Hebrews THE parts of this Letter written and sent to the Hebrew Christians are The Substance and Body of the same The Conclusion The End whereat the Apostle aims is The confirmation of them in the belief and profession of the Gospel The Means he useth for the attainment of this end is Clearly to demonstrate the excellency of Christ as a Prophet and a Priest far above all former Prophets and Priests and thereupon to perswade them to rely upon Him who alone can effectually and eternally save them and make them fully blessed The Method observed by him is to deliver 1. The Doctrine of his Prophetical Office and to apply the same and this is done in the first four Chapters 2. The Doctrine of his Sacerdotal Office and to apply it this is begun Chap. 5. and continued to the 18 verse of the last Chapter CHAP. 1. VVHerein the Apostle taking for granted that the Doctrine of the Old Testament was revealed from God by Prophets and by Angels and the Doctrine of the Gospel by Christ he begins his Discourse concerning Christ as a Prophet and proves him 1. More excellent then all the Pen-men of the Old Testament For 1. He was the Son of God 2. He was the Heir of all things 3. God by him did make the Worlds 4. He was the Brightness of his Father's Glory and Character of his Person 5. He upholdeth all things by the Word of his Power 6. He expiated and purged Sin by his Blood 7. He is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on High In all these seven particulars he far excells the former Prophets ver 1. 2 3. 2. More excellent then the Angels because he hath inherited a far more excellent Name Power and Dignity ver 4. He hath obtained by inheritance a more excellent Name Because 1. He is his The Son and God his Father ver 5. 2. God commanded all the Angels to Worship him ver 6. 3. They being created are but Messengers and Servants but Christ the Son sits in a glorious Throne and is possessed of a Kingdom which is everlasting and when the Earth and the Heavens created by him shall wax old and be changed it shall abide unchangeable for ever ver 8 9 10 11 12. 4. He is set at the right hand of God and by the Word and Patent of God is made Supreme and Universal King and Prince a Place never granted to any of the Angels who all of them are but Ministring Spirits under Him for the Heirs of Salvation This Jesus Christ so excellent was a Prophet for God spake by him as more excellent and in a more excellent manner then by them so that his Doctrine is more full more powerful and more perfect then the Doctrine of Prophets and Angels CHAP. II. VVHerein 1. The former Doctrine of the excellency of Christ and the Gospel is applied by way of exhortation 2. The excellency of Christ above the Angels though he was lower then them for a time is further proved In the Exhortation we may observe 1. The Duty exhorted unto 2. The Reason or Motive to enforce performance 1. The Duty is diligently to attend unto the Doctrine of the Gospel and to take heed of falling from the belief and profession of the same ver 1. 2. The Reason is taken from the most grievous punishment which they cannot escape if they continue not in their Profession This Reason is delivered by way of comparison in quantity For if they who disobeyed the Law then much more they who disobey the Gospel shall be severely punished and shall not escape The Consequence is good and clear from the excellency of the Gospel above the Law For 1. The Law was delivered by Angels the Gospel by Christ. 2. The Law is a Doctrine of Death and Damnation the Gospel of Salvation 3. The Gospel preached by the Apostles commissioned by Christ was attested from Heaven and confirmed by Signs Wonders Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost but the Law was not And from the excellency of the Gospel in respect of the Authour the Matter and Confirmation the Sin is aggravated and the Punishment made more grievous ver 2 3 4. The Exhortation finished the Apostle doth not only enforce the former Reason but proceeds farther to demonstrate the excellency of Christ above the Angels The Argument is That God hath not subjected the World to come to Angels but to Christ who for a little time was lower then the Angels for so it is to be understood ver 5. This Argument is taken out of Psal. 8. 4 5. Where we may observe 1. The words of the Psalm cited ver 6 7. 2. The Apostle's Discourse upon them wherein he observes 1. That all things were put in subjection to him by the Patent and Edict of his heavenly Father yet not actually subdued and brought into subjection ver 8. 2. The Humiliation of Christ which went before his Exaltation For He was made lower then the Angels for a little time Of this Humiliation he delivers the Causes Efficient Final The efficient Cause was 1. The Grace and free Mercy of God which did decree it for the benefit of sinful man ver 9. 2. The Wisdom of God which contrived it as the fittest way in bringing many Sons to Glory to consecrate their Captain by Sufferings ver 10. The final Cause may best be understood if we consider what this Humiliation whereby he was lower then the Angels is It was 1. To be made a Mortal man 2. In this mortal humane Nature to suffer Death 1. The reason why he must be made Man and mortal was Because he that sanctisieth and they that are sanctified must be one and because the sanctified which were to be made Sons did partake of Flesh and Blood therefore he took part with them that in this respect they might be his Brethren And that they were so he proves ver 11 12 13. 2. The End and final Cause why he was made man and mortal was 1. That he might dye for his Brethren and by his Death destroy the Devil and deliver his People ver 14 15. And for this reason he took not the Nature of Angels to deliver them but the Seed of Abraham ver 16. 2. Another end was That he Suffering and being Tempted in their Nature might be a merciful and faithful High Priest and make atonement for the Sins of the People and succour them who were tempted ver 17 18. CHAP. III. VVHerein Christ is proved to be more excellent and a greater Prophet then Moses For the Jews did think it very unreasonable in any part to recede from that Doctrine which they had received from God by Prophets Angels Moses and to hearken unto Christ except he could be proved to be a Greater Prophet sent from God and his Doctrine more excellent and perfect And this was the cause of the Apostle's Undertaking This part of his Discourse is brought in by way of Exhortation Where 1. The Duty exhorted
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
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
begotten thee This day as you heard before in the first Chapter is the day of Resurrection and for God to say that day Thou art my Son this Day have I begotten thee is to make him both a Priest and a King For to have the Birth-right and be the first begotten was to be King and Priest And if God who had all Power in his hands declare him to be his Son and first begotten this is to invest him with the Regal and Sacerdotal Power And though he was designed for this place long before yet till here he was consecrated by his own Blood he did not receive this Honour and it was a reward of Humiliation For you must know that God his Father by the Resurrection did not only restore his life which he had laid down upon the Cross and made him immortal but invested him with his Glory and Power And whereas this Psalm was composed long before the Resurrection and Incarnation of the Son of God yet the thing was not done nor the words spoken to Christ till his Resurrection for the meaning is not that then God did speak these words but after the Incarnation and Resurrection he would by them declare him Priest and King But he finds not only his Patent and Commission for his Priestood but the confirmation of it to him for ever in another place For thus he writes Ver. 6. As he saith also in another place Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec THe words here cited we find Psal. 110. 4. Where we may observe 1. That David was the Authour of that Psalm as appears Matth. 22. 43. 2. That the subject of the Psalm is Christ or the Messias and it 's to be understood of speaking of him 3. That it is prophetical and a prediction of things which were then to come and a long time after 4. These things are spoken of the Messias by the Prophet as moved inspired enlightned to see speak write such things as should come to passe and be accomplished in their time 5. The Apostle in this Discourse takes it for granted and as confessed by these Hebrews that Jesus of Nazareth was the true Messiah in whom all these things were fulfilled 6. The things affirmed or predicated of the Messias were spoken done sworn not only after the Resurrection but the Ascension of our Saviour and upon his coming before the Antient of Days For when God set him at his right hand he established his glorious Kingdom and he began instantly to Reign and then it was that he confirmed his everlasting Priest-hood upon him by Oath and that he began to officiate and minister in the heavenly Temple And those words spoken by God were sufficient not only to make him a compleat Priest but to confirm him 7. Both these places prove not only that Christ was a Priest but that he was made an eternal Priest of a far higher Order than that of Aaron and all this by God himself immediately And as he was made a Priest by God so his Priest-hood was the most excellent Priest-hood and most beneficial to sinful Man that ever was or shall be § 7. These two places prove Christ 1. To be a Priest and therefore all things essential to that Office must agree to him according to the Description of a Priest in the beginning of the Chapter 2. They manifest he was a Priest not by Usurpation but by Commission from Heaven 3. The former Scripture informs us that he was constituted a compleat Priest upon his Resurrection the latter that he was confirmed in his unchangeable and everlasting Priest-hood upon his Ascension into Heaven and Session at the right hand of God The words following presuppose his designation and signify the manner of his Consecration which was such as that it did fitly qualify him to be a merciful and eternally-saving High-Priest who offered for himself not as sinful but bearing the punishment of man's Sin and for others too Therefore it follows Ver. 7. Who in the dayes of his Flesh when he offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong crying and tears to him that was able to save him from Death and was heard in that he feared IN which words with those that follow ver 8 9. we may observe 1. The Consecration of the Son of God 2. The acquisition of a mighty saving Power upon the Consecration once ended In the Consecration by his deep Humiliation we have 1. His effectual Prayers 2. His learning Obedience Concerning his Prayers we are informed of 1. The time when they were offered 2. The manner how they were made 3. The party to whom they were presented 4. The efficacy and success of them He offered up Prayers and Supplications that is he prayed in humble and suppliant manner with bended knees and a bowed and deeply humbled Soul Both the words signify one and the same thing though expressed by two words the one whereof is often the other seldom or rather but once used in Scripture Both are Petitions and especially such as we call Deprecations which are used for the averting of some evil These Petitions were presented unto God for Prayer in strict sense is a representation of our Petitions unto God to move him for to grant our desires It 's a kind of Service or Sacrifice and therefore said to be offered unto God and doth imply an acknowledgment of his supream Dominion Though the word used in the Original sometimes signify a branch of Olive which Suppliants used to carry in their hands yet both the Verb from whence it comes doth signify humbly to request and it doth expresse a Supplication or humble Petition The Prayers here mentioned were the Prayers of Christ the Son of God And 1. They were made for the time in the days of his Flesh The days of his Flesh are the time of his humiliation frailty and mortality before his Death and Resurrection especially the time of his Agony and Suffering upon the Crosse. For in the one he vehemently prayed and deprecated the Cup of his Passion in the other he makes a most sad Complaint of his Desertion and many cruel Sufferings and petitions for help and deliverance and binds himself upon the same by solemn Vows unto his heavenly Father as we may read Psal. 22. And though he made use of the whole Psalm which exactly agrees to him and none else yet the Evangelists relate only the first words My God my God why hast thou for saken me The prayers made at these two times in his deepest and last humiliation are here principally intended by the Apostle 2. The manner how these Prayers were made is expressed in these words with strong cryes and tears which imply 1. His sad and woful condition the anguish sorrow and horrour of his mind and the bitternesse of his Passion 2. Signify the fervency and importunity of his prayers And if Man were once sensible of his sins for which his Saviour Suffered he would be fervent
or rather no hope of recovery 2. That he was perswaded better things of them though the negligence of many had been great In his Exhortation ver the 11. two things are chiefly to be taken notice of 1. The duty exhorted unto which was perseverance 2. The reasons whereupon he urgeth the performance § 2. To begin with the Resolution the thing resolved upon is expressed in the first words 1. Briefly Leaving the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ let us go â—â— to perfection 2. More largely Not laying again the Foundation c. This Resolution doth imply that in Christianity there is a Doctrine 1. Of Principles 1. Of perfection The first is for Babes and Children the second is for persons of full age The Principles are like Premises and the more perfect Doctrines like unto Conclusions and as some premises contain many excellent and precious Truths deducible from them and have affinity with many others reducible to them so these principles Both Principles and higher Doctrines must be taught in their time according to the capacity of the persons to be taught And the best must begin with the principles and after they are once well grounded in them they must proceed to higher points The Apostle here presupposeth the principles taught and once learned by these Hebrews therefore he resolves now to lay them aside and omit the Doctrine of them and to ascend to higher matters What he meant by leaving the principles he explains more at large and in particular It was Not to lay again the foundation of Repentance from dead works c. Where 1. He compares the work of man's Salvation to a Building And 2. The teaching of principles to the laying of the foundation which is the first and principal part of the Building supporting all the rest of the Superstructure and the teaching of these prime Truths is the laying of the foundation upon which the rest of Christianity depends 3. To lay this Foundation again presupposeth that he had formerly done this work and initiated them and to do this again implies they had lost their Christianity and were relasped into that Condition wherein they were before they did believe and were baptized and there was need of re-baptizing them 4. Yet this he would not do and to leave the Doctrine of the beginning or principles of Christ and not to lay the foundation of Christianity are the same And lest they or any other should be ignorant what these principles of Christianity and fundamental Doctrines were he informs us That they were the Doctrines Of Repentance Faith Baptism c. To understand these words the better we must consider 1. What was the way and order of initiating Christians 2. What Doctrine is contained in these particular Fundamentals 1. The way and order was this That 1. When they had taught them Repentance and Faith and they had willingly received this Doctrine and signified their acceptation then they most solemnly promised to repent and believe that Doctrine they did professe 2. Upon their promise and profession they were baptized 3. Being baptized they were confirmed by imposition of hands and receiving the Holy Ghost 4. Being confirmed they were exhorted to persevere to the end in hope of Resurrection to eternal life and fear of Condemnation to eternal punishment To lay the foundation in this manner was to admit them Christians again after they had lost their former Christianity 2. The Doctrine contained in these Particulars may easily be understood by the words themselves The first Head or Topick is that of Repentance from dead Works where by dead Works are meant Sins which pollute us spiritually and morally and also render us liable to Death of which hereafter Chap. 9. 14. Repentance from these is an acknowledgment of them with grief of heart and a resolution to forsake them and reform This Doctrine presupposeth the Creation especially of Man in the Image of God and contains those Truths we read in Scripture concerning Satan's Temptation man's Fall and Sin what Sin is and what the Consequents thereof be one whereof is Punishment and Death Knowledge Confession godly sorrow hatred of Sin returning to God this is the first part of the Creed The second Head is Faith in God under which comes in the Doctrine of God who so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son to redeem us from our Sins by dying for us and rising again to apply and communicate the benefits of his Redemption The particulars of these parts are the Incarnation the Offices of Christ his Humiliation In taking upon him the form of a Servant and being obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross The immediate effects thereof which are satisfaction merit and putting man into a capacity of Salvation his Resurrection upon which he was made King and Priest his Ascension into Heaven his sitting at the right right hand of God to reign as King and make Intercession as a Priest and so make his satisfaction and merit effectual 3. The third Head is the Doctrine of Baptisms wherein Repentance and Faith are professed new obedience promised and both sealed and confirmed by Baptism To this Head may be referred the Covenant and the confirmation of it This Covenant presupposeth the Gospel with the Precepts and Promises thereof This was revealed by Christ as a Prophet sending the Holy Ghost to reveal it therein commanding promising and performing as a King As it presupposeth the Covenant in general so it doth the making thereof in applying the Precepts and Promises unto the particular persons to be baptized who on their part must professe and promise upon which done the confirmation on Gods part and Man's doth follow in Baptism We need not trouble our selves with the word Baptisms which is plural nor debate the reason why he used that number whether it was because the Baptisms of John and Christ both instituted from Heaven did differ in several particulars and so were Baptisms or because the Baptism of Christ was two-fold of Water and the Spirit which both must joyntly concurr to Regeneration or because that though Baptism in general in respect of the Institution be one yet in respect of several individual persons baptized it 's multiplyed For the Baptism of Peter is one the Baptism of Paul another and so many Baptisms there may be said to be as there are persons Baptized It 's certain he meant but one Baptism Rite and Ceremony instituted by Christ applyed to many several persons and so the Syriack Translatour using a Nown singular understood it 3. The fourth Head is that of Imposition of hands and by this may be meant either the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost proper to the Apostolical Times given upon imposition of the hands of the Apostles and Prayer or the sanctifying Power of the Spirit to confirm them in the Truth and enable them to keep the Covenant of God Under this Head come all the Gifts Virtues and saving-Graces of the Spirit without
consequence Therefore though they did not absolve them yet they prayed for them and referred them to the Judgment of God § 6. The Apostle not content barely to affirm this Renovation to be impossible gives us a reason hereof and that in a third Proposition which is They Crucify the Lord Jesus a new and put him to open shame This should have been the second but I follow the order of the words For this is the genuine method 1. Christians may fall away 2. Falling away they Crucify Christ and put him to open shame 3. It 's impossible for them doing so to be renewed by Repentance This third which I handled in the second place contains the medium whereby the impossibility of Repentance is inferred But 1. I will explain the words 2. Shew how they come in upon the former 1. To Crucify the Lord Jesus the Son of God afresh and to put him to an open shame are in some respect the same For the Death of the Crosse is a shameful and ignominious Death and Punishment therefore we read of shame and the Crosse joyned together For it 's said of Christ That he endured the Cross and despised the shame Hebr. 12. 2. There be many tormenting and disgracing Punishments inflicted by higher Powers upon Malefactors Amongst these Capital penalties are the greatest Of Capital Crucifying or putting to Death upon the Crosse is most cruel and ignominious This our blessed Saviour the Son of God once Suffered For such was the malice of the Jews that nothing but his Death and no other Death but the Death of the Crosse besides many other indignities would satisfy them The end of just punishments are loss pain and shame Therefore Malefactors were executed publickly and openly that others might see hear and fear to do the like Sinnes lest they should suffer the like Punishments if they should prove guilty of the like Crimes And not onely the Punishments executed by Man but such as are inflicted by God are exemplary Therefore as the Apostle saith The punishments which the Israelites suffered in the Wildernesse are our ensamples 1 Cor. 10. 6 11. Therefore the word turned put him to open shame signifies to make an example of shame and disgrace To return unto the Text Apostates are said to Crucify Christ unto themselves afresh the meaning is not that they put Christ to Death upon the Cross in proper sense For that they cannot do he dyed upon the Crosse once and rose again is immortal in Heaven and shall never dy any more For in that he dyed he dyed unto Sin or for Sin once and but once seeing he being raised from the Dead he dyed no more Death hath no more Dominion over him Rom. 6. 9 10. Therefore the words are to be understood Tropically they are a Metaphor which is a contract Similitude and signify that they are like unto the Jews and deal with Christ in somethings as they did For as the Jews judged Christ not to be the Messias and Son of God but a Seducer an Impostor and Malefactor and desired Judgment against him as such that he might be Crucified and put to open shame so these Apostates denying Christ whom they had formerly professed must needs account of him no better then the Jews did and so justify all their Accusations against him and his Crucifying as just and justly deserved by him But these Revolters especially agree with the malicious Jews who renounce him blaspheme him and persecute him in those who profess him such Julian was This is to tread under foot the Son of God and to count the blood of the Covenant that is whereby the everlasting Covenant was confirmed and they sanctified an unholy or profane thing This is the highest contempt of Christ and his Blood that possibly can be Some observe from these words Crucify him afresh 1. That though they cannot Crucify him because he is far out of their power yet for their part they are ready and have a mind to do it and would do it if it were in their power 2. That though he was Crucified once yet if he were living and in their reach they would Crucify him again § 7. This is the meaning of the Words Now secondly Let 's consider how they come in upon the former and what connexion they have with them They presuppose that Apostates do Crucify the Son of God to themselves afresh and are guilty of this Crime For Apostacy is their Sin and this necessarily follows upon it and is inseparably joyned with it And they seem to give a reason of the impossibility of their Renovation by Repentance For there can be no Renovation or Sanctification but by the Blood of the Son of God and this they deny renounce trample under foot therefore they can neither repent nor by repentance be renewed or receive any benefit For repentance presupposeth necessarily Faith in the Blood of Christ and the force thereof dependeth upon that Blood and the belief thereof without both which no repentance can ever do any good or benefit any man and this is the immutable Will and Decree of God Neither will God give Repentance to any Apostate or accept him though he should and could repent For Christ did never merit nor God promise to any such persons either of these The reason of all this is That God decreed that Christ should dy but once and that Sinners should be initiated but once and that whosoever makes void to himself this one Death and this one Initiation shall never have any benefit by a second Death or a second Initiation These are contrary to the eternal and unchangeable Rules and Laws of his Kingdom and by these Rules their Sin is irremissible and their final destruction unavoidable Therefore let us hear and fear lest by any means we fall away from that Christianity which we have received professed and engaged in By all this it 's evident that it 's in vain to lay the foundation again by Repentance Faith Baptism and the rest This reason to make it more plain is illustrated by a Similitude which as all other Comparisons hath two parts 1. A Proposition 2. A Reddition The Proposition is expressed the Reddition implyed The subject of the first part or proposition is the Earth and as there are two sorts or kinds of Earth good and bad so there be two parts of the proposition The first Concerning good Earth The second Concerning bad and barren Ground 1. Concerning the good we may consider 1. The Proposition and then the Reddition In the first observe 1. The Fruitfulness 2. God's Blessing The fruitfulness presupposeth Rain Dressing For without these two Moisture and Husbandry no Ground can be fruitful The Rain is from Heaven the Husbandry from Man The goodness of it is that it drinketh in the Rain bringeth forth Herbs meat for them by whom it 's dressed and here by Herbs may be meant all kind of Fruit that 's fit for man's food As it 's fruitful so
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
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
they apprehend the peril so will their fear be and they cannot apprehend the Judgment but as very grievous near at hand pressing hard upon them and unavoidable and so it will terrify and torment them before the time of Execution The sum of this Text is that as there is no hope of mercy and pardon so there remains a fearful expectation of grievous punishment and the same unavoidable § 28. And lest the Apostate should slatter himself and promise impunity to his Soul the Apostle proceeds to prove it unavoidable and very grievous according to the hainousness of the Sin and this he doth in these words Ver. 28. He that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three Witnesses Ver. 29. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trâ—dden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace THese words are a Comparison and it 's two-fold 1. In quality 2. In quantity The first is presupposed and implyed The second intended and expresly delivered The first in quality informs that as he that transgressed Moses Law was punished without mercy so shall he be that Sins wilfully under the Gospel after he hath received the knowledg of the Truth In the second in quantity we may observe 1. The Proposition ver 28. 2. The Reddition ver 29. In the handling of these we must consider 1. The parts absolutely 2. The whole under the notion of a Comparison 3. The force of the Comparison as it is a reason In the Proposition we may take notice of 1. The party to be punished 2. The manner of judicial proceeding 3. The punishment it self 1. The party to be punished is one that transgressed Moses Law that is the Law of God given to Israel by Moses where we have the Person and the Crime or Cause The Person is one under the Law of Moses while it was in force before the time of the Gospel The Crime is a transgression of that Law and this transgression was not any disobedience but such as for which there was no Expiation appointed no Remission in that Law promised it was such a Crime as God determined to be capital and to be punished with a Capital punishment and loss of Life The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Septuagint intrepret by the word used in the Text and both signify to revolt and that Revolt from the Law was answerable to Apostacy from the Gospel This was a breach of that fundamental Law Thou shalt have no other Gods but me This was a revolt from the true God their God whom they had acknowledged to be their God unto Idols Yet there might be other Crimes which might so grate upon the Foundation as to amount to this hainous sin of Revolt 2. The manner of proceeding against such a Transgressour was by information and delation of such a Transgressour before a competent Judge who must proceed Secunduns allegata probata and could not justly sentense the party but upon evidence Sometimes the fact might be notorious or confessed and sometimes maintained by the party offending yet the ordinary way was by Witnesses and in case of a man's life he required two witnesses at least in which respect singular is testis nullus testis The end of witnesses was Evidence that so the merit or demerit of the Cause might appear to the Judge and so the Cause be in an immediate capacity for Sentence 3. The demerit of the cause once made evident Judgment passed upon the party and he was sentenced to Death without any mercy and this Judgment must be executed So that if the Judge did make the Law of Moses his rule he could not acquit or absolve the party nor impose any other punishment nor help the Offender by commutation nor abate the least of this penalty for he by his transgression had made himself uncapable of mercy In this Proposition two things are especially to be noted 1. The Crime which was hainous 3. The Punishment which was Death without mercy § 29. The Reddition follows in the next words where we must observe as before 1. The Sin 2. The Penalty 1. The Sin is described or rather aggravated from three particulars It 's 1. A creading of the Son of God under foot 2. A counting the Blood of the Covenant whereby the Transgressor was sanctified an unholy thing 3. A doing of despite unto the Spirit of Grace The Sin is Apostacy and no man can Apostate from Christianity once received but he shall be guilty of the Contempt 1. Of the Son of God 2. Of the Blood of the Covenant 3. Of the Spirit of Grace The first aggravation therefore is from the contempt of the Son of God For 1. The Apostate treads under foot the Son of God the expression is metaphorical and presupposeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and affirmeth that he though the Son of God is trodden under foot To tread a thing under foot is 1. To undervalue it if it be of any worth 2. To vilify it 3. To vilify it very much 4. To expresse this contempt by casting it upon the Ground and trampling upon it which is the greatest debasement and is sometimes an expression of utter detestation Thus Jezabel was thrown down upon the Earth and trampled upon by Jehu's Horses To vilify and debase things that are base is no fault and to despise unworthy men is tolerable but the Apostate undervalues vilifieth and in an high degree the Son of God and the greater his dignity the greater the indignity He is not meer man though man yet as man the best of men for he is the Son of God and that not any kind of Son but the only begotten and beloved Son of God the brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image of his person and so the Son of God that he is God Though he did descend so low for a little time as to be made man and humbled himself so far as to take upon him the form of a Servant and in that form to be obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross yet in this low estate he was the Son of God But after his humiliation even as man he is advanced to the right hand of God and is made Lord of Men and Angels an everlasting King an everlasting Priest Yet this Son of God the Apostate Christian so far vilifies as that he denies him to be God to be the Son of God to be a just Man nay judgeth him to be an Impostor a false Prophet a Malefactor and justly and worthily Crucified and if he had been living on Earth and in the Apostate's power he would have dealt with him as they did Thus neither the Person and Deity of Christ nor his Natures nor the personal Union of them nor
he received Christianity and had felt the sanctifying and comforting power and divine effects of this Spirit in his own soul. For God by his Spirit had entred into him and done much towards his Salvation This is therefore a Sin against God the Father who loved us and sent Christ to redeem us against God the Son who had shed his precious Blood for the Expiation of our sins against God the Holy Ghost who had begun the Work of Sanctification and Consolation in us The penalty of this Sin is signified absolutely to be this that he is counted worthy of sore Punishment Sore Punishment is grievous heavy bitter Punishment To be worthy of it is to deserve it by some hainous Sin and not only so but to be liable to it for one may be worthy of Punishment yet not liable to it when he is under no Law yet whosoever is under the Obligation of a Law and yet transgresseth it he is not only worthy to suffer and deserving of Punishment but liable and bound to suffer For the nature of Law is to bind either to Obedience or Punishment But where there is no Law there is no Wrath that is no Punishment due yet one may be liable to Punishment which he hath deserved and yet no Man takes notice to censure or judg him But the Apostate from Christianity shall be accounted worthy and that not only by Man but by God who will not only take notice of the Sin but sentence him to the Punishment the sore Punishment deserved that is he will judg him without Mercy § 29. Thus far the parts have been considered and explicated absolutely the next thing to be done is to examine the whole under the Notion of a Comparison in quantity and it 's signified by these words Of how much sorer Punishment The things principally compared are the Punishments 1. To be inflicted upon such as transgress Moses Law 2. Upon Apostates under the Gospel Both are sore and great but the latter far more grievous than the former For a just Judg will judg according to the Law and a just Law will determine and proportion the Punishment according to the Offence To transgress Moses Law was a grievous Offence to sin willfully against the Gospel after we have received the knowledg thereof is far more hainous The Punishment of the former was death without Mercy the Punishment of the latter far more grievous This presupposeth the Gospel to be far above the Law as being a Covenant of Grace and greatest Mercy for in and by it God comes far nearer unto Man The Son of God is the Mediator one far more excellent than any Levitical High-Priest The Blood of this Son of God expiating Man's Sin which is far more precious than the Blood of Buls Goats doth confirm it The Spirit of God which the Law did not minister is the Spirit of Grace enlightning inspiring sanctifying Man and enabling him to keep the Conditions and comforming him To revolt from and rebell against God loving sinful Man against the Son of God redeeming him against the Spirit-sanctifying him is like the Sin of Devils and one of the highest Man can commit and far more hainous than the Violation of the Covenant made with Israel For by this a man wilfully refuseth to be saved and puts himself in a most desperate Condition after God had brought him out of the Spiritual Aegypt and the Kingdom of Darkness and brought him to the Borders of the heavenly Canaan Now as the Sin is more hainous far more hainous so the Punishment must be grievous far more grievous God hath no Mercy for such a Wretch for the Sin agrees directly with that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven It remains we consider the whole as a Reason that so we may understand the force of it The Scope of the Apostle is to perswade and exhort to perseverance the Reason is because that if they persevere not but fall away there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment c. that is the Punishment that they must suffer is grievous and unavoidable That it is both grievous and unavoidable he proves 1. By a Comparison from the Transgressors of the Law For if Apostates under the Law were grievously and certainly punished then much more should the Apostates under the Gospel who have received the Knowledg of the Truth be so punished for as their Sin is more grievous and provoking so their Punishment must be answerable This is the force of the Reason This Argument hath some Affinity with that of Chap. 2 Ver. 1 2 3 4 c. yet that refers more to the Prophetical this more to the Sacerdotal Office of Christ. § 30. Yet though the Apostate may be worthy of Punishment yet it may be be questioned and demanded 1. Who the Judge is And 2. Whether he will proceed to Judgment and execute it But both these the Apostle puts out of doubt in the words following Ver. 30. For we know him that he hath said Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompence saith the Lord And again The Lord shall judg his People IN which words he doth inform us 1. Who the Judg is 2. That he will certainly punish And here he cites a place out of the Old Testament which affirmeth both that God is Judg and also will execute Judgment This is more than if he had barely affirmed these things for he produceth God as Witness and so by Scripture confirms them The place is Deut. 32. 35 36. and he seems to divide it into two for Ver. 35. he saith Vengeance and Recompence belong to me Ver. 36. For the Lord will judg his People In the Text we have these Propositions 1. Vengeance belongeth to the Lord. 2. He will recompence 3. He will judg his People 4. The Lord himself saith so 5. They knew it was the Lord who said so 1. Vengeance belongeth to the Lord. Where by the way observe that the Apostle doth not follow as usually he doth the Septuagint according to our Copies but the Hebrew Text which is this Vengeance is mine and Retribution The Septuagint translates thus In the day of Vengeance I will recompence They seem to follow the Samaritan Hebrew Text in the former and the Targum in the â—â—tter part of the Clause yet neither the Vulgar nor the Syriack nor the Chaldee Paraphrast nor the Arabick follow them in their Translation of the first words In this Proposition we have 1. Vengeance 2. The party to whom it belongs By Vengeance is meant vindicative Justice punishing Offenders the acts whereof are Condemnation and Execution and it 's proper to a Judg as a Judg as it is Power of punishing as here it may be taken either for the Power or the Act and Exercise of the Power The party to whom it belongs is the Lord as he is the supream and universal Judg for he that is the supream Law-giver must needs be
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
Devils 3. If they had offered them to God their Blood could not have expiated their Sins The Case being so different though the Obedience of Abraham was so pleasing to God yet their sacrificing was plainly unnatural Murther and abominable Idolatry 4. If our Faith be sincere we must Sacrifice our Isaac even what we love most unto our God The Lord increase our Faith that we may do this Service readily In the Text two things are observable 1. Isaac's Blessing and Effect or Work of his Faith 2. His Faith whereby he blessed his Sons In the Blessing we have 1. The Parties blessed 2. The Matter of the Blessing 3. The Blessing it self 1. The Parties blessed were Jacob and Esau these were Twins conceived and born together For as their Birth so their Conception were simultaneous in respect of time They were both his Children both Sons and all the Children which he had for we read of none others born unto him Jacob was the Younger because born thâ— lâ—â—ter yet preferred before the Elder by God's free Election and also in this Blessing for he received the Priviledges of the first-begotten and in him not in Esau he made the Covenant good 2. The Matter of the Blessing were things to come hoped for not seen and therefore fit Objects of Faith as no wayes certainly intelligible by the natural Light of Reason These things were Blessings and the same both temporal and spiritual Esau's Blessings were only temporal and not spiritual Jacob's both temporal and spiritual From which dispensation of these Mercies we may observe 1. That profane Persons as Esau may enjoy temporal Blessings and Prosperity and that in a greater measure than God's Children do and therefore they are no Argument of God's special Love for God causeth his Rain to fall and his Sun to shine as well upon the unjust as upon the just 2. That the godly such as Jacob was have the Blessings of this Life and of that which is to come And because they desire heavenly more than earthly Blessings therefore God though sometimes he denyes them earthly Prosperity yet will be sure to give them heavenly Comforts 3. The Blessing it self was an Act of Isaac though God was the principal Cause Of blessing others I have spoken Chap. 7. 6 7. All Blessings come from God for he is the Fountain and first Cause of them and disposeth of them as he pleaseth He sometimes communicates them by Man to Man as in this particular Example and makes Priests Prophets Parents instrumental and gives them Power to bless in his Name and that either in an ordinary or extraordinary way This Blessing was extraordinary wherein God made his words effectual for what he said came to pass The words of Benediction were Prophetical yet not meerly a Prophecy or Prediction but a Prediction with Power And though he intended to have blessed Esau with the principal Blessing yet Jacob obtained it It was God's Will to order it so yet his Will gave no Warrant to Rebeccah or Jacob to use any unlawfull means neither did their frailties hinder God's Mercy so gracious he was When the Blessing of Jacob intended for Esau was once past it proved irrevocable though profane Esau sought it even with tears yet there was no place found for Repentance But how did Isaac thus bless his Sons The Text informs that he blessed them by Faith and this is evident because the Benediction was concerning things to come This Faith required some divine Revelation and Promise as a necessary Ground and Foundation God had promised before great Blessings to his Father Abraham and to him yet to be fulfilled to their Posterity by this he understood that they should fall upon his Children but whether the principal Mercies should be given to Jacob and his Posterity or to Esau and his Children he knew not that was not revealed unto him and therefore he was so much mistaken Yet besides the former Revelation and Promise he had some more particular Illumination concerning his Sons and their Children for time to come and his Faith did believe both and relyed confidently upon the Promises and out of this Faith he blessed them really which without Faith he could not have done This shews the excellency of Faith and may perswade all Parents to believe and may encourage them to continue in Faith forby it they may derive some Blessings to their Children if they shall prove capable For some Children prove to be profane as Esaâ— and are not capable of spiritual Blessings § 20. Jacob succeeded Isaac and being blessed by his Father he blessed Joseph's Children For Ver. 21. By Faith Jacob when he was a dying blessed both the Sons of Joseph and worshipped leaning on his Rod. IT 's an happiness to be the Children of believing Parents who by their Faith transmit Blessings to Posterity For Jacob the Son of believing Isaac was blessed and he by his Faith transmits God's Blessings to Joseph's Children In the words we may note 1. Jacob's Effects or Works of Faith 2. His Faith The Effects are two 1. His Blessing of Joseph's Children when he was a dying 2. His Adoration leaning upon his Staff 1. To begin with the Blessing which was both predictive and effective as the former was we may observe 1. The Persons blessed 2. Divers Circumstances and Passages of this Act. The Persons were not his own immediate Children but his Grand-Children by Joseph every one of the Sons of Joseph These were Maâ—â—asseh and Ephrains and as we read of no other so it 's likely these two were all the Sons of Joseph at that time The Blessings by him solemnly then declared were to be expected and received by their Posterity 2. The Circumstance of time is expressed to be when he was a dying that is a little before and when he was drawing nigh unto death For then having some thoughts and care of his Posterity and especially of Joseph and his Children whom he dearly loved the Spirit of the Almighty came upon him to inform him of things to come especially concerning his Nephews and moved him to bless them and that being done he leavs the World The Passages are many Joseph presents his two Sons before him and perhaps by some divine Instinct or Impulse that he might bless them before his death and intended the Priviledg of Birth-right to his Elder Son as Isaac did formerly purpose Jacob layes his hands upon them a Rite used in Benediction He guided them so that he laid his right hand upon Ephraim the Younger and this was purposely done by divine direction This being done he adopts them and by Adoption makes them his immediate Children and by his Blessing gives them the Portion of two Tribes with the rest of his Sons and prefers the Younger before the Elder 2. The second Effect is his Adoration leaning upon his Staff where you must observe that the Apostle follows the Septuagint as in most part of this Epistle he doth Whereas others following
may observe 1. An Effect To perfect the sanctified for ever 2. A Cause of that Effect Christ's one Offering I will begin for Explication's sake with the Effect though it be after the Cause in the Order of Nature In it we may consider 1. An Act. 2. A Subject 3. The Perpetuity of the force of this Act in the Subject 1. The Act is to perfect which may be to consummate or make a thing perfect and seeing the end of Christ's Sacrifice is Man's full Happiness therefore to perfect is to make us perfectly and fully happy and this certainly is intended in this place Yet we must further examine the force of the Greek Verb as it is used in this Epistle and other places of the Holy Scriptures and we find it signifies To consecrate and make one a perfect complete Priest so as that he may minister before God And though some understand the perfecting of the sanctified to be nothing else but to sanctify perfectly yet we find in several places of this Epistle that it signifies to make a Priest and is applyed by the Septuagint to the Consecration of Aaron and his Sons For though they were chosen and designed formerly to be Priests yet they could not act as Priests minister in the Tabernacle offer Sacrifice and officiate before they were consecrated and upon their Consecration finished they were actually constituted Priests and might perform any Acts of Service essential and proper to a Priest so as to please God and be accepted This Work of Consecration was finished in seven dayes and one Sacrifice used in this Consecsation was that of a Ram which was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ram of Consecration And as they so we must be consecrated and made Priests to God and that by the Blood of Christ and this life is the time of our Consecration which goes on by degrees and will be made complete for Body and Soul upon the Resurrection when we shall be fit to approach the Throne of Glory and serve our God in a perfect manner in the eternal Temple of Heaven That Christ doth consecrate and make us Kings and Priests is express Scripture He hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father Rev. 1. 6. And this is the acknowledgment of all his redeemed Saints Thou hast made us to our God Kings and Priests Rev. 5. 10. In this respect we are said to be a Royal Priest-hood an Holy Nation 1 Pet. 2. 9. There in this life though our Consecration be not finished we are styled An holy Priest-hood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ ibid. 5. This perfection and Consecration we find attributed to his Blood and Offering 2. The Subject of this Consecration are the Sanctified for Sanctification must go before Consecration and the more sanctified the more consecrated and when our Sanctification is finished then our Consecration is consummate By Sanctification some understand Baptism as it 's a solemn Rite of our Initiation Others say it is Election whereby we are separated and set apart to this Perfection Yet it is that whereby we are freed not only from Infirmities Defects Depravations Inclinations to evil and so made inherently holy and righteous but also from the guilt of Sin The former is an act of the Spirit regenerating us and renuing the Image of God in us the other is the work of the same Spirit sprinkling our Consciences with the Blood of Christ and by the same frees us from God's vindicative Justice and the punishments due unto us for our Sins The former is usually called Sanctification the latter Justification That only the sanctified can be thus consecrated and come so near to God it 's plain out of the former places as Revel 1. 5 6. we are said first to be washed from our Sins in Christ's Blood which is Sanctification before we are be made Kings and Priests And Chap. 5. 9 10. to be redeemed with his Blood before we are Crowned and Consecrated And the persecuted Saints who came out of great Tribulation had their Garments first washed in the Blood of the Lamb before they were admitted to be as Priests before the Throne of God to serve him Day and Night in his Temple Chap. 7. 14 15. Where we learn that upon this Sanctification and Consecration we have near access to the Throne of Glory full communion with our God a clear vision of his eternal beauty and as great a fiuition of his God-head as we shall be capable thereof And upon all this follows our eternal bliss joy and full content when we shall be freed from all evil and enjoy the fountain of eternal life This Sanctification and Consecration is said in the third place to be for ever because they are perpetually continued of endless date and of everlasting continuance § 13. This effect is glorious and most excellent and includes Regeneration Justification Reconciliation Adoption with the inferiour degrees of them all and also the Resurrection and eternal Glorification And surely so rare an effect must have some excellent cause and so it hath and that is that one offering of Christ For Christ is the cause and he isthe cause as offering himself not often but only once For by one Offering he consecrated the sanctified for ever Meer Man or Angel though most excellent was insufficient had no power to undertake and finish this glorious Work For man's Salvation and his eternal blisse must needs be ascribed to the highest first and universal cause and issuing from the fountain of eternal Love was contrived by infinite Wisdom and effected by Almighty Power and no way was thought so fit to accomplish it as this one Offering of this one Priest For this end the eternal Word of God which was God must be made Flesh But neither God as God nor the Word nor Flesh severally were the cause but God by the Word made Flesh yet this is not all this Word made Flesh must be a Priest and as a Priest he must suffer dye and offer himself for the Sin of Man He must be the Priest and Sacrifice too and offer himself without spot unto God the Supream and Universal Lord and Judge that so his Justice being satisfied his mercy might freely and aboundantly issue out upon sinful Man as it did when once this Sacrifice was offered and accepted and being offered once it was so accepted that a second offering was needless For this was of eternal virtue in respect of all Sins and Sinners and was the most noble and highest piece of Service that ever was performed by Men or Angels in Heaven or Earth and was an Ilastical and propitiatory Sacrifice The Priest offering it was the the Head and Representative of Mankind and the second Adam and was made such by God and his own voluntary submission as willing to suffer Death for those whom he did represent By this representation and substitution he became the Surety and Hostage of Mankind