〈◊〉 right Sojourner on Earth who doth not look for a City eternally stable in Heaven For that which most effectually draws the heart of Man off from this World is the expectation of a far better Estate in the World to come 2. That Believers and Expectants of Heaven who are Candidates of Eternity are of a most noble and divine Spirit Amongst men of this World the Ambitious who aspire to Crowns and Kingdoms and aim at perpetual fame by their heroick Vertues and rare Exploits are judged persons of far greater Gallantry than covetous Muck-worms or brutish Epicures yet in their thoughts and highest designs they are very base in Comparison of these Pilgrims in whose breast the Sparks of heavenly fire do ever burn and move and carry them upward far above the World 3. That neither Abraham nor any other without Faith could look for this glorious City For by it they did not only understand how glorious it was but also were verily perswaded of God's Promise and fidelity and without this Faith they could not possibly hope or look for it And as by Faith they did sojoum so by the same Faith they did look for this City § 14. The third Work of Abraham's Faith was the obtaining of Isaac For Ver. 11. Through Faith Sarah her self received strength to conceive Seed and was delivered of a Child when she was past Age because she judged him faithfull that had promised THis is attributed to Sarah's Faith yet it was a Blessing obtained also and that principally by the Faith of Abraham of whom it 's thus written That against hope he believed in hope that he might become the Father of many Nations according to that which was promised So shall thy Seed be And being not weak in Faith he considered not his own Body now dead when he was an hundred years old nor yet the deadness of Sarah's Womb. He staggered not at the Promise of God through Unbelief but was strong in Faith giving Glory to God Rom. 4. 18 19 20. So that in this particular we must consider the Faith of both and though Sarah only be expressed yet Abraham as the chief Believer is to be understood Upon this Faith it followeth that not only Isaac Sarah's immediate Issue by Abraham but a numerous Posterity was given upon this Faith For Ver. 12. Therefore sprang there even of one and him as good as dead so many as the Start of the Skie in multitude and as the Sands of the Sea-shore innumerable IN these Verses taken joyntly we may consider 1. A Promise made by God 2. The receiving of this Promise by Faith 3. God's sidelity in performing this Promise to the parties believing 1. The Promise is only implyed in these words who promised where you must know that the party promising was God and the thing promised was that Abraham should have a Son by Sarah and by that Son his Posterity in after times should be multiplyed as the Stars of Heaven and the Sand upon the Sea-shore This Promise was made to both though not expressed at several times 1. Gen. 15. 4 5. 2. It was renewed to both of them and that more expresly Gen. 17. 15 16 c. In both these places mention is made not only of one Son but a of very numerous Posterity 3. This Promise was repeated the third and last time Gen. 18. 10. The parties to whom this Promise was made were Abraham and Sarah The Mercy promised was considerable not only in this that they should have a Son of their own Bodies to continue their Name and inherit their temporal Estate but chiefly because of his Seed Christ should be brought into the World and his Posterity should enjoy the means of Salvation and be included in the special Covenant of Grace 2. This Promise was received by Faith for Sarah counted him faithful that had promised She seemed indeed to doubt till she was reproved and heard that nothing was impossible with God and the Promise was again repeated unto her Gen. 18. 14. So Abraham upon the first Promise of Isaac and a numerous Posterity is said to have believed in the Lord Gen. 15. 6. And the Apostle to signify the firmness of his Faith informs us as you heard before 1. That against hope he believed in 〈◊〉 2. He was not weak in Faith 3. He staggered not at the Promise 4. He was strong in Faith 5. He was fully perswaded Rom. 4. 18 19 20 21. This Faith was grounded upon divine Revelation and was a firm and practical Assent unto the Word and Promise of God which did settle his mind For he looked not upon secondary Causes nor upon the Barrenness of Sarah nor their Age nor the deadness of their Bodies and Impotency of Generation by reason of Age But he considered that it was God who had promised that he was Almighty that he was faithful This Faith was required in both as necessary for to attain this great Blessing not that it had any Physical force to enable them for Generation but that it was a Moral Qualification required in them This their Faith is made known unto us for imitation that as they did so we should do rest upon God's Promise in greatest extremities perplexities and seeming impossibilities We must look higher and above all created Power and not measure God's Almighty strength according to and within the bounds of created activity 3. This Promise was fulfilled according to this Faith For Sarah received strength to conceive and in her Old-Age above the Course of Nature became the Mother of Isaac which was part of the Promise And from this one so good as dead sprang a posterity numerous and in some sort innumerable amongst whom Christ was born in whom all Nation were blessed by whom Abraham became the Father of a far more numerous spiritual Posterity which were Believers of all Nations So excellent a thing is Faith and upon Faith so wonderful the Works of the glorious and almighty God who begins with small things though unlikely at the first and multiplies a few to a vast number and magnifies small things to a stupendious greatness § 15. After this third Effect the Apostle returns unto the second concerning the Pilgrimage of Abraham Sarah Isaac Jacob and their expectation of that better and more glorious City which God had promised to them and their Heirs upon the condition of their Faith For thus we read in the words following Ver. 13. These all dyed in Faith not having received the Promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth Ver. 14. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a Country THese words with the two Verses following are an Amplification of that which was briefly delivered in the 9 and 10. Verses They are sitly brought in upon the former as presupposing the Birth not only of Isaac but Jacob and the Apostle doth not only
Christ hath by Inheritance it 's Hereditary and he is invested with it and actually possessed of it to enjoy it for ever Yet the word in the Greek signifies sometimes only to acquire possesse enjoy and so doth Iarash in Hebrew The Connexion is clear for whosoever hath greater dignity and power then another and that justly must needs be more excellent For excellency is a proper necessary consequence of Power § 13. For to which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And again I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son By these words he proves that Christ hath or doth inherit a more excellent Name which is the minor 1. This is a proof by an inartificial argument or testimony which depends upon the authority of the Person testifying 2. The party testifying is God therefore the authority is Divine and without exception especially to the Hebrews who acknowledged the Old Testament to be from God and infallible 3. He produceth two places out of the Old Testament 4. He alledgeth both especially the first by way of interogation affirmative which is a more vehement Negation For to which of the Angels said he that is to none and he challengeth the Hebrews or any other to prove that God said so to any Angel The first Testimony we find Psal. 2. 7. which must first be examined The words are used by the Apostle to prove the Resurrection of Christ Act. 13. 33. and his Priestâ—â—ood Chap. 5. 5 1. By the first place Psal. 2. we understand that upon the Resurrection after the time of his Humiliation was past he was made a King and by the second Hebr. 5. 5. he was made and created a Priest 2. That both are to be understood of Christ and of Christ raised up from death 3. That upon this Resurrection Christ was constituted King and Priest universal and supream in Heaven and Earth Therefore he said after his Reâ—â—rrection and before his Ascension All Power is given unto me in Heaven and iâ— Earth Matth. 28. 18. Therefore this day is not Eternity nor are the words to be understood of his eternal Generation as some of the Ancients expounded them but it 's the day of Resurrection when he laid aside the Form of a Servant and that Work which in that Form he must accomplish was finished This place truly understood doth plainly inform us that as none of the Angels did so humble themselves as he did to do so great and glorious a Service as he performed so none of them were rewarded with the honour and power of an universal Kingdom and Priest-hood as he was He had a better Name a higher place and a greater power for the Regal power he gave him was such that the very Angels were subject unto him as to their Lord and Soveraign The second place alledged we find 2 Sam. 7. 14 16. and the words of that former History contracted a Câ—ron 22. 10. in this manner The Lord speaking of a Son who should succeed him faith He shall build an House for my Name and he shall be my Son and I will be his Father and I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom over Israel for ever To understand this passage of Scripture you must consider 1. That the words are to be understood of Solomon for David intending to build a House and Temple to God was certified by Nathaâ— from the Lord that he should not build Him an House but Solomon his Son who should sit in his Throne after him should undertake and finish that Work 2 That Solomon was but a Type of Christ and that in three things 1. In building God's House 2. In being a King And 3. In the perpetuation of his Kingdom 3. You must know that when any words are spoken of a Type as a Type they are to be understood of the Anti-type and that principally to agree more exactly to the Aâ—â—â—-type For here to build God a spiritual House and to succeed David as an everlasting King did agree fully to Christ not to Solomon 4. The words understood both of the Type and the Anti-type make but one literal sense For that I call the literal sense which is intended by the Spirit And this is the excellency of the Scripture that by the same word it signifies not onely one but several things and thaâ— as the words signify things immediately at first hand so these things signify other things-things past or present or things to come For such was the wonderful Wisdom of God that he ordered things of old so that they plainly shadowed out things to come and so did teach Mysteries not onely by words but things and many things by one word 5. Christ and his Apostles do sometimes so quote the words of the Old Testament that they onely Point at the place and refer the hearer to it where he may read more than he hears and the whole when a part onely is spoken 6. This place joyned with the former doth plainly tell us that to be a Son is to be a King universal over the Church for ever and this is the more excellent Name and hereditary Power given to Christ never given to the Angels David himself by these words understood that God therein promised the Messâ—as and his eternal Saviour who was afterwards called the Son of David and his Throne and Kingdom the Throne and Kingdom of David By Son in both places is meant 1. Not a Servant 2. Not any kind of Son but the first-born 3. Not the first-born of any but of a King 4. Not the first-born of any King but of God as universal and Supream King for his Son this Son must be Heir and Lord of all § 14 Ver. 6. And again when he bringeth in the first-begotten c. These words are taken out of Psal. 97. and are found in the Septuagint Deut. 32. 43. They are brought to prove the excellent Name of Christ above the Angels affirmed in the Minor of the Apostle's Argument Expositors differ in the manner of bringing in these words upon the former but agree in the matter The difference is two-fold 1. About the Adverbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. The bringing of Christ into the World whether it was his Incarnation as some affirm or his coming to Judgment as others For the Adverbe 〈◊〉 turned again some make it onely a word of Connexion of these words with the former as an Addition of a third Proof of the Minor out of a third place His first was from Psal. 2. The second from 2 Sam. 7. which is added to the former in this manner And again The third is this from Psal. 97. So that the word here signifies onely an Addition of a third Proof to the two former Thus Beza Trimellius Vatablus the Tigurines Zurick Erasmus Sasbout and our English Translators understand it Others think this too harsh a Transposition and joyn it with the Verbe
8. 17 18 verses where we have in the Septuagint the very words here used and alledged of the Apostle In that part of the Chapter we have a clear prophecy of Christ fulfilled in the time of his abode on Earth and before his ascent into Heaven There is a plain prediction of Christ's Incarnation and living amongst men and of his Disciples who did believe on him as also of the unbelief of the greatest part of the Jews of their rejection of Christ and of God's rejection of them and the destruction of Jerusalem And Christ is brought in saying And I will wait upon â—â— for the Lord that hideth or turneth his Face from the House of Jacob and I will trust in him as in the Septuagint Behold I and the Children which God hath given me These words are to be understood of him as one with his Disciples and man as they were men And in that Chapter we find some passages directly agreeing with the words of Simons which he spake after that he being in the Temple had received Christ being then Incarnate and an infant into his arms So that to understand the Apostle and the Prophet too we must not so must stand upon the words in themselves severed from the rest but joyntly with the context of the Chapter speaking of Immanuel that is Christ Incarnate § 16. In ver 11 he had said That both he that sanctifieth and they that are saâ—ctified are of one and in these words he assumes but the sanctified are parâ—akers of Flesh and Blood and so concludes that he must have Flesh and Blood and therefore saith He likewise took part with them And those which he called The sanctified by him ver 11. Here he names Children according to the words of the Prophet and these were Disciples and such as believed in him And it 's to be observed 1. That to be of one is to be Flesh and Blood and so man 2. That there is a two-fold union of Christ with Mâ—nsâ— The first by his Incarnation And the second by his actual Sanctification In the first respect he is one with all mankind as they are men and the Head of the whole body of them In the second respect he is one in a special manner with his Elect. By him â—â— man and dying for man all men receive this benefit to to be savable which Angels sinning do not By him as man dying and believed upon all such as do believe are actually sanctified and in the end saved And He and the Sanctified which are the Church are one in a special manner yet because to take part with the Children and be man was not sufficient except he dyed for them that by his Death he might be beneficial unto them therefore it 's added That he took part with them that he might destroy him that had the power of Death which is the Devil Where we may observe two things 1. That the Devil hath the power of Death 2. That Christ by Death destroyed him The first is implyed The second is expressed The word Devil is to be understood collectively for the Devils but in a special manner for the Prince of Devils who is said to be a Lyar and a Murderer Joh. 8. 44. because by his lyes he deceived our first Parents inducing them to Sin whereby they were made liable to Death For by his Temptations and false Suggestions he insinuateth into man and infuseth his poyson into their Soul Man yielding unto his Temptations falls into his hands and comes under his Power so that he hath dominion over him reigns in him blinds him perverts him inclines him effectually to sin and by sin stings him to Death And because he hath so great power to draw man into sin he may be said to have the Power of Death because by this means he makes man more and more obnoxious to Death which so unavoidably by the Law follows upon Sin yet he may be said to have the power of Death as a Jaylour Hangman or Executioner may be said to have such a power and God in his just Judgment may deliver disobedient man into his hand and by him execute his punishments as some understand the place and by divine permission he may have great strength to torment and destroy man Otherwise he can have no right unto Man to judg condemn him punish as being his Lord and Judg For that belongs only unto God who if man yield unto Satan may deliver him into his hand and he may detain him as his Captive The Scripture speaks much of the power of Satan over man till God deliver him out of his hand and this power can be no power of Life but of Death and Destruction This is the first thing implyed the second is That Christ by his Death destroyed him He destroyed him he destroyed him by his Death To destroy him is not to take away his immortal Life and Being but to take away his power or strength For the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the power of an Enemy over a Captive is not a legal and regular power and authority This strength and force and also right unto man as his Captive Christ took away by his Death For by his Death he satisfied God's Justice and merited a power and right to him as having by a lutron or price payed to the supream Lord and Owner bought him So that upon this price and ransome paid and accepted man became his and the Devil had only the possession of him though Christ had the right unto him and the propriety in him Therefore Christ in his prayer doth acknowledg that his Father had given power over all Flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as he had given him Again by this Death Christ made Death removable because by it he made man's sin remissible Bacon Thorpe tells us that the Devil by putting Christ being innocent to Death lost all his power over man because he had no Commission from God to put any person innocent and free from all sin unto Death yet for this he brings no clear Scripture though this be certain that God gave all men to Christ because he dyed for them This Death aimed at a further end then the destruction of the Devil as having the power of Death Christ indeed came to destroy the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3. 8. and though the Devil at the first as a strong man keeps peaceable possession yet Christ is that stronger man who takes away his power disarms him takes possession and all this is done to deliver man out of his hands For 1. Christ must be lower then the Angels and mortal Man that he may dy 2. He must dy that he may destroy the power of the Devil 3. He must destroy the power of the Devil that man may be delivered from the danger of Death Man cannot be delivered except the power of the Devil be destroyed this
to null and abrogate it The effect of this Gospel upon the Expiation made by Christ is the Perfection that is the Justification and Sanctification of sinful guilty Man whereby he is freed from the sad and woful Consequents of Sin and especially from the condemning vindicative Justice of God and eternal death and so may draw nigh to God Where we must consider 1. What it is to draw nigh to God 2. Why this Clause is added To draw nigh to God is sometimes a Duty somtimes a Reward and Priviledge given for Christ's merit to such as perform the Duty As it is a Duty it 's sometimes a coming to the place where God hath put his Name and where he vouchsafed his special presence as in the Tabernacle and Temple he did for to worship him It 's sometime a worshipping of God or performing any divine Service unto him for then we pretend to leave the World and turn our backs upon all things and to present our selves before his Throne as in Prayer and other Duties Again it is a turning from our sins with a Resolution to forsake them and an engagement of our selvs and that with our whole hearts to be his Servants and obedient Subjects And this we cannot do effectually without Faith in Christ and the further we depart from sin the nearer we draw to him and are more like unto him This is a Duty But to have peace with God to be reconciled to him so as to have free access with boldness and confidence to the Throne of Grace where he sits as propitiated by the Blood of Christ and as a Father looks upon us as his Children is a great and gracious reward and special priviledg and presupposeth the former Duty performed and the party performing it in the state of Justification and Reconciliation For being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ By whom also we have acccess by Faith into this Grace wherein we stand c. Rom. 5. 1 2. To understand this more fully we must consider That the words are in some sort Metaphorical wherein the Apostle alludes either to the giving of the Law upon Mount Sinai where he represented himself very terrible as sitting in the Throne of Justice and not of Grace and Mercy so as that to draw nigh unto him was a present Death The People must keep at a distance only Moses might come near and ascend the Mount which was a special and extraordinary favour or he may allude unto the legal dispensation under which no unclean person as a Leper or one defiled by touching a dead body or some other way might come into the Congregation or nigh the Tabernacle or Temple so as to worship with God's People before they were cleansed and purified but upon their purification finished they might draw nigh and come with the rest of God's unpolluted Servants to Worship and to serve their God so as to have communion with him and receive mercies blessings and comforts from him So in this place such as are perfected that is justified and sanctified through Faith by the Blood of Christ have liberty to draw nigh to God as to a Father to seek and receive mercies and increase of Grace and heavenly Comforts and have sweet communion with him Before their justification and reconciliation they stood at a distance from their God and looked upon him as a consuming Fire and to draw near was danger though even then they might have some hope of mercy They are like the Publican standing a far off and beating upon his Brest and saying Lord be merciful to me a Sinner but when their Consciences are purged and their Souls by Faith are cleansed in the Blood of Christ they then have liberty and draw nigh to serve and worship God with confidence that he will accept their persons prayers and other Services This is the drawing nigh to God here meant yet you must know that these approaches are not so nigh in this life but that there is some distance But in the place of Glory the approach shall be so near as that it will take away all distance and we shall have immediate and full communion with our God The reason why this Clause was added which is the second thing is to let us know how far more excellent the Gospel is above the Law For by the Law no Man was brought nigh to God or might approach unto him in this manner It 's true they might draw nigh to the place of God's special presence if legally clean or cleansed and by observation of the Law escape some temporal Judgments obtain some temporal Blessings and enjoy some earthly Comforts yet continue spiritually unclean guilty and liable to eternal penalties be far from God with their hearts remain unjustified unsanctified and so could have no spiritual peace with God nor any heavenly comfort neither could they draw nigh to God with boldness so as to have any near communion with him To draw nigh to God as to a Father in Christ is a far more excellent priviledg and could not be obtained by the Law Some do make these words a reason to prove that Perfection was had by the Priest-hood of Christ because by it we draw nigh to God And it 's true that by Christ as a Priest and the Gospel we obtain this priviledg which the Law could not give us For to draw nigh to God presupposeth the party approaching perfected and sanctified and by what we are sanctified by that we draw nigh and this priviledg doth prove perfection by the Gospel as the effect doth prove and manifest the cause So that the argumentation in form is this By what we draw nigh to God by that we are perfected But by the Priest-hood of Christ and the Gospel we are perfected Therefore by them we draw nigh to God For as we must not seperate the Levitical Priest-hood and the Law so neither must we divide the Priest-hood of Christ and the Gospel In all this discourse two things are observable 1. That God did not take away the Levitical Priest-hood and the Law till he brought in the Priest-hood of Christ and the Gospel 2. That he took away that which was imperfect to bring in that which was perfect and far more excellent And all this was done as to manifest his wisdom so especially his mercy and serious intention to save man For he would leave nothing undone that was necessary for the compleating of man's eternal Salvation For if the Levitical Priest-hood and the Law could have justified Man and so given life He had never sent Christ and made him a Priest and revealed the Gospel For then both Christ and Gospel had been needless and useless to that end For as the Apostle saith If there had been a Law given which could have given life verily Righteousness should have been by that Law Gal. 3. 21. But because both Law and Priest-hood were insufficient therefore he decreed
so far as was necessary for their deliverance and became liable to the penalty which was due to Man for his Sin That which moved God to send and give his Son was his meer mercy and free love to miserable Sinners That which moved God to punish him once substituted was his vindicative Justice looking upon our Sins It is not proper to say That our Sins were a cause either intrinsecally or extrinsecally impelling God to put Christ to Death and to lay upon him the iniquities of us all Though Sin is the formal object of punitive justice and doth deserve punishment yet God as Supream Lord and Judge and above his own Law had power to pardon Sin or punish it and punish it either in the party offending or in Christman's voluntary Hostage and in what measure he pleased and to accept this punishment willingly suffered for what ends and in what degree he pleased For to inflict the penalty upon the party delinquent or upon another or in this or that degree or for this or that end which shall be agreeable to Justice and pleasing to Mercy is accidental and not essential to it And because this Death of Christ was suffered for Sin and so intended by the Supream Judge it was not only an affliction but properly a punishment That which moved Christ to offer himself was his love unto his heavenly Father a resolution to obey his Command and a desire to be beneficial to mankind and the offering was an act of Charity Obedience and properly a Sacrifice which did so please God that he in consideration of the same was willing to grant unto Man many glorious and incomparable Blessings And to substitute Christ to Command him to offer himself to make him Sin for us to accept his Sacrifice for 〈◊〉 and in consideration of the same to promise Remission of Sins and eternal life to sinful man believing was not meerly or properly a dispensation but an abrogation of the Law of Works In this offering God did manifest his Wisdom his Power his Holiness and hatred of Sin his love of Righteousness his vindicative Justice his supream Dominion and his infinite Mercy In it Christ was a patern and lively mirrour of Humility Patience Fortitude Faith Hope Charity Self-denial and Obedience unto Death the Death of the Cross. The effects of this one offering are here said to be Sanctification and Consecration yet it was not an absolute and immediate cause of these Therefore we must observe That the effects of this cause may be said to be immediate or mediate though this is no formal distinction of a cause as a Cause The immediate effects which are antecedent to application are of three sorts 1. Such as respect God to whom the Sacrifice was offered or Christ who offered it or Man for whom it was offered Such as respect God respect him either as Lord or Law-giver or Judge As Lord by this Sacrifice redeeming man he acquired a new power over Man as he was Law-giver the Law of Works was made relâ—xible or repealable as he was Judge his vindicative power in respect of the sin of man was suspended or inhibited upon a satisfaction or compensation made so that his mercy might freely issue out to save man without any breach or violation of Justice or derogation from the Authority of his Law All these may be reduced to propitiation and reconciliation In respect of Christ the person offering by this he acquired power over all Flesh and all that happiness and glory which his Father promised to conferr upon him upon the performance of this Service In respect of man for whom Christ offered he by this became savable upon a new Covenant and new terms for the performance of which Covenant and attaining of which Salvation all means and power necessary were merited These effects followed immediately in respect of the offering the mediate effects are such as followed upon this offering applyed yet are the immediate effects of it as applyed For upon the same received by Faith followed Justification Reconciliation Adoption Resurrection and eternal Salvation and all these are reduced by the Apostle to Sanctification and Consecration So that the Salvation of Man from first to last is wholly from this offering yet this offering was not the first Spring and Fountain of our Happiness for that was the love of God giving Christ to offer himself It 's a vain and loose assertion of the Socinian to sâ—y or argue That because God loved Man so as to give Christ for him therefore there was no need of any Propitiation or Reconciliation or Aversion of his Wrath by Blood For he might easily distinguish between a general indefinite and a particular love and between a love of good will and of friendship The love of God is best known by the acts and effects thereof For we find three degrees and effects of his love to sinful man The first is the giving of Christ to offer himself for him and thus he loved him when he was an Enemy and ungodly for we may love Enemies though not as Friends The second is the giving the means of Conversion that he may believe and when God loves him thus and first calls him he finds him still an Enemy The third degree and effect of his love is to justify and glorify him and when God loves him thus he finds him converted and looks upon him as a Friend From these degrees of love the Apostle argues That if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son how much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10. And though Christ hath offered himself for Sinners and this was an act of exceeding love yet he that believeth not on the Son offering himself hath no life in him but the Wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3. 36. And no man can have peace with God by Jesus Christ before he be justified by Faith in Christ. For being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 16. Where to have peace with God and be the determinate object of God's special love doth presuppose and necessarily prerequire both Faith and Justification § 14. The Apostle having proved formerly out of Psalm 40. the excellency of Christ's Sacrifice and the virtue of it in the next words adds another proof out of Jeremy 31. 33 34. The same Text of the Prophet was alledged Chap. 8. and there handled and therefore here I need not enlarge but contract my Explication But let us hear the words of the Allegation Ver. 15. Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness to us For after he had said before Ver. 16. This is the Covenant that I will make with them After those dayes saith the Lord I will put mâ— Laws in their hearts and in their minds will I write them Ver. 17. And their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more Ver. 18. Now where Remission of these
an Acknowledgment of the Power and the receiving of the Command and it is a willing and free Observation of the Command The Superiour here is God who is the supream Lord Abraham is the Subject to come out of his Country is the Law and Command Abraham's coming out of his Country and that willingly as bound by God's Command is his Obedience And here it 's to be observed that except Man first submit unfeignedly unto God as his Supream Lord renouncing his own Will he can never sincerely obey For this voluntary total Submission is the ground of all Obedience and may be said to be the Observation of the fundamental Law of Allegiance which is required in the first Commandment upon which all the rest do depend Obedience in general is no particular Duty to be restrained to any particular Command exclusively for it extends to all 2. He went out not knowing whither he went In that he knew not whither he went it doth inform us of the total absolute Resignation of his Will and heart to God This high degree of Resignation and Submission is due only unto God as absolutely wise and just and infinitely merciful There be two parts of this Obedience 1. He went out 2. He knew not whither he went 1. He went out This was a difficult part of Obedience To forsake his Countrey Kindred Friends Inheritance which his heart did so much affect and dearly love and to renounce that Religion which he had learned and observed seems to be above natural Power To part the heart and that which it most loveth is a Work that cannot be performed without some mighty conflict and torment of the Soul to overcome our strongest Affections and so forsake our darling-sins is an Heroick and Divine Victory Yet this was done by him and must be done by us all if we will be saved To deny our selvs take up the Cross forsake Father Mother Wife Children Brother Sister and Life it self was first of all required by Christ as without which no Man could be his Disciple The Promise of eternal Life and Treasure in Heaven could not part the young man and his great estate and therefore he continued uncapable of eternal Bliss 2. As he came out so he went he knew not whither for the Command was that he should go unto a Land which God should shew him a Land he never knew for he neither knew it not the way unto it This made the business more difficult for he must depend wholly upon God for his Protection Assistance and Direction And when we leave our Sin we must come unto our God and when we forsake the World we must come unto our Saviour and though the way may be very rough and troublesom we must pass through it We must not take up our Rest untill we come unto our Canaan whither out God will bring us 3. This he did by Faith which without Faith was impossible to be be done For except he had certainly known that it was God who called him and believed God's Command and Promises he could not have obeyed so as to come out and go towards Canaan So that this Belief was the very principle of his Obedience without this Faith this Obedience had been not only irrational but impossible But God who was his absolute supream Lord did command him and as almighty and most faithful did promise him a great and glorious Reward which would abundantly recompense his Damages which he should suffer in obeying him and these did effectually move him and powerfully incline his heart to Obedience For God doth know what will work most strongly upon Man's heart and therefore by a divine Light and Inspiration penetrateth the heart and lets him assuredly know that he calls him to eternal Glory so that by this divine Vocation Faith is produced in the Heart of Man and by it he most willingly and joyfully comes unto his God and continues to obey him From all this it 's evident that Man's Conversion is a supernatural Work of God's great Mercy and Power for that which is impossible with Man is possible with God The natural freedom of the Will is a poor impotent thing let us therefore pray earnestly to our God to give us with his Word his blessed Spirit § 12. This was the first and fundamental Effect of Faith in Abraham the second is that whereby he was content to be a Pilgrim and Stranger on Earth that he might attain an abiding City in Heaven which God had promised and prepared for him For so it followeth Ver. 9. By Faith he sojourned in the Land of Promise as in a strange Country dwelling in Tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob the Heirs with him of the same Promise Ver. 10. For he looked for a City which hath Foundations whose Buâ—lder and Maker is God THese words inform us that after that Abraham was once by Faith converted and became obedient to the heavenly Call he presently changed his Condition and was a Stranger in this World and a Citizen or Denison of Heaven Such are all the Saints of God upon their Regeneration In them we may observe two things 1. The sojourning of Abraham with Isaac and Jacob in the Land of Canaan Ver. 9. 2. His Expectation of a better Country Ver. 10. In the first we have three Propositions 1. That Abraham Isaac and Jacob were Heirs of the same Promise 2. That they sojourned as Strangers in a strange Land dwelling in Tabernacles 3. They thus sojourned by Faith In the first observe 1. A Promise 2. Heirs of this Promise 3. The parties who were Heirs 1. By Promise understand the thing promised which was the Land of Canaan This was the Inheritance yet they had it not by natural Descent nor by Purchase nor by Exchange but by free Promise For it was promised and that by God who is the Proprietary of all Land and Counâ—reys and could not only convey it but give Possession This Inheritance was but a Type of a far better and this Promise was added to another far greater and more excellent 2. There were Heirs of this Promise or Land promised and to be an Heir in this place is to have a Right unto that Land and the Title and Ground of this Right was God's Promise which was the best and surest Instrument of conveyance in the World Before this Promise they could challenge no Right unto it after the Promise their Right was firm good clear without any flaw at all This is the great Mercy of God that when upon his Command we part with any thing he will give us something better that will more than countervail our damage 3. Abraham Isaac and Jacob were the Heirs For the Indenture and first Promise was made to Abraham sealed and confirmed Gen. 15. and in him it was made to them in which respect they were Joynt-Heifs but the same Promise was made severally to Isaac and then after that to Jacob. The parties who then possessed this Land
another then a third till the whole was finished One part was declared as it was revealed by one Prophet another by another a third by a â—â—ird 3. That one part was written at one time another at another and the whole â—â— several and sundry times 4. There was a considerable time between the Prophet and the parts and a great distance between the first and the last For some of the best Chronologâ—ts â—ell us that the time from Moses to Malachi was a thousand and two hundred years 5. This 〈◊〉 â—ay referr to the matter which was various 4. As it was delivered by parts and in several times so it was revealed and declared many and several ways as it seemed good to the manifold wisdom of God â—ho 〈◊〉 many ways both to inform his Prophets and instruct his People In this they all agreed that they were moved inspired illuminated and infallibly directed by the Holy Ghost Yet this eternal Spirit did inform them by several representations made to the oâ—â—ward 〈◊〉 whilst they were waking or to the inward senses in Dreams oâ— Exâ—â—fies or more partly of immediately to the immortal Soul by illaps and powerful penâ—â—â—tion with a divine Light into the intellectual Spirit And as he did notify and make known his thoughts and 〈◊〉 lent Counsels several ways unto the Prophets so by them he declared them to â—â—â— People in any ways as by words by writing by writings read by visible Figures So that he 〈◊〉 any way did apply himself to the Fathers and used several means to cause them to understand his Will He omitted no way which was either necessary or expedient for their good From all this we may collect a Description of that part of the Scripture which we call the Oâ—â— Testament It is the Word of God which at sundry times by parts many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 times past he spake by the Prophets to the Fathers These were not all the Prophets 〈◊〉 the beginning For Adam was a Propher so was Eâ—och and 〈◊〉 and Nâ—â—h â—â—â— Abraham but these were they by whom God spake to the Fathers and Ancestors of those 〈◊〉 and were the pen-men of the holy Scriptures of the Old Testament whereof 〈◊〉 were Priests and Kings That God by these was pleased to speak unto the Fathers 〈◊〉 a peculiar mercy and special favour to that People above all other People and was in act of â—â—â—gular care and extraordinary providence And it was a prerogative and a 〈◊〉 priviledg that they were trusted with his Oracles It 's true that the Church never was without some Prophecy and Word of God whereby he supplyed the ignorance and negligence of men and defects of humane reason and memory in divine things in 〈◊〉 known those things concerning man's eternal good which otherwise could never have been known § 5. The first Proposition is That the Prophets are excellent as hath been made evident The second follows and affirms That Christ is more excellent and that not only as a Prophet but many other ways Both are excellent because God spake by both and the Fathers as also their Children happy because God spake to both Yet Christ is more excellent because God spake by Him as by his Son and their Children more happy then the Fathers because God spake to them not by Prophets but his Son For in these last Days God hath spoken to us by his Son c. Ver. 2. In the words four things are to be considered 1. Who spake 2. To whom He spake 3. When He spake 4. By whom He spake 1. Who spake It was God the same God who spake unto the Fathers For the same God is the Authour of the whole Canon of the Scripture both of the Old and New Testament 2. To whom did He speak To us that is the Children and Posterity of the Fathers living in the time of Christ and the Apostles Such were these Hebrews and the Apostles For whom God reserved this special happiness above their Ancestors For many Prophets and Kings desired to see those things which they saw and did not see them and to bear those things which they heard and did not hear them Luke 10. 24. 3. When did God speak to the Children Even in the last days which in this respect were the best days because of clearest light and greatest mercy wherewith this time was blessed above the former days 4. By whom did he speak then unto them By his Son the Greatest and most Excellent of all the Prophets and far above them all For the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst them and they beheld his Glory the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth Joh. 1. 14. § 6. The intention of the Apostle in these words is to set forth the excellency of Christ and therefore he gives us a description of Him which we must 1. Understand 2. From thence conclude his Excellency both absolutely and comparatively In the description some things affirmed of Christ agree to him as the Word not made Flesh some agree to him as the Word made Flesh or Incarnate Christ Jesus if we observe is the Son of God by whom he spake whom he hath made Heir of all things by whom he made the Worlds the brightness of his Fathers Glory c. 1. He is the Son of God and that in a Supereminent manner so as neither Men or Angels though Sons of God are therefore is He said to be his only begotten He is a Son not only in respect of his person Divine but of the humane Nature united to the Word He is a Son not only because like God or because adopted but by a divine and ineffable generation and production which far transcends the capacity of humane reason As the Word He is so near to God that He is God as Flesh and Man He is nearer then either Men or Angels 2. This Son of God is a Prophet for God spake by him as he did by the Prophets yet by him in a more perfect and excellent manner 3. God hath appointed him Heir of all things To be Heir is to be Lord to be made Heir is to receive Power to be made Heir of All is to receive an Universal and supream Power not only over Men but Angels This Power he received and it was given him upon the Resuâ—rection Therefore being risen he saith All Power in Heaven and Earth is given unto me Matth. 28. 18. This includes 1. A right 3. A possession upon a Solemn investicure In this phrase he seems to allude unto the priviledg of the first born Son who was Lord of the whole Inheritance and must Rule over his Brethren And this agrees to Christ as Man yet united to the Word 4. By him he made the Worlds This is affirmed and to be understood of Christ as the Word not incarnate and made Flesh. In the words we may observe 1. Worlds made 2. The making of them 3. By whom they were made
bringeth in when he brings again or a second time the first-begotten into the World thus the Vulgar à Lapide Ribera Mr. Mede The former is very probable the latter cannot be demonstrated to be intended but gives occasion of the second doubt which had been none if they had not fallen upon this Criticism For it gives occasion to doubt what coming of Christ into the World is here to be understood whether his Incarnation or Râ—surrection or last Judgment Some understand the first some the second some the last Two things perswade us to believe it of that second coming 1. Because the first proof out of Psal. 2. speaks of the bringing of Christ into the World as King I have sâ—t my King upon my holy Hill of Zion for upon his Resurrection he was made King by Decree and Patent according to those words I will declare the Decree The second place 2 Sam. 7. speaks of him as King first-born and Lord of all 2. The 97. Psalm doth not speak of his coming to Judgment but 1. Of his Exaltation above all Gods whether Men or Angels For thou Lord art high above all the Earth thou art exalted far above all Gods Ver. 9. 2. Of his Laws and the Promulgation of them These Laws are given to Jews to Heathens to Angels with threatnings of Punishment and promises of Reward There is not a word of the Summons Appearance Sentence Execution and final Retribution of eternal Rewards and Punishments But these things wherein some differ are not so material as that wherein they all agree which is The Command of God to all the Angels to worship Christ. Let all the Angels of God worship him In Psal. 97. 7. Worship him all yo Gods These seem to diâ—â—es much But here you must take notice that the Apostle useth the words of the Septuagint and that which is strange the words of the Septuagint as used in Deut. 32. 43. â—ather than those we read Psal. 97. 7. The words of the Psalm are translated by Hiâ—rom Pratâ—â—sâ—s Juâ—ius Viâ—tublus our Translators Worship him all yo Gods By Pagninâ— the Tigurine the Vulgar and the Septuagint Worship him all his Angels And it 's certain that the Greek Translators either followed an Hebrew Copy different from ours or else they understood the word Malachin Angels and expressed it in their Version For that Translation is not wording but rather a Paraphrase and many times gives the sense and sometimes where they are most blamed as forsaking the Original they are most excellent and give greatest light as the Chaldeâ— Paraphrast many times doth But not to insist upon the Translations nor upon the word Elohinâ— which is said to signify God Angels Princes excellent men Idols The words of the Apostle following the Septuagint are plain and inform us 1. That the 97. Psalm is to be understood of Christ as King and Lord Redeemet reigning in glory 2. That God by this Command and Edict subjected all his Angels to Christ. 3. That he did this upon the Resurrection and Exaltation of Christ when he raised him up from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this World but that which is to come Ephes. 1. 20 21. For Christ is gone inâ—o Heaven and is at the right hand of God Angels and Authorities and Powers being made subject unto him 4. That not onely some but all the Angels of God are subject to him for all the Angels must worship him and acknowledge him to be their Lord. 5. Therefore Christ hath obtained a more excellent Name a Name above every Name Phil 2. 9. And this is not onely a Name of Dignity in respect whereof the Angels must honour him but of Subjection to his Power by which he might command them as his Subjects and Servants to obey him § 15. Ver. 7. And of the Angels he saith Who maketh his Angels Spirits and his Ministers a flame of fire These words may be referred either to the Context Antecedent or Consequent If to the Antecedent they seem to be a new Argument to this purpose If Christ be a Son and Lord of all even of Angels and Angels but his Legates and Servants then Christ is more excellent than Angels If they refer to the Context following then the Apostle argues in this manner If Angels be but Servants and Christ an everlasting King then Christ is more excellent than Angels but they are but Servants and he an everlasting King therefore he is more excellent There can be no doubt of the Major The Minor or Assumption hath two parts 1. That the Angels are Servants 2. Christ an everlasting King he proves both and out of the Psalms out of which are taken all the proofs except one in this Chapter and the most material proofs whereon he principally insists thorough out the first 9. Chapters of this Epistle This first part that Angels are but Servants he confirms out of Psal. 104. 4. 1. There is little or in effect no difference in the Translation nor much in the Exposition of the words for most do understand the place of Angels as spiritual and immortal Substances though some very few interpret it of the Winds and the fire which must needs be untrue except we will make the Apostle's Argument invalid 2. Yet there is some difference about the manner of Allegation in these words And of the Angels he saith for the Original seems to say that these words were spoken of the Angels not to the Angels So Vatablus Jumus Tremelius the Tigurines Zanck Divines and out Translators turn it The Vulgar reads it ad Angelos to the Angels yet a Lapide expounds the words of the Angels and thinks that the Vulgar follows the Hebrew wherein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometime taken for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad for super to for of And they of Zanck conceive there is an Enallage of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yet Heinsius understands it in another manner and thinks it may well be translated ad Angelos and the sense is Quod ad Angelos spectat As for the Angels he saith and this is likely to be true Yet howsoever the words of the Psalmist are not spoken to but of the Angels 2. It s added he saith in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith without any expression who saith whether God or the Psalmist or God's Spirit by the Psalmist or it may be understood yet to the same purpose that the Scripture saith The words are the words 1. Of the Scripture 2. Of the Psalmist 3. Of the Spirit who is God But to the words themselves 1. The Subject of them is the Angels 2. The Scope is to prove that they are inferiour to Christ because Servants 3. They teach us 1. The Nature 2. The Place or Office of Angels 3. That God made
them such for Nature such for Office First For their Nature they are Spirits and a flame of sire for Office Angels and Ministers 1. They are Spirits that is spiritual and intellectual Creatures For whereas many think because Ruack in Hebrew and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek signify sometimes the Winds and that here the Angels are compared to the Winds for swiftness it 's poor For the word signifies the Soul of Man the Affections and Operations and the Mind it signifies also Angels both good and bad as they are spiritual and intellectual Substances 2. They are a flame of fire or flaming fire that is Seraphims bright glorious and excellent Creatures They are called Cherubims and Seraphims which are Spirits near unto the Throne of God ever in his presence like Princes tending upon his Majesty ready ever to do him Service and glorify him 1. God makes them and gives them an excellent Being and qualifies them and makes them fit to be his Servants 2. He makes them Servants and Officers to do him high and glorious Service 1. They must be Angels to know and declare his Will to those to whom he sends them 2. They must be Ministers to do and execute his Will He made them both their excellent Nature and their Office and both from him Here it might be noted that the Angels are not any kind of Servants but such as are in eminent place as Officers be yet Officers are but Servants and not Lords The Sum of all is that Angels though excellent Creatures are but Servants and Ministers and this the Apostle intended out of these words to prove § 16. Ver. 8 9. But unto the Son he saith Thy Throne O God c. Where we must consider 1. The Connexion 2. The Translation 3. The principal sense 4. The Scope of the Apostle 1. The Connexion is not copulative but discretive and implies an opposition and an eminency For Christ is here opposed to the Angels as Servants and Subjects are to Soveraigns as invested with a super-eminent Dignity and Power therefore the particle ω is well translated but. 2. The Translation is 1. Of the words of Allegation 2. Of the words alledged First Of the words of Allegation which may be translated either as they are here read To the Son he saith or as the former of the Son he saith or as for the Son he saith He that is God or the Psalmist or the Scripture or the Spirit by the Psalmist in the Scripture saith thus of the Son Secondly Of the words alledged the Translation is somewhat doubtful for they may be turned Thy Throne O God as they are commonly translated or Thy Throne is God as Genebrard ieforms us some Rabbins understand it or thy Throne of God and every one of these may be true 3. The genuine sense is this that the Power of Christ is from God a royal and divine Power for his Kingdom was not of this World but an heavenly Kingdom of universal and eternal continuance and of a perfect constitution and administration For because that he loved Righteousness and hated Iniquity so far as to be righteous and holy not only in life but death and by his death to expiate the sin of Man and to sanctify all that believe in him for ever therefore God even his God anointed him that is exalted him above all Kings and Prophets even above the Angels By Oyl of gladness is meant Oyl that maketh glad which here signifies not only the gifts but the power of the holy Spirit and to be anointed with this Oyl is not onely to receive gifts and ability but power and authority spiritual and divine and the same super-eminent above all power communicated to any other And this transcendent power was given him for his great and glorious Service in the work of Redemption by his Death and Sufferings 4. The Scope of the Apostle is to prove that Christ is more excellent than the Angels and the reason is strong they are but Messengers Ministers Servants God never made any of them an universal and eternal King but such he hath made Christ. The Apostle implies that the 45. Psalm speaks of Christ. § 17. Ver. 10 11 12. And thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the Foundation of the Earth c. How these words agree with the Scope of the Apostle so as to prove Christ to be more excellent than the Angels is difficult to understand They are taken out Psal. 102. The whole Psalm is a Prayer directed to God Redeemer by Christ the matter of the Petition is to hasten the coming of Christ and his glorious Kingdom the repair of the Church and the enlargement of it to all Nations that the People may be gathered together and the Kingdoms to serve the Lord that is the Lord Christ and that his Saints being mortal may be changed and inherit eternal life by that Lord Christ who shall destroy all Enemies consume the World with fire and eternally glorify the Saints The Propositions or divine Axioms contained in these words are 1. That Christ being Jehovah made the World 2. That Heaven and Earth created by him are mutable and shall be changed by him 3. That he is immutable and his Kingdom everlasting 4. That his Subjects and Servants though mortal shall enjoy eternal peace and happiness by him In all these things Christ is far above the Angels especially in this that he being Creator of the World shall be an everlasting King of an everlasting and unchangeable Kingdom Yet this is so to be understood that it doth not agree to Christ as the Word alone because as the Word alone he is not Redeemer nor to Christ as Flesh or Man alone for as such he could not create the World but it agrees unto him as the Word made Flesh and exalted at the right hand of God This may be considered either as a distinct proof from the former or a confirmation of the same in respect of his eternal Throne and Kingdom The Socinian upon this place 1. Denies Christ to be the Creator of the World and so to be God 2. Affirms that the intention of the Apostle is to prove Christ more excellent than the Angels onely by one thing in the words and that is by his secondary power to change Heaven and Earth which power God never gave unto the Angels And his design in all this was to cloud this place which so plainly affirms the Deity and immutable Being of Christ. 1. That Christ is the Creator of the World hath been clear from Joh. 1. 2 3. from the second Verse of this Chapter from Coloss. 1. 16. For Christ is not meerly Man as they affirm but the Word by which all things were made which in fulness of time was made flesh 2. That he that made the World is the same that shall change it and shall abide the same for ever For to create the World to change it to remain for ever are all affirmed of
one Person and if that Person be Christ then all not onely one of them agree unto him This Erasmus Johannes did very well observe in his dispute with Socinus concerning some kind of existence which Christ must needs have before the Incarnation Socinus in his Answer doth miserably shift and offers plain violence to the place Volkelius doth the like Crellius Volkelius Socinus make this the Scope of the Apostle in this first Chapter to demonstrate that Christ is more excellent than the Angels onely in such things as he received as Man from God after his Death and Resurrection But as you heard before his intent is to prove 1. That Christ is more excellent than the Prophets 2. Than the Angels And as he was more excellent than the Prophets not onely as sitting at the right hand of God but as creating the World and being the brightness of his Father's Glory and the express Image of his Person so he was more excellent than Angels not onely as sett at the right hand of God but as creating the World It was an hard thing and is still to understand the Mystery of the Incarnation That the eternal Word and Wisdom of God by which he created the World should be made Flesh and possesse dwell in and be united to the Nature of Man is plain Scripture but how he doth possess it dwell in it and is united to it so as he never possessed or dwelt in or was united unto any other Man or Angel is far above our reach and capacity Believe that it is so we must we may we are bound unto it it 's clear certain and the Word of God expresseth it plainly Understand the manner how it is we cannot And how should we seeing we are so ignorant how the Soul and Body are united In this Case as in many other Non vivacitas intelligendi sed simplicitas credendi not our evident Knowledg but our Faith must save us But it 's a wickedness which God will punish to deny that which God doth plainly affirm because we cannot fully comprehend it § 18. Ver. 13. 14. But to which of the Angels said he at any time c. These words may be understood to be a Conclusion of the former premisses or a new Argument If a Conclusion then we must conceive the premisses and the former discourse to amount to this that God set Christ at his right hand and not the Angels and here he briefly sums up the whole and inferrs therefore Christ is above the Angels Yet they rather seem to contain a new another Argument taken from the Psalmist Psal. 110. The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou on my right hand c. 1. To sit at the right hand of God is not onely to be for ever happy and blessed by enjoying those pleasures which are at God's right hand for evermore nor onely to be advanced to the highest place of honour and dignity next unto God but to be invested with a supream and universal Power above all Men and Angels and by the same actually to reign for with the Apostle to sit at the right hand of God is to reign 1 Cor. 15. 25. This is to be Administrator-general as Law-giver and Judge in that spiritual Kingdom whereby God orders sinful Man unto eternal Glory This agrees to him as the Word made Flesh raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven 2. This Glory Dignity and Power was given to Christ as Man yet united to the Word For the Lord said unto my Lord that is David's Lord who yet according to the Flesh was David's Son who though Flesh was far greater after his Humiliation than his Father David not onely as the Word and the same Supream Lord with the Father but as Flesh and Man The Chaldee turns it to his Word the Lord said to his Word yet to his Word made Flesh. 3. The party who advanced him to his right hand was God for it was God who gave him a Name above all Names none else could give it 4. He gave it him by his Word and Edict For he said In this word we have the Patent or Commission of Christ in which he signifies his Will was that he should be Lord and King and with the word gives him the Power so that his Title is good and valid and stands firm and inviolable 5. The date of this Reign is expressed in those words untill his Enemies be made his Foot-stool that is till the Resurrection and final Glorification of all his Saints This being the meaning of the words the Apostle insists chiefly upon that part of the Text said to my Lord as though he should say 1. You confess that Psalm to be part of the holy Scripture revealed from Heaven 2. That the words are not to be understood of Angels but the Messiah 3. That in the first words of that Psalm God speaks to some certain Person to whom he gives Power to reign 4. He did not by those words give Power unto the Angels but to Christ thence he argues If God gave this Power to Christ and never to any of the Angels did the like then Christ is more excellent than the Angels and the Angels inferiour to Christ But this was said this power was given to Christ and not to the Angels therefore he is more excellent This Argument is stronger and more convictive because it 's negative and exclusive for they might have said that though God did advance and honour Christ and gave him an everlasting Kingdom yet he might do the like to some of the Angels To prevent this he out of the Text proves that God said this to Christ and there is no mention there nor in any part of the Scripture of God's advancing any of them to his right hand And that his Argument might be more forcing he proposeth it interrogatively To which of the Angels said he at any time That is He said not any such thing at any time to any of the Angels If he did he challengeth them to prove or produce the place which they could never do § 19. Ver. 14. Are they not all ministring Spirits c. These words may be considered absolutely in themselvs or relatively as conducing unto the main Conclusion intended by the Apostle The subject of them are Angels of whom something here is affirmed The manner of Expression is Rhetorical by way of Interrogation The Answer implyed is affirmative for they say that negative Interrogations are more vehement Affirmations The Proposition in general is That all the Angels are ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation The parts infolded in the general or the whole are many 1. They are Spirits 2. Ministring Spirits 3. Sent forth to minister 4. The Minister for the Heirs of Salvation 5. They are all such 1. They are Spirits that is incorporeal incorruptible intellectual active substances the most noble and excellent Creatures God made 2. They are ministring
Spirits To be Ministers is 1. To be Servants in general 2. To be Officers and imployed either in sacred or civil Service therefore the word doth signify Priests or Magistrates Yet these are Ministers or Servants in the Court of Heaven under God the Supream Lord of all 3. They are sent forth for as they have their Office so they have their Imployment they are sent forth to Minister They do not go of their own head but have their work designed by God and receive both Direction and Command from him 4. The parties for whose good the Minister are the converted Believers who are designed Heirs of Salvation and eternal Glory For though they be God's Servants yet they serve for the good of his Children and this is their principal work and their happiness is the end of their Service 5. They are all and every one both Servants and also sent forth for this Service the greatest is not exempted This is the absolute consideration of the words The relative as they referr unto the scope of the Apostle is to prove that Christ is more excellent and they inferior to Christ. The force of the argument lyes chiefly in this 1. That they are Ministers and Servants 2. That all of them none excepted are such For all and every of them be Ministers not Lords and Kings then they are inferior to Christ. Nay they all and every one of them are subject to Christ as the Word from the Creation and after Christ as the word incarnate was set at the right hand of God they all were his Servants commanded and sent by him for the promoting of the Salvation of his redeemed ones believing on him So that they are not only Servants but his Servants this Doctrine informs us 1. Of the excellency of Christ advanced in our Nature above the Angels 2. Of the benefit of Believers they are Heirs of Salvation and the Angels the heavenly Spirits must take a special care of them 3. Of our Duty 1. To believe that we may be Heirs of Salvation and enjoy the guardance guidance and protection 2. To be humble Servants unto God to do good to others especially the Houshold of Faith seeing Angels though excellent are humble Servants to Christ for our good This principal matters in this Chapter are several The first is concerning the excellency of the Scriptures wherein God speaks by Prophets and by his own Son 2. The excellency of Christ in respect of the Prophets and the Angels 3. The Nature and Ministry of Angels The Use of this Doctrine follows in the beginning of the next Chapter CHAP. II. Ver. 1. § 1. THis Chapter is an Exhortation to the constant Profession of the Doctrine of the Gospel These words may be considered 1. In that Connexion with and dependence upon the former 2. In themselves The Connexion and Dependence is signified by the illative therefore which implys that the proposition in the first verse is a conclusion inferred from some premisses in the former Chapter wherein the Apostle had not only affirmed and proved that Christ was a Prophet more excellent then the former Prophets but the Angels And if he was so then it follows he must needs be heard and his Doctrine observed which is the substance of the first verse For seeing God speaks by the Prophets and more excellently by Christ therefore Prophets much more Christ are to be heard § 2. This is a Connexion The words themselves we must consider First As an Exhortation And secondly in the same 1. The duty exhorted unto 2. The reasons whereby the performance is urged An exhortation is reducible to a Rhetorick and proper to a deliberative Theme according to Aristotle and Tully ' whose Rules are not meerly Rhetorical but Political and are miscellaneous It presupposeth the party exhorted to know and remember the thing exhorted unto and a perswasion that it 's good especially honest and just The end of it is to move inslame and stir up the Will and Heart of the Auditor to performance This upon the by To proceed we have 1. The matter of the Exhortation or the Duty exhorted unto For the subject of divine Exhortations is some duty possible by the power of Grace to be performed Duty presupposeth a Command of God upon which follows an obligation to performance and a duty is nothing else and is a duty whether performed or not The duty is affirmative or negative So that in the words we have not only an exhortation but a dehortation too yet to speak properly they are but implyed For the Apostle signifies rather that the matter is a duty then exhorts unto it The affirmative is to give the more earnest heed to the things heard the negative not to let them slip yet the former must be done lest the latter which is a Sin should follow The matter of the duty is the things heard that is the Doctrine of Christ the great Prophet and his Apostles as made known and heard by them The act is attention earnest attention the more earnest attention because spoken by Christ more excellent then the Prophets then the Angels This attention is not only a diligent consideration of the things heard but a belief and constant profession joyned with practise and presupposeth the knowledg of them The negative which upon the neglect of the affirmative will follow is not to let them slip Thus it 's translated in our English but with divers Latine Interpreters it's to leak or flow out or aside And here Expositors compare the Soul unto a broken Cistern or torn-Vessel which will not keep any liquid substance powred into it In this sense to let slip seems to be nothing else then to forget But the Sytiack turns it so lest we fall off or from our profession The Septuagint use the Apostles word Prov. 3. 21. where the Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luz which signifies not only in that Language but in the Chaldee to depart go back decline from a thing Therefore here the sin we must take heed of is not only to forget the Doctrine of Christ but to fall from the Faith and Profession of it And the reason why they must be so careful is because there was great danger and many temptations which would prove the more effectuall against the careless and the negligent In a word the duty is upon most dillgent attention constantly to believe and profess the Doctrine of Christ and never to recede or fall from it Thus to do is our duty there is a necessity of precept God's Command binds us we ought and the reason is because the Doctrine we have heard is the Doctrine of Christ the Doctrine of God made Man And it was God's Command to hear him the great Prophet upon peril of total Destruction This duty is reducible to the first Commandment evangelically understood and not to hear believe profess the Doctrine of God Redeemer by Christ is a grievous sin there forbidden As the duty
ministreth unto you the spirit and worketh Miracles amongst you doth he it by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith Chap. 3. 5. Where he doth imply 1. That he did not so many and great Miracles amongst them to confirm the Doctrine of the Law but to confirm the Faith that is the Gospel 2. He did not minister the Spirit and gifts of the Holy Ghost by the preaching nor they receive the Spirit by the hearing of the Law but of the Gospel 3. That God to testify the excellency of the Gospel above the Law did concurr to work Miracles and give the Spirit in confirmation of the one not of the other Therefore if the Gospel in so many respects be more excellent then the Law then to let it slip to recede from it to neglect it is a far greater sin and therefore makes us obnoxious to far more grievous punishment So we are come to the principal Conclusion which is to take heed of departing from or neglecting of this Doctrine of so great Salvation § 8. The application of this is to be made unto all and every one who having the use of reason hath heard the Gospel Let every one of them seriously consider that God speaks in it he speaks not by Angels but his own Son it 's the most clear full and powerful Doctrine that ever was revealed from Heaven a Doctrine of eternal Salvation it 's confirmed by most glorious works and the excellent Gifts of the blessed Spirit It 's a discovery of profoundest wisdom a manifestation of greatest love and the last warning God will give No other knowledg so useful so excellent so absolutely necessary as this Therefore receive it readily lay it up in your hearts never forget ever remember it prize it never neglect it never depart from it If the love of God cannot perswade you let the fear of his eternal displeasure and the love of your own Salvation prevail with you What will you despise his sweetest mercy reject the tender of Salvation bring upon your selves eternal and unavoidable misery It will be the greatest Sin that you can commit and make you obnoxious to the greatest punishment if you shall refuse to hearken to this great Propher Shall the word of Angels transgressed be so severely punished and shall no Offender escape And shall the word of the eternal Son of God be disobeyed and any Offender guilty in this particular escape everlasting penalties Let not any slatter themselves and think to escape For how shall we escape if we neglect c Ver. 5. For unto the Angels hath he not put in subjection the World to come whereof we speak § 9. The words are difficult to be understood and must be explained before the scope of the Apostle in them can be discovered The subject matter of them is the World to come and God's subjection of it The greatest difficulty is to know what 's meant by the World to come which many think referrs to the state of glory and the World which follows the Resurrection Thus à Lapide and some of the Antients Riverae understands the Church-Christian as opposed to the Church of former times especially under the Law This is the more probable sense For the Apostle speaks of these last times wherein God spake unto men by his Son and it 's opposed to the times wherein he spake by his Prophets and Angels Yet we must not understand it of the Church exclusively as though God had not subjected other things even Angels for the good of the Church That World and those times whereof the Apostle speaks are here meant but he speaks of the times of the Gospel The proposition is negative God subjected not the World to come to Angels In former times God had used very much the ministery of Angels in ordering the Church and put much power in their hands to that end Yet now in this last time he made Christ his Son who by reason of his suffering was a little lower then the Angels to be the administratour-General of his Kingdom the Universal Lord and subjected the very Angels unto him The expression seems to be taken from Esay 9. 6. for whereas there amongst others Titles given to Christ one is â—verlasting Father the Sepâ—uagint turn it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Father or Governour of the World to come which seems to be the genuine sense of the Hebrew words The sum is that God did not subject the Church in the times of the Gospel nor the World of those times to Angels but to Christ. The words thus understood may inform us 1. That Christ is more excellent then the Angels 2. If the Law and Word spoken by Angels when neglected and disobeyed was so severely punished much more severely shall they who neglect the Gospel spoken by Christ be punished 3. That if it was the duty of the Fathers and those who lived in former times to hearken to the Word spoken by Angels which are but Servants Then it 's much more the duty of us who live in these last times to hearken unto the Word of so great Salvation spoken by Christ made Lord of All. From hence we may understand the scope of the words to be the same with that of the former and that may be considered either aâ—part of the former reason why we should hearken to Christ and not neglect the Gospel or they may with the latter words following contain another distinct reason and in this manner that seeing God hath not to the Angels subjected the World to come but to Christ who by his Suffering and Death was for a little time made lower then the Angels and for that suffering afterward made Lord of all even of Angels then we ought to give the more earnest heed to his Doctrine Crellius understands by the World to come Heaven but without any reason but rather contrary to reason and to the purpose of the Apostle § 10. The former Text being negative doth not express but imply that the World to come was put in subjection to Christ. But in these words he doth not only express it but prove it And to this purpose he alledgeth the words of Psal. 8 4 5 6. In this testimony we may observe the allegation or the words alledged application of them The manner of the allegation we need not examine the Authour neither names the Book of Psalms as a distinct part of the Scriptures of the Old Testament nor the particular Psalm which is for number the 8th nor the Authour of the Psalm David But saith 1. That one or a certain man testifieth 2. He testifieth in a certain place This he did not through ignorance or defect of memory but out of some other reason He knew that the testimony or thing testified was the principal thing and that these Hebrews were well acquainted with the Scriptures and especially with the Book of Psalms To return to the words alledged out of the holy
Scriptures of the Old Testament received by the Jews as Divine and from God the difficult Question is of whom that Psalm speaketh and whom he meaneth by man the Son of man so minded so visited by God so humbled so advanced Some will have it to be man in the day of his Creation some think it's man fallen some determine it to be man restored in Christ some are resolute that it is Christ himself as man Thus Cramerus Tarnovius and the Lutherans generally who bitterly inveigh against Calvin interpreting otherwise Calvin had his fellows followers Others tell us that it agrees to Man in the literal to Christ in the mystical sense others that there are two literal senses the one whereof agrees to Man the other which is the principal agrees to Christ. Vatablus seems to agree with this Cramerus teckons this amongst the prophetical Psalms The intention of the Psalmist is to praise God for his glorious works wherein he manifested his power wisdom and special mercy The works are not only those of Creation but of his special providence over Man and amongst those works of special providence that of restauration of Man by the humiliation and exaltation of Jesus Christ who is the principal subject of the Psalm according to the parts of it alledged in the New Testament where we find ver 2 6 8. applyed to Christ. Upon this ground Cramerus Tarnovius and others understand it only of Christ It 's true that some things here mentioned do agree to Man in the state of Creation yet the special care of Man in respect of his spiritual and eternal estate appears most of all in Christ to whom set at his right hand he subjected all things for this end That he might convert man and make him converted for ever blessed So that in the words alledged we may observe 1. God's special care of Man and his singular love towards him 2. The same manifested in a most glorious manner in the humiliation and exaltation of Christ. 3. The admiration or rather amazement at such a stupeâ—dious manifestation of such stupendious love All the works of God are in themselves excellent and wonderful but the work of Redemption by Christ is matter of greatest wonder and astonishment even to the Angels § 11. The Application follows where the Authour takes special notice of the last words cited out of the Psalm They are these Thou hast put all things in subjection under his Feet These are not the last words of the Psalm but of the words alledged out the Psalm These understood of Christ proves that which he intended That unto the Angels God hath not put in subjection the World to come but to some other even to Man that special Man whereof the Psalmist speaks Concerning these words he delivers two Propositions The first as a conclusion The second upon the By. The first as a conclusion is this That he left nothing that is not put under him this necessarily follows if God put all things under his Feet Therefore he is the Lord of the World to come and Angels are subjected as included in the word all That these words are understood of Christ and not of any other Man as Heinsius would have them to be is evident from 1 Cor. 15. 27. For he hath put all things under his Feet but when he saith All things are put under him it is manifest that he is excepted who did put all things under him Where two things are observable as clear and evident 1. That it was Christ risen from the Dead and set at the right hand of God under whose Poet as his Foot-stool all things were put 2. That nothing is excepted as not put under but God who subdued all things unto him The second Proposition upon the By is But now we see not all things put under him The meaning whereof is that though God hath given him Dominion over all things and all things are subject to his Power yet he hath not as yet exerclsed his Power to destroy all Enemies and reduce all his People to subjection And this we shall never see till the last Saint be converted and Death the last Enemy destroyed which cannot be before the Resurrection whereby all his Servants and Vassals shall be made immortall and fully and for ever freed from Death Ver. 9. But we see Jesus who was made a little lower then the Angels c. This is the second Application of those words of the Psalmist Thou hast made him a little lower then the Angels thou hast crowned him with Glory and Honour Which we find differently expounded translated read pointed Yet the matter is plain and it 's evident they speak of Christ and concerning Him deliver two things 1. His Humiliation 2. His Exaltation 1. His Humiliation in three things 1. That he was lower then the Angels 2. He suffered 3. He suffered Death for all men And the substance of the whole is That though in the state of his humiliation and mortality in respect of his suffering Death he was a little or a little while lower than the Angels yet he rose again and is now crowned with Glory and Honour at the right hand of God and made Lord of All. And there was a special reason why for a time he should be mortal and suffer Death even because that was the way unto Glory and the means of eternal deliverance determined by God Though all this be clear yet the place is wofully obscured and especially by Henisius whilst he tediously endeavours to make it more plain I will not trouble the Reader either with his pointing the words or his manner of rendring them or his exposition in all which he thinks Tâ—cla's Manuscript doth favour him which it doth not § 12. In these words these things are manifest 1. That the subject of them are the words of Psal. 8. 5. 2. That he applys them unto Christ. 3. That in them he observes the Humiliation and Exaltation of Christ. 4. Gives the reasons why Christ must first be humbled before he can be exalted and to shew this last is the scope of the Apostle in the rest of the Chapter unto the end It 's not to prove that Christ is Man as some do think nor to make a digression to speak of his Priest-hood as others tell us That he mentions some acts of Christ as a Priest and other things agreeing to him as Man and as a Priest or King it 's upon the By. In them we find three Propositions 1. That we see Christ for the suffering of Death Crowned with Glory and Honour 2. This Christ is he that was first made a little lower then the Angels 3. One end why Christ was made lower then the Angels was that by the Grace of God he might â—asto Death for every Man The meaning of the first Proposition is easy For it affirms 1. That Christ was Crowned with Glory and Honour 2. And that for suffering Death 3. They
they are some ways one The reason why Christ is said to sanctify is because he hath an active power to sanctify and free from Sin such as are polluted with Sin and men thus polluted are said to be sanctified when they are freed from Sin Christ doth sanctify them by his merit and the application of his merit by his Sacrifice and his Spirit making use of Word and Sacraments And man is first sanctifiable by the Death of Christ and actually sanctified upon his Faith in this Death That this is the sense is plain by these words of his By which Will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once for all Chap. 10. 10. The meaning whereof is that by the Death and Sacrifice of Christ remission of Sin and freedom from the pollution was merited so that this doing of his Fathers Will in suffering Death for the sin of man was so accepted of God that it hath an eternal virtue of purging the conscience from sin and in consideration of the same God is always ready upon man's Faith actually to remit and to take away his sin These two are said to be of one Crelliâ—s is here mistaken as in the former verse For he tells us that God brings many Sons to Glory by perfecting their Captain Christ through Sufferings because by his example God doth teach us that by Suffering and by Death though grievous we may attain eternal Glory and suffering is the way unto it This he spake to delude his Reader and seduce him because he would not confess the satisfying and meriting power of Christ's Sacrifice That Christ in his Suffering Death did give us a rare example of many heavenly vertues and an encouragement by his Resurrection and Glorification is true but not intended in this place So neither may we approve of his exposition of these words as any ways genuine and agreeing with the scope of the place For he makes Christ and Believers one as Brethsen because they have God as one Father But this is wide and far from the Apostles intention That of Junius and others is the best that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of one masse and humane Nature alluding to the offering of the first Fruits at the Passover or the two Loaves waved at Pentecost by the which all the rest of their Fruits and Bread were sanctified That he means so he expresseth plainly afterwards ver 14. which informs that to be of one is to be partaker of Flesh and Blood as they are Flesh and Blood Therefore the Socinian must be either blind or impudent yet to understand his unity the better you must know 1. That as man had sinned so he was resolved to redeem and deliver him 2. That his wisdom did not think good to redeem him immediately himself nor mediately by Angels but Man must be redeemed by Man 3. That seeing man by sin deserved and was liable to Death he determined to deliver him by the Death which another must suffer for him 4. God as God could not dy therefore God must some way become Man and by his Word assume Flesh and Blood that he might in and by that humane nature suffer Death 5. He that must be Man and suffer Death and so sanctify all the rest must be one with them and not only as having Flesh and Blood as all men are but must be the Head Captain representative of all mankind and this Christ was both by divine Institution and his own voluntary susception And this is the difference between this unity of him with all mankind and the unity of all other men amongst themselves that he is so one with them as to be their Head and general representative for Redemption and Salvation And the difference between all other men considered as men and him considered as man is not only in this that he was holy and they sinful but that he was personally united to the Word they were not for they were distinct persons in themselves § 15. That they were of one is proved in the words following and that two wayes 1. In the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it is so by testimony of Scripture 2. In the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the reason why it 's so and that taken from the end to manifest how it became God thus to do The first is proved out of the Old Testament and first from Psal. 22. 22. That the Psalm is understood of Christ is clear not only because the first words thereof were used and taken up by Christ even when he was Suffering upon the Crosse but also many things in that Psalm were clearly fulfilled in Christ to the very casting Lots upon his Seamless Coat In the words Christ calls his Apostles and Disciples and all such as should believe in his Word declared unto them his Brethren not Strangers or Aliens not Servants or Slaves And by this acknowledgment and owning them he doth signify that he sanctifying and they being sanctifyed were one For he was man and they were men he was the Son of God they the Sons of God he was amongst these as a Brother of the same Society but as the Head of the Society and the first begotten amongst many Brethren The argument is this Brethren are one and of one but Christ and those who are sanctifyed by Christ are Brethren therefore they are one and of one That they are Christ's Brethren is evident because Christ calls them so and is brought in by the infallible Scriptures giving them that Title And how great a condescension was this that the Son of God Lord of Angels should vouchsafe us this honour as to acknowledg us sinful Wretches raised out of the dust his Bretheren And though he cites other words besides these as that He in the midst of the great Congregation would sing praise unto God yet the principal words for which the 40 Psalm is quoted is the word Brethren a term given by Christ unto his Disciples The second proof is found in many places of Scripture but yet they must be taken out of some place which speaks of Christ so as these words may be evidently the words of Christ. Some yea many think they are taken out of 2 Saâ— 22. 3. or out of Psal. 18. 2. where in the Septuagint we find words to the same purpose But seeing the Apostle doth follow the words of the Septuagint when he alledgeth any place out of the Old Testament and these words are not found in either of the former places neither is that Psalm so properly understood of Christ therefore it 's not likely that the Apostle intended to cite any thing out of them Therefore feeing we find the words following concerning trusting in God and concerning him and the Children which God had given him in the Prophet Esay and in the same Chapter of that Prophet and close together too therefore we may conclude with à Lapide and Heinfiâ—s that the place here cited is Esay
whose House it is is expresse Scripture that Christ doth build it is so too For thus Christ saith to Peter Upon this Rock will I build my Church Matth. 16. 18. Some restrain the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things to the Church but that 's not probable For the better understanding of these words you must observe 1. That one of the most noble Effects and Works of God is the Church a most rare and curious piece 2. That to Frame Build and Constitute this must be a special act of that excellent and universal Builder 3. That as by the Word God created all things and built the World at the first so by this Word Incarnate dying and rising again sending down the Holy Ghost revealing the Gospel he built and founded the Church-Christian which shall stand for ever 4. That because he built this Church not meerly as God by the word not-Incarnate but Incarnate and made Flesh therefore it must necessarily follow that Christ is not part of the House nor the House it self but the Builder of the House For though he doth many things by the word not-Incarnate yet he never built the Church but by it The substance of the words is That presupposing this for a certain truth That every House hath a Builder therefore this House must have so too yet because it cannot be built by Men or Angels it must be built by God and because the materials of it are Men first sinful and guilty God must build it by Christ who is the Word made Flesh. This discourse implyes that Moses was not a Builder but a Member of this House yet an eminent Member and one advanced far above the ordinary ranck of other Members not only because a Prophet but an excellent and eminent Prophet too § 7. Thus far the excellency of Christ above Moses set forth by a Similitude taken from building The second Comparison is between Him and Moses as between Lord and Servant For it follows Ver. 5. And verily Moses was faithful in all his House as a Servant for a Testimony c. These words are part of the Minor Proposition and with the words immediately following inform us of two things The one concerning Moses the other concerning Christ 1. Concerning Moses That for his place he was a Servant 2. Concerning Christ That He was Lord of God's House They both agree in this that they had some certain place in the House of God but differ in this That the one was in a lower the other in a higher place Moses though faithful yet was but a Servant He was God's Servant in an honourable Place and in an Office of great Trust For the word Servant signifies an Officer yet because all Officers are Servants therefore by a Synechdoche they are often called Servants under their Soveraign He was a kind of Steward trusted with a general superintendency and inspection over God's House the Church of Israil In a word he was a Prophet and a Prince Yet here he is considered as a Prophet for he was to testify and declare unto the People the Laws and other things God should reveal unto him And it was an Honour to be such a Servant and a greater Honour to be faithful as he was to declare and testify all things which God revealed unto him and to do this without diminishing the least or adding any thing unto God's Word This is one proper Duty of Christ's Ministers to be witnesses of Christ and declare the whole counsel of God faithfully and how happy might the Church be if her Prophets were such As 1. Who did know what the Will and Word of God is 2. Did teach it faithfully and wisely according to their Commission Though Moses in this respect was counted worthy of Honour and deserved to be heard and obeyed by that People yet Christ was worthy in this respect of far greater Honour For it followeth Ver. 6. But Christ as a Son over his own House Here Son is opposed to Servant and his own House to the House of another which is the Master Christ is the Son Moses but the Servant Christ is in the House as his own built by him Moses was in the Church of the Jews as a Servant in the House of his Master giving directions for all things to be done therein according to the Will of God his Lord and Master Christ is not here called Lord but Son but by Son is meant the Heir which is Lord of all For as you heard before God had made Christ his Son Heir that is Lord of all Chap. 1. 2. The Church is his own House for he redeemed and purchased it by his own Blood he gave himself for it which Moses never did and his Father hath given all things into his hands and made Him Head of that Church and House which he himself hath Built Moses was never advanced to this Honour he never had any such Title This excellency of Christ both absolute and comparative we are exhorted to consider It 's represented unto us fully and clearly in the Gospel yet will be of little use to us if we consider it not so as we may the more clearly and distinctly know it and be effectually moved to honour Christ and prefert Him far above Moses For the end of consideration is a more clear and perfect knowledg of the things considered and in practicals the end of that knowledg is to move and incline out hearts This exhortation is but subordinate unto another as the duty of Consideration is but subordinate to an higher and far greater and that is Perseverance which is here thus expressed Ver. 6. Whose House We are if we hold fast the considence and rejoycing of hope firm to the end § 8. The Duty exhorted unto is final perseverance and is here described by the Apostle to be an holding fast of the considence and rejoycing of hope firm to the end This is opposed to Apostacy or a falling off before the end Perâ—everance is conceived to be no virtue distinct in it self but an adjunct of virtues and especially of Faith The virtues here are considence and rejoycing of hope The nature of it is 1. To hold these fast and firm 2. To hold them fast unto the end The subject immediate of this constancy and perseverance is confidence and hope 1. Confidence in this place presupposeth a firm and certain belief of the Truth of the Gospel concerning Christ as the only sufficient Saviour by whom alone God will give us everlasting Life 2. This confidence is a reliance and resting or reposing of our hearts upon God promising remission and eternal Life for Christ's sake alone For seeing God who is almighty in Power infinite in Wisdom unchangeable in his Purposes hath signified his willingness to save us and hath bound himself by his promise upon certain terms expressed in his promise we may be confident that what he hath promised he will perform and will in no wise fail or be
is called provocation This premised I need not much insist upon the two Propositions following ver 16. The first is Some did provoke these were all that came out of Aegypt whose Carkasses were overthrown in the Wildernesse And the Sins were their Murâ—â—urings Unbelief tempting of God Rebellion Idolatry Lustings and the like and that that made up the measure of their Iniquity was that Rebellion which they made upon the return of those twelve men who were sent as Spies to view the Land All these sins were but so many acts of their Apostacy and revolt from God contrary to the Covenant that He had made with them The second Proposition is That all did not provoke for Caleb and Joshua with the Children of those were not guilty or chargeable with the test For many fell some did stand and continue stedfast in the Covenant This is a fair warning to all us who own our Baptism and profess Christianity Though we may have our sins of ignorance and infirmity yet let us take heed of provoking-Crimes For shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy Are we stronger then He § 16. The Apostle having said That some did yet not all did provoke He in the next words lets us know who did provoke and were shut out of God's Rest yet he doth not specifie them by their several names but by their qualification and the cause of their not entring into Canaan For thus he goes on Ver. 17. But with whom was He grieved forty years was it not with them who had sinned whose Carkasses fell in the Wilderness Thus these words come in upon the former And in these three last verses he useth a great deal of art not only Logical and Theological but Rhetorical too For the matter is Theological concerning sin and the consequents of sin which is the offence of God and punishment of Man offending The Logical form is Dianoetical to inferr a conclusion formerly expressed and here implyed The Rhetorical manner of expression is Dialogistical and like that which we call Addubitation wherein we have Questions and Answers yet these Answers are returned by Interrogation which imply a formal affirmative and possitive Answer to the Questions The end of this Rhetorick is not only to make the sin and the aggravations thereof more clear but to make a more lively representation both of the Sin and Punishment to the end his reason and disswasive may be more forcible The first Question and Answer we have in ver 17. The Question is But with whom was He grieved forty years This presupposeth that God was grieved forty years with a certain Generation as the Psalnist brings in God complaining In which words taken by the Apostle for granted we may consider 1. The party grieved 2. The parties grieving 3. The time of both 1. The party grieved was God 2. The party grieving was the People of Israel 3. The time was forty years To understand this Axiom we must first know what it is for man to grieve actively and for God to be grieved passively 1. For Man to grieve in this place is to sin and do something offensive and displeasing to God 2. For God to be grieved is to be offended to be dispeased Hiâ—rom turns it Displicuit Pâ—guine Litigaviâ— Pratensis Molâ—stia affectus suni The Vulgar offensus fui Vatablus cum toedio pertuli All these interpretations signify that God was much displeased with the carriage of that Generation so that He was even weary of them Genebrard expounds the word used by the Septuagint to be a pressing hard upon them and punishing them till they were consumed Yet because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Heinsius observes sometimes signifies Idol which God did abllor and abhominate it may be understood of God abhorring that Apostare and unbelieving People This informs us how God accounts of such Sins He accounts them as odious abhominable and contrary to his purest holiness and most just Laws We must not think that God can be grieved vexed molested but he thay be displeased and offended 2. The party grieved was God and oh how unworthy are we who will displease that God who hath made Us preserved Us redeemed Us and shewed so much love and kindness to Us upon whom we so much depend in whose favour is life and all solid comfort 3. The Generation that thus grieved God was that People of Israel who were at Age when they came out of Aegypt and made a Covenant with God at Horeb yet brake that Covenant 4. The time of their sinning and God's punishing was forty years from the time of their deliverance from Pharoah till their entrance upon the Land of Canaan Yet this is to be understood of them joyntly for many of them were overthrown and destroyed within a short time of their deliverance This is the Question The Answer is He was grieved with those that sinned whose Carkasses were overthrown in the Wilderness and this Answer is put interrogatively as though he would referr it to them or any other indifferent person to give the Answer For it 's very clear out of the Text who the persons were that grieved God they were such as sinned and were overthrown in the Wilderness And from their Sin which they committed and the Punishment which they suffered are they easily discovered Their Sin was hardning of their Hearts and Apostacy their Punishment was their Carkasses were overthrown in the Wilderness This the Hebrews must take special notice of that so they may take heed of the like Sin The second Question or Addubitation is Ver. 18. And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His Rest Now he comes to the last words of the Psalm So I sware in my wrath That they shall not enter into my Rest. Where we may observe 1. The matter of the Oath 2. The Oath it self The matter or thing Sworn was That they should not enter into God's Rest. This Rest was their quiet possession of the Land of Canaan and their abode therein after their bondage in Aegypt and so journing through the Wildernesse It was God's Rest Because 1. God hath the propriety of that Land as also he had of the whole Earth 2. God did undertake to dispossess the Inhabitants 3. He did promise and grant to Abraham to plant and settle his Posterity in it and He and He alone did give their Children possession of it It typified Heaven and that eternal Rest which God hath prepared for his Saints Into this rest they must not enter not ever have any possession of it This was the dreadful Sentence which God passed upon those unworthy and rebellious Wretches The Oath was the Oath of God which He sware in his Wrath The party swearing was God God sware and because He could swear by no greater He sware by Himself In this respect it differed from the Oaths both of Men and of Angels and could not be a part of Worship or Invocation as other Oaths are and in
drink it and receive it into our bodies yet if we neither eat the one when it 's set before us nor drink the other when put into our hands we may perish for hunger and thirst So it is spiritually with our Souls in respect of the Word preached and heard only our with outward ears and not received and receiued in our hearts by a true and lively Faith So that the cause why the Word of God being so great a Blessing and so excellent a means of Salvation doth us no good is from our selves or in our selves who either refuse it at the first or reject it after we have professed it and promised to live according to it And this refusal and rejection as they are hainous sins not onely against God's just Laws but his merciful tender of eternal life so they will prove in the end the cause of our eternal misery which shall be greater and more intolerable than those to whom the Word of God was never preached 4. Therefore it concerns us all to fear this Sin of Apostacy as we fear loss of heavenly Rest God's eternal displeasure Hell Death and eternal Punishments The Apostle by this word fear implies there is danger of falling away and if we consider there is danger and the same very great For if we look upon our weakness and the remainders of corruption the deceipt and hypocrisy of our own hearts the imperfection of our Understanding in heavenly things the inconstancy of our Wills our little experience in the wayes of God and the violence and power of temptation from the Devil and the World we may easily see that it 's a wonder if not a matter of amazement that we stand one day one hour yet when we look up towards Heaven remember our Saviour Christ reigning and victorious the power of the blessed Spirit the helps God hath given us the Promises of assistance there is great cause of hope yet this hope doth not exclude but require our diligent Care continual Watching and instant Prayers without which we cannot by which we may hope to stand Oh how should we carefully and constantly attend unto God's Word lay it up in our hearts make it the Rule of our whole life so as to obey his Commands rely upon his Promises and fear his threats and every day call to mind the Profession we have made and the Promises whereby we have engaged our selves unto our God And seeing so few do fear it 's no wonder so many fall and come short of this blessed Rest. Most men presume upon the Promise and neglect the Duty The Israellres had a Promise yet did not enter because they did not believe § 3. There follows another distinct Reason from the former and that is the great benefit that follows upon the performance of the Duty Ver. 3. For we who have believed do enter into Rest as he said As I have sworn in my Wrath c. THere is some difficulty to know the coherence of these words with the former as also of those that follow with these and amongst themselves Some say they come in upon the words immediately antecedent and give a reason why the Word not mixed with Faith did not profit nor bring the hearers into God's Rest For onely we that believe do enter that is There is no entrance but by Faith but by Faith there is Others think they propose a reason why we should fear Apostacy and be careful to persevere and that from the happy consequent and the glorious reward which follows upon perseverance in belief and that is entrance and admittance into God's Rest yet they may referr to those words of the former Chapter For some when they had heard did provoke howbeit not all that came out of Aegypt by Moses For Caleb and Joshua heard and believed and persevered for it 's said of Caleb and it 's the Testimony of God That he had another Spirit with him and followed the Lord fully Numb 14. 24. This he applyes to himself and the Hebrews to this purpose That though some did not enter because of Unbelief yet some did believe and did not provoke and so entred so likewise shall we believing do As the former might cause fear so this latter might cause hope and prove a strong motive why we should fear to fall and be very careful to persevere So that if we will sum up that which went before it 's this in brief To day if we will hear God's voice we must not harden our hearts 1. Because if we do harden them we shall be shut out of God's Rest as our rebellious and Apostate Fathers were 2. If we do not harden our hearts but believe we shall enter into God's Rest as Caleb and Joshua did It follows As he said I have sworn in my wrath if they shall enter into my Rest c. These words serve to inform us of three things 1. That the Word not believed could not profit because by Unbelief they provoked God to wrath and in his Wrath he sware they should not enter into his Rest so likewise we should fear to be guilty of Unbelief because if we prove such God in his Wrath by the like Oath will exclude us 2. That as God by this Oath did exclude none but Unbelievers and brought the Believers into Canaan so he will exclude none out of the Rest promised in the Gospel but Unbelievers and will without all fail bring us believing into our spirituall Canaan 3. That as the Oath so the Exhortation used by the Prophet David implied that as there was a Rest in the dayes of Joshua so there is another Rest besides that of the promised Land Therefore because it might be doubted what Rest either David meant or the Gospel doth promise the Apostle proceeds to prove that there is yet a Rest prepared for God's People under the Gospel and determines what Rest that is This is done by distinction for he informs us of a three-fold Rest 1. Of the Sabbath 2. Of the Land of Canaan 3. Of the eternal Rest in Heaven That it was the intention of the Apostle to manifest that there was a Rest for the People of God under the Gospel and yet that Rest was neither the first of the Sabbath nor the second of the Land of Canaan is evident by that which follows especially Ver 19 10. That it was expedient if not necessary for him to do thus is as clear because he had alledged the words of the Psalm To day if ye will hear his Voice and also said in Ver. 1. That a Promise was left us of entring into his Rest. The first is the Rest of the Sabbath in these words Although the Works were finished from the Foundation of the World And Ver. 4. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day in this wise And God did rest the seventh day from all his Works THE particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is turned here although yet it may signify and
themselves and the Scriptures § 5. Hitherto the description of a Priest in general and such as did officiate before the times of the Gospel the next thing is concerning their calling and acquisition of their Sacerdotal Power which is delivered in these words Ver. 4. And no man taketh this Honour unto himself but He that is called of God as was Aaron THe sum whereof is this that the Institution of an High-Priest-hood and an High-Priest is from God For the more distinct handling of the Text we must observe three things 1. That no man can make himself Priest 2. That God's Calling makes a Priest 3. Aaron for example was so made a Priest 1. The first Proposition is that no man can make himself a Priest For any man to take or receive to himself or by himself this Honour is to make himself such a Priest as is formerly described The sense is not that no man will usurp this sacerdotal power or that many will not take it upon them or many will not presume to make others Priests which God did never make such For Jeroboam made of the lowest of the People Priests Yet let Princes or People presume to make Priests let others without any consent of God or Man usurp this Power yet if God do not Institute and Call them either mediately or immediately their Priest-hood is no Priest-hood their Offering no Offerings their Service ineffectual and no wayes acceptable to God And here it 's observable that Priest-hood is called an honour because the Office is high and honourable and next to that of Kings though with many it 's contemptible 2. God's Calling makes a Priest for he not only hath power to institute this Office and invest men with this honour For as all Power is of God so is this of Priest as well as that of Prince And though God gives liberty to men for to institute some civil Offices and make Officers yet in matters of Religion it 's otherwise For he hath reserved that Power of making spiritual Officers and to appoint their Service unto himself and the successe of their Service doth meerly depend on him for without him it can have no spiritual effect upon the Souls and Consciences of men Yet God doth not Call all Officers in Religion immediately and by an extraordinary and particular designation but many are called in an ordinary way yet it 's necessary that every standing Office should be instituted either by a General or some special precept of universal Obligation for the time he will have such an Office to continue in the Church This precept determines the qualification of the person and this must be known and approved by the Church â—â— such as the Church shall trust and this approbation must be publickly declared before the party that must publickly officiate can be orderly admitted yet this rule admits of some exception in extraordinary Cases All the power that the Church in constitution of Officers can challenge is to signifie the Will of Christ concerning the particular persons to be constituted that they are rightly qualified and such as Christ requires them to be Christ therefore in this work is the principal and the Church following the rules of Christ is the instrumental cause Of vocation ordination imposition of hands and constituting of Church-Officers I shall speak more at large in my Treatise of Civil and Ecclesiastical Government 3. Aaron did not take this honour to himself but was Called of God this is an instance and a particular example of the divine Vocation of an High-Priest And though it was but a particular example yet it was agreeable to a general Rule That Aaron was an High-Priest and that he did not usurp this honour and that he was Called of God is evident out of Scripture For 1. God singles out the Tribe of Levi for religious Services 2. Out of this Tribe he singles the Family of Aaron for the Priest-hood 3. Out of this Family he separates Aaron and his Sons with their Posterity to be High-Priests 4. He caused him publickly to be set apart with his Sons and to be consecrated 5. Upon his Consecration when he first begins to minister and offer his Priest-hood is confirmed by Fire sent from Heaven to burn the Offering 6. Notwithstanding this particular institution and designation he was unjustly challenged as ingrossing the Sacerdotal Power till God by consuming the Company of Korah and causing Aaron's Rod to Blossom and bring forth ripe Almonds confirmed it again 7. Aaron's Children and Posterity acquired their power by lineal discent according to the first Institution for all his Successours derived their Power from the first Investiture of him and his Sons § 6. After the Description of an High-Priest and his divine Calling follows the Apostles discourse of the High-Priest-hood of Christ. And he 1. Asserts his Calling 2. Proves it His Calling is asserted in these words Ver. 5. So Christ also did not glorify himself but he that said c. THis doth presuppose 1. That Christ is a Priest and all things essential to a Priest we find in him according to the former Description 2. That to be a Priest is a Glory and Honour for it is a place as of Power so of Dignity and Glory Yet it 's said He did not glorify himself and take upon him the Sacerdotal Power and Dignity though he was qualified better then ever any was By this we understand the intolerable pride and presumption of many in these times which take upon them to officiate in matters of Religion though no wayes qualified or fitted for this work If ever any Man or Angel then surely Christ might have taken this Honour to himself yet he did not And this will be the eternal condemnation of all such as usurp Ecclesiastical Power without any Commission from God or Man How unlike unto Christ are all such who presume of their own merit and despise such as Christ hath called But if Christ did not glorify himself and take upon him to be a Priest how did he acquire his Sacerdotal Power It 's said That God did glorify and advance him to this place and honour This is included in these words But he that said unto him For he that said unto him the words following was God and He made him Priest And the truth is the place was so high and required such a measure of Power that none but God could constitute and invest him For it was not in the power of Man or Angel to make so great an High-Priest As before it 's said 1. That he did not make himself an High-Priest 2. That God made him so by those words found in Psal. 2. 7. he proves both that he was a Priest and that God made him such For 1. It 's clear that it is the Lord and everlasting Jehovah who spake these words 2. He spake them to Christ. 3. By them he constituted him a Priest The words of Constitution are these This Day have I
in his prayers and most earnestly deprecare the Wrath of God as his Saviour did The sense of sin will break the stoniest heart and quicken our Prayers cause cryes and tears But we neither consider the grievousnesse of our sins nor the bitternesse of our Saviour's Passion therefore our Prayers are cold and weak and mercy stands afar off and pardon comes not near us 3. These Prayers were made and directed to God as One that was able to save him from Death All Petitions made to any Person either unable or unwilling to do that which is desired are in vain might and mercy power and goodness are necessarily required in him to whom Prayers which shall in the issue prove effectual are to be offered And because none but God is absolutely Powerfull and Good Almighty and Almerciful therefore to him alone as Supream Lord all Prayers are to be made as to the prime Authour and principal efficient of all Blessings and Mercies To addresse our selves in this manner to any other is flat Idolatry and a breach of the first and great Command None can deliver from Death but only He. Therefore Christ offered his Prayers and Supplications to Him as able to save from Death and this ability to save in greatest dangers was the ground of his confidence God was able to save from Death either by prevention and not suffering him to dy or if he suffered Death by raising him up again and restoring life once taken away and lost The latter he did the former he denied to do yet by Death in this place may be meant some other thing then loss of this mortal and temporal Life for in Scripture it signifies all kind of evils Man or Angel is subject unto and in this place something which he feared prayed against and was freed from by God his heavenly Father supporting him so that he did not sink under the heavy burden laid upon him He endured all with patience and willingness of mind and was not overcome or overwhelmed He suffered something far more terrible then all bodily pains and that Death which is only a separation of Soul and Body and this was violent temptation for he was tempted more violently then ever any was yet he never yielded the least but continued firm faithful obedient unto his heavenly Father in the midst of his greatest conflicts That which upheld him was the power of his Father and that which obtained the victory was his support obtained by his fervent Prayers For 4. His Prayers and Supplications were effectual he was heard in that he feared To be heard in the Hebrew is by a Metonymy sometimes to have our prayers granted and the thing requested done And to be heard when we pray for deliverance is to be delivered saved holpen This might be made manifest out of many places of the Old Testament translated by the Septuagint Two of them Heinsius observes as 2 Chron. 18. 31. where it 's written That Jehoshaphat cryed out and the Lord helped him so the Hebrew heard him so the Septuagint And Psal. 56. 16. As for me I will call upon God and the Lord will save me so the Hebrew hath heard me so the Greek So that for Christ to be heard was for Christ to be delivered But what was he delivered from certainly not from Death so as not to suffer it for he dyed but from something he seared For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifyeth fear Metonymically in this place signifies the thing feared which was the object and cause of his fear This word is once used by the Septuagint for so they translate the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Josh. 22. 24. But what did Christ fear Death No not bodily Death but such a Death as he suffered wherein he was so fearfully tempted For if God had deserted him wholly as he did in part and not have supported him he as man might have been overcome have sunk under the burden in distrust or dispair or impatience This he feared more then ten thousand Deaths of his Body and so to do was his holiness and though he knew his Father would support him yet he must offer vehement Prayers and be put hard unto it before he did obtain it Thus though he knew he must dy yet he defired vehemently that the Cup of his Passion if it were possible might passe and be omitted God began to hear him when he sent an Angel from Heaven to comfort him but then he heard fully when he had supported him to the end of his Passion so that he commended his Soul unspotted and victorious into his Fathers hand and made haste unto that Paradise into which no unclean thing shall ever enter When all was done and suffered the Devil found nothing in him could not charge him with the least Sin This was the efficacy of his Prayers which he offered for himself as different from all others that ever were made in his extremity whereby he learned to pity others in their temptations and necessities For an High-Priest must offer for himself as well as for others because he is compassed with infirmities So Christ though he had no Sin yet had infirmities and was tempted and had need to pray for himself as well as for his People and Ver. 8. Though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered VVHere we may observe two things and two propositions Two things 1. His eminent Dignity he was a Son 2. His obedience Two propositions 1. He was a Son 2. Though a Son yet he learned obedience by the things â—he Suffered 1. He was a Son the Son of God and in a more excellent manner then any either Man or Angel was or could be He was as the Word the Son of God so as that he was God and as Flesh and Man he was assumed by the Word and conceived by the holy Spirit in the Virgin 's Womb yet so that there were not two Sons but one the Word made Flesh and as such a Son he was nearer God then any other Heir of all things Lord of Men and Angels and the only-begotten Son of God Yet 2. Though a Son yet learned he obedience For though as a Son he was very high yet he humbled himself very low and took upon him the form of a Servant and in that form became obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross which was the Death of a Servant as he was sold for thirty pence the ordinary price of a Servant and Slave His obedience presupposed his subjection as Flesh unto his heavenly Father as his Supream Lord and a Command not only to Do but to Suffer even the Death of the Crosse and this was the highest greatest and hardest command to dye such a Death for the Sin of Man This command above all others he learned to obey He learned this hard Lesson not only to know it but chiefly to do it not meerly by speculation but real
consequence Therefore though they did not absolve them yet they prayed for them and referred them to the Judgment of God § 6. The Apostle not content barely to affirm this Renovation to be impossible gives us a reason hereof and that in a third Proposition which is They Crucify the Lord Jesus a new and put him to open shame This should have been the second but I follow the order of the words For this is the genuine method 1. Christians may fall away 2. Falling away they Crucify Christ and put him to open shame 3. It 's impossible for them doing so to be renewed by Repentance This third which I handled in the second place contains the medium whereby the impossibility of Repentance is inferred But 1. I will explain the words 2. Shew how they come in upon the former 1. To Crucify the Lord Jesus the Son of God afresh and to put him to an open shame are in some respect the same For the Death of the Crosse is a shameful and ignominious Death and Punishment therefore we read of shame and the Crosse joyned together For it 's said of Christ That he endured the Cross and despised the shame Hebr. 12. 2. There be many tormenting and disgracing Punishments inflicted by higher Powers upon Malefactors Amongst these Capital penalties are the greatest Of Capital Crucifying or putting to Death upon the Crosse is most cruel and ignominious This our blessed Saviour the Son of God once Suffered For such was the malice of the Jews that nothing but his Death and no other Death but the Death of the Crosse besides many other indignities would satisfy them The end of just punishments are loss pain and shame Therefore Malefactors were executed publickly and openly that others might see hear and fear to do the like Sinnes lest they should suffer the like Punishments if they should prove guilty of the like Crimes And not onely the Punishments executed by Man but such as are inflicted by God are exemplary Therefore as the Apostle saith The punishments which the Israelites suffered in the Wildernesse are our ensamples 1 Cor. 10. 6 11. Therefore the word turned put him to open shame signifies to make an example of shame and disgrace To return unto the Text Apostates are said to Crucify Christ unto themselves afresh the meaning is not that they put Christ to Death upon the Cross in proper sense For that they cannot do he dyed upon the Crosse once and rose again is immortal in Heaven and shall never dy any more For in that he dyed he dyed unto Sin or for Sin once and but once seeing he being raised from the Dead he dyed no more Death hath no more Dominion over him Rom. 6. 9 10. Therefore the words are to be understood Tropically they are a Metaphor which is a contract Similitude and signify that they are like unto the Jews and deal with Christ in somethings as they did For as the Jews judged Christ not to be the Messias and Son of God but a Seducer an Impostor and Malefactor and desired Judgment against him as such that he might be Crucified and put to open shame so these Apostates denying Christ whom they had formerly professed must needs account of him no better then the Jews did and so justify all their Accusations against him and his Crucifying as just and justly deserved by him But these Revolters especially agree with the malicious Jews who renounce him blaspheme him and persecute him in those who profess him such Julian was This is to tread under foot the Son of God and to count the blood of the Covenant that is whereby the everlasting Covenant was confirmed and they sanctified an unholy or profane thing This is the highest contempt of Christ and his Blood that possibly can be Some observe from these words Crucify him afresh 1. That though they cannot Crucify him because he is far out of their power yet for their part they are ready and have a mind to do it and would do it if it were in their power 2. That though he was Crucified once yet if he were living and in their reach they would Crucify him again § 7. This is the meaning of the Words Now secondly Let 's consider how they come in upon the former and what connexion they have with them They presuppose that Apostates do Crucify the Son of God to themselves afresh and are guilty of this Crime For Apostacy is their Sin and this necessarily follows upon it and is inseparably joyned with it And they seem to give a reason of the impossibility of their Renovation by Repentance For there can be no Renovation or Sanctification but by the Blood of the Son of God and this they deny renounce trample under foot therefore they can neither repent nor by repentance be renewed or receive any benefit For repentance presupposeth necessarily Faith in the Blood of Christ and the force thereof dependeth upon that Blood and the belief thereof without both which no repentance can ever do any good or benefit any man and this is the immutable Will and Decree of God Neither will God give Repentance to any Apostate or accept him though he should and could repent For Christ did never merit nor God promise to any such persons either of these The reason of all this is That God decreed that Christ should dy but once and that Sinners should be initiated but once and that whosoever makes void to himself this one Death and this one Initiation shall never have any benefit by a second Death or a second Initiation These are contrary to the eternal and unchangeable Rules and Laws of his Kingdom and by these Rules their Sin is irremissible and their final destruction unavoidable Therefore let us hear and fear lest by any means we fall away from that Christianity which we have received professed and engaged in By all this it 's evident that it 's in vain to lay the foundation again by Repentance Faith Baptism and the rest This reason to make it more plain is illustrated by a Similitude which as all other Comparisons hath two parts 1. A Proposition 2. A Reddition The Proposition is expressed the Reddition implyed The subject of the first part or proposition is the Earth and as there are two sorts or kinds of Earth good and bad so there be two parts of the proposition The first Concerning good Earth The second Concerning bad and barren Ground 1. Concerning the good we may consider 1. The Proposition and then the Reddition In the first observe 1. The Fruitfulness 2. God's Blessing The fruitfulness presupposeth Rain Dressing For without these two Moisture and Husbandry no Ground can be fruitful The Rain is from Heaven the Husbandry from Man The goodness of it is that it drinketh in the Rain bringeth forth Herbs meat for them by whom it 's dressed and here by Herbs may be meant all kind of Fruit that 's fit for man's food As it 's fruitful so
Name of that City was Zedec afterwards it was called Salem and then Jerusalem 2. That Melchizedec and Adonizedec was the common Name of the Kings of that place as Pharaoh was of the Kings of Egypt and Caesar of the Romane Emperours Whether this King was by descent a Canaanite or some other is not material to know yet Moses informs us that he was not onely a King but a Priest and such he might be and yet an Idolater But to take away that doubt it 's added that he was the Priest of the most High God This word Priest doth signify his Superiority and Authority in matters of Religion and he was a prime Minister and did officiate in things pertaining to God As a King he governed men as a Priest he worshipped God The word Cohen which signifies a Prince or a Priest is here determined to the signification of a Priest or publick Officer in sacred things Whereas it 's said that he was the Priest of the most High God it may be understood 1. That he was constituted and consecrated a Priest by God and so received his Power immediately from Heaven as he must needs do because he derived not his Power from any Predecessor and his Order vvas very high and so high that he was said for to be a lively Type of Jesus Christ the Son of God and the supream and eternal Priest of Heaven 2. That he did worship no Idols or petty Gods but the Supream Lord and Living God that made Heaven and Earth and taught his People so to do From these words Ver. 1. For this Melchizedec King of Salem and Priest of the Most High God VVEE may observe 1. That Religion was not so generally corrupted in those times but that there were some as well as Abraham and even in cursed Canaan as well as in other places who did worship the true God 2. That the Offices of King and Priest are not so inconsistent but that they may lawfully be assumed and exercised by one Person For Melchizedec though one single Person was invested both with Civil and Ecclesiastical Power And if one person be so qualified that he is able to discharge both places so far as he is bound there is no doubt to be made of the Union of both in one man and the Duties of both might be the more easily performed by one when the Power extended but to a Family or a little Territory as this of Salem was especially when onely the greater Services were to be done by him that was King and Priest who had the Superintendency and Command over the rest who both in matters of State and Religion were subservient unto him Yet when Israel was multiplied to a great Nation it pleased God to separate these two Powers and gave the one to one Tribe and the other to another And if this separation had not been made by God himself the opposition made by Corah Dathan and Abiram could not have bin so hainous a Sin And Christ himself though a King and Priest would not take upon him any Civil Jurisdiction neither did he give his Apostles any Power Civil for their Commission was to teach and baptize to build the Church and not the State neither would he have his Souldiers entangled with the Affairs of this life The Work of the Ministry was so great that there rather wanted more Labourers to be sent into that Harvest And for any man to take upon him more Power than he can well manage or a greater charge than he is able to discharge must needs be unlawful § 6. These were the Offices The Acts of his Priest-hood come next to be considered the first whereof was that he blessed Abraham For Ver. 1. Melchizedec met Abraham returning from the Slaughter of the Kings and blessed him In these words with those that follow we have the exercise of his Sacerdotal Power And in this Exercise three things 1. The Person upon whom he did exercise it 2. The Time when 3. The distinct Acts thereof 1. The Person was Abraham one of the most eminent and excellent men of the World the friend of God the Father of Israel of all Believers of Christ according to the Flesh who had received the great Promise and was a Priest and Prince himself and all this did argue the greatness and excellency of Melchizedec 2. The time was when he met him returning from the Slaughter of the Kings For 1. Abraham as we read in Gen. 14. had conquered and slain the Kings recovered the Captives and their Goods and taken a great Spoil 2. After this great and glorious Victory he was returning towards Mamre 3. In his return near to Salem Melchizedec met him with Provision of Bread and Wine to refresh him and his Army Then it was that he exercised his Sacerdotal Power 3. The first Act was he blessed him The words and form of this Benediction are these Blessed be Abraham of the most High God Possessour of Heaven and Earth This Blessing was not a meer expression of his desire for so any Inferiour may bless a Superiour but it was a sacerdotal powerful and authoritative Benediction yet in the Name of God as it was by Commission from God and therefore real and effectual upon the Subject Whether it was particular or general is not expressed Some as Mercerus think the words to be Indicative and so to be understood as though he had said Blessed is Abraham c. Others Let Abraham be blessed or The Lord bless Abraham as the Blessing of the Levitical Priests is delivered The Lord bless thee and keep thee c. Numb 6. 24. This Blessing is neither a Wish and desire nor properly a Prayer nor yet a meer Prediction A Prayer is directed unto God a Blessing unto Man the one seeks it from God by Petition the other pronounceth and declareth it by Warrant and Commission from God In the one the Priest doth represent Man in this other he represents God Here by the way we may observe That a Priest hath Power by vertue of his Office and God's Institution to bless So this Priest and the Levitical also and the Minister of the Gospel may and ought to do § 7. The second Act was the Tything of Abraham for so the next words twll us Ver. 2. To whom Abraham gave the tenth of all This is the first place of the Scriptures which speaks of Tythes or the Tenth of mens Goods paid unto God and received by his Priests and such as represent him in matters of Religion And here we may observe 1. Who paid them 2. To whom they were paid 3. Of what they were paid 1. Abraham the party blessed payes them and so they who receive spiritual Blessings and are made fit Subjects of God's Mercy in Christ must give and pay them 2. The party receiving them was Melchizedec who as a Priest blessing Abraham and not as King receivs them and to him they are paid So Christ appointed the
Israelites from the first-born of other Families to the Tribe of Levi For we read that the were set apart for the Service of the Tabernacle Numb 1. 50. And this done by Command of God to Moses Ver. 48. This was the Reason why they were not numbred non had a several distinct part of the Land as the rest of the Tribes In this the Lord did punish shew Mercy and gave Honour He punished that Tribe in scattering them throughout all the Tribes according to the words of Jacob who denounced this Judgment against them for their dissimulation and cruelty exercised upon the Shechemites Gen. 49. 7. He shewed Mercy to the rest of the Tribes in that they were dispersed in every part amongst them to teach them the Laws of God He honoured these Levites in that he consecrated them to his Service and setled the Priest-hood in that Tribe And this seems to be a Reward for their Service in assisting Moses when he punished their idolatrous Brethren Therefore said Moses Consecrate your selves to day unto the Lord c. Exod. 32. 29. So wonderful is the Wisdom of God that by one Act he can both punish and reward the same parties and shew Mercy unto others Of this their separation and taking them for the first-born we may read Numb 3. 12. Yet though all the Sons of Levi did minister in holy things all were not Priests for of the Sons of Levi onely the Family of Aaron received the Office of Priest-hood and were Priests the rest of that Tribe were assistant and subservient to the Priests These had their Office not by Usurpation or the voluntary consent and suffrage of Man but by the ordination and determination of God without whose Power intervening so great an alteration in the Translation of the Sacerdotol Power could not have been valid or just In the Christian Church the Office of Ministers answers to this which could neither be necessary or effectual except Christ had instituted it And onely such as enter upon this Function according to his Institution are legal Ministers 2. The parties tythed were their Brethren though descended of Abraham The Priest-hood with their inferiour Ministry must be maintained and it seemed good to the Divine Wisdom to appoint the Tythes for that end as the sitrest and most convenient maintenance of all other and if duly paid according to his order the least subject to inconveniences And seeing they did serve and minister for the good and benefit of their Brethren sequestring themselves from other employments Justice and Epuity did require that they should maintain them and give them their Tythes The same Rule in general holds good in the times of the Gospel For saith the Apostle if we have sown unto yoâ— spiritual things is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things 1 Cor. 9. 11. Yet profane Worldâ—ings who make no account of spiritual Blessings will say It is a great thing an heavy charge and we desire to be freed from it yet carnal things are nothing to spiritual These Brethren were descended of Abraham as well as the Levites and Priests and both as Brethren and as descended of Abraham were equal Yet they must acknowledge themselves and that by paying of Tythes unto the Priests to be inferiour to them who vvere nearer God and did represent him in the highest Acts and Service 3. But by what Warrant and according to what Rule did these Priest receive Tythes of their Brethren They had a Warrant and a Rule and both from God For 1. He gave a Command they should be paid and a Rule how they should be given The Command did presuppose the Power and signified the Will of God so that the People were bound to give them and the Priests had Power to demand them as due For the Effect of this Command was to make them due to be given by the People and unto them and to none other After this Command they could not be a meer Benevolence God did often signify in the Books of Moses that Tythes were his and he had given them to the Sons of Levi and the Priests That they are the Lord's and holy unto him we find Levit. 27. 30 31 c. and they are commanded to bring them to the Priest Deut. 14. 22. And that he gave them the Children of Levi for their service is evident Num. 18. 21. and they were their Inheritance And whosoever deteineth them robs God and is cursed with a Curse Mal. 3 8 9. Work and Hire Service and Tythes the Preaching of the Gospel and Maintenance go together before the Law under the Law and in the time of the Gospel Commands and Laws do not onely define the Persons that must obey and the thing to be done but many times if not alwayes the manner of performance So it was in Decimation for the Law determined not onely the Persons that must give them but of what they must be given and at what time they must be paid and into what place they must be brought and where they must be laid up So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the Command and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Rule and both are parts of the Law of Tything Some think these words are brought in by the Apostle to prove the Superiority of the Priests above their Brethren because their Brethren gave and they received Tythes and it 's true as Tything them they were above them Others conceive that in them he answers the Objection That Tything and Decimation would not prove the Greatness of Melchizedec above the Levitical Priests for these as well as he did decimate And they understand the Apostle to return this Answer That though they received Tythes yet it was but from their Brethren who being the posterity of Abraham were far inferiour unto Abraham whom Melchizedec tythed yet this answer is not given by him in these words except in part For the principal part followeth § 14. For we read in the next words Ver. 6. But he whose Descent is not counted from them received Tythes of Abraham c. In which words we may observe two Propositions The 1. Negative That Melchizedec's Pedegree was not reckoned from them 2. Affirmative Yet he received Tythes of Abraham The first informs us that he was not descended from Levi neither was his Priesthood of their Order or derived from them If he had descended from their Tribe and his Priest-hood from the House of Aaron then they would have said that he received Tythes because he was of their Order and would further alledge that if one as great as Abraham should be found amongst their Brethren they had Power by vertue of their Priesthood to decimate him But all this he prevents by denying his Descent from them The second tells us plainly that he tythed Abraham who was far above Levi and the Levitical Priests and much more above their Brethren Yet this is not all he not onely tythed Abraham but He blessed him
it comes to pass in a necessary Axiom which is opposed to impossible 3. This is more evident when we consider that both this Change and this necessity follows after and upon another Change For though God in his absolute power could have continued this Law and prevented this Change yet if he once change the Priest-hood the Law must be changed And so the force of the Consequence comes in to be considered which presupposeth some strict Connexion of both and a dependance of the Law upon the Priest-hood For if God did determine that the Priest-hood and Law should stand and fall together then it must necessarily follow that whilst the Priest-hood did stand the Law must stand and when the Priest-hood shall fall and be abolished then the Law of necessity must be abrogated And that this was the determination of God was made evident by the event and the execution of his Decree Again if the Priest-hood be once taken away the Law was useless because there was no Priest appointed by God remaining to officiate according to that Law as we see it is at this day And this might be the Reason why God did not only by the Death and Sacrifice of the great High-Priest after he was once exhibited on Earth and his Ministration in Heaven abolish that Levitical Priest-hood but also destroyed the Temple and the City where he had put his Name and to which he had confined that Priest-hood and never yet suffered either of them to be rebuilt And from these Reasons the force of their Consequence is strong and evident § 20. He proves further that the Priest-hood was changed because the great Priest after the Order of Melchizedec was not called after the Order of Aaron because he was not of the Tribe of Levi but of another Tribe and by Name of the Tribe of Judah Thus the Text informs us Ver. 13. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another Tribe of which no man gave attendance at the Altar Ver. 14. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah of which Tribe Moses spake nothing concerning the Priest-hood THE words of the Psalmist do prove that the Levitical Priest-hood must be changed and these prove that it was already changed And the Reason whereby he proves the Change of the Priest is the Change of the Tribe which presupposeth that the Levitical Priest was confined to one certain Tribe and that was the Tribe of Levi and to one certain Family the Family of Aaron From whence it follows that if the Tribe was once changed and God institute a Priest of another Tribe the Priest-hood must be changed And this great Priest which is after the Order of Melchizedec must not be was not called after the Order of Aaron neither was he of that Family In the words he informs us 1. Who the Person was that must be the Priest intended in the Psalm 2. What his Descent is and that two wayes 1. Negatively 2. Positively and affirmatively 1. The person of whom these things are spoken was Jesus Christ. The thing spoken of him are 1. That he was a Prophet above Angels all the Prophets and above Moses himself 2. That he was a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec And though a Prophet might be of any Tribe yet a Priest must be of the Tribe of Levi. Of this great Priest he saith 1. He was of another Tribe 2. Of a Tribe of which no Man gave attendance at the Altar He was of another Tribe This implies the Negative He was not of the Tribe of Levi 1. This is general and so is that which follows For 2. He was of a Tribe where of no man served at the Altar To serve at the Altar and offer Sacrifice was the proper work of a Priest and if any of that Tribe had ever been a Priest and according to God's Institution then though Christ had been of that Tribe yet the Priest-hood had not been changed But God's constitution was otherwise for it excluded all the Tribes but one that one of Levi and so that not any person of any other Tribe could lawfully serve at the Altar This makes the Negative more clear and full and peremptory By this we understand that Christ was of another Tribe that he was not of the Tribe of Levi yet all this will not inform us of what Tribe in particular he was Therefore to give full satisfaction the Authour adds Ver. 14. For it 's evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah of which Tribe Moses spake nothing concerning the Priest-hood THe Apostle presupposing that which cannot be denied that the Tribe of Judah is not the Tribe of Levi and that Christ being of the Tribe of Judah was made a Priest after the Order of Melchisedec seems by these things to prove that the Priest-hood is changed and that more particularly and distinctly then he had done in the former verse For it might have been argued and replyed that if he was of another Tribe then of Judah or Ephram or Benjamin or some of the rest If he was of another Tribe name it or else nothing is done And this was convenient to be done to name the Tribe in particular out of which Christ sprang and it was that of Judah In the words we have three propositions 1. That Christ sprang out of the Tribe of Judah 2. This is evident 3. That of Judah Moses spake nothing concerning the Priest-hood The first proposition is made clear out of the Histories of the Evangelists delivering the Genealogy of Christ from Abraham and David by way of descending Matth. 1. and of Christ's descent from David by way of ascending Luke 3. It 's further evident by the Calling of Joseph his Father-in-Law and his Mother to be enroled with the Tribe of Judah in Bethlehem the City of David Luke 2. And his Name was found long after his Ascension in these Rolles kept in the Arches at Rome He saith our Lord to signify that Christ was that Lord to whom the Lord Jehovah said Sit thou at my right hand c. The second proposition This was evident This might be evident then to them not only by these Histories but by the publick Records of the Roman Cense and Enrolment and the Registers both publick and private of their pedigrees For the Jews were very careful to Register their Discents for their distinction of their Families and their Tribes and God's providence did order it so to be not only by these Genealogies to manifest who had title to the Priest-hood but principally to preserve the Tribe and Families of Judah distinct till Christ was exhibited that so it might be evident that Christ was of that Tribe and of the House of David By this God did manifest his Promise concerning Christ to Descend of David to be fulfilled in that it was evident that Christ was the Son of David and so often called by that Name The third proposition That of that Tribe
of Ceremonies and Rites is carnal that is outward bodily fleshly For besides Circumcision which was in the Flesh their Sacrifices and Offerings were outward and bodily and they had their effect upon their Bodies and Flesh in freeing the People from legal guilt and impurities 3. There was a Law which did direct how these must be used and binding them to the observation of them and this Law had promises of some legal Blessings and Deliverances and Comminations of some temporal penalties That they were carnal it doth imply that they were not spiritual had no power upon the immortal Soul and could not any waies procure spiritual and eternal Blessings nor free from the eternal penalties due to Sin Neither could that Priest who was by such outward Rites and Ceremonies consecrated by his Ministration according to that Law expiate any sin nor make any spiritual reconciliation The Levitical Priest was made after this Law and to minister according to the same But here it 's said That Christ was not made a Priest after this Law which was a body of carnal precepts in respect of the Priest the Tabernacle the Service and Ministry and the effects thereof For if He had been made after the Law He could have done no more then they did and then both He and his Ministry had been defective frail and of a short continuance therefore it 's denied that he was made a Priest after that Law concerning the consecration ministration succession and operation of the Levitical Priest 2. The affirmative He was made a Priest after the power of an endless or indissoluble life Where we have 1. Life 2. An indissoluble life 3. The power of an endless indissoluble life 1. Life is either the bare continuance and duration of a living Beeing or the happiness and perfection of that Beeing in this latter sense most Expositors take it 2. This life whether it be the continuance of that more perfect Beeing which is living or the happiness thereof may be temporary or perpetual in respect of time to come so that though it may have beginning yet it never shall have end Such a life is here meant 3. The power here may be a Law which is powerful not only in binding but in promising so that the event thereof will be endless happiness as the Gospel is said to be the power of God unto Salvation Christ is said to be made according to this powerful Law and so is 1. Of eternal continuance himself in his person And 2. Hath power by this Law to give eternal life to such as are his People depend upon him and come to God by him For by his death he merited and by his life and intercession he procureth spiritual and eternal Expiation and Blessings Neither of these could the Levitical Priest by that carnal Ceremonial Law and his Ministration according to it effect That Christ must be made such a Priest he proves in the next words Ver. 17. For he testifieth Thou are a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedec VVHere two things 1. That Christ is made a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedec 2. That this is testified The force and Emphasis is in the words for ever and testified The first Proposition is concerning the Eternity of Christ's Priest-hood the second concerning the declaration of this Eternity or Perpetuity And we must 1. Consider the meaning of the words 2. Declare the end for which they are brought In the first part we have 1. The Order of Melchizedec 2. The perpetuity of the Priest constituted according to that Order 1. Melchizedec was formerly affirmed to have no end of dayes and so in some respect was of endless life and for this particular Reason these words so often taken up are repeated here the sixth time Christ is made a Priest after this Order as one who must continue for ever In the second part it 's said that this was testified where to testify is Solemnly by a formal and powerful Edict to declare and pronounce him not onely to be a Priest but a Priest for ever And it was God himself as Supream Lord who made this Declaration before all the Angels of Heaven and by it constituted and confirmed Christ an everlasting Priest The end why these words are alledged and here repeated is to prove that Christ was not made a temporary Priest according to a carnal and temporary Law but according to a Law and Power of endless life that is that he was made an everlasting Priest of everlasting power to save The words prove this effectually 1. Because the words of the Psalmist signify expresly that he was a Priest for ever 2. Because it was God as the Supream Lord who by his solemn Declaration made him such This is the Apostle's Discourse upon those words of the Psalm I have said Thou art a Priest for ever The Scope of the Apostle in all this is 1. To prove that the Priest-hood was changed 2. It was changed to bring in a better Priest 3. Christ is this Priest and more excellent than the Levitical Priest as being a Priest of perpetual continuance and of everlasting power and therefore was to be honoured far above Aaron or any Priest of that Order § 22. Hitherto the Apostle hath proved that the Priest-hood was changed and given the Reason which was because by it there was no perfection And by the Change of the Priest-hood the Change of the Law is inferred and in the words following he gives the Reason why the Law must be changed This is the coherence of this Text with the former So that this is his Method He proves 1. By the words of the Psalm That there must be another Priest besides and after the Levitical Priest 2. That if the other Priest be brought in the Levitical Priest-hood must be changed 3. That if the Priest-hood be changed the Law is changed 4. He infers the Change of the Priest-hood from the Change of the Tribe and of the Order 5. He infers from the words of the Psalm that this other Priest must be an everlasting Priest and of everlasting power 6. He gives the Reason of this Change and that was because there was no perfection by the former Priesthood as there is by the latter Now because the Priest-hood and the Law are alwayes so inseparably joyned that they live and dy stand and fall begin and end together therefore he take it for granted that having proved the change of the Priest-hood he had proved the Change of the Law For as the Priest-hood could do nothing but was useless without the Law so the Law could do nothing but was useless without the Priest-hood Therefore he thought it needless any farther to prove the Change of the Law for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it was changed was evident enough and proceeds to give the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Change thereof in this manner Ver. 18. For there is verily a disanulling of the
Supream Judge by him prove most effectual In that place it 's observable that he offers only the prayers of Saints and in another place he makes Intercession only for the Apostles and such as by their word should believe in him Joh. 17. 9 20. Saints and Believers are they who come to God by him And this is our Duty 1. To come to God and him alone for remission and eternal Salvation for they are found in him and in him alone and no where else 2. We must come to him by Christ as our only Propitiatour and Intercessour who alone can and will effectually plead our cause and make it good And as this is our Duty so upon the performance of it this will be the comfort of all penitent Sinners who groan under the heavy burden of their Sins and sigh and long and pray for Salvation 1. That Christ will certainly plead for them and by his Intercession obtain their everlasting Salvation And why should poor believing Sinners quake and tremble at the Bar of God seeing Christ doth plead their Cause which is more then if all Saints and Angels and the blessed Virgin the Mother of our Saviour should pray for him And why should be fear the Tryal or upon the Tryal Damnation or eternal Death For who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect It is God that justifirth Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh Intercession for us Rom. 8. 33 34. It was expedient as he said to his Disciples That Christ should go away and that to his Father's House that as a Priest and Advocate he might be ever ready in that Court of Heaven to plead our Cause His presence and his perpetual Intercession there is far more beneficial to us then his bodily presence here on Earth it 's not only beneficial but necessary For when we have sinned what should we do if we had not him our righteous Advocate and Propitiatour with his Father we were redeemed indeed by his Death but we are saved and justified by his Life because he ever liveth to make Intercession for us and will fully and for ever save us For because he is a perpetual and effectual Intercessour therefore he is so able fully and for ever to save even all that come to God by him and this is a clear proof of his excellency above the Levitical Priest § 27. Now the Apostle seems to have finished his Discourse upon that excellent Text I have sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedec Psal. 110. 4. and to conclude in these words following Ver. 26 27. For such an High-Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled seperate from Sinners and made higher then the Heavens Who needeth not c. VVHich words may be handled 1. Absolutely in themselves 2. Considered in their connexion and reference to the former But I will begin with the coherence and connexion which is difficult to be known as appeareth by the different â—pinion of Expositors upon the place For some think it 's a Conclusion and as it is the last part and close of the Chapter it may be so called for in this sense the word is sometimes taken yet this is no proposition inferred from former premises Others conceive that the Apostle proceeds by other Arguments to prove the superexcellency of Christ and this is true for so he doth Others imagine that these words give a reason why there must be such a Priest as lives for ever to make Intercession for us for such a Priest became us and none other would serve our turn Others judge a reason to be given here why the Intercession of Christ was so powerful and that is from his excellent qualification and his pure unspotted Sacrifice And it 's very certain that his Intercession had not been so effectual without this qualification of the person and the excellency of his Sacrifice Though all these things may be true yet something is to be observed and upon serious condesiration we shall find that the Apostle hath not done with his Text in the Psalmist but hath something more to say upon it and that he doth in these words It was well observed by the Rhemists that the Apostle scanneth every word of Psalm 110. 4. And there was one word more to be further examined For we have heard 1. Of Melchizedec 2. Of another Priest after his Order to arise after the Levitical Priest 3. That he is a Priest for ever 4. That he is made by Oath a Priest immortal and living for ever Yet in all this here is no mention of the person who he is that is thus made not what his qualification was nor of the time when he was thus made and why he was so confirmed But in these words he satisfices us in all these particulars as is implyed and presupposed in that very Psalm 1. The party was David's Lord For the Lord said unto my Lord ver 1. Who was above David not only because of his union with the Word but because he was advanced to far higher dignity and invested with far greater power and was the Son of God who lives for ever 2. His qualification was excellent For he was holy harmless undesiled and separate from Sinners 3. The time when he was thus made High-Priest for ever and that by Oath was after that he had offered one Sacrifice not many for the People not for himself once not often of everlasting virtue not effectual for some petty expiation for a time and after he was risen ascended and set at the right hand of God 4. The reason why he was thus made such a Priest was not only his excellent qualification and his immortality upon his Resurrection but because he had offered up himself without spot unto God That this is the intention of the Apostle will appear by the last words of the Chapter But to enter upon the words Ver. 26. For such an High-Priest became us who is holy harmless undesiled separate from Sinners and made higher then the Heavens IT may be truly said with Junius That in these words with those in the verse following Christ is circumscribed or described 1. From his Person 2. From his Ministry For his Person he had all the perfections of a Priest for his Service he was entred the holy place of Heaven to plead his excellent Sacrifice for all his Saints For his Perfections He was holy harmless undefiled separate from Sinners These are perfections which were required in the Levitical High-Priest so far as humane frailty was capable But they agreed to Christ exactly and in a far higher degree then they did agree unto any even the best of them And though the words may signify several qualities different at lest in respect yet they make but one perfect qualification of this Priest who was holy as Man
Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens The Order of things and not of the words is 1. There is such an High-Priest 2. He is ours 1. He is a Priest and he is such an High-Priest so eminent and so excellent tâ—â—t he is set at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens A Robe a Scepter a Sword a Diadem a Throne are Ensigns and Ornaments of Sovereign Power To sit in the Throne of Majesty is to possess Sovereign Power and Dominion There is an earthly Dominion and Sovereignty and also an heavenly and supercelestial Majesty which is proper to God as the Supream universal and eternal Lord. This is here to be understood Christ this High-Priest sits at the right hand of this Throne As he is the Word by which the World was made he sits in this Throne with the Father and the Spirit as one God and Lord with them yet as Man though assumed by the Word he sits but at the right hand of this Throne And so to do is to possess the highest degree of dignity and power next to that which is infinite and eternal The place of residence of Christ this great High-Priest where he possesseth and exerciseth this power is Heaven whither he ascended after his Resurrection and it was the highest degree of his Exaltation and a Reward of his deep Humiliation This Power and super-excellent Dignity agrees to him as a King who was fully invested with this Regal Power when God said unto him Sit thou on my right hand at which time God sware unto him Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedec For Christ was both King and Priest and from the 110. Psal. we learn that he was first made King and then at the same time by Oath confirmed in his everlasting Priest-hood and these words are an Abridgment of the first four Verses of that Psalm 2. This High-Priest is ours for we have him The Jews had their High-Priest ministring in the Temple at Jerusalem and upon him they relyed for their Justification and Salvation The Christians and amongst others these believing Hebrews had their High-Priest not on Earth but in Heaven and the same far more excellent than the Levitical Pontiff who might stand and not sit before the Mercy-seat on Earth not at the right hand of the heavenly and eternal Throne This was proper to Christ who is the High-Priest of all Christians upon whom they rely for eternal Salvation and all such as are sincere Believers have Interest in him as in their own For he was made and consecrated for them to benefit and save them and none other And if we knew his excellency and being sensible of our sin and misery would rely upon him with our whole hearts we might find unspeakable Comfort in him It 's our honour that we have an High-Priest at the right hand of God and our great happiness that he is able to save us for ever who come to God by him But our Ignorance of his excellency the senslesness of our sins and the want of a true and lively Faith deprive us of those inestimable benefits we might certainly expect from him These things are the Sum of all that excellent Discourse in the former Chapter upon the Text of Psal. 110. 4. For that Christ 1. Is a Priest after the Order of Melchizedec 2. That he is a Priest for ever 3. That he is made such by Oath 4. That he after his one Sacrifice once offered was higher than the Heavens 5. That he being the Son consecrated for evermore needs offer no more Sacrifice but remains at the right hand of God lives for ever to make Intercession and by this exercise of his Regal and Sacerdotal power makes his Sacrifice eternally effectual for his Saints are all comprised in these words § 2. If Christ be an High-Priest he must officiate and that in some place and so be the Minister of some Sanctuary or Temple and so he is For Ver. 2. He is a Minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched not Man THese words may be so understood as to be the latter part of the transition Yet whether they be so or no they plainly speak of Christ's officiation in some Sanctuary For in them we have 1. A Sanctuary and Tabernacle 2. A true Tabernacle pitched by God not Man 3. A Minister of this Sanctuary this Tabernacle 1. A Sanctuary or an holy place for the most part with men is a place or Building made by Man and dedicated unto God who sanctifies it by his special Presence For the presence of a Deity makes a Temple or a Sanctuary and the special Presence of the true God manifested by some Divine effect makes a Sanctuary of the true God For when God by a bright Cloud entred the Tabernacle and after the Temple then he took possession of those places and made them his House The word in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is plural yet may be turned Sanctuary not Sanctuaries because we find it so used by the Septuagint The reason why it 's plural is because in the Tabernacle and the Temple there were divers parts and partitions and every one of them were holy yet altogether made but one house Thus it 's used Exod. 29. 30. Ezâ—k 44. 11. Lev. 20. 3. 24. 12. and in many other places One part of this Sanctuary is that within the second Veil which is the principal and most holy and signified the holy place of Heaven which here is chiefly meant That 's a true Sanctuary and Temple and that in a most eminent manner because of God's eminent and more glorious presence in that place So the word signifies Chap. 9. 12. and is so interpreted Ver. 24. ibid. Tabernacle is here the same with Sanctuary and so it might be called because the whole Building was holy yet in the Tabernacle that part within the first and that within the second Veil were the Sanctuary more properly Yet these were called Tabernacles by a Synechdoche and the first was called the Sanctuary or Holy the second the Holiest of all Heb. 9. 2 3. And this is the difference between a Tabernacle and Temple in the Type that the one was removable the other fixt But what is here to be understood by Tabernacle is much controverted Some will have it to be the Church both Militant and Triumphant and especially the Triumphant because of Christ's bodily presence there Some conceive that it 's the Body of Christ wherein the Schekina or the divine Glory and Majesty fixed it's habitatation Thus Junius Beza and others following them expound it and give their reasons for that Interpretation But their Arguments are of little or no force at all as if it were worth the while might be easily made evident Others and the most for number understand the Heavens mentioned in the former Verse And this is the most genuine sense for the Priest did never
Covenant of the Gospel enters in the Law and that which is here called the first Covenant For this it 's implyed that a place was sought By place is meant the existence and actual Being of it as a Covenant in force and the Order of existing which was in respect of time long after the first Covenant which it did so exceed that it abolished and abrogated the former as surrogated into the place of it When it 's said that this place was sought for it to exist it 's not so to be understood as though any great search was made for it as though the surrogation was difficult or the time uncertain and not easily known For God both certainly knew the fittest time upon which he had determined and could easily bring it in as he did The time and order of the entrance and succession of the Gospel were so fit as if diligent search had been made by the wisest they could not have been more fit To seek is sometimes to require and demand sometimes to will and determine sometimes to consult all which do signify that if we stand upon the word sought it signifies in this place that God's most excellent Wisdom and Counsel determined to bring in the second Covenant and the place for it might be said to be sought because it was to come § 7. Secondly After the Explication of the words follows the Apostle's Argumentation grounded upon the former absolute Propositions In Form he argues thus If the first Covenant had been faultless then should no place have been sought for the second But there was place sought for the second Therefore the first was not faultless Where the Apostle from the Introduction of a second proves the imperfection of the first Covenant for if the first had been sufficient the second had been needless This agrees with that of the Apostle for if there had been a Law given that could have given life then Righteousness should have been by the Law Gal. 3. 21. And it 's like to that other of the same Author And if they which are after the Lâ—â—â— be Heirs Faith is made vâ—id and the Promise of vone effect Rom. 4. 14. The Text is the Proposition which is hypothetical and connexe The Connexion of the parts is firm for no wise Law givers will abrogate Laws and change their Leagues and Covenants if they be good sufficient and effectually subservient to their main end neither will they do that which is superfluâ—â—â— and needless As this is true in general so in particular the Connexion is far stronger when we consider that it was God who made the alteration by seeking place for a second Covenant The Assumption is the consequent part of the Proposition which is affirmed to infer the Antecedent 3. The thing which the Apostle intends by this to prove is implyed in the words not faultless and that is not onely the Imperfection of the former Covenant but the excellency of the latter For though the â—onner was good so far as God intended it the latter was far better and far more effectually conducing to Man's Righteousnesse and eternal happiness And if it was better then the Ministry of the Mediator was better § 8. That place was sought for the second which is the Assumption is proved out of the Scriptures in these words Ver. 8. For finding fault with them he saith Behold the dayes come saith the Lord when I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah THese words are but part of the Proof and place of Scripture and as taken from the Scripture which is the Word of God it 's a Testimony and an inartificial Argument which is as good as any Demonstration because it 's the Word of God who is truth it self And here I will 1. Explain the whole Text with the several parts thereof 2. Declare what it proves 1. In the Explication we must consider 1. How this part of Scripture is brought in 2. The Text it self 1. It 's brought in by these words For finding fault with them he saith Finding fault with something is the principal thing but the difficulty is to know certainly who the person finding fault is and who or what is that which is blamed as faulty The Person blaming may be God himself or the Prophet yet both may be intended and the meaning then is that God by the Prophet found fault But with whom did he thus find fault or with what for either Persons or things must be faulty If with persons they are Jews and Israelites if with things some think they are the Promises Others say in finding fault with the Persons he finds fault with the Covenant Yet the words may be turned thus Finding fault he saith unto them and this Translation makes the sense clear and removes all scruples For without all doubt it was the first Covenant that was faulty and defective and the words of the Prophet were directed unto the Jews and to them he spake and to them he wrote These words are prefixed before the Text to bring it in for by them is signified 1. That the Covenant was faulty 2. That God found fault with it 3. It 's apparent by the words of the Lord following Thus the Text is brought in and fitly joyned to the former words 2. The Text it self comes in to be considered Where we must observe 1. That the words are the Lords 2. That the matter of them is concerning the Covenants 1. The words are the Lords for so the Text informs Behold the dayes come saith the Lord It was the Lord that said these things For though the Prophet himself spake and wrote yet it was the Lord that enlightned moved and inspired him by his Spirit for the Prophecy came not in old time by the Will of Man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2. Peâ— 1. 21. Yet God did not speak these words immediately to any but the Prophet and did dictate them unto him by his Spirit immediately and in an ineffable manner so that he could not mistake what was dictated Yet he did not speak them immediately to any other but mediately by him so as to direct him infallibly both in his words and writings as in his understanding which did by divine illumination so apprehend and know the things of God as that he could not err and mistake This is to be observed further that the Prophet useth this Phrase saith the Lord three times in this short Description of the new Covenant and here the Verb which signifie to speak or say is almost alwayes as in this place given unto God as though only God could speak so as it importeth that is certainly most truly and infallibly so that the thing spoken is firm and most worthy of all acceptation By this the Prophet did declare 1. That he spake not of himself 2. That the Testimony was of divine Authority he related not the words
signified by God's Promise to Abraham I will be thy shield and thy exceeding great Reward Gen. 15. 1. and that Acknowledgment of the Psalmist The Lord God is a Sun and a Shield Psal. 84. 11. To be a Shield is to save and protect either by prevention or removal of all dangers and evils not only temporal but spiritual and eternal And to be a Reward a great Reward and an exceeding great Reward cannot come short of Heavens Glory and that eternal Bliss which is an aggregation of all Blessings which shall ever issue from that Sun which shall in his Meridian fully and for ever shine upon his Saints And to be a People to this God is to be a subject of all Mercies Man can possibly desire He begins to be our God in this manner upon our first Connversion when his Laws are first written in our hearts and goes on to bless and save us more and more till we be fully happy for the more his Laws are imprinted in our heart the more he will manifest himself to be our God and when he is once engaged he will go on and finish our felicity till he be all in all Some make this writing of his Laws to depend much upon our Free-will and that by it we may lose our God But it 's certain that though by our Free-will we may neglect the means and so be guilty of not receiving the Impressions of these heavenly Doctrines yet by this natural Freedom we can do nothing to purpose in this business we can by it neither prepare our hearts nor apprehend nor relish these heavenly Doctrines which are above out Sphere And the beginning and continuance of God being our God depends upon an higher more efficacious and more excellent Cause This Promise is most excellent and a Fountain of unspeakable Comfort for happy is that People who have God to be their God and miserable are they who are without the Covenant of Promises without hope without Christ without God How vast is the distance between them and eternal happiness As they come not near their God so God will not come near them § 12. After this second Promise it followeth Ver. 11. And they shall not teach every Man his Neighbour and every Man his Brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least unto the tâ—â—â—reatâ—st THese words are not so easily understood as appears by the many and different Interpretations of several Expositors which here I will not recount The Subject of them is the Knowledge of the Lord which shall be far more excellent clear full and effectual and generally diffused then in the times of the former Covenant Whether it be a distinct Promise from the former or the same and these words added for the fuller Explanation of the former shall be examined hereafter In themselvs they seem to be an Enthymeme which may be supplied and reduced into this Form If in the new Covenant all shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest then they shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother But all shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest Therefore they shall not teach every man his Neighbour c. In the Text there are two Propositions 1. They shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother 2. They shall all know the Lord from the least to the greatest The former is inferred from the latter and the Connexion of both as Conclusion and Premisses is expressed by the causal Conjunction For The Conclusion is negative and signifies that there shall not be any such teaching under the new Covenant as was under the old In the words we have 1. The Master 2. The Schollar 3. The Lesson taught by the Master to the Schollar 4. The teaching of this Lesson The Master is every Man not absolutely but every man that hath the Knowledge of God and is able to teach another For every one that hath any Knowledge of God should teach others that are ignorant and this is a general Duty of all knowing men but most of all of such as having a more eminent degree of Wisdom do take upon them the Charge of others The Schollar is every man's Neighbour and Brother that is Such as are near unto them by Co-habitation or Relation or both and are ignorant of God so as they need Instruction and Teaching yet are capable The Lesson is to know God this is the chief and best Lesson any Man can learn The Object to be known is the most excellent there is none better not any so good the Act is answerable to the Object For of all Knowledg the Knowledg of God as it is most necessary to Man's Salvation so it is far above any other Knowledg But this Knowledge is not a bare Knowledge but to know the Lord is to fear him serve him and obey him Therefore the Chaldee Paraphâ—ast doth usually interpret the Knowledg of the Lord to be the Fear of the Lord. And this is agreeable to that of the Apostle 1. Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments He that saith I know him and keeps not his Commandments is a Liar and the truth is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 3 4. Not they who have some high Notions of God and can discourse of his eternal Power and glorious Perfections and yet are Workers of Iniquity but they who keep his Commandments may be said truly and really to know him To teach in this place is not barely by Instruction to inform the Understanding but by exhortation to move the heart and stir up Man to Obedience and Practice To teach this Lesson and to perswade and exhort men to know and fear God is a good Work and a Moral Duty and as such of perpetual and universal Obligation and therefore must continue in the Church Christian as it did in the Jewish Yet it 's said that they shall not so teach under this new Covenant which implies there was some defect and imperfection both in the teaching and also the Knowledge which did depend upon it which shall not be found in the Teaching and Knowledge of the new Covenant But of this anon The second Proposition is That All shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest Where we have 1. The party to be known 2. The Knowledge of him 3. The parties that shall know him and that is All from the least to the greatest The party to be known as in the former so in this part of the Text is the Lord For they shall know Me saith the Lord so it 's in the Hebrew Jereâ— 31. 34. And this is the fourth time that Expression is taken up in that Prediction of this Covenant Yet God is Lord by Creation by Preservation by Redemption and Regeneration In this place is meant God not onely Creator and Preserver but Redeemer by Jesus Christ exhibited glorified manifested and represented to us in the
Gospel To be Lord in this manner is to manifest himself in the Excellency of his Wisdom Power and Mercy To know him as such is not any wayes to understand those excellent things testified of him in the Gospel but effectually to believe those Truths as revealed from Heaven and to rely upon him and him alone as our onely Saviour renouncing all Righteousness in our selves and all Confidence in all other things and counting all things loss and dung in comparison of him This is that which we call Faith in Christ whereby we are justified and saved yet this Knowledge and Faith was not without teaching For how should they believe on him of whom they have not heard and how should they hear without a Preacher And again So then Faith is by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God that is taught and preached Rom. 10. 14 17. And the Apostles had Commission to go and teach or disciple all Nations Mat. 28. 19. and they must teach Repentance Faith in Christ and Remission of sins in his Name And when Christ ascended into Heaven he gave Gifts to men and sent Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers Ephes. 4. 11. Yet this Teaching of Man was not without the Power of the Spirit teaching inwardly the same which they taught outwardly yet in a more excellent manner and with far greater efficacy The Persons who shall know God were all from the least to the greatest 1. The Jew taught but the Jew or his Proselyte the Apostles both Jew and Gentile of all Nations 2. All to whom the Gospel is preached aright know God or may know him 3. All may be restrained to all those who are taught not onely of Man but of God who writes his Laws in their hearts and gives them one heart and one way that they may fear him for ever and so puts his fear in them that they shall not depart from him Jerem. 22. 39 40. And he had promised to give his People an heart to know him that he was the Lord and they his People and he their God for they shall return unto him with their whole heart Jer. 24. 7. Where it 's observable 1. That God will so give them one heart as that they shall turn with their whole heart to the Lord. 2. So turned they shall not only know God to be the Lord but to be their God and they his People 3. That this place compared with that of the same Prophet Chap. 31. 33 34. alledged in this place doth signify that this Knowledge is such as upon which will follow Remission of Sins and this is justifying Faith § 13. Two things remain to be considered 1. How this Reason infers this Conclusion That they shall not under the Gospel every Man teach his Neighbour and every Man his Brother saying Know the Lord. 2. How these words come in upon the former whether so as to be a distinct and different Promise from the former or not For the first 1. It 's certain that in Heaven the Knowledge of the Lord shall be so perfect as that there shall be no need of any teaching of Man no nor of Prophets or Apostles therefore some of the Ancients understood the place of the perfection of Saints in the state of Glory 2. That unâ—er the Gospel there is need of Man's Teaching not onely for the first Conversion but for their further Edification till the Saints be perfect in Christ. 3. Yet there is a great difference between the teaching under the Law and that under the Gospel and that in three respects 1. Of the matter taught 2. Of the Teachers 3. Of the manner of Teaching 1. For the matter taught For the matter taught under the Law was The Lord bringing them out of Aegypt into the Land of Canaan and giving them Moral Judicial and Ceremonial Laws and blessing them in that good Land whilst in their manner and measure they observed these Laws Christ also was taught in Types and Shadows But the matter taught under the Gospel is God Redeemer by Christ exhibited glorified reigning at God's right hand and officiating in Heaven as being far more clearly and fully revealed 2. The Teachers under the Law whether Priests or Levites or Scribes or Parents or Masters or any private Persons were but Ministers of the Letter not of the Spirit But under the Gospel they were Ministers not onely of the Letter but of the Spirit and their Knowledge was far greater and clearer than that of the Teachers under the Law 3. For the manner of Teaching it was more clear more full more powerful as accompanied by the Spirit of Christ enlightning the Understanding and inclining the heart For in the Law there was no Promise of the Spirit to take away their stony heart and give them an heart of Flesh and to be put in them to cause them to walk in his Statutes As the saying of Austin is Lex jubet non juvat If the Spirit had been thus given to make the Doctrine of their Teachers effectual upon the heart of their Disciples and imprint the Knowledg of the Lord so deeply in their hearts as that they should never depart from him then the Promises of that Covenant had not been so far short of the Promises of the new Covenant But as the Law could expiate no Sin so it could not minister the Spirit It 's true that under the Law they had Faith in Christ to come and were enlightned and sanctified by the Spirit yet this they had not by vertue of the Law but the Promise by Christ to come and not by Moses And they who had it were few in number and their Knowledge of Christ was but implicit and the Power of the Spirit far less But under the Gospel they were many in number not only Jews and Proselytes but Gentiles of all Nations their Faith was far more explicit and the Power of the Spirit far greater So that the force of the Reason is That if the Teaching under the Gospel â—e so far more excellent in respect of the matter taught the Teachers and manner of Teaching which is such as that they all from the least to the greatest shall know the Lord so clearly fully and powerfully then there shall be no such Teaching as under the Law For seeing there is no distinct actual Knowledge without some kind of Disciplination and Instruction therefore where any Knowledg of the Lord is whether under the Law or the Gospel there must be some kind of Disciplination under both And here the Disciplination and Teaching of the Law and the Gospel are compared together And that of the Law was so weak and imperfect in respect of the Knowledg of the Lord which it did produce and that of the Gospel so powerful and also so perfect in respect of the Knowledge of the Lord the Effect thereof that there was great Reason that the former should cease as needless useless and imperfect For as the Apostle saith in another
Case When that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away 1 Cor. 13 10. Both Law and Gospel have their Teachers Teaching and the matter taught which is the Knowledg of the Lord and both agree thus far Yet they differ in the Quality Power and Manner in which respects the former shall cease and the latter continue There shall be no such Teaching under the Gospel as under the Law because there shall be a far better The second Enquiry is Whether these words are added to the former only for Explication or for to inform us of another distinct Promise Upon due consideration they may be found so to explicate the former as to add another Promise For they signify 1. That the end and issue of God's putting his Laws in their mind and writing them in their hearts is to know God the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent 2. To know God and Jesus Christ far more perfectly than ever they could do under the Law 3. To know him so as never to depart from him as their Fathers did 4. To know him so as that God should be their God for ever and bind himself in an everlasting Covenant unto them And this effect it should have not in a few but in very many of all sorts of all Nations And all and every one in whom he would thus write his Doctrines should thus know him fear him love him and obey him constantly and cheerfully so as they should not need either so much teaching admonishing threatning correcting punishing as they did under the Law nor be in such danger of departing and revolting from their God as their Fathers were For our God doth so deeply imprint his heavenly saving Truth in our hearts as that we shall be enamoured with Christ and so firmly adhere unto him as never to be separated from him This Effect it is not onely able to produce but hath actually produced it in thousands and millions This may be a new Promise whereby God doth engage himself not onely to be our God and take us for his People for a time but for ever For after once he becomes our God as here is meant he not onely rewards us but amongst other things doth continually minister unto us the sanctifying Power of his Spirit to enable us more and more to keep his Covenant that so in the end we may obtain the final and eternal Reward for he first writes his Laws in our hearts that upon our first Faith and Conversion he may first become our God and after he once is our God he writes them more and more that he may continue to be our God for evermore He will not only begin but finish the great Work of Salvation § 14. There is another Promise of unspeakable comfort expressed Ver. 12. For I will be merciful to their Unrighteousness and their Sins and their Iniquities will I remember no more THis is a Mercy of that concernment and necessity to sinful Man that all the rest without it are nothing The thing promised is eternal Remission of all sins Where we have 1. Sins 2. Remission of Sins 3. Remission for ever 4. The Person remitting 5. The Persons to whom they are remitted 1. For Sin we have three words 1. Unrighteousness 2. Sins 3. Iniquities Two of these are only named in the Prophet and the Apostle adds the third according to that of Exod. 34. 7. where we find three Hebrew words as we do Psal. 32. 12. And the Septuagint translate the three Original words by these three Greek words which are here used by the Apostle And here it 's implied That the People with whom God makes this Covenant have their Unrighteousness Sins and Iniquities and some of them not onely many but very hainous What Sin is I need not here define because I have done it more at large in my Theopolitica where I explain the meaning of the Apostle's definition 1 Joh. 3. 4. Sin presupposeth a Law-giver one Subject and under his Power a Law and the Obligation of the party subject And it 's a disobedience to the Law Here God's the Law-giver Man 's the Subject Commandments the Laws and when Man acts moves or is inclined contrary unto these Laws then he sins The Commands of God are his Rule and he ought to follow it and his heart ought to be conformable unto it and that freely and upon Knowledg For Man is bound to know the Law and to observe it And when Man sâ—vervs from this Rule he forsakes the Wisdom and Righteousness of God and follows his own Imagination and the Suggestion of the Devil and is carried away from his God by his base and ill-disposed Will and Lusts. And though all Sin is base yet some sins are more hainous than others Amongst other Consequents of Sin Guilt and Punishment are most remarkable and there can be no Sin which makes not Man guilty and liable to Punishment though the Punishment may be removed or the Suffering of it prevented And because God in his Law promiseth not only temporal but eternal Rewards and threatneth not only temporal but eternal Punishments therefore the condition of the guilty is very miserable and the more guilty the more miserable And if once we see our condition and be sensible of it our Souls are troubled and fearfully tormented and the thoughts and remembrance of Judgment are very terrible not onely because we are in danger to lose the eternal Rewards but to suffer eternal Punishments 2. Though there be Sins and the Guilt after the Sin is past remains yet there is Remission This Remission is a kind of loosing and dissolving an Obligation This Obligation here to be loosed is Guilt which is not Obligation to Obedience which is the Act of a Law but unto Punishment which follows upon the transgression of the Law by vertue of the Law and the Commination Pardon therefore and Remission is a freedom from the Guilt and so from the Punishment by necessary Consequence This Remission in this place is expressed by two words the first is I will be merciful the second I will not remember their Sins and Iniquities The first implies that Remission is an Act of Mercy pure and free Mercy for he that is guilty is in the hands of the Judge to punish or spare him and if he spare it 's a favour and an undeserved kindness Yet the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mercifull doth sometime imply such a Mercy as presupposeth some satisfaction and propitiation made without which Mercy and Pardon will not be granted and so it 's taken in this place For though God be merciful and inclined to pardon yet he will be just and Justice requires some expiation to be made by Blood or some other way and this to manifest his purest holiness and hatred of Sin and that he will not suffer his just Laws to be violated and yet let the party violating go free without any
in Christ which performed Remission which the Law did neither promise nor could give will certainly follow And before I conclude this part I will inform you 1. That Remission of Sins and Justification are the same 2. That there is no Justification but by the Blood of Christ. 3. That no man is justifiable by the Blood of Christ but upon his Faith 4. That this Remission and Justification takes away from the party justified all the sad and woful Consequents of Sin 5. That God never justifies any but in justifying he sanctifies him and doth not onely free him from the Guilt of Sin past but from the Power and Dominion of Sin so as to preserve Man from Sin for time to come The Imperfection and Corruption of Man which followed upon the first Sin is one of the greatest Punishments that Man can suffer and be liable to and to remove this Punishment is one part of our Justification 6. In this Remission is included Reconciliation Adoption and all those Blessings which tend to everlasting Salvation 7. Though upon our first Conversion and our first true and lively Faith we enter into the state of Justification which frees us from the eternal penalty yet we are not perfect in this state till all Sins even the last be pardoned and all Punishments fully and for ever prevented and removed which will not be before the Resurrection Thus you have heard the words of the Prophet alledged by the Apostle explained Now we must consider what they prove and being the words of God they must needs prove strongly and the thing proved is That the Covenant whereof Christ is Mediator is established upon far better Promises than the former Covenant with the Fathers was § 15. The Apostle by the words of the Prophet hath proved that the Covenant whereof Christ was Mediator was a better Covenant because established upon better Promises Yet though this was sufficient he proceeds further out of the same Text to prove the abrogation of the former Covenant whereof the Levitical Priest was Mediator and that in this manner Ver. 13. In that he saith a new Covenant he hath made the first old Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away THE Subject of these words is the Old Covenant made with the Fathers and they inform us of two things 1. The Abrogation 2. The total Abolition of it 1. The Abrogation It 's made old 2. The total Abolition It being made old is near vanishing and Abolition The Abrogation he proves from these words of the Lord by the Prophet I will make a new Covenant If God make a new Covenant then he abrogates the old But he makes a new Covenant Therefore he abrogates the old To understand the force of this Argument let 's enquire into the meaning of the words 1. To make old in this place must be to abrogate for as old things lose their Power Strength and Vigour so the Covenant being made old loseth it's binding force which is the very Essence of a Law from which the vigour and the vertue of it as a Law doth issue Hence that Phrase to antiquate a Law which is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to take away the Authority of a Law And this is the genuine sense of the word in this place 2. It may be doubted whether the making a new Covenant or Law doth antiquate the former Law and Covenant for the making of a new doth not alwayes take away the old but sometimes confirm it Therefore you must know That for God to make a new Covenant is to make such a Covenant as is different from and inconsistent with the former â—ay to make it so as by it to take away the former as useless needless and imperfect Such and so made is this new Covenant and the former doth lose all force two wayes 1. By Expiration for it was intended to continue untill the latter was made and upon the making thereof it became out of Date 2. By another Law and Covenant which could not stand with it but must needs destroy it These words thus understood do necessarily infer the Antiquation of the former Covenant and the inference is evident in the light of Nature and needs no further Confirmation The Argument That God will make a new Covenant we find in the express words of the Prophet's Text. This is the Abrogation The total Abolition which follows upon this Abrogation is expressed in this Proposition That which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish Where to decay and wax old are but Synonymal and signify the utter Abrogation of a Law and Covenant in general of this Covenant with the Fathers in particular That which is thus antiquated is said to be nigh or ready to vanish or disappear and as it were to lose its Being The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turned Vanishing is used oft by the Septâ—â—gint as a Verbal to signify destruction and desolation and the Verb whence it 's derived signifies to ruine destroy Persons Cities Countries so as to take away their Being and Existence And this Expression may intimate thus much that as things after they become old and have lost their strength and vigot may retain some kind of imperfect Being for a time and moulder away by little and little till they vanish and totally perish so the Law once abrogated may continue though in no force for a while and by little and little decay till it totally cease § 16. This is the Explication of the Text which may be further cleared and made more evident if we examine the time of the Abrogation and Abâ—lition It was not abrogated in the dayes of the Prophet Jâ—remiah by whom God revealed the making of the new Covenant and the tenour and substance of it for it continued in force for many years after even untill the exhibition of Christ. Neither was it abrogated upon his Birth or Baptism but upon his Death which unhinged the Law and so virtually nul'd this Covenant Yet it was not actually abrogated but upon the Promulgation of the Gospel for then the force of it was taken away and no baptized Christian was bound to observe it yet there were many attempts made that by some who professed Christianity to continue iâ— in power Hence that great Controversy raised in the famous Church of Antiocâ— in Syria which occasioned the great Synod at Jerusalem mentioned Act. 15. where it was unanimously determined that it was abrogated therefore they would not impose it upon the Gentiles And though after that they suffered some believing Jews to observe it in some particulars as a thing indifferent yet the Apostle in his Epistle to the Galatians doth clearly demonstrate that whosoever should observe it as necessary and so binding as that Christ could not save them without ' it they were fallen from Grace and went about to make void the Gospel By all which it 's evident that the new Covenant of the Gospel was
to blot out all our Sins and never remember them never charge them upon us that Christ should be the Mediator of this Covenant and never cease his Mediation till he hath fully sanctified justified and blessed us for ever What can Man desire which he shall not have What can he want which God hath not provided for him Doth he desire an High-Priest He is ready and he is the best in the World Doth he desire his Ministry in Heaven He shall be sure of it Doth he desire a Covenant Here is a Covenant a new Covenant a Covenant of the best and sweetest Promises that ever were Doth he desire a Mediator of this Covenant A Mediator is at the right hand of God who ever lives there and as an Advocate pleads his Cause and will not rest Day or Night untill he hath made us capable of Pardon and procured Remission of all our Sins for ever The remembrance of these things must needs be sweet and wonderfully revive and refresh a bruised Spirit and a broken heart sensible of Sin hungring and thirsting after Righteousness and Salvation But how great is our Ignorance of these things how weak our Faith how languishing our Hopes Our eternal happiness depends upon this Covenant this Priest this Mediation and Ministry and issues from God the Father and from this High-Priest and from pure Mercy And how happy we if we had but a true and living Faith effectually to believe these things and totally to rely upon God's pure free and abundant Mercy in Jesus Christ for they who believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life and he that hath the Son hath Life and Life for evermore Many and grievous are our Sins great is our danger and none can help us but this great Mediator of this blessed Covenant yet we are sensless of our Sins and do not seek unto our Saviour We are secure and do not understand that without his help and Ministry we must unavoidably perish God hath done much to save us and hath brought eternal life near unto us but we regard it not We continue in our Sins and will not believe on Christ and therefore are we condemned already because we have not believed in the Name of the onely begotten Son of God And this will be our Condemnation that Light is come unto us and yet we love Darkness rather than the Light therefore Salvation is far from us Christ will not be our Saviour nor make Intercession for us O Lord put thy Laws in our minds and write them in our hearts that we may see our Sins and be sensible of them and seek our Saviour that thou mayest be our God and we thy People and know thee all of us from the least unto the greatest that so thou mayest mercifully pardon our Unrighteousness and remember our Sins and Iniquities no more Amen Amen CHAP. IX Of the Sacrifice of Christ and the excellent vertue thereof § 1. THE Apostle here doth enlarge upon and more particularly and distinctly explain those things which in the former Chapter he had only in general and briefly mentioned For he implyed there that a Priest once made and consecrated must have a Sanctuary must minister in it and be the Mediator of a Covenant and that the more excellent the Sanctuary the Service and the Covenant the more excellent the Priest that is Minister of these And did affirm that Christ in respect of all these was more excellent than the Levitical Priest But in this Chapter he speaks more at large of the earthly and the heavenly Sanctuary of the Service performed in both but especially of the great Sacrifice and Expiation made by both the Priests most of all of Christ's Expiation-Offering of the rare vertue and the excellent Effects thereof and how by it he was the Mediator of the new Covenant and made it effectual unto Remission and the eternal Salvation of Man This is some kind of co-herence whereby this part is joyned to the former But there is another for the Apostle having proved Christ more excellent than the Levitical High-Priest 1. In respect of his Constitution Chap. 5. 6. and especially in the 7th 2. In respect of his Ministration in the 8th In this 9th he proceeds to speak of his Ministration in particular and of his excellent Service in Offering himself a Sacrifice without spot to God § 2. The Subject of this whole Chapter and part of the tenth is the Sacrifice of the Cross. The Scope is to manifest how excellent this piece of Service is The Method upon consideration of the whole is this He informs us 1. Of the Typical Tabernacle and the Service especially the great Expiatory Sacrifice performed therein and this by way of Introduction to the 11th Verse 2. Of the Anti-Typical Sanctuary and Sacrifice and teacheth us 1. The Nature and Quality of both especially of the Sacrifice 2. The Vertue of this Sacrifice manifested in the Effects thereof from Ver. 11. to the end And this he doth 1. Both absolutely and sometimes comparatively in this Chapter 2. More comparatively in the Chapter following This is the general Analysis the particular you may expect both in and after the Explication The Substance of the whole is this He that being a Minister of a better Sanctuary doth offer a far more excellent Sacrifice must needs be a more excellent Priest than the Levitical But Christ being Minister of a better Tabernacle offered a more excellent Sacrifice Therefore he is a more excellent Priest The Proposition he takes for granted The Assumption he proves at large and very effectually and this is his Design and Work in this Chapter and part of the 10th § 3. To begin with the Introduction Ver. 1. Then verily the first Covenant had also Ordinances of Divine Service and a worldly Sanctuary VVHere we may observe 1. The Connexion 2. The Matter The Connexion is signified by these words Then verily or according to the Original Therefore verily and so Vatablus Beza Junius translate By which the words following seem to contain a Conclusion deduced from the former Chapter Ver. 2. 3 4 5. and especially from the 5th where it 's implyed that there must be a Tabernacle and the Priests must serve and officiate in it according to the Example and Shadow of heavenly things and there were certain Rules given to Moses according to which both he must make the Tabernacle and the Priests must serve therein This briefly for the Connexion It follows 2. The former had Ordinances of Divine Service c. Where we have 1. The Subject 2. The Predicate The Subject the first the Original expresseth no more not informing us whether the first Priest-hood or the first Tabernacle or the first Covenant be meant Some Copies expresly read the first Tabernacle and so some understand the place but most reject that and supply the Ellipsis by the word Covenant and so much the rather because in the last Verse of the former
Assumption to sone former Proposition 2. There was in these yearly Scrifices a Remembrance of Sin for when this great Sacrifice was to be offered God dâ— command That Aaron the High-Priest should lay both his hands upon the Head of the Scape-Goat and confess over him all the Iniquities of the Children of Israel and all thir Transgressions in all their Sins Levit. 16. 21. Where we learn what Remembrance of Sin is it 's the Confession of Sins Now Confession presupposeth Remembrance and is â—n outward Expression and Declaration of the sins remembred To confess sins is to aknowledg the Confessors guilty notwithstanding Sacrifices had been offered and Expiaâ—on made and from hence it follows that those Sacrifices had no vertue to take away sin Some vertue they had and some Legal Expiation was made yet the Offering was â— sooner made but the expiating vertue vanished and their new sins must have a new Câ—nfession and a new Sacrifice which had been needless if the former Sacrifices had been sufficient And whereas it may be said that although many Sacrifices severally could 〈◊〉 yet all joyntly might purge the Worshippers The Answer is they could not â—o not any nor all had Power to purge the Conscience that must be purged by some bette Sacrifice whereof they were but Types and Shadows This is the third Argument § 5. The fourth we find Ver. 4. For it is not pssible that he Blood of Bulls and Goats should take awâ—y Sins THE force of the Reasons in this That seeing the Effect is to take away sin it must have a Cause sufficent to produce it but the Blood of Bulls and Goats which was the princiâ—l thing in the Legal Annual Sacrifices was no such Cause it had no such vertue the Effet was so far above it that there was no possibility that such a Cause should reach it For â—ery Cause doth work according to it's Power as it is greater or less but if there 〈◊〉 power at all in respect of any particular Effect in respect of that it can do nothingâ— all The Blood of Buls and Goats might be a sign of that Blood that could take away sin but take it away or any wayes actively concur to the taking away thereof it could â—o In the words we have 1. An Effect 2. The Impotency of Legal Sacrifices in respect of this Effect 1. The Effect is taking away of sin Where by Sins we must understand sins as past yet remaining in their Guilt For though the sins be past and not in being yet the Effect abides for the party that hath sinned is liable to Punishment and must suffer it if it be not prevented Therefore to take away Sin is to make it remissible and that by some Sacrifice and Satisfaction This is to make the Guilt removable which yet is not actually removed but by the Sentence of the Judg passed upon the Sinner rightly disposed and qualified by Faith in a right Sacrifice And here you must observe that the Guilt is an Obligation not only to some temporal but also to spiritual Punishment because sin is from the Soul an immortal substance and against a Law of God which binds the Conscience and immortal Soul and promiseth Rewards and threatneth Punishments not only temporal but spiritual and eternal And the taking away sins in this place is a freeing of the party from this Obligation 2. Such an Effect so great and glorious and so beneficial to sinful Man must have some excellent and powerful Cause such the Blood of Buls and Goats cannot be Where we must know that the things sacrificed on the great day of Expiation were Buls or Bullocks and Goats and with the Blood of these shed and taken and sprinkled in the Holy place within the second Veil the Legal Expiation was made As the Beasts so the Blood was morally neither bad nor good but indifferent And though offering and sprinkling of this Blood was a rational Act in the High-Priest yet it could give no moral spiritual or supernatural Power to the Blood Neither could the Priest have had any warrant to have made this use of this Blood if God hadnot commanded him and that to signify some better and far more excellent Blood Therefore if we look upon the Blood and consider what it was we cannot rationally inagine any Power in it either placare or piacere either to satisfy divine Justice or to merit any Acceptation for that end from the supream Judg Therefore well might the Apstle say That it was not possible for the Blood of Buls and Goats to take away Sins and thence conclude that the Legal Sacrifices could not perfect or purge the Worshippers § 6. Hitherto the Apostle hath proved the insuiclency and impotency of the chiefest Legal Sacrifices for to take away sins and this heâ—ath done by Artificial Arguments taken from the Nature of the Sacrifices themselvs ad the Reiteration of them and now he goes further to manifest that they could not perect any and that by an inartificial Argument and a Testimony The Testimony is â—ivine and of infallible Authority and such in the Judgment of these Hebrews so that thâ— could not deny it The End of it is to prove that they could not purge or perfect th Worshippers because God never intended to do any such thing by them He argueso this purpose That if God intended to expiate Sin and perfect sinful Man by anothe and a more excellent Sacrifice even the Sacrifice of Christ and by that alone then they ould not expiate and take away Sin and so purge the Worshippers But he intended to â— this great Work by another more excellent which was the Sacrifice of Christ and thaalone Therefore they could not do that great Work of Expiation This was so strong a Proof that it did evince that though the Legal Sacrifices might have had some expiatig Power yet they could never expiate Sin because that Effect was and that by God's ntention reserved for another and a better Cause And this may be said to be a fifth argument â—istinct from all the former Seeing this is an inartificial Argument we must consider the Nature of the Testimony it self and the matter or thing testified The Testmony as yo heard before is divine for it 's taken out of the Old Testament and out of that part whih is called The Book of Psalms and out of one of those Psalms which by the Title is said o be David's The Pen-men of the whole were Prophets and inspired from Heaven ad amongst the rest David of whom it 's said The Spirit of the Lord spake by me and his Vord was in my Tongue 2 Sam. 23. 2. And not only he but all the men of God spake assey were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. As they spake so they wrote thefore their Writings are called The Scriptures by way of Eminency and The Holy Scripres and the words written therein are all the words of God who spake in them
anoy them and so he wrote by them From hence it follows that the Authority of this Tstimony is divine and infallibly true and acknowledged so to be by them and it 's of◠much the more force because it was written in the time of the Law whilst it was in force Yet before I enter upon the matter we must consider of their connexion and bringing the words in Where three things are observable 1. The connexion with the former by the particle illative therefore 2. A Prosopopaeia whereby he brings in Christ speaking and makes the words his 3. The time when he speaks them 1. The illative particle signifies thus much That because the former Sacrifices were so unfit and so insufficient therefore for that cause God did even then by the Prophet David signify That he would reject them and pitch upon a better and that he had no intention to make use of them for to perfect and purge but from the beginning designed Christ's Sacrifice to that end and for that purpose 2. They are brought in Rhetorically as the words of Christ directing his Speech to God his heavenly Father The praediction that Christ would use these words is David's but the words must be Christs 3. The time when Christ should use these words was the time of his coming into the World which was then to come and now is past But the controversy is What should be meant by his coming into the World which most understand of his Incarnation and more particularly his inauguration and entrance upon his publick Ministry It 's certain they must be the words of Christ Incarnate after that God had signified his Will and Pleasure that he should sacrifice himself unto him for the Sin of Man The Socinian will have it to be his coming into the future World and entrance into Heaven and the reason of this opinion is his false conceit of Christ's Offering which is contrary to express Scripture as hath been formerly shewed But to come unto the matter contained in the words first as we find them in the Psalm secondly as they are understood and explained and so applyed by him to the point in hand § 7. The words of the Psalmist may be considered Grammatically or Theologically In them Grammatically considered we find a difference between the Hebrew and the Translation of the Septuagint which the Apostle follows and it is in one Clause For the Hebrew words translated as they seem properly to signify Mine ears hast thou opened the Septuagaint turn A body hast thou fitted me or prepared for me Here the Hebrew Text and the Greek Translation seem so much to differ as though they were not reconcileable A Greek Scholiast tells us that Paul understood and knew the Hebrew well enough yet he makes use of the word body used in the Septuagint as most subservient to his purpose And here I will not mention either what Nobitius observes upon the words of the Psalm or how several Authours translate the words or how à Lapide and many others seek to reconcile the Hebrew and the Septuagint Genebrard upon the Psalm by a tropical Explication endeavours the reconciliation The Tropes are 1. A metaphor in the Hebrew Verb and a Synechdoche in the Nown For as by Digging Hewing Cutting Lapidaries shape and fashion stones into the form of a Body so God created and framed Christ a Body this is Metaphorical And as many times a part is taken for the whole so Ear which is a part is taken for the whole Body this is Synechdochical Yet this will not satisfie therefore it 's to be observed That the Septuagint's Translation being not wording as formerly hath been noted but many times paraphrastical doth often leave the words and give the sense which here they seem to do For 1. To bore or digg the Ear is to addict one that is willing to perpetual Service This was the Ceremony prescribed by God Exod. 21. 6. This was in the Servant a denying himself a renouncing of his Liberty and a free voluntary total submission of his own will unto the will of his Master In the Master it was a Solemn engagement of the person willing to his perpetual Service According to this Christ the Lord of all made himself of no Reputation took upon him the form of a Servant and addicted himself wholly to his heavenly Father's Will 2. Yet Christ as the Word whereby the World was made could not be a Servant therefore the Word was made Flesh and God prepared him a Body a Flesh that in that Flesh he might be his Servant 3. Because the chiefest piece of Service was in offering up his Body and his Life for the Sin of Man which to perform was the Will and Command of his Father therefore the Interpretation of the Septuagint was most excellent Further it 's observable That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes signifies a Servant and then the sense is That God made him his Servant and fitted him for the hardest Service that ever was even the Service of Sacrificing himself and of being obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross. Thus far the words have been Grammatically examined If we consider them Theologically we may observe in them two things 1. The Will of God concerning Christ. 2. The Coming of Christ to do the Will of God For God had determined that the Sin of Man should be expiated by some offering and this Will and Determination is expressed in the Text 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively For thus it 's written Ver. 5. Wherefore when he cometh into the World he saith Sacrifice and Offering thou wouldest not but a body thou hast prepared me Ver. 6. In Burnt-Offering and Sacrifices for Sin thou hast had no pleasure VVHere we have 1. Sacrifices Offerings Burnt-Offerings Offerings for Sin by all which is signified all the Levitical Offerings for Expiation prescribed by God 2. The rejection of these for God would not have them he desired them not he took no pleasure in them This is the Negative Will of God in respect of these Offerings For he never intended them for to perfect and sanctify Worshippers because he knew them unfit for any such purpose Therefore all these were but shadows of a far better Offering 3. The Body of Christ different from and opposed to all the Legal Offerings as far more excellent 4. God's acceptance of this Body which God prepared for him that he might offer it for it was designed for that purpose and was far more fit for to expiate the Sin of Man This is God's Will Christ's will and readiness to perform God's Will follows For 1. Christ doth the Will of God 2. He came to do it 3. This was written in the Volume of God's Book 1. Christ's doing of God's Will is not that which we call his active Obedience unto the moral Law but his suffering Death willingly upon the Cross and offering his Body and Flesh for the life of the World For this was the
his Body the Veil of the Temple was rent from the Top to the bottom to signify that Christ the great High-Priest was ready by his own Blood being shed to enter the Holy place of Heaven to procure eternal Redemption or Remission for sinful Man and by this means divine Justice being satisfied God was made accessible And no Man now can have actual access into his presence but by this Blood and through this Veil of the Flesh by him who was crucified and whose Body was separate from his Soul § 16. Thus the Way is made and consecrated The next thing is the Liberty which we have to enter into the Holiest through this way by the Blood of Christ where three things are to be observed 1. The place into which this way doth lead us 2. The Liberty to enter through this Way into this place 3. The means whereby we obtain this Liberty 1. The place is the Holiest for into that the High-Priest entred once a Year with the Blood of Expiation There was the Mercy-Seat which must be sprinkled with Blood We need not here enquire Whether that Holiest place on Earth signify Heaven or some other thing for it 's certain the Mercy-Seat did signify that which this Apostle calls The Throne of Grace Chap. 4. 16. The Throne of Grace is the Throne of God propitiated by the Blood of Christ so that to enter into the Holiest is to come to God as Supream Lord first offended by the Sin of Man and then made propitious by the Death and Sacrifice of Christ which was so acceptable unto him that for and in consideration of the same he is willing to admit Man into his presence graciously to receive his Petitions and bless him The Throne of God might be said to be three-fold 1. Of Justice 2. Of Grace 3. Of Glory To the Throne of Justice strict Justice no sinful guilty Man can approach To the Throne of Grace every penitent Sinner may have access The Throne of Glory is inaccessible to mortal Man We need not locally ascend into Heaven for to come unto the Throne of Grace it stands in the midst of God's People as the Tabernacle did in the midst of Israel For God is alwayes in all places nigh to such as call upon him in truth Christ stood before the Throne of Justice when he suffered for our Sins Penitent Sinners stand before the Throne of Grace when they worship him in Faith And after the Resurrection we shall all stand before the Throne of Glory and ever abide in his presence Yet this way lyes by the Throne of Grace and we pass by it to the Throne of Glory There is one way to both 2. We have Liberty to enter into the Holiest The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as you have heard signifies Freedom and Boldness of Speech it signifies also Liberty The Vulgar and the Syâ—iack turn the word Confidence which is the same with Boldness though some what more The Arabick and Arias Mortanâ—â— Liberty The Aethiopick Grace or Licence All agree for they signify 1. That we have a Licence and Liberty graciously granted unto us 2. A Right 3. This Liberty and Right is so full that we may come with Boldness and Confidence to be admitted and accepted This is a great Priviledge and Favour which God doth graciously vouchsafe unto Believers and denies to all others which are not admitted to come so near him 3. We have this Right Liberty and Confidence by the Blood of Christ for the Blood and Death of Christ satisfied God's Justice and merited his Favour and made him accessible and upon the same he promised to admit penitent Believers And upon our Repentance and Faith we have actual Right and Liberty so that we who could not come near him for our sins may come near him by Faith in his Blood This Priviledg is more fully expressed in these words of the Apostle In whom we have boldness and access with Confidence by Faith of him Ephes. 3. 12. Where 1. We have access and may enter into God's blessed presence Yet 2. Because one may come with fear and doubt here we may come with boldness and confidence 3. There is no such access but by Christ the Blood of Christ. 4. Neither is there any such access granted but by Faith in that Blood that is to such as believe The sum of all is That Sin had made God as the fountain of goodness inaccessible to Sinners as Sinners Christ by his Death had made him accessible to Sinners as believing § 17. We have 1. A way 2. A liberty to enter into the Holiest And 3. We have an High-Priest over the House of God Where by the House of God we must understand the Church which is the Society and Corporation of Believers and by this High-Priest Christ Jesus as exalted at the right hand of God No man under the Law could come to God without the High-Priest he must present their Offerings their Incense their Prayers and the Blood of Expiation unto God and make Intercession for them So Christ is ever ready before his Fathers Throne to bring us into his presence as the Admissional of Heaven to make Intercession for us and as our Advocate to plead our Cause by his Blood and make all our Services acceptable and effectual without all which neither way nor liberty to enter could be beneficial and to purpose § 18. Thus the words are explained and inform us of a way made through the Veil of liberty to enter of Christ set over the House of God as an High-Priest to bring us unto God to make our prayers effectual and to procure for us all things necessary to make us happy Now it remains we consider the words 1. As a recapitulation of some former Doctrine 2. As a ground of the consequent exhortations and both these I will make clear in a few words 1. They are a brief abridgment of the former Doctrine concerning Christ's Priest-hood For in the 5th and 7th Chapters he had not only asserted but proved That Christ was an High-Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedec That he had made a way to God by his Blood and procured us liberty to enter into God's presence before the Throne of Grace so that we might boldly come with confidence to obtain all mercies necessary to our everlasting happiness he had made evident by the rare virtue and excellent effects of Christ's Sacrifice partly Chapter 9th partly in the former part of this For Christ as a Son is over his own House Chap. 3. 6. And this House is the Church We have a great High-Priest who is passed into the Heavens and sensible of our Condition Chap. 4. 14 15. And he is the Minister of the Sanctuary and the true Tabernacle which the Lord pâ—tched and not Man Chap. 8. 2. From all this you easily understand that the former Doctrine is repeated and briefly contracted in these words 2. As it is a Recapitulation of the former
he received Christianity and had felt the sanctifying and comforting power and divine effects of this Spirit in his own soul. For God by his Spirit had entred into him and done much towards his Salvation This is therefore a Sin against God the Father who loved us and sent Christ to redeem us against God the Son who had shed his precious Blood for the Expiation of our sins against God the Holy Ghost who had begun the Work of Sanctification and Consolation in us The penalty of this Sin is signified absolutely to be this that he is counted worthy of sore Punishment Sore Punishment is grievous heavy bitter Punishment To be worthy of it is to deserve it by some hainous Sin and not only so but to be liable to it for one may be worthy of Punishment yet not liable to it when he is under no Law yet whosoever is under the Obligation of a Law and yet transgresseth it he is not only worthy to suffer and deserving of Punishment but liable and bound to suffer For the nature of Law is to bind either to Obedience or Punishment But where there is no Law there is no Wrath that is no Punishment due yet one may be liable to Punishment which he hath deserved and yet no Man takes notice to censure or judg him But the Apostate from Christianity shall be accounted worthy and that not only by Man but by God who will not only take notice of the Sin but sentence him to the Punishment the sore Punishment deserved that is he will judg him without Mercy § 29. Thus far the parts have been considered and explicated absolutely the next thing to be done is to examine the whole under the Notion of a Comparison in quantity and it 's signified by these words Of how much sorer Punishment The things principally compared are the Punishments 1. To be inflicted upon such as transgress Moses Law 2. Upon Apostates under the Gospel Both are sore and great but the latter far more grievous than the former For a just Judg will judg according to the Law and a just Law will determine and proportion the Punishment according to the Offence To transgress Moses Law was a grievous Offence to sin willfully against the Gospel after we have received the knowledg thereof is far more hainous The Punishment of the former was death without Mercy the Punishment of the latter far more grievous This presupposeth the Gospel to be far above the Law as being a Covenant of Grace and greatest Mercy for in and by it God comes far nearer unto Man The Son of God is the Mediator one far more excellent than any Levitical High-Priest The Blood of this Son of God expiating Man's Sin which is far more precious than the Blood of Buls Goats doth confirm it The Spirit of God which the Law did not minister is the Spirit of Grace enlightning inspiring sanctifying Man and enabling him to keep the Conditions and comforming him To revolt from and rebell against God loving sinful Man against the Son of God redeeming him against the Spirit-sanctifying him is like the Sin of Devils and one of the highest Man can commit and far more hainous than the Violation of the Covenant made with Israel For by this a man wilfully refuseth to be saved and puts himself in a most desperate Condition after God had brought him out of the Spiritual Aegypt and the Kingdom of Darkness and brought him to the Borders of the heavenly Canaan Now as the Sin is more hainous far more hainous so the Punishment must be grievous far more grievous God hath no Mercy for such a Wretch for the Sin agrees directly with that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven It remains we consider the whole as a Reason that so we may understand the force of it The Scope of the Apostle is to perswade and exhort to perseverance the Reason is because that if they persevere not but fall away there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment c. that is the Punishment that they must suffer is grievous and unavoidable That it is both grievous and unavoidable he proves 1. By a Comparison from the Transgressors of the Law For if Apostates under the Law were grievously and certainly punished then much more should the Apostates under the Gospel who have received the Knowledg of the Truth be so punished for as their Sin is more grievous and provoking so their Punishment must be answerable This is the force of the Reason This Argument hath some Affinity with that of Chap. 2 Ver. 1 2 3 4 c. yet that refers more to the Prophetical this more to the Sacerdotal Office of Christ. § 30. Yet though the Apostate may be worthy of Punishment yet it may be be questioned and demanded 1. Who the Judge is And 2. Whether he will proceed to Judgment and execute it But both these the Apostle puts out of doubt in the words following Ver. 30. For we know him that he hath said Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompence saith the Lord And again The Lord shall judg his People IN which words he doth inform us 1. Who the Judg is 2. That he will certainly punish And here he cites a place out of the Old Testament which affirmeth both that God is Judg and also will execute Judgment This is more than if he had barely affirmed these things for he produceth God as Witness and so by Scripture confirms them The place is Deut. 32. 35 36. and he seems to divide it into two for Ver. 35. he saith Vengeance and Recompence belong to me Ver. 36. For the Lord will judg his People In the Text we have these Propositions 1. Vengeance belongeth to the Lord. 2. He will recompence 3. He will judg his People 4. The Lord himself saith so 5. They knew it was the Lord who said so 1. Vengeance belongeth to the Lord. Where by the way observe that the Apostle doth not follow as usually he doth the Septuagint according to our Copies but the Hebrew Text which is this Vengeance is mine and Retribution The Septuagint translates thus In the day of Vengeance I will recompence They seem to follow the Samaritan Hebrew Text in the former and the Targum in the â—â—tter part of the Clause yet neither the Vulgar nor the Syriack nor the Chaldee Paraphrast nor the Arabick follow them in their Translation of the first words In this Proposition we have 1. Vengeance 2. The party to whom it belongs By Vengeance is meant vindicative Justice punishing Offenders the acts whereof are Condemnation and Execution and it 's proper to a Judg as a Judg as it is Power of punishing as here it may be taken either for the Power or the Act and Exercise of the Power The party to whom it belongs is the Lord as he is the supream and universal Judg for he that is the supream Law-giver must needs be
the supream Judg. Angels or Men may have the use of it but the Propriety is in God And that you may understand it more fully you must know that this Power of punishing is an universal a supream an original Power as it belongs to God and none else It extends to all Persons to all Causes and to these in all respects For he hath Jurisdiction over Angels and the Consciences and immortal Souls of men and can irrogate spiritual and eternal Punishments 2. As Vengeance so Retribution belongs unto the Lord and it may be considered not only as it is a Power or Right to recompense but the Act and Exercise of vindicative Justice and may include both the Sentence and the Execution which is nothing else but a returning evil for evil the evil of Punishment for the evil of Sin The Apostle in this follows the Septuagint which turn it I will recompence which seems to imply that as he is 1. Just to punish Sin 2. Hath a power of Retribution So. 3. He will recompense and exercise this Power and that certainly 3. He will judg his People This may be understood two wayes 1. That God will judg the Cause of his oppressed and persecuted People by punishing and destroying their Enemies and this the Context in Denteronomy seems to imply 2. That he will judg his People and punish severely all Apostates among them So that by People may be meant all men punishable either according to the Law of Nature or of Moses or according to the Gospel Amongst those which are punishable such as â—â—e in Covenant with God and by Covenant are his Heople if they revolt are the greatest Offenders and amongst the Revolters such as fall away from the Truth of the Gospel once received are the most hainous Delinquents of all To judg these is to condemn them and to inflict the Punishment to which they are condemned and when it 's said He will judg them it signifies he will certainly do it and they shall not escape Men may threaten and never condemn they may condemn and never execute but God will certainly do both 4. The Lord saith so Man might have said it and it might have been otherwise out of Ignorance he might have been deceived or out of pravity he might lye and deceive others or if any earthly Judg who knew his own mind and power should have said so yet he might change his mind or want power and so Recompence might fail But it 's God who is Supream Judg who cannot be deceived cannot deceive cannot change his mind who hath almighty Power that saith so and his Word is his Deed. If therefore he say I will recompense I will judg Recompence and Judgment will certainly follow they cannot fail 5. They knew it was God who said so that God who could certainly do as he had said If any other had said it or God himself had said it and they had been ignorant of it their fear had been less though the danger had been as great as if they had known it Seeing therefore it is the Lord who said it and they knew that it was said and that by him their fear should be answerable to the danger and so much the greater as their Knowledge was more clear and certain They knew this and that by Scripture which they believed to be the Word of God Ignorance of this Truth makes men secure and presumptuous and so doth Unbelief This seems to prove the Punishment to be unavoidable § 31. Yet though it be certain and unavoidable yet if it be lesse it 's lesse feared But Ver. 31. It 's a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the Living God THis again doth signify how grievous the Punishment of Apostates must needs be for they fall into the hands of the Living God And this is deduced from the former Text c for there it 's said God will recompence God will judg and take Vengeance And if it be the Punishment that the Living God will execute then it must needs be most fearful and unavoidable To understand the force of the Text we must observe in it 1. The Living God 2. The hands of the Living God 3. The falling into his hands 4. The fearfull Condition of such as fall into his hands 1. The Living God is here opposed not only to dumb and dead Idols but to mortal men and the word Living is added to signify not only the eternal Duration of his Existence but his active and lively Power and Strength which is said to be almighty and is of himself 2. The Hands and Arm of God in Scripture doth usually signify this Power and Strength of God which is exercised sometimes in Mercy sometimes in severe Justice For it is this Almighty Strength of God which doth deliver and save his People and punish and execute Vengeance on their Enemies And here it 's taken for his punishing and revenging hand whereby he executes his Wrath upon Apostates and manifests his greatest Indignation against them 3. To fall into his Hands is by Apostacy to make our selvs obnoxious to the severâ—ty of his revenging Justice in that manner as no wayes to escape either the Sentence or the Execution For this Sin is the most provoking of all others renders the Sinner uncapable of any Mercy makes him liable to the greatest Punishment Man can suffer and he shall be no wayes able to avoid it but must in the end certainly feel it We are all in God's hands and in his power at all times but the Apostate casts himself into the hands of his severest Justice never to be delivered ever to be tormented 4. It 's a fearfull thing Where we must note that to fall into the hands of the Living God is the Subject or Antecedent and a fearfull thing is the Predicate and Consequent of the Proposition and argues the Antecedent as an Adjunct inseperable doth it's Subject yet in this place to be fearful is to be apt to cause fear The Object of all fear is some evil approaching and the greater the evil is the more approaching and approaching as inevitable the greater Cause of fear there is The Evil is Punishment the greatest Punishment Man can suffer and it 's very near for he is already fallen into the hands of the Living God and he can no wayes escape It 's a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of a severe and potent Judg or of a cruel Enemy much more into the hands of this supream and eternal Judg who can not only kill the Body but cast both Soul and Body into Hell and eternally and extreamly torment both The Sum and Substance of this Argument is that seeing the Punishment of Apostates will be most grievous and unavoidable therefore it concerns them much to consider seriously of it and take heed of falling away from their Profession § 32. The Apostle proceeds to another argument Ver. 32. But call to remembrance the former dayes in
liveless and sonsless This is the deficiency of the Body from which the Metaphor is taken For the deficiency of the Soul in the profession of the Christian Faith is intended and signified by these words therefore is added the word mind that is lest you â—e â—â—ary and faint in your mind This implies that there is a divine spiritual or moral strength and fortitude of the mind whereby it 's enabled to endure Persecutions and Contradictions though many and long continued Yet as the Body so the Mind may be wearied faint yield ly under the burden and entertain thoughts of forsaking the Faith and at length forsake it indeed And this was the Devils design to tire and weary them out that so they might be willing to renounce Christianity the Profession whereof was so toublesom 2. The Remedy here mentioned whereby this sad Event might be prevented was to consider what Contradiction Christ suffered from Sinners and yet endured with Patience to the End This through the Sanctification of God's Spirit would refresh strengthen and revive them And here we must observe that some are of so poor a spirit as that they will yield before their Strength fail them some are lazy and love their Ease some are negligent and make no use of such Helps as God hath put in their power and this is a great Sin in any of us who profess the Faith of Christ and it tends to Apostacy For God requires whilst we have any strength to use it 3. Therefore they are exhorted to use the means and consider Christ's Patience and Constancy and following his Example not sink under a far leighter burden seeing he did not shrink under a far more heavy Temptation § 4. Besides the Example of Christ which they must consider there is another Reason Ver. 4. Ye have not yet resisted unto Blood striving against Sin THough this may seem to be another distinct Reason from the former yet it may be a Branch of the same For Christ had resisted to Blood which they had not done Yet there may be something more in the Text for not only Christ but also other Saints far inferiour to Christ had been faithful unto Death and had sealed their Profession with their Blood This was no more than Duty and God required it at their hands and to faint and fall off before that Period was agrievous Sin This therefore presupposeth that it was their Duty to resist unto Blood and to suffer far more than yet they had endured therefore they must go on In the words we have two Propositions 1. They did strive against Sin or they did suffer striving against Sin 2. In striving against Sin they had not yet resisted unto Blood 1. By Sin is not meant any kind of Sin but some one principal and far above the rest and its Apostacy called so Antonomastik 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s by way of Eminency It 's true that it 's a general Duty of all Christians to strive against all Sin for we are no sooner regenerate and have renounced the Devil and the World and bid desiance and proclaimed eternal Feud and Hostility but we are fearfully assaulted and after that time our Life is a continued Warfare hence the many fearful Conflicts between Flesh and Spirit within us The Events of this War are many and various but the final Issue is a total final eternal Victory The great Design of Satan in this Battle is to shake our Faith in pieces for then if that be done the Conquest is compleat Therefore said our Saviour to Peter Simon Simon Behold Satan hath desired to have you that he might sift you as Wheat But I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not Luk. 22. 31 32. And if Christ should not strengthen and support no Man could stand Therefore we should remember and consider what our condition is it 's a state of War and not of Peace and we are environed continually with potent vigilant and cruel Enemies which seek our temporal and eternal Ruine in this respect we must alwayes sight and strive with all our Power and stand continually upon our Watch pray for help and humbly depend upon our God and of all other things let us keep our Faith If that be safe all is safe and all other Sins pardonable but if that be lost all is lost and our case is desperate 2. Yet in this War they had not resisted to Blood By Blood is meant Death and a violent taking away of Life and though they had resisted stoutly and suffered much yet their lives were safe Reproaches and loss of Goods were grievous yet Life is very precious and the best thing we have in this World it 's far more than Goods and these temporal Estates and Man will do much and give much to save it In this respect Death is said to be so terrible as the greatest of all temporal Evils Upon this he urgeth this Duty of Perseverance in Resistance because their Life was due to Christ and whosoever will not lay it down for Christ's sake cannot be his Disciple For if any man saith Christ come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be my Disciple Seeing therefore their Duty was to do and suffer far more than yet they were put unto they should not faint under the loss when they were bound to beaâ— the greater burden And as this was their Duty so it 's ours and if we think it unreasonable to be put unto so hard Service to resist even unto Blood if God require it let us consider that Christ suffered cruel pains and laid down his Life for us that many of God's Saints did cheerfully suffer loss of all earthly Comforts and of life it self that if we lose our life which is but mortal and momentany we find a Life immortal glorious and for ever blessed that we resist and strive not for our temporal Estates Wives Children earthly Country but for our eternal Safety Peace and Happiness that our Sufferings though far greater than they are yet are but leight and for a moment but the Glory which will follow is exceeding and eternal and will make amends for all Lord encrease our Faith and strengthen our hearts in the hour of Temptation § 5. The next Argument is taken from the Nature of their Sufferings as they are Chastisements upon them from God as a Father chastning every Child according to his Wisdom for their Good and Happiness wherein they end for the end of them is Peace This Argument we find proposed first and then excellently polished It begins Ver. 5. And ye have forgotten the Exhortation which speaketh to you as to Children My Son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked ef him IN these words with those that follow unto Ver. 14 we may observe 1. Something presupposed 2. Something expressed 1. The thing presupposed is
to allude to the institution and education of Children who are sometimes more severely corrected not only by Words but by the Rod. The cause of Rebuke and Chastisement is some fault or offence the end is correction and reformation in respect of the former they are Punishments in respect of the latter Corrections in themselves they are Afflictions and sometimes they are Tryals God's Children have their failings ignorances negligences and sometimes are guilty of more hainous Sins In respect of these God as a Judge doth punish as a wise Master tryes them as a loving Father corrects them and by these doth prevent Sin for time to come stirs up to heavenly Duties makes them more penitent for Sin past more careful of themselves and prepares them for their possession of their eternal Inheritance Though they may truly be said to be Punishments because grievous for the time yet they are more properly Chastisements and Corrections because the principal thing intended is their future good As they come from their Persecutors they are Wrongs as from God they are Effects not only of his Justice but chiesly of his Mercy 2. To despise is to think them fortuitous and to bear them with a stupid or sensless mind and not consider and understand they come from God that the end is repentance and amendment that the cause is sin or if we understand these things not to repent and reform but continue and harden our hearts in sin For this is not to regard God's chastising hand so as to make right use of our Sufferings To faint under these is to be weaty of our Profession and to incline to Apostacy because our Sufferings for it are so grievous and of so long continuance And in this negative Dehortation is implied an affirmative Exhortation and the Duty exhorted unto is to make the right use of our Afflictions by reformation of our selves and a patient and constant Suffering unto the end For God's desâ—â—n in these is to prevent Apostacy that we may not be condemned with the World § 7. The Motive and Reason inclining us to performance followeth Ver. 6. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth overy Son whom he receiveth AS for the translation of these words there is some difference between the Hebrew Copies which we now have and the Septuagint which the Apostle followeth For the Hebrew readeth That God correcteth even as a Father the Son in whom he delighteth but the Sâ—ptuagint otherwise That he chastenth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth Some think that the Hebrew Copy which the Seventy translated differed from that which we now have Yet notwithstanding the sense of both for the matter and substance is the same For to chastise a Son whom he loveth and in whom he receiveth is to correct and scourge as a Father the Son in whom he delighteth The words must be considered 1. In themselves absolutely 2. As a reason of that which went before 1. In themselves the matter and subject of them is the castigation and correction of Children And here correction and chastigation of every Child whom God receiveth is the Effect and his love is the Cause and from this Cause and love of God is inferred the Effect the Chastisement of every Child The Propositions are two 1. God loveth and receiveth some as Children 2. He chastiseth every one whom he so loveth and receiveth 1. This Love here intended is a Love wherewith God loves us as Children which is the greatest and most tender love of all others and presupposeth another love antecedent whereby he Regenerates Adopts and makes us his Children this latter is a Love of benevolence and good will issuing from his own Goodness and that most freely The Object of it is Man as sinful ungodly an Enemy in whom there is nothing amiable and sit to move God to love us The former is a Love of complacency after he hath made us amiable and a sit Object of Love This Reception may either be an admission of us into the number of Sons which is adoption or his acceptation of us and delight in us once adoped and this seems here to be intended This paternal love and acceptation is the cause 2. The Effect is Chastisement For to correct chasten and scourge a Son here are the same And here it 's to be noted 1. That the Subject of this Castigation is Every Son 2. That it 's an Effect of Fatherly Love 1. It 's proper to a Son for though he may punish and afflict others yet he doth not chastise them And as it 's proper unto Sons so it agrees to every Son not any one of them is excepted for as all are castigable so all are castigated in one kind or another in a greater or lesser measure 2. That this Castigation is from Love because it tends conduceth and is in some sort necessary to our spiritual and eternal good God knows both our condition and disposition that both are such that they require Chastisement and Correction without which we are in danger of many Sins and of Apostacy to be prevented Yet the principal Cause of prevention is the sanctifying Spirit which alwayes makes use of the Word and many times of the Rod of Correction which will not be laid aside wholly whilst God's Children are in the Flesh But in Heaven where there is no danger there is no Use of it any more because them we shall be sanctified fully and for ever This is the meaning of the words considered absolutely but if we refer them to what went before we shall find them to contain a Motive and a Reason to perswade us to perform the Duty exhorted unto And the force of it is very great for if our Sufferings be from God as a Father and out of Love to us as his Children tending to our good and no Child of his is exempted from them then we should not despise them not faint under them but God himself saith they are such This Reason is more distinctly and particularly unfolded and urged in the words following § 8. Thus you have heard 1. How these words are brought in 2. What the Matter of them is Now 3. Follows the Apostle's Discourse upon them Ver. 7. If you endure Chastening God dealeth with you as with Sons for what Son is there whom the Father chasteneth not Ver. 8. But if ye be without Chastisement whereof all are Partakers then are ye Bastards and not Sons THis Discourse is grounded upon these words of the former Text He chastiseth every Son and informs us that God by his Chastisements doth evidence his Fatherly Affection towards us and that he accounts us his Children and not Bastards The Reasons which he finds in the former words of Scripture are reducible to three The first is taken from his Fatherly Affection manifested in Chastisements The second from God as a Father different from all earthly Fathers even in chastening us The third is taken from the Issue and
men For as we must love all men even Strangers Enemies and Persecutors so we must have peace with all yet so far as this concord agrees with the Laws of God For we must agree with no person in that which is evill and we must have a special care to agree with the best If we differ from any man in that which is lawful we offend This peace presupposeth society and is the bond that knits together multitudes 3. We must follow peace as one that followeth and pursueth some thing running from him for to take it it 's the same with that Exhortation Seek peace and pursue it Psal. 34. 14. The phrase implies that it is a very difficult thing to have peace with a few much more with all For we find that true That when we are for Peace and speak for it most men are for War Psal. 120. 7. The means whereby we may lay hold of it according to the advice of the Psalmist is to eschew Evil and do Good to keep our Tongues from Evil and our Lips from speaking Guil. For we must not comply with any person in his Errours or his Sin nor neglect to reprove him or oppose him in his iniquity for our own quiet Yet to be just and merciful and kind is a good and lawful means and very effectual to obtain peace And in this way we must do what we can and use all diligence and if the issues answer not our defires and endeavours we have done our Duty and discharged our Conscience God doth not bind us to impossibilities For the Command is not absolute but given with this Proviso If it be possible as much as in you lieth live peaceably with all men Rom. 12. 18. The sum of all is this We must give no just occasion or cause of difference to any person but use all lawful wayes and just means to procure peace Secondly We must follow holiness c. where we have 1. The Duty which is holiness 2. The Reason why we should perform it and that is because without it no man shall see the Lord. Some think these words are added to limit and direct our pursuance of peace wherein we must be so innocent as not to offend our God Some think holiness to be sincerity in the religious Service and Worship of our God For all Worship even of the true God is unholy if not performed with a sincere heart which being washed in the Blood of Christ and sanctified with the Spirit out of love to God hates Sin and endeavours to avoid it The principal subject of Holiness is the will and heart of man and it is a qualification whereby it 's conformed and made like to God It is the supernatural light beauty and purity of the Soul and purifies all acts and operations both inward and outward It 's that whereby we devote and consecrate our selves to God and have union and communion with him It 's opposed not only to profaness but hypocrisy and iniquity This holiness we must follow and pursue for it 's a difficult thing as to follow peace with all men so to be holy and the greater the difficulty the greater must be our care not only to be but to continue holy 2. The Reason hereof is because without it no man shall see God This implies 1. That God may be seen 2. That without holiness he cannot be seen 3. That by holiness this happiness may be obtained 4. That because without holiness it cannot and by holiness it may be obtained therefore we must follow holiness with God as we do peace with Man The three first are absolute 1. To see God as many understand it is immediately and clearly to behold God's Glory which is a priviledg reserved for Heaven Thus to see him is that which they call intuitive Knowledg and beatifical Vision from which unspeakable joyes and eternal delights do ever issue Yet it 's an Hebrew expression and signifies to enjoy therefore to see God is to enjoy him and have some special union and communion with him and derive some happiness from him either by Grace in this Life and Glory in the Life to come 2. This communion cannot be obtained without holiness For all Communion presupposeth union all union agreement and without holiness there can be no agreement no union no communion with God For he is holy and requires holiness in all them that draw near unto him for to worship him He is Light and in him is no Darkness that is He is pure and perfectly holy and as there is no fellowship of Light and Darkness so they who walk in Darkness and are polluted with Sin can have no fellowship with him So that without holiness we are not capable of fellowship with him 3. By holiness we may see him and enjoy him and according to the measure of our holiness is the measure of our enjoyment The more holy we are the nearer fellowship we have with him and derive more joy and comfort from him That by this holiness this sight and enjoyment may be obtained is evident from Christ's words Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God 4. Seeing there can be no vision or fruition of God without holiness therefore our Duty is to be holy as God is holy for that 's the Duty urged upon this ground The reason why it 's not said by holiness we may see God but without holâ—ness we cannot see God is to signify the necessity of this purity as a means without which this blessed fruition cannot be attained Every one that knows how blessed a thing it is to be near unto our God and converse with him doth purify himself as he is pure 1 Joh. 3 3. And it highly concerns us all to keep our hearts right with God and this should be our chiefest work in this Life as we desire to have Communion with God here or see his Face in the Light of eternal Glory by Repentance and Faith in Christ's Blood and constant prayer for sanctification to cleanse our hearts from all impurity For the more pure we are the more capable we shall be of this great benefit and when we are once fully purified we shall be admitted into his glorious presence and enjoy him for evermore And this must be a certain principle That he that will be happy as God is must be holy as he is § 14. That they might continue holy the Apostles Exhortation is Ver. 15. Looking diligently lost any man fail of the Grace of God lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled THese words may be understood either of private care and vigilancy of one over another or of publick Discipline and the end of both especially of the latter is to prevent Apostacy and Scandal And here are observable 1. Some Danger or Evil to be prevented 2. The prevention of the same The Evil seems in this Text to be Apostacy in the next Scandal If we
Method of the Apostle is this 1. He compares the Law and the Gospel 2. By this Comparison manifests the excellency of the Gospel above the Law 3. From this manifested he inferrs the Duty They must not reject the Gospel and fall away 4. He urgeth the Performance of the Duty from the severe and terrible Punishment which must be suffered by such as perform it not So that from the 18th Verse to the 25th we have the Doctrine and in the 25th the Use. This Argument hath great Affinity with that we find used Chap. 2. 2 3. § 19. This being the Coherence whereby the Scope of the Apostle may be understood Let us consider the words themselvs wherein we may observe the Doctrine concerning 1. The Law 2. The Gospel 3. Their passing from the one to the other 4. The Use to be made of it In the first we have 1. The Manner of Promulgation 2. The fear it caused in Israel and Moses 3. Their freedom from it According to these three things we have three Propositions 1. The Promulgation of the Law was terrible 2. Being terrible it caused both Israel and Moses to fear exceedingly 3. These Hebrews were freed from this Law 1. For to understand the manner of Promulgation we must know the place and that in general was a Mountain in particular Sinai a Mountain in Arabia the Desert This Mountain is said to be palpabilis tactilis touchable or which may be touched that is it was visible and sensible a Mountain bodily accessible though not at that time and on Earth This is added to put a difference between this Hill and the spiritual Zion which is sometimes called Heaven from whence the Gospel was revealed therefore when Christ revealed the Gospel it 's said he spake from Heaven whereas when God gave the Law on the Mountain he is said to speak on Earth Ver. 25. This place was not terrible in it self but at this time because of the Fire wherewith it burned at that time For some Mountains where there are Vulcans as upon Vesuvius Aetna Hecla the Pike of Tenariff and many in America and other places of the Earth to burn with Fire is usual But this Burning was extraordinary at this time for the Mountain then did burn with fire Deut. 5. 23. yea it did burn with fire up to the midst of Heaven Deut. 4. 11. as though Heaven and Earth had been on a flame And this was some resemblance of that dreadful Fire which shall consume the combustible World at the latter day The flaming Fire gave Light but there was Blackness and Darkness which might be caused by thick Clouds and Smoak which covered the Mountain for â—as before it burnt with Fire unto the midst of Heaven with Darkness Clouds and thick Darkness Deut. 4. 11. For Mount Sinai was altogether on a Smoak because the Lord descended upon it in Fire and the smoak thereof ascended as the Smoak of a Furnace and the whole Mount quaked greatly Exod. 19. 18. There were also Thundrings and Lightnings and the Noise of the Trumpet and the Mountain smoaking Chap. 20. 18. This was a Type of that utter Darkness of Hell Besides there were Tempests and terrible Storms a Sign of God's fearful Indignation which shall fall upon the Wicked The Sound of the Trumpet and the Voice of words did encrease the terrour for the Voice of the Trumpet was exceeding loud Exod. 19. 16. And all the People saw the Thundrings and the Lightnings and the Sound of the Trumpet Chap. 20. 18. This Trumpet did summon the People to appear before the Lord and did prepare them for to receive the Law and to hear their doom if they should transgress it As this was a Legislative so there shall be a Judicial Trumpet to convent the whole World to appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ An Arch-Angel shall sound the Trumpet and the Noise shall be loud and miraculous When the People were prepared on the third day the Trumpet sounded and then followed the Voice of words for God condescending to the Capacity of Man gave the Law out of the midst of the Fire and spake in an audible Voice in the Language of that People that they might understand it As the Sound of the Trumpet so the Voice of God was loud majestick terrible like Thunder so that the Words or Commands of the Law were dreadful not only in respect of the Sound but the Matter This dread and terrour did appear in two things 1. In this that they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more for they said to Moses Speak thou with us and we will hear but let not God speak with us lest we dy Exod. 20. 19. And again they said Now therefore why should we dy for this great Fire will consume us If we hear the Voice of the Lord our God any more we shall dy Deut. 5. 25. Let me not hear again the Voice of the Lord my God neither let me see this great Fire any more that I dy not Chap. 18. 16. 2. They could not endure it and this is evident from their fear of Death And if Israel could not endure this Voice of the Law-giver and the sight of the Lord how will Wicked men endure to see Christ come from Heaven in flaming Fire and to hear his Sentence Go ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels the most dreadful words that ever God spake or Man did hear or shall hear The terrour was yet greater for there was a Line drawn and a Range sixed to keep both Man and Beast at a Distance from the Mount and Moses was commanded to set these bounds before-hand to the People and if either Man or Beast came within the Range they were stricken dead instantly by Lightning or Thunderbolts The Reasons why this Law was given in this manner are many as 1. To signify the Majesty of the Supream Lawgiver and that they inight know that the Laws given were not the Laws of men but of the great Lord of Heaven and Earth And the more clearly he did manifest himself the greater Authority the Law must needs have 2. Great and weighty things are done with greatest solemnity and the more the solemnity is the greater Impression is made upon mens hearts 3. Seeing the very Promulgation and giving of the Law was so dreadful how dreadful must the Transgression be this was a mighty Motive to incline them to Obedience Therefore Moses said that God was come to prove them and that his fear might be before their faces that they sin not Exod 20. 20. 4. This did let them know that little Comfort was to be expected from that Law which did so strictly command and ministred no Power to obey had no Promise of Pardon therefore they should more earnestly desire and look for that great Prophet by whom God would speak unto them more comfortably and by whom they might have free access and
boldness to come before the Throne of Grace made accessible by his Blood This was a Law or Covenant rather of Justice than of Mercy of Fear than of Hope of Servitude and Bondage rather than of Liberty It was made to discover Sin to make it exceeding sinful to be a School-master to Christ. 2. This was the terrible manner of Promulgation the Effect whereof was fear and terror and the same very great and exceeding and that 1. In the People as we heard before who could not endure either the Voice or the strict Commands and Comminations They endured it a little but could endure no longer for fear of present death 2. And that which was more in Moses for so terrible was the sight that Moses feared did quake did fear and quake exceedingly and he said so and expressed his great fear And how terrible must that sight be which did strike such a terrour into a man so holy of such a constant Spirit so familiarly acquainted with God and who alone at that time should comfort and encourage the People That Moses said thus we do not read yet that which is affirmed by a man inspired as inspired must needs be true 3. They were not come to this Mount to receive so terrible a Law but they were freed from all these Terrours and from the Curses threatned and had received the Spirit of Adoption and therefore there was no reason why they should fall off to Judaism and return to that dreadful Mount and consuming Fire any more § 20. Thus far of the terrour of the Law the condition of such as were under it and the freedom of these Hebrews from it Now follows the condition of them as freed from the Law and living under the Gospel Before their Conversion they were in Minority Servitude and continual Fear but since they are in a more happy condition as being translated into the Kingdom of God's dear Son wherein they enjoyed incomparable Priviledges spiritual Liberty and many sweet Comforts To understand all this the Apostle saith Ver. 22. But ye are come unto Mount Zion the City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and an innumerable Company of Angels IN these words and those which follow unto the five and twentieth Verse we may observe 1. A Description of a spiritual and eternal Kingdom 2. The Enjoyment of or rather the Admission into the same In the Description some observe 1. The Place 2. The Persons of this Kingdom The Place is Zion the City of the Living God the new Jerusalem The Persons are Subjects Soveraign The Subjects are Angels Men. Living Departed The Soveraign is God the King and Judg. Christ the Priest and Mediator There was a certain Place and certain Persons and they were come unto this Place these Persons Here we have a Zion a City a Jerusalem this Zion is a Mount this City is the City of the living God this Jerusalem is the heavenly Jerusalem Zion the Mount the City of the Living God the heavenly Jerusalem here are the same and they may signify the Place or the Persons or the Association of Persons in such a Place and they may signify grammatically and properly or Rhetorically and Tropically Grammatically Zion opposed to Sinai is a Mount in Jerusalem where was first a Fort of the Jebusites then the Royal Palace of King David who adorned it with other Buildings and thence it was called The City of David On the North of this Mount some say the Temple was built and because that was the Palace and Throne of God therefore according to some Writers it was styled The City of the great King and because God did choose that place for his special presence it had the Name of The City of the Living God Shindler observs that the whole City was called Jerusalem in the Dual Number because it had two parts the one was the City of David on Mount Zion the other the City of Vision on Moriah which afterwards was inclosed But not to stand upon these things Zion and Jerusalem are taken for one City which God in former times did honour above all Cities in the World Therefore sung the Psalmist Why leap ye ye high Hills This is the Hill which God desireth to dwell in yea the Lord will dwell in it for ever Psal. 68. 16. For by God's special Residence in this place it was advanced above all other Cities of the Earth though never so magnificent But this was her greatest Glory That Christ the Son of God was presented there preached there and there did glorious Works there the Holy Ghost came down from Heaven upon the Apostles there the Gospel began first to be preached and thence it came out into all the World According to the Prophecy of old it came to pass for so the Evangelical Prophet wrote And in the last dayes it shall come to pass that the Mountain of the Lord's House shall be established in the top of the Mountains and exalted above the Hills and all Nations shall flow unto it And a little after for out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem Isa. 2. 2 3. Where by Law and the Word of God understand the Doctrine of the Gospel This is the Grammatical sense Rhetorically Zion and the City of Jerusalem often signify the Church Militant and Triumphant by reason of God's spiritual and supernatural presence and habitation in the same If we consider this Church locally the place of our Pilgrimage is the Earth the place of our Rest and perpetual Abode is Heaven from whence we receive our spiritual Being where we must converse and whither we tend in these respects Heaven may be said to be the place whither upon our first Conversion we come The Persons which make up this Body and the spiritual Inhabitants are more intended by this Zion and this City yet they cannot make up this Politick Body Society and Common-weal but as associated under their Soveraign God-Redeemer And to distinguish this Zion and City of Jerusalem from that which was on Earth situate and lying in the Land of Canaan in the Tribe of Judah and Benjamin this is said to be The heavenly Jerusalem which is above and the Mother of us all which one day shall come down from Heaven as a Bride prepared for her Husband and God who dwells in her by Grace shall then dwell in her by Glory and bless her fully and for ever To come to this City and Kingdom is to be admitted and incorporated into the same upon our sincere Faith in Christ. In this City we find many Persons amongst whom the most eminent are the Angels those holy immortal and blessed Spirits of Heaven who ever see the face of God and environ his glorious Throne These are not few but many for they are an innumerable Company or Multitude for the Chariots of God are twenty thousand even thousands or many thousands of Angels Psal. 68. 17. The number of the Angels
and now again in these last dayes then by Moses and the Prophets now by Christ his Son 2. That when he gave the Law and made the former Covenant he spake on Earth upon Mount Sinai but when he spake by Christ he spake from Heaven for he came from Heaven returned to Heaven again and from Heaven sent down the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles and by that Spirit in them revealed the Gospel 3. That some Sins are more hainous than others and the more hainous the Sin is the more heavy the Punishment will be 4. That to refuse God speaking on Earth was a grievous Sin and deserved a grievous Punishment and so to refuse him speaking from Heaven is a great Sin and renders the Refuser liable to fearful Punishment 5. That the latter is a more grievous Sin than the former and deservs a greater Punishment These things presupposed the Reason is clear and we must in any wise take heed of rejecting or renouncing the Gospel because if they who transgressed the Law given on Earth were severely punished then they if guilty of a far greater Sin as all such are who refuse the Gospel revealed from Heaven then they must suffer a far greater Penalty and no wayes could they escape it This differs something from the Argument used Chap. 2. 2 3 c. for that compares the Law delivered by Angels with the Gospel spoken and confirmed by Christ and the excellency of Christ above the Angels is the ground of his Argument But here God's speaking on Earth by Angels is compared with God's speaking from Heaven by Christ and here the Excellency of Heaven from whence the Gospel was revealed above the Earth where the Law was given is made the Foundation of the Reason And God by giving the Law on Earth and the Gospel from Heaven did intimate that there was some Excellency in the Gospel which was not in the Law in the new Covenant which was not in the old otherwise God could have revealed them both on Earth or both from Heaven Let us apply this unto our selvs and consider 1. Who speaks unto us 2. What he speaks 3. From whence he speaks 1. It 's not Man but God not Moses but Christ The Law indeed was by Moses but Grace and Truth by Jesus Christ. The Majesty and Power of him who speaks is such as Angels are bound to attend and obey with all humble Submission and shall we Worms nay Dust and Ashes refuse to hear this glorious Lord 2. The Matter that he speaks and we hear is the best the most sweet the most comfortable and the most excellent never better things seen or heard or understood by the Heart of Man The Gospel is a Doctrine of profoundest Wisdom of greatest Love and Mercy and of highest Concernment and most conducing to our everlasting good And shall we reject it Shall we sin against so great a Majesty so great a Mercy Sins against the Mercies of God so freely tendred to us in Jesus Christ are the most hainous of all others Let us tremble to think of these Sins and those Punishments which they must suffer that are guilty of them 3. He speaks from Heaven for the Gospel is a Mystery hid from the beginning of the World and was brought unto us from the Bosom of the Father by his only begotten Son and by the Holy Ghost it 's the clearest manifestation of God's deepest Counsels concerring Man's eternal Estate and of his greatest Love to sinful Wretches the brightest Light that ever shined from Heaven yet we hear it and most men regard it not but reject it to their everlasting Woe § 24. The Apostle draws to a Conclusion and urgeth Perseverance by another Argument in the words following Ver. 26. Whose Voice then shook the Earth but now he hath promised saying Yet once more I shake not the Earth only but Heaven also Ver. 27. And this Word Yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain GOD shook the Earth when he gave the Law and from this shaking the Authour takes occasion from the words of Haggai to prove the Immutability of the Gospel and the Administration of Christ's Kingdom In the Text the Proposition concerning this Immutability is 1. Cleared 2. Applyed in the two last Verses of the Chapter In the first he doth 1. Affirm the shaking of the Earth in giving of the Law 2. Alledgeth God's Promise of another shaking not only of Earth but Heaven 3. From that Promise he infers the Immutability of the Evangelical Administration The Propositions of the first part of the Text are two 1. That God then shook the Earth 2. That he that then shook the Earth promised to shake once more not only the Earth but Heaven also 1. God then shook the Earth The Adverb then points at the time of giving the Law on Mount Sinai for in the former Verse it 's said that he spake on Earth in the Hearing of all Israel That then he shook the Earth is the express words of the History Mount Sinai was all on a Sâ—â—ak and the whole Mount quaked greatly Exod. 19. 18. With this agrees that of the Psalmist When thou O God wentest before thy People when thou didst march through the Wilderness The Earth shook the Heavens also dropped at the presence of God even Sinai it self was moved at the presence of God the God of Israel Psal. 68. 7 8. The principal things then signified by this shaking the Mount and the Earth were two 1. The Alteration of the former Administration of the Church and 2. The Constitution of that Order which continued untill the times of the Gospel For 1. Then God made a great Alteration in the Kingdom of Aegypt divided the Red Sea and shook the hearts of men in several Nations 2. He reduced the People of Israel into a Polity both Civil and Ecclesiastical made a Covenant with them gave them Laws Moral Ceremonial Judicial ordained a Priest-hood instituted a Form of Worship to continue till the coming of the Messias Thus then he shook the Earth 2. He promised once more to shake not only the Earth but Heaven Where the Subject is Shaking and presupposeth one Shaking past and informs us of another and the same far greater The former was only of the Earth the latter of Heaven too This Shaking is the thing promised the Promise was made first the Performance followeth several hundred years afterwards The Promise we find in Haggai the Prophet the words are these For thus saith the Lord of Hosts Yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land And I will shake all Nations and the Desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House with Glory saith the Lord Hag. 2. 6 7. Where we may observe 1. That the Occasion of these words was this the
to our Christian Brethren and now the Apostle exhorts to Duties of another kind as first of Chastity Ver. 4. Marriage is honourable in all and the Bed undefiled but Wheremongers and Adulterers God will judg VVHere we have 1. A Duty which is Chastity and Fidelity in Marriage 2. The Reason why we should be chaste and that is because Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judg 1. The Duty is expressed in most Copies and Translations Indicatively not Imperatively for it 's not said Let Marriage be honourable in all c. but It is honourable Yet this is not material for suppose the Indicative-Reading should be true yet a Duty is plainly implied for 1. The Texts both antecedent and consequent are hortative to Duties 2. That Marriage should be honourable and the Bed be undefiled is certainly a Duty and an Exhortation thereunto is implied 3. The Reason added doth prove as much The Duty exhorted unto is Chastity and Chastity is two-fold first of single then of married Persons This is of married Persons who according to God's Constitution and their own Contract give their Bodies one unto another and are bound to be faithful And this Fidelity is to preserve the honour of Marriage which they do whilest they keep the Marriage-Bed undefiled When it 's said Marriage is honourable and the Bed undefiled the meaning is Marriage ought to be honourable and the Bed ought to be undefiled Not only Adultery but also Fornication and all Uncleanness dishonour the Body and this is evident from these words of the Apostle For this is the Will of God even your Sanctification that you should abstain from Fornication That every one of you should know how to possess his Vesselin Sanctification and Honour 1 Thess. 4. 3 4. Where we may observe that by Vessel according to the Hebrew is meant the Body 3. That by Sanctification in that â—lice is understood Chastity as opposed to the Lust of Concupiscence 3. That this Sanctification is the Honour of the Body therefore when it 's said That he that commiâ—â—eth Fornication sinneth against his own Body 1 Cor. 6. 18. the meaning is He dishonoureth his own Body As Marriage must be honourable so the Bed must be undefiled which latter words explain the former for then is Marriage honourable when the Marriage-Bed is kept undefiled For by Bed is meant the Marriage-Bed and the Bodies of the Parties married to be undefiled is not to be polluted by Adultery And if it be it 's dishonoured if it be not then the Honour of it is preserved So that the sense of the whole is this Let married Persons be faithful one unto another and take heed of dishonouring their Bodies by Adultery To signify this Duty to be general and to bind all such as are Man and Wife he faith Marriage is and by God's Institution ought to be honourable in all that is in all married Persons both Man and Wife whilest they are Man and Wife And as it ought to be honourable so it ought to be undefiled in all In these words Whoredom and Adultery are prohibited and ehorted from This Chastity is the Duty of Christians more than of other Persons because they know God's Institution and their Bodies are the Members of Christ and the Temples of the Holy Ghost 2. The Reason and Motive is because Whore-â—ougers and Adulterers who dishonour their Bodies and defile the Marriage-Bed God will Judge that is punish So that the Dissuasive is à Poena from the Punishment which God will certainly inflict and they shall certainly suffer if they be not chaste but prove guilty of Adultery This Punishment is not only eternal after this Life if they repent not but also temporal even in this Life though they may repeht This is evident in David who though he repented yet suffered grievously for his Adultery More of Marriage Chastity Adultery may be read in my Thâ—c-Politica § 5 The fifth Duty pressed upon them followeth Ver. 5. Let your Conversation be without Covetousness and be content with such things as ye have For He hath said I will never leave thee nor for sake thee Ver. 6. So that we may boldly say The Lord is my Helper I will not fear what Man shall do unto me IN these words we must consider 1. The Duty 2. The Reason why we should perform it The Duty is 1. Negative Be not covetous 2. Astirmative Be contented For if we look at the Law and so consider the words they are 1. A Prohibition 2. A Precept If we look upon the Performance of the Duty as expressed by the Author we have 1. A Dehortation 2. An Exhortation The Dehortation is this Let your Conversation be without Covetousness The meaning whereof in brief is Be not coveâ—ouâ— The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is turned by our English Translators Conversation by the Viugar and Vatablus Mores Manners by the Syriack and Arabick Mens Animus the Mind All these may be easily reconciled for Conversation signifies humane Actions as they are habitually morally-good or evil these as Habits are termed by the Moralists Mores Manners or Customs as vertuous or vicious And because the Principle of these Actions are the Mind as taken for the Understanding and the Will therefore the word may be turned mind or affection for so the word in Greek doth sometime signify Some do understand by the Original word the means whereby we seek these earthly things and the manner how we use spare or spend them And this sense differs not much from the former This Duty doth presuppose 1. A right Judgment of these worldly Goods in respect of themselves the end for which they are given the manner how they are justly acquired used expended 2. A right disposition of the heart agreeable to this Judgment These things presupposed we may the better inquire into the nature of Covetousness which is defined by many to be An immoderate love and desire of these earthly Goods The object and matter therefore in general is these earthly Goods whether corporeal movable or immovable or incorporeal according to the distinction of the civil Law These are considered as conducing to the preservation and continuance of man's Life therefore called our Livelyhood The principal things as most necessary and more immediately preserving Life are Food and Raimenâ— And because Mony answers in value and the esteem of men all those things which may be called Goods and by It upon exchange they may be purchased and acquited therefore covetousness is called sometimes the love of many 1 Tim. 6. 10. And here our Conversation must be free from the love of mony so the Original is The proper act of Covetousness is in the heart and mind of man conceiving and judging of these things as more necessary or excellent then they are which is a kind of overvaluing and setting too high a price on them 2. Affecting loving and desiring them immoderately above the worth of them and that measure which God hath
particularly confined to that part of providence whereby God supplies their wants in Necessaries yet so as that it doth rather include then exclude his protection against Dangers and Enemies This is the meaning of the words the force of the reason contained in them is very strong both to dehort from Coveâ—ousness and exhort to Contentedness For there is no reason in the World why we should either cover these earthly Goods inordinately or immoderately so as to distract and vex our minds or that we should not be contented with that we have though little seeing God hath so deeply and strongly engaged himself to be present with us and to provide for us If we had Faith to believe this and were so qualified as that we could truly apply it to our selves it would effectually quiet our minds in God in all our Necessities Sâ—raits and Perplexities For the words being the words of God fully and perfectly expressing his mind and purpose delivered by way of Promise whereby he so strongly obligeth himself extending to all persons in Covenant with him keeping the Conditions thereof including all times and all conditions and all kind of helps and assistance are abundantly sufficient to cut off all covetous thoughts and cares and to content the mind with any estate For whilst we have our God we have Perfection Safety Food Raiment and all things that are necessary in this our time of Pilgrimage untill we come to our abiding City § 6. After the Promise of God follows the Confidence of Man grounded upon this Promise For we may boldly say The Lord is my Helper and I will not fear what Man shall do unto me Where we must enquire 1. Whence the words are taken 2. What the Substance of them is and what they do import 1. We find words to the same purpose Psal. 56. 4 11. Yet the very same without any variance we reaâ— Psal. 118. 6. if we follow the Septuaginr The words in the Hebrew are Elleiptical and are made up and expounded from the Verse following for the first words are turned by Hierom Thou art my Lord by Pagâ—ine The Lord is with me by Prâ—tensis The Lord is for me The Septuagint give the sense That the Lord was my Lord with me for me to help me For it follows Ver. 7. Thou are amongst or with them that help me For the Lord to be with us for us and as Vatablus hath it to on stand our side is for God to be our Help 2. The Matter of the words are God's Help Man's Safety and Security The Psalm is understood of Christ and his Church and People Here the Apostle applies it to God's People 1. These have their Enemies signified by the word Man What Man may do against me 2. These men being Enemies do much against them or at least attempt to do much for wicked men together with the Devil are great Enemies to Christ's Kingdom and his Subjects The Devil designs their spiritual the wicked their temporal Ruine and the Design of the one is subservient to the other The Devil makes Use of temporal Persecutions to shake their Faith both have the Church and thrust sore at it and consult and combine their forces to destroy it They fine God's Servants imprison them banish them torture them murther some of them spoil others make them poor and bring them very low and sometimes to a Morsel of Bread 3. Yet God is with them stands for them helps them strengthens and protects them and will not see them perish or want Bread and gives them Safety in the midst of Danger Joy in the midst of Sorrow Bread in the midst of Famine If they kill the Body he will save the Soul and raise up the Body again at the last day and all their Sufferings shall conduce to their eternal Happiness 4. If God be with them for them and their Help they need not fear any thing no not the worst that Man can do unto them but may be confident of Safety and Deliverance they need not much desire the best things of the World nor fear the worst 5. They may think believe say and be assured That God is their Help And so much the rather because God hath promised that he will not leave them or forsake them at any time and why should they be covetous or fearful there is no cause of either Thus the Apostle disswades from Covetousnesse and perswades to Contentedness and that upon most powerful Reasons taken out of the Book of God wherewith they were well acquainted And though both the places are restrained to this particular Duty yet they are of far greater latitude and minister effectual Comfort § 7. The next Duty exhorted unto is the Imitation of their Teachers in Ver. 7. Remember them who have the Rule over you who have spoken unto you the Word of God whose Faith follow considering the end of their Conversation Ver. 8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever THese words may be considered in their general Coherence with the former as they are an Exhortation to another distinct Duty or in their particular Connexion with the Text immediately antecedent for their Guides and Teachers have given them an Example in that not being covetous but contented alwayes with their present Estate though poor they continued constant in the Profession and Preaching of the Gospel of Christ in the midst of all necessities and persecutions and did not doubt of God's Presence and Providence nor fear what Man could do unto them The former Connexion is certain the latter probable In the Duty exhorted unto we may observe 1. Three Acts. 2. Their three Objects 3. The subordination of these Acts upon these Objects one unto another 1. The Acts are Remembrance Consideration Imitation 2. The Object of their Remembrance was their Guides which had spoken to them the Word of God the Object of their Consideration was the end of their Conversation the Object of their Imitation was their Faith 3. The Subordination was that they must remember that they may consider consider that they may imitate They must remember their Guides who had taught them the Word of God they must remember them that they may consider the end of their Conversation they must consider the End of their Conversation that they may follow their Faith In the first Act upon the first Object we may observe three Propositions 1. They had their Guides 2. These had spoken unto them the Word of God 3. These they must remember 1. They had their Guides These were the Apostles especially and principally and also others both extraordinary and ordinary Dispensets of the Gospel These were Guides because they did direct them unto Christ by Christ to God and in God to eternal Life for without a Guide sinful blind and ignorant Wretches know nothing of Christ God eternal Life and the way leading thereunto and therefore they wander in the wide way which leadeth unto Destruction These Guides are said
Power of God piercing the Understanding enables it to understand and know and believe such things which otherwise could not be understood known and believed Yet this Assent may be moral and probable or divine here is meant a divine Assent which without the Power of the Spirit cannot be in â—he heart of Man Thus by Faith and not by Reason we understand how the World was made that it was not eternal that the Wisdom and Power of God was wonderfully manifested in that glorious Work § 6. These things premised the Apostle enters upon his Argument from Examples which are set forth according to the order of time 1. By a particular Enumeration 2. By Accumulation He might have instanced in far more but these were the most eminent and for number sufficient for his purpose He begins with Abel who Ver. 4. By Faith offered unto God a more excellent Sacrifice than Kain by which he obtained Witness that he was righteous God testifying of his Gifts And by it he being dead yet speaketh YOU must here observe that one thing wherein all these Saints und Worthies do agree was Faith 2. That this Faith is the principal thing to be noted in them all 3. His End is by a kind of Induction to prove the excellency and necessity of Faith 4. That according to the History of the Old Testament which he makes his Rule Abel is the first most eminent Person in whom he thought good to instance For as Stephen was though not the first Sufferer yet the Proto-Martyr of the New Testament so Abel was the Proto-Martyr of the Old and was the first Man who after the Creation and the Fall suffered death and sealed the Truth of God with his Blood And though his Father Adam and his Mother Eve had Faith yet the Scriptures do not relate unto us any special and eminent Work of their Faith so that there was no Example of eminency in Faith before him For seeing by Faith we believe the Creation of the World and the Fall of the first Man who was his Father by whom Sin came into the World there could not be any before him so near the beginning of the World so fit for Example Of this Abel two things are related 1. His Vertue 2. His Reward His Vertue in general was Faith manifesting it self in his excellent Sacrifice His Reward God's Testimony of him and his perpetual Fame The words may be reduced to three Propositions 1. That Abel by Faith offered a more excellent Sacrifice than â—ain 2. By this he obtained Witness that he was righteous God testifying of his Gifts 3. By this he being dead yet speaketh or is spoken of In the first Divine Axiom we may observe 1. That he offered Sacrifice to God 2. This Sacrifice was more excellent than that of Kain 3. That he offered this so excellent a Sacrifice by Faith 1. To offer Sacrifice was a religious Worship and may be considered as Moral Positive * Ceremonial As offered unto God in acknowledgment of his Supream Dominion it 's Moral so is the Gift and Offering of some part of our Goods for pious Uses and Maintenance of his Worship As it was a part of God's outward Worship depending only upon Divine Institution it was Positive As this Sacrifice signified a far greater Sacrifice to come it was Ceremonial For after Man had sinned besides the Confession and Amendment of the Sinner Satisfaction to God's Justice by a Sacrifice was required That this was Typically an explatory Sacrifice for Sin seems to be implied by the thing sacrificed which was of the Flock which must be slain and the Blood shed as though for compensation Life was given for Life and Blood for Blood so that this was a Shadow of Christ's Death and Offering This Sacrifice was offered unto the true and living God and not unto Idols and this according to the first Commandment For no Worship or Service Religious is due to any but to God who alone is Supream Lord and to whom alone the highest degree of honour is to be given Yet all these bloody Sacrifices began to be out of date upon the Death and Resurrection of Christ and now only the spiritual Sacrifices of an humble broken Spirit of Praise of Prayer of Thanksgiving and such like continue in force 2. This Sacrifice was more excellent than that of Kain This Kain was his Elder Brother He offered and Abel offered too They both offered unto the same eternal and universal Lord. The marter of his Offering was according to his outward Profession and Imployment of the fruits of the Earth and besides the difference in the matter there was a great Inequality For Abel's compared to his was far more excellent and acceptable Here we might take occasion to consider 1. Adam's care in the Education of his Children to fit them not only for the matters of this Life but for Religion and the World to come 2. That two Persons may worship God with the same kind of Worship and yet differ very much in the manner of their Service 3. This more excellent Sacrifice was offered by Faith and this Faith did make it so excellent For it was not the matter offered but the Qualification of the Person and his manner of Offering that gave the worth unto the Sacrifice and made it more precious Kain offers without Faith sincere and lively his Offering is base Abel offers with Faith his Offering is excellent and of great value This Faith is the Soul of all Religious Worship and here the principal thing to be observed is that Faith was the Principle which did animate and honour this piece of Service § 7. The Reward follows and it is a good Report 1. In his life-time 2. After death 1. In his life-time For 1. It was testified of him that he was righteous 2. This was done by God testifying of his Gifts 1. He was righteous for so our Saviour terms him speaking of the Blood of righteous Abel Mat. 23. 35. He was righteous not without all Sin for such no Man after the Fall ever was yet he was without Wickedness He was upright and his Faith was sincere and his Worship of God and his Obedience were without Hypocrisy He was justified and sanctified and continued in the State of Justification and Sanctification and in such a manner as that he may be said to be eminently righteous This Righteousness was not by Nature but Grace not by his deserts but by the merit of Christ and the mercy of God As he was righteous so he was manifested to be so and it was testified to his comfort and honour 2. It was God who testified of his Righteousness by testifying of his Gifts His Gifts were his Sacrifices offered to God these God did accept and some wayes signified his acceptation both of the Person and his Offering In Gen. 4. 45. we read thus And the Lord had respect to Abel and to his Offering But unto Cain and his Offering he had
not respect The words give occasion of noting several things As 1. That the Word turned by our English to respect in the Hebrew signifies to behold or look upon with delight as well pleased with it The Chaldee Paraphrast useth a word which signifies to be well pleased with or graciously to accept Symmachus turns The Lord was delighted The Syriack translates to the same purpose But Theodotion saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inflammavit He fired or consumed with fire For by fire sent from Heaven God did signify his acceptation of Aaron's Sacrifice Levit. 9. 24. Of Solomon's 2 Chron. 7. 1. and of Elijah's 1 King 18. 38. 2. God had respect first unto the Person then unto his Offering for if the Person be not rightly qualified the Sacrifice cannot be pleasing unto God 3. The thing which rendered both him and his Offering so acceptable was Faith 4. That he did not thus accept Cain's because he was not righteous had no Faith Some and amongst other Cornelius Bertram think that by this acceptation of Abel's Sacrifice God designed him to the Priest-hood and rejected Cain and this was the cause first of Envy then of Murder But whether God did testify of his Gifts by Fire and by that testimony design him to be Priest we need not trouble our selves This is certain he accepted Abel and his Offering and that acceptation was some wayes signified and by that signification he testified of him that he was righteous All persons who worship God are Cains or Abels offer with or without Faith how careful therefore should we be in the Service of our God to come with prepared and disposed hearts For it 's a blessed thing and a matter of sweetest comfort to be accepted of our God and a sad and woful Curse with Cain to be rejected The Reward after his Death is expressed in the third Proposition And by it being dead yet speaketh Where it 's said 1. He yet speaketh or is spoken of 2. Being dead he speaketh 3. By it he speaketh The Copies and Books differ for some read he speaketh some he is spoken of yet both these may signify his fame and good report continuing in the Church to this Day He may be said to be spoken of because his Name and his Faith are upon Record in Scripture where he though dead is remembred and commended and shall be remembred and commended to the World's end and no length of time which consumeth many things shall ever raze his memory he shall never be forgotten Yet most do read he speaketh and the Translators most do follow that reading Now the Question is what he speaketh and to whom and what this speaking is 1. He speaketh Faith and Righteousness and Virtue and the Reward of Virtue and calls aloud for imitation of his Faith and Righteousness that we may be accepted of God and rewarded as he was This is the Voice of all good Examples made known unto us There is another thing which he is said to speak of which hereafter 2. He speaketh first to Men for to whom God in the Scriptures speaks to them the Saints and Martyrs by their good Example may be said to speak Now the Scriptures were written for men living and God in them doth speak unto us whilst we living read or hear them 3. This speaking is not like the speaking of Abel when he was living nor as one man speaketh to another but this Speech is Metaphorical For as by Speech we declare and signify something unto others so Vertues Rewards Crimes Punishments made known unto Mortals by word or writing declare and signify that Vertue shall be rewarded and that Sin shall be punished and by the punishments warn us to take heed of Sin and by the rewards encourage us to Virtue This is not a speaking immediate of the person by words but a speaking by things In this respect it may be said that the dead whose Voice shall never be heard on Earth do speak But seeing Abel speaketh it 's further inquirable by what he speaketh It 's said by it he speaketh and by it may be his Faith and Sacrifice or Blood By the former he speaks as you heard before and the voice of Deeds and good Examples is far more effectual then the voice of Words and continues to sound far longer For the Voice is but heard whilst those who live can speak but the voice of Deeds is heard after Death yet some understand that he spake by his Blood and that he might do two wayes 1. As living he spake by his Faith and Offering but being dead by his patience and suffering and by this he exhorteth us not only to live well but with patience to suffer Death for Righteousness sake This is an Alarum to Martyrdom the highest pitch of Virtue and of Obedience 2. As dead he speaketh by his Blood not only as famous for his Martyrdom but as crying for Vengeance For so God said to Cain The Voice of thy Brothers Blood cryeth unto me from the Ground Gen. 4. 10. And in the following Chapter Christ's Blood is mentioned as speaking better things then the Blood of Abel Chap. 12. 24. Abel's Blood cryed aloud for Vengeance but Christ's for Mercy and Pardon Abel's Blood joyntly with the Blood of all Martyrs may call for justice unto the Supream Judg and when the Sufferings of all are finished then full Vengance shall be executed upon all bloody Persecutors Something to this purpose we may read Rev. 6. 10 11. In this sense it may be said they being dead do yet speak and will speak as dead and being slain by their cruel Enemies And by Faith they speak thus for without Faith they might have suffered justly for their Crimes and then they could not solicite the Supream Judg to revenge their innocent Blood not expect any Reward and Crown of Martyrdom § 8. After Abel follows Enoch the seventh from Adam yet the second from Abel of eminent note in the History of Moses Of him it 's said Ver. 5. By Faith Enoch was translated not to see Death and was not found because God had translated him for before his translation he had this Testimony that he pleased God IN this Text we may observe 1. The Reward which was Translation 2. The Virtue he was translated by Faith 3. The Testimony and good Report of him he pleased God Yet these may be reduced to two 1. The Reward he was translated 2. His Virtue by Faith he pleased God If we take the two Verses together we may reduce them to two Propositions thus 1. Enoch was translated 2. By Faith Enoch was translated And because the latter Proposition is not evident as not expressed in the Text the Apostle first presupposing this Translation to be a great Reward and obtained by Faith he proves it thus He that pleaseth God must have Faith But Enoch pleased God Therefore he had Faith That he pleased God he proves it by Testimony for that he did so is express
find this to be so § 9. Because the Faith and Doctrine of Jesus Christ taught by the Apostles is as Christ himself the same yesterday to day and for ever therefore the Apostle dehorteth them thus Ver. 9. Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines for it is a good thing that the heart be established with Grace and not with meats which have not profited them which have been occupied therein THese words are a Dehortation and in it we may consider 1. The Sin dehorted from 2. The reason why they should take heed of it 1. The Sin is to be carried about with divers and strange Doctrines Doctrines divers and strange are all such as are different from the Gospel which is a Doctrine of perpetual and immutable truth and alwayes uniform the same Therefore the word divers may signify such as are different from it and different amongst themselves as all false and heretical Doctrines are though the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies new or absurd and such all errors in Religion are They are new because invented and vented after the Truth was revealed and absurd because all such are irrational and many of them very gross They are also strange as having not the same Original with the Truth which was revealed from Heaven and of another stamp and quality By these some think he means Judaism and Philosophy and the Errors and Superstitions of the Morinthians and Cerinthians who attempted to make up one Body of Religion by joyning Judaism and Christianism together yet not only these but all other Heresies whatsoever are here intended They must not be carried away or about with these this is the Duty The Metaphor seems to be taken from Wethercocks or Ships which turn every way as the Wind carries them to be so carried about implies that they turn from the truth of the Gospel believe these false Doctrines and so are deceived as the word in the Original may signify and it signifies the inconstancy of such as receive them as not being firm and fixed in the saving Truth For if we once turn away from that we fall first into one Error then into another and are first of one Sect after that of another and can settle no where We have had sad experience of this in our times wherein many forsaking their Orthodox Teachers and the antient and apostolical Doctrine turned Anabaptists Seekers Quakers and men above the Ordinances of Scripture Sacraments Sabbaths Such we must not be not so erroneous heretical unstable This Text agrees with many others as Rom. 16. 17. Ephes. 4. 14. Colos. 2. 8 16. and many more noted by Curcellaâ—s Great is our frailty in this particular because of the imperfection of our Understanding the corruption of our Hearts the subtilty of the Devil and Seducers therefore let us he well informed in the Truth endeavour to live according to the Truth certainly known pray for the Spirit of Truth to guide us For it is not wit or learning without the Grace of God can preserve us from these Doctrines which carry us away from Christ and cause us to wander in by-wayes that lead our Souls into Destruction 2. The reason is 1. Because the Doctrine of the Gospel can save us 2. These strange Doctrines cannot promote our Salvation it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For 1. It 's good the heart be established with Grace not with Meats By Grace may understand the Truth and the Truth of the Gospel so it 's taken Tit. 2. 11. And it 's called Grace because it 's the Word or Doctrine of Grace Act. 20. 24 32. which manifests the Grace of God in Christ and the Knowledg and Love of it is a Grace and Mercy of God To have the heart established therewith is to understand it believe it be affected with it so as to adhere unto it and make it our care in seeking eternal Life And then the heart is thus established with it when the Spirit of God writes it in our hearts so that we know it more clearly and are effectually moved to follow and practise it It must be deeply imprinted in our hearts and our hearts must be firmly fixt in it And this is good and profitable for Sanctification and Salvation but meats are not so By Meats is understood the Doctrine of Meats and by Doctrine of Meats may be meant Doctrine of Ceremonies such we find in the Books of Moses yet all abolished by the Gospel The Jews were perswaded that they were sanctified by the observation of Mosaical Ceremonies and the Traditions of their Elders This also was the perswasion of all Superstitious Wretches whether Heathens or Hereticks For Meats may here signify not only false Doctrines and Ceremonial Observations of the Jews but also all other various strange and different Opinions and Superstitions of all others whose hearts were not stablished by Grace And though men's hearts be never so pertinaciously fixed in them yet they could not advance their Salvation For it followeth which have not profited such as were occupied or as the Greek word signifies walked therein To walk in them is to profess and in their practise constantly to observe them Not to profit them is not to sanctify justify them or make them acceptable to God For that is truly profitable in this kind which makes a man more holy brings him nearer unto God and renders him more capable of eternal Life The sum is they must take heed of all false Doctrines and adhere to the truth of the Gospel And the reason is 1. Because establishment in the truth of the Gospel is good and certainly conduceth to eternal Life 2. The belief profession practice of any other Doctrine is not so cannot further our happiness § 10. There is another reason why they must not return to Judaism or any other Doctrine different from the Gospel For Ver. 10. We have an Altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle IN these words we have 1. A benefit or priviledg 2. A right unto it granted unto Christians denied unto Jews and others The Propositions are two 1. We have an Altar 1 2. They who serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat of it 1. Altar here is the Priest or Sacrifice offered upon and sanctified by the Altar The Sacrifice is that of Christ's Body slain and offered by the eternal Spirit without spot unto God To have this is to have a right unto it so as to eat and be partakers of it The expression and phrase is Legal and Levitical For in the Law there were certain Sacrifices whereof part was given and offered to God part was given to the Priests to eat thereof part was allowed to the People which brought the Sacrifice and they might eat thereof before the Lord in the Tabernacle or the Temple The same Custom many of the Gentiles had To this the Apostle doth allude and doth imply that the Body of Christ was slain and offered unto
God to expiate Sin given unto man in the Word and Sacrament as Food to preserve both Body and Soul unto eternal Life And as the Jews only had right to eat of their Sacrifices so Christians and only Christians have right unto and by a true and lively Faith according to the Gospel may partake of the same and live for ever For this meat alone doth profit those alone whose hearts are established with or by Grace and the Doctrine of the Gospel 2. To eat of this Altar and Sacrifice they who serve the Tabernacle have no right They who served the Tabernacle were unbelieving Jews Priests and People who adhered to the Law of Moses rejected the Gospel and refused to receive Christ for their Saviour These could have no right unto the benefit of Christ's Sacrifice◠for it was ordained only for the Salvation of such as should believe on him But these Jews out of a perverse belief that they should be justified and saved by the Law would not believe the Doctrine of the Gospel and seek righteousness by Faith in Christ. So that Israel following after the Law of Righteousnes attained not to the Law of Righteousness And why they sought not Righteousness by Faith in Christ who was the end of the Law which was a School-master to Christ. They were so confident that the Law was given for Justification and Salvation that they thought Christ not only needless but an Enemy to Moses and all Christians to be Hereticks and worthy to be persecuted to Death The force of the Apostle's Argument is That if their heart was not established with Grave but carried about with divers and strange Doctrines they deprived themselves of the inestimable benefit of Christ's Sacrifice for there is no Faith without the Gospel and no benefit in the Sacrifice of Christ without Faith for all right unto and participation of this Sacrifice is by Faith grounded upon the Gospel § 11. That they that serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat of this Altar he proves thus Ver. 11. For the body of those Beasts whose Blood is brought into the Sanctuary by the High-Priest are burnt without the Camp Ver. 12. Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the People with his own Blood suffered without the Gate IN these words we have 1. An Argument to prove the unbelieving Jew to have no right to eat of the Sacrifice of Christ And this is a Doctrine 2. A practical Conclusion and Application of this Doctrine unto our selves in the two verses following In the Argument we may observe 1. The Proposition and the Type 2. The Reddition and Anti-type 1. There were several Beasts Sacrificed whose Bodies were burnt without the Camp yet their Blood was not brought into the Sanctuary therefore it can hardly be thought the Apostle intended any Sacrifice so much as that of general Expiation whereof we read Lev. 16. For though this doth agree to other Sacrifices that their Blood was brought into the Sanctuary to be sprinkled upon the horns of the Altar of Incense and before the Veil and their Bodies were burnt without the Camp as we may understand from Exod. 29. Lev. 4. Yet of this Sacrifice it 's clearly written 1. That the Blood was brought into the inward Sanctuary within the second Veil and was sprinkled upon the Mercy-seat 2. This was done by the High-Priest alone and could be done by none else 3. This Blood was brought in and sprinkled for Expiation and Reconciliation 4. The Bodies of these Sacrifices were burnt without the Camp This Sacrifice as you have heard was a more lively resemblance of Christ who is the propitiation for the Sins of the whole World The principal thing the Apostle takes notice of is the burning of their Bodies out of the Camp for the Camp was that plot of Ground which was taken up with the Tents and Habitations of the Israelites in the Wilderness All this was counted holy and all unclean persons and things were to be removed out of the same And because the sins of the People were laid upon these Beasts therefore they were unclean accursed and God to signify that all Sinners are accursed and to be cast out of his presence and to be tormented with eternal fire and also to express his detestation of Sin he caused these Bodies 1. To be removed out of the Camp 2. To be burned 2. This was the Type the Anti-type was Christ of whom it is affirmed 1. That he Suffered without the Gate 2. That he Suffered there that he might sanctify the People by his Blood To Suffer here is to be Crucified and dye upon the Cross Without the Gate signifies the place where he Suffered and was Crucified and in particular it was Golgotha which was without the Gate of Jerusalem which was called the holy City because God chose that City to put his Name there and so did consecrate it this answered to the holy Camp The reason why God thus in his wise providence did order it was because Christ had taken upon him the Sins of the World and God had laid on him the Iniquities of us all One sad consequent of Sin not pardoned is a Curse and Excommunication out of God's presence so as that the person cursed is put at a distance and deprived of all communion with Saints and God Therefore it is written That Christ was made a Curse for us Gal. 3. 13. The end of this Suffering and that without the Gate was that by his Blood he might sanctify the People The People are all such as believe in him To sanctify them is to free them from the guilt and punishment of Sin For he was made a Curse for us that he might redeem us from the Curse due unto us for our Sins And this he doth immediately by his Blood being shed and his Death which virtually and efficiently took away Sin and procures actual Remission and Sanctification upon our Faith For his Suffering out of the Gate made Sin pardonable and the punishment endured by him and deserved by us removable But when by Faith it 's sprinkled upon our Souls we are actually pardoned and the punishment actually removed because God will not punish Sin both in him and us believing The comparison is in similitude and like quality The things wherein the Type and Anti-type agree are these In the Sacrifice of general Expiation 1. The Blood is brought into the holy Place so Christ by his own Blood entred the holy place of Heaven 2. That Blood did expiate Sin so this doth obtain eternal Expiation and the People are sanctified by it 3. The Bodies of those Sacrifices were burnt without the Camp so Christ suffered upon the Cross without the Gate of Jerusalem 4. As they who serve at the Tabernacle had no Right not Licence to eat of those Sacrifices whose Bodies were burned without the Camp so no Jews that will not leave Judaism nor any other that will not go out of the World to suffer