immediate effect of Christ's Sacrifice of himself and the same not often but once offered in the end of the World In all this we may observe the difference between Christ and the Levitical High-Priest Christ suffers and offers himself and enters Heaven with his own Blood but the Levitical High-Priest offers often and enters with the blood of Bulls and Goats The virtue of the High-Priest's offering was but for a little time but the virtue of Christ's extends to all time In these respects Christ's Sacrifice is far more excellent and more purifying § 25. This discourse of Christ's once offering and once suffering is continued and enlarged for the Apostle informs us that the reason why Christ suffered but once in the end of the World was the Decree of God which had determined of Christ as he had done of other men and this decree was regulated by Divine Wisdom which alwayes dictates that which shall be best and fittest This Decree is two-fold 1. Concerning other men 2. Concerning Christ. And because there is some agreement between the lot of Christ and other Men in respect of Death and that which followeth Death therefore the singularity of Christ's Death is set forth comparatively And of the comparison we have 1. The Proposition Verse 27. And as it was appointed unto Men once to dye but after that the Judgment IN which words we have 1. Something 's ordained 2. The ordination The things ordained are two 1. That men once dy 2. Come to Judgment The words absolutely considered may be reduced to two Propositions 1. That it 's appointed unto men once to dye 2. But after Death follows Judgment The first tells us 1. That men dye and this we certainly know 2. That they dye but once 3. That this is appointed yet though men must dye and it 's so certain and so evident and easily known yet men little consider it but their hearts are strangely taken up with the things of this life and they admire the vanities of this World and promise unto themselves long life and certain enjoyment of these earthly things They do not remember that they are mortal and that there is no assurance that they shall live one hour before Death arrest them and seise upon their estates and all earthly comforts in that day their thoughts perish and their pride and glory are laid in the dust Oh inconsiderate Wretches are ye able to conquer Death turn Mortality into Eternity and Earth into Heaven Be wise and never forget that you must dye 2. Men dye but once there is no return into this World again neither any recovery of what man once dead hath lost As no man can keep alive his Soul so no man can raise his Body and re-unite the Soul unto it This is a work proper to God who made us and far above the power of any Creature When it 's said That men must dye it 's to be understood of the generality of mankind that all must dye because all are obnoxious to Death and Mortal even Enoch and Elias and all those who shall be found alive when Christ shall come to Judge the World And though the two Prophets did not and they who remain till Christ's coming shall not dye as others do yet the former suffered and the latter shall suffer a change equivalent to Death though in both there seems to be some exception from the general rule So to dye but once is the general rule and the ordinary fate yet Lazarus and others may dye twice because God reserved an arbitrary power to himself to raise some unto a mortal life so that they became obnoxious to a double Death and he did exercise this power to manifest his Glory in some particular persons Yet this was an extraordinary case and this reservation did not take away the general and ordinary rule according to which the Apostle is to be understood 3. This is appointed for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is understood and translated and it 's capable of that signification by a Trope The party who appointed decreed and ordained both that all men shall dye and dye once and but once is not expressed but it 's easily understood For the Supream Lord of Life and Death who hath an Universal Power over all Men is God and none else and therefore this must be a Decree of God as Supream Lord and a Sentence of him as Judge and the same irrevocable yet dispensable in some particular and extraordinary Cases as should seem good unto him Death is a punishment and therefore men being obnoxious unto it must be guilty of some Crime and condemned thereunto for some Offence against some Law threatening Death And that was the positive Law which God gave to Adam saying But of the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Gen. 2. 17. This Law was transgressed and the Sentence followed in these words Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 19. Whereas the Socinian saith That Death is natural and not from any Decree of God his Opinion is not reconcileable with that of the Apostle As by one man Sin entred into the World and by Sin Death
and Sin reigned from Adam to Moses Rom. 5. 12 14. And the wages of Sin is Death Rom. 6. 23. Besides it 's said That in Adam all dye that is in Adam sinning for he was that one man by whom Sin entred into the World 1 Cor. 15. 22. So that God appointed Man to dye and to dye but once The second Proposition is That after Death followeth Judgment This is the second thing For Death is first Judgment the second and the word after signifies the order of time For Death goes before and Judgment follows after The party Judged is Man the Judge is God whose Judgment is particular or general particular of every particular individual person general or universal of all For there is the Judgment of the great Day when all shall appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ and this Judgment is appointed of God and appointed to follow after Death after which follows the final and eternal estate of man which shall be unalterable and by Judgment may be meant not only the Sentence of the Judge but the estate of the parties judged which followeth thereupon whether it be an estate of misery or of felicity We live here that we may prepare for this Judgment and we ought so to live as that we may be happy for ever hereafter and prevent the suffering of eternal punishments Yet men do not believe that God will Judge us and that Judgment will follow and that unavoidably after Death or if they do not believe this yet they do not seriously consider it This is the reason why they live secure in their Sins and extream danger and this is the cause of their eternal ruine It 's not material to enquire whether the act of the Judge or the estate of the parties judged or whether particular or universal Judgment be here meant or no. It 's certain that this is a Judgment which followeth after Death and the final and universal Doom seems to be here intended when both Soul and Body the whole man and all men that dye shall be judged This is the proposition § 26. The Reddition followeth in these words Ver. 28. So Christ was once offered to bear the Sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto Salvation THis Text informs us of the appearance of Christ for that 's the subject of it This appearance is two-fold the first and the second and both these differ much not only for the manner but the end The first was in Humility and the end was to suffer and by suffering to expiate Sin The second shall be in Glory and the end of it to give eternal Salvation to such as look for him The first was to suffer and save the second to judge and reward his faithful and obedient Servants The propositions therefore are two 1. Christ was once offered to bear the Sins of many 2. Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without Sin unto Salvation The first is the same with that in ver 26. But now once in the end of the World hath he appeared to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself The words differ the matter is the same For as there so here two things are observable 1. The Sacrifice the single Sacrifice of Christ. 2. The end of it The single Sacrifice for Christ was once offered the end for he was once offered to bear the Sins of many First he offered himself this was an act of him as a Priest and as he was the best Priest that ever lived so he himself was the best Sacrifice that ever was offered The end was also excellent for he bare the sins of many that is the punishment due for the sins of many and he bare this punishment to satisfy divine Justice and procure God's favour to sinful man We deserved the punishment and he suffers it he is punished that we may be spared It was tender compassion in him to offer himself for us and it was exceeding love in God to send and give him for to suffer and so be the propitiation for our Sins He bare the sins of all to make them pardonable and the sins of many even of all sincere Believers that they may be actually pardoned for ever possibility of pardon is the benefit of all actual pardon of many yet not of all For Christ had no absolute intention to procure the Salvation of all but of such as believe in him yet the reason why all are not pardoned is not from Christ's Death which made the Sins of all pardonable but from some other cause And this is the condemnation of all those to whom the Gospel is preached That Light comes unto them and they love Darkness rather then Light God hath given his only begotten Son and his Son hath offered himself and made the way to Heaven passible and remission of Sins and eternal Life are offered unto u upon fair and reasonable terms and conditions and though to corrupt Flesh and Blood they be difficult yet they are made easy by the power of the Spirit yet we love our Sins more then our Saviour and continue in them to our eternal condemnation § 27. The second Proposition is concerning his second appearance For he shall appear the second time where as before we have the manner and the end The manner is Glorious for he shall appear without Sin yet he never had any Sin and in his first appearance he was without Sin For Sin of his own he had not yet he bare Sins the Sins of others the Sins of many Yet these Sins were not his by Commission but by Imputation so far as to be liable to Death For God laid on him the Iniquities of us all So that without Sin is without suffering for the Sins of others He shall not come the second time to dye for our Sins as he did the first this is the genuine sense When he came to Sacrifice for Sin he came in great Humility and took upon him the form of a Servant and was obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross this low condition was suitable to the work he then undertook But now he comes as King and Lord to judge the World and therefore he comes in Glory The end of his coming is to reward and the reward is Salvation and the parties to be rewarded are such as look for him By Salvation is meant eternal Life and full Happiness which he purchased by his precious Blood and it 's so called because man in danger of eternal Death shall then be fully saved and delivered from all Sin and all the sad and woful Consequents of Sin and that for ever for then Death man's last Enemy shall be destroyed Yet this immunity from all evil cannot consist without the enjoyment of those glorious and eternal Blessings which God hath promised this is the great reward which Believers do expect and because they know they shall not
fully enjoy it till his second appearance therefore they look and wait for his coming from Heaven that then their joy may be full Some think the Apostle doth here allude to the manner and order of the Levitical Service which was this The High-Priest enters the Sanctuary to pray and expiate Sin and the People stay without and wait for his coming out to bless them So Christ enters Heaven that glorious and eternal Sanctuary there appears before God and stayes a while and all his Saints do wait and look for his return and coming out from thence that they may by him be eternally Blessed These Lookers for him are they who shall be rewarded For though Christ came the first time to dye for all so far as to make their Sins remissible yet he comes the second time to conferr the ultimate benefit of his Redemption only upon them that look for him To look for Christ from Heaven doth presuppose the parties regenerate and renewed from Heaven justified and in the estate of justification and as having a title unto eternal Glory with a certain belief that Christ will come from Heaven and appear in Glory and that then they shall be glorified with him And this looking for Christ is their hope with a longing desire expressed sometimes by groans and yet a patient waiting God's leisure out of an assurance that he that shall come will come and will not tarry All this is signified by that of the Apostle And not only they but our selves also who have the first Fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our Bodie Rom. 8. 13. Where we have 1. The persons waiting or the expectants 2. The thing waited for 3. The act and manner of waiting 1. The persons waiting are such as have the first Fruits of the Spirit which is a certain measure of Sanctification and consolation for these are the beginnings of Heaven where our holiness and comfort shall be perfect and full and these being but a little which bear the like proportion with eternal Glory as the first Fruits do with the Harvest do assure us as an Earnest of the full possession 2. Adoption is said to be the Redemption of our Bodies that is the Resurrection when our Adoption shall be compleat for then our minority being past and the time appointed by our heavenly Father come we shall be put into full possession of the Inheritance and glorious eternal estate which God hath prepared for those that love him and this is that which is called Salvation in this place 3. The act of waiting is an act of hope which resting upon the promise is assured and fully perswaded of the fruition of Glory in God's time and looks often towards it as our own The manner of this waiting is with vehement desires and longings and gâ—oans and yet with patience For because this blessed estate is so full of happiness and yet to come and only present in the first Fruits therefore we earnestly desire and long for Christ's comming saying Come Lord Jesu come quickly And because for the present we are pressed with the remainders of sin and corruption within us and with temptations and persecutions without and the distance between Heaven and Us is great therefore we groan and sigh and say Oh when will that time come when I shall be rid and fully freed from Sin and sorrow for ever I see the place of mine eternal Rest afar off when shall I come near and enter and enjoy my God for ever Yet because we have God's Word to assure us of possession we therefore are patient and content our selves in God's Will For if it be his will and pleasure that we must stay a while longer and suffer more we desire his will may be done and we submit unto it and there is great reason we should so do For we are unworthy of the least mercy and he might require a thousand years tryal and suffering and to give us so great and glorious reward and that within so short a time after our first regeneration is an act of greatest love and bounty § 28. Thus far the words have been absolutely handled now it 's time to consider them comparatively The notes of Similitude for it 's a comparison in quality are As and So For as man dies so Christ dies As man dies once So Christ dies once and no more And as man is appointed by God to dye but once so Christ was appointed by God to dye but once And as man after Death comes to Judgment so Christ after he died once will not dye again but come to Judgment Yet as in all things that are like there is some dissimilitude and difference so there is in Man and Christ. Man dies for his own Sin Christ for the Sins of others Man's Death doth not satisfy for Sin Christ's Death satisfies divine Justicé and his Sacrifice doth expiate the Sins of many for ever Upon man's Death follows Judgment and he himself is judged but after once suffering and offering Christ appears and comes to Judge and not to be judged to reward such as believe in him but not to be rewarded And here it 's to be noted 1. That as Christ died to make man savable so he appears before God actually to save and comes to Judgment to make man fully happy As by his Death he merited Remission and Glorification inestimable Benefits so he appears before God for us now and in the end will come to Judgment that he may communicate these Benefits and make men actually partakers of them 2. That remission of Sins and the enjoyment of Salvation and full happiness do depend upon Christ's Sacrifice once offered as the effect depends upon the cause To sum up the Chapter we must observe 1. That the Subject of it is the Sacrifice of Christ. 2. That in it the scope of the Authour is to prove the excellency of the same above all Levitical Services 3. That his method is this 1. He describes the Tabernacle and the parts thereof and the Services performed therein and singles out the greatest Service performed by the greatest Priest in the most holy place which was the yearly Sacrifice of Expiation 2. He proves the Sacrifice of Christ to be far more excellent then this in many respects but chiefly in respect of the effects thereof The first effect is eternal Expiation ver 12. The second purification of the Conscience from dead Works to serve the living God in which respect it did excell all Legal purifications ver 14. The third is the confirmation of the New Covenant by virtue of this Expiation and Purification ver 15. The fourth lest they should think it strange that the Death and Blood-shed of their Messias should be any wayes conducing or necessary to these effects of Confirmation Expiation and Purification he lets them know First That for confirmation of the New Covenant it was very
anoy them and so he wrote by them From hence it follows that the Authority of this Tstimony is divine and infallibly true and acknowledged so to be by them and it 's of◠much the more force because it was written in the time of the Law whilst it was in force Yet before I enter upon the matter we must consider of their connexion and bringing the words in Where three things are observable 1. The connexion with the former by the particle illative therefore 2. A Prosopopaeia whereby he brings in Christ speaking and makes the words his 3. The time when he speaks them 1. The illative particle signifies thus much That because the former Sacrifices were so unfit and so insufficient therefore for that cause God did even then by the Prophet David signify That he would reject them and pitch upon a better and that he had no intention to make use of them for to perfect and purge but from the beginning designed Christ's Sacrifice to that end and for that purpose 2. They are brought in Rhetorically as the words of Christ directing his Speech to God his heavenly Father The praediction that Christ would use these words is David's but the words must be Christs 3. The time when Christ should use these words was the time of his coming into the World which was then to come and now is past But the controversy is What should be meant by his coming into the World which most understand of his Incarnation and more particularly his inauguration and entrance upon his publick Ministry It 's certain they must be the words of Christ Incarnate after that God had signified his Will and Pleasure that he should sacrifice himself unto him for the Sin of Man The Socinian will have it to be his coming into the future World and entrance into Heaven and the reason of this opinion is his false conceit of Christ's Offering which is contrary to express Scripture as hath been formerly shewed But to come unto the matter contained in the words first as we find them in the Psalm secondly as they are understood and explained and so applyed by him to the point in hand § 7. The words of the Psalmist may be considered Grammatically or Theologically In them Grammatically considered we find a difference between the Hebrew and the Translation of the Septuagint which the Apostle follows and it is in one Clause For the Hebrew words translated as they seem properly to signify Mine ears hast thou opened the Septuagaint turn A body hast thou fitted me or prepared for me Here the Hebrew Text and the Greek Translation seem so much to differ as though they were not reconcileable A Greek Scholiast tells us that Paul understood and knew the Hebrew well enough yet he makes use of the word body used in the Septuagint as most subservient to his purpose And here I will not mention either what Nobitius observes upon the words of the Psalm or how several Authours translate the words or how à Lapide and many others seek to reconcile the Hebrew and the Septuagint Genebrard upon the Psalm by a tropical Explication endeavours the reconciliation The Tropes are 1. A metaphor in the Hebrew Verb and a Synechdoche in the Nown For as by Digging Hewing Cutting Lapidaries shape and fashion stones into the form of a Body so God created and framed Christ a Body this is Metaphorical And as many times a part is taken for the whole so Ear which is a part is taken for the whole Body this is Synechdochical Yet this will not satisfie therefore it 's to be observed That the Septuagint's Translation being not wording as formerly hath been noted but many times paraphrastical doth often leave the words and give the sense which here they seem to do For 1. To bore or digg the Ear is to addict one that is willing to perpetual Service This was the Ceremony prescribed by God Exod. 21. 6. This was in the Servant a denying himself a renouncing of his Liberty and a free voluntary total submission of his own will unto the will of his Master In the Master it was a Solemn engagement of the person willing to his perpetual Service According to this Christ the Lord of all made himself of no Reputation took upon him the form of a Servant and addicted himself wholly to his heavenly Father's Will 2. Yet Christ as the Word whereby the World was made could not be a Servant therefore the Word was made Flesh and God prepared him a Body a Flesh that in that Flesh he might be his Servant 3. Because the chiefest piece of Service was in offering up his Body and his Life for the Sin of Man which to perform was the Will and Command of his Father therefore the Interpretation of the Septuagint was most excellent Further it 's observable That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes signifies a Servant and then the sense is That God made him his Servant and fitted him for the hardest Service that ever was even the Service of Sacrificing himself and of being obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross. Thus far the words have been Grammatically examined If we consider them Theologically we may observe in them two things 1. The Will of God concerning Christ. 2. The Coming of Christ to do the Will of God For God had determined that the Sin of Man should be expiated by some offering and this Will and Determination is expressed in the Text 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively For thus it 's written Ver. 5. Wherefore when he cometh into the World he saith Sacrifice and Offering thou wouldest not but a body thou hast prepared me Ver. 6. In Burnt-Offering and Sacrifices for Sin thou hast had no pleasure VVHere we have 1. Sacrifices Offerings Burnt-Offerings Offerings for Sin by all which is signified all the Levitical Offerings for Expiation prescribed by God 2. The rejection of these for God would not have them he desired them not he took no pleasure in them This is the Negative Will of God in respect of these Offerings For he never intended them for to perfect and sanctify Worshippers because he knew them unfit for any such purpose Therefore all these were but shadows of a far better Offering 3. The Body of Christ different from and opposed to all the Legal Offerings as far more excellent 4. God's acceptance of this Body which God prepared for him that he might offer it for it was designed for that purpose and was far more fit for to expiate the Sin of Man This is God's Will Christ's will and readiness to perform God's Will follows For 1. Christ doth the Will of God 2. He came to do it 3. This was written in the Volume of God's Book 1. Christ's doing of God's Will is not that which we call his active Obedience unto the moral Law but his suffering Death willingly upon the Cross and offering his Body and Flesh for the life of the World For this was the
pass the Sentence and execute the same The Sacrifice of a broken and penitent heart and of Prayer may be offered often but the propitiatory Sacrifice need not often to be offered one Offering will serve the turn § 11. Thus far the Proposition the Reddition follows Ver. 12. But this Man after he had offered one Sacrifice for Sins for ever sate down at the right hand of God Ver. 13. From henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his Foo◠〈◊〉 Ver. 14. For by one Offering he hath perfected the sanctified for ever VVHere we have 1. The offering of Christ's one Sacrifice 2. The Reason why it was but once offered In the former we are informed 1. Of the Dissimilitude between the Legal Sacrifices and that Sacrifice of Christ and this is expressed 2. Of their Imparity which is implied 1. The Dissimilitude we find in several things 1. There under the Law were many Priests yea the Legal High-Priests were many this Priest Christ is but one 2. Their Sacrifices were many Christ's but one 3. There the same Sacrifices were offered often Christ's one Sacrifice was offered but once 4. Those Priests after they had offered the same Sacrifice stood ready to offer them again at set times Christ when he had offered once never offered again but sate down at the right hand of God 5. They had no Power to take away Sin Christ by this one Sacrifice once offered takes away Sin for ever 2. The Imparity which is great is implyed in the Dissimilitude for that Sacrifice which being but one and but once offered by one Priest took away Sin for ever is incomparably more excellent than those Sacrifices which being many and offered many times by many Priests could never take away Sin But such is Christ's Sacrifice and such were theirs therefore it 's incomparably more excellent The Text may be reduced to three Propositions 1. This Man offered one Sacrifice for Sins for ever 2. Having offered it he sate down at the right hand of God 3. Being set there he expects his Enemies to be made his Foot-stool In all which we have the Humiliation and Exaltation of the Son of God In the first Proposition there is little or no difficulty Yet 1. The Connexion of it with the former part of the Comparison is made by the Conjunction But for so they turn the Greek Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place which implies the difference and dissimilitude 2. The Subject of it according to our Translation is This Man but in some Copies the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as here it 's read and whereas they supply the Substantive by the word Man this Man yet it may be turned this Priest or this High-Priest as some Manuscripts in the former Verse read every High-Priest 3. When it 's said He had offered one Sacrifice it must be understood not only of one Sacrifice but of one single Offering 4. This is said to be offered for Sins this puts us in mind of our misery God's Mercy and Christ's merit For we have our Sins whereby we are liable to death yet God was so merciful as to give Christ for our Sins and Christ's offering was so acceptable and meritorious that it obtained eternal Remission in respect of which eternal efficacy some think it's said Christ offered this one Sacrifice for ever never to be offered again because of eternal vertue Yet several Copies joyn the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever with the latter Proposition which is 2. That Christ having offered one Sacrifice for Sin sate down at the right hand of God for ever So the Vulgar Vatablus Beza Tremelius out of the Syriack and divers other Greek Copies read it This sitting at the right hand of God doth presuppose Christ's Offering and deep Humiliation his Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven 2. It is the highest degree of Glory and Power to that which is infinite which is the Power of God as God 3. This Power which under God is supream and universal is perpetually continued to him and his Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom Some think this sitting is opposed to the standing of the Levitical Priests which may be so and so it may signify that his Ministration in the Form of a Servant on Earth was ended and did cease for ever 4. This Session and Exaltation is to be considered not only as a Reward of his Humiliation unto death whereby he merited Remission and Salvation but also as a means whereby he might apply his merits and confer the Mercies which by his Sacrifice he had procured for us For as King he sends down the Holy Ghost reveals his Gospel by the Word and Spirit works Faith in us and converts us and so makes us Subjects capable of the benefits of his Redemption and as a Priest pleads his bloody Sacrifice and by his Intercession for us converted obtains our actual Remission and Salvation He need not offer any more but plead his one Offering till all his Saints be fully justified The third Proposition is concerning his expectation of a final Victory over all his Enemies by the Exercise of his transcendent Power at the right hand of God For so God had said and promised when he first invested him with supream Power For the Lord said to my Lord Sit thou at my right hand till I make thine Enemies thy Foot-stool Where we must observe 1. That in respect of himself all his Enemies are conquered they have not the least Power to molest him Yet 2. In respect of his Reign and Government they oppose his Power continually 3. These Enemies are Sin Satan the World and Death all which must be destroyed in his Church and Saints yet this Destruction goes on by degrees and shall be finished in the end when the Saints shall rise and be immortal and freed from all Sin Sorrow Misery Enemies and Death it self 4. This is expectation of their final ruine is not doubtful and uncertain but most certain And this estate of Glory is opposed to his Death and Humiliation and both his Regal and Sacerdotal Power are subservient to this total final Victory § 12. But here it may be enquired what should be the Reason why Christ's Sacrifice should not be iterated but that one single Offering should be sufficient To satisfy us in this particular the Apostle gives the Reason thus Ver. 14. For by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified THE Conjunction For doth signify that in these words is given a Reason of something antecedent and that is why the offering of Christ was but one and this it is Because by that one Christ did more than all the Legal Priests by all their many frequent Offerings could do And not only so but also it did enough to consecrate all true Believers for ever and proved to be of eternal vertue in all such as were capable of it In the words themselvs we
so far as was necessary for their deliverance and became liable to the penalty which was due to Man for his Sin That which moved God to send and give his Son was his meer mercy and free love to miserable Sinners That which moved God to punish him once substituted was his vindicative Justice looking upon our Sins It is not proper to say That our Sins were a cause either intrinsecally or extrinsecally impelling God to put Christ to Death and to lay upon him the iniquities of us all Though Sin is the formal object of punitive justice and doth deserve punishment yet God as Supream Lord and Judge and above his own Law had power to pardon Sin or punish it and punish it either in the party offending or in Christman's voluntary Hostage and in what measure he pleased and to accept this punishment willingly suffered for what ends and in what degree he pleased For to inflict the penalty upon the party delinquent or upon another or in this or that degree or for this or that end which shall be agreeable to Justice and pleasing to Mercy is accidental and not essential to it And because this Death of Christ was suffered for Sin and so intended by the Supream Judge it was not only an affliction but properly a punishment That which moved Christ to offer himself was his love unto his heavenly Father a resolution to obey his Command and a desire to be beneficial to mankind and the offering was an act of Charity Obedience and properly a Sacrifice which did so please God that he in consideration of the same was willing to grant unto Man many glorious and incomparable Blessings And to substitute Christ to Command him to offer himself to make him Sin for us to accept his Sacrifice for 〈◊〉 and in consideration of the same to promise Remission of Sins and eternal life to sinful man believing was not meerly or properly a dispensation but an abrogation of the Law of Works In this offering God did manifest his Wisdom his Power his Holiness and hatred of Sin his love of Righteousness his vindicative Justice his supream Dominion and his infinite Mercy In it Christ was a patern and lively mirrour of Humility Patience Fortitude Faith Hope Charity Self-denial and Obedience unto Death the Death of the Cross. The effects of this one offering are here said to be Sanctification and Consecration yet it was not an absolute and immediate cause of these Therefore we must observe That the effects of this cause may be said to be immediate or mediate though this is no formal distinction of a cause as a Cause The immediate effects which are antecedent to application are of three sorts 1. Such as respect God to whom the Sacrifice was offered or Christ who offered it or Man for whom it was offered Such as respect God respect him either as Lord or Law-giver or Judge As Lord by this Sacrifice redeeming man he acquired a new power over Man as he was Law-giver the Law of Works was made relâ—xible or repealable as he was Judge his vindicative power in respect of the sin of man was suspended or inhibited upon a satisfaction or compensation made so that his mercy might freely issue out to save man without any breach or violation of Justice or derogation from the Authority of his Law All these may be reduced to propitiation and reconciliation In respect of Christ the person offering by this he acquired power over all Flesh and all that happiness and glory which his Father promised to conferr upon him upon the performance of this Service In respect of man for whom Christ offered he by this became savable upon a new Covenant and new terms for the performance of which Covenant and attaining of which Salvation all means and power necessary were merited These effects followed immediately in respect of the offering the mediate effects are such as followed upon this offering applyed yet are the immediate effects of it as applyed For upon the same received by Faith followed Justification Reconciliation Adoption Resurrection and eternal Salvation and all these are reduced by the Apostle to Sanctification and Consecration So that the Salvation of Man from first to last is wholly from this offering yet this offering was not the first Spring and Fountain of our Happiness for that was the love of God giving Christ to offer himself It 's a vain and loose assertion of the Socinian to sâ—y or argue That because God loved Man so as to give Christ for him therefore there was no need of any Propitiation or Reconciliation or Aversion of his Wrath by Blood For he might easily distinguish between a general indefinite and a particular love and between a love of good will and of friendship The love of God is best known by the acts and effects thereof For we find three degrees and effects of his love to sinful man The first is the giving of Christ to offer himself for him and thus he loved him when he was an Enemy and ungodly for we may love Enemies though not as Friends The second is the giving the means of Conversion that he may believe and when God loves him thus and first calls him he finds him still an Enemy The third degree and effect of his love is to justify and glorify him and when God loves him thus he finds him converted and looks upon him as a Friend From these degrees of love the Apostle argues That if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son how much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10. And though Christ hath offered himself for Sinners and this was an act of exceeding love yet he that believeth not on the Son offering himself hath no life in him but the Wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3. 36. And no man can have peace with God by Jesus Christ before he be justified by Faith in Christ. For being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 16. Where to have peace with God and be the determinate object of God's special love doth presuppose and necessarily prerequire both Faith and Justification § 14. The Apostle having proved formerly out of Psalm 40. the excellency of Christ's Sacrifice and the virtue of it in the next words adds another proof out of Jeremy 31. 33 34. The same Text of the Prophet was alledged Chap. 8. and there handled and therefore here I need not enlarge but contract my Explication But let us hear the words of the Allegation Ver. 15. Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness to us For after he had said before Ver. 16. This is the Covenant that I will make with them After those dayes saith the Lord I will put mâ— Laws in their hearts and in their minds will I write them Ver. 17. And their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more Ver. 18. Now where Remission of these
Power of God piercing the Understanding enables it to understand and know and believe such things which otherwise could not be understood known and believed Yet this Assent may be moral and probable or divine here is meant a divine Assent which without the Power of the Spirit cannot be in â—he heart of Man Thus by Faith and not by Reason we understand how the World was made that it was not eternal that the Wisdom and Power of God was wonderfully manifested in that glorious Work § 6. These things premised the Apostle enters upon his Argument from Examples which are set forth according to the order of time 1. By a particular Enumeration 2. By Accumulation He might have instanced in far more but these were the most eminent and for number sufficient for his purpose He begins with Abel who Ver. 4. By Faith offered unto God a more excellent Sacrifice than Kain by which he obtained Witness that he was righteous God testifying of his Gifts And by it he being dead yet speaketh YOU must here observe that one thing wherein all these Saints und Worthies do agree was Faith 2. That this Faith is the principal thing to be noted in them all 3. His End is by a kind of Induction to prove the excellency and necessity of Faith 4. That according to the History of the Old Testament which he makes his Rule Abel is the first most eminent Person in whom he thought good to instance For as Stephen was though not the first Sufferer yet the Proto-Martyr of the New Testament so Abel was the Proto-Martyr of the Old and was the first Man who after the Creation and the Fall suffered death and sealed the Truth of God with his Blood And though his Father Adam and his Mother Eve had Faith yet the Scriptures do not relate unto us any special and eminent Work of their Faith so that there was no Example of eminency in Faith before him For seeing by Faith we believe the Creation of the World and the Fall of the first Man who was his Father by whom Sin came into the World there could not be any before him so near the beginning of the World so fit for Example Of this Abel two things are related 1. His Vertue 2. His Reward His Vertue in general was Faith manifesting it self in his excellent Sacrifice His Reward God's Testimony of him and his perpetual Fame The words may be reduced to three Propositions 1. That Abel by Faith offered a more excellent Sacrifice than â—ain 2. By this he obtained Witness that he was righteous God testifying of his Gifts 3. By this he being dead yet speaketh or is spoken of In the first Divine Axiom we may observe 1. That he offered Sacrifice to God 2. This Sacrifice was more excellent than that of Kain 3. That he offered this so excellent a Sacrifice by Faith 1. To offer Sacrifice was a religious Worship and may be considered as Moral Positive * Ceremonial As offered unto God in acknowledgment of his Supream Dominion it 's Moral so is the Gift and Offering of some part of our Goods for pious Uses and Maintenance of his Worship As it was a part of God's outward Worship depending only upon Divine Institution it was Positive As this Sacrifice signified a far greater Sacrifice to come it was Ceremonial For after Man had sinned besides the Confession and Amendment of the Sinner Satisfaction to God's Justice by a Sacrifice was required That this was Typically an explatory Sacrifice for Sin seems to be implied by the thing sacrificed which was of the Flock which must be slain and the Blood shed as though for compensation Life was given for Life and Blood for Blood so that this was a Shadow of Christ's Death and Offering This Sacrifice was offered unto the true and living God and not unto Idols and this according to the first Commandment For no Worship or Service Religious is due to any but to God who alone is Supream Lord and to whom alone the highest degree of honour is to be given Yet all these bloody Sacrifices began to be out of date upon the Death and Resurrection of Christ and now only the spiritual Sacrifices of an humble broken Spirit of Praise of Prayer of Thanksgiving and such like continue in force 2. This Sacrifice was more excellent than that of Kain This Kain was his Elder Brother He offered and Abel offered too They both offered unto the same eternal and universal Lord. The marter of his Offering was according to his outward Profession and Imployment of the fruits of the Earth and besides the difference in the matter there was a great Inequality For Abel's compared to his was far more excellent and acceptable Here we might take occasion to consider 1. Adam's care in the Education of his Children to fit them not only for the matters of this Life but for Religion and the World to come 2. That two Persons may worship God with the same kind of Worship and yet differ very much in the manner of their Service 3. This more excellent Sacrifice was offered by Faith and this Faith did make it so excellent For it was not the matter offered but the Qualification of the Person and his manner of Offering that gave the worth unto the Sacrifice and made it more precious Kain offers without Faith sincere and lively his Offering is base Abel offers with Faith his Offering is excellent and of great value This Faith is the Soul of all Religious Worship and here the principal thing to be observed is that Faith was the Principle which did animate and honour this piece of Service § 7. The Reward follows and it is a good Report 1. In his life-time 2. After death 1. In his life-time For 1. It was testified of him that he was righteous 2. This was done by God testifying of his Gifts 1. He was righteous for so our Saviour terms him speaking of the Blood of righteous Abel Mat. 23. 35. He was righteous not without all Sin for such no Man after the Fall ever was yet he was without Wickedness He was upright and his Faith was sincere and his Worship of God and his Obedience were without Hypocrisy He was justified and sanctified and continued in the State of Justification and Sanctification and in such a manner as that he may be said to be eminently righteous This Righteousness was not by Nature but Grace not by his deserts but by the merit of Christ and the mercy of God As he was righteous so he was manifested to be so and it was testified to his comfort and honour 2. It was God who testified of his Righteousness by testifying of his Gifts His Gifts were his Sacrifices offered to God these God did accept and some wayes signified his acceptation both of the Person and his Offering In Gen. 4. 45. we read thus And the Lord had respect to Abel and to his Offering But unto Cain and his Offering he had
is a Sacrifice of Praise and Thanks-giving 2. This Praise is the fruit of our Lips and so is Thanks-giving 3. This Sacrifice of Praise must be offered unto God with Thanks-giving to his Name 4. This Sacrifice must be offered by Christ. 5. It must be offered continually 1. There is a Sacrifice of Praise for there is Praise and this Praise is a Sacrifice Praise as it 's a Duty to be performed to God 1. Hath for Object some divine Vertues and Perfections and the same manifested unto us by his Word or Works or both and also apprehended by us 2. It is an Acknowledgment of these Perfections as proper unto God as most glorious and excellent in respect of them 3. Some outward Expression of this Acknowledgment as by word of Mouth or some other way 2. This Praise is a Sacrifice because to be offered to God of which hereafter 2. This Praise is the fruit of our Lips because by our words which issue from the heart we express our inward thoughts and high Apprehensions of the same Therefore our Tongue in Hebrew is said to be our Glory and the Reason given by some is not only this that by our Speech and Language we excel irrational Creatures but because it was given us to praise and glorify God And as our Understanding is given us to think of God and to know him so our Speech was given us to speak of God and declare his wondrous Works and his excellent Perfections manifested therein In this respect Praise is said to be a speaking well of the person or thing to be praised This Expression is made either in private or publick and the publick is the principal It is made either in our Prayers in our singing of Psalms Hymns and spiritual Songs wherein the Voice is louder sweeter and melodious which is called Vocal Musick sometimes joyned with that which is called Instrumental The Reason why in Assemblies we use this Vocal Praise is to inform others and stirr them up to praise God joyntly with us Thanks-giving also is the Fruit of our Lips wherein we use our Voice as in Praise and sometimes Praise and Thanks-giving are the same therefore the word here used signifies Confession which presupposing our inward Acknowledgment is an outward Declaration of the same Yet Thanks-giving strictly taken is different from Praise for the object of it is the works of God as beneficial to us and manifesting his mercy love and kindness and the act of it is an acknowledgment of his love mercy and kindness and an expression of the same And this is also a Fruit of our Lips as well as Praise and is signified outwardly for the same Reasons for which the inward Acknowledgment of Praise is expressed This Phrase Fruit of our Lips is taken out of the Prophets as Isa. 57. 19. but especially Hosea 14. 2. where the word Calves is turned by the Septuagint Fruit. 3. This Sacrifice of Praise and Thanks-giving must be offered to God and to his Name A Sacrifice is sometimes taken largely for an Oblation or Offering and in this sense a Sacrifice is an Offering of something to God as Supream Lord. Praise therefore and so Thanksgiving being something offered to God as Supream may be said to be a Sacrifice which is proper to a Deity Praise is due to Him as Supream in some Perfections Thanks as to the Supream Benefactor and Fountain of all Goodness Blessings Mercies These are due to him as he is Supream and we are bound to offer these by vertue of the first Commandment which requireth Love Fear Praise Thanks-giving Honour and other Duties to be performed to Him alone as Supream in the highest degree The Reason why the Authour mentions Sacrifice may be this Because all Religions require Sacrifices to be offered to a God whether true or imaginary and God required in the Law several kinds of Sacrifices both Ilastical and Eucharistical to be offered unto him and these Hebrews might say What is the Law of Moses so abrogated that all Sacrifices and Offerings to God are taken away Hath Christian Religion no such thing Is it singular in this particular To this the Apostle answers that indeed all Sacrifices of Bullocks Goats Lambs Rams which were carnal are taken away yet there are more excellent Sacrifices which are moral and spiritual of which praise and thanksgiving are not the least to be offered unto God as Supreme Lord. For you are an holy Priest-hood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices c. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Where it 's expresly signified 1. That there must be Sacrifices in the Christian Religion and Worship Yet 2. These Sacrifices must not be carnal but spiritual And under the Law God required the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving more then the Blood of Bulls and Goats Psal. 50. 14. and the Knowledg of God and mercy more then those Legal Sacrifices of Beasts Hos. 6. 6. and the Sacrifices of a broken Spirit of a broken and contrite heart Psal. 51. 17. This Sacrifice of praise was and is most solemnly to be offered in the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ for that inestimable blessing of Redemption by that great Sacrifice offered upon the Cross. Therefore that Sacrament was called the Eucharist or Thanksgiving and a Commemoration of Christ's Death And this might be the reason why the Antients so often called it a Sacrifice to signify that neither the Heathens nor Jews had any reason to upbraid them with the want or neglect of Sacrifice It must be offered unto God and God alone as Supreme and to his Name where by Name may be signified either his Majesty and Supremacy and it is the same with offering unto God or it may signify his Glory and then the meaning is that it must be offered to him to manifest his Glory and to ascribe all Glory Honour excellency and Perfection unto him 4. This Sacrifice must be offered by Christ. By Christ that is by Faith in Christ 1. As having propitiated God by his Blood and made his Throne accessible For by him we have access by Faith into this Grace wherein we stand Rom. 5. 2. Through him we have access by one Spirit to the Father Eph. 2. 18. And in him we have boldness and access with confidence by Faith of him Col. 3. 12. For how should sinful guilty man dare to approach into his presence of an holy and just Lord if satisfaction be not made first unto Divine Justice offended by Sin 2. By Faith in him as having merited God's favour and acceptance of our Services for without this Merit we are unworthy to enter into his presence and our best Services considered in themselves without his merit are not acceptable 3. By him as our Mediatour and Intercessour for he is our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1. As no man under the Law could offer his Sacrifice unto God but by the Priest so under the Gospel no man can offer his Prayers Praises Alms or any other
dear Affection to them who are enriched with them So that sinful Men may hope for this City yet upon condition that they will be Pilgrims and Strangers in this World and desire above all other things this better and heavenly Country For to clear this Doctrine more fully we must observe That the World morally and spiritually considered is divided into two Societies the one is of the Devil the other of God This distinction the learned Father took notice of when he wrote his excellent Treatise De Civitate Dei For all men either seek their Rest and Happiness on Earth or an eternal Peace in Heaven and by Nature till God transplant us we are not only in but of this earthly Society and in the Kingdom of Darkness and under the Power and Dominion of Satan and whilest we are in this Kingdom of Satan we are Strangers to the Common-wealth and City of God But when God out of his unspeakable Mercy hath called us made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light and delivered us from the Power of Darkness and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Colos. 1. 12. 13. Then we are no more Strangers and Forreigners but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God Ephes. 2. 19. Being once naturalized and made Burgesses of Heaven we have our Conversation in Heaven and carry our selves as Children of a Celestial extraction and the Progeny of the eternal King This Doctrine doth not only inform us of our Duty but ministreth unspeakable Comfort if we do perform it For if our Goods and earthly Estates be sequestred plundred oâ— any wayes taken from us we have a better Estate in Heaven If we be disgraced and reproached in this World yet we shall be Kings and Priests and for ever honoured in Heaven If we be banished and persecuted from place to place so that we can find no Rest and Safety but are wearied out with Removals yet we have a place of Rest and Safety and eternal Abode in Heaven and of this no man can dispossess and diffeisin us If our Sufferings be grievous many and continue long yet we have a City where is no Suffering Pain Persecution Poverty Sorrow where God will wipe away all Tears In this City are eternal Riches Pleasures Honours Peace Safety and full Joy there is nothing wanting which the heart of Man can desire This is that City which as it is the expectation so it 's the universal Comfort of the Sons of God And though the time of our Pilgrimage seem long and tedious yet it will shortly expire and then begins our everlasting Rest for God hath prepared a City for us § 17. The Apostle proceeds in proposing Abraham unto us as a Pattern of Imitation and instanceth in a fourth Work or Effect of his Faith for thus we read Ver. 17. By Faith Abraham when he was tryed offered up Isaac and he that had received the Promises offered his only begotten Son Ver. 18. Of whom it was said That in Isaac shall thy Seed be called Ver. 19. Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a Figure IN these words we may observe 1. Abraham's Obedience 2. His Faith whereby he performed this Obedience In this Obedience we have A Description of the Party obeying Act of Obedience 1. The Party obedient who was Abraham is described in reference to this Act of Obedience 1. As tempted 2. As having received the Promises 3. As one to whom it was said That in Isaac shall thy Seed be called 1. He was tempted or tried The party tempting or trying him was God not that God tempts any Man to Sin but that he would try and manifest unto Abraham himself his Faith and Love to God that so he might be a rare Example in both to all future Generations who should be informed of it The means whereby he tryed him was by giving him this singular and extraordinary Command of sacrificing his Son Isaac This Command we read of in the Books of Moses and this it is Take now thy Son thine only Son Isaac whom thou lovest and go thou to the Land of Moriah and offer him there upon one of the Mountains which I will tell thee of Gen. 22. 2. The End of this Command was to try whether Abraham loved God or his Son Isaac more The Effect of it was an Obligation of Abraâ—â— to perform this Service and to offer his Son Neither in this was God's preceptive Will contrary to his decretive Will for the decretive Will binds God absolutely to do that which he hath decreed and is indispensable but the preceptive Will bound only Abraham to do this yet so that God reserved a Power to dispense with him and to hinder the Performance And this was fulfilled instantly upon the signifying of his Will unto Abraham who instantly upon the Knowledg thereof was bound whether he did or did it not There was no decretive Will of God or Intention that Isaac should be slain and offered This Command was just and no wayes contrary to that other Command of God Thou shalt not kill for though it 's true that it is unjust and contrary to that Law for any Man to take away the life of a party innocent not guilty of any Capital Crime which is the thing there forbidden yet it is just and God may justly command Man to take away the Life of such an innocent Person And the reason hereof is not only this that that Law did not bind God but only Man but because he is the Supream Lord and hath absolute Power of Life and Death which no Creature hath or can have Again he could restore Life taken away which Abraham could not do nay it was above all created Power So that the Reason whereby God in this Command is freed from all Injustice is taken à Potestate Potentia Dei for his Power was absolute and supream and his strength was Almighty 2. Abraham had received the Promises of the Land of Canaan of a numerous Posterity sufficient to inhabit it of Christ in whom all Nations should be blessed 3. He was fully assured by God that in Isaac who was the Son of Promise all these Promises should be fulfilled For God had excluded Ismael and that peremptorily and had several times expresly signified that in Isaac and his Posterity and in none else these Promises should be accomplished Neither need we here trouble our selves about the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it may be turned to whom that is to Abraham or of whom that is of Isaac it was said c. This was the Description of the Party obeying The Act of Obedience was this that he offered up Isaac he offered up his only begotten Son that Son of whom it was said In Isaac shall thy Seed be called The Sacrifice commanded as commanded was bloody and required the Death and
Slaughter of the Person to be sacrificed and he trust be offered as a burnt Offering upon the Altar This Offering once consummate would be the total Destruction of Isaac as to this mortal Life and that before he had any Issue Abraham is said to have offered him though he did not consummate and compleat the Oblation For 1. In his heart he had parted with him and given him wholly unto his God and was resolved to slay him and burn his Body upon the Altar So that this Oblation was finished in his heart 2. He proceeded further began really to do what he had resolved came to the place of Offering had prepared the Wood bound Isaac laid him upon the Altar and had lift up his hand to give the fatal blow and had done all the rest of his Work if God by the Voice of his Angel had not instantly staid his hand This was a difficult piece of Service and the more difficult the more excellent his Obedience for it was Isaac his only begotten of Sarah whom he was commanded to offer § 18. The next thing to be considered is his Faith for by Faith he offered Isaac This Faith was high and excellent because having so many difficultie to encounter yet conquered all and became finally victorious so that nothing could stand before it The difficulties may be reduced to two sorts 1. Such as seemed to be contrary to Reason 2. Such as were contrary to dear and tender Affection 1. Reason might doubt whether the Revelation was from God or a delusion of Satan and this was the first debate Yet upon serious consideration he knew assuredly that it was from God and as from him he by Faith receives it 2. But suppose it were from God and as from him he by Faith receivs it 2. But suppose it were from God yet he might scruple whether it was a Command and of absolute Obligation 3. Let it be so He might question the matter of the Command as contrary to an express Law against the Light of Nature and against all Justice and Equity to slay an innocent Person seemed so to be 4. Reason would most of all plead the Promise of God which was to be fulfilled in Isaac and would alledg that if Isaac be slain offered burnt then the Performance would be impossible and God would not prove faithful But Abraham in all these particulars wholly resigned up and sacrificed his reason to the Wisdom of God and by Faith was perswaded that the Commandment was from God was just did absolutely bind him and rested upon God's Almighty Power as able to raise him again out of the Ashes as he created the first man out of the Dust. And he had an Experiment of this Power which in his very Generation and Conception and Birth did above the Power of Nature as it were raise him from the dead according to those words From whence he received him in a Figure whereby is signified that his Generation was a kind of Resurrection from the dead and was very like unto it For his Body when he begot him and Sarah's Womb when she conceived him were in respect of generative Power both dead So that the Knowledg and Experience of God's Almighty Power and his full Assurance of God's fidelity in fulfilling his Promise did wholly silence and refuse the debates of Reason natural and not enlightned 2. As his Reason so his dear and tender Affection not only natural but moral was hardly and sorely put unto it For 1. God did not command him to offer his Bullocks Goats Rams or Lambs but his Son not his Son Ismael but Isaac the Son of his Joy the Son of his Love whom he loved as his own Son as his only Son by Sarah as a dutiful and pious Son as a Son given him extraordinarily from Heaven as the Son of Promise and which is more than all a Son from whom he expected Christ and in whom all the Promises were to be fulfilled To part with a Son with such a Son to have him slain to slay him himself and embrue his hands in the innocent Blood of so dearly beloved a Child whom he prized above any thing in the World for whose life he would have given his greatest Estate in whose Person so many of his Comforts were treasured up was grievous to Flesh and Blood and a Service and Work above the Power of Nature yet Faith was strong and overcame his Affection By this Act of Obedience we learn that Faith is a rare vertue and a great gift from Heaven that when God requires hard and difficult things from us as to forsake Father Mother all our dearest Relations Life it self and to bear the Cross we must deny our Reason and our Affections and resign our selvs wholly up to God's Wisdom and Will and the more we love our God the more we love our selvs in God This Isaac in this particular was a lively Type of Christ whom God gave for us For Christ was the only begotten and the dearly beloved Son of God better than all the World yet God to manifest his Love unto us sent him into the World and made Him a Burnt-Offering for us And he suffered most cruel pains was slain indeed and suffered a cruel and ignominious death In this Example which we are all bound to follow we may observe God's great Mercy unto Abraham in that he put him not to this hard Trial till his Faith was highly improved and was taught to love nothing above his God § 19. The Apostle observing the Order of time descends from Abraham to Isaac of whom it 's written thus Ver. 20. By Faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come BEfore I enter upon the Example I will put you in mind of some things only hinted and darkly implyed or not mentioned formerly As 1. Though God commanded Isaac to be sacrificed upon which Sacrifice and burnt-Offering once consummate the Performance of God's Promise seemed impossible yet God did fulfil in Isaac what he promised in that manner that the Command was no wayes contrary nor prejudicial to the Performance of the Promise 2. That though Abraham thought that the raising of Isaac from the dead might he a way for God to shew his faithfulness yet that was not God's way but another for when Abraham was ready to give the fatal and mortal blow God stayed his hand prevented his death and saved his Life Yet this was till that very moment concealed from Abraham that he might fully try him and manifest his total Resignation of himself to God 3. That though Abraham was willing yea resolved and ready to sacrifice his Son and for this was highly accepted of God yet this doth no wayes warrant or justify such as sacrificed their Children or were ready to offer the fruit of their Body for the Sin of their Soul For 1. They had no Commandment or Warrant from God as Abraham had 2. They offered their Children to Idols and