had its Consummation Wherefore both the Entrance and the End of this season are called by the same name the Beginning of it here and the End of it Mat. 28. 20. For the whole is but one entire Season And the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this construction with a Dative Case signifies the Entrance of any thing as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is at the approach of Death Wherefore whatever hath been or may be in the Duration of the world afterwards the Appearance of Christ to offer himself was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the end of the world that is at the entrance of the last season of Gods dispensation of Grace unto the Church Thus it was saith the Apostle in matter of Fact then did Christ offer himself and then only With respect unto this season so stated three things are affirmed of Christ in the following words 1. What he did He appeared 2. Unto what end to take away sin 3. By what means by the Sacrifice of himself But there is some Difficulty in the Distinction of these words and so variety in their Interpretation which must be removed For those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Sacrifice of himself may be referred either unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the putting away of sin that goes before or unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was manifest that follows after In the first way the sense is He was manifest to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself In the latter he appeared by the Sacrifice of himself to put away sin which confines his Appearance unto his Sacrifice which sense is expressed by the Vulgar Translation per hostiam suam apparuit he appeared by his own Host say the Rhemists But the former Reading of the words is evidently unto the mind of the Apostle For his Appearance was what he did in general with respect unto the end mentioned and the way whereby he did it 1. There is what he did He appeared He was manifested some say that this Appearance of Christ is the same with his Appearance in the Presence of God for us mentioned in the foregoing verse But it is as another word that is used so another thing that is intended That Appearance was after his Sacrifice this is in order unto it That is in Heaven this was on Earth That is still continued this is that which was already accomplished at the Time limited by the Apostle Wherefore this Appearance this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or manifestation of Christ in the end of the world is the same with his being manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16 or his coming into the world or taking on him the seed of Abraham to this End that he might suffer and offer himself unto God For what is affirmed is opposed unto what is spoken immediately before namely of his suffering often since the Foundation of the world This he did not do but appeared was manifest that is in the flesh in the Ends of the world to suffer and to expiate sin Nor is the Word ever used to express the Appearance of Christ before God in Heaven His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is his coming into the world by his Incarnation unto the Discharge of his Office His Appearance before God in Heaven is his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And his Illustrious Appearance at the last day is his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though that word be used also to express his Glorious manifestation by the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 10 See 1 Tim. 3. 16. 1 Joh. 3. 8. Tit. 2. 14. This therefore is the meaning of the word Christ did not come into the world he was not manifested in the flesh often since the Foundation of the world that he might often suffer and offer but he did so he so appeared was so manifest in the End of the world 2. The End of this Appearance of Christ was to put away sin And we must enquire both what is meant by sin and what by the putting of it away Wherefore by sin the Apostle intends the whole of its Nature and Effects in its Root and Fruits in its Guilt Power and Punishment Sin Absolutely and Universally Sin as it was an Apostacy from God as it was the Cause of all Distance between God and us as it was the work of the Devil Sin in all that it was and all that it could effect or all the Consequents of it Sin in its whole Empire and Dominion as it entred by the fall of Adam invaded our Nature in its Power oppressed our Persons with its Guilt filled the whole world with its fruits gave existence and Right unto Death and hell with power to Satan to rule in and over mankind so as it rendred us obnoxious unto the Curse of God and Eternal punishment In the whole Extent of sin he appeared to put it away that is with respect unto the Church that is sanctified by his Blood and dedicated unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render putting away is Abrogatio Dissolutio Destructio An Abrogation Disanulling Destroying Disarming It is the Name of taking away the Force Power and Obligation of a Law The Power of Sin as unto all its Effects and Consequents whether sinfull or Penal is called its Law the Law of Sin Rom. 8. 2. And of this Law as of others there are two Parts or Powers 1. It s Obligation unto punishment after the nature of all Penal Laws Hence it is called the Law of Death that whereon sinners are bound over unto Eternal Death This force it borrows from its Relation unto the Law of God and the curse thereof 2. It s impelling Ruling Power subjectively in the mindes of men leading them Captive into all enmity and disobedience unto God Rom. 7. 23. Christ appeared to abrogate this Law of sin to deprive it of its whole power 1. That it should not condemn us any more nor bind us over to punishment This he did by making Attonement for it by the Expiation of it undergoing in his own suffering the penalty due unto it which of necessity he was to suffer as often as he offered himself Herein consisted the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or abrogation of its Law principally 2. By the destruction of its subjective Power purging our Consciences from dead works in the way that hath been declared This was the principal end of the Appearance of Christ in the world 1 Joh. 3. 8. 3. The way whereby he did this was by the Sacrifice of himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Sacrifice wherein he both suffered and offered himself unto God For that both are included the opposition made unto his often suffering doth evince This therefore is the design and meaning of these words to evidence that Christ did not offer himself unto God often more then once as the High-Priest offered every year before his entrance into the Holy place the Apostle declares the End and Effect of his
The Renovation of the terms and sanction of the Covenant of Works contributed much thereunto For the People saw not how the Commands of that Covenant could be observed nor how its Curse could be avoided They saw it not I say by any thing in the Covenant of Sinai which therefore gendred unto bondage All the prospect they had of deliverance was from the Promise 2. It arose from the manner of the delivery of the Law and Gods entring thereon into Covenant with them This was ordered on purpose to fill them with dread and fear And it could not but do so when ever they called it to remembrance 3. From the severity of the Penalties annexed unto the Transgression of the Law And God had taken upon himself that where punishment was not exacted according to the Law he himself would cut them off This kept them always anxious and sollicitous not knowing when they were safe or secure 4. From the Nature of the whole Ministry of the Law which was the ministration of death and condemnation 2 Cor. 3. 16. which declared the desert of every sin to be death and denounced death unto every Sinner administring by its self no relief unto the minds and consciences of men So was it the letter that killed them that were under its power 5. From the Darkness of their own minds in the means ways and causes of deliverance from all these things It is true they had a promise before of Life and Salvation which was not abolished by this Covenant even the Promise made unto Abraham But this belonged not unto this Covenant And the way of its accomplishment by the Incarnation and Mediation of the Son of God was much hidden from them yea from the Prophets themselves who yet foretold them This left them under much bondage For the principal cause and means of the liberty of Believers under the Gospel ariseth from the clear light they have into the mystery of the love and grace of God in Christ. This faith and knowledge of his Incarnation Humiliation Sufferings and Sacrifice whereby he made Attonement for Sin and brought in everlasting Righteousness is that which gives them liberty and boldness in their Obedience 2 Cor. 3. 17 18. whilest they of old were in the dark as unto these things they must needs be kept under much bondage 6. It was increased by the yoke of a multitude of Laws Rites and Ceremonies imposed on them which made the whole of their Worship a burden unto them and unsupportable Acts 15. 9. In and by all these ways and means there was a Spirit of Bondage and Fear administred unto them And this God did thus he dealt with them to the end that they might not rest in that state but continually look out after deliverance On the other hand the New Covenant gives liberty and boldness the liberty and boldness of Children unto all Believers It is the Son in it that makes us free or gives us universally all that liberty which is any way needful for us or useful unto us For where the Spirit of God is there is liberty namely to serve God not in the oldness of the Letter but in the newness of the Spirit And it is declared that this was the great end of bringing in the New Covenant in the accomplishment of the Promise made unto Abraham namely that we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies might serve God without fear all the days of our lives Luke 1. 72 73 74 75. And we may briefly consider wherein this Deliverance and Liberty by the New Covenant doth consist which it doth in the things ensuing 1. In our freedom from the commanding power of the Law as to sinless perfect Obedience in order unto Righteousness and Justification before God Its commands we are still subject unto but not in order unto life and salvation For unto those ends it is fulfilled in and by the Mediator of the New Covenant who is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4. 2. In our freedom from the condemning power of the Law and the Sanction of it in the Curse This being undergone and answered by him who was made a curse for us we are freed from it Rom. 7. 6. Gal. 3 13 14. And therein also are we delivered from the fear of death Heb. 2. 15. as it was paenal and an entrance into judgment or condemnation John 5. 24. 3. In our freedom from conscience for sin Heb. 10. 2. That is Conscience disquieting perplexing and condemning our persons the hearts of all that believe being sprinkled from an evil conscience by the blood of Christ. 4. In our freedom from the whole System of Mosaical Worship in all the Rites and Ceremonies and Ordinances of it which what a burden it was the Apostles do declare Acts 15. and our Apostle at large in his Epistle to the Galatians 5. From all the Laws of men in things appertaining unto the Worship of God 1 Cor. 7. 23. And by all these and the like instances of spiritual liberty doth the Gospel free Believers from that Spirit of bondage unto fear which was administred under the Old Covenant It remains only that we point at the Heads of those Ways whereby this Liberty is communicated unto us under the New Covenant And it is done 1. Principally by the grant and communication of the Spirit of the Son as a Spirit of Adoption giving the freedom boldness and liberty of children John 1. 12. Rom. 8. 15 16 17. Gal. 4. 6 7. From hence the Apostle lays it down as a certain Rule that where the Spirit of God is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Let men pretend what they will let them boast of the freedom of their outward condition in this world and of the inward liberty or freedom of their wills there is indeed no true liberty where the Spirit of God is not The ways whereby he giveth freedom power a sound mind spiritual boldness courage and contempt of the Cross holy confidence before God a readiness for obedience and enlargedness of heart in duties with all other things wherein true liberty doth consist or which any way belongs unto it I must not here divert to declare The world judges that there is no bondage but where the Spirit of God is For that gives that conscientious fear of Sin that awe of God in all our Thoughts Actions and Ways that careful and circumspect walking that temperance in things lawful that abstinence from all appearance of evil wherein they judge the greatest bondage on the earth to consist But those who have received him do know that the whole world doth lie in evil and that all those unto whom spiritual liberty is a bondage are the Servants and Slaves of Satan 2. It is obtained by the evidence of our justification before God and the causes of it This men were greatly in the dark unto under the first Covenant although all stable peace with
is used in all good Authors for not only to find but to obtain by our endeavors so do we render it and so we ought to do Rom. 4. 1. Heb. 4. 16. He obtained effectually Eternal Redemption by the price of his Blood And it is mentioned in a Tense denoting the time past to signifie that he had thus obtained Eternal Redemption before he entred into the Holy Place How he obtained it we shall see in the consideration of the nature of the thing it self that was obtained Three things must be inquired into with what brevity we can for the Explication of these words 1 What is Redemption 2 Why is this Redemption called Eternal 3 How Christ obtained it 1. All Redemption respects a state of Bondage and Captivity with all the Events that do attend it The Object of it or those to be redeemed are only persons in that estate There is mention ver 15. of the Redemption of Transgressions but it is by a Metonymy of the Cause for the Effect It is Transgressions which cast men into that state from whence they are to be redeemed But both in the Scripture and in the common Notion of the word Redemption is the deliverance of persons from a state of Bondage And this may be done two ways 1 By Power 2 By payment of a Price That which is in the former way is only improperly and metaphorically so called For it is in its own nature a bare deliverance and is termed Redemption only with respect to the state of Captivity from whence it is a deliverance It is a vindication into liberty by any means So the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt though wrought meerly by Acts of Power is called their Redemption And Moses from his Ministry in that work is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Redeemer Acts 7. 35. But this Redemption is only metaphorically so called with respect unto the state of Bondage wherein the people were That which is properly so is by a Price paid as a valuable consideration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Ransom a price of Redemption Thence are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Redemption and a Redeemer So the Redemption that is by Christ is every-where said to be a Price a Ransom See Mat. 20. 28. Mark 10. 45. 1 Cor. 6. 20. 1 Tim. 2. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. It is the deliverance of persons out of a state of Captivity and Bondage by the payment of a valuable price or Ransom And the Socinians offer violence not only to the Scripture but to common sense it self when they contend that the Redemption which is constantly affirmed to be by a Price is metaphorical and that only proper which is by Power The Price or Ransom in this Redemption is two ways expressed 1 By that which gave it its worth and value that it might be a sufficient Ransom for all 2 By its especial nature The first is the Person of Christ himself He gave himself for us Gal. 2. 20. He gave himself a Ransom for all 1 Tim. 2. 6. He offered himself to God ver 14. Eph. 5. 2. This was that which made the Ransom of an infinite value meet to redeem the whole Church God purchased the Church with his own Blood Acts 20. 28. The especial nature of it is that it was by Blood by his own Blood See Eph. 1. 7. 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. And this Blood of Christ was a Ransom or Price of Redemption partly from the unvaluableness of that Obedience which he yielded unto God in the shedding of it and partly because this Ransom was also to be an Atonement as it was offered unto God in Sacrifice For it is by Blood and no otherwise that Atonement is made Lev. 17. 11. Wherefore he is set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood Rom. 3. 24 25. That the Lord Jesus Christ did give himself a Ransom for Sin that he did it in the shedding of his Blood for us wherein he made his Soul an offering for Sin that herein and hereby he made Atonement and expiated our Sins and that all these things belonged unto our Redemption is the substance of the Gospel That this Redemption is nothing but the Expiation of Sin and that Expiation of Sin nothing but an Act of Power and Authority in Christ now in Heaven as the Socinians dream is to reject the whole Gospel Though the nature of this Redemption be usually spoken unto yet we must not here wholly put it by And the nature of it will appear in the consideration of the state from whence we are redeemed with the causes of it 1 The Meritorious Cause of it was Sin or our Original Apostasie from God Hereby we lost our primitive liberty with all the rights and priviledges thereunto belonging 2 The Supreme Efficient Cause is God himself As the Ruler and Iudge of all he cast all Apostates into a state of Captivity and Bondage For Liberty is nothing but peace with him But he did it with this difference Sinning Angels he designed to leave irrecoverably under this condition For Mankind he would find a Ransom 3 The Instrumental Cause of it was the Curse of the Law This falling on men brings them into a state of Bondage For it separates as to all relation of love and peace between God and them and gives life unto all the actings of sin and death wherein the misery of that state consists To be separate from God to be under the power of sin and death is to be in Bondage 4 The External Cause by the application of all other causes unto the Souls and Consciences of men is Satan His was the power of darkness his the power of death over men in that state and condition that is to make application of the terror of it unto their Souls as threatned in the Curse Heb. 2. 14 15. Hence he appears as the Head of this state of Bondage and men are in Captivity unto him He is not so in himself but as the external application of the causes of Bondage is committed unto him From hence it is evident that four things are required unto that Redemption which is a deliverance by Price or Ransom from this state For 1 it must be by such a Ransom as whereby the Guilt of Sin is expiated which was the Meritorious Cause of our Captivity Hence it is called the Redemption of Transgressions ver 14. that is of persons from that state and condition whereinto they were cast by sin or transgression 2 Such as wherewith in respect of God Atonement must be made and satisfaction unto his Justice as the Supreme Ruler and Judge of all 3 Such as whereby the Curse of the Law might be removed which could not be without undergoing of it 4 Such as whereby the Power of Satan might be destroyed How all this was done by the Blood of Christ I have at large declared elsewhere 2. This Redemption is said to be Eternal And it is so on
offering or Sacrifice which render the Repetition of it needless It was one once offered in the end of the world nor need be offered any more because of the Total abolition and destruction of sin at once made thereby What else concerns the things themselves spoken of will be comprized under the ensuing observations 1. It is the Prerogative of God and the effect of his wisdom to determine the times and seasons of the dispensation of Himself and his Grace unto the Church Hereon it depends alone that Christ appeared in the end of the world not sooner nor later as to the parts of that season Many things do evidence a condecency unto Divine wisdom in the determination of that season As 1. He testified his displeasure against Sin in suffering the generality of mankind to lye so long under the fatal effects of their Apostacy without relief or Remedy Act. 14. 16. Chap. 17. 30. Rom. 1. 21 24 26. 2. He did it To exercise the faith of the Church called by vertue of the promise in the expectation of its accomplishment And by the various wayes whereby God cherished their faith and hope was he glorified in all Ages Luk 1. 70. Mat. 13. 16. Luk. 10. 24. 1 Pet. 1. 10 11. Hag. 2. 7. 3. To prepare the Church for the Reception of him partly by the glorious representation made of him in the Tabernacle and Temple with their worship partly by the Burden of Legal Institutions laid on them until his coming Gal. 3. 24. 4. To give the world a full and sufficient trial of what might be attained towards happiness and Blessedness by the excellency of all things here below Men had time to try what was in Wisdom Learning Moral Vertue Power Rule Dominion Riches Arts and whatever else is valuable unto Rational Natures They were all exalted unto their height in their possession and exercise before the Appearance of Christ and all manifested their own insufficiency to give the least real Relief unto Mankind from under the fruits of their Apostacy from God See 1 Cor. 1. 5. To give time unto Satan to fix and establish his Kingdom in the world that the destruction of him and it might be the more conspicuous and glorious These and sundry other things of a like nature do evince that there was a condecency unto Divine wisdom in the Determination of the season of the Appearance of Christ in the flesh Howbeit it is ultimately to be resolved into his Soveraign will and pleasure 2. God had a Design of Infinite Wisdom and Grace in his sending of Christ and his appearance in the world thereon which could not be frustrate He appeared to put away sin The footsteps of Divine wisdome and Grace herein I have enquired into in a peculiar Treatise and shall not here insist on the same Argument 3. Sin had erected a Dominion a Tyranny over all men as by a Law Unless this Law be abrogated and abolished we can have neither Deliverance nor Liberty Men generally think that they serve themselves of sin in the accomplishment of their lusts and gratification of the flesh But they are indeed servants of it and slaves unto it It hath gotten a power to command their obedience unto it and a power to bind them over to eternal death for the disobedience unto God therein As unto what belongs unto this Law and power See my Discourse of Indwelling Sin 4. No power of man of any meer Creature was able to evacuate disannul or abolish this Law of sin For 5. The Destruction and dissolution of this Law and power of sin was the great end of the coming of Christ for the discharge of his Priestly Office in the Sacrifice of himself No other way could it be effected And 6. It is the Glory of Christ it is the safety of the Church that by his one offering by the Sacrifice of himself once for all he hath abolished sin as unto the Law and condemning power of it VER XXVII XXVIII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sicut quem admodum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Statutum constitutum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Sons of men of Adam all his Posterity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that at one time a certain appointed time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vul. post hoc autem Postea verò and afterward Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and after their death the death of them So also Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one time at one time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vul. ad exhaurienda peccata Rhem. to exhaust the sins of many without any sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signifie to lift or bear up not at all to draw out of any deep place though there may be something in that allusion Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in himself he slew or sacrificed the sins of many in himself that is by the Sacrifice of himself he took them away Bez. ut in seipso attolleret multorum peccata that he might lift or bear up the sins of many in himself he took them upon himself as a Burden which he bare upon the Cross as opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afterwards not burdened with sin Others ad attollendum peccata multorum in semet ipsum to take up unto himself that is upon himself the sins of many The Syriack reads the last â—ause He shall appear the second time unto the Salvation of them that expect or look for him All others he shall appear unto or be seen by them that look for him unto Salvation unto which difference we shall speak afterwards VER XXVII XXVIII And in like manner as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this afterwards the judgment So also Christ was once offered to bear in himself the sin of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without Sin unto Salvation These verses put a close unto the Heavenly Discourse of the Apostle concerning the Causes Nature Ends and Efficacy of the Sacrifice of Christ wherewith the new Covenant was dedicated and confirmed And in the words there is a treble Confirmation of that Singularity and Efficacy of the Sacrifice of Christ which he had pleaded before 1. In an Elegant instructive Similitude And as it is appointed ver 27. 2. In a declaration of the use and end of the Offering of Christ he was once offered to bear the Sins of many 3. In the consequent of it his second Appearance unto the Salvation of Believers ver 28. In the comparison we must first consider the force of it in general and explain the words That as we have observed which the Apostle designeth to confirm and illustrate is what he had pleaded in the foregoing verses concerning the Singularity and efficacy of the offering of Christ whereon also he takes occasion to declare the blessed
openly professed their Repentance and Relinquishment of was ever esteemed dangerous and by some absolutely pernicious whereon great Contests in the Church did ensue For the Controversie was not whether men falling into any sin yea any open or known sin after Baptism might repent which none was ever so foolishly proud as to deny But the Question was about mens open falling again into those sins suppose Idolatry which they had made a publick Profession of their Repentance from before their Baptism And it came at last to this not whether such men might savingly Repent obtain Pardon of their sins and be saved but whether the Church had Power to admit them a second time to a publick Profession of their Repentance of these sins and so take them again into full Communion For some pleaded that the Profession of Repentance for these sins and the Renunciation of them being indispensably necessary antecedently unto Baptism in them that were adult the obligation not to live in them at all being on them who were Baptised in their Infancy Baptism alone was the only Pledge the Church could give of the Remission of such sins and therefore where men fell again into those sins seeing Baptism was not to be repeated they were to be left unto the mercy of God the Church could receive them no more But whereas the numbers were very great of those who in time of Persecution fell back into Idolatry who yet afterwards returned and professed their Repentance the major part who always are for the many agreed that they were to be received and reflected with no small severity on those that were otherwise minded But whereas both parties in this difference run into Extreams the Event was pernicious on both sides the one in the Issue losing the Truth and Peace the other the Purity of the Church The sins of unregenerate persons whereof Repentance was to be expressed before Baptism are called dead works in respect of their Nature and their End For as to their Nature they proceed from a principle under the Power of Spiritual death they are the works of Persons dead in Trespasses and Sins All the moral actings of such Persons with respect unto a supernatural End are dead works being not enlivened by a vital Principle of spiritual Life And it is necessary that a Person be spiritually living before his works will be so Our walking in Holy Obedience is called the Life of God Ephes. 4. 18. That is the Life which God requires which by his especial Grace he worketh in us whose Acts have him for their Object and their End Where this Life is not persons are dead and so are their works even all that they do with respect unto the Living God And they are called so 2dly with respect unto their End they are mortua because mortifera dead because deadly they procure death and end in death Sin when it is finished bringeth forth Death Jam. 1. 15. They proceed from death Spiritual and end in death Eternal On the same account are they called unfruitful works of Darkness Ephes. 5. 11. They proceed from a principle of Spiritual Darkness and end in Darkness Everlasting We may therefore know what was taught them concerning these dead works namely their Nature and their Merit And this includes the whole Doctrine of the Law with Conviction of sin thereby They were taught that they were sinners by Nature dead in sins and thence Children of wrath Ephes. 2. 1 2 3. That in that Estate the Law of God condemned both them and their works denouncing Death and Eternal destruction against them And in this sense with respect unto the Law of God these dead works do comprise their whole course in this world as they did their best as well as their worst But yet there is no doubt an especial respect unto those great outward Enormities which they lived in during their Judaisme even after the manner of the Gentiles For such the Apostle Peter writing unto these Hebrews describes their Conversation to have been 1 Pet. 3. 3. as we shewed before And from thence he describes what a blessed Deliverance they had by the Gospel 1 Pet 1. 18 20 21. And when he declares the Apostacy of some to their former courses he shews it to be like the returning of a Dog to his Vomit after they had escaped them that live in Error and the Pollutions that are in the world through Lust. 2 Pet. 2. 18 19 20 21 22. These were the works which Converts were taught to abandon and a Profession of Repentance for them was required of all before their Initiation into Christian Religion or they were received into the Church For it was not then as now that any one might be admitted into the Society of the Faithful and yet continue to live in open sins unrepented of Secondly That which is required and which they were taught with respect unto these Dead works is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance Repentance from dead works is the first thing required of them who take upon them the Profession of the Gospel and consequently the first Principle of the Doctrine of Christ as it is here placed by the Apostle Without this whatever is attempted or attained therein is only a Dishonour to Christ and a Disappointment unto men This is the method of Preaching confirmed by the Example and Command of Christ himself Repent and believe the Gospel Math. 4. 17. Mark 1. 15. And almost all the Sermons that we find not only of John the Baptist in a way of preparation for the declaration of the Gospel as Math. 3. 2. but of the Apostles also in pressing the actual Reception of it on the Jews and Gentiles laid this as their first Principle namely the Necessity of Repentance Acts 2. 38. Chap. 3. 19. Acts 14. 15. Thence in the Preaching of the Gospel it is said that God Commandeth all men to repent Acts 17. 30. And when the Gentiles had received the Gospel the Church at Hierusalem glorified God saying Then hath Grd also to the Gentiles granted Repentance unto Life Acts 11. 18. Again this is expressed as the first issue of Grace and Mercy from God towards men by Jesus Christ which is therefore first to be proposed unto them God exalted him and made him a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance unto Israel Acts 5. 31. And because it is the first it is put Synecdochically for the whole work of Gods Grace by Christ. God having raised up his Son Jesus hath sent him to bless you in turning every one of you from his Iniquities Acts 3. 26. It is therefore evident that this was the first Doctrinal principle as to their own Duty which was pressed on and fixed in the minds of men on their first Instruction in the Gospel And in the Testimonies produced both the Causes of it and its general Nature are expressed For 1 Its supream original Cause is the good Will Grace and Bounty of God He grants and
gives it to whom he pleaseth of his own good Pleasure Acts 11. 18. 2 It is immediately collated on the Souls of men by Jesus Christ as a fruit of his Death and an effect of that All Power in Heaven and Earth which was bestowed on Him by the Father He gives Repentance to Israel Acts 3. 31. The Soveraign disposal of it is from the Will of the Father and the actual Collation of it is an Effect of the Grace of the Son And 3 the Nature of it is expressed in the Conversion of the Gentiles It is unto Life Acts 11. 18. The Repentance required of men in the first Preaching of the Gospel and the Necessity whereof was pressed on them was unto Life that is such as had saving Conversion unto God accompanying of it This kind of Repentance is required unto our Initiation in the Gospel state Not an empty Profession of any kind of Repentance but real Conversion unto God is required of such persons But moreover we must consider this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Repentance in its own Nature at least in general that we may the better understand this first Principle of Catechetical Doctrine In this sense it respects 1 The Mind and Judgement 2 The Will and Affections And 3 The Life or Conversation of men 1. It respects the Mind and Judgement according to the Notation of the word which signifies a Change of Mind or an after Consideration and Judgement Men whilst they live in dead works under the Power of Sin do never make a right Judgement concerning either their Nature their Guilt or their End Hence are they so often called to remember and consider things aright to deal about them with the Reason of men and for want thereof are said to be Foolish Bruitish Sottish and to have no Understanding The Mind is practically deceived about them There are Degrees in this Deceit but all sinners are actually more or less deceived No men whilst the Natural Principle of Conscience remains in them can cast off all the Convictions of sin Rom. 2. 14 15. That it is the Judgement of God that those who commit such things are worthy of death Rom. 1. 32. But yet some there are who so far despise these Convictions as to give up themselves unto all sin with Delight and Greediness See Ephes. 4. 17 18 19. Practically they call Good Evil and Evil Good and do judge either that there is not that Evil in sin which is pretended or however that it is better to enjoy the Pleasures of it for a Season than to relinguish or forego it on other Considerations Others there are who have some farther sense of those Dead works In particular they judge them Evil but they are so intangled in them as that they see not the Greatness of that Evil nor do make such a Judgement concerning it as whereon a Reliquishment of them should necessarily ensue Unto these two heads in various Degrees may all Impenitent sinners be reduced They are such as despising their Convictions go on in an unbridled course of Licentiousness as not judging the Voyce Language and Mind of them worth enquiring into Others do in some measure attend unto them but yet practically they refuse them and embrace motives unto Sin turning the Scale on that side as Occasion Opportunities and Temptations do occur Wherefore the first thing in this Repentance is a through Change of the Mind and Judgement concerning these Dead works The Mind by the Light and Conviction of saving Truth determines clearly and steadily concerning the true Nature of Sin and its demerit that it is an Evil thing and bitter to have forsaken God thereby Casting on tall Prejudices laying aside all Pleas Excuses and Palliations it finally concludes Sin that is all and every Sin every thing that hath the Nature of Sin to be universally evil Evil in its Self Evil to the Sinner Evil in its present Effects and future Consequents Evil in every kind shamefully Evil incomparably Evil yea the only Evil or all that is Evil in the world And this Judgement it makes with respect unto the Nature and Law of God to its own Primitive and present depraved Condition unto present Duty and future Judgement This is the first thing required unto Repentance and where this is not there is nothing of it 2. It respects the Will and Affections It is our Turning unto God our turning from him being in the bent and inclination of our Wills and Affections unto Sin The Change of the Will or the taking away of the Will of sinning is the principal part of Repentance It is with respect unto our Wills that we are said to be dead in Sin and alienated from the Life of God And by this Change of the Will do we become dead unto Sin Rom. 6. 2. That is whatever remainder of Lust or Corruption there may be in us yet the Will of sinning is taken away And for the Affections it works that Change in the Soul as that quite contrary Affections shall be substituted and set at work with respect unto the same Object There are Pleasures in Sin and also it hath its wages With respect unto these those that live in dead works both delight in Sin and have complacency in the Accomplishment of it These are the Affections which the Soul exerciseth about Sin committed or to be committed Instead of them Repentance by which they are utterly banished sets at work Sorrow Grief Abhorrency Self detestation Revenge and the like Afflictive Passions of mind Nothing stirs but they affect the Soul with respect unto Sin 3. It respects the course of Life or Conversation It is a Repentance from dead works that is in the Relinquishment of them Without this no profession of Repentance is of any worth or use To profess a Repentance of Sin and to live in Sin is to mock God deride his Law and deceive our own Souls This is that Change which alone doth or can evidence the other internal Changes of the Mind Will and Affections to be real and sincere Prov. 28. 13. Whatever without this is pretended is false and Hypocritical like the Repentance of Judah not with the whole heart but feignedly Jerem. 3. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There was a lye in it for their works answered not their words Neither is there any mention of Repentance in the Scripture wherein this Change in an actual Relinquishment of dead works is not expresly required And hereunto three things are necessary 1 A full Purpose of Heart for the Relinquishment of every Sin This is cleaving unto the Lord with Purpose of Heart Acts 11. 23. Psal. 14. 3. To manifest the stability and stedfastness which is required herein David confirmed it with an Oath Psal. 119. 106. Every thing that will either live or thrive must have a Root on which it grows and whence it springs Other things may occasionally bud and put forth but they wither immediately And such is a Relinquishment of
signs of the like nature we may safely conclude that the end of all things is approaching 2. There is the Judge which is Jesus Christ. Originally and absolutely this is the Judgement of God of him who made the world And therefore is it often said that God shall judge the world Deut. 32. 35 36. Ecclesiast 12. 14. God the Judge of all Heb. 12. 23. But the actual Administration of it is committed unto Jesus Christ alone to be exercised visibly in his humane nature Rom. 14. 11. Dan. 7. 13. Matth. 16. 27. Chap. 19. 28. Joh. 5. 22. 27. Acts 17. 31. 2 Cor. 5. 10. 1 Thes. 4. 16. 2 Thes. 1. 7. and many other places And herein in the same individual person he shall act the properties of both his Natures For as he shall visibly and gloriously appear in his humane Nature exalted in the supream place of Judicature and invested with Soveraign Power and Authority over all Flesh Dan. 7. 13. Matth. 24. 30. 1 Thes. 4. 16. Rom. 14. 10. so he shall act the Power and Omniscience of his Deity in upholding the whole state of the Creation in Judgement and in the discovery of the hearts and comprehension of the words thoughts and actions of all the Children of men from the beginning of the world unto the end thereof And herein as all the holy Angels shall accompany him and attend upon him as Ministers Assistants and Witnesses unto his Righteous Judgements Mark 25. 31. Luke 9. 26. Jude 12. Dan. 7. 10. so also in the Judgement of fallen Angels and the reprobate world the Saints acquitted justified glorified in the first place shall concur with him in this Judgement by applauding his Righteousness and Holiness with their unanimous suffrage Isa. 3. 14. Matth. 19. 28. 1 Cor. 6. 2 3. For 3. As to the outward manner of this Judgement it shall be with solemnity and great glory 2 Thes. 11. 7 8 9 10. Jude 14 15. Dan. 7. 9. Rev. 20. 4 5. And this shall be partly for the demonstration of the Glory and Honour of Jesus Christ who hath been so despised reproached persecuted in the world and partly to fill the hearts of sinners with dread and terror as Rev. 6. 17 18 where this Judgement is represented And the Order of this Judgement will be that all the Elect shall first be acquitted and pronounced blessed For they join in with the Lord Christ in the Judgement of the world which they could not do if themselves were not first freed and exalted 2 The Devil and his Angels and that on three general heads 1. Of their original Apostasie 2. Of the death of Christ. 3. Of Persecution 3 The world of wicked men probably 1. Hypocrites in the Church 2. All others without For 4. The persons to be judged are 1 fallen Angels 1 Cor. 6. 3. 2 Pet. 2. 4. Jude 6. Matth. 25. 41. 2 All men universally without exception Isa. 45. 23. Rom. 14. 9 10. Matth. 25. 31. In especial 1 All the Godly all such as have believed and obeyed the Gospel shall be judged Luke 21. 36. Rom. 14. 12. 2 Tim. 4. 8. whether all their Sins shall be then called over and made known unto others seeing they are known to him who is more in himself and unto us than all the world besides I question 2 All the ungodly and impenitent sinners Deut. 32. 35. 2 Pet. 2. 3. Jude 15. 5. The Rule whereby all men shall be judged is the Law of their Obedience made known unto them As 1 The Gentiles before the coming of Christ shall be judged by the Law of Nature which all of them openly transgressed Rom. 2. 12 13 14. 2 The Jews of the same time by the Law and the Light into Redemption from Sin superadded thereunto that is by the Rule Doctrine Precepts and Promises of the Law and Prophets 3 The Gospel unto all men unto whom it hath been offered or preached Rom. 2. 16. The Rule of Judgement at the last day neither is nor shall be any other but what is preached every day in the dispensation of the Gospel No man shall be able to complain of a surprizal or pretend ignorance of the Law whereby he was to be judged The sentence of it is proposed unto them continually In the word of the Gospel is the Eternal condition of all the Sons of men positively determined and declared And all these things are at large insisted on by others Secondly The Evidence which God hath given concerning this future Judgement whereon the certainty of it as to us doth depend may also be considered And 1. God hath planted a presumption and sense of it on the minds and hearts of men by nature from whence it is absolutely and eternally inseparable Conscience is nothing but that judgement which men do make and which they cannot but make of their moral actions with reference unto the supream future Judgement of God Hence the Apostle treating of this future Judgement Rom. 2. 12. 16. diverts to shew what Evidence all mankind had in the mean time that such a Judgement there should be ver 14 15. And this he declares to consist in their own unavoidable thoughts concerning their own actions good or evil This in the mean while accused them and forced them to own a Judgement to come Yea this is the proper Language of Conscience unto sinners on all occasions And so effectual was this Evidence in the minds of the Heathen that they generally consented into a perswasion that by one or other some where or other a future Judgement would be exercised with respect unto things done in this world Fabulous inventions and traditions they mixed in abundance with this Conviction as Rom. 1. 21. but yet they made up the principal notions whereby a Reverence unto a Divine Being was preserved in their minds And those who were wise and sober among them thought it sufficient to brand a person as impious and wicked to deny an unseen judgement of mens actions out of this world wherewith Cato reproached Caesar in the business of Catilin This sense being that which keeps mankind within some tolerable bounds in Sin the Psalmist prays that it may be increased in them Psal. 19. 13. see Gen. 20. 11. 2. The working of Reason on the consideration of the state of all things in this world complies with the innate principles and dictates of Conscience in this testimony We suppose those concerning whom we treat do own the Being of God and his Providence in the government of the world Others deserve not the least of our consideration Now those who are under the power of that Acknowledgement and Perswasion must and do believe that God is infinitely Just and Righteous infinitely Wise and Holy and that he cannot otherwise be But yet when they come to consider how these Divine Properties are exerted in the providential government of the world which all Ages Persons and Places must of necessity be subject unto and disposed by they are at
not the Design of God always to keep the Church in a state of Non-age and under School-Masiers he had appointed to set it at Liberty in the fulness of time to take his Children nearer unto him to give them greater Evidences of his Love greater Assurances of the Eternal Inheritance and the use of more Liberty and Boldness in his Presence But what this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Gospel is wherein it doth consist what is included in it what freedom of Spirit what liberty of Speech what Right of Access and Boldness of Approach unto God Built upon the removal of the Law the communication of the Spirit the way made into the Holyest by the Blood of Christ with other concernments of it Constitutive of Gospel-perfection I have already in part declared in Our Exposition on Chap. 3. ver 5. and must if God please yet more largely insist upon it on Chap. 10th so that I shall not here further speak unto it 5. A clear fore-sight into a Blessed estate of Immortality and Glory with unquestionable Evidences and Pledges giving Assurance of it belongs also to this Consummation Death was Originally threatned as the final End and Issue of sin And the Evidence hereof was received under the Levitical Priesthood in the Curse of the Law There was indeed a Remedy provided against its Eternal Prevalency in the first Promise For whereas Death comprised all the Evil that was come or was to come on Man for Sin In the day thou eatest thereof thou soal die The Promise contained the means of deliverance from it or it was no Promise tendred no Relief unto Man in the state whereinto he was fallen But the People under the Law could see but little into the manner and way of its Accomplishment nor had they received any Pledge of it in any one that was dead and lived again so as to die no more Wherefore their Apprehensions of this deliverance were dark and attended with much fear which rendred them obnoxious unto Bondage See the Exposition on Chap. 2. 14. where we have declared the dreadful Apprehensions of the Jews concerning Death received by Tradition from their Fathers They could not look through the dark shades of Death into Light Immortality and Glory See the two-fold Spirit of the Old and New Testament with respect unto the Apprehensions of Death expressed the one Job 10. 21 22. the other 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3 4. But there is nothing more needful unto the perfect state of the Church Suppose it endowed with all possible Priviledges in this World yet if it have not a clear view and prospect with a Blessed assurance of Immortality and Glory after Death its condition will be dark and uncomfortable And as this could not be done without bringing in of another Priesthood so by that of Christs it is accomplished For 1. He himself died as our High Priest He entred into the devouring Jaws of Death and that as it was threatned in the Curse And now is the Trial to be made If he who thus ventured on Death as threatned in the Curse and that for us be swallowed up by it or detained by its Power and Pains there is a certain end of all our Hopes Whatever we may arrive unto in this World Death will convey us over into eternal Ruine But if he brake through its Power have the pains of it removed from him do swallow it up into Victory and rise Triumphantly into Immortality and Glory then is our entrance into them also even by and after Death secured And in the Resurrection of Christ the Church had the first unquestionable Evidence that Death might be Conquered that it and the Curse might be separated that there might be a free passage through it into Life and Immortality These things Originally and in the first Covenant were inconsistent nor was the Reconciliation of them evident under the Levitical Priesthood But hereby was the Veil rent from top to bottom and the most Holy place not made with hands laid open unto Believers See Isa. 25. 7 8. 2. As by his Death Resurrection and entrance into Glory He gave a Pledge Example and Evidence unto the Church of that in his own Person which he had designed for it so the Grounds of it were laid in the Expiatory Sacrifice which he Offered whereby he took away the Curse from Death There was such a close Conjunction between Death and the Curse such a Combination between Sin the Law and Death that the breaking of that Conjunction and the dissolving of that Combination was the greatest Effect of Divine Wisdom and Grace which our Apostle so Triumpheth in 1 Cor. 15. 54 55 56 57. This could no otherwise be brought about but by his being made a Curse in Death or bearing the Curse which was in Death in our stead Gal. 3. 13. 3. He hath clearly declared unto the utmost of our Capacities in this World that future state of Blessedness and Glory which he will lead all his Disciples into All the concernments hereof under the Levitical Priesthood were represented only under the obscure Types and Shadows of Earthly things But he hath abolished Death and brought Life and Immortality to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 10. He destroyed and abolished him who had the Power of Death in taking away the Curse from it Chap. 2. 14. And he abolished Death it self in the removal of those dark shades which it cast on Immortality and Eternal Life and hath opened an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God and Glory He hath unveiled the uncreated Beauties of the King of Glory and opened the Everlasting Doors to give an insight into those Mansions of Rest Peace and Blessedness which are prepared for Believers in the Everlasting Enjoyment of God And these things constitute no small part of that consummate state of the Church which God designed and which the Levitical Priesthood could no way effect 6 There is also an especial Joy belonging unto this state For this Kingdom of God is Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Neither was this attainable by the Levitical Priesthood Indeed many of the Saints of the Old Testament did greatly Rejoyce in the Lord and had the Joy of his Salvation abiding with them See Psal. 51. 12. Isa. 25. 9. Hab. 3. 17 18. But they had it not by virtue of the Levitical Priesthood Isaiah tells us that the ground of it was the swallowing up of Death in Victory ver 8. which was no otherwise to be done but by the Death and Resurrection of Christ. It was by an Influence of Efficacy from the Priesthood that was to be introduced that they had their Joy Whence Abraham saw the Day of Christ and Rejoyced to see it The Prospect of the Day of Christ was the sole Foundation of all their Spiritual Joy that was purely so But as unto their own present state they were allowed and called to Rejoyce in the abundance of Temporal things
made Gal. 3. 19. It had a manifold necessary respect unto Transgression As 1 to discover the nature of Sin that the Consciences of men might be made sensible thereof 2 To Coerce and Restrain it by its Prohibition and Threatnings that it might not run out into such an excess as to deluge the whole Church 3 To represent the way and means though obscurely whereby Sin might be expiated And these things were of so great use that the very being of the Church depended on them Secondly There was another Reason for it which he declares in the same place ver 23 24 It was to shut up men under a sense of the Guilt of Sin and so with some severity drive them out of themselves and from all expectation of a Righteousness by their own works that so they might be brought unto Christ first in the Promise and then as he was actually exhibited This brief Account of the weakness and unprofitableness of the Law whereon it was disanulled and taken away may at present suffice The Consideration of some other things in particular will afterwards occur unto us Only in our passage we may a little examine or reflect on the senses that some others have given unto these words Schlictingius in his Comment on the next verse gives this Account of the state of the Law Lex expiationem concedebat leviorum delictorum idque ratione poenae alicujus arbitrariae tantum gravioribus autem peccatis quibus mortis poenam fixerat nullam reliquer at veniam maledictionis fulmen vibrans in omnes qui graviùs peccássent But these things are neither accommodate unto the Purpose of the Apostle nor true in themselves For 1 The Law denounced the Curse equally unto every Transgression be it small or great Cursed is he who continueth not in all things 2 It expiated absolutely no Sin small nor great by its own power and efficacy neither did it properly take away any punishment temporal or eternal That some sins were punished with Death and some were not belonged unto the Politie of the Government erected among that People But 3 As unto the Expiation of Sin the Law had an equal respect unto all the Sins of Believers great and small it Typically represented the Expiation of them all in the Sacrifice of Christ and so confirmed their Faith as to the Forgiveness of Sin but farther it could not proceed And Grotius on the place Non perduxit homines ad justitiam illam veram internam sed intra ritus facta externa constitit Promissa terrestria non operantur mortis contemptum sed eum operatur melior spes vitae aeternae caelestis Which is thus enlarged by another The Mosaical Law got no man freedom from Sin was able to give no man strength to fulfill the Will of God and could not purchase Pardon for any that had broken it This therefore was to be done now afterwards by the Gospel which gives more sublime and plain Promises of pardon of Sin which the Law could not Promise of an Eternal and Heavenly Life to all true penitent Believers which gracious tenders now made by Christ give us a freedom of access unto God and Confidence to come and expect such mercy from him Ans. 1 What is here spoken if it intend the Law in it self and its carnal Ordinances without any respect unto the Lord Christ and his Mediation may in some sense be true For in it self it could neither Justifie nor Sanctifie the Worshippers nor spiritually or eternally expiate Sin But 2 Under the Law and by it there was a Dispensation of the Covenant of Grace which was accompanied with Promises of eternal life For it did not only repeat and re-inforce the Promise inseparably annexed unto the Law of Creation do this and live but it had also other Promises of Spiritual and eternal things annexed unto it as it contained a legal Dispensation of the first Promise or the Covenant of Grace But 3 The Opposition here made by the Apostle is not between the precepts of the Law and the precepts of the Gospel the Promises of the Law and the Promises of the Gospel outward Righteousness and inward Obedience but between the efficacy of the Law unto Righteousness and Salvation by the Priesthood and Sacrifices ordained therein on the one hand and the Priesthood of Christ with his Sacrifice which was promised before and now manifested in the Gospel on the other And herein he doth not only shew the Preference and Dignity of the latter above the former but also that the former of it self could do nothing unto these Ends but whereas they had represented the Accomplishment of them for a Season and so directed the Faith of the Church unto what was future that now being come and exhibited it was of no more use nor Advantage nor meet to be retained Thus then was the Law disanulled and it was so actually by the means before mentioned But that the Church might not be surprized there were many warnings given of it before it came to pass As 1 A Mark was put upon it from the very Beginning that it had not a Perpetuity in its Nature nor inseparably annexed unto it For it had no small presignification in it that immediately upon the giving of it as a Covenant with that People they brake the Covenant in making the Golden Calf in Horeb and thereon Moses brake the Tables of Stone wherein the Law was written Had God intended that this Law should have been perpetual he would not have suffered its first constitution to have been accompanied with an express Embleme of its disanulling 2 Moses expresly foretells that after the giving of the Law God would provoke them to jealously by a foolish People Deut. 32. 21. Rom. 10. 19. that is by the calling of the Gentiles whereon the Wall of Partition that was between them even the Law of Commandements contained in Ordinances was of necessity to be taken out of the way 3 The Prophets frequently declared that it was of it self utterly insufficient for the expiation of Sin or the Sanctification of Sinners and thereon preferred moral Obedience above all its Institutions whence it necessarily follows that seeing God did intend a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or state of Perfection for his Church that this Law was at last to be disanulled 4 All the Promises concerning the coming of Christ as the end of the Law did declare its station in the Church not to be perpetual especially that insisted on by our Apostle of his being a Priest after the Order of Melchisedec 5 The Promises and Predictions are express that a New Covcnant should be established with the Church unto the removal of the Old whereof we must treat in the next Chapter By all these ways was the Church of the Hebrews fòrewarned that the Time would come when the whole Mosaical Law as to its Legal or Covenant Efficacy should be disannulled unto the unspeakable Advantage of the Church
Wisdom and Holiness that having designed the bringing of many sons unto Glory he should make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings So the Condecency here intended may respect 1. The Wisdom Grace and Goodness of God It became him to give us such an High Priest as we stood in need of namely one that was able in the Discharge of that Office to save all to the uttermost that come unto God by him For to design our salvation by an High Priest and not to provide such an one as was every way able to effect it became not the Wisdom and Grace of God 2. Respect may be had herein unto our state and condition Such this was as none but such an High Priest could relieve us in or save us from For we stand in need of such an one as our Apostle declares as 1. could make Attonement for our sins or perfectly expiate them 2. Purge our Consciences from dead works that we might serve the living God or sanctifie us throughout by his Blood 3. Procure Acceptance with God for us or purchase eternal Redemption 4. Administer supplies of the spirit of Grace unto us to enable us to live unto God in all Duties of Faith Worship and Obedience 5. Give us assistance and consolation in our Trials Temptations and Sufferings with pity and compassion 6. Preserve us by Power from all ruining Sins and Dangers 7. Be in a continual Readiness to receive us in all our Addresses to him 8. To bestow upon us the Reward of Eternal Life Unless we have an High Priest that can do all these things for us we cannot be saved to the uttermost Such an High Priest we stood in need of and such an one it became the wisdom and Grace of God to give unto us And God in infinite wisdom Love and Grace gave us such an High Priest as in the Qualifications of his Person the Glory of his Condition and the Discharge of his Office was every way suited to deliver us from the state of Apostacy sin and misery and to bring us unto himself through a Perfect salvation This the ensuing particulars will fully manifest The Qualifications of this High Priest are expressed first indefinitely in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Difference from other High Priests is included herein He must not be one of an Ordinary sort but one so singularly qualified unto his work so exalted after his work and so discharging his work unto such Ends. In all these things we stood in need of such an High Priest as was quite of another sort order and kind than any the Church had enjoyed under the Law as the Apostle expresly concludes ver 28. His Personal inherent Qualifications are first expressed and we shall consider first some things in general that are common unto them all and then declare the especial intendment of every one of them in particular Such an High Priest became us as is Holy Harmless Undefiled Separate from sinners And 1. There is some Allusion in all these things unto what was Typically represented in the Institution of the Office of the Priesthood under the Law For the High Priest was to be a Person without blemish not maimed in any part of his body He was not to marry any one that was defiled nor to defile himself among the People On his forehead in his ministrations he ware a Plate of Gold with that Inscription Holiness to the Lord. And no doubt but Personal Holiness was required of him in an especial manner for want whereof God cast out the Posterity of Eli from the Priesthood But all those things were only outward Representations of what was really required unto such an High Priest as the Church stood in need of For they were mostly external giving a Denomination unto the Subject but working no real change in it And where they were internal they were encompassed with such a mixture of sins weaknesses infirmities and the Intercision of Death as that they had no Glory in comparison of what was required All these things the Apostle observes reducing them unto two Heads namely that they were obnoxious unto Sin and Death and therefore as they died so they offered sacrifices for their own sins But the Church was taught by them from the Beginning that it stood in need of an High Priest whose real Qualifications should answer all these Types and Representations of them 2. It is possible that our Apostle in this Description of our High Priest designed to obviate the prejudicate opinion of some of the Hebrews concerning their Messiah For generally they looked on him as one that was to be a great earthly Prince and warriour that should conquer many Nations and subdue all their enemies with the sword shedding the blood of men in Abundance In opposition unto this vain and pernicious Imagination our Saviour testifies unto them that he came not to kill but to save and keep alive And our Apostle here gives such a Description of him in these holy gracious Qualifications as might attest his Person and work to be quite of another nature than what they desired and expected And their frustration herein was the principal occasion of their unbelief See Mal. 3. 1 2 3. 3. I am sorry that it hath fallen from the Pen of an able Expositor of our own on this place that the Time when the Lord Christ was thus made an High Priest for ever and that by an Oath was after he had offered one sacrifice not many for the People not for himself once not often of everlasting vertue and not effectual for some petty Expiations for a time and after he was risen ascended and set at the right hand of God If by being made an High Priest only a Solemn Declaration of being made so is intended these things may passe well enough For we allow that in the Scripture then a thing is oft-times said to be when it is first manifested or declared So was the Lord Christ determined to be the son of God with Power by the Resurrection from the dead But if it be intended as the words will scarce admit of any other Interpretation that then the Lord Christ was first made an High Priest after all this was performed the whole real Priesthood of Christ and his proper Sacrifice is overthrown For it is said he was not made an High Priest until after that he had offered his one sacrifice And if it were so then he was not a Priest when he so offered himself But this implies a contradiction for there can be no sacrifice where there is no Priest And therefore the Socinians who make the consecration of the Lord Christ unto his Sacerdotal Office to be by his entrance into Heaven do utterly deny his Death to have been a Sacrifice but only a Preparation for it as they fancy the killing of the beast to have been of old And the Truth is either the Lord Christ was a Priest before and in the
the plural number and that was but one yet because of the Repetition of it it being offered year by year continually as he speaks Chap. 10. 1. it may be signifyed hereby And those sacrifices were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in answer unto them our Lord Jesus Christ offered himself a sacrifice for sin And this is expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for sin only without the mention of sacrifice Rom. 8. 3 For because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies both the sin and the sacrifice for it as the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies in one conjugation to sin and in another to expiate sin the sacrifices it self is expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For sin 6. The order of these sacrifices is expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first and then First for his own sins and then for those of the People Either the whole Discharge of the office of the High Priests may be intended in this order or that which was peculiar unto the Feast of Expiation For he was in general to take care in the first place about offering for his own sins according to the Law Levit. 4 For if that were not done in due order if their own legal Guilt were not expiated in its proper season according to the Law they were no way meet to offer for the sins of the Congregation yea they exposed themselves unto the penalty of Excision And this order was necessary seeing the Law appointed men to be Priests who had infirmities of their own as is expressed in the next verse Or the order intended may respect in an especial manner the form and process prescribed in the solemn Anniversary sacrifice at the least of Expiation Levit. 16. First he was to offer a Sin-offering for himself and his house and then for the People both on the same day 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for his own sins And this upon a double Account First because he was really a sinner as the rest of the People were If he do sin according to the sin of the People Levit. 4. 3. Secondly That upon the expiation of his own sins in the first place he might be the more meet to represent him who had no sin And therefore he was not to offer for himself in the offering that he made for the People but stood therein as a sinless Person as our High Priest was really to be 2. For the sins of the People 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is for the whole congregation of Israel according to the Law Levit. 16. 21. This was the Duty the order and method of the High Priests of old in their offerings and sacred services This their weaknesses Infirmities and Sins as also the Sacrifices which they offered did require All that could be learned from it was that some more excellent Priest and Sacrifice was to be introduced For no Perfection no Consummation in divine Favour no settled Peace of Conscience could in this way be obtained all things openly declared that so they could not be And hence have we an Evidence of what is affirmed Joh. 1. 17. The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. And the Priviledge or Advancement of the Church in its Deliverance from those various multiplyed obscure means of Instruction into the glorious light of the way and causes of our Adoption Justification and Salvation is inexpressibly great and full of Grace No longer are we now obliged unto a rigid observance of those things which did not effect what they did represent An encrease in thankfulness fruitfulness and holiness cannot but be expected from us These are the things that are here denied of our High Priest He had no need to offer Sacrifice in this way order and method The offering of Sacrifice is not denied that is Sacrifice for the sins of the People yea it is positively asserted in the next words but that he offered dayly many sacrifices or any for himself or had need so to do this is denied by the Apostle That alone which he did is asserted in the remaining words of the verse For this he did once when he offered himself And two things are in the words 1 What he did in general 2 In particular how he did it For the first it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This he did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 refers only unto one clause of the Antecedent namely offering for the sins of the People This he did once when he offered himself for himself he did not offer But contrary unto the sense of the whole Church of God contrary to the Analogie of Faith and with no small Danger in the expression Socinus first affirmed that the Lord Christ offered also for himself or his own sins And he is followed herein by those of his own Sect as Schlinctingius on this Place and so he is also by Grotius and Hammond which is the Chanel whereby many of his Notions and Conceptions are derived unto us It is true that both he and they do acknowledge that the Lord Christ had no sins of his own properly so called that is Transgressions of the Law but his Infirmities say some of them whereby he was exposed unto Death his sufferings say others are called his sins But nothing can be more abhorrent from Truth and Piety than this Assertion For 1. If this be so then the Apostle expresly in terms affirms that Christ offered for his own sins and that distinctly from the sins of the People And from this Blasphemy we are left to relieve our selves by an Interpretation that the Scripture no where gives countenance unto namely that by sins infirmities or miseries are intended It is true that Infirmity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth sometimes signify sin or obnoxiousness unto sin but sin doth no where signify natural infirmities but moral evils always It is true Christ was made sin but where it is said so it is also added that it was for us and to take off all Apprehensions of any thing in him that might be so called that he knew no sin He was made sin for us when he offered for the sins of the People And other distinct offering for himself he offered none And therefore in sundry places where mention is made of his offering himself it is still observed that he did no sin but was as a Lamb without spot and without blemish Let therefore men put what Interpretation they please on their own words for they are not the words of the Apostle that Christ offered himself for his own sins the language is and must be offensive unto every Holy Heart and hath an open appearance of express contradiction unto many other Testimonies of the Scripture 2 The sole Reason pretended to give countenance unto this absurd Assertion is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This must answer to the whole preceding proposition which is its Antecedent Now therein is mention of the
Priests offering first for their own sins then for the sins of the People and this it is said Christ did that is he offered first for his own sins and then for the People But to answer the whole Antecedent in both parts of it it is indispensably necessary that he must as they did offer two distinct offerings one namely the First for himself and the other or then for the People For so did they so were they obliged to do by the Law and other offerings for themselves and the People in any other order or method there never was nor could be But this is expresly contradictory unto what is here affirmed of the Lord Christ and his offering namely that he offered himself once only and if but once he could not offer first for himself then for the People Nor at all for himself and them in the same offering which the High Priests themselves could not do 3. This Insinuation not only enervates but is contradictory unto the principal Design of the Apostle in the verse foregoing and in that which follows For ver 26. He on purpose describes our High Priest by such Properties and Qualifications as might evidence him to have no need to offer for his own sins as those other Priests had For from this consideration that he was holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners the Apostle makes this Inference that he needed not to offer for himself as those High Priests did But according unto this interpretation no such thing ensues thereon but notwithstanding all those Qualifications he had need to offer for his own sins And ver 28. the Difference he puts between him and them is this that they were men Subject to infirmities but he is the Son consecrated for ever which apparently exempts him from any necessity of offering for himself For as is apparent from the Antithesis he was not subject unto any of those infirmities which made it necessary unto them to offer for themselves Wherefore the whole design of the Apostle in these verses is utterly perverted and overthrown by this Interpretation 4. When those priests offered for their own sins their sins were of the same nature with the sins of the People If the Priest that is anointed shall sin after the manner of the People Levit. 4. 3. If therefore this be to be repeated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this he did when he offered for his own sins and of the People sins being only expressed in the first place and understood in the later sins properly so called must be intended which is the height of Blasphemy 5. If the Lord Christ offered for himself or his own Infirmities then those Infirmities were such as were Obstructions and hinderances unto his offering for others for that is the only Reason why he should offer for their removal or taking away But this is so far otherwise as that indeed he was obnoxious unto no Infirmity but what was necessary that he might be a meet High Priest and Sacrifice for us For so was every thing that is inseparable from humane nature which is utterly destructive of this Figment 6. This Imagination will admit of no tolerable sense in its Exposition or Application For how can we conceive that the Lord Christ offered for his own infirmities that is his sorrows sufferings and obnoxiousness unto death It must be by his sufferings and death for in and by them he offered himself unto God But this is absurd and foolish By his suffering he offered for his sufferings What he offered for he took away as he did the sins of the People But his own sorrows and sufferings he took not away but underwent them all 7. It is contradictory unto the principal Maxim of the Socinians with respect unto the Priesthood of Christ. For they maintain that his one perfect offering or Expiatory Sacrifice was in Heaven only and not on the earth But he could not at his Appearance in the Holy place offer for his own infirmities and miseries for they were all past and finished himself being exalted in Immortality and Glory These things are sufficient to repress the vanity of this Figment But because there is no small danger in the proposal that hath been made of it I shall briefly examine what Reasons its Authors and Promoters do produce to give countenance unto it Thus proceeds and argues Crellius or Schlictingius on the place Peccata preprie dicta id est divinar am legnm transgressiones cum in Christo locum non habeant ullum 1 Necesse est ut in voce peccatorum sit improprietas significenturque Christi infirmitates perpessiones 2 Qua de re jam egimus cap. 5. ver 2. 3. 3 Sic vidimus istarum infirmitatum perpessionum contraria Sanctitatis innocentiae nomine paulo ante versu superiore describi qui duo versiculi mutuo se illustrant seipsum offerens 4 Docet quando Christus pro se obtulerit preces nimirum supplicationes ut cap. 5. ver 7. vidimus tunc nempe cum in eo esset ut seipsum deo offerret cum sese ad oblationem sui ipsius accingeret hoc est cum tanquam victima mactaretur 5 Oblatio enim Christi sic hoc loco extendenda est ut mortem ipsius tanquam necessarium antecedens quoddam veluti initium complectatur 6 Cum vero hic versiculus ex superiori commate pendeat inferatur vel hinc apparet non agi isthic de moribus sed de natura deque felici statu ac conditione nostri Pontificis Nec enim ideo Christus opus non habet amplius pro se offerre quod Sanctus sit inculpatus ratione morum seu actionum suarum cum semper talis fuerit sed quod in perpetunm ab omnibus malis afflictionibus sit liberatus I have transcribed his words at large because what is offered by others unto the same Purpose is all included in them But the whole of it will be easily removed For 1. The Impropriety of speech pretended that sins should be put for Infirmities is that which the use of the Scripture will give no countenance unto It is only feigned by these men at their pleasure Let them if they can produce any one place where by sins not moral evils but natural infirmities are intended But by feigning Improprieties of speech at our pleasure we may wrest and pervert the Scripture even also as we please 2. Of the Infirmities of the Humane Nature of Christ which were necessary that he might be a Sacrifice and usefull unto his being a Priest we have also treated in the place quoted chap. 5. 2 3. Whereunto the Reader is referred 3. Not the contrary unto these Infirmities but the contrary unto sin Original and Actual is intended by Holiness and Innocency in the verse foregoing as hath been proved in the Exposition of that verse whereunto the Reader is referred 4. The Lord Christ offered up prayers and supplications
unto God when he offered himself not to expiate his own infirmities by his offering but that he might be carried through and supported in his Oblation which he offered for the sins of the People and had success therein See the exposition on chap. 5. 7. 5. He is more kind than ordinary in extending the Oblation of Christ unto his death also But he recalls his grant affirming that he did only prepare himself for his offering thereby And this also casts his whole Exposition into much confusion Christ offered himself once saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 once and at one time This I suppose is agreed Then he offered for himself and his own sins or not at all For he offered but once and at one time Where then did he thus offer himself and when In Heaven upon his Ascension say the Socinians with one accord Where then and when did he offer for himself On the earth Then he offered himself twice No by no means he offered not himself on the Earth how then did he offer for himself on the earth He did not indeed offer himself on the Earth but he prepared himself for his offering on the Earth and therein he offered for himself that is he did and he did not offer himself upon the earth For they cannot evade by saying that he did it when he offered up prayers on the Earth For the Apostle says expresly in this place that what he did he did it when he offered himself And it must be by such an offering as answered the offering of the high Priest for himself which was bloody 6. The close of his Discourse whereby he would prove the Truth of his Exposition of the verse foregoing from his Interpretation of this is absurd as that which would give countenance unto an evident falsehood from what is more evidently so Grotius adds little unto what Schlictingius offers in this case Only he tells us that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken for those griefs which are commonly the punishment of sin Rom. 6. 10. But it is a mistake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that place signifies nothing but the Guilt of Sin which Christ died to expiate and take away He died once for sin that is he suffered once for sin He says moreover that profluvium mulierum is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Levit. 12. 8. 15. 13. as also is the leprosie chap. 14. 13. But herein also he is mistaken both the one and the other subject unto those defiling Distempers were appointed to offer a sin-offering for those sins which those Defilements were tokens of and the sin of Nature which they proceed from Again he says that Christ in his offering was freed from those infirmities and miseries per mortem acceleratam But his death was not hasted one moment until all was finished nor did he offer for the hastening of his Death And his ensuing words are most ambiguous Christ offered pro doloribus istis qui solent peccatorum poenae esse quos Christus occasione etiam peccatorum humani generis toleravit If the sorrows intended were not true punishments of sin they could not be offered for And what sorrows Christ underwent so far as they were penal he offered for them when he offered for the sins of the People and not otherwise But those which are called his own sins must be every way distinct from the sins of the People and have no Relation unto them as the sins of the High Priests of old had not Wherefore if by the occasion of the sins of men he intend that his Sufferings and Griefs were for the sins of men then he offered for them when he offered for the sins of the People when he bare our sins and sorrows and had no need to offer distinctly for them as his own And if it were a sorrow that was not for sin it cannot be called Sin Christs sufferings on the occasion of the sins of mankind is well understood by those who are any way skilled in the Socinian Mysteries Hammond says the same He both saith he offered for himself that is made expiation as it were not to deliver himself from sin for he was never guilty of any but from the infirmities assumed by him but especially from death it self and so is now never likely to dye and to determine his Melchisedecian Priesthood Ans. 1 To make expiation as it were from the infirmities assumed by him or to be delivered from them is hard to be understood 2 Much more is it how by death wherein he offered himself he should make expiation to be delivered from death it self 3 And it is as hard to say that Christ offered for himself once by death that he might dye no more seeing it is appointed unto all men only once to dye I have digressed thus far to crush this novel Invention which as it is untrue and alien from the sense of the Apostle so it hath in the expression of it an ungrateful sound of Impiety But I expect not so much Sobriety as that considering the means of its conveyance unto the minds of men at present it should not be vented again until what hath been here pleaded in its confutation be answered At present I shall proceed with the Exposition of the remainder of the words How and what Christ offered for the sins of the People is declared in the words remaining 1. For the way or manner of it He did it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Once only This is directly opposed unto the frequency of the legal Sacrifices repeated daily as there was occasion Those High Priests offered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daily on all occasions He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Once only And I cannot but observe by the way that this Assertion of the Apostle is no less absolutely exclusive of the Missatical Sacrifices of the Priests of the Roman Church than it is of the Levitical Sacrifices of the High Priest of the Church of the Jews Their Expositors on this place do generally affirm in plea for their Church that they offer it not to make expiation of sins but only to represent and make application of the one Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. But in their Mass it self they speak otherwise and expresly offer it to God a Sacrifice for the sins of the living and the dead Neither yet do we enquire unto what End they do what they do and this is all they say that they offer the same sacrifice that Christ did that is himself And this they do a thousand times more frequently than the Expiatory Sacrifices were among the Jews Neither were their Sacrifices offered properly by Gods Appointment to make Attonement for Sin by their own vertue and Efficacy but only to be a Representation and Application of the Sacrifice of Christ to come Whatever ends they therefore fancy unto themselves by pretending to offer the same sacrifice that Christ did they contradict the words of the Apostle and wholly
them during the whole time of their Priesthood The first were their Sins hence they were obliged continually to offer sacrifice for their own sins and that to the very last day of their Lives The summe and issue of their natural weaknesse was death it self This seized on every one of them so as to put an Everlasting end unto their sacerdotal Administrations But wherefore did the Law make such Priests men meer men that had infirmity subject to sin and death so as to put an end unto their Office The Reason is because it could neither find any better nor make them any better whom it found in that condition The Law must be content with such as were to be had and in it self it had no power to make them better In opposition hereunto it is said the Word of the Oath made the Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consecrated for ever What was the consecration of the Lord Christ unto his Office and wherein it did consist I have before at large declared That which the Apostle intends here in an especial manner is his absolute freedom from the infirmities which those other Priests were obnoxious unto namely such Infirmities in the first place as with respect whereunto sacrifice was to be offered unto God that is their own sins And the Apostle here opposing the Consecration of Christ unto their having Infirmities sheweth sufficiently that he intended not to insinuate that he offered for any infirmities of his own seeing he is wholly different from them and opposed unto them who had such infirmities And if he had offered for his own infirmities the Apostle could not have objected it as the weaknesse of the Law that it made Priests which had infirmity for in that sense the Word of the Oath should have done so also But whereas his Exaltation into Heaven for the discharge of the remaining Duties of his Priesthood in his Intercession for the Church belonged unto the perfection of his Consecration he was therein also freed from all those natural Infirmities which were necessary unto him that he might be a sacrifice The ensuing Observations offer themselves unto us 1. There never was nor never can be any more than two sorts of Priests in the Church the one made by the Law the other by the Oath of God Wherefore 2. As the bringing in of the Priesthood of Christ after the Law and the Priesthood constituted thereby did abrogate and disanul it so the bringing in of another Priesthood after his will abrogate and disanul that also And therefore 3. Plurality of Priests under the Gospel overthrows the whole Argument of the Apostle in this place and if we have yet Priests that have infirmities they are made by the Law and not by the Gospel 4. The summe of the Difference between the Law and the Gospel is issued in the Difference between the Priests of the one and the other state which is inconceivable 5. The great Foundation of our Faith and the hinge whereon all our consolation depends is this that our High Priest is the Son of God 6. The Everlasting continuance of the Lord Christ in his Office is secured by the Oath of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 AN EXPOSITION OF THE Eighth Chapter OF THE EPISTLE OF THE HEBREWS CHAP. VIII There are Two General Parts of this Chapter I. A Father Explication of the Excellency of the Priesthood of Christ or of Christ himself as vested with that Office that is both in his Personal Glory and in the usefulness of his Office unto the Church above those of the Order of Aaron II. A further confirmation hereof wherein is introduced the consideration of the two Covenants the Old and the New For unto the former was the whole Administration of the Levitical Priests confined Of the latter Christ as our High Priest was the Mediator and Surety And therefore the Apostle fully proves the excellency of this New Covenant above the Old which redounds unto the Glory of its Mediator The First part is contained in the first five verses the latter extends from thence to the end of the Chapter In the first Part two things are designed 1. A Recapitulation of some things before delivered 2. The Addition of some farther Arguments in the confirmation of the same Truth so long before insisted on Both of them he comprizeth in three instances of the excellency of Christ in his Priesthood or in the Discharge of his Office 1. In his Exaltation and the Place of his present Residence ver 1. 2. In the Sanctuary whereof he is a Minister and the Tabernacle wherein at present he doth administer ver 2. 3. In the Sacrifice he had to offer or which he offered before his entrance into that Sanctuary ver 3. which he illustrates by two especial considerations ver 4 5. VER 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 caput vul Capitulum Summa Beza Caeterum eorum quae diximus haec summa est Moreover this is the Sum of what we speak Summatim autem dicendo to speak briefly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all these things the Head Chief or Principal of all these things vul Super ea quae dicuntur Rhem. the Sum concerning these things which be said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. We have an High Priest he who sitteth omitting this word or including it in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is ille 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vul magnitudinis which the Rhemists render by Majesty and retain Sedis for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza Majestatis illius or Throni virtutis magnificandi VER 1. Now of the things that are spoken this is the sum We have such an High Priest who is set on the right hand of the Throne of the majesty in the Heavens This first Verse contains two things 1 A Preface unto that Part of the ensuing Discourse which immediately concerns the Priesthood of Christ unto the end of ver 5. 2 A Declaration of the first Preheminence of our High Priest which the Apostle would have us in an especial manner to consider The Preface is in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may be considered either as unto its Design in general or as unto the Sense of the words I. The Design of the Apostle in this Interlocution which is not unusual with him is to stir up the Hebrews unto a diligent consideration of what he insisted on and to leave an impression of it on their minds And this he doth for two Reasons 1. Least the Length and Difficulty of his preceding Discourse should have any way discomposed their minds or wearied them in their Attention so as that they could not well retain the substance of what he pleaded In such cases it was always usual with them who pleaded important Causes before the wisest Judges to recapitulate what had been spoken at length before and to shew what hath been evinced by the Arguments they
of Duty and Obedience we are told in the Scripture and find it by experience that of our selves we can do nothing Wherefore unless the Precept of the Covenant be founded in a Promise of giving grace and spiritual strength unto us whereby we may be enabled to perform those duties the Covenant can be of no benefit or advantage unto us And the want of this one consideration that every Covenant is founded in Promises and that the Promises give life unto the Precepts of it hath perverted the minds of many to suppose an ability in our selves of yielding Obedience unto those Precepts without Grace antecedently received to enable us thereunto which overthrows the nature of the New Covenant 2 As was observed we are all actually guilty of sin before this Covenant was made with us Wherefore unless there be a Promise given of the pardon of sin it is to no purpose to propose any new Covenant terms unto us For the wages of sin is death and we having sinned must die whatever we do afterwards unless our sins be pardoned This therefore must be proposed unto us as the foundation of the Covenant or it will be of none effect And herein lies the great difference between the Promises of the Covenant of Works and those of the Covenant of Grace The first were only concerning things future eternal Life and Blessedness upon the accomplishment of perfect Obedience Promises of present Mercy and Pardon it stood in need of none it was not capable of Nor had it any Promises of giving more Grace or supplies of it but man was wholly left unto what he had at first received Hence the Covenant was broken But in the Covenant of Grace all things are founded in Promises of present Mercy and continual supplies of Grace as well as of future Blessedness Hence it becomes to be ordered in all things and sure And this is the first thing that was to be declared namely that every Divine Covenant is established on Promises 2. These Promises are said to be better Promises The other Covenant had its Promises peculiar unto it with respect whereunto this is said to be established on better Promises It was indeed principally represented under a System of Precepts and those almost innumerable But it had its Promises also into the nature whereof we shall immediately enquire With respect therefore unto them is the New Covenant whereof the Lord Christ was the Mediator said to be established on better Promises That it should be founded in Promises was necessary from its general nature as a Covenant and more necessary from its especial nature as a Covenant of Grace That these Promises are said to be better Promises respects those of the Old Covenant But this is so said as to include all other degrees of comparison They are not only better than they but they are positively good in themselves and absolutely the best that God ever gave or will give unto the Church And what they are we must consider in our Progress And sundry things may be observed from these words 1. There is infinite Grace in every Divine Covenant inasmuch as it is established on Promises Infinite condescension it is in God that he will enter into Covenant with dust and ashes with poor Worms of the earth And herein lies the Spring of all Grace from whence all the streams of it do flow And the first expression of it is in laying the foundation of it in some undeserved Promises And this was that which became the Goodness and Greatness of his Nature the means whereby we are wrought to adhere unto him in Faith Hope Trust and Obedience until we come unto the enjoyment of him For that is the use of Promises to keep us in adherence unto God as the first Original and Spring of all Goodness and the ultimate satisfactory reward of our Souls 2 Cor. 7. 1. 2. The Promises of the Covenant of Grace are better than those of any other Covenant as for many other Reasons so especially because the grace of them prevents any condition or qualification on our part I do not say the Covenant of Grace is absolute without conditions if by conditions we intend the duties of Obedience which God requireth of us in and by vertue of that Covenant But this I say the principal Promises thereof are not in the first place remunerative of our Obedience in the Covenant but efficaciously assumptive of us into Covenant and establishing or confirming in the Covenant The Covenant of Works had its Promises but they were all remunerative respecting an antecedent Obedience in us so were all those which were peculiar unto the Covenant of Sinai They were indeed also of Grace in that the Reward did infinitely exceed the merit of our Obedience But yet they all supposed it and the Subject of them was formally Reward only In the Covenant of Grace it is not so For sundry of the Promises thereof are the means of our being taken into Covenant of our entring into Covenant with God The first Covenant absolutely was established on Promises in that when men were actually taken into it they were encouraged unto Obedience by the Promises of a future Reward But these Promises namely of the pardon of sin and writing of the Law in our hearts which the Apostle expresly insisteth upon as the peculiar Promises of this Covenant do take place and are effectual antecedently unto our Covenant Obedience For although Faith be required in order of nature antecedently unto our actual receiving of the pardon of sin yet is that Faith itself wrought in us by the Grace of the Promise and so its precedency unto pardon respects only the Order that God hath appointed in the communication of the benefits of the Covenant and intends not that the pardon of sin is the reward of our Faith This entrance hath the Apostle made into his Discourse of the two Covenants which he continues unto the end of the Chapter But the whole is not without its difficulties Many things in particular will occur unto us in our progress which may be considered in their proper places In the mean time there are some things in general which may be here discoursed by whose determination much light will be communicated unto what doth ensue First therefore the Apostle doth evidently in this place dispute concerning two Covenants or two Testaments comparing the one with the other and declaring the disannulling of the one by the introduction and establishment of the other What are these two Covenants in general we have declared namely that made with the Church of Israel at Mount Sinai and that made with us in the Gospel not as absolutely the Covenant of Grace but as actually established in the death of Christ with all the worship that belongs unto it Here then ariseth a difference of no small importance namely whether these are indeed two distinct Covenants as to the essence and substance of them or only different ways of the
that he did not do it by the blood of Goats and Calves and this is introduced with the disjunctive negative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither which refers unto what was before denied of him as unto his entrance into the Tabernacle made with hands He did not do so neither did he make his entrance by the blood of Calves and Goats A difference from and opposition unto the entrance of the High Priest annually into the Holy Place is intended It must therefore be considered how he so entred This entrance is at large described Lev. 16. And 1 It was by the blood of a Bullock and a Goat which the Apostle here renders in the plural number Calves and Goats because of the annual repetition of the same Sacrifice 2 The order of the Institution was that first the Bullock or Calf was offered then the Goat the one for the Priest the other for the People This order belonging not at all unto the purpose of the Apostle he expresseth it otherwise Goats and Calves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Goat a word that expresseth Totum genus Caprinum that whole kind of Creature be it young or old So the Goats of his offering were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kids ver 5. that is young He-Goats for the precise time of their age is not determined So the Bullock the Priest offered for himself was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 juvencus ex genere bovino which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it expresseth genus vitulinum all young Cattel Concerning these it is intimated in this negative as unto Christ that the High Priest entred into the Holy Place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by their blood which we must enquire into Two things belonged unto the office of the High Priest with respect unto this blood For 1 He was to offer the blood both of the Bullock and the Goat at the Altar for a sin-offering Lev. 16. 6 11. For it was the blood wherewith alone Atonement was to be made for sin and that at the Altar Lev. 17. 11. so far is it from truth that expiation for sin was made only in the Holy Place and that it is so by Christ without blood as the Socinians imagine 2 He was to carry some of the blood of the Sacrifice into the Sanctuary to sprinkle it there to make Atonement for the Holy Place in the sense before declared And the enquiry is which of these the Apostle hath respect unto Some say it is the latter and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by for with He entred with the blood of Goats and Calves namely that which he carried with him into the Holy Place So plead the Socinians and those that follow them with design to overthrow the Sacrifice which Christ offered in his Death and bloodsheding confining the whole expiation of sin in their sense of it unto what is done in Heaven But I have before disproved this surmise And the Apostle is so far from using the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 improperly for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so to frame a comparison between things wherein indeed there was no similitude as they dream that he useth it on purpose to exclude the sense which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with would intimate For he doth not declare with what the High Priest entred into the Holy Place for he entred with Incense as well as with blood but what it was by vertue whereof he so entred as to be accepted with God So it is expresly directed Lev. 16. 2 3. Speak unto Aaron that he come not at all times into the Holy Place with a young Bullock for a sin-offering and a Ram for a burnt-offering shall he come Aaron was not to bring the Bullock into the Holy Place but he had Right to enter into it by the Sacrifice of it at the Altar Thus therefore the High Priest entred into the Holy Place by the blood of Goats and Calves namely by vertue of the Sacrifice of their blood which he had offered without at the Altar And so all things do exactly correspond between the Type and the Antitype For 2. It is affirmed positively of him that he entred by his own blood and that in opposition unto the other way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but by his own blood It is a vain speculation contrary to the Analogie of faith and destructive of the true nature of the oblation of Christ and inconsistent with the dignity of his Person that he should carry with him into Heaven a part of that material blood which was shed for us on the earth This some have invented to maintain a comparison in that wherein is none intended The design of the Apostle is only to declare by vertue of what he entred as a Priest into the Holy Place And this was by vertue of his own blood when it was shed when he offered himself unto God This was that which laid the foundation of and gave him right unto the administration of his Priestly office in Heaven And hereby were all those good things procured which he effectually communicates unto us in and by that Administration This Exposition is the Center of all Gospel-Mysteries the object of the Admiration of Angels and Men unto all eternity What heart can conceive what tongue can express the Wisdom Grace and Love that is contained therein This alone is the stable foundation of faith in our access unto God Two things present themselves unto us 1. The unspeakable Love of Christ in offering himself and his own blood for us See Gal. 2. 20. Rev. 1. 5. 1 Ioh. 3. 16. Ephes. 5. 26 27. There being no other way whereby our sins might be purged and expiated chap. 10. 5 6 7. out of his infinite Love and Grace he condescended unto this way whereby God might be glorified and his Church sanctified and saved It were well if we did always consider aright what Love what Thankfulness what Obedience are due unto him on the account hereof 2. The Excellency and Efficacy of his Sacrifice is hereby demonstrated that through him our faith and hope may be in God He who offered this Sacrifice was the onely begotten of the Father the Eternal Son of God That which he offered was his own Blood God purchased his Church with his own Blood Acts 20. 28. How unquestionable how perfect must the Atonement be that was thus made how glorious the Redemption that was procured thereby This is that which the Apostle mentions in the close of this Verse as the effect of his Blood-shedding Having obtained eternal Redemption The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is variously rendered as we have seen The Vulgar Latin reads Redemptione aeterna inventa And those that follow it do say that things rare and so sought after are said to be found And Chrysost. inclines unto that Notion of the word But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
nor was there any constraint on Christ but he offered himself willingly through the eternal Spirit 2 She was to be had forth without the Camp ver 3. which the Apostle alludes unto Chap. 13. 11. representing Christ going out of the City unto his Suffering and Oblation 3 One did slay her before the face of the Priest and not the Priest himself So the hands of others Iews and Gentiles were used in the slaying of our Sacrifice 4 The Blood of the Heifer being slain was sprinkled by the Priest seven times directly before the Tabernacle of the Congregation ver 4. So is the whole Church purified by the sprinkling of the Blood of Christ. 5 The whole Heifer was to be burned in the sight of the Priest ver 5. So was whole Christ Soul and Body offered up to God in the fire of love kindled in him by the eternal Spirit 6 Cedar wood Hysop and Scarlet were to be cast into the midst of the burning of the Heifer ver 6. which were all used by God's Institution in the purification of the unclean or the sanctification and dedication of any thing unto sacred use to teach us that all spiritual vertue unto these ends really and eternally was contained in the one offering of Christ. 7 Both the Priest who sprinkled the Blood the men that slew the Heifer and he that burned her and he that gathered her ashes were all unclean until they were washed ver 7 8 9 10. So when Christ was made a Sin-offering all the legal Uncleannesses that is the Guilt of the Church were on him and he took them away But it is the use of this Ordinance which is principally intended The Ashes of this Heifer being burned was preserved that being mixed with pure water it might be sprinkled on persons who on any occasion were legally unclean Whoever was so was excluded from all the Solemn Worship of the Church Wherefore without this Ordinance the worship of God and the holy state of the Church could not have been continued For the means causes and ways of legal defilements among them were very many and some of them unavoidable In particular every Tent and House and all persons in them were defiled if any one died among them which could not but continually fall out in their Families Hereon they were excluded from the Tabernacle and Congregation and all Duties of the Solemn Worship of God until they were purified Had not therefore these Ashes which were to be mingled with living water been always preserved and in a readiness the whole worship of God must quickly have ceased amongst them It is so in the Church of Christ. The Spiritual Defilements which befal Believers are many and some of them unavoidable unto them whil'st they are in this world yea their Duties the best of them have defilements adhering unto them Were it not but that the Blood of Christ in its purifying vertue is in a continual readiness unto Faith that God therein had opened a Fountain for Sin and Uncleanness the Worship of the Church would not be acceptable unto him In a constant application thereunto doth the exercise of Faith much consist The nature and use of this Ordinance is farther described by its object the unclean 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is those that were made common All those who had a liberty of approach unto God in his Solemn Worship were so far sanctified that is separated and dedicated And such as were deprived of this priviledge were made common and so unclean The Unclean especially intended in the Institution were those who were defiled by the dead Every one that by any means touched a dead body whether dying naturally or slain whether in the house or field or did bear it or assist in the bearing of it or were in the Tent or House where it was were all defiled no such person was to come into the Congregation or near the Tabernacle But it is certain that many Offices about the dead are works of Humanity and Mercy which morally defile not Wherefore there was a peculiar reason of the constitution of this defilement and this severe Interdiction of them that were so defiled from Divine Worship And this was to represent unto the People the Curse of the Law whereof Death was the great visible effect The present Iews have this Notion that defilement by the dead arose from the poyson that is dropt into them that dye by the Angel of death whereof see our Exposition on Chap. 2. 14. The meaning of it is that Death came in by Sin from the poysonous temptation of the old Serpent and befel men by the Curse which took hold of them thereon But they have lost the understanding of their own Tradition This belonged unto the bondage under which it was the Will of God to keep that People that they should dread Death as an effect of the Curse of the Law and the fruit of Sin which is taken away in Christ Heb. 2. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 47. And these works which were unto them so full of defilement are now unto us accepted Duties of Piety and Mercy These and many others were excluded from an interest in the Solemn Worship of God upon ceremonial defilements And some vehemently contend that none were so excluded for moral defilements and it may be it is true for the matter is dubious But that it should thence follow that none under the Gospel should be so excluded for moral and spiritual Evils is a fond imagination Yea the Argument is firm that if God did so severely shut out from a participation in his Solemn Worship all those who were legally or ceremonially defiled much more is it his Will that those who live in spiritual or moral defilements should not approach unto him by the holy Ordinances of the Gospel The manner of the application of this purifying water was by sprinkling Being sprinkled or rather transitively sprinkling the unclean Not only the Act but the Efficacy of it is intended The manner of it is declared Numb 19. 17 18. The Ashes was kept by it self Where use was to be made of it it was to be mingled with clean living water water from the Spring The vertue was from the Ashes as it was the Ashes of the Heifer slain and burnt as a Sin-offering The water was used as the means of its application Being so mingled any clean person might dip a Bunch of Hysop see Psal. 51. 7. into it and sprinkle any thing or person that was defiled For it was not confined unto the Office of the Priest but was left unto every private person as is the continual application of the Blood of Christ. And this Rite of sprinkling was that alone in all Sacrifices whereby their continued efficacy unto Sanctification and Purification was expressed Thence is the Blood of Christ called the blood of sprinkling because of its efficacy unto our Sanctification as applied by Faith unto our Souls and Consciences The effect of
dignity and efficacy of all that he did did depend That which the Effect intended is ascribed unto is the Blood of Christ. And two things are to be enquired hereon 1 What is meant by the Blood of Christ. 2 How this Effect was wrought by it 1. It is not only that Material Blood which he shed absolutely considered that is here and elsewhere called the Blood of Christ when the work of our Redemption is ascribed unto it that is intended But there is a double consideration of it with respect unto its Efficacy unto this End 1 That it was the pledge and the sign of all the internal Obedience and Sufferings of the Soul of Christ of his Person He became obedient unto death the death of the Cross whereon his blood was shed This was the great instance of his Obedience and of his Sufferings whereby he made Reconciliation and Atonement for Sin Hence the Effects of all his Sufferings and of all Obedience in his Sufferings are ascribed unto his Blood 2 Respect is had unto the Sacrifice and Offering of Blood under the Law The reason why God gave the People the Blood to make Atonement on the Altar was because the life of the flesh was in it Lev. 17. 11 14. So was the life of Christ in his Blood by the shedding whereof he laid it down And by his death it is as he was the Son of God that we are redeemed Herein he made his Soul an Offering for Sin Isa. 53. 10. Wherefore this Expression of the Blood of Christ in order unto our Redemption or the Expiation of Sin is comprehensive of all that he did and suffered for those Ends inasmuch as the shedding of it was the way and means whereby he offered it or himself in and by it unto God 2. The second Enquiry is How the Effect here mentioned was wrought by the Blood of Christ. And this we cannot determine without a general consideration of the Effect it self and this is the purging of our Conscience from dead works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall purge That is say some shall purifie and sanctifie by internal inherent sanctification But neither the sense of the word nor the Context nor the Exposition given by the Apostle of this very expression Chap. 10. 1 2. will admit of this restrained sense I grant it is included herein but there is somewhat else principally intended namely the Expiation of Sin with our Justification and Peace with God thereon 1 For the proper sense of the word here used see our Exposition on Chap. 1. 3. Expiation Lustration carrying away punishment by making Atonement are expressed by it in all good Authors 2 The Context requires this sense in the first place For First The Argument here used is immediately applied to prove that Christ hath obtained for us eternal Redemption But Redemption consists not in internal Sanctification only although that be a necessary consequent of it But it is the pardon of Sin through the Aronement made or a price paid In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins Eph. 1. 7. Secondly In the Comparison insisted on there is distinct mention made of the Blood of Bulls and Goats as well as of the Ashes of an Heifer sprinkled But the first and principal use of Blood in Sacrifice was to make Atonement for sin Lev. 17. 11. Thirdly The End of this Purging is to give boldness in the service of God and peace with him therein that we may serve the living God But this is done by the expiation and pardon of Sin with justification thereon Fourthly It is Conscience that is said to be purged Now Conscience is the proper seat of the guilt of Sin it is that which chargeth it on the Soul and which hinders all approach unto God in his service with liberty and boldness unless it be removed which Fifthly Gives us the best consideration of the Apostle's Exposition of this expression Chap. 10. 1 2. For he there declares that to have the Conscience purged is to have its condemning power for sin taken away and cease There is therefore under the same name a twofold Effect here ascribed unto the Blood of Christ the one in answer and opposition unto the Effect of the Blood of Bulls and Goats being offered the other in answer unto the Effect of the Ashes of an Heifer being sprinkled The first consisting in making Atonement for our sins the other in the sanctification of our persons And there are two ways whereby these things are procured by the Blood of Christ. 1 By its offering whereby Sin is expiated 2 By its sprinkling whereby our persons are sanctified The first ariseth from the satisfaction he made unto the justice of God by undergoing in his death the punishment due to us being made therein a Curse for us that the blessing might come upon us therein as his death was a Sacrifice as he offered himself unto God in the shedding of his Blood he made Atonement The other from the vertue of his Sacrifice applied unto us by the Holy Spirit which is the sprinkling of it so doth the Blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanse us from all our Sins The Socinian Expositor on this place endeavors by a long perplexed discourse to evade the force of this testimony wherein the expiation of Sin is directly assigned unto the Blood of Christ. His pretence is to shew how many ways it may be so but his design is to prove that really it can be so by none at all For the Assertion as it lies in terms is destructive of their Heresie Wherefore he proceeds on these Suppositions 1 That the Expiation of Sin is our deliverance from the punishment due unto Sin by the power of Christ in Heaven But this is diametrically as opposite unto the true Nature of it so unto its Representation in the Sacrifices of old whereunto it is compared by the Apostle and from whence he argueth Neither is this a tolerable Exposition of the words The Blood of Christ in answer unto what was represented by the Blood of the Sacrifices of the Law doth purge our Consciences from dead works that is Christ by his power in Heaven doth free us from the punishment due to Sin 2 That Christ was not a Priest until after his Ascension into Heaven That this Supposition destroys the whole Nature of that Office hath been sufficiently before declared 3 That his offering himself unto God was the presenting of himself in Heaven before God as having done the Will of God on the earth But as this hath nothing in it of the nature of a Sacrifice so what is asserted by it can according to these men be no way said to be done by his Blood seeing they affirm that when Christ doth this he hath neither flesh nor blood 4 That the Resurrection of Christ gave all Efficacy unto his Death But the truth is it was his Death and what he effected therein
the infallible connexion of these things the blood of Christ and the purging of the Conscience that is in all that betake themselves thereunto It shall do it that is effectually and infallibly 2. Respect is had herein unto the generality of the Hebrews whether already professing the Gospel or now invited unto it And he proposeth this unto them as the advantage they should be made partakers of by the relinquishment of Mosaical Ceremonies and betaking themselves unto the Faith of the Gospel For whereas before by the best of legal Ordinances they attained no more but an outward sanctification as unto the flesh they should now have their Conscience infallibly purged from dead works Hence it is said your Conscience Some Copies read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our But there is no difference in the sense I shall retain the common reading as that which refers unto the Hebrews who had been always exercised unto thoughts of Purification and Sanctification by one means or another For the Explication of the words we must enquire 1 What is meant by dead works 2 What is their relation unto Conscience 3 How Conscience is purged of them by the blood of Christ. 1. By dead works sins as unto their guilt and defilement are intended as all acknowledge And several Reasons are given why they are so called As 1 Because they proceed from a principle of spiritual death or are the works of them who have no vital principle of holiness in them Eph. 2. 1 5. Col. 2. 13. 2 Because they are useless and fruitless as all dead things are 3 They deserve death and tend thereunto Hence they are like rotten bones in the Grave accompanied with worms and corruption And these things are true Howbeit I judge there is a peculiar reason why the Apostle calls them dead works in this place For there is an allusion herein unto dead bodies and legal defilement by them For he hath respect unto Purification by the Ashes of the Heifer And this respected principally uncleanness by the dead as is fully declared in the institution of that Ordinance As men were purified by the sprinkling of the Ashes of an Heifer mingled with living water from defilements contracted by the dead without which they were separated from God and the Church so unless men are really purged from their moral defilements by the blood of Christ they must perish for ever Now this defilement from the dead as we have shewed arose from hence that Death was the effect of the Curse of the Law wherefore the guilt of sin with respect unto the Curse of the Law is here intended in the first place and consequently its pollution This gives us the state of all men who are not interessed in the Sacrifice of Christ and the purging vertue thereof As they are dead in themselves dead in trespasses and sins so all their works are dead works Other works they have none They are as a Sepulchre filled with bones and corruption Every thing they do is unclean in it self and unclean unto them Unto them that are defiled nothing is pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled Tit. 1. 15. Their works come from spiritual death and tend unto eternal death and are dead in themselves Let them deck and trim their carkases whil'st they please let them â—end their faces with paintings and multiply their ornaments with all excess of bravery within they are full of dead bones of rotten defiled polluting works That world which appears with so much outward beauty lustre and glory is all polluted and defiled under the eye of the most Holy 2. These dead works are further described by their relation unto our persons as unto what is peculiarly affected with them where they have as it were their seat and residence And this is the Conscience He doth not say purge your souls or your minds or your persons but your conscience And this he doth 1 In general in opposition unto the purification by the Law It was there the dead body that did defile it was the body that was defiled it was the body that was purified those Ordinances sanctified to the purifying of the flesh But the defilements here intended are spiritual internal relating unto Conscience and therefore such is the purification also 2 He mentions the respect of these dead works unto Conscience in particular because it is Conscience which is concerned in peace with God and confidence of approach unto him Sin variously affects all the faculties of the soul and there is in it a peculiar defilement of Conscience Tit. 1. 15. But that wherein Conscience in the first place is concerned and wherein it is alone concerned is a sense of guilt This brings along with it fear and dread whence the sinner dares not approach into the presence of God It was Conscience which reduced Adam into the condition of hiding himself from God his eyes being opened by a sense of the guilt of sin So he that was unclean by the touching of a dead body was excluded from all approach unto God in his worship Hereunto the Apostle alludes in the following words That we may serve the living God For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly denotes that service which consists in the observation and performance of solemn worship As he who was unclean by a dead body might not approach unto the worship of God until he was purified So a guilty sinner whose Conscience is affected with a sense of the guilt of sin dares not to draw nigh unto or appear in the presence of God It is by the working of Conscience that sin deprives the soul of peace with God of boldness or confidence before him of all right to draw nigh unto him Until this relation of sin unto the Conscience be taken away until there be no more conscience of sin as the Apostle speaks Chap. 10. 2. that is Conscience absolutely judging and condemning the person of the sinner in the sight of God there is no right no liberty of access unto God in his service nor any acceptance to be obtained with him Wherefore the purging of Conscience from dead works doth first respect the guilt of sin and the vertue of the blood of Christ in the removal of it But 2dly there is also an inherent defilement of Conscience by sin as of all other faculties of the soul. Hereby it is rendred unmeet for the discharge of its office in any particular duties With respect hereunto Conscience is here used Synecdochically for the whole soul and all the faculties of it yea our whole spirit souls and bodies which are all to be cleansed and sanctified 1 Thes. 5. 23. To purge our Conscience is to purge us in our whole persons This being the state of our Conscience this being the respect of dead works and their defilement to it and us we may consider the relief that is necessary in this case and what that is which is here proposed 1. Unto
a compleat relief in this condition two things are necessary 1 A discharge of Conscience from a sense of the guilt of sin or the condemning power of it whereby it deprives us of peace with God and of boldness in access unto him 2 The cleansing of the Conscience and consequently our whole persons from the inherent defilement of sin The first of these was typified by the blood of Bulls and Goats offered on the Altar to make Atonement The latter was represented by the sprinkling of the unclean with the Ashes of the Heiser unto their purification Both these the Apostle here expresly ascribes unto the Blood of Christ and we may briefly enquire into three things concerning it 1 On what ground it doth produce this blessed effect 2 The way of its operation and efficacy unto this end 3 The Reason whence the Apostle affirms that it shall much more do this than the legal Ordinances could sanctifying unto the purifying of the flesh 1. The grounds of its efficacy unto this purpose are three 1. That it was Blood offered unto God God had ordained that Blood should be offered on the Altar to make Atonement for sin or to purge Conscience from dead works That this could not be really effected by the Blood of Bulls and Goats is evident in the nature of the things themselves and demonstrated in the event Howbeit this must be done by Blood or all the institution of legal Sacrifices were nothing but means to deceive the minds of men and ruine their souls To say that at one time or other real Atonement is not to be made for Sin by Blood and Conscience thereby to be purged and purified is to make God a Lyar in all the Institutions of the Law But this must be done by the Blood of Christ or not at all 2 It was the Blood of Christ. Of Christ the Son of the living God Mat. 16. 18. whereby God purchased his Church with his own Blood Acts 20. 28. The dignity of his Person gave efficacy unto his Office and Offering No other person in the discharge of the same Offices that were committed unto him could have saved the Church and therefore all those by whom his Divine Person is denied do also evacuate his Offices By what they ascribe unto them it is impossible the Church should be either sanctified or saved They resolve all into a meer Act of Sovereign Power in God which make the Cross of Christ of none effect 3 He offered this Blood or himself by the eternal Spirit Though Christ in his Divine Person was the Eternal Son of God yet was it the humane nature only that was offered in Sacrifice Howbeit it was offered by and with the concurrent actings of the Divine Nature or Eternal Spirit as we have declared These things make the Blood of Christ as offered meet and fit for the accomplishment of this great effect 2. The second Enquiry is concernig the way whereby the Blood of Christ doth thus purge our Conscience from dead works Two things as we have seen are contained therein 1 The expiation or taking away the guilt of sin that Conscience should not be deterred thereby from an access unto God 2 The cleansing of our souls from vicious defiling habits inclinations and acts or all inherent uncleanness Wherefore under two considerations doth the Blood of Christ produce this double effect First As it was offered so it made Atonement for Sin by giving satisfaction unto the Justice and Law of God This all the expiatory Sacrifices of the Law did prefigure this the Prophets foretold and this the Gospel witnesseth unto To deny it is to deny any real efficacy in the Blood of Christ unto this end and so expresly to contradict the Apostle Sin is not purged from the Conscience unless the guilt of it be so removed as that we may have peace with God and boldness in access unto him This is given us by the Blood of Christ as offered Secondly As it is sprinkled it worketh the second part of this effect And this sprinkling of the Blood of Christ is the communication of its sanctifying vertue unto our souls see Eph. 5. 26 27. Tit. 2. 14. so doth the Blood of Christ the Son of God cleanse us from all our sins 1 John 1. 7. Zech. 13. 2. 3. The Reason why the Apostle affirms that this is much more to be expected from the Blood of Christ than the Purification of the Flesh was from legal Ordinances hath been before spoken unto The Socinians plead on this place that this effect of the death of Christ doth as unto us depend on our own duty If they intended no more but that there is duty required on our part unto an actual participation of it namely Faith whereby we receive the Atonement we should have no difference with them But they are otherwise minded This purging of the conscience from dead works they would have to consist in two things 1 Our own relinquishment of sin 2 The freeing us from the punishment due to sin by an act of power in Christ in Heaven The first they say hath therein respect unto the blood of Christ in that thereby his doctrine was confirmed in obedience whereunto we forsake sin and purge our minds from it The latter also relates thereunto in that the sufferings of Christ were antecedent unto his Exaltation and Power in Heaven Wherefore this effect of the blood of Christ is what we do our selves in obedience unto his doctrine and what he doth thereon by his power and therefore may well be said to depend on our duty But all this while there is nothing ascribed unto the blood of Christ as it was offered in Sacrifice unto God or shed in the offering of himself which alone the Apostle speaks unto in this place Others chuse thus to oppose it This purging of our consciences from dead works is not an immediate effect of the death of Christ but it is a benefit contained therein which upon our faith and obedience we are made partakers of But 1 This is not in my judgment to interpret the Apostles words with due reverence he affirms expresly that the blood of Christ doth purge our conscience from dead works that is it doth make such an Atonement for sin and Expiation of it as that conscience shall be no more pressed with it nor condemn the sinner for it 2 The blood of Christ is the immediate cause of every effect assigned unto it where there is no concurrent nor intermediate cause of the same kind with it in the production of that effect 3 It is granted that the actual communication of this effect of the death of Christ unto our Souls is wrought according unto the method which God in his sovereign wisdom and pleasure hath designed And herein 1 the Lord Christ by his blood made actual and absolute Atonement for the sins of all the Elect. 2 This Atonement is proposed unto us in the Gospel Rom. 3. 25. 3 It
was a Covenant did consist 2. There was a Promise and Conveyance of an Inheritance unto them namely of the Land of Canaan with all the Priviledges of it God declared that the land was his and that he gave it unto them for an Inheritance And this Promise or Grant was made unto them without any consideration of their previous Obedience out of meer love and Grace The principal design of the Book of Deuteronomy is to inlay this Principle in the foundation of their obedience Now the free Grant and Donation of an Inheritance of the Goods of him that makes the Grant is properly a Testament A free disposition it was of the Goods of the Testator 3. There was in the confirmation of this Grant the intervention of Death The Grant of the Inheritance of the Land that God made was confirmed by death and the Blood of the Beasts offered in sacrifice whereof we must treat on v. 18 19 20. And although Covenants were confirmed by Sacrifices as this was so far as it was a Covenant namely with the Blood of them yet as in those Sacrifices death was comprised it was to confirm the Testamentary Grant of the Inheritance For death is necessary unto the Confirmation of a Testament which then could only be in Type and Representation the Testator himself was not to die for the establishment of a Typical Inheritance Wherefore the Apostle having discoursed before concerning the Covenant as it prescribed and required Obedience with Promises and Penalties annexed unto it He now treats of it as unto the Donation and Communication of Good things by it with the Confirmation of the Grant of them by death in which sense it was a Testament and not a Covenant properly so called And the arguing of the Apostle from this word is not only just and reasonable but without it we could never have rightly understood the Typical Representation that was made of the Death Blood and Sacrifice of Christ in the Confirmation of the New Testament as we shall see immediately This difficulty being removed we may proceed in the Exposition of the words That which first occurs is the Note of Connexion in the Conjunction And. But it doth not here as sometimes infer a Reason of what was spoken before but is emphatically expletive and denotes a progress in the present Argument As much as Also Moreover 2. There is the Ground of the ensuing Assertion or the manner of its Introduction For this cause Some say that it looks backward and intimates a Reason of what was spoken before or why it was necessary that our Consciences should be purged from dead works by the Blood of Christ namely because he was the Mediator of the new Covenant others say it looks forward and gives a reason why he was to be the Mediator of the new Testament namely that by the means of Death for the Transgressions c. It is evident that there is a reason rendred in these words of the necessity of the death and Sacrifice of Christ by which alone our Consciences may be purged from dead works And this reason is intended in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this cause And this necessity of the death of Christ the Apostle proves both from the nature of his office namely that he was to be the Mediator of the new Covenant which being a Testament required the death of the Testator and from what was to be effected thereby namely the Redemption of Transgressions and the purchase of an eternal Inheritance Wherefore these are the things which he hath respect unto in these words For this cause But withal the Apostle in this verse enlargeth his discourse as designing to comprehend in it the whole dispensation of the will and Grace of God unto the Church in Christ with the Ground and Reason of it This reason he layeth down in this verse giving an account of the effects of it in those that follow Hereunto respect is had in this expression For the exposition of the words themselves that is the declaration of the mind of the Holy Ghost and nature of the things contained in them we must leave the order of the words and take that of the things themselves And the things ensuing are declared in them 1 That God designed an eternal Inheritance unto some persons 2 The way and manner of conveying a Right and Title thereunto was by promise 3 That the Persons unto whom this Inheritance is designed are those that are called 4 That there was an obstacle unto the enjoyment of this Inheritance which was Transgression against the first Covenant 5 That this obstacle might be removed and the Inheritance enjoyed God made a New Covenant because none of the Rites Ordinances or Sacrifices of the first Covenant could remove that Obstacle or expiate those Sins 6 The Ground of the Efficacy of the New Covenant unt o this End was That it had a Mediator an High Priest such as had been already described 7 The way and means whereby the Mediator of the New Covenant did expiate Sins under the Old was by death nor could it otherwise be done seeing this New Covenant being a Testament also required the death of the Testator 8 This Death of the Mediator of the new Testament did take away sins by the Redemption of them For the Redemption of Transgressions All which must be opened for the due Exposition of these words 1. God designed unto some an Eternal Inheritance And both the Reason of this grant with the nature of it must be enquired into 1 As unto the Reason of it God in our first Creation gave unto man whom he made his Son and Heir as unto things here below a great Inheritance of meer Grace and Bounty This Inheritance consisted in the use of all the Creatures here below in a just Title unto them and dominion over them Neither did it consist absolutely in these things but as they were a Pledge of the present favour of God and of mans future blessedness upon his Obedience This whole Inheritance man forfeited by sin God also took the forfeiture and ejected him out of the possession of it and utterly despoiled him of his Title unto it Nevertheless he designed unto some another Inheritance even that should not be lost that should be eternal It is altogether vain and foolish to seek for any other Cause or Reason of the preparation of this Inheritance and the designation of it unto any person but only his own Grace Bounty his sovereign Will and Pleasure What merit of it what means of attaining it could be found in them who were considered under no other Qualifications but such as had wofully rejected that Inheritance which before they were instated in And therefore is it called an Inheritance to mind us that the way whereby we come unto it is gratuitous Adoption and not purchase or merit 2 As unto the Nature of it it is declared in the Adjunct mentioned it is eternal
The Redemption or Expiation of Sins is confined unto those under the Old Testament whence it should seem that there is none made for those under the New Ans. The Emphasis of the Expression Sins under the Old Testament respect either the Time when the sins intended were committed or the Testament against which they were committed And the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will admit of either sense Take it in the first way and the Argument follows à fortiori as unto the Sins committed under the New Testament though there be no Expiation of Sins against it which properly are only final Unbelief and Impenitency For the Expiation intended is made by the Mediator of the New Testament And if he expiated the Sins that were under the first Testament that is of those who lived and dyed whil'st that Covenant was in force much more doth he do so for them who live under the Administration of that Testament whereof he is the Mediator For Sins are taken away by vertue of that Testament whereunto they do belong And it is with peculiar respect unto them that the blood of Christ is called the blood of the New Testament for the Redemption of Sins But yet more probably the meaning may be the Sins that were and are committed against that first Covenant or the Law and Rule of it For whereas that Covenant did in its Administration comprise the Moral Law which was the substance and foundation of it all Sins whatever have their form and nature with respect thereunto So Sins under the first Covenant are all Sins whatever For there is no Sin committed under the Gospel but it is a Sin against that Law which requires us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and all our strength Either way the Sins of them who are called under the New Testament are included 2. It is enquired whether it is the Nature of the Sins intended that is respected or the Persons guilty of them also under that Testament The Syriac Translation avoids this difficulty by rendring the words of the Abstract the Redemption of Transgressions in the Concrete a Redeemer unto them who had transgressed That it is a certain sort of Sins that is intended Socinus was the first that invented And his invention is the foundation of the Exposition not only of Schlictingius but of Grotius also on this place Such Sins they say they are as for which no Expiation was to be made by the Sacrifices of the Law Sins of a greater Nature than could be expiated by them For they only made Expiation of some smaller Sins as Sins of Ignorance or the like But there is no respect unto the Persons of them who lived under that Testament whom they will not grant to be redeemed by the blood of Christ. Wherefore according unto them the difference between the Expiation of Sin by the Sacrifices of the Law and that by the Sacrifice of Christ doth not consist in their nature that the one did it only typically and in an external representation by the purifying of the flesh the other really and effectually but in this that the one expiated lesser Sins only the other greater also But there is nothing sound or consonant unto the Truth in this Interpretation of the words For 1 It proceeds on a false Supposition that there were Sins of the people not only presumptuous Sins and which had impenitency in them for which no Atonement was made nor Expiation of them allowed which is expresly contrary unto Lev. 16. 16 21. And whereas some offences were capital amongst them for which no Atonement was allowed to free the Sinner from death yet that belonged unto the Political Rule of the people and hindred not but that typically all sorts of Sins were to be expiated 2 It is contrary unto the express design of the Apostle For he had proved before by all sorts of Arguments that the Sacrifices of the Law could not expiate any Sin could not purge the Conscience from dead works that they made nothing perfect And this he speaks not of this or that Sin but of every Sin wherein the Conscience of a Sinner is concerned Chap. 10. 2. Hence two things follow First That they did not in and of themselves really expiate any one Sin small or great It was impossible saith the Apostle that they should do so Heb. 10. 4. only they sanctified to the purifying of the flesh which overthrows the foundation of this Exposition Secondly That they did typifie and represent the Expiation of all sorts of Sins whatever and made application of it unto their Souls For if it was so that there was no Atonement for their Sins that their Consciences were not purged from dead works nor themselves consummate but only had some outward purification of the flesh it cannot be but they must all eternally perish But that this was not their condition the Apostle proves from hence because they were called of God unto an eternal Inheritance as he had proved at large concerning Abraham Chap. 6. Hence he infers the necessity of the mediation and death of Christ as without the vertue whereof all the called under the first Covenant must perish eternally there being no other way to come to the Inheritance 3. Whereas the Apostle mentions only the Sins under the first Covenant as unto the time passed before the Exhibition of Christ in the flesh or the death of the Mediator of the New Testament what is to be thought of them who lived during that season who belonged not unto the Covenant but were strangers from it such as are described Eph. 4. 12. I answer The Apostle takes no notice of them and that because taking them generally Christ dyed not for them Yea that he did not so is sufficiently proved from this place Those who live and dye strangers from God's Covenant have no interest in the Mediation of Christ. Wherein the Redemption of these Transgressions did consist shall be declared in its proper place And we may observe 1. Such is the malignant Nature of Sin of all Transgression of the Law that unless it be removed unless it be taken out of the way no Person can enjoy the Promise of the Eternal Inheritance 2. It was the Work of God alone to contrive and it was the Effect of infinite Wisdom and Grace to provide a way for the removal of Sin that it might not be an everlasting Obstacle against the Communication of an Eternal Inheritance unto them that are called Fifthly We have declared the design of God here represented unto us who are the Persons towards whom it was to be accomplished and what lay in the way as an hindrance of it That which remains in the words is the way that God took and the means that he used for the removal of that hindrance and the effectual accomplishment of his design This in general was first the making of a New Testament He had fully proved before that this could not
be done by that Covenant against which the Sins were committed neither by the Priests nor Sacrifices nor any other Duties of it Therefore had he promised the Abolition of it because of its weakness and insufficiency unto this end as also the introduction of a new to supply its defects as we have seen at large in the Exposition of the foregoing Chapter For it became the Wisdom Goodness and Grace of God upon the removal of the other for its insufficiency to establish another that should be every way effectual unto his purpose namely the Communication of an Eternal Inheritance unto them that are called But then the Enquiry will be How this Covenant or Testament shall effect this end what is in it what belongs unto it that should be so effectual and by what means it might attain this end All these are declared in the words And Sixthly In general all this arose from hence that it had a Mediator and that the Lord Christ the Son of God was this Mediator The dignity of his Person and thereon both the Excellency and Efficacy of his Priestly Office whereunto alone respect is had in his being called here a Mediator he had abundantly before demonstrated Although the word in general be of a larger signification as we have declared on Chap. 8. 6. yet here it is restrained unto his Priestly Office and his acting therein For whereas he had treated of that alone in the foregoing Chapter here declaring the Grounds and Reasons of the necessity of it he says for this cause is he the Mediator And proceeding to shew in what sense he considers him as a Mediator doth it by his being a Testator and dying which belongs to his Priestly Office alone And the sole end which in this place he assigns unto his Mediatory Office is his death That by means of death Whereas therefore there were Sins committed under the first Covenant and against it and would have been so for ever had it continued which it was no way able so to take away as that the called might receive the Inheritance the Lord Christ undertook to be the Mediator of that Covenant which was provided as a Remedy against these Evils For herein he undertook to answer for and expiate all those Sins Whereas therefore Expiation of Sin is to be made by an Act towards God with whom alone Atonement is to be made so as that they may be pardoned the Mediation of Christ here intended is that whereby suffering death in our stead in the behalf of all that are called he made Atonement for Sin But moreover God had a further design herein He would not only free them that are called from that death which they deserved by their Sins against the first Covenant but give them also a Right and Title unto an Eternal Inheritance that is of Grace and Glory Wherefore the Procurement hereof also depends on the Mediation of Christ. For by his Obedience unto God in the discharge thereof he purchased for them this Inheritance and bequeathed it unto them as the Mediator of the New Testament The Provision of this Mediator of the New Testament is the greatest Effect of the infinite Wisdom Love and Grace of God This is the Center of his Eternal Counsels In the womb of this one Mercy all others are contained Herein will he be glorified unto Eternity 1 The first Covenant of Works was broken and disannulled because it had no Mediator 2 The Covenant at Sinai had no such Mediator as could expiate Sin Hence 3 Both of them became means of Death and Condemnation 4 God saw that in the making the New Covenant it was necessary to put all things into the hand of a Mediator that it also might not be frustrated 5 This Mediator was not in the first place to preserve us in the state of the New Covenant but to deliver us from the guilt of the breach of the former and the Curse thereon To make provision for this End was the Effect of Infinite Wisdom Seventhly The especial way and means whereby this Effect was wrought by this Mediator was by death Morte obita facta interveniente intercedente by means of death say we Death was the means that whereby the Mediator procured the Effect mentioned That which in the foregoing Verse is ascribed unto the Blood of Christ which he offered as a Priest is here ascribed unto his death as a Mediator For both these really are the same only in the one the thing it self is expressed it was death in the other the manner of it it was by blood in the one what he did and suffered with respect unto the Curse of the first Covenant it was death in the other the ground of his making Expiation for Sin by his death or how it came so to do namely not meerly as it was death or penal but as it was a voluntary Sacrifice or Oblation It was therefore necessary unto the End mentioned that the Mediator of the New Testament should dye not as the High Priests of old dyed a natural death for themselves but as the Sacrifice dyed that was slain and offered for others He was to dye that death which was threatned unto Transgressions against the first Covenant that is death under the Curse of the Law There must therefore be some great Cause and End why this Mediator being the onely begotten of the Father should thus dye This was say the Socinians that he might confirm the Doctrine that he taught He dyed as a Martyr not as a Sacrifice But 1 There was no need that he should dye unto that End For his Doctrine was sufficiently confirmed by the Scriptures of the Old Testament the Evidence of the Presence of God in him and the Miracles which he wrought 2 Notwithstanding their pretence they do not assign the Confirmation of his Doctrine unto his Death but unto his Resurrection from the dead Neither indeed do they allow any gracious Effect unto his death either towards God or men but only make it something necessarily antecedent unto what he did of that kind Nor do they allow that he acted any thing at all towards God on our behalf Whereas the Scripture constantly assigns our Redemption Sanctification and Salvation to the death and blood of Christ. These Persons 1 deny that of it self it hath any influence into them wherefore 2 they say that Christ by his death confirmed the New Covenant but hereby they intend nothing but what they do also in the former or the Confirmation of his Doctrine with an addition of somewhat worse For they would have him to confirm the Promises of God as by him declared and no more as though he were God's Surety to us and not a Surety for us unto God Neither do they assign this unto his Death but unto his Resurrection from the dead But suppose all this and that the death of Christ were in some sense useful and profitable unto these Ends which is all they plead
yet what use and advantage was it of with respect unto them that he should dye an accursed death under the Curse of the Law and a sense of God's displeasure Hereof the Socinians and those that follow them can yield no reason at all It would become these men so highly pretending unto reason to give an account upon their own Principles of the death of the onely begotten Son of God in the highest course and most intense Acts of Obedience that may be compliant with the wisdom holiness and goodness of God considering the kind of death that he dyed But what they cannot do the Apostle doth in the next words Eighthly The death of the Mediator of the New Testament was for the Redemption of Transgressions and for this End it was necessary Sin lay in the way of the enjoyment of the Inheritance which Grace had prepared It did so in the Righteousness and Faithfulness of God Unless it were removed the Inheritance could not be received The way whereby this was to be done was by Redemption The Redemption of Transgressions is the deliverance of the Transgressors from all the Evils they were subject unto on their account by the payment of a satisfactory price The words used to express it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will admit of no other signification Here it must answer the purging of Conscience by the blood of Christ. And he calls his life a Ransom or Price of Redemption And this utterly destroys the foundation of the Socinian Redemption and Expiation for Sin For they make it only a freedom from Punishment by an Act of Power Take off the covering of the words which they use in a sense foreign to the Scripture and their proper signification and their sense is expresly contradictory unto the sense and words of the Apostle He declares Christ to have been the High-Priest and Mediator of the New Testament in the same Acts and Duties They teach that he ceased to be a Mediator when he began to be a Priest He affirms that the Blood of Christ doth expiate Sins They that he doth it by an Act of Power in Heaven where there is no use of his Blood He says that his death was necessary unto and was the means or cause of the Redemption of Transgressions that is to be a price of Redemption or just Compensation for them They contend that no such thing is required thereunto And whereas the Scriptures do plainly assign the Expiation of Sin Redemption Reconciliation and Peace with God Sanctification and Salvation unto the Death and Blood-shedding of Christ They deny them all and every one to be in any sense Effects of it only they say it was an antecedent sign of the Truth of his Doctrine in his Resurrection and an antecedent condition of his Exaltation and Power which is to reject the whole Mystery of the Gospel Besides the particular Observations which we have made on the several passages of this Verse something may yet in general be observed from it As 1. A New Testament providing an Eternal Inheritance in Sovereign Grace the Constitution of a Mediator such a Mediator for that Testament in infinite Wisdom and Love the Death of that Testator for the Redemption of Transgressions to fulfil the Law and satisfie the Iustice of God with the communication of that Inheritance by Promise to be received by Faith in all them that are called are the substance of the Mystery of the Gospel And all these are with wonderful wisdom comprised by the Apostle in these words 2. That the Efficacy of the Mediation and Death of Christ extended it self unto all the called under the Old Testament is an evident Demonstration of his Divine Nature his Pre-existence unto all these things and the Eternal Covenant between the Father and him about them 3. The first Covenant did only forbid and Condemn Transgressions Redemption from them is by the New Testament alone 4. The Glory and Efficacy of the New Covenant and the Assurance of the Communication of an Eternal Inheritance by vertue of it depend hereon that it was made a Testament by the death of the Mediator which is farther proved in the following Verses VER XVI XVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the death of him is declared shewed argued or proved Mors intercedat necesse est Necesse est mortem intercedere Ar. Necesse est mortem ferri which is not proper in the Latine Tongue however there is an emphasis in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more than is expressed by intercedo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of him that made it of the Testator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in him that is dead in mortuis among them that are dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vulg confirmatum est and so the Syriac ratum est more proper 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is no use profit or benefit in it Ar. nunquam valet quandoquidem nunquam valet nondum valet it is not yet of force For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be brought in the death of the Testator For a Testament is firm or ratified after men are dead otherwise it is of no force whil'st the Testator liveth There is not much more to be considered in these verses but only how the Observation contained in them doth promote and confirm the Argument which the Apostle insists upon Now this is to prove the necessity and use of the death of Christ from the Nature Ends and Use of the Covenant whereof he was the Mediator For it being a Testament it was to be confirmed with the death of the Testator This is proved in these Verses from the Notion of a Testament and the only use of it amongst men For the Apostle in this Epistle doth argue several times from such usages amongst men as proceeding from the Principles of Reason and Equity were generally prevalent among them So he doth in his discourse concerning the assurance given by the Oath of God Chap. 6. And here he doth the same from what was commonly agreed upon and suitable unto the reason of things about the nature and use of a Testament The things here mentioned were known to all approved by all and were the principal means of the preservation of Peace and Property in Humane Societies For although Testaments as unto their especial Regulation owe their original unto the Roman Civil Law yet as unto the substance of them they were in use amongst all Mankind from the foundation of the world For a Testament is the just determination of a Man's Will concerning what he will have done with his Goods after his decease Or it is the Will of him that is dead Take this power from men and you root up the whole foundation of all industry and diligence in the world For what man will labour to increase his substance if when
been unto the People like that given to Ezekiel that was written within and without and there was written therein Lamentations and Mourning and Woe Chap. 2. 10. Nothing but Curse and Death could they expect from it But the Sprinkling of it with blood as it lay upon the Altar was a Testimony and Assurance that Attonement should be made by blood for the sins against it which was the Life of the things 2 The Book in it self was Pure and Holy and so are all Gods Institutions but unto us every thing is unclean that is not sprinkled with the blood of Christ. So afterwards the Tabernacle and all the Vessels of it were purified every year with blood because of the Uncleannesses of the People in their Transgressions Levit. 16. Wherefore on both these accounts it was necessary that the Book it self should be sprinkled The blood thus sprinkled was mingled with water The natural Reason of it was as we observed to keep it fluid and aspersible But there was a Mystery in it also That the blood of Christ was typified by this blood of the Sacrifices used in the Dedication of the Old Covenant it is the Apostle's Design to declare And it is probable that this mixture of it with water might represent that Blood and Water which came out of his side when it was pierced For the Mystery thereof was very great Hence that Apostle which saw it and bare Record of it in particular Joh. 19. 34 35. affirms likewise that he came by water and blood and not by blood only 1 Epist. chap. 5. ver 6. He came not only to make Attonement for us with his blood that we might be justifyed but to sprinkle us with the efficacy of his blood in the communication of the Spirit of Sanctification compared unto water For the Sprinkler it self composed of Scarlet wool and Hyssop I doubt not but that the Humane Nature of Christ whereby and through which all Grace is communicated unto us for of his fulness we receive and Grace for Grace was signified by it But the Analogie and Similitude between them are not so evident as they are with respect unto some other Types The Hyssop was an humble Plant the meanest of them yet of a sweet savour 1. Kings 4. 33. So was the Lord Christ amongst men in the days of his flesh in comparison of the tall Cedars of the Earth Hence was his complaint that he was as a worm and no man a reproach of men and despised of the People Psal. 22. 6. And the Scarlet wool might represent him as red in the blood of his Sacrifice But I will not press these things of whose Interpretation we have not a certain Rule Secondly The principal Truth asserted is confirmed by what Moses said as well as what he did VER XX. Saying This is the Blood of the Testament which God hath enjoyned unto you The Difference between the words of Moses and the Repetition of them by the Apostle is not material as unto the sense of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold in Moses is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This both demonstrative Notes of the same thing For in pronouncing of the words Moses shewed the Blood unto the People And so Behold the Blood is all one as if he had said this is the Blood The making of the Covenant in the words of Moses is expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath cut divided solemnly made This the Apostle renders by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath enjoyned or commanded you And this he doth partly to signify the Foundation of the People's Acceptance of that Covenant which was the Authority of God enjoyning them or requiring them so to do partly to intimate the nature of the Covenant it self which consisted in Precepts and Injunctions principally and not absolutely in Promises as the New Covenant doth The last words of Moses Concerning all these words the Apostle omits For he includes the sense of them in that word which the Lord commanded you For he hath respect therein both unto the words themselves written in the Book which were Precepts and Injunctions as also the command of God for the Acceptance of the Covenant That which Moses said is This is the blood of the Testament Hence the Apostle proves that Death and the shedding of blood therein was necessary unto the consecration and establishment of the first Testament For so Moses expresly affirms in the Dedication of it This is the blood of the Covenant without which it could not have been a firm Covenant between God and the People Not I confess from the nature of a Covenant in general for a Covenant may be solemnly established without Death or Blood but from the especial end of that Covenant which in the confirmation of it was to prefigure the confirmation of that new Covenant which could not be established but with the blood of a Sacrifice And this adds both force and evidence unto the Apostles Argument For he proves the Necessity of the Death and Blood-shedding or Sacrifice of Christ in the confirmation of the New Covenant from hence that the Old Covenant which in the Dedication of it was prefigurative hereof was not confirmed without Blood Wherefore whereas God had solemnly promised to make a new Covenant with the Church and that different from or not according unto the Old which he had proved in the foregoing Chapter it follows unavoidably that it was to be confirmed with the Blood of the Mediator for by the blood of Beasts it could not be which is that Truth wherein he did instruct them And nothing was more cogent to take off the scandal of the Cross and of the sufferings of Christ. For the Enuntiation it self This is the blood of the Covenant it is figurative and Sacramental The Covenant had no blood of its own but the blood of the Sacrifices is called the blood of the Covenant because the Covenant was dedicated and established by it Neither was the Covenant really established by it For it was the Truth of God on the one hand and the stability of the People in their professed Obedience on the other that the establishment of the Covenant depended on But this blood was a confirmatory sign of it a Token between God and the People of their mutual engagements in that Covenant So the Paschal Lamb was called Gods Pass-over because it was a sign and token of Gods passing over the houses of the Israelites when he destroyed the Aegyptians Exod. 12. 11 21. With reference it was unto those Sacramental Expressions which the Church under the Old Testament was accustomed unto that our Lord Jesus Christ in the Institution of the Sacrament of the Supper called the Bread and the Wine whose use he appointed therein by the names of his Body and Blood and any other Interpretation of the words wholly overthrows the Nature of that holy Ordinance Wherefore this Blood was a confirmatory Sign of the Covenant And it was
double Assertion in it 1 That almost all things are by the Law purged with Blood 2 That without shedding of Blood is no Remission In the first of these there is considerable the Assertion it self and the Limitation of it 1. The Assertion it self is that by the Law all things were purged with Blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according unto the Law the Rule the Commands the Institution of it In that way of worship Faith and Obedience which the People were obliged unto by the Law According unto the Law there was a Necessity of the Blood of Sacrifices for the purging of Sin and making of Attonement This he inferres and concludes from what he had said before concerning the Dedication of the Covenant and the Purification of the Tabernacle with all the Vessels of its Ministry And from hence he designs to prove the Necessity of the Death of Christ and the Efficacy of his Blood for the purging of Sin whereof those legal things were Types and Representations Of these legal Purifications or purgings by Blood we have treated already 2. The Limitation of this Assertion is in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 almost Some few Purifications there were under the Law that were not by Blood Such as some judge was that by the Ashes of an Heifer mingled with water whereof we have treated on ver 13. But I am not certain that this may be esteemed a Purification without Blood For the Heifer whose Ashes were used in it was first slain and its blood poured out Afterwards the blood as well as the flesh was burnt and reduced unto Ashes Wherefore that way of Purification cannot be said to be without blood And it was a Type of the Purifying efficacy of the blood of Christ who offered himself an whole Burnt-offering unto God through the fire of the Eternal Spirit But there were two sorts of Purifications under the Law wherein blood was neither formally nor virtually applyed or used The one was by Fire in things that would endure it Numb 31. 23. And the Apostle speaks of things as well as Persons as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 declares The other was by water whereof there were many Instances See Exod. 19. 10. Levit. 16. 26 28. chap. 22. 6 7. All other Representations were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Offering and Sprinkling of Blood From the consideration of the Purifications mentioned the Apostle adds the Limitation of Almost For the conceit of some of the Antients that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as ferè and is to be joyned with purged were almost purged that is they were so only ineffectually is most improper For it is contrary to the natural construction of the words and the direct intention of the Apostle Only we may observe that the Purifications which were by fire and water were of such things as had no immediate Influence into the Worship of God or in such cases as wherein the Worship of God was not immediately concerned nor of such things wherewith Conscience was defiled They were only of external Pollutions by things in their own nature Indifferent and had nothing of Sin in them And the Sacred Institutions which were not concerning the immediate Worship of God nor things which in themselves did defile the Consciences of Men were as hedges and fences about those which really did so They served to warn Men not to come near those things which had a real defilement in themselves See Matth. 15. 16 17 18 19 20. Thus almost all things that is absolutely all which had any inward real Moral defilement were purged with Blood and directed unto the purging efficacy of the Blood of Christ. And we may observe that 1. There was a great variety of legal Purifications For as all of them together could not absolutely purge Sin but only direct unto what would do so so none of them by themselves could fully represent that one Sacrifice by blood whereby all sin was to be purged therefore were they multiplyed 2. This variety argues that in our selves we are ready to be Polluted on all occasions Sin cleaveth unto all that we do and is ready to defile us even in our best Duties 3. This variety of Institutions was a great part of the Bondage-state of the Church under the Old Testament a Yoke that they were not able to bear For it was almost an insuperable Difficulty to attain an Assurance that they had observed them all in a due manner the Penalties of their Neglect being very severe Besides the outward Observation of them was both burdensome and chargeable It is the Glory of the Gospel that we are directed to make our Address by Faith on all occasions unto that one Sacrifice by the Blood of Christ which cleanseth us from all our sins Howbeit many that are called Christians being ignorant of the Mystery thereof do again betake themselves unto other ways for the Purification of Sin which are multiplied in the Church of Rome 4. The great Mystery wherein God instructed the Church from the Foundation of the World especially by and under legal Institutions was that all purging of Sin was to be by blood This was that which by all Sacrifices from the Beginning and all Legal Institutions he declared unto Mankind Blood is the only means of Purging and Attonement This is the Language of the whole Law All was to manifest that the washing and purging of the Church from Sin was to be looked for from the blood of Christ alone The second Assertion of the Apostle is that without shedding of blood there is no Remission Some would have these words to contain an Application of what is spoken before unto the blood of Christ. But it is manifest that the Apostle yet continues in his Account of things under the Law and enters on the Application of them not before the next verse Wherefore these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Law or by vertue of its Institutions are here to be repeated By the Law without shedding of blood that is in Sacrifice there was no Remission Yet though that Season be particularly intended the Axiom is universally true and applicable unto the New Covenant Even under it without shedding of blood is no Remission The Curse of the Law was that he that sinned should die But whereas there is no man that liveth and sinneth not God had provided that there should be a Testification of the Remission of Sins and that the Curse of the Law should not be immediately executed on all that sinned This he did by allowing the People to make Attonement for their sins by blood that is the blood of Sacrifices Levit. 17. 11. For hereby God signified his Will and Pleasure in two things 1 That by this blood there should be a Political Remission granted unto sinners that they should not die under the sentence of the Law as
offer himself often not absolutely as though the Reiteration of any kind of Oblation were impossible but from the Nature of his especial Offering or Sacrifice which was with and by suffering that is his death and blood-shedding And this wholly explodes the Socinian Imagination of the Nature of the Offering of Christ. For if his Offering might be separated from his Suffering and were nothing but the Presentation of himself in the Presence of God in Heaven it might have been reiterated without any Inconvenience nor would there have been any force in the Arguing of the Apostle For if his Oblation be only that Presentation of himself if God had ordered that it should have been done only at certain seasons as once every year nothing inconvenient would have ensued But the Argument of the Apostle against the Repetition of the Sacrifice of Christ from the necessity of his suffering therein is full of Light and Evidence For 1. It was inconsistent with the Wisdom Goodness Grace and Love of God that Christ should often suffer in that way which was necessary unto the offering of himself namely by his Death and Bloodshedding It was not consistent with the Wisdom of God to provide that as the ultimate and only effectual Means of the Expiation of Sin which was insufficient for it For so it would have been if the Repetition of it had been necessary Nor was it so with his unspeakable love unto his Son namely that he should frequently suffer an ignominious and cursed death It is the Eternal Object of the Admiration of Men and Angels that he should do it once Had it been done often who could have understood the Love of the Father unto the Son and not rather have conceived that he regarded him not in comparison of the Church Whereas indeed his Love to him is greater than that unto all others and the Cause of it And moreover it would have been highly dishonourable unto the Son of God giving an Appearance that his Blood was of no more Value or Excellency then the blood of Beasts the Sacrifice whereof was often repeated 2. It was impossible from the Dignity of his Person Such a Repetition of Suffering was not consistent with the Glory of his Person especially as it was necessary to be demonstrated unto the Salvation of the Church That he once emptied himself and made himself of no Reputation that he might be obedient unto the Death the Death of the Cross proved a stumbling block unto the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles The Faith of the Church was secured by the Evident Demonstration of his Divine Glory which immediately ensued thereon But as the frequent Repetition hereof would have been utterly inconsistent with the Dignity of his Divine Person so the most raised Faith could never have attained a prospect of his Glory 3. It was altogether needless and would have been useless For as the Apostle Demonstrates by One offering of himself and that once offered he took away sin and for ever perfected them that are Sanctified Wherefore the Argument of the Apostle is firm on this Supposition that if he were often to offer himself then was he often to suffer also But that he should so do was as inconsistent with the Wisdom of God and the Dignity of his own Person as altogether needless as unto the End of his Offering And As the sufferings of Christ were necessary unto the Expiation of Sin so he suffered neither more nor oftener then was necessary 2dly The Argument is also built on another Supposition namely that there was a necessity of the Expiation of the Sin of all that were to be saved from the Foundation of the World For otherwise it might be objected that there was no need at all that Christ should either offer or suffer before he did so and that now it may be yet necessary that he should often offer himself seeing that all Sins before were either punished absolutely or their sins were expiated and themselves saved some other way And those by whom this supposition is rejected as it is by the Socinians can give no colour of Force unto the Argument of the Apostle although they invent many Allusions whereby they endeavour to give countenance unto it But whereas he discourseth of the only way and means of the Expiation of Sin to prove that it was done at once by the One offering of Christ which needed no Repetition He supposeth 1 That sin entred into the World from the Foundation of it or immediately upon its Foundation namely in the Sin and Apostacy of our first Parents 2 That notwithstanding this Entrance of it that many who were sinners as the Patriarchs from the Beginning and the whole Israel of God under the Old Testament had their sins expiated pardoned and were eternally saved 3 That None of the Sacrifices which they offered themselves none of the Religious Services which they performed either before or under the Law could expiate sin or procure the pardon thereof or consummate them in Conscience before God 4 That all this therefore was effected by Vertue of the Sacrifice or one offering of Christ. Hence it follows unavoidably that if the Vertue of this One offering did not extend unto the taking away of all their sins that then he must often have suffered and offered from the Foundation of the World or they must all have perished at least all but only those of that Generation wherein he might have once suffered But this he did not he did not thus often offer himself and therefore there was no need that he should so do though it were necessary that the High Priest under the Law should repeat his every year For if the Vertue of his one offering did extend it self unto the expiation of the sins of the Church from the Foundation of the World before it was offered much more might and would it extend it self without any Repetition unto the Expiation of the Sins of the whole Church unto the end of the World now it is actually offered This is the true Force and Reason of the Argument in these words which is cogent and conclusive And we may hence observe That The assured Salvation of the Church of Old from the Foundation of the World by Vertue of the one offering of Christ is a strong Confirmation of the Faith of the Church at present to look for and expect everlasting Salvation thereby To this End we may consider First That their Faith had all the Difficulties to conflict withal that our Faith is to be exercised with and yet it carried them through them all and was Victorious This Argument for the strengthening of our Faith the Apostle insists upon in the whole eleventh Chapter throughout In particular 1 They had all the Trials Afflictions and Temptations that we have Some of them unto such a Degree as the Community of Believers met not withal Yet was not their Faith by any of them prevailed against And why should we despond under
consequents of it Hereof he gives an illustration by comparing it unto what is of absolute and unavoidable necessity so as that it cannot otherwise be namely the death of all the individuals of mankind by the decretory sentence of God As they must dye every one and every one but once so Christ was to dye to suffer to offer himself and that but once The instances of those who died not after the manner of other men as Enoch and Elias or those who having died once were raised from the dead and died again as Lazarus give no difficulty herein They are instances of exemption from the common Rule by meer acts of Divine Sovereignty But the Apostle argues from the general Rule and Constitutions and thereon alone the force of his comparisons doth depend and they are not weakned by such exemptions As this is the certain unalterable law of Humane condition that every man must dye once and but once as unto this mortal life so Christ was once and but once offered But there is more in the words and design of the Apostle than a bare Similitude and illustration of what he treats of though Expositors own it not He doth not only illustrate his former Assertion by a fit comparison but gives the Reason of the one offering of Christ from what it was necessary for and designed unto For that he introduceth a Reason of his former Assertion the Causal connexion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth demonstrate Especially as it is joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in quantum inasmuch as in which sense he constantly useth that expression chap. 3. 3. chap. 7. 20. chap. 8. 6. And in as much as it was so with mankind it was necessary that Christ should suffer once for the expiation of Sin and the Salvation of Sinners How was it with mankind in this matter On the account of sin they were all subject unto the Law and the curse thereof Hereof there were two parts 1 Temporal Death to be undergone penally on the sentence of God 2 Eternal judgment wherein they were to perish for evermore In these things consist the effects of sin and the curse of the Law And they were due unto all men unavoidably to be inficted on them by the judgment and sentence of God It is appointed decreed determined of God that men sinful men shall once die and after that come to judgment for their Sins This is the sense the sentence the substance of the Law Under this Sentence they must all perish eternally if not Divinely relieved But inasmuch as it was thus with them the one offering of Christ once offered is prepared for their Relief and deliverance And the relief is in the infinite Wisdom of God eminently proportionate unto the evil the remedy unto the disease For 1. As man was to dye once legally and penally for sin by the sentence of the Law and no more So Christ died suffered and offered once and no more to bear Sin to expiate it and thereby to take away death so far as it was penal 2. As after death men must appear again the second time unto judgement to undergo condemnation thereon so after his once offering to take away Sin and Death Christ shall appear the second time to free us from judgement and to bestow on us eternal Salvation In this interpretation of the words I do not exclude the use of the comparison nor the design of the Apostle to illustrate the one offering of Christ once offered by the certainty of the death of men once onely for these things do illustrate one another as so compared But withal I judge there is more in them than a meer comparison between things no way related one to another but onely have some mutual resemblance in that they fall out but once Yea there seems not to be much light nor any thing of Argument in a comparison so arbitrarily framed But consider these things in their mutual Relation and opposition one unto the other which are the same with that of the Law and the Gospel and there is much of light and argument in the comparing of them together For whereas the end of the Death Suffering and Offering of Christ was to take away and remove the punishment due unto Sin which consisted in this that men should once die and but once and afterwards come to judgment and condemnation according to the sentence of the Law And it was convenient unto Divine Wisdom that Christ for that end should Dye Suffer Offer once only and afterwards bring them for whom he died unto Salvation And this is the proper sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in quantum which Interpreters know not what to make of in this place but endeavour variously to change and alter Some pretend that some Copies read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they suppose came from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the onely Reason why the word is not liked is because the sense is not understood Take the mind of the Apostle aright and his expression is proper unto his purpose Wherefore there is in these verses an entire opposition and comparison between the Law and the Gospel the Curse due to Sin and the Redemption that is by Christ Jesus And we may observe That God hath eminently suited our Relief the means and causes of our spiritual Deliverance unto our Misery the means and causes of it as that his own Wisdom and Grace may be exalted and our faith established That which is here summarily represented by our Apostle in this Elegant Antithesis he declares at large Rom. 5. from ver 12. to the end of the Chapter But we proceed with the interpretation of the words In the first part of the Antithesis and comparison ver 27. there are three things asserted 1 The Death of men 2 The judgment that ensues and 3. The cause of them both The last is first to be explained It is Appointed Determined Enacted statutum est It is so by him who hath a Sovereign Power and Authority in and over these things and hath the force of an unalterable Law which none can transgress God himself hath thus appointed it none else can determine and dispose of these things And the word equally respects both parts of the Assertion Death and Judgment They are both equally from the constitution of God which is the cause of them both The Socinians do so divide these things that one of them namely Death they would have to be natural and the other or judgment from the constitution of God which is not to interpret but to contradict the words Yea death is that which in the first place and directly is affirmed to be the effect of this Divine Constitution being spoken of as it is Penal by the curse of the Law for sin and judgment falls under the same constitution as consequential thereunto But if death as they plead be meerly and only natural they
cannot refer it unto the same Divine Constitution with the future judgment which is natural in no sense at all Death was so far natural from the beginning as that the frame and constitution of our nature were in themselves liable and subject thereunto But that it should actually have invaded our nature unto its dissolution without the intervention of its meritorious Cause in Sin is contrary unto the Original state of our Relation unto God the nature of the Covenant whereby we were obliged unto Obedience the Reward promised therein with the threatning of Death in case of disobedience Wherefore the Law Statute or Constitution here related unto is no other but that of Gen. 2. 17. In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye with that addition dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return Chap. 3. 19. God enacted it as an everlasting Law concerning Adam and all his Posterity that they should dye and that once as they were once taken out of the Dust. But in the words of God before mentioned there are two things 1. A penal Law enacted Gen. 3. 17. 2. A judicial sentence denounced Chap. 2. 19. not onely Death but future judgment also was appointed thereby Thus it is appointed to men that is to all men or men indefinitely without exception it is their lot and portion It is appointed unto men not meerly as men but as sinners as sinful men For it is of sin and the effects of it with their removal by Christ that the Apostle discourseth It is appointed unto them to dye that is penally for sin as Death was threatned in that Penal statute mentioned in the curse of the Law And death under that consideration alone is taken away by the death of Christ. The sentence of dying naturally is continued towards all but the moral nature of dying with the consequents of it are removed from some by Christ The Law is not absolutely reversed but what was formally penal in it is taken away Observe 1. Death in the first constitution of it was penal And the entrance of it as a penalty keeps the fear of it in all living Yea it was by the Law Eternally Penal Nothing was to come after death but Hell And 2. It is still penal Eternally penal unto all unbelievers But there are false notions of it amongst men as there are of all other things Some are afraid of it when the penalty is separated from it Some on the other hand look on it as a Relief and so either seek it or desire it unto whom it will prove only an entrance unto judgment It is the interest of all living to enquire diligently what death will be unto them 3. The death of all is equally determined and certain in Gods constitution It hath various wayes of approach unto all individuals Hence is it generally looked on as an accident befalling this or that man But the Law concerning it is general and equal The Second part of the Assertion is that after this is the judgment This by the same Divine unalterable constitution is appointed unto all God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in Righteousness Death makes an not end of men as some think others hope and many would desire it should Ipsa mors nihil post mortem nihil But there is something yet remaining which death is subservient unto Hence it is said to be after this As surely as men dye it is sure that somewhat else follows after death This is the force of the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but but after it Now this after doth not denote the immediate succession of one thing unto another if one go before and the other certainly follow after what ever length of time be interposed between them the Assertion is true and proper Many have been long dead probably the most that shall dye and yet judgment is not come after But it shall come in its appointed season and so as that nothing shall interpose between death and judgment to make any alteration in the state or condition of the persons concerned in them The souls of them that are dead are yet alive but are utterly incapable of any change in their condition between death and judgment As death leaves men so shall judgment find them The second part of this penal constitution is judgment after death judgment It is not a particular judgment on every individual person immediately on his death although such a judgment there be For in and by death there is a declaration made concerning the eternal condition of the deceased But judgment here is opposed unto the second appearance of Christ unto the Salvation of believers which is the great or general judgment of all at the last day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used with respect unto this day or taken absolutely do signifie a condemnatory sentence only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the resurrection of or unto judgment is opposed unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the resurrection of or unto life Joh. 5. 29. See ver 22 23 24. So is it here used Judgment that is condemnation for sin follows after death in the righteous constitution of God by the sentence of the Law And as Christ by his death doth not take away death absolutely but only as it was penal so on his Second appearance he doth not take away judgment absolutely but only as it is a condemnatory sentence with respect unto Believers For as we must all dye so we must all appear before his judgment seat Rom. 14. 10. But as he hath promised that those that believe in him shall not see death for they are passed from death unto life they shall not undergo it as it is penal so also he hath that they shall not come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word here used into judgment Joh. 5. 24. They shall be freed from the condemnatory sentence of the Law For the nature and manner of this judgment see the Exposition on Chap. 6. 5. This then is the sense of the words Whereas therefore or in as much as this is the constitution of God that man sinful man shall once dye and afterwards be judged or condemned for sin Which would have been the event with all had not a Relief been provided which in opposition hereunto is declared in the next verse And no man that dyes in sin shall ever escape judgment VER XXVIII This verse gives us the Relief provided in the wisdom and Grace of God for and from this condition And there is in the words 1. The Redditive note of comparison and opposition So 2. The subject spoken of the offering of Christ. 3. The End of it to bear the sin of many 4 The consequent of it which must be spoken to distinctly 1. The Redditive note is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So in like manner in answer unto that state of things and for the Remedy against it in a blessed condecency unto Divine
wisdom goodness and Grace The Subject spoken of is the offering of Christ. But it is here mentioned passively he was offered Most frequently it is expressed by his offering of himself the sacrifice he offered of himself For as the vertue of his offering depends principally on the dignity of his Person so his humane Soul his Mind Will and Affections with the fulness of the Graces of the Spirit resident and acting in them did concur unto the efficacy of his Offering and were necessary to render it an Act of Obedience a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour unto God Ephes. 5. 2. Yea hereon principally depended his own Glory which arose not meerly from his suffering but from his obedience therein Phil. 2. 7 8. Wherefore he is most frequently said to offer himself 1. Because of the virtue communicated unto his offering by the Dignity of his Person 2. Because he was the only Priest that did offer 3. Because his Obedience therein was so acceptable unto God 4. Because this expresseth his love unto the Church he loved it and gave himself for it But as himself offered so his offering was himself His whole entire humane nature was that which was offered Hence it is thus passively expressed Christ was offered that is he was not only the Priest who offered but the Sacrifice that was offered Both were necessary that Christ should offer and that Christ should be offered And the Reason why it is here so expressed is because his offering is spoken of as it was by death and suffering For having affirmed that if he must often offer he must often suffer and compared his offering unto the once dying of men penally it is plain that the offering intended is in and by suffering Christ was offered is the same with Christ suffered Christ dyed And this expression is utterly irreconcileable unto the Socinian notion of the Oblation of Christ. For they would have it to consist in the presentation of himself in Heaven eternally free from and above all sufferings which cannot be the sense of this expression Christ was offered The circumstance of his being thus offered is that it was once only This joyned as it is here with a word in the preter tense can signify nothing but an action or passion then past and determin'd It is not any present continued action such as is the presentation of himself in heaven that can be signified hereby 3. The end of Christs being thus once offered and which his one offering did perfectly effect was to bear the sins of many There is an Antithesis between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of many and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto men in the verse foregoing Men expressed indefinitely in that necessary proposition intends all men universally Nor as we have shewed is there any exception against the Rule by a few instances of Exemption by the interposition of Divine Soveraignty But the relief which is granted by Christ though it be unto men indefinitely yet it extends not to all universally but to many of them only That it doth not so extend unto all eventually is confessed And this expression is declarative of the intention of God or of Christ himself in his offering See Ephes. 5. 25 26. He was thus offered for those many to bear their sins as we render the words It is variously translated as we have seen before and various senses are sought after by Expositors Grotius wholly follows the Socinians in their endeavours to pervert the sense of this word It is not from any difficulty in the word but from mens hatred unto the Truth that they put themselves on such endeavours And this whole attempt lies in finding out one or two places where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to take away For the various signification of a word used absolutely in any other place is sufficient for these men to confute its necessary signification in any context But the matter is plain in it self Christ did bear sin or take it away as he was offered as he was a Sacrifice for it This is here expresly affirmed He was offered to bear the sins of many This he did as the Sacrifices did of old as unto their Typical use and efficacy A supposition hereof is the sole foundation of the whole Discourse of the Apostle But they bare sin or took away sin not to contend about the meer signification of the word no otherwise but by the imputation of the sin unto the Beast that was Sacrificed whereon it was slain that attonement might be made with its blood This I have before sufficiently proved So Christ bare the sins of many and so the signification of this word is determined and limited by the Apostle Peter by whom alone it is used on the same occasion 1 Epist. 2. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who himself bare our sins in his own body on the Tree That place compared with this doth utterly evert the Socinian fiction of the Oblation of Christ in Heaven He was offered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bear the sins of many When did he do it How did he do it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He bare our sin in his own body on the tree Wherefore then he offered himself for them And this he did in his suffering Moreover where-ever in the Old Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is translated by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the LXX as Numb 14. 33. Isai. 53. 12. or by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with reference unto Sin it constantly signifies to bear the punishment of it Yea it doth so when with respect unto the Event it is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is Levit. 10. 17. And the proper signification of the word is to be taken from the declaration of the thing signified by it He shall bear their iniquities Isa. 53. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bear it as a burden upon him He was offered once so as that he suffered therein As he suffered he bare our iniquities and as he was offered he made attonement for them And this is not opposed unto the appearance of men before God at the last day but unto their death which they were once to undergo Wherefore The ground of the Expiation of Sin by the offering of Christ is this that therein he bare the Guilt and Punishment due unto it Upon this offering of Christ the Apostle supposeth what he had before declared namely that he entred into heaven to appear in the presence of God for us And hereon he declares what is the end of all this dispensation of Gods Grace Unto them that look for him he shall appear the second time without sin unto Salvation And he shews 1 What de facto Christ shall yet do He shall appear 2 To whom he shall so appear Unto them that look for him 3 In what manner Without sin 4 Unto what end Unto Salvation 5 In what order the second time The last thing mentioned is
that Death was the Wages of Sin For although there was allowed in them a Commutation that the Sinner himself should not dye but the Beast that was Sacrificed in his stead which belonged unto their Second end of leading unto Christ yet they all testified unto that Sacred Truth that it is the Judgment of God that they who commit Sin are worthy of Death And this was as the whole Law an Ordinance of God to deterr Men from Sin and so put bounds unto Transgressions For when God passed by Sin with a kind of Connivance winking at the Ignorance of Men in their iniquities not giving them continual warnings of their Guilt and the consequents thereof in Death the World was filled and covered with a Deluge of Impieties Men saw not Judgment speedily executed nor any Tokens or Indications that so it would be therefore was their Heart wholly set in them to do Evil. But God dealt not thus with the Church He let no Sin pass without a Representation of his displeasure against it though mixed with Mercy in a direction unto the Relief against it in the Blood of the Sacrifice And therefore he did not only appoint these Sacrifices on all the especial occasions of such Sins and Uncleanness as the Consciences of particular Sinners were pressed with a sense of but also once a year there was gathered up a Remembrance of all the Sins Iniquities and Transgressions of the whole Congregation Levit. 16. 2. They were added as the Teaching of a School-master to lead unto Christ. By them was the Church taught and directed to look continually unto and after that Sacrifice which alone could really purge and take away all Iniquity For God appointed no Sacrifices until after the Promise of sending the Seed of the Woman to break the Head of the Serpent In his so doing was his own Heel to be bruised in the suffering of his Humane Nature which he offered in Sacrifice unto God which these Sacrifices did represent Wherefore the Church knowing that these Sacrifices did call Sin to remembrance representing the displeasure of God against Sin which was their First end and that although there was an Intimation of Grace and Mercy in them by the commutation and substitution which they allowed yet that they could not of themselves take away Sin it made them the more earnestly and with longing desires look after him and his Sacrifice who should perfectly take away Sin and make peace with God wherein the principal exercise of Grace under the Old Testament did consist 3. As unto their especial nature they were added as the great instruction in the way and manner whereby Sin was to be taken away For although this arose originally from Gods meer Grace and Mercy yet was it not to be executed and accomplished by Soveraign Grace and Power alone Such a taking away of Sin would have been inconsistent with his Truth Holiness and Righteous Government of Mankind as I have elsewhere at large demonstrated It must be done by the Interposition of a Ransome and Attonement by the substitution of one who was no Sinner in the room of Sinners to make satisfaction unto the Law and Justice of God for Sin Hereby they became the principal direction of the Faith of the Saints under the Old Testament and the means whereby they acted it on the original promise of their Recovery from Apostasie These things do evidently express the Wisdom of God in their Institution although of themselves they could not take away Sin And those by whom these ends of them are denyed as they are by the Jews and Socinians can give no account of any end of them which should answer the Wisdom Grace and Holiness of God This Objection being removed I shall proceed unto the Exposition of the words in particular And there are Four things in them as a Negative Proposition 1. The Illative Conjunction declaring its respects unto what went before 2. The subject matter spoken of The Blood of Bulls and Goats 3. What is denyed concerning it it could not take away Sin 4. The Modification of this Negative Proposition it was impossible they should do so 1. The Illative Conjunction For declares what is spoken to be introduced in the Proof and Confirmation of what was before affirmed And it is the closing Argument against the Imperfection and Impotency of the Old Covenant the Law Priesthood and Sacrifices of it which the Apostle maketh use of And indeed it is comprehensive of all that he had before insisted on yea it is the Foundation of all his other Reasonings unto this purpose For if in the Nature of the thing it self it was impossible that the Sacrifices consisting of the Blood of Rulls and Goats should take away Sin then however whensoever and by whomsoever they were offered this effect could not be produced by them Wherefore in these words the Apostle puts a Close unto his Argument and reassumes it no more in this Epistle but only Once or Twice makes mention of it in the way of an Illustration to set forth the excellency of the Sacrifice of Christ as v. 11. of this Chapter and Chap. 13. 10 11 12. 2. The subject spoken of is the Blood of Bulls and Goats The reason why the Apostle expresseth them by Bulls and Goats which were Calves and Kids of the Goats hath been declared on Chap. 9. ver 11 12. And some things must be observed conceruing this Description of the Old Sacrifices 1. That he makes mention of the Blood of the Sacrifices only whereas in many of them the whole Bodies were offered and the Fat of them all was burned on the Altar And thus he doth for the ensuing Reasons 1. Because it was the Blood alone whereby Attonement was made for Sin and Sinners The Fat was burned with Incense only to shew that it was accepted as a sweet savour with God 2. Because he had respect principally unto the Anniversary Sacrifice unto the Consummation whereof and Attonement thereby the carrying the Blood into the Holy Place did belong 3. Because Life Natural is in an especial manner in the Blood which signified that Attonement was to be made by Death and that by the effusion of Blood as it was in the Sacrifice of Christ. See Levit. 17. 11 12. And in the shedding of it there was an Indication of the Desert of Sin in the Offerer 2. He recalls them by this Expression of their Sacrifices the Blood of Bulls and Goats unto a due consideration of what effect might be produced by them They were Accompanied with great Solemnity and Pomp of Ceremony in their Celebration Hence arose a great Esteem and Veneration of them in the Minds of the People But when all was done that which was Offered was but the Blood of Bulls and Goats And there is a Tacit Opposition unto the matter of that Sacrifice whereby Sin was really to be Expiated which was the precious Blood of Christ as Chap. 9. 13 14. 3. That which
is denyed of these Sacrifices is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the taking away of sins The thing intended is variously expressed by the Apostle as by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 2. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 1. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 9. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 9. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ver 28. To make Reconciliation to purge sin to purge the Conscience to abolish sin to bear it And that which he intendeth in all these expressions which he denies of the Law and its Sacrifices and ascribes unto that of Christ is the whole entire effect thereof so far as it immediately respected God and the Law For all these Expressions respect the Guilt of Sin and its removal or the pardon of it with righteousness before God acceptance and peace with him To take away sin is to make Attonement for it to Expiate it before God by a satisfaction given or price paid with the procurement of the Pardon of it according unto the Terms of the New Covenant The Interpretation of these words by the Socinians is contrary unto the signification of the words themselves and the whole design of the Context Impossibile est saith Schlictingius ut sanguis taurorum hircorum peccata tollat hoc est efficiat ut homines in postcrum à peccatis abstinerent sic nullam amplius habeant peccatorum conscientiam sive ullas corum poenas metuant quam cnim quaeso vim ad haec praestandum sanguis animalium habere potest Itaque hoc dicit taurorum hircorum sanguinem eam vim nequaquam habere ut habeat impossibile esse ut homines à peccatis avocet ne in posterum peccent efficiat And Grotius after him speaks to the same purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod suprà 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est extinguere peccata quod sanguis Christi facit cum quia fidem in nobis parit tum quia Christo jus dat nobis auxilia necessaria impetrandi pecudum sanguis nihil efficit tale 1. Nothing can be more Alien from the Design of the Apostle and Scope of the Context They are both of them to prove that the Sacrifices of the Law could not Expiate Sins could not make Attonement for them could not make Reconciliation with God could not produce the effect which the Sacrifice of Christ alone was appointed and ordained unto They were only Signs and Figures of it They could not effect that which the Hebrews looked for from them and by them And that which they expected by them was that by them they should make Attonement with God for their sins Wherefore the Apostle denies that it was possible they should effect what they looked for from them and nothing else It was not that they should be Arguments to turn them from Sin unto newness of life so as that they should sin no more By what way and on what consideration they were means to deter Men from Sin I have newly declared But they can produce no one place in the whole Law to give countenance unto such an Apprehension that this was their end so that the Apostle had no need to declare their Insufficiency with respect thereunto Especially the great Anniversary Sacrifice on the day of Expiation was appointed so expresly to make Attonement for Sin to procure its Pardon to take away its Guilt in the sight of God and from the Conscience of the Sinner that he should not be punished according unto the Sentence of the Law as that it cannot be denyed This is that which the Apostle declares that of themselves they could not effect or perform but only Typically and by way of Representation 2. He declares directly and positively what he intends by this taking away of Sin and the ceasing of Legal Sacrifices thereon ver 17 18. Their Sins and their Iniquities will I remember no more now where Remission of these is there is no more Offering for Sin The cessation of Offerings for Sin follows directly on the Remission of Sin which is the effect of Expiation and Attonement and not upon the turning away of Men from Sin for the future It is therefore our Justification and not our Sanctification that the Apostle discourseth of 3. The words themselves will not bear this sense For the Object of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which it is exercised about is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is an Act upon Sin it self and not immediately upon the Sinner Nor can it signifie any thing but to take away the Guilt of Sin that it should not bind over the Sinner unto punishment whereon Conscience for sin is taken away But to return 4. The manner of the Negation is that it was impossible that it should be otherwise And it was so 1. From Divine Institution Whatever the Jews apprehended they were never designed of God unto that end and therefore had no Virtue or Efficacy for it Communicated unto them And all the Virtue of Ordinances of Worship depends on their Designation unto their end The Blood of Bulls and Goats as offered in Sacrifice and carried into the most Holy Place was designed of God to represent the way of taking away sin but not by it self to effect it and it was therefore impossible that so it should do 2. It was impossible from the Nature of the things themselves in as much as there was not a Condecency unto the Holy perfections of the Divine Nature that Sin should be Expiated and the Church perfected by the Blood of Bulls and Goats For 1. There would not have been so unto his Infinite Wisdom For God having declared his severity against Sin with the necessity of its punishment unto the Glory of his Righteousness and Soveraign Rule over his Creatures what Condecency could there have been herein unto infinite Wisdom What Consistency between the severity of that Declaration and the taking away of Sin by such an Inferiour Beggarly means as that of the Blood of Bulls and Goats A great appearance was made of infinite displeasure against sin in the giving of the Fiery Law in the Curse of it in the threatnings of Eternal Death should all have ended in an outward shew there would have been no manner of proportion to be discerned between the Demerit of Sin and the means of its Expiation So that 2. It had no Condecency unto Divine Justice For 1. As I have elsewhere proved at large Sin could not be taken away without a Price a Ransome a Compensation and satisfaction made unto Justice for the Injuries it received by Sin In satisfaction unto Justice by way of Compensation for Injuries or Crimes there must be a proportion between the Injury and the Reparation of it that Justice may be as much Exalted and Glorified in the one as it was depressed and debased in the other But there could be no such thing between the Demerit of Sin and the Affront put on the Righteousness of God on the one
that it might be fitted and suited unto the work that it was ordained unto In the former sense the Body it self is alone the Object of this preparation A Body hast thou prepared me that is designed for me This latter sense comprizeth the use of the Body also it is fitted for its work This latter sense it is that is proper unto this place Only it is spoken of by the Psalmist in a Prophetical Style wherein things certainly future are expressed as already performed For the word signifies such a preparation as whereby it is made actually fit and meet for the end it is designed unto And therefore it is variously rendred to fit to adapt to perfect to adorn to make meet with respect unto some especial end Thou hast adapted a Body unto my work fitted and suited an Humane Nature unto that I have to perform in it and by it A Body it must be yet not every body nay not any Body brought forth by Carnal Generation according to the course of Nature could effect or was fit for the work designed unto it But God prepared provided such a Body for Christ as was fitted and adapted unto all that he had to do in it And this especial manner of its preparation was an act of Infinite Wisdom and Grace Some Instances thereof may be mentioned As 1. He prepared him such a Body such an Humane Nature as might be of the same Nature with ours for whom he was to accomplish his work therein For it was necessary that it should be Cognate and Allied unto ours that he might be meet to act on our behalf and to suffer in our stead He did not form him a Body out of the Dust of the Earth as he did that of Adam whereby he could not have been of the same Race of Mankind with us nor meerly out of nothing as he created the Angels whom he was not to save See Chap. 2. ver 14 15 16. and the Exposition thereon He took our Flesh and Blood proceeding from the Loyns of Abraham 2. He so prepared it as that it should be no way subject unto that depravation and pollution that came on our whole Nature by Sin This could not have been done had his Body been prepared by Carnal Generation the way and means of conveying the taint of Original Sin which befel our Nature unto all individual persons For this would have rendered him every way unmeet for his whole work of Mediation See Luke 1. 35. Heb. 7. 26. 3. He prepared him a Body consisting of Flesh and Blood which might be Offered as a real substantial Sacrifice and wherein he might Suffer for Sin in his Offering to make Attonement for it Nor could the Sacrifices of Old which were Real Bloody and Substantial prefigure that which should be only Metaphorical and in appearance The whole evidence of the Wisdom of God in the Institution of the Sacrifices of the Law depends on this that Christ was to have a Body consisting of Flesh and Blood wherein he might answer all that was prefigured by them 4. It was such a Body as was Animated with a Living Rational Soul Had it been only a Body it Might have Suffered as did the Beasts under the Law from which no Act of Obedience was required only they were to suffer what was done unto them But in the Sacrifice of the Body of Christ that which was principally respected and whereon the whole Efficacy of it did depend was his Obedience unto God For he was not to be Offered by others but he was to Offer himself in Obedience unto the Will of God Chap. 9. 14. Ephes. 5. 2. And the principles of all Obedience lye alone in the Powers and Faculties of the Rational Soul 5. This Body and Soul were obnoxious unto all the Sorrows and Sufferings which our Nature is liable unto and we had deserved as they were poenal tending unto Death Hence was he meet to Suffer in our stead the same things which we should have done Had they been exempted by special priviledge from what our Nature is liable unto the whole work of our Redemption by his Blood had been frustrate 6. This Body or Humane Nature thus prepared for Christ was exposed unto all sorts of Temptations from outward Causes But yet it was so Sanctified by the perfection of Grace and fortified by the fulness of the Spirit dwelling therein as that it was not possible it should be touched with the least Taint or Guilt of Sin And this also was absolutely necessary unto the work whereunto it was designed 1 Pet. 2. 22. Heb. 7. 26. 7. This Body was liable unto Death which being the Sentence and Sanction of the Law with respect unto the First and all following Sins all and every one of them was to be undergone actually by him who was to be our Deliverer Heb. 2. 14 15. Had it not died Death would have borne Rule over all unto Eternity But in the death thereof it was swallowed up in Victory 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. 8. As it was subject unto Death and died actually so it was meet to be raised again from Death And herein consisted the great pledge and evidence that our dead Bodies may be and shall be raised again unto a Blessed Immortality So it became the Foundation of all our Faith as unto things Eternal 1 Cor. 15. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. 9. This Body and Soul being capable of a real separation and being actually separated by Death though not for any long continuance yet no less truly and really than them who have been dead a Thousand years a Demonstration was given therein of an active Subsistence of the Soul in a State of Separation from the Body As it was with the Soul of Christ when he was dead so is it with our Souls in the same State He was alive with God and unto God when his Body was in the Grave and so shall our Souls be 10. This Body was visibly taken up into Heaven and there resides which considering the ends thereof is the great encouragement of Faith and the Life of our Hope These are but some of the many instances that may be given of the Divine Wisdom in so preparing a Body for Christ as that it might be fitted and adapted unto the work which he had to do therein And we may Observe that Not only the Love and Grace of God in sending his Son are continually to be admired and Glorified but the acting of this Infinite Wisdom in fitting and preparing his humane Nature so as to render it every way meet unto the work which it was designed for ought to be the especial Object of our Holy Contemplation But having treated hereof distinctly in a peculiar discourse unto that purpose I shall not here again insist upon it The last thing Observable in this Verse is that this preparation of the Body of Christ is ascribed unto God even the Father unto whom he speaks these words a Body
day whereas he Offered but once so as that the repetition of it is destructive unto it The other is that of the Socinians who would have the Offering and Sacrifice of Christ to be only his appearance before God to receive power to keep us from the punishment of sin upon his doing of the Will of God in the World But the words are express as unto the Order of these things namely that he Offered his Sacrifice for sins before his Exaltation in Glory or his sitting on the Right Hand of God And herein doth the Apostle give Glory unto that Offering of Christ for sins in that it perfectly accomplished what all Legal Sacrifices could not effect This therefore is the only repose of troubled Souls 3. The consequent hereof on the part of Christ is two fold 1. What immediately ensued on this Offering of his Body ver 12. 2. What continueth to be his state with respect thereunto both of them evidencing Gods high approbation and acceptance of his person and what he had done as also the Glory and Efficacy of his Office and Sacrifice above those of the Law wherein no such Priviledge nor Testimony was given unto them upon the discharge of their Office 1. The immediate consequent of his Offering was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he sat down on the Right Hand of God This Glorious Exaltation of Christ hath been spoken unto and opened before on Ch. 7. 3. Ch. 8. 1. Here it includes a double opposition unto and preference above the State of the Legal Priests upon their Oblations For although the High-Priest in his Anniversary Sacrifice for the Expiation of sin did enter into the most Holy Place where were the visible pledges of the presence of God yet he stood in a posture of humble Ministration he sate not down with any appearance of Dignity or Honour Again his abode in the Typical Holy Place was for a short season only but Christ sate down at the Right Hand of God for ever 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in perpetuum in an unalterable state and condition He sate down never to Offer Sacrifice any more And this is the highest pledge the highest assurance of those two things which are the Pillars and principal Foundations of the Faith of the Church 1. That God was absolutely pleased satisfied and highly glorified in and by the Offering of Christ. For had it not been so the Humane Nature of Christ had not been immediately exalted into the highest Glory that it was capable of See Eph. 5. 1 2. Phil. 2. 7 8 9. 2. That he had by his Offering perfectly Expiated the Sin of the World so as that there was no need for ever of any other Offering or Sacrifice unto the end 1. Faith in Christ doth joyntly respect both his Oblation of himself by Death and the Glorious Exaltation that ensued thereon He so Offered one Sacrifice for sin as that thereon he sate down on the Right Hand of God for ever Neither of these separately is a full Object for Faith to find rest in both in conjunction are a Rock to fix it on And 2. Christ in this Order of things is the great exemplar of the Church He suffered and then entred into Glory If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him ver 13. From henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his Footstool So that 2. The state and condition of Christ after his sitting down at the Right Hand of God not absolutely but with respect unto his Enemies is declared in these words The whole Testimony is taken from Psal. 110. 1. and here explained in these Verses It is produced in the Confirmation of what the Apostle asserts concerning the impossibility as well as the needlesness of the Repetition of his Sacrifice For as it was no way necessary as in the Verses following he declares so it is impossible in his present state and condition which was Ordained for him from the beginning This was that he should sit at the Right Hand of God expecting his Enemies to be made his Footstool that is a state of Majesty and Glory But Offer himself he could not without suffering and dying whereof in this state he is no way capable And besides as was before Observed it is an evidence both of the dignity and eternal efficacy of his own Sacrifice whereon at once his Exaltation did ensue I acknowledge my thoughts are inclined unto a peculiar Interpretation of this place though I will not oppose absolutely that which is commonly received though in my judgment I prefer this other before it The Assertion is introduced by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 henceforth say we as unto what remains that is of the dispensation of the personal Ministry of Christ. He was here below he came unto his own he dwelt amongst them that is in the Church of the Hebrews some very few believed on him but the generality of the people the Rulers Priests Guides of the Church engaged against him persecuted him falsly accused him killed him hanged him on a Tree Under the Veil of their Rage and Cruelty he carried on his work of making his Soul an Offering for sin or taking away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Having fulfilled this Work and thereby wrought out the Eternal Salvation of the Church he sits down on the Right Hand of God In the mean time those stubborn Enemies of his who hated rejected and slew him continued raging in the fierceness of their implacable tumults against him and them that believed in him They hated his Person his Office his Work his Gospel many of them expresly sinning against the Holy Ghost Yet did they Triumph that they had prevailed against him and destroyed him as some of their accursed posterity do to this day It was the Judgment of God that those his obstinate Enemies should by his power be utterly destroyed in this World as a pledge of the Eternal Destruction of those who will not believe the Gospel That this was the end whereunto they were designed himself declares Matt. 22. 7. Luke 19. 24. Those mine Enemies that would not have me reign over them bring them hither and slay them before my face After our Lord Christ left this World there was a mighty Contest between the dying Apostate Church of the Jews and the rising Gospel Church of Believers The Jews boasted on their success in that by fraud and cruelty they had destroyed him as a Malefactor The Apostles and the Church with them gave Testimony unto his Resurrection and Glory in Heaven Great expectation there was what would be the end of these things which way the Scale would turn After a while a visible and glorious determination was made of this controversie God sent forth his Armies and destroyed these Murderers burning up their City Those Enemies of the King which would not have him to Reign over them were brought forth and slain before his face so were all his Enemies made his Footstool I
which he had all along compared and expressed Wherefore to convince the Hebrews not only of the certainty and severity of the Judgment declared but also of the Equity and Righteousness of it he proposeth unto them the consideration of Gods constitution of punishment under the Old Testament with respect unto the Law of Moses which they could not deny to be Just and Equal Ver. 28. he lays down the matter of fact as it was Stated under the Law Wherein there are three things 1. The sin whereunto that of Apostasie from the Gospel is compared He that despised Moses Law 2. The Punishment of that sin according to the Law he that was guilty of it dyed without Mercy 3. The way whereby according unto the Law his sin was to be charged on him it was under two or three Witnesses Unto the first two things did concur 1. It was such a sin as by the Law was capital as Murder Adultery Incest Idolatry Blasphemy and some others Concerning them it was provided in the Law that those who were guilty of them should be put to Death God alone by vertue of his Soveraignty could dispense with the Execution of this sentence of the Law as he did in the case of Lavid 2 Sam. 12. 13. but as unto the people they were prohibited on any account to dispense with it or forbear the Execution of it Numb 35. 31. 2. It was required that he did it presumptuously or with an high hand Ex. 21. 14. Numb 15. 30 31. Deut. 17. 12. He that was thus guilty of sin in sinning is said to despise Moses Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to abolish it to render it useless that is in himself by contempt of the Authority of it or the Authority of God in it And it is called a contempt and abolishing of the Law as the word signifies 1. Because of Gods indulgence unto them therein For although the general sentence of the Law was a Curse wherein death was contained against every Transgression thereof Deut. 29. yet God had ordained and appointed that for all their sins of Ignorance Infirmity or surprisals by Temptations an Attonement should be made by Sacrifice whereon the guilty were freed as unto the terms of the Covenant and restored to a right unto all the Promises of it Wherein they would not abide in those Terms and Conditions of the Covenant but transgress the bounds annext to them it was a contempt of the whole Law with the wisdom goodness and authority of God therein 2. They rejected all the Promises of it which were given exclusively unto such sins nor was there any way appointed of God for their recovery unto an interest in them Hereby they made themselves Lawless Persons contemning the Threatnings and despising the Promises of the Law which God would not bear in any of them Deut. 29. 18 19 20 21. It is the contempt of God and his Authority in his Law that is the Gall and Poyson of sin This may be said in some measure of all voluntary sins and the more there is of it in any sin the greater is their guilt and the higher is their aggravation who have contracted it But there is a degree hereof which God will not bear with namely when this presumptuous contempt hath such an influence into any sin as that no ignorance no infirmity no special temptation can be pleaded unto the extenuation of it I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief And sundry things are required hereunto 1. That it be known unto the sinner both in point of right and fact to be such a sin as whereunto the penalty of death without dispensation was annexed 2. That therefore the sence of God in the Law be suggested unto the soul in and by the ordinary means of it 3. That the Resolution of continuing in it and the perpetration of it doth prevail against all convictions and fear of punishment 4. That Motives unto the contrary with reluctancies of Conscience be stifled or overcome These things rendered a sinner presumptuous or caused him to sin with an high hand under the Law Whereunto the Apostle adds in the next verse the peculiar aggravations of sin against the Gospel This it is to despise the Law of Moses as it is explained Numb 15. 30 31. 2. The Punishment of this sin or of him that was guilty of it was that he died without mercy He died that is he was put to death not alvaies it may be de facto but such was the constitution of the Law he was to be put to death without mercy There were several waies of inflicting Capital punishments appointed by the Law as hanging on a Tree burning and stoning Of all which and the application of them unto particular Cases I have given a description in the Exercitations unto the first Volume of these Commentaries And it is said that he dyed without mercy not only because there was no allowance for any such mercy as should save and deliver him but God had expresly forbidden that either mercy or compassion should be shewed in such cases Deut. 13. 6 7 8 9. Deut. 19. This is expresly added unto the highest instance of despising the Law namely the decalogue in the foundation of it whereon all other precepts of the Law were built and that which comprised a total Apostacy from the whole Law Wherefore I doubt not but the Apostle had an especial respect unto that sin in its punishment which had a compleat parallel with that whose hainousness he would represent However When the God of mercies will have men shew no mercy as in the Temporal punishment he can and will upon repentance shew mercy as to Eternal punishment For we dare not condemn all unto Hell which the Law condemned as unto temporal punishment 3. The way of Execution of this Judgment it was not to be done under two or three witnesses that is that were so of the fact and crime The Law is express in this case Deut. 17. 6. Chap. 19. 13. Numb 35. 30. Although God was very severe in the prescription of these Judgments yet he would give no advantage thereby unto wicked and malicious persons to take away the lives of innocent men He rather chose that those who were guilty should through our weakness go free for want of evidence against them than that innocence should be exposed unto the malice of one single testimony or witness And such abhorrency God had of false witnesses in criminal Causes as that which is most contrary unto his Righteousness in the Government of the world as that he established a Lex talionis in this case alone that a false witness should suffer the utmost of what he thought and contrived to bring on another The Equity of which Law is still continued in force as suitable to the Law of Nature and ought to be more observed than it is Deut. 19. 16 17 18 19 20 21. On this Proposition of
in them all Consider now what aggravations this sin is accompanied withall above all sins whatever against the Law and be your selves Judges of what will follow hereon What do you think in your own hearts will be the Judgment of God concerning these sinners This argument the Apostle doth frequently insist upon as chap. 2. 2 3 4. chap. 12. 25. and it had a peculiar cogency towards the Hebrews who had lived under the terror of those legal punishments all their dayes I. The inevitable certainty of the Eternal punishment of Gospel-despisers depends on the Essential holiness and righteousness of God as the Ruler and Judge of all It is nothing but what he in his just Judgment which is according unto truth accounteth them worthy of Rom. 1. 32. II. It is a righteous thing with God thus to deal with men Wherefore all hopes of Mercy or the least relaxation of Punishment unto all Eternity are vain and false unto Apostates they shall have Judgment without Mercy III. God hath allotted different degrees of Punishment unto the different degrees and aggravations of sin The wages indeed of every sin is Death but there is unto such persons as these a Savour of death unto death and there shall be different degrees of Eternal Punishment IV. The Apostacy from the Gospel here described being the absolute height of all sin and impiety that the nature of man is capable of it renders them unto Eternity obnoxious unto all punishment that the same nature is capable of The greatest sin must have the greatest Judgment V. It is our Duty diligently to enquire into the nature of sin lest we be overtaken in the great Offence Such Persons as they in the Text it may be little thought what it was that they should principally be charged withal namely for their Apostasie and how dreadful was it when it came upon them in an evident conviction VI. Sinning against the Testimony given by the Holy Ghost unto the truth and power of the Gospel whereof men have had experience is the most dangerous Symtom of a perishing Condition VII Threatnings of future Eternal Judgments unto Gospel-despisers belong unto the preaching and declaration of the Gospel VIII The Equity and Righteousness of the most severe Judgments of God in eternal Punishments against Gospel-Despisers is so evident that it may be referred to the Judgment of men not obstinate in their Blindness IX 'T is our Duty to justifie and bear witness unto God in the Righteousness of his Judgments against Gospel-Despisers VERSE XXX XXXI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VERSE 30 31. For we know him that hath said Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompence saith the Lord. And again the Lord shall Judge his People It is a fearfull thing to fall into the Hands of the living God THere is in these Verses the confirmation of all that was spoken before by the consideration of what God is in himself with whom alone we have to do in this matter and what he assumeth unto himself in this and the like Cases As if the Apostle had said In the severe sentence which we have denounced against Apostates we have spoken nothing but what is suitable unto the holiness of God and what indeed in such cases he hath declared that he will do The conjunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes the introduction of a Reason of what was spoken before but this is not all which he had discoursed on on this Subject but more particularly the reference he had made unto their own Judgments of what sore punishment was due unto Apostates Thus it will be with them thus you must needs determine concerning them in your own minds for we know him with whom we have to do in these things Wherefore the Apostle confirms the truth of his discourse or rather illustrates the evidence of it by a double consideration 1. Of the person of him who is and is to be the sole Judge in this case who is God alone For we know him And 2. What he hath assumed unto himself and affirmed concerning himself in the like-cases which he expresseth in a double Testimony of Scripture And then lastly there is the way whereby our minds are influenced from this Person and what he hath said which is that we know him The first consideration confirming the Evidence and certainty of the truth asserted is the person of him who is the only Judge in this case I confess the Pronoun herein is not exprest in the Original but as 't is included in the Participle and Article prefixed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that saith who expresseth himself in the words ensuing But it is evident that the Apostle directeth unto a special consideration of God himself both in the manner of the expression and in the addition of those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Testimony which he writes immediately If you will be convinced of a righteousness and certainty of this dreadful destruction of Apostates consider in the first place the Author of this Judgment the only Judge in the case We know him that hath said I. There can be no right Judgment made of the nature and demerit of sin without a due consideration of the Nature and Holiness of God against whom it is committed Fools make a mock of sin they have no sense of its guilt nor dread of its punishment Others have slight thoughts of it measuring it only either by outward effects or by presumptions which they have been accustomed unto Some have general notions of its guilt as 't is prohibited by the Divine Law but never search into the nature of that Law with respect unto its Author Such false measures of sin ruin the souls of men Nothing therefore will state our thoughts aright concerning the guilt and demerit of sin but a deep consideration of the infinite greatness holiness righteousness and power of God against whom it is committed And hereunto this also is to be added That God acts not in the effect of any of these Properties of his nature but on a preceding contempt of his Goodness Bounty Grace and Mercy As it is impossible that sin should come into the world but by the contempt of these things Antecedently unto all possibility of sinning God communicates the effects of his goodness and bounty unto the Creation And in those sins which are against the Gospel he doth so also of his Grace and Mercy This is that which will give us a due measure of the guilt and demerit of sin Look upon it as a contempt of infinite Goodness Bounty Grace and Mercy and to rise up against infinite greatness holiness righteousness and power and we shall have a view of it as it is in it self II. Under apprehensions of great severities of Divine Judgments the consideration of God the Author of them will both relieve our Faith and quiet our hearts Such instances are given of the Eternal casting off Multitudes of Angels on
Persons which is affirmed of their Offerings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for if they had been perfect or made perfect referring unto what went before that they were not made perfect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they would have long since ceased or rested from their Oblations or Offerings They would have offered them no more And although it doth not at all express 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which follows in the Verse yet it regulates the sense of the whole by that word as it more plainly declares in rendring the following words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Because their conscience would no more have tossed or disquieted them for their sins who had at one time been purified which is a good Exposition though not an exact Translation of the Words And so it renders the next Verse but in these Sacrifices their Sins are remembred called to mind every year 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many ancient Copies add the negative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof we shall speak immediately 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vul. Alioquin and so others generally of the word see Chap. 9. 26. For if so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cessassent semel oblata they would have ceased being once offered Most render the Participle by the Infinitive Mood desiissent offerri they would have ceased to be offered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cultores the Worshippers sacrificantes the Sacrificers say some I think improperly both as to the proper sense of the Word and the Things intended The Priests only properly were sacrificantes but the people are here intended 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 M. S. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mundati purificati purgati cleansed purified purged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ideo quod nullam habent ultrà conscientiam peccati Vul. Lat. ideo quòd for propterea peccati for peccatorum Nullorum peccatorum amplius sibi essent conscii Bez. They should no more be conscious unto themselves of any sin The sense is given in the Syriack before mentioned Arab. They would have made more mention of the Commemoration of Sins with respect unto the Words following 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. But in these they remembred their Sins Recommemoratio repetita mentio A calling to remembrance by acknowledgment There is as was observed a different reading in the ancient Copies of the First words in the Second Verse The Syriack and the vulgar Latin take no notice of the Negative Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but read the words positively then would they have ceased Those who follow other Copies take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non for nonne and render the words Interrogatively as doth our Translation for then would they not have ceased That is they would have done so And then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be rendred Adversatively by alioqui as it is by Most for otherwise But it may be rendred Causally by for then if an Interrogation be allowed But the sense is the same in both Readings as we shall see VERSE 2. For otherwise they would have ceased to be offered because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins THe words contain a confirmation by a new argument of what was affirmed in the verse foregoing And it is taken from the frequent repetitions of those Sacrifices The thing to be proved is the insufficiency of the Law to perfect the Worshippers by its Sacrifices This he proves in the foregoing verse from the formal cause of that insufficiency which is that in them all it had but a shadow of good things to come and so could not effect that which was to be done only by the good things themselves Here the same truth is proved ab effectu or à signo from a demonstrative sign and evidence of it in their Repetition The present Argument therefore of the Apostle is taken from a sign of the Impotency and insufficiency which he had before asserted There is as was observed a variety in the original copies some having the negative particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 others omitting it If that note of negations be allowed the words are to be read by way of Interrogation would they not have ceased to be offered that is they would have done so or God would not have appointed the Repetition of them If it be omitted the assertion is positive They would have then ceased to be offered there was no Reason for their continuance nor would God have appointed it And the notes of the inference 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are applicable unto either reading For then in that case on this supposition that they could perfect the worshippers would they not or they would Have ceased to be offered There would have been rest given unto them a stop put to their offering That is God would have appointed them to have been offered once and no more So the Apostle observes signally of the Sacrifice of Christ that he once offered himself that he offered once for all because by one offering and that once offered he did perfect them that were sanctified or dedicated unto God thereby That which the Apostle designes to prove is that they did not by their own force and efficacy for ever perfect the Church or bring it unto that State of Justification Sanctification and acceptance with God which was designed unto it with all the priviledges and spiritual worship belonging unto that State That this they did not do he declares in the words following by a notable instance included in their Repetition For all means of any sort as such do cease when their end is attained The continuance of their use is an evidence that the end proposed is not effected In opposition unto this argument in general it may be said that this reiteration or repetition of them was not because they did not perfectly expiate Sins the Sins of the offerers all that they had committed and were guilty of before their offering But because those for whom they were offered did again contract the guilt of Sin and so stood in need of a renewed expiation hereof In answer unto this Objection which may be laid against the foundation of the Apostles Argument I say there are two things in the Expiation of Sin First The Effects of the Sacrifice towards God in making attonement Secondly The Application of those Effects unto our consciences The Apostle treats not of the later or the means of the Application of the Effects and Benefits of the Expiation of sin unto our Consciences which may be many and frequently repeated Of this nature are still all the Ordinances of the Gospel and so also are our own Faith and Repentance The principal end in particular of that great Ordinance of the Supper of the Lord which by his own command is frequently to be repeated and ever was so in the Church is to make Application unto us of the vertue and efficacy of the Sacrifice of Christ in his death unto our Souls For a
renewed participation of the thing Signified is the only use of the frequent repetition of the Sign So renewed Acts of Faith and Repentance are continually necessary upon the incursions of new acts of sin and defilement But by none of these is there any attonement made for sin or an expiation of it only the one the great Sacrifice of Attonement is applyed unto us not to be repeated by us But the Apostle treats only of that we mentioned in the first place the efficacy of Sacrifices to make Reconciliation and Attonement for sin before God which the Jews expected from them And actings towards God need no repetition to make Application of them unto him Wherefore God himself being the only object of Sacrifices for the Expiation of sin what cannot be effected towards him and with him by one and at once can never be done by Repetition of the same Supposing therefore the end of Sacrifices to be the making of Attonement with God for sin and the procurement of all the priviledges wherewith it is accompanied which was the faith of the Jews concerning them and the Repetition of them doth invincibly prove that they could not of themselves effect what they were applyed unto or used for especially considering that this repetition of them was enjoyned to be perpetual whilst the Law continued in force If they could at any time have perfected the Worshippers they would have ceased to be offered for unto what end should that continuance serve To abide in a shew or pretence of doing that which is done already doth no way answer the wisdom of Divine Institutions And we may see herein both the obstinacy and miserable state thereon of the present Jews The Law doth plainly declare that without Attonement by blood there is no Remission of sins to be obtained This they expect by the sacrifices of the Law and their frequent repetition not by any thing which was more perfect and which they did represent But all these they have been utterly deprived of for many Generations and therefore must all of them on their own principles dye in their sins and under the Curse The woful superstitious follies whereby they endeavour to supply the want of those Sacrifices are nothing but so many Evidences of their obstinate blindness And it is hence also evident that the superstition of the Church of Rome in their Masse wherein they pretend to offer and every day to repeat a propitiatory Sacrifice for the sins of the living and the dead doth evidently demonstrate that they disbelieve the efficacy of the one Sacrifice of Christ as once offered for the expiation of sin For if it be so neither can it be repeated nor any other used for that end if we believe the Apostle The remaining words of this verse confirm the Argument insisted on namely that these Sacrifices would have ceased to be offered if they could have made the Church perfect for saith he the worshippers being once purged they should have had no more conscience of Sin And we must enquire 1. who are intended by the worshippers 2. what it is to be purged 3. what is the effect of this purging in having no more conscience of sins 4. How the Apostle proves his intention hereby The Worshippers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Comers in the Verse foregoing And in neither place the Priests who offered the Sacrifices but the people for whom they were offered are intended They it was who made use of these Sacrifices for the Expiation of Sin Concerning these persons it is supposed that if the Sacrifices of the Law could make them perfect then would they have been purged wherefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the effect of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be purged of being made perfect For the Apostle supposeth the Negation of the latter from the Negation of the former If the Law did not make them perfect then were they not purged This Sacred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 respects either the guilt of Sin or the filth of it The one is removed by Justification the other by Sanctification The one is the effect of the Sacerdotal actings of Christ towards God in making attonement for Sin the other of the application of the Virtue and Efficacy of that Sacrifice unto our Souls and Consciences whereby they are purged cleansed renewed and changed It is the purging of the first sort that is here intended such a purging of Sin as takes away the Condemning Power of Sin from the Conscience on the account of the guilt of it If they had been purged as they would have been had the Law made the Comers unto its Sacrifices perfect that is if there had been a compleat Expiation of Sin made for them And the supposition denyed hath its qualification and limitation in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 once By this word he expresseth the efficacy of the Sacrifice of Christ which being one at once effected what it was designed unto And it doth not design only the doing of a thing at one time but the so doing of it as that it should never more be done That these Worshippers were not thus purged by any of the Sacrifices which were offered for them the Apostle proves from hence because they had not the necessary effect and consequence of such a Purification For if they had been so purged they would have had no more conscience of sins but that they had so he proves in the next Verse from the Legal Recognition that was made of them every year And if they had had no more conscience of Sin there would have been no need of offering Sacrifices for their Expiation any more 1. The Introduction of the Assertion is by the Particles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because that which directs unto the Argument that is in the words they would have ceased to be offered because their end would have been accomplished and so themselves taken away 2. On the Supposition made there would have been an alteration made in the state of the Worshippers When they came unto the Sacrifices they came with conscience of Sin This is unavoidable unto a Sinner before Expiation and Attonement be made for it Afterwards if they were purged it should be so no more with them they should no more have conscience of Sin They should no more have conscience of Sin or rather they should not any more or farther have any conscience of Sins or they should have no conscience of Sins any more The meaning of the word is singularly well expressed in the Syriack Translation They should have no conscience agitating tossing disquieting perplexing for Sins no conscience judging and condemning their persons for the Guilt of Sin so depriving them of Solid Peace with God It is conscience with respect unto the Guilt of Sin as it binds over the Sinner unto punishment in the judgment of God Now this is not to be measured by