the New Testament as we shewed in the former Chapter to containe the remission of all our sinnes even the most heinous and consequently to be of force to purge our conscience And because it is a Testament therefore it was first to be confirmed by death which here neither can nor must be any other then the death of Christ Whence it is manifest that the death or bloud of Christ as it confirmes the New Testament doth purge our conscience from dead workes The particle and shews that a new argument is alledged and the words for this cause note the finall cause for which Christ died He is the Mediatour of the New Testament Wee now use the word Testament and not Covenant because the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies a Testament and not a Covenant though sacred Writers use it to signifie also a Covenant And the ambiguity of the word did well serve the Author to draw his argument from that which must needs be done in a Testament And to speake a little yet more accurately Testament and Covenant differ but alternly as genus and species For every Testament is a Covenant though not è contra for though the heire doe not covenant with the Testator at the making of the Testament because that may be done altogether without his knowledge which is necessarily required in him that covenanteth Yet he covenants at the validity of the Testament for when the Covenant takes effect by his acceptance of the condition specified in the Testament and by his entrance upon the Inheritance then though before he were free he covenants ex Lege to performe the will of the Testatour So that every Testament at least when it is consummate and valid is a kinde of Covenant and it is the best kinde of Covenant 1. Because it is most solemnely testified by sealing and witnessing from whence it is called a Testament 2. Because it is most preciously confirmed even by death and the death of him that makes it who establisheth his owne deed by his owne death 3. Because it containes an extraordinary benefit in conveying the Testators inheritance and whole estate to the heire And lastly because it proceeds with the greatest freedome in leaving the heire to his liberity whether he will accept of the Inheritance or not Now this New Testament is the last will of God which must stand for ever because it is already confirmed and therefore cannot be revoked But how Christ is the Mediatour of it hath beene partly shewed before chap. 8.6 and is partly to be shewed afterward yet his Mediatorship consisteth chiefly in these two acts first in declaring or publishing it and then in confirming or establishing it by his death as a Testament ought to be That by meane of death for the transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternall inheritance Here is a file of finall causes linked one to another whereof the last end is the obtaining of an eternall inheritance the intermean is the redemption for the transgressions which were under the first Testament the prime Mean to these two former subordinate ends whereby they are successively atrained is death which in a Testament must necessarily intervene Hence we may see that the redemption of transgressions doth properly depend and flow from the New Testament and the death of Christ doth give force and strength to this Testament The word Redemption is put for Expiation as was shewed ver 12. For Expiation is one kinde or sort of Redemption both because the effect of expiation is a delivery and because also the meanes or it whereby it is wrought is an expence for it commonly costeth bloud Hence some Translators in this place render it Expiation But because the word Redemption carries the sense of Expiation therefore it both followes the construction of it and is simply called the redemption of transgressions either for their expiation as wee have said In which sense the Scripture speakes elswhere For Prov 16.6 where the vulgar Latine reads it By truth iniquity is redeemed there our English translation hath it By truth iniquity is purged i. expiated Or for redemption from transgressions For Cicero himselfe in a sense not unlike saith Liberationem culpa for à culpâ And he useth the word Transgressions whereby grievous sinnes are commonly signified to shew us what sinnes chiefly are remitted in the New Testament namely heynous and grievous sinnes for which in the Old Testament there was no expiation allowed but the punishment of death imposed Wherefore he addeth Which were under the first Testament He means which remained in force or could not be expiated or for which no remission was allowed under the Law But hee seems withall to intimate that those grievous sinnes had their being and were wont to bee committed under the Old Testament whereas the New Testament together with their guilt doth wholly take away their being in them who cordially beleeve the promises of it For that this is the force and effect of the New Testament and of the bloud of Christ we have already shewed partly in the eight Chapter and partly here And he mentions not the expiation of transgressions only or grievous sins therfore as if under the New Testament also all lighter sins were not expiated but it is as much as if he had said Yea even of those transgressions under c. For somtimes the Scripture speaketh simply not to exclude other things but to teach us that those other things wherof there might be greater doubt are included which being thoght included much more is it to be thought so of the rest So Psal 25.8 David saith of God That he is good and upright therefore wil he teach sinners in the way i. Yea even sinners and not righteous men only though he will teach them also and much rather for so he presently addes in the verse following The meeke will he guide in judgement and teach his way So Paul Rom. 4.5 saith That God justifieth the ungodly not that he justifieth him onely but that hee is so gracious as to justifie him also Or else the Authour mentions only transgressions or grievous sins to shew that they chiefly are expiated under the new Testament and that this is the proper fruit of the new Testament and of the oblation of Christ But if the guilt of grievous sins be taken away under the new Testament much more must it be true of lighter sinnes Besides grievous sins do much more grieve the conscience then lighter for to lighter sinnes there was some expiation granted in the law whereby men might imagine that God of his infinite goodnes would also release the penalty of eternall death but to the other no expiation was allowed Might receive the promise To receive the promise of eternall inheritance doth in this place signifie to enter the reall possession of the eternall inheritance which was before promised and not to receive the promise
said where a Testament is there must needs bee the death of the Testator or at least as in leagues which in a manner resemble Testaments the death of some creature whereby the League is confirmed by him that makes it for till death intervene a Testament or League is of no force and strength which exception or rather which correction of his generall saying why it was not added here the cause hath been already shewed We may also answer the former objection thus That his reasoning here is comparative by way of similitude not explicitely but contractedly as is ofen used And the words are to be taken as if he had said as when a Testament is made the death of the Testator must needs accede because it must be animated by the death of the Testator for while the Testator lives the Testament lives not or is not in force So also when the new League or Testament was ordained his death must accede that made it and was in stead of the Testator that the Testament might be firme and of force For though Christ made not the new Testament as the Author or principall agent of it yet because hee was the Mediator and instrument of his Father to speed it in his Fathers name therefore he may be said to have made it for wee commonly attribute the same action both to the agent who is the prime cause of it and to the Instrument who is the means of it From hence it manifestly appears what force the bloud of Christ hath in procuring us remission of sinnes namely these two forces first that by it the New Testament was established or confirmed and secondly that thereupon he offered himselfe to God for us in heaven So that his bloud was confirmatory to settle the eternall inheritance upon us and expiatory to procure an eternall redemption of our sinnes whereof the former is handled in this verse the latter in those precedent Why Christ is called here the Testator we have before sufficiently reasoned namely because he was the maine witnesse to certifie the truth of the Testament by his death and because he was the maine party by whose death the Testament which till then lay dead became alive and valid to be of force and effect Yet here wee shall adde one reason more because it will serve wondrously to annimate our faith and love toward Christ and that is because the inheritance conveyed unto us by this New Testament is properly the inheritance of Christ for hee is the unigenit or only begotten Sonne of God and was ordained to be Lord and heire of all his Fathers estate and hath admitted us that will accept of it to be co-heires and fellow-partners with him in it and dyed as the Testator to settle the possession of it upon us Or to speake in the words of Paul He hath received us to the glory of God Rom. 15.7 And the words of Christ to his Disciples tend to this sense I appoâ—nt unto you a Kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto mee Luke 22.29 17. For a testament is of force after men are dead This is the reason why the death of the testator must accede to the testament hee hath made because all the while the testator lives his testament is dead and of no force to give any possession to the heire of the inheritance and estate thereby to be conveyed but when the testator is dead then the testament takes life and becomes of force for then the heire hath an actuall right and power to enter upon the inheritance And therefore he addes Otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth These are the same words in effect with the former and are but a consequence from them by that rule of reasoning which we call conversion by contraposition For if a testament be of force when the testator is dead then it must needs follow that while the testator is not dead the testament is of no force Which kinde of reasoning is frequent in Scripture yet among many passages we shall instance but in this one and in this the rather because the texts of it are much obscured by Interpreters who labour to reconcile them as if they seemed opposite whereas no two texts can be more according for they are wholly equipollent and each consequent to the other Christ saith He that is not with me is against me Mat. 12.30 and he saith againe He that is not against us is for us or which is all one He that is not against me is with me Luke 9.50 This latter saying in Luke is so farre from being opposite or contrary to the former in Matthew that it is a most immediate and necessary consequence from it For if this saying be true as it is because the truth hath said it He that is not with Christ is against him Then this also from thence must needs follow for a truth He that is not against Christ is with him Because this latter saying is the conversion of the former by contraposition 18. Whereupon neither the first was dedicated without bloud What he had said before in generall of testaments now he declares in particular and proves by an example in the first or Old Testament and makes way for himselfe to apply the same unto Christ and to the New Testament established by him For because under the Old Testament it selfe was confirmed by bloud and because almost all things were cleansed by bloud at least sinnes could not be cleansed without shedding of bloud Therefore from hence he gathers by way of similitude that death and shedding of bloud must needs intervene under the New Testament that thereby both the Testament it selfe might be confirmed and our sinnes purged Was dedâ—cated The Greeke word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as Interpreters note is properly said when some solemne act is done whereby a new thing being perfected and finished begins to come in use So the Consecration of Solomons new Temple was called the Dedication of it and the Consecration of the new Altar erected by Judas Maccabeus was called the Dedication of it 1 Maccab. 4.56 And the annuall celebration of that dedication is called the feast of the dedication John 10.22 yet this word applied to leagues signifies nothing else but to confirme them And leagues are then confirmed when they are so ratified as thereby they have force and strength to become obligatory and binding to all parties therein interessed For the confirmation of a league is some solemne act done by the confederates or in their name whereby they mutually so binde their faith that it shall not bee lawfull for either party to rescinde or revoke the league And although there bee many formes of confirmation for leagues yet anciently the usuall forme was by bloud and that of the Old Testament was performed by the bloud of beasts Wherefore with good reason the Author saith that it was not dedicate or confirmed without bloud i. it began not to come
death for here is not considered what was done but what by the Law of Moses ought to be done 29. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy Here is the reddition of the former comparison which as the words themselves shew was drawne from the lesse to the more For it is a farre fowler offence to despise and reject the Son of God then Moses the Gospel then the Law Wherefore if to those who wilfully offended against Moses and the Law there was granted no pardon nor no place left for mercy much lesse must they hope it who despise the Son of God and much more are they to feare a more heavy judgement And therefore he can have no hope in the mercy of God that is found to be in so high an offence and in so wicked a state of life Who hath trodden under foote the Sonne of God They tread the Sonne of God under foote first who are obstinate enemies of the Gospel then Apostates who forsake the most holy Religion thereof either in their judgement and their profession or in their profession onely and after those who in profession adhere to the Son of God but in their lives and manners doe trample upon his holy ordinances and tread them under their feete And there is a great emphasis in the word treading underfeet for thereby is signified the most high contempt of the Son of God who is most worthy of all honour that the great wickednesse whereof such wretches are guilty may appeare more evidently And hath counted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified and unholy thing He aggravates the wickednes of these men especially of Apostats who count the bloud of Christ a vulgar and common thing therefore unholy and profane For profane is opposed to holines especially to such holines which is in the bloud of the Sonne of God who being in his person most holy his bloud also must needs be holy Now they profane the bloud of Christ who either forsake Gods Covenant consecrated and hallowed by the bloud of Christ or else esteeme it not of that value as for his sake whose bloud it was to abolish their sins and afterward lead an holy life Wherewith he was sanctified Sactified here is not referred to Christ as he had beene sanctified with his owne blood but to the wicked sinner who by his Apostacy profanes that blood wherewith he was once sanctified For the bloud of Christ is so farre from being an unholy thing that it is most holy and so holy that thereby every man is sanctified or hallowed yea they themselves were thereby once sanctified who afterward through their foule ungodlinesse counted it unholy And we are said to be sanctified by the bloud of Christ because by it our sinnes are expiated through faith in Christ For they who receive the faith of Christ and so incorporated into the new Covenant they obtaine pardon of all their former sinnes by vertue of the Covenant and therefore also by vertue of that bloud wherewith the Covenant was establisted For an Impunitie wherein the remission of sins doth properly consist is here by attained in such a manner that they have not onely a right to it by vertue of the Covenant but doe actually enjoy it as long as they persist in the faith on condition their faith be lively and working by love because so long God doth neither really punish them unlesse it be by way of correction to further their salvation neither hath he any intention to punish or destroy them but rather ordains and orders them to eternall salvation by removing all obstacles that may hinder it if they be not wanting to themselves And all this depends upon the new Covenant and the bloud of Christ wherewith it is confirmed and established And therefore no Christian given to vices can have any hope from the bloud of Christ as long as hee changeth not his life and manners For that is most true which the Apostle hath written If wee walke in the light as hee is in the light wee have fellowship one with another and the bloud of Iesus Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all sinne 1. John 1.7 Hence it appeares that wee are sanctified and cleansed by the bloud of Christ for the time to come yet upon this condition if for the time to come wee walke in the light as God is in the light i. If wee endeavour to bee like God in holinesse and righteousnesse persisting therein constantly to our lives end Yet the word Sanctifying in this place may signifie that separation of Christians from other men whereby through the knowledge of Gods truth they are sequestred from the profane and common sort of men and consecrated for the service of God For by the bloud of Christ wherewith the new Covenant is established men are moved to embrace Christian religion and receive it for the true And hath done despite unto the spirit of grace By the Spirit is understood that holy Spirit powred into the faithfull which is called the Spirit of grace because it is given by the singular grace and goodnes of God To this Spirit he doth despite whosoever rejecteth the Religion of Christ or esteemes it not so much as therefore to live holily according to the direction and suggestion of that Spirit For he gives not that credit to it that he ought and besides he doth in a manner as much as if he accounted it false 30. For we know him that hath said Vengeace belongeth unto me He confimes here what he said before of their fearfull punishments who wilfully runne into these sinnes Aud for this purpose hee citeth here the words of God Deut. 32.35 wherein God challengeth to himselfe recompence vengeance and judgement or professeth of himselfe that he will execute it Although God speake it there of vindicating his owne people and punishing those that oppressed them but the Author here applies them to that punishment which God himself will inflict upon his owne people if they rebell against God and Christ The meaning is that God will lay a heavy vengeance and judgement upon those that are rebellious and obstinate against the Sonne of God For we all know how great how powerfull and how terrible he is that hath reserved recompence and vengeance to himselfe Yet in these words Vengeance belongeth to me and I will recompence The intent is not so much to shew who the person is that hath this right to take vengeance as to leave it to our consideration how great and potent the person is who challengeth the execution of it to himselfe that hence it may appeare how grievous and how certaine the punishment of the wicked shall be Saith the Lord Here the person is expressed who challengeth to himselfe the execution of vengeance yet not so much for the designing of his person as for the notifying of his power that he is the Lord Jehovah the most high onely and Almighty God maker of
themselves in the former chapter he denied that they had already received the promise of God and were made perfect but that their state and condition is such that perfection and eternall happinesse is now remaining to them in a way immutable so that the certainty of attaining it is such as if they did already really enjoy it In this very sense Saint Paul useth the same word of himselfe when hee saith Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect Phil. 3.12 that is not that I am now in that state as if I could no way faile of that blessed resurrection for of this it was that he spake in the former verse for otherwise that he had not yet really attained eternall life no man could be ignorant and it were a fond thing to affirme it The Author therefore shews that those just ones though they had not attained eternall salvation in perfection in regard now nothing of them was extant but their spirits yet without all doubt should certainely enjoy it by the immutable decree of God Hence it appeares what it is for God to be Judge of all and what happinesse is therein contained if a man come both to the Judge and to the spirits of the just and be admitted into their society For thereby he is certain though his life here-faile him yet he shall not faile of the reward of eternall life 24. And to Iesus the Mediatour of the new Testament The Israelites heretofore came to Moses the Mediatour of the old Testament but Christians come to Jesus the Mediatour of the New But how much Jesus is better then Moses and the new Covenant better then the old we have shewed before chap. 3.8 and chap. 8.6 The word Mediatour is in a manner proper to the holy Scripture and peradventure no where used among profane Authors as others have noted Yet it is found out of the Sciptures in Philo who being a Jew used a forme of language that had some affinity with the sacred writers And what this word signifies being used of Christ we are easily taught by the example of Moses to whom that name was first attributed For although of it owne nature it may signifie any one who intervenes as a meane betweene two parties yet the example of Moses and the name of Covenant added that thereby is signified no other but an herald or hee who intervenes as a mean between God and men to make a Covenant for the joyning of them in a mutuall and firme peace and friendship For the effecting whereof it is not forthwith necessary to appease and mitigate the minde either of one or both parties when it may be either both parties as it was in the making of the old Covenant or one of them as it was under the new namely God doth freely incline to peace and friendship yea doth alone seeke offer and procure it And to the blood of sprinkling An Hebraisme for the blood which is sprinkled or wherewith aspersion is made Hee alludes to that blood of the old Covenant wherewith Moses after hee had rehearsed all the precepts of the Law sprinkled both the booke of the Law and the whole people whereof he said This is the bloud of the Testament which God hath enjoyned unto you as we had it before chap. 9. vers 19 20. We Christians are in like manner sprinkled with bloud and that with the most precious blood of Christ himselfe And wee are sprinkled with the bloud of Christ when in our hearts wee conceave and embrace the force of that bloudy death which he suffered to confirme the new Covenant in such manner that thereby wee have an infallible assurance made us of the promises comprehended in the Covenant whence it comes to passe that wee are made parties to the Covenant and obtaine a right of attaining to all the blessings promised therein That speaketh better things then that of Abel He commends this bloud wherewith Christians are sprinkled by mentioning the force and effect of it that they may joy the more for their aspersion with it and may moreover more carefully endeavour that they wash not the droppes of that bloud from their soules that is that they never fall away from the new Covenant nor cease to feel the force of the bloud of Christ and so deprive themselves of that great blessing which they gained by the shedding of it namely a right to eternall happinesse To the blood of Christ hee ascribes speech in a figurative sense as likewise to the bloud of Abel Both their blouds speake or as the Scripture saith of the bloud of Abel both cry unto God but Abels bloud cryes for vengeance upon his fratricide but Christs bloud cryes for remission and pardon even upon paricides for they may justly be called paricides who murdered Christ And unto these no lesse then unto all other sinners the bloud of Christ begs pardon from God of all their sinnes if they will repent and be converted from them And he begs it as hee engageth God to grant forgivenesse of sinnes to all penitent persons whatsoever their sinnes have been And he engageth God as hee was employed of God to confirme and establish the new Covenant which is so remarkable for that promise 25. See that yee refuse not him that speaketh To his former passages hee now subjoynes an Exhortation and fortifies it with new reasons And herein he seemes to allude to that fact of the Israelites whereof we spake before when they were stricken with such terrour of Gods Majesty that they entreated that God would speak no more unto them which fact of theirs was a kinde of presage or token that afterward they would not carry an ear and mind obedient to the voice of God He therefore admonisheth Christians that now after they have given their ear and mind to the voyce of God in the Gospel they would not againe turne their ear and mind from it which is done both by Apostacy and by disobedience See i. take diligent heed for they who take diligent heed cast about their eyes every way that they may escape the danger imminent For if they escaped not By an argument of comparison hee shewes that if they doe otherwise they shall not escape a grievous punishment for they the Israelites escaped not namely the punishment and avenging hand of God whereof wee treated chapters the 3. and 4. where wee saw that the Israelites for their unbeliefe and disobedience were debarred from entrance into that land of Promise wherein they should have rested after their grievous servitude in Egypt and perished in the wildernesse by divers destructions Who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turne away from him that speaketh from heaven He opposeth him who spake on earth to him who spake from heaven Now there can be no doubt but by him who spake from heaven hee understands God himselfe for presently after he addes verse 26. Whose voice then shooke the
common use For this sanctifying as the word following shewes consisteth onely in purifying of the flesh All the sanctifying that proceeded from the offerings of the bloud of calves and goates or from the sprinkling of the ashes of an heifer was but a carnall purifying to cleanse the flesh The Ceremoniall uncleannesses wherewith men by chance were defiled were expiated by these offerings and sprinklings and the partie predefiled became purified so that now it was lawfull for him to converse with other men to come to the Temple to be present at divine servivices and to partake of the Sacrifice from all which his former uncleannesse debarred him So that this Puritie or cleannesse of the flesh was both the end and effect of the offering of bloud and sprinkling of ashes 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ Some man may think that the Author should not have drawne his argument à mirori but rather à pari seeing there seemes an equalitie of reason on both sides that as well the legall sacrifice as that of Christ had a like force to produce their effects the blood of beasts to purifie the flesh and the blood of Christ to purifie the conscience But we must note that the blood of beasts and the offering of it is not altogether of like nature to purifie the flesh as the blood of Christ offered to God by the spirit is to the cleansing of the conscience For if we looke upon the nature of the thing what force hath the blood of beasts offered in the Sanctuary that thereby it should cleanse the flesh or be reputed to cleanse it Was not this effect of purifying the flesh tyed to the shedding and offering of that blood onely by the decree of God and that it might bee accounted to have this effect must they not have a knowledge of Gods decree by some other meanes But for the blood of Christ after the shedding of it there followed the offering of Christ himselfe in the heavenly Tabernacle or the shedding of Christs blood joyned with the offering of Christ himselfe as the Author considers the blood of Christ here seeing Christ therefore shed it that hee might offer himselfe in the Sanctuary of heaven both as a Priest and as a Sacrifice The blood of Christ I say if we respect the nature of the thing hath a potent force to purge our consciences or is the true and effectuall cause of their being purged For in the offering of Christ as wee have already said somwhat and more shall afterward is contained his singular and onely care of our salvation in heaven from whence the purifying of our consciences and the plenary remission of our sinnes doth flow and proceed as from the proper cause of it Furthermore that the blood of Christ may be knowne to have so great force looking on the nature of Christs death and the circumstances of it every man may easily be admonished of it For Christ by his blood did strongly maintain the truth of his doctrine having shed his blood he entred into heaven the habitacle of immortall life that what he had promised by his words hee might testifie to all men by his example having shed his blood and entered into his heavenly Sanctuary hee offered himselfe an immaculate sacrifice to God for us having shed his blood he obtained all power both in heaven and earth all judgement and arbitrement of our salvation Neither to obtaine this was the bloodshed of Christ a bare condition that of it owne nature and proper efficacy conferred nothing to it but seeing it conteineth so hard a worke of vertue and obedience a worke so acceptable to God and so advancing to his glory even of it own nature it had force and power to procure this power unto Christ and to produce in us the cleansing of our conscience Hee that ponders all this in his minde can he doubt but that by the blood of Christ he is expiated from all staine of sinne if he embrace the faith of Christ with all his heart and afterward as farre as the hope of eternall life can encourage him keep himselfe undefiled and pure from all staine of sinne Thus the nature and force of Christs death being considered the Authour with very good reason doth draw and conclude this his argument not from a parity of reason but from a disparity or from the lesse to the greater The blood of Christ There seemes an Emphasis in these words of the Author to make it yet more fully appeare how great force his blood hath in cleansing our consciences As if he had said The blood not of an ordinary man which yet is better then that of beasts but of Christ who is the unigenit son of God feated in heaven at the right hand of God and reigning over all creatures Shall not this blood have much more force to purge the conscience then the blood of beasts had to purifie the flesh Now that we may a little prevent the words of the Author the cleansing of our conscience is attributed to the blood of Christ both as it is the blood of the Covenant whereby the new Covenant is established and as it is the blood of the sacrifice which is offered for us in that heavenly Sanctuary both which the Authour hath conjoyned saving that he explicates the first last and the last first because it belongs to his Priesthood as the former is referred to his Mediatorship which two functions of Christ were fitly conjoyned in the mention of his blood for they are both coupled in the death of Christ for his Mediatorship ended in his death and his Priesthood began there But how the blood of Christ purgeth our consciences as it is the bloud of the Covenant wee shall see hereafter Yet now we shall adde thus much that the new Covenant was established by the bloud of Christ not onely as appointed so by God in manner as the bloud of calves and goates was of old appointed for the establishing of the old covenant but even the very nature and condition of his bloud was of great efficacy thereto For who can doubt of the truth of that covenant for confirmation whereof the bloud of Christ was shed who made this covenant in the name of God and afterward became our heavenly King Who through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without spot to God Here the Author clearly expresseth by what meanes the bloud of Christ as it was the bloud of the sacrifice had so much power force as to purge our consciences namely because Christ having shed his bloud did through the eternall Spirit offer himself without spot to God in the heavenly Sanctuary Hence it is manifest that the bloud of Christ had so far power to expiate our sins as the shedding of it was seconded by Christ his offering of himselfe in heaven which could not follow unlesse Christ had first shed his bloud For the bloud of Christ not onely as it is the bloud of
even of the most heynous in them who having tasted the force of that sacrifice do afterward live holily I say all kind of penalties not only of temporall death but of eternall which by force of the law all incurred that had truly and morally sinned For temporall life opposed to temporal death proceeded from the observation of the Law otherwise then eternall life did opposed to eternall death For to attain or preserve temporall life it sufficed to keep the Law taken in an open and literall sease as they call it and to expiate certain offences by certain rites and sacrifices But the latter could no man attaine by force of the Law unlesse a man had kept the precepts of it taken in a mysticall sense i. most fully and perfectly as the Gospell proposeth them For seeing eternall life was not contained in the promises of the Law but in a mysticall sense it was great equity that he who would attaine it by the benefit of the Law should likewise keep the precepts of the Law in a mysticall sense Neither only so but it must be kept exactly and without any sinne so that there should need no sacrifices or expiations For no sacrifices were of such force as to take away the guilt of eternall death and so estate a man in a right to eternall life neither did the Law open any other way to arrive at a plenary justification joyned with the reward of eternall life then by the merit of workes To serve the living God Here is the effect of this Expiation wrought in us by the bloud and offering of Christ For when our conscience doth clearly acknowledge that in respect of God it is freed from all guilt of all sinne even the most grievous and nothing can hinder us but our selves from enjoying the reall effect of our being acquitted from all sinne it comes to passe here by that we must needs have strong motives to carry us on to the worship and service of God and to receive the faith of Christ to the end wee may effectually enjoy so great a blessing and having once enjoyed it never lose it but afterward abstaine from all sinne with all our possible endeavour knowing well that so great a blessing is attained and preserved with true piety Hence it appeares that this purging of our conscience gotten by the bloud of Christ must be so understood in this place that for the reall effect of it it depends upon our duty on our part i. then it begins to have it effect in us when our faith and obedience begins toward God and Christ and is continued by the continuance of our faith and obedience and by constancie and perseverance in faith and godlinesse to the end is at length consummated and doth rest in a full and immutable right to eternall life the effect whereof will most certainly follow in due time For unlesse this effect and complement of our expiation depend reciprocally upon our duty and our duty and will to serve God flowed immediatly from it what one man among a thousand would serve God upon the expiation of his finnes if he knew that without this he could be expiated effectually and released from the guilt of all his sinnes and enjoy a full right to eternall life because therefore this offering of Christ doth withdraw us from sinne and makes us afterward serve the living God hence it comes to passe that Christ doth expiate us by one only offering or that our expiation flowing from the offering and sacrifice of Christ is eternall and lasteth forever For what need the offering be iterated if men once expiated sinne no more For although sometime by error or infirmity the true worshippers of God may offend yet because the offering of Christ doth not so properly intend to expiate such light offences as sinnes that are more heynous as appears by the proper nature of the new Covenant as it stands distinguished from the old therefore the oblation of Christ must not be iterated for our light infirmities and lapses Therefore for the removing of the guilt of such light offences the perpetuall residence of Christ our high Priest in his heavenly Sanctuary and his intercession to his Father for us is abundantly sufficient so that for them he need not shed his bloud againe and after the shedding of it enter into his Sanctuary The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not alwayes signifie all kind of obedience and service done unto God but chiefly that divine service done to God publikly most properly as hath before been shewed those holy reverences which we perform in the worship of God Yet the Author useth it here by a Metonymie for all divine service that is joyned with the worship of God for worship and service are mutuall adjuncts connexed each to other For so great a benefit of God as the expiation of all our sins should easily move us to perform divine services unto God by praises and thanksgivings and wholly to devote out selves to worship to good a God for then we take courage to approach unto God to worship and serve him and to hope that the honour we do him will not be unacceptable unto him when we feel our conscience clean quiet as purged from all sin Or else the word here is taken by way of Metaphor whereby all good works pleasing unto God and done for his sake are accounted for sacrifices and offerings acceptable to God and that wholy endeavours them may fitly be said to serve God God is here called the living God according to the ordinary phrase of Scripture which notwithstanding in this place wants not an emphasis Not only because hereby the true God is distinguished from all the feigned gods of the Gentiles which because they were nothing but woodden or stony Idols and therefore woodden and stony gods were called vaine and livelesse gods and are opposed to the living God But also to shew the cause why we should worship and serve God and withall the happinesse of those that devote themselves unto him For seeing hee is the living God hee is also the true God who can reward his worshippers and servitors with great benefits and recompence them with fearfull judgments who neglect him To this end Paul writing to the Thessalonians saith Yee are turned from Idols to God to serve the living and true God 1 Thess 1.9 And the word there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifies to serve And God is eminently called the living God not only because he truly lives but also because he is the fountaine of life to all other things which do live In which sense sometimes hee alone is said to live or to have life and immortality in himself 15. And for this cause Here the Author confirmes his former assertion by a new argument in that Christ is the Mediatour of the new Testament or that Christ made the New Testament and sealed it with his bloud For this is the nature of
in use among men and to be of force before it was ratified by the bloudshed of beasts For this bloud gave beginning to that testament in respect of the force of it The Author useth the very same word afterward Chap. 10.20 where our English Translation renders it consecrated By a new and living way which he hath consecrated unto us whereof in it due place 19. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people That the first Testament was not dedicated without bloud hee now proves by a narration of the carriage of the action shewing the dedication or confirmation of that Testament both for the manner and matter wherby it was confirmed and his narration hereof is for the most part taken out of Scripture Exod. 24. Moses did both speake and read all the precepts to the people For first he spake them by word of mouth as the Lord had delivered them to him and upon his rehearsing or speaking of them the people gave their unanimous approbation and consented to doe them Exod. 24.3 Then he wrote them in a book and read them in the audience of the people and the people againe the second time gave their approbation ibid. ver 7. The word spoken includes both these actions of reciting and reading for all reading is speaking also because he that reads speaks out of a booke The precepts by Moses confirmed were all those Lawes of the Old Testament that did binde universally both persons and times which all persons were bound to observe perpetually for such were properly the precepts of Gods league with the people although happily they were not all assigned to the preceding Chapters in Exod. but are related in other places and in the following books of Moses For those preceps which after the confirmation of the league or testament are described in the following Chapters of Exodus are not properly Lawes but certaine Ordinances of God for the present concerning the framing and ordering of the Tabernacle the furniture of it and other things whereby the worship of God was then to bee performed And yet there besome who think that the passages recited Exod. 24. concerning the confirmation of the Covenant are spoken only by way of historicall anticipation And this opinion is not without some shew of probability According to the Law This is a limitation of the universall word every precept to shew that he spake not of all precepts in generall but of every precept in the Law delivered to Moses and written by Moses in the booke and read by Moses to the people Hee tooke the bloud of calves and of goats It is not expressed in the story of Moses that he tooke or shed the bloud of goats for that action Yet it is very credible that there were goats among the burnt-offerings and peace-offerings then slaine unto God For that Moses nameth only calves it might therefore be because they are the more worthy creatures Unlesse wee should rather say that first the whole people was sprinkled and expiated by Moses which the Author chiefly respected and might know it some other way for the bloud of goats was usually shed to expiate the sinnes of the whole people With water and scarlet wooll and hysop Neither doe wee read this in the fore-cited place of Moses but the Author who undoubtedly was very skilfull in the Jewish customes doth perhaps therefore mention water because hee knew that water was mingled with the bloud which was sprinkled as was usuall in other purifyings for bloud unlesse it bee mingled with water doth quickly congeale and being congealed is unfit for sprinkling But of hysop and scarlet wooll tyed to a cedar sticke was made a sprinkler whereof as of water mixt with bloud see Exod. 12.22 and Levit. 4.4,5,6 And sprinkled both the booke and all the people Of the booke being sprinkled we likewise read not in Moses Yet this divine Author knew the certainty of this no lesse then of the rest But all the people is said to be sprinkled because they among the people who stood nearest were sprinkled and in that respect represented the person of the whole people so that thereby all the people were accounted sprinkled 20. Saying this is the bloud of the Testament In the Hebrew for this is Behold but the sense is the same Now the bloud of calves and goats is called the bloud of the Testament because by means of it the Old Testament was confirmed and established Which God hath enjoyned unto you In the Hebrew it is which God hath made with you God had not yet made it preteritively but did then make it presentively and therefore the preter tense is there figuratively put for the present But because God himselfe in his owne person did not confirme that Covenant with the people but Moses did it at the command and in the name of God therefore the Author expressing the verity of the thing for the word made puts the word enjoyned as if Moses had said This is the bloud of the Testament which God hath enjoyned me to make with you Yet this injunction or command did not rest upon the person of Moses only but was extended unto the people also for as the confirmation of the testament was enjoyned to Moses that he should speed it is Gods name So the observation of it was enjoyned unto the people that they should keep it because the Testament for the matter contained Laws and Precepts which God enjoyned to the people as if Moses had further said This is the bloud of the Testament which God enjoyned unto me to confirme and hath enjoyned unto you to observe 21. Moreover he sprinkled with the bloud both the Tabernacle and all the vessels of the Ministery Hee shews that not only the Old Testament it selfe was confirmed with bloud but also that under the Old Testament divers consecrations and expiation were made by bloud especially of sinnes as hee mentions it ver 22. This hee doth that from hence he might gather that under the New Testament also the shedding of bloud must fitly intervene to consecrate and expiate the conscience and a bloud so much more pretious as he is more pretious by whom the conscience is expiated And the Author doth so joyne the consecration of the Tabernacle and the vessels of it made with bloud with the confirmation of the Testament it selfe that he specifies no difference of time between them And if the Tabernacle and ministeriall vessels were consecrated at the time wherin the Testament was confirmed then without all doubt the history of confirming the Testament Exod. 24. is delivered by way of anticipation seeing that after that Confirmation mentioned there precepts are delivered in the following chapters for the making of the Tabernacle and ministeriall vessels and for ordering of the publike worship and service of God as also the making and consecration of them is particularly described But from the words of the Author it cannot bee gathered that both these were done
at the same time seeing hee to his former words of confirming the Testament by bloud doth simply subjoyne that Moses did also sprinkle the Tabernacle and the ministerial vessels with bloud which may as well be taken of another time as of the same Although Moses saith not openly that the Tabernacle and ministeriall vessels after they were all finished were sprinkled with bloud but only anointed with the holy oyle Yet because we read that the Altar was not onely anointed with oyle but also sprinkled and consecrated with bloud therefore hence we may gather that in the consecration of the Tabernacle it selfe and of the ministeriall vessells sprinkling of blood was joyned with their anointing For Josephus delivers this in plain words in his Antiquitie lib. 3. cap. 9. Where describing the Ceremonie and forme of that Consecration hee saith Then hee sprinkled the garments of Aaron and his sonnes with the bloud of the Sacrifices-purifying them with running water and with the ointment c. He sprinkled also the Tabernacle and his vessels with the ointment and with the bloud of bullocks and rams slaine every other day after their kind From this verse therefore it may appeare that anciently there were many things among the Jewes especially concerning external rites of manifest truth which notwithstanding are not written in the bookes of Moses and therefore wee need not marvell that this Author doth affirme some things which we finde not delivered in the books of Moses as we have noted already in this chapter verse 4. and verse 19. 22. And almost all things by the law are purged with bloud He amplifies his former instances drawing them from particulars almost to an universall to conclude his assertion by way of Induction Not only the Tabernacle and Ministeriall vessels which were the principall utensils about the worship of God but almost all things else were purged with bloud He saith almost all things because some things were purged without bloud for some were purged or cleansed onely by the washing of water as hee that carried out the Scape-goat must cleanse himselfe by washing his clothes and bathing his flesh in water Levit. 16.26 And the Priest who became uncleane by the touch of a person or thing unclean must cleanse himself by washing his flesh with water Levit. 22.6 And some other things were first purged by melting in the fire and afterward repurged over with the water of separation as silver and gold and all other mettals that could abide to passe through the fire Numb 31.22,23 According to the Law i. According as the Law prescribed things should be purged And without shedding of blood is no remission How ever other things were purged yet this is certaine that under the Law sinnes were not remitted without shedding of bloud Whence wee may rationally gather that the shedding of bloud must also intervene for the purging of our consciences or to expiate those sinnes that pollute our consciences That which the Author here affirmes is most certaine universally and suffers no exception unlesse in case of extreme poverty when the persons to bee purged were so poore that for the purging of their sinne they were not able to bring for their offering a paire of Turtles or a paire of yong Pigeons whereof see Levit. 5.12 Otherwise the rule holds vniversally not onely for a sinne of the whole people but also for the sin of any single person whatsoever bloud must be shed and a sacrifice must be offered See Levit. chap. 4. chap. 5. and chap. 6. 23. It was therefore necessary that the paterns of things 〈◊〉 the heavens should be purified with these Hitherto the Author hath taught that bloud was required for the purging both of the Tabernacle and of sins Now some man might say Although blood were required for this purifying yet it was not necessary that the blood of Christ should be shed for it but the bloud of beasts might have served the turne as it did under the Law To this tacite objection the Author answeres in these words and sheweth that heavenly things were to be purged with farre better Sacrifices then the Sacrifices of beasts For the purging of earthly holy things the sacrifices of beasts did suffice but for the purging of heavenly holy things which of all other are most excellent there needed a most excellent Sacrifice And none could be more excellent then Christ And besides for the purging of any Sanctuarie there must needs be a Sacrifice or at least some thing of the Sacrifice must be brought into it But neither beasts themselves nor their bloud or bodies neither must nor can be brought into that heavenly Sanctuary But Christ himselfe and his body made immortall was brought in thither Therefore for heavenly holy things the bloud of Christ must be shed and not the bloud of beasts Againe the holy things under the Law were not onely purged when they were first made and dedicated but also were yearly to be purged by the annuall Sacrifice For they were accounted pollutted by the yearely sinnes and uncleannesses of the people Whereof see Levit. 16.15 How the earthly holy things were paternes of those things which are in heaven and for what cause we have already shewed chap. 8. ver 5. The things in the heavens are put for the holy heavenly things from which the heaven it self that invisible heaven which is the most holy Sanctuary must not be excluded But the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices then these The heavenly things are the heavenly holy things as the verse following shewes But it may be demanded how those heavenly holy things can be said to be purged seeing they never were polluted Wee answer That this is said of the heavenly Sanctuary onely by way of Comparison as a thing very usuall And the nature of Comparisons is to breed many abusions For if we respect the scope of the Author it is enough for us to understand that the Sacrifice to be offered in the heavenly Sanctuary must be much more excellent then those which of old were wont to be offered in the earthly Sanctuarie For this both the nature of the heavenly Sanctuary wholly requires and also the effect of the oblation sutable to heaven But if any man yet demand a more neere resemblance it may be said That heavenly Sanctuary was indeed purged by the Sacrifice and offering of Christ First in as much as it was so consecrated thereby that an accesse is made open for us unto it and as I may say it is dedicated for our use hereafter As the old Tabernacle and many things else were not open and free for mens use before they were consecrated and they for their uncleannesse as it was accounted but this for our uncleannesse which must bee purged away before a right and an use of that heavenly Sanctuary can be granted us So that in this sence by a contrary way of speech and yet not unusuall the Author said that heaven must be purged for our
because it will surely come it will not tarry Hab. 2.3 Some tarrying therefore there will be yet short and small and therefore wee ought to expect it without wearinesse 38. Now the just shall live by faith The Authour proceeds in alleadging further words of the Prophet wherein is contained a new motive to constancy in faith on which our patience and sufferings of evils depends For from these words it appears what great fruit grows from an invincible faith that will not be beaten downe by any afflictions and on the contrary what great mischiefe followes upon a minde born down with afflictions and falling from the faith Now the fruit of faith is life even everlasting life For the just shall live by his faith i. He therefore shall live because he wholly trusteth upon God and relying upon his goodnesse power wisedome and promises do never let fall their courage what ever difficulties and impediments they meet withall in their obedience to Gods precepts hee is not dejected with any storme of evils hee is not wearied with any waiting for the stay of the promised reward and therefore hee perseveres in righteousnesse to his last end For faith in this place is considered as it is accompanied with patience constancie pietie and justice and as it is a living and a lively faith that is exercised and delighted in good workes For life is not promised to every man upon faith but to the just and righteous man and to this faith is opposed drawing backe in the words following But if any man draw backe To draw backe from God is nothing else but in despaire of his promises to cease from our duetie and to depart from the hard conflict of patience justice and pietie and in a word to acquit the Christian warfare and steale from the Armie of Christ My soul shall have no pleasure in him Thus the Septuagint have translated the Hebrew text of the soule of God and not of his soule who drawes back of whom the Hebrew text may be understood For in that it is his soul is not right in him If therefore according to the Hebrew text the words bee taken of his soule who drawes backe then the meaning is the soule of that man is not right in him his soule hath not a sincere and true love to vertue because his soule being weary of vertue and good workes takes thence an occasion to doubt of Gods promises And because such a soule is not right but perverse therefore it pleaseth not God Wherefore seeing the just who lives by his faith is opposed to the man that drawes backe and the just mans condition to this mans condition therefore the adversative particle but is by the Authour rightly applyed even to this latter clause but in the Prophet the clauses are transposed and this latter put in the former place vid. Hab. 2.4 39. But we are not of them who draw backe unto perdition Having declared the condition of the just man who is constant in his faith and of the man who drawes backe or wavers in his faith and pietie hee now shewes that not this latter but that former must be the condition of Christians whose state doth require from them that they be constant in the faith that by this meanes they may save their soules and not waver in faith to withdraw themselves from the conflicts of pietie and patience and so bring perdition to their soules For the Authour speakes not of what actually is done but what in justice ought to bee done and is agreeing to the calling and condition of a Christian The same sentence in a manner is contained in those words of the Apostle where describing the condition of Christians hee saith God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtaine salvation 1. Thes 5.9 Now the end of drawing backe is perdition or destruction as the issue of faith is the saving of the soule for perdition and salvation are opposed But of them that beleeve to the saving of the soule The soule in this place doth either signifie onely our life or our spirit which is the principall part of us and being preserved for us and restored unto us Our life remanes in safetie And we save our life or spirit when we are delivered from destruction unto such a life that can never be destroyed The Contents of this tenth Chapter are 1. Doctrine The legall Sacrifices could never perfect the worshippers of God Reason 1. Because the Law had but a shadow of perfect expiation and not the very image of it ver 1. 2. Because they were offered yeare by yeare continually for if they could have perfected the worshippers then they would have ceased to be offered ver 1. 2. 3. Because there was a new Remembrance guiltinesse and confession of sins every yeare v. 3. 4. Because the matter of them was the bloud of bulls and goats which cannot possibly take away sins ver 4. 2. Doctrine The Sacrifice of Christ is substituted in the roome of the Legall sacrifices ver 5. Reason 1. Because it was not the will and pleasure of God that the Legall sacrifices should be any longer of force v. 5. 8. 2. Because God had called Christ and fitted him a body for an expiatory sacrifice ver 5. 3. Because Christ most willingly accepted of Gods will and pleasure to performe it by making himselfe a sacrifice ver 7. 9. 4. Because we are really expiated and sanctified by the will of God through the offering of Christ ver 10. 3. Doctine The Sacrifice of Christ was singular one only once offered ver 10. Reason 1. Because he did not offer yeare by yeare as the Legall Priests did but once for ever ver 12. 2. Because after he had made his offering he sat downe at the right hand of God till his enemies were made his footstool ver 12. 13. 3. Because by one offering he perfectly expiated all that are sanctified 4. Because by virtue of the Covenant whereof he was the high Priest his one offering wrought a plenary remission of sins 4. Duty We must worship God with a true heart a full assurance of faith and a good conscience 22. Motive 1. Because we have now liberty to enter into heaven by a new and living way which Christ hath consecrated for us 19. 20. 2. Because wee have Christ a great high Priest over the house of God ver 21. 3. Because we are washed and sanctified with the Holy Ghost v. 22. 5. Duty We must be constant and stedfast in the profession of our faith without wavering ver 23. Motive 1. Because God who hath made us the promise is faithfull 6. Duty We must provoke one another to love and good works 24. Motive 1. Because we see the day of the Lord approaching 25. 7. Duty We must take heed of sinning wilfully after wee have received the truth ver 26. Motive 1. Because there is no other Sacrifice for sins besides that one offering of Christ once made 26. 2.
more bitter then the paine of it and therefore the Author addes Despising the shame It was a great shame and disgrace to the Sonne of God who well knew the high dignity of his person after he had delivered so many gracious doctrines and wrought so many admirable miracles after so great hope and expectation raised of him to be seized upon by hangmen dragged to execution nailed to a crosse lifted up on high to endure the faces and eyes of all men upon him and be set as a marke for the spears and darts of bitter tongues Yet Christ despised all this despite all this shame and this disgrace that for a momentany shame be might attaine everlasting glory and for a temporall paine on earth eternall joy in heaven And is set downe at the right hand of the throne of God This is added to shew that Christ was not frustrated of his hope but that hee received a large reward of his faith and patience To teach us that if we also follow him in this race we shall have the like issue of our faith and patience But the great dignity and glory to Christ that is signified by his sitting at the right hand of Gods throne is before explicated Chap. 1. ver 3. From this place and the other Chap. 8.1 it appears that when Christ is said to sit at the right hand of God by Gods right hand is not understood his power and strength as elsewhere it is but in this phrase by a simily drawne from men is signified that the place at Gods right hand is more honourable then that at his left For otherwise it were not rightly said the right hand of the throne of God because a throne hath no hand nor is supposed to have any but only a right side of it And many times in the same sense Christ is said to sit in the plurall number at the right hands of God or his power For when the power of God is understood or a right hand is attributed unto him by way of analogie it is not called the right hands of God in the plurall number but his right hand in the singular But when the right or left place is signified it is commonly expressed plurally by right or left hands though it be uttered in respect of one person only See Mat. 20.21 and Mat. 25.33,34 41. 3. For consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himselfe lest ye be wearied and faint in your mindes Hee expresseth the end and use of the example of Christ why wee should diligently consider it because we are to make this use of it that our mindes may not bee tired with adversities and afflictions and so wee become wearied and faint in the course of our faith and patience which here by profession of Christ we have begun to runne 4. For ye have not resisted unto blood striving against sinne He exhorts them with a new argument to an invincible courage in bearing the afflictions which they suffered For it seemes he would make them somwhat ashamed that seeing the miseries wherewith they were pressed were not so grievous as that hitherto they had drawne bloud from them yet they begun to fail in courage and strength contrary to Gods expresse monition Here also he alludes to strifes yet such as were by fencing or fighting and not by running For sinne would beat us from our constancy of faith and pietie toward God but among the afflictions which come to be suffered of us for the love of Christ is the abnegation or deniall of sinne against which we must fight In this fight therefore while the combat is but upon our goods our credit and reputation the matter is not yet come to bloud but when cruelty torture and death chargeth upon our bodies then the businesse is in good earnest and the fight is in the heat These Hebrewes as it seems were not yet in danger of their lives for Christ but their sufferings were only mockings reproaches and spoiling of their goods as appeareth chap. 10. ver 33.34 The Authour therefore shewes what a shamefull thing it is to turne the backe and flie at the first skirmish as it were and entrance of the fight But when he brings in sinne for their enemy with whom they are to deale he doth therein by a most effectuall argument encourage them to an holy valour lest they should fail in their combat with an enemy so base and dangerous 5. And ye have forgotten the exhortation And for and yet by way of a particle adversative As if he had said Though ye have not yet spent your life and bloud for the love of Christ yet the divine admonition or exhortation is slipt out of your minde wherein yee are commanded to receive the chastning of the Lord with a ready minde and to beare it patiently And consequently yee have forgotten your dutie contained in that exhortation For the Authour doth not reprehend them meerly for their memory that they had forgotten the words of that exhortation but for their negligence in not performing the duty therein commanded We have said elswhere that hee is said to remember a person or a matter who hath a care of it and therefore hee that hath not such care though otherwise hee remember him in mind doth forget him This hath place chiefly in commands councells and exhortations which are not given therefore only to remaine in our memories but they must so remain in our memories as that they be put in execution and actually performed And when the authoritie of the commander or admonisher is so great that it is not likely but that hee who doth but onely remember the command or monition would obey it with great reason they may be said to forget it who though they retaine it in a lively memory yet obey it not Which speaketh unto you as unto children The Author commends this exhortation from the qualitie of it that it is very gentle and fatherly in regard it termes them children to whom it is directed For who but a froward and obstinate person would not give way to such an exhortation The exhortation is said to speak by way of Metonymie because he that exhorteth speaketh by it or rather because it is the very speech of him that exhorteth Now the person who exhorteth is openly Solomon but secretly God by whose instinct Solomon uttered this Pro. 3.11 Therefore in this exhortation God himselfe calleth us his children from whence it follows that we should receive it readily and observe it diligently My sonne despise not thou the chastning of the Lord. When we make God himselfe to speak and not Solomon then the name or Nowne of the Lord must bee supposed to be put for the Pronowne my after the Hebrew phrase To despise or as it is in the Hebrew to reject the chastning of the Lord is nothing else but an unwillingnesse to bear it patiently but to kick against it as against a prick By the chastning of the
can want his care for feeding ruling and defending and lastly seeing he so feeds his sheep that he recovers them from the jaws of death and hell and settles them in possession of the Kingdome of Heaven Through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant These words must not be referred to the words brought again but must be construed with the word shepheard And a shepheard by or through bloud is such a shepheard as had shed his bloud for so we read 1 John 5.6 That Christ came by water and bloud not by water only but by water and bloud that is he was not only pure and clear from all spot or stain of sinne which purity is signified by the word water but also that he suffered a bloudy death by shedding of his bloud The Author had intimated before that this great Shepheard was dead in saying that God brought him againe from the dead but now he further shewes not onely the manner of his death that it was violent cruell and bloudy but also the cause of his death to what end he dyed which end tendeth to our infinite benefit namely to confirme and seale the everlasting covenant For the bloud of the Covenant is that bloud which is shed to dedicate establish and confirme the Covenant that it may never be revokeable But the Author understands the new Covenant which was confirmed by the bloud of Christ Whence wee may easily collect how certaine and sure we may be of the promises contained in that Covenant if we performe the conditions of it which are most just and equall When he calls this Covenant everlasting he tacitly opposeth it to the old covenant by Moses which was not to continue to the end of the world therfore was not properly everlasting And by the eternity of this Covenant that it is everlasting is withall intimated the perfection of it for if it were not perfect it could not be everlasting as the former old covenant was not everlasting because it was not perfect but weake and unprofitable and therefore it was disanulled and abolished as the Author said before chap. 7.18 For there is verily a disanulling of the commandement going before for the weakenesse and unprofitablenesse thereof And what is said of one commandement or precept may well be referred to the whole covenant Besides the eternity of this covenant is mentioned of purpose to advance our comfort and strengthen our hope for whereas it is called everlasting that shews that it shall not onely produce his full effect but also shall last to the end of the world Our Lord Iesus In these words the Author points out the person whom we must understand to be that great Shepheard namely no other then our Lord Jesus that is our Lord who is Jesus so that our Lord holds the place of the subject and the name Jesus is added to declare who is meant by our Lord. By which appellation the Author teacheth us what a great Shepheard Jesus is seeing he is our Lord constituted so by God his Father who brought him againe from the dead That onely Lord by whom are all things and we by him whom wee must worship with God the Father Yet in all this pathetick and stately description of our Lord Jesus the Author signifies nothing more unto us then what was formerly contained in his appellation of high Priest so frequently attributed unto him in this Epistle From all which what great hope and comfort wee may gather to our soules need not here bee repeated 21. Make you perfect in every good worke Now he expresseth the wish it selfe which is wholly concerning their owne duty For to attaine eternall happinesse nothing else is required on our part but to performe our duty according as it is enjoyned us To make them perfect in every good worke is so to enable them that no good worke office or Christian vertue be wanting in them and that they be wanting in no good worke to performe it perfunctorily unwillingly or disaffectedly especially in point of temptation and matter of persecution wherein because it is for the triall of their faith Patience must have her perfect worke as S. James requires it Jam. 1.4 To doe his will The particle to here doth not signifie the finall cause because to be perfect in every good worke and to doe the will of God are really the same thing and therefore these can neither be the end nor the meanes one of another But this particle is here explicative to the former words and is all one with so as for he that is perfect in every good worke or Christian vertue he truly and properly doth the will of God Working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight He expresseth the way or meanes whereby God is to make them perfect in every good worke namely by working in them that which is well-pleasing in his sight That which pleaseth God is every good worke And God worketh a good worke in us when he exciteth and moveth us to it and preventeth us with his grace while we thinke not of it when hee ministreth unto us sufficient strength and helpe thereto suggesteth occasions unto us and lastly when he cherisheth and perfecteth it in us And not that he worketh in us without our worke that is while we are unwitting unwilling or idle but while we are willing endeavouring and acting For otherwise there were neither need nor reason that the Author should exhort us with so many monitions incitements and precepts unto godlinesse whereto he with good reason also added his wish to teach us that we must joyne Gods helpe with our endeavours and our endeavours with his helpe Through Iesus Christ It is doubtfull whether these words must hee joyned with the word working or with the words well-pleasing to shew us what is well-pleasing in the sight of God namely that which is done through Iesus Christ and by him commanded to be done So Peter 1 Epist 2.5 when he had said that wee must offer spirituall sacrifices acceptable unto God added also by Jesus Christ shewing us thereby what those sacrifices are namely no other then what are commanded in the Religion of Jesus Christ For those words in Peter seeme rather to bee referred to acceptable then to offered although the latter may be admitted To whom be glory for ever and ever The pronoune to whom is placed so indifferently by the Author that it may be referred both unto God in the former verse and to Jesus Christ mentioned immediately before And the Author seemes to have ordered it so of purpose and to reserve the mention of Christ for the last place that with this one doxology he might celebrate and magnifie both persons both God and Christ For he that is a true Christian cannot be ignorant that glory for ever and ever must be ascribed no lesse unto Christ then unto God himselfe Whereof reade what is written Revel 5.12,13 Whence also Peter concludes his 2. Epistle with the like
God This reason St. Paul gives applying to the Resurrection of Christ the words of the Psalme Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee Act. 13.33 Whom he hath appointed heire God hath appointed Christ to inherit the sovereigne dominion and Kingdome of God first by granting him a right or title to it and afterward by giving him the reall possession of it Yet he possesseth it not successively after his father as the manner is among men but accessorily and joyntly together with his father Of all things His universall heire he alludes to an only son who is the sole heire of all his fathers estate For Christ is the unigenit or only son of God not that God hath not other sons but that he hath none such as he Seeing then God is the universall proprietary and Lord of all things therefore Christ being his only son and heire becomes universall Lord also of all things over all Angells and men whether alive or dead By whom also he made the world God by the mediation or meane of Christ did reforme and restore mankinde who is the chiefest part of the world by giving him a new state and condition by a new Covenant For the Hebrews who have no or few compound verbs say a thing is made when in regard of some qualities it is altered or renewed or made otherwise then it was before by assuming a new forme or fashion for a better condition So we are said to be created in Christ to good workes and we are called a new creature not in regard of any new creation or new nature but because of new relations unto God or new qualities in our selves 3. Who being the brightnesse of his glory Christ was the lustre raye or beam of Gods Majesty For seeing God is invisible and cannot be seen of men by reason of his immense and infinite light therefore God sent forth Christ as a raye or beam of his light that in Christ men might have a kinde of sight of Gods Majesty And the expresse image of his person These words doe but interpret the former Adam and in him every man made is made in the image of God to resemble God in some of Gods attributes but Christ is the character or image of Gods person for God did as it were imprint his person upon Christ that Christ might be his substitute upon earth to personate represent and resemble the person of God to be in wisdome as God by publishing the mysteries and secrets of God and by knowing the thoughts of men to be in holinesse as God without all staine of sin to be in power as God having dominion over all creatures over windes seas and devills For such divine wisdome holinesse and power are brightnesses images or markes of Gods Supremacie or Soveraigne Majestie Vpholding all things by the word of his power Christ carried all things by his powerfull Command for according to the Hebrew sence Word is put for Command as Psal 33.7 and Psal 143.15 And the Word of his power is an Hebraisme also for his powerfull word q. d. Christ did personate God not onely for the acts of his power but also for the manner of his acts because he wrought all his miracles by his sole Word or Command For at his Word or Command the windes ceased the sea calmed diseases were healed the divels were ejected and the dead raised And to this the Centurion applied his faith when he said Lord Speak the word only and my servant shall be healed Mat. 8.8 When he had by himself purged our sinnes Christ offered up himself in his own person and did not as the Leviticall Priest who used to offer sacrifices that were not himself but Christ was both the Priest who offered and the sacrifice which was offered And by this oblation of himselfe he expiated or purged away our sinnes by removing our guiltines and the punishment due to our sins Christ was a sacrifice to expiate our sinnes and the slaughter of this sacrifice was made on earth upon the crosse but the offering of this sacrifice was then performed when he entred into heaven and made his Appearance in the presence of God as the Leviticall Priest after the sacrifice was slain entered into the Sanctuary to offer the blood of it And this Oblation of Christ had then onely an efficacy or power to expiate our sins but the effect of it followes not upon us till we on our part performe our office by beleeving in Christ and obeying him Sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high The Leviticall high Priest when he went into the Oracle where God was said to dwell and sit betweene the Cherubins did not sit downe with God betweene the Cherubins but stood as a minister or waiter with great reverence of the Divine Majestie offering and sprinkling that blood wherewith he entered But Christ ascending on high and entering into heaven did not stand before the Throne of God as a minister or supplicant but sat downe at the right hand of Gods Majestie Yet he sat not by way of an Assistant unto God as Nobles and Councellers doe to earthly Princes but by way of Cor-regnant to reigne with him having absolute power over the people or Church of God and for the Churches sake over all other things For according to Saint Paul 1. Cor. 15.25 To sit at the right hand of God is to reigne and governe as God And Christ doth now reigne and governe absolutely and arbitrarily in all things not defined by Gods law but where Gods law orders things there he governs accordingly 4. Being made so much better then the Angels The Apostle formerly having tacitely preferred Christ before all the Prophets and before the high Priests proceeds now to compare and preferre Christ before the Angels to wit which must be marked from the time of his session at Gods right hand corregnant with him Whereupon he layes down this position or doctrine That Christ sitting at Gods right hand reigning with him in absolute power is become more excellent then the Angels This doctrine he presently proves by severall arguments following As he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name then they This is the first argument whereby he proves his former doctrine because Christ hath obtained a more excellent name then the Angels By name here we are not to understand that dominion or dignity of Christ whereby he reignes with his Father in absolute power for this were to argue tautologously seeing he mentioned that before But by name he meanes the Appellation or title given to Christ noting his state and condition For from Appellations and titles especially given by God we may easily gather the dignitie and excellency of any person And this excellent name Christ hath obtained by Inheritance Which shewes that he had it not by nature nor from eternitie but in time by grace from the favour of God 5. For unto which of the Angels said he at any time
hurt the bodies of men but their soules also so likewise wee beleeve it the office of the angels to protect not the bodies onely of the Saints but their soules also Satan hath power to inject evill thoughts into the mindes of men and to incite them to divers sinnes whom therefore the Scripture makes the Author and Parent of all sinne who workes effectually in the children of disobedience whom shee calls the Prince and god of this world who put it into the heart of Judas to betray Christ and into the heart of Ananias to lie unto the holy Ghost Now if Satan can doe this why cannot good angels inject good thoughts and by divers objects draw the minde to that which is acceptable unto God And when an angel is sent to deliver a man from danger he commonly delivers him no otherwise then by casting into his thoughts some advice or counsell whereby he may decline the danger or by putting some thought upon his adversary whereby to divert him from his entended enterprise Neither are wee to understand that the angels are sent forth only and soly for this end to minister to the Saints but that is the principall and chiefe end for many times the emissions redound to the benefit and profit of others both persons and kingdomes but especially concerning the affaires of the Church whereof Christ is Lord and Protector The Contents of this first Chapter 1. Doctrine Christ is greater then any of the Prophets Reason 1. Because God hath spoken by Christ in these last dayes verse 2. 2. Because Christ is appointed heire of all things eod 3. Because by him God made the new world eod 2. Doctrine Christ is greater then any of the high Priests verse 3. Reason 1. Because Christ is the brightnes of Gods glory and the expresse image of his person eod 2. Because Christ hath expiated our sinnes by himselfe even by his owne blood eod 3. Because Christ is now set downe at the right hand of Gods Majesty on high eod 3. Doctrine Christ is much greater then the Angels verse 4. Reason 1. Because Christ hath a greater name then they for he is called and is the true Son of God verse 4. 5. 2. Because the Angels are his subjects and servants for they must worship him and minister unto him verse 6. 7. 3. Because Christ hath a kingdome of righteousnes with a Throne and Scepter of righteousnes verse 8. 9. 4. Because Christ hath power finally to destroy and abolish this visible world and at the last day shall actually destroy it verse 11. 12. 5. Because Christ sitteth on Gods right hand on the Throne of God whereas the Angels minister and wait verse 13. 14. CHAPTER II. 1. THerefore Because wee have formerly proved that Christ is far more excellent then the Angels We ought to give the more earnest heed greater attention diligence and care To the things which we have heard to the doctrines precepts and promises of the Gospel the Author whereof who first published it upon earth was a person far more excellent then the Angels who published the Law upon Mount Sinai as the Author subjoynes it afterward at the third verse Least at any time we should let them slip He here expresseth the scope and end of their earnest attention and heed not to decline or revolt from the Gospel of Christ and he alludes to a leaking vessell that lets the liquor run out Now then we let the Gospel slip and run from us when either we forget it or give no further credit to it or neglect the precepts of it to conforme our lives to the holy rules therein delivered For when the Gospel hath not the force upon our soules to make us obedient to the rules of it then it may be said to leake or slip away from us 2. For if the word spoken by Angels He begins to bring a reason why we should take earnest heed that the Gospel slip not from us by an argument à mineri for if God punished the transgression of the Law which was lesse much more them of the Gospel which is greater The Law was the word or speech of God for God spake it to the people partly by himselfe and partly by Moses see Exod. 20.1 and in the same Chapter ver 22. Yet God spake not the Law either to Moses or the people immediately by himselfe but by the mediation and meanes of Angels who published and proclaimed it upon Mount Sinai see for confirmation hereof Acts 7.53 and Gal. 3.19 The Law therefore being published but by Angels is farre inferiour to the Gospel which was published by Christ a person greater then the Angels Hence we may collect two verities 1. That God truly and properly did not descend downe upon Mount Sinai and there publish the Law but an Angel susteining the Name and person of God published it in the Name of God For if God himselfe besides the Angels and accompanied with them had descended from heaven into the Mount to publish the Law then not onely the Authors argument had beene void but also the contrary must needs be concluded That the Law in this respect was more excellent then the Gospel because God himselfe who exalted Christ and made him head over the Angels came from heaven to earth and did publish the Law but the Gospel was published but by him who was exalted by God from earth to heaven 2. The second verity is That the Lord who published the Law upon the Mount was not the Sonne of God in the person of his deity For if the Law were given by the Son of God how can this Author affirme it was delivered by Angels and in that respect make it inferiour to the Gospel Or how is it at all inferiour to the Gospel in respect of the publishing if both it and the Gospel were published by one and the same person Was stedfast The Law was ratified and established made stedfast and firme when it was strengthened with power and force for obedience and supported with judgements and punishments against the transgressors of it For when a Law is but a bare precept and hath no penalty annexed to it then it is infirme and weake but when it is fortified with penalties then it is made stedfast and becomes a sanction for thereupon men dare not so easily violate and breake it And every transgression and disobedience The Law was made stedfast for this end that it might be fortified and supported against every transgression and disobedience whereby men would presume to breake it A transgression is a sin against an expresse and knowne Law for every transgression is a sin but every sin is not a transgression yet every sin may become a transgression namely if it be forbidden by an expresse and knowne Law Otherwise where there is no Law to be transgressed there can be no transgression A disobedience is a transgression done with malice and contumacy for as a transgression is one kinde of sin so
or posterity of Abraham whether they be carnall by birth onely or spirituall by faith onely or both by birth and faith And he rather said the seed of Abraham in two respects 1. Because we often reade in Scripture that Christ is promised to no other men properly but to the posterity of Abraham or at least to his seed chiefly and in the first place 2. Because this word would be most pleasing to the Hebrews to whom he writes who were themselves the seed or posterity of Abraham But by this ambiguous appellation which might signifie the seed of Abraham whether carnall or spirituall he so ingratiates the Hebrews that withall he might tacitely invite them to continue Christians because Christians onely of what Nation soever they be are the spirituall seed of Abraham Gal. 3.29 For Christ was destinate to take hold of to help succour and save onely that spirituall seed as being their onely mercifull and faithfull high Priest And by the words here we must understand rather the spirituall seed of Abraham then the carnall but they that are his seed both wayes both carnally and spiritually as these Hebrewes were may challenge Christ in a manner by a double right to be their ayder and helper The summe of all is As in the former clause of this verse the Author proved the negative That Christ was not made an Angel because he was not to take hold of them to help and succour them So in this clause he proves the affirmative why he was made lower then the Angels why he tooke part of flesh and bloud Because by his death he was to take hold of the seed of Abraham to help and succour the faithfull in delivering them from the feare and bondage of death So the words shew not what Christ was by his birth but what he did by his death Hence now it plainly appeares how incongruously these words are wrested to Christs taking on him humane nature For this sence is contrary to the context and altogether crosse to right reasoning for by it the same truth is made a reason whereby to conclude it selfe At the fourteenth verse before this is laid downe for a truth That Christ tooke part of our flesh and bloud i. he did partake of humane nature of which truth how can a reason be given by this that hee tooke on him our humane nature seeing these two truths are identicall though not in words yet altogether in sence But if we understand these words of helping and succouring the faithfull then there runs a veine of evident reasoning Christ was made lower then the Angels and tooke part of flesh and bloud to what end that he might suffer death Why so To destroy the Devils power of death Why that Because he was to deliver men from the feare and bondage of death Why did he that Because he was to take hold of men to helpe and succour them who are the seed of Abraham 17. Wherefore in all things Hitherto he hath shewed that Christ must be a mortall man to suffer death now from the last cause of his helping or succouring men he teacheth that he must not onely be mortall but subject to divers afflictions and not onely subject but actually to suffer them and that not some few but even all wherewith the rest of the faithfull are afflicted It behooved him to be made like unto his brethren How and why the faithfull are the brethren of Christ hath before beene shewed and proved Yet in this place againe the word brethren carries a powerfull force of reasoning It behooveth a brother to helpe and succour his brother and Christ therefore takes hold of the faithfull to help and succour them because they are his brethren especially the seed of Abraham who are his brethren both by God and man And it behooveth also a brother to be like a brother and the more alike they are the more lovely they are to all and the more loving one to another And therefore it behooved Christ to be made like unto his brethren not onely in some one thing as in their nature to be made a little lower then the Angels as his brethren were or to take part of flesh and bloud as they did but also to be like them in all things even in their whole condition to be subject to afflictions and temptations as they are and actually to suffer all sorts of them as they doe yet he was not like them in sin for that is excepted Heb. 4.15 and a universall saying must alwayes abate when a particular exception is expresly made against it That he might be a mercifull and faithfull high Priest Christ must be made like unto his brethren in nature that he might be their high Priest for the Priest and the people must be of one Nation he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified must be all of one and he was made like them in condition for suffering afflictions and therefore he must bee unto them a mercifull and faithfull high Priest 1. He must be mercifull to be touched with a sence of his brethrens miseries and sorrowes and to thinke them so his owne or so neere him that he may be moved readily to succour or help them as himselfe For mercy is a sorrow for anothers misery moving us to succour him 2. He must be faithfull to administer and performe all things with all care and diligence in their behalfe that concernes their sanctifying or succouring to expiate their sins and help them from misery And this faithfulnesse takes some roote and growth from mercifulnesse for mercy doth beget and nourish faithfulnesse Now that Christ might be truly mercifull and faithfull to his brethren in all things therefore he must bee made like them in all things even in all their afflictions and sorrowes In things pertaining to God The office of the high Priest in generall was this to administer in things pertaining to God as to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin as the Author explicates it afterward chap. 5.1 And it was peculiar and proper to the high Priest to expiate or make atonement for the sins of the whole people together and not of single persons by themselves for that was common to other Priests This popular Expiation was performed by Christ our high Priest when after the shedding of his bloud on earth he entred into heaven as into the Sanctuary or holiest of all there to appeare in the presence of God to make Intercession for us that is that resting in heaven with God he might administer and performe all things that concernes our deliverance from the punishments of our sins To make reconciliation for the sins of the people The end of the office of the high Priest was to make reconciliation for the sins of the people i. To propitiate or expiate their sinnes The word in the originall signifies to cover hence the cover of the Arke was called the propitiatory because it covered the Tables of the Law that lay in
marrow In this sence is signified that this sword doth not onely cut the outward parts that lye open to the eye but also the inward parts that are hidden from it i. The force of Gods decree and sentence reacheth not onely to those crimes which are notorious and publique as the decrees and Judgements of Magistrates do who therefore have the power of the sword and therewith do execution upon malefactors but his decree also takes vengeence on those sins which are most secret and hidden bordering as it were upon the confines of the soule and spirit and lye closed up as it were betweene the joynts or within the marrow then which places nothing can be devised more secret Now the soule is the inferiour faculty in us containing the affections or passions as lust and wrath respecting onely those things which please and content the body Hence they which follow this faculty and suffer themselves to be governed by it are called in Scripture animall men But the spirit is the superiour faculty which discerns between things lawfull and unlawfull drawing us to things lawfull and honest and driving us from the contrary whereby we understand know God and his will and our finall happinesse Although the spirit may also be taken for that part of us which doth first vivifie the body and remaines after death And the soule may be taken for life it selfe or for that faculty which flowes from the spirit over the whole body And is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart This hee addeth that what hee said concerning the word of God might bee further pressed and the better understood God doth both take knowledge of the thoughts and intents of mens hearts and also decrees them to be punished if they deserve it This hee therefore saith lest any man should thinke that he may lye hid from Gods decree and escape the force and sharpnesse of his sentence if he only nourish his unbelief in his heart and reserve it in his secret thoughts So that no thought of ours though never so secret no wavering in our faith can be concealed from God 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight Now he speaks that more generally whereof before he spake but in particular God doth not only discerne and know the thoughts of our hearts but there is nothing at all in the world that can escape the sight of his eye for by creatures he understands all things in generall But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes He illustrates what he said before by the contrary to it There is nothing so covered or hidden but the sight of his eyes can discover it And eyes are attributed to him because he clearly seeth all things be they never so remote and so leaveth nothing unpunished Opened 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This word is diversly expounded some thus the whole face from head to shoulders is discovered and exposed to the eyes of all Others thus The skinne is drawne over the shoulders from head to taile Others the creature is flayed and hanged up by the heeles having the belly and bowells opened to the chine of the backe that all lyes open both without and within But all these come to one sense namely that there is nothing so covered and hidden which lyes not open to Gods word or decree for the sight of his eyes doth not only fall upon the outward covering of things but pierceth inwardly all over their substance Of him with whom we have to do In the originall of that whereof we speake i. of that word whereof we speake Hereby he shewes that he understands not any word of God in generall but some certaine word namely that quicke and powerfull word whereof we have hitherto spoken and which is to be understood in all this matter of piercing dividing and discovering 14. Seeing then that we have a great high Priest This is the second part of this Chapter wherein he returnes to treat of the dignity of Christs Priesthood from whence he had digressed to fall upon the exhortation hitherto explicated Now therefore hee resumes his former argument and from thence drawes another admonition for constancie in the Christian Religion The Priestly office of Christ that here we may speake of it a little more fully consisteth in this That Christ expiateth all our sinnes before God and administreth all matters concerning Religion as the chiefe President over holy things Therefore we say Christ hath expiated all our sinnes because it was the office of the high Priest to expiate the sinnes not of one single person only but of the whole people But for the manner how Christ expiates our sinnes there is a great difference betweene him and the legall high Priest so that in this respect Christ is like God yea in a manner supplyes the part of God and not of the Priest For Christ remaining in heaven doth so expiate our sinnes that by power granted him hee removes all punishment from us and abolishes all things that may involve us in any punishment Whence it appeares that Priestly office differs not really from his regall office but rationally only For Christ doth not now really execute any thing about God or performe any condition upon the deed whereof there followes by the decree of God a purgation of our sinnes as anciently the legall Priest was wont to doe For he entered into the tabernacle of God with bloud and there appearing before God did sprinkle the bloud after a forme prescribed him and offered it unto God which being done there followed the expiation of sinne upon it For although Christ shed his bloud upon earth and by afflictions prepared himselfe for the execution of his office to the end that by a sense of our infirmities hee might bee the more readily affected toward us all which conditions were pre-required of God and were first to be performed by Christ yet being now in heaven and fullier administring his Priestly office in procuring the expiation of our sinnes he really performes no further conditions For in that after his bloudshed upon the crosse he entred into the heavenly tabernacle and by this means offered himselfe to God this was not any true condition upon which God decreed the remission of our sinnes seeing that entrance and oblation of himselfe was a great benefit of God bestowed upon him but it was only a meanes whereby Christ obtained supreme power both in heaven and earth from whence followed the expiation of our sinnes and which being granted unto Christ God did openly testifie that he would not punish any of their sinnes who did belong to Christ This indeed is true that this entrance of Christ into heaven and his appearance before God have a resemblance or likenesse with the entrance of the legall Priest into the Sanctuary and his appearance before God as God anciently required it Which resemblance or liknesse is the cause why Christ is compared with the legall Priest
and carrieth his name as we shall declare a little afterward Neither must we thinke that Christ now inhabiting heaven doth to speake properly intercede or pray for us for that were repugnant to his supreme dominion and power over all things Wherefore his Priestly office lyes in this that having power given him of God he takes away the punishment of our sinnes and by all means procures our salvation And therefore this Priestly office of Christ is really the same with his regall office as we said before Hence Christ as a Priest is said to save us perfectly or rather for ever cap. 7.25 he is also said as a Priest to succour us being tempted cap. 2. ult and in this chapter v. 16. Both which actions are regall Hence it is that other holy Writers make no expresse mention of Christs Priest-hood but this Author chap. 3. v. 1. included the regall office of Christ in his Priestly and chap. 5. v. 5. he interprets that testimony of Scripture to be meant of his Priestly office which treats of his regall Christ therefore is called a high Priest not that this office is really diverse from his regall but because of diverse resemblances which Christ hath with the legall high Priest and of diverse properties and circumstances in his regall office upon which that resemblance is grounded and which that Metaphoricall appellation of high Priest doth better insinuate into our mindes then the proper appellation The resemblance lies chiefly in this That Christ having first shed his blood entered into heaven to expiate our sins or to take away the punishments which by our sinnes we had deserved and appeared before God as the legall high Priest having shed the blood of the sacrifice was wont to enter the Tabernacle and there appeare before God to expiate sinnes by taking away the guilt and penalty of them But because the high Priest performed this by bringing the blood of the slain sacrifice into the sight of God and offering it unto him with certaine rites and so interceding for finners with God from whom the forgivenesse of sinnes proceeded Therefore also it is said of Christ who was himselfe slaine like a sacrifice and had shed his owne blood that entring into the heavenly Tabernacle he offered himselfe to God and appearing in his sight intercedeth for us Not that hee doth properly intercede but that as wee said he is like to the high Priest offering and interceding especially because he forgives sinnes not of his own authority but by power received from God whereby he is not unfitly compared with him who obtained forgivenesse of sinnes from God by his intercession From hence in some measure may be gathered those properties and circumstances of Christs regall office which his appellation of high Priest doth better represent unto our mindes then his name of King though this name bee proper to him and the other Metaphoricall His Kingly name shewes not that he saves sinners but his Priestly doth That shewes not that he is a man for God both is and is called our King but this doth for in the beginning of the fifth Chapter the Author shewes That every high Priest is taken from among men and is ordained for men That shewes not that he received his authority and power from another but this doth chap. 5. 4. That shewes not that he is touched with a sense of our miseries this doth That shewes not that he shed his bloud to expiate our sinnes but this doth for a Priest must offer sacrifices for sinnes which cannot be offered without shedding of bloud but Christ shed no bloud besides his owne That shewes not that he shall come forth from heaven but this doth Hence therefore it is that the Holy Ghost gives Christ the name of High Priest A great high Priest Christ is called a great high Priest not only to distinguish him from the ordinary and inferiour Priests but also from the chiefe high Priest under the Law who compared to Christ is very little yea but a small and slender shadow of Christ For he must needs bee a great high Priest indeed who is immortall who expiates all sinnes even the most heynous who hath power in himselfe to take away all punishments of sinne among which eternall death is one who hath right and power to give eternall life to succour men in all their afflictions and to comprise all with the Author in a few words who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens chap. 8. 1. which thing hee intimates also here when he addes in the first place That is passed into the heavens Therefore among other respects he is great because he hath passed through all the heavens By heavens are understood all those regions of heaven which are interposed between God and us namely 1. The whole region of the aire which in the Scripture is called the heaven 2. The heavens wherein are the Sunne the Moon and the rest of the Startes or lights of heaven above all which Christ is now exalted Eph. 3.10 and Heb. 7.26 3. After all these is that heaven which is the habitacle of immortality wherein God resides and whereinto Christ our high Priest hath entered Iesus Here he names this great high Priest and shewes who he is although in this be tacitly contained that which afterward he utters expresly namely that he is touched with a feeling of our infirmities For when he called him Jesus he called him also that man whose sufferings and death were evident But because he intended to set first clearly before our eyes his transcendent excellency therefore that it might better appear how great an high Priest he is he adds in the second place The Son of God He calls him not a Son of God but prefixeth the specifique article calling him the Sonne to shew that he is no ordinary Sonne of God in a vulgar sense but that singular and eminent Sonne of God even he of whom he spake in the first chap. whom God appointed heire of all things who is become far more excellent then the Angels For so it ought to be that the singular and only Sonne of God should obtaine Gods greatest love should be in highest dignity and have right and dominion over all his fathers goods Even him we have for our high Priest Whence it appears that Christ can effect all things with his Father by reason of the great love and authority which he possesseth Wherefore as the Author addeth Let us hold fast our confession Here he infers his admonition that seeing we have so great an high Priest of our Confession therefore let us hold our confession fast i. let us not only imbrace the Christian Religion in our hearts but constantly professe it with our mouths 15. For we have not an high Priest He clears an objection Some man will say What can this great high Priest helpe me when I suffer misery for the confession of my faith who the greater he is
name signified so as it also signified King of righteousnesse But if this had beene onely an appellation of him the Author would not have said king of Salem but Melechsalem as he said not King of Sedec but Melchisedec For who in relating of a mans name will deliver it partly in a strange language and partly in the proper language Wherefore when Melchisedec is in Scripture called king of Salem it is apparent that the name of King doth note his royall office and dignity and Salem notes the place wherein he did reigne And many beeleeve that this City Salem was the same with Jerusalem which at the first was called onely Salem and afterward by the adjection of the word Jeru Jerusalem as a man would say the sight of peace Priest of the most high God For so the Scripture calls him Gen. 14.18 And though the word Cohen signifie also a Prince as the Sons of David are said to have beene Cohenim 2 Sam. 8.18 which our Translation there renders chiefe rulers yet being attributed to Melchisedec it notes him a Priest 1. Because of that addition here made of the most high God for this addition takes away all ambiguity of the word and declares him to be a Priest of God and not a Prince of God 2. Because this is brought as a reason why he blessed Abraham in an especiall manner as shall be shewed afterward 3. Because Abraham payed him tithes which were usually paid to Priests Whence it appeares that the same word Cohen which is given to Christ as he is compared with Melchisedec Psal 110.4 doth not simply signifie a Prince onely as the Jews contend but properly a Priest For it is manifest that those words of the Psalme have respect to the place in Genesis where Melchisedec is called Cohen And it is no strange thing that anciently Melchisedec was both a King and a Priest for anciently Kings were wont to performe Sacred rites which custome grew from hence that in every family the principall person or ruler of it did officate in holy functions Whence it came to passe that they who afterward became Princes or Rulers of a whole Citie became also the publike Priests of that Citie and executed the sacred Ceremonies for the safety of the people For it made most for the honour of God that the most honourable person should minister unto him Who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings The Author mentions not this meeting as if in that there were any Mysterie but because he would shew how Melchisedec blessed Abraham and reciprocally how Abraham gave tithes to Melchisedec In which two points as he shews afterward the chiefe dignitie of Melchisedec appeared And hee mentions this meeting onely to designe the occasion the time and circumstances of the action whereof the History is particularly related Gen. 14. And blessed him Him i. Abraham for so saith the Scripture He blessed him and said Blessed be Abraham of the most high God possessour of heaven and earth Gen. 14.19 that is Let the most high God blesse Abraham and heap his gifts upon him in great abundance And lest any man should think that this was but an ordinary blessing such as commonly is among friends when they mutually pray and wish all happinesse one to another therefore he prefixed these words before it that Melchisedec was a Priest of the most high God thereby to make us know that this was a singular blessing as proceeding from a person that was a peculiar Minister of God Whence it appears that when Melchisedec is said to be a Priest of the most high God thereby is not shewed the reason why he brought forth bread and wine as they would have it who say that Melchisedec offered bread and wine to God and was therefore called a Priest but in those words is shewed the reason why he blessed Abraham and why as it presently follows Abraham gave him tithes But the error of these men who thereby would strengthen their owne opinions may manifestly be convinced from hence that the Author who most diligently prosecutes the likenesse betweene the Priesthood of Melchisedec and Christ makes not any the least mention of offering bread and wine wherein notwithstanding they thinke the greatest likenesse betweene Christ and Melchisedec doth consist and certainly must consist if both offered bread and wine Either therefore the Author omitted that which was the maine point in so accurate a comparison of Christ with Melchisedec or else that Melchisedec or Christ or both of them offered bread and wine to God is but those mens dream Melchisedec brought forth bread and wine that hee might refresh Abraham and his company that were weary after their victory and journey but hee offered none to God for this is refuted by the very word of bringing forth which is never used of offerings and besides the place and time when this is said to have been done refutes it also For wee use not to meet men upon the way there to celebrate divine services or performe holy Ceremonies Also Christ is never read to have offered bread and wine to God but onely to have instituted a holy Ceremonie wherein bread is broken and eaten and wine is drunke out of a cup yet not to perform any offering but to celebrate the memory of Christ whose body was broken for us and his blood shed for us As for the expiatory offering of Christ for our sinnes that was not performed on earth but in heaven Hebrewes 8.4 Neither doth it consist in offering of bread and wine but in Christs offering of himselfe as this Authour testifies in sundry places neither was it to bee iterated often but once onely to bee performed as the Authour clearely delivers it afterwards in this Chapter verse 27. and Chap. 10 14. For that single oblation perfects all the Saints 2. To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all The fifth particular that the Author observes in Melchisedec was that Abraham gave him the tenth part as is related in his history whence a little after the Author collects how far Melchisedec exceeded the Leviticall Priests The gift that Abraham gave him was a part of the spoiles for so it is expressed at the 4. v. following and the portion hee gave was a tenth part of them and there were none of the spoils excepted and reserved for he gave him a tenth part of all By these words hee partly explicates some things related in Scripture of Melchisedec and partly observes other things whereby to make it appeare how great a person Melchisedec was and how properly he was a type of Christ First being by interpretation king of righteousnesse First he ponders the name of Melchisedec and teacheth that there was an omen in his name For the Hebrew name Melchisedec being interpreted or translated into another language doth signifie a king of righteousnesso There are some who tell us that this name signifies my righteous king but it is very usuall with the
enter the holy place of heaven by himselfe For hence afterward at the 14. verse it is said that Christ offered himselfe to God and not his bloud although otherwise the comparison with the expiatory sacrifices seem to require this latter resemblance He entred in once into the holy place The entrance into the most holy place is necessarily required to that sacrifice for the Offering wherein the nature of the sacrifice chiefly consisteth could not be performed before the entrance because it must be made in the holy place by sprinkling upon and before the Mercy-seat Hence it is manifest that the offering and sacrifice of Christ our high Priest was not made upon the Crosse but was performed in heaven and is yet in the performing Into this true holy place of heaven Christ entred but once not often and yearly as the legali high Priest did Having obtained eternall redemption Now hee opposeth the Expiation obtained by the offering or sacrifice of Christ to the old Expiation obtained by the legall Priest By Redemption he understands expiation or deliverance from the guilt of sinnes For to be guilty of sinne and thereupon bound over to death and damnation is a grievous captivity and slavery When he calls this Expiation eternall he tacitly gives a reason why he said before that Christ entred once only into the holy place namely because by his entrance and offering of himselfe he expiated or atoned men for ever as it is said chap. 10.14 Christ therefore obtained an eternall redemption because he hath fully expiated all the sinnes not only past but to come of all men beleeving in him who have lived heretofore or do now live or shall live hereafter to the worlds end So that this expiation doth pertaine to all sinnes of all times and of all men who truly pertaine to Christ But the legall expiation performed yearly every yeare did not extend to all sinnes but only to Ignorances and Infirmities nor to all times not at all to the time future but only to the time past within the circuit of one year nor to all persons but only to those who were then living when the expiation was made and therefore it was not eternall but only annuall The word having obtained must not bee understood preteritively as if Christ had obtained the redemption before he entred but presentively that he had obtained it by and upon his entrance or when he entred then he obtained See what we explicated before concerning indefinite participles Chap. 6. ver 13. 13. For if the bloud Hee confirmes his former assertion That Christ by his one oblation of himselfe hath obtained an eternall expiation for us And that he might compasse this the better he proves by an argument à minori ad majus that Christ hath purged away those sinnes that pollute our consciences For the expurgation of these doth produce this effect that laying aside all sinne we shall serve God ever after in all holinesse and righteousnesse and if we doe this wee shall need no further offering for our sinnes As on the contrary if we finally forsake not our sinnes but after expiation of them relapse into them againe which wee then doe when this expiation doth not so far prevaile with us as to withdraw us from our sinnes then we have need of another offering and sacrifice to obtaine remission of our relapses For it stands not with reason that men should be expiated with one only sacrifice and yet be still enslaved to the same sinnes and be nothing the better for their expiation Therefore either the expiation is prevalent and of force to withdraw men from sinne and make them live holily ever after or else as men alwayes returne to their sinnes so the expiation must be alwayes iterated and then it cannot bring eternall redemption to them It is therefore manifest that the offering of Christ seeing it is but one can really profit no man but him that having received the faith of Christ doth shake off the yoke of sinne and wholly devote himselfe to God to live in a holy course of life ever after Of buls and goats Hee calls those Bulls which in the former verse he called Calves as well for their age being of a middle grouth between Calves and Bullocks in which sense also a Heifer is sometime put for a Cow as by a synecdoche putting either of these indifferently for any beast of the herd as opposed to those of the flocke which were goats or sheep For in the yearly sacrifice for the sinnes of the whole people to which the Authors words refer to speake properly there was no Bull slaine but only an heifer or as our Translation renders it a Bullock for the sins of the Priest and a goat for the sins of the people And this is the reason why the Author joynes these beasts here as likewise he doth it afterward Chap. 10.4 And the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean How the water of seperation was made of the ashes of a burned heifer and sprinkled upon the uncleane see Numb 19. It is not necessary for the concluding of the Authors argument that the ashes of the heifer should be put here for a type of the bloud of Christ for the argument here is not drawn from the type to the antitype unlesse it be accidentally but from termes of disparity and excellency of Christs offering This we therefore note lest any man should thinke it might be gathered from hence that the Author compares this sacrifice of Christ with any other legall sacrifices besides the anniversarye at which the high Priest entered the most holy place Although we willingly acknowledge that those ashes were a type of Christs bloud and a most lively type because those ashes were a kinde of perpetuity and must alwayes bee in a readinesse and had force at any time to cleanse any person sprinkled therewith from his legall uncleannesses of the flesh and this force or effect of it depended not on the pleasure of any man but only from the decree of God alone So the bloud of Christ is a perpetuall standing remedy that hath force and power at any time to cleanse men from the guilt of their sinnes if they be truly sprinkled with it by being washed from the filth of their sinnes i. if they cast them off for the time to come and this force the bloud of Christ hath from the good pleasure of God These ashes are said to sprinkle not efficiently as if the action began at them and they sprinkled themselves but instrumentally because the uncleane was sprinkled with the water wherein they were infused as wee say the sword woundeth because the sword is the instrument wherewith the wound is made Sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh To sanctifie is to cleanse for sanctified is commonly opposed to polluted as polluted and common and promiscuously used is easily polluted and cannot be cleane seeing then a thing is cleane when it is separated from ordinary and
the Sacrifice takes efficacy and force to purge sin from the subsequent oblation of Christ in offering himselfe in heaven but also as it is the bloud of the Covenant it received great force from the subsequent resurrection and glory of Christ For the death of Christ is as it were animated and quickned by his Resurrection and glory and then are the mightie effects of it when he that suffered death to confirm the new covenant is thereupon acknowledged to be the Sonne of God and the Christ which certainly could not have been without his Resurrection and the subsequent glory of it For then wee plainely perceive the boundlesse love of God in delivering Christ to death for us and the boundlesse love of Christ in dying for us from both which wee may easily draw an undoubted hope of our salvation And then also wee see from his most shamefull death a passage open to immortall life and lastly then we esteem the Covenant most sacred that was confirmed by a death so precious But if Christ had not risen from the dead who therefore died that he might appear to be the Christ and the King over Gods people his death had thereby lost all the force of it yea it would have been of force to nullifie the faith of all his promises But he had promised us eternal life in the Name of his Father and that he himself would give it us by raising us from the dead yea hee openly said of himselfe that he would rise the third day thereby to confirm his doctine wherefore unles the event had been answerable his doctrine had been stripped of all authority But let us returne to the offering of Christ which the Author opposeth to the offering of the old high Priest for severall respects 1. In that Christ offered through the Spirit and the eternall Spirit but the high Priest under the Law did enter the Holy place and offer through his infirmitie a weake man compassed with the flesh But Christ was filled with the eternall Spirit i. with the power of God which clarified him from all mortalitie and made him eternall subject to no destruction Now this Spirit seemes to be called eternall not onely because it eternally resides in Christ but because it makes him to become eternall Of which Spirit if Christ had been destitute he could not have offered himselfe in that heavenly Sanctuary to have remained there for ever Therefore in these words about which Interpreters have diverse disputes as men must needs do when the genuine sence of any place is either not perceived or not allowed is expressed the cause how Christ being before not onely of a mortall nature and compassed with flesh but also slaine as a sacrifice could afterward enter the heavenly Sanctuary the palace of immortality and there as a Priest offer himselfe to God This he saith was effected by the benefit of the eternall Spirit who throughly consecrated Christ and devested him from all naturall and terrene infirmities That which hee had spoken before chap. 7. ver 16. that Christ was made a Priest after the power of an endlesse life now hee saith againe in other words that Christ offered through the eternall Spirit for if wee looke into the thing it selfe what is the power of an endlesse life other then this eternall Spirit In a like manner Paul treating of Christ as he is ordained and declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead i. as God after his resurrection made him the celestiall and eternall King of his people with supreme power mentions the Spirit of holinesse or sanctification Rom. 1.4 and he saith that Christ was declared the Sonne of God according to the Spirit of holinesse as he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh For seeing he opposeth this Spirit to the flesh of Christ i. to whatsoever was humane in his nature what can he else understand but the power of Gods Spirit powred upon Christ which abolishing from him all his mortall condition did throughly consecrate him unto God made him a person most divine and most like unto God in nature and power and rendered him fully capable of a celestiall and eternall kingdome Hither also must that of Peter be referred where he saith as it is in the Greek that Christ was mortified in the flesh but vivified by the Spirit 1 Pet. 3.18 where as the flesh of Christ is made the cause of his mortality and consequently of his death so is the Spirit namely of God in Christ made the spring and fountaine of his vivification or life 2. He opposeth the offering of Christ to that of the old high Priest in that Christ offered himselfe but the Legall Priest offered not himselfe but the bloud of slaine beasts but what force could that bloud have being offered and sprinkled before the Mercy-seate for the purifying of the flesh if we respect the nature of the thing But Christ himselfe being offered for us in the heavenly Tabernacle was he not a most acceptable sacrifice to God Is there any sin of those that are truly faithfull in Christ which by the offering of so holy a Sacrifice and by the authority and care of so great an high Priest with his heavenly Father could not be expiated 3. In that hee offered himselfe without spot or blemish For the old sacrifice must bee very pure and free from any spot wherefore seeing our high Priest himselfe was the sacrifice hee must needs bee void of all spot or blemish But the old high Priest when he entered the most holy place and offered was not without spot or blemish for even then he was to procure the expiation no lesse of his owne sins then of the peoples But Christ when he entered the heavenly Sanctuary and offered himselfe to God was then free from all spot not onely in respect of his most innocent life which he passed without the least spot of sinne but also which as wee said in the seventh Chapter the Author chiefly respecteth in respect of his immortall nature which he obtained free from all spot of infirmity when he was quickned with that eternall Spirit whereby he entered the heavenly Sanctuary But what is meant by this offering of Christ wee have declared before For these things are not properly spoken of Christ but onely comparatively and allusively to the ancient high Priest So that by this offering of Christ is signified his singular and onely care for the expiation of our sins and for our salvation Yet it is a care worthy and sutable to so great an high Priest who is not destitute of power in himselfe to conferre salvation upon us but is forced to obtaine it from another as the old high Priest was but is one that enjoyeth all command both in heaven and earth one that exerciseth all Judgement delivered over unto him from his Father and one that by his owne proper power doth release us from all guilt of our sins
frees us from all punishment and lastly makes us capable of eternall life Whence it so much the more appeares how the purging of our consciences doth certainely follow upon the bloud and death of Christ and upon his subsequent offering in heaven Purge your conscience from deâ—d workes How much more shall the bloud of Christ purge Shall is so the future tense here that it carries the force of the time present For in such arguments drawne from comparison wee love to use the future tense in the consequent member of it If this be so much more shall that For herein we respect not any futurity of time but a futurity of consequence and of truth for many times wee conclude in that manner of things past The conscience here is opposed to the flesh for as the bloud of beasts offered did purge the flesh so the bloud of Christ offered through the Spirit doth penetrate unto the conscience and purge it And sinnes are called dead workes not formally as if they had no life or activity in them but effectively because they are deadly works that brings death to the sinner and of their owne nature keepe the sinner dead for ever These deadly works are the spots and blots that defile our conscience and from these our conscience is purged by the bloud of Christ not onely in that we are freed from the guilt of them in the sight of God and consequently from all punishment of them but also in that wee are delivered from the sence of that guilt and from the feare of punishment and so our conscience is cased of a grievous burden And it was not for nothing that the Author would rather say purge our conscience then our minde the inward part of us opposite to the flesh Because thereby he would shew that the bloud of Christ doth also cleanse away that misery and torment of the conscience whereby men conscious of their wickednesse doe tremble and quake for feare of Gods Judgements This is most certaine that true and solid peace of conscience in them that have sinned doth ground it selfe upon this that God hath declared his will they should be free from all the guilt of their sinnes And yet it may be that men freed in the sight of God from the guilt of their sinnes may not enjoy a peaceable and quiet conscience because they are destitute of the knowledge or faith of it Therefore the bloud of Christ offered to God through the eternall Spirit doth not onely abolish all the guilt of our sinnes but also doth certifie and make faith thereof unto us as we heard before Whence it commeth to passe that there ariseth a great calme and quiet of conscience in their minds who have tasted the efficacy and vertue of Christ his bloud and sacrifice and we may well say that though formerly their conscience were oppressed with many crimes yet then their conscience is wholly disburdened and they finde no guiltinesse in it And this is the scope which God proposed unto himselfe in the death of Christ and the things following thereon For he would not therefore binde himselfe by the bloud of Christ and establish a new Covenant because there might be danger that he would not stand to his promises who is most true and faithfull of his word but because we should want no assurance of his grace and mercy towards us And hence also it is that when Christ was raised from the dead and invested with immortality God exalted him into heaven and committed unto him the whole care and arbitrement of our salvation For the efficacy and force of Christs death and the consequents upon it must be distinguished from their scope whereat God aymed although that efficacy were subservient to this scope and effectuall to the compassing of it The efficacy of Christs death and the consequents upon it was very great both to obliege God to performe his promises and to produce the reall effect of them upon us but the scope is as we have said to make assured and undoubted faith unto us of so great grace of God of so great salvation and remission of sins to the end that wee being fully certified thereof might againe on our part performe our duty and wholly devote our selves to God Whence the Author adding afterward this end or effect of purging our conscience to be performed by us on our part doth thereby teach us that in this purging of our conscience he included not only an Immunity from punishmenâ— arising from the abolishing of our guilt before God but also a security from them proceeding from our certaine knowledge that our guilt is abolished Now for the matter of our Impunity or freedome from punishment our punishment is not only temporall but also eternall opposite to life eternall From the punishment of eternall death those sacrifices 〈◊〉 the Law were so farre from freeing any man that they could exempt no man from temporall death or capitall punishment for they only tooke away some other light penalties or inconveniences of this life Neither did God write all his Lawes in bloud ordaining death for every offence but moderated the rigor of his Law with singular justice and equity Upon some offences hee laid the penalty of death which no sacrifice could release upon others he laid a fine and a sacrifice The mulct or fine was to bee paid to the party grieved but the sacrifice to himselfe for thereupon he remitted the penalty due to himselfe but would have restitution made of the injury done to man So for example for theft the penalty was a restituon of the double triple or quadruple to be paid to the party thereby damaged but besides this restitution the theft was expiated by sacrifice which was instead of a penalty to the most mercifull God Lastly there some things totally void of all true offence as for example if any man had touched a dead body though it were of duty to bury him which was rather a matter of piety then of offence yet because this and other such like cases were condemned by the Law of uncleannes therefore they were to be expiated either by some sacrifice or by the holy water of separation Therefore all the use of those sacrifices was to expiate some lighter faults or uncleannesses of the flesh but great offences were punished with death Hence David acknowledging his sinne exiable by no sacrifices of beasts saith to God Thou desirest not sacrifices else would I give them but thou delightest not in burn offerings Psal 51.16 He means in the expiation of such crimes as his was and therefore he flyes to the sole mercy and clemency of God and resolves to pacifie God with the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart The force of which sacrifice if it be made seasonably and abound afterward in the fruits of good workes is established and ratified by the Law of the Gospel Now the bloud and sacrifice of Christ takes away all guilt and penalties of all sins
of it onely Therefore those grievous sinnes whereof men stood guiltie and for which they were subject to eternall death must first be expiated before they can enter and receive the eternall inheritance For those sinnes did hinder men from entring it which being purged away now nothing hinders but they may take possession of it But who shall do this shall all promiscuously no certainly but they which are called i. They to whom this eternal inheritance is offered by the Gospel of Christ and who accept this great grace of God by a lively faith For both of these use to be included in the word called But he simply saith they which are called might receive this eternall inheritance because all which are called may receive it if they will and be not wanting to themselves for in God and Christ there is no let 16. For where a Testament is there must also of necessitie be the death of the Testator Here he gives the cause why he said that by meanes of death this effect of remission of sinnes and receiving the eternall inheritance doth follow because saith he where a Testament is there of necessity the death of the Testator must intervene which reason hee confirmes by a Super-reason in the verse following But here some man may object that the Author doth but sophisticate with words and not draw a reall argument from the thing it selfe Seeing Christ was not the Author of any testament properly but onely the Mediatour of the Covenant although the Greeke writers use the word Testament to signifie a Covenant But the ambiguity of the word must not confound the natures and properties of the things so that what is true of one thing which the ambiguous word signifies should forthwith bee transfered to the other signified by the same word We answer That the speech is here of such a thing as is common to both the significations of the word the proper and improper or rather the generall and the speciall i. that is Covenant and Testament for we said before that every Testament is a Covenant an especiall and best kind of Covenant For Covenant is a generall name whereby those things are called that are more properly named leagues and testaments both which are Covenants And indeed almost throughout the old testament the originall word which our English translation renders Covenant doth properly signifie a League and were better so rendered for because God is a publike person and so is mankinde also therefore all Gods Covenants with man are properly Leagues Hence the Latine translations both vulgar and others constantly render them Faedera So for a testament if we consider the nature of it accuratly then any solemne act of any person testified by his death is properly a testament and he who testifies anothers act though he be no Author but onely the assertor of it is properly the testator of it For hence the Civilians have borrowed their termes of Testament and Testator which commonly concurre in the same person yet not necessarily but accidentally for whatsoever witnesse will testifie upon his death the verity and certainty of another mans last Will and Testament such a witnesse is truely a testator to that Testament And he that mediats to certifie a mans Testament and mediats so farre as to testifie it with his death hee is both the mediator and the testator of that Testament so that a mediator and a testator in respect of the same Testament are not functions incompatible but consentaneous that may easily concurre in the same person Yea hee that in this sence is the testator of a Testament is necessarily thereupon the mediator of it So that Gods two solemne Covenants or rather his Leagues the old and the new are truely and properly called Testaments because they are both testified by bloud and death to certifie confirme and establish them for the old Testament was testified by the bloud and death of calves and goates which was therefore called the bloud of the Testament as it is declared in the verses following But because the new Testament was testified certified confirmed and established by the death and bloud of Christ therefore Christ though hee were not the Author of it yet is most truely and properly the testator of it And because Christ did mediate for this Testament to certifie and publish it to the world that the old and former testament was abrogated and revoaked and that this new one was the last Will and Testament of his Father therefore also be was most truely and properly the Mediatour of it And hee was so constant and earnest a Mediator to certifie the truth of this new Testament that thereupon hee became the testator of it also to testifie and confirme it with his death and blood Nay because Christ was the Testator of it therefore hee must necessarily also be the Mediator of it for no man will testifie that truth or that cause with his bloud for which he no way mediats seeing he â—hat no way mediats for a thing will 〈◊〉 testifie it with his blood Wherefore in the words of these 16. and 17 verses though the Author for a while supposeth and takes it for graunted that not onely death but the death of the Testator which here is Christ must needs intervene to confirme the new Testament yet a little after at the 23. verse and so forward hee clearly demonstrats it For there he teacheth that the matter must not nor could not be effected by the bloud of beasts because he was both the Mediator and the high Priest of the Covenant or League who when he was to appeare before God in his heavenly Sanctuary and there to performe his offering certainly he was not to slay some beast to bring the bloud of it into that Sanctuary but must shed his own bloud to make himselfe his owne offering in heauen thereby to confirme and establish the new League or Covenant which as he might do so he must doe it for the great dignity and sublimity of the particulars therein contained So that in this respect the new Covenant comes neerer to the nature of a Testament then of a League which was the proper nature of the old Covenant For what effect could there be in the bloud of a beast to confirme and make faith unto us of heavenly promises Such a Confirmation had very ill beseemed this divine and heavenly Covenant especially seeing it might be confirmed by other bloud more sutable to it and by bloud that notwithstanding was to be shed for another cause which cause hath already been shewed at the 14. verse Whence wee may perceive that in these words in this 16. verse as they are also extended to Covenants or Leagues and to the Authors and Mediators of them somthing must be understood to make the truth of them fully to appeare which yet is not expressed because it makes nothing to the point in hand For these words of the Author here must be taken as it he had
from us and his returne unto us may be opposed to his offering which was performed by his bloudy death and after it by his entrance into heaven for thereby Christ was taken from the eyes of men and ceased to be seene but by his returne he will againe shew himselfe to bee seene and then the words without sinne are opposed to those to beare or take away the sinnes of many and the words the second time shall be opposed to the particle once and yet the second time may in this place be all one with afterward that it may answer the words of the former verse after this the judgement so in the Epistle of Jude ver 5. the words once and afterward are opposed Secondly the words without sinne may be so taken as thereby to shew that when Christ shall appeare the second time there shall bee no more guilt of sinne in the people of God as there was when first he appeared which therefore he must take away by his sacrifice For undoubtedly the Author here alludes to the returne of the Legall high Priest out of the holy place who went into the holy place to take away the guilt of sinnes and returned from thence without sinne for he had taken away the guilt of sinne by his offering So Christ entered into heaven that there offering himselfe to God and appearing in his presence he might purge his people from the guilt of their sinnes but having abolished the guilt of sins he shall returne out from heaven and appeare unto his people to give them the effect of that guilt taken away not in words onely as the Legall high Priest gave the people his benediction and prayed for them but in very deed for he shall vindicate them from death and estate them in eternall life Vnto them that looke for him unto salvation The words unto salvation may agree either with he shall appeare or with the words to them that looke for him And the Author seemes to have placed them so on purpose that they might be referred to both For both Christ shall appeare to give his people salvation and the people of Christ shall looke for his comming out of heaven to receive salvation from him For as Christ is here tacitly compared with the Legall high Priest entered into the boly place so his people are resembled to the people of Israel expecting without the Tabernacle For of old the people looked for the Legall Priest after their manner to salvation namely that by him they might obtaine remission of their sinnes which were then expiated and might heare his benediction to them in the Name of God So the people of Christ being without the heavenly Tabernacle upon earth do looke for Christ their high Priest unto salvation that he comming forth out of his heavenly Sanctuary they may by him obtaine eternall salvation The Author in these words doth elegantly describe a Christian for this expectation doth comprehend faith in Christ for unlesse men beleeve in Christ they will never expect his returne from heaven as their heavenly high Priest And this expectation doth either beget holinesse of life or is begotten of it for these affoord each other their helpe The expectation of salvation upon condition of obedience doth beget piety and piety brought forth doth reciprocally bring forth a daughter like to her mother that is a most certaine and ardent expectation of salvation Hither belong the words of Paul to the Thessalonians 1 Thes 1.9,10 where he describes all Christian people and their whole duty saying Ye have turned to God from Idols to serve the living and true God and to waite for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead even Iesus who delivered us from the wrath to come After a like manner he designes all beleevers in Christ by the name of them that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 The Contents of this ninth Chapter are 1. Doctrine The tabernacle under the first Covenant was imperfect v. 1. Reason 1. Because it was a worldly manifacture for beth in the first and second place of it there were only bandiworks 1 2 3. 2. Because the most holy place of it was alwayes shut to all except to the high Priest and alwayes to him except once a year v. 6. 7. 3. Because under it the way to the holiest of all in heaven was not yet manifest v. 8. 4. Because it was but a figure and resemblance of the heavenly Sanctuary v. 9. 2. Doctrine The services or sacrifices under the old Testament were imperfect v. 9. Reason 1. Because they could not expiat the consciences of them that brought the sacrifices v. 9. 2. Because they were only carnal ordinances concerning fleshly things as meats drinks and washings v. 10. 3. Because they were temporary imposed for a while untill the time of Reformation v. 10. 3. Doctrine The Sanctuary wherein Christ is a Priest is more excellent then the old Legall Sanctuary v. 11. Reason 1. Because it is no worldly building wrought by the hands of men v. 11. 4. Doctrine The expiatory Sacrifice of Christ is more excellent then the old legal expiations v. 12. Reason 1. Because the bloud shed for his sacrifice was his owne bloud and not the bloud of buls and calves v. 12. 2. Because his death and bloudshed doth purge the conscience whereas the bloudshed under the old legall sacrifice did but parge the flesh v. 13. 14. 3. Because his death and bloudshed doth expiate those transgressions which were inexpiable under the law v. 15. 5. Doctrine Confirmations made by death are the surest v. 15. Reason 1. Because the New testament was confirmed by the death of Christ ver 15. 2. Because all mens testaments are confirmed by the death of the testator ver 16. 17. 3. Because the old legall testament was confirmed by the bloud and death of goats and calves v. 18 19. 20. 4. Because all Consecrations under the law were confirmed by bloud and death v. 21. 5. Because all Expiations and Remissions under the law were confirmed by bloud and death v. 22. 6. Doctrine The sacrifice made by Christ was singular one onely once offered ver 12. Reason 1. Because he entered into his holy Sanctuary by his bloud and the bloud of any living creature can be shed but once v. 16. 2. Because by his sacrifice he obtained an eternall expiation and things eternall cannot be iterated ibid. 3. Because then he must have suffered often and have begun his sufferings since the beginning of the world v. 26. 4. Because he died before his offering it and men are subject to death but once v. 27. CHAPTER X. 1. FOr the Law having a shadow He had said before that the Legall high Priest entered yearly into the holy place not with his owne bloud but with the bloud of others contrary to what Christ did who offered himselfe once onely Now here he gives the reason thereof because the Law by a continuall offering of the same sacrifices
yearly can never make the commers thereunto perfect for therefore it is that those offerings are iterated yeare by yeare This reason he doth by the way confirm by another reason because the law hath only a shadow of future blessings and not the very image of them Therefore the causal particle for hath not reference to what was said immediatly before but must in this place be referred to his principall doctrine though more remote which was That the legall high Priest offered year by year but Christ once only A shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things Those good things to come may be understood more largely or strictly First largely to comprehend both eternall happinesse it selfe promised or bequeathed us in the new Testament also all the helps and meanes for the acquiring of it affoorded us under the same Testament and pourtrayed in the legall shadowes such as are Christ himselfe our high Priest his Bloud his Offering his Sanctuarie and such like for these were future and to come in respect of the Law Or they may be taken strictly onely for the happinesse promised us Neither of these sences are disagreeing to the text yet the latter is more probable by reason of those words in the former chapter verse 11. wherein Christ is said to be a high Priest of good things to come and so the Priest and his Priesthood are manifestly distinguished and if ye marke it well so is his Sanctuarie and his Sacrifice But seeing there is no open mention of these good things to come but only in that text and this which we have now in hand that in both the same thing is handled it is most agreeable to reason that the good things to come in this place should be taken strictly for the happinesse onely promised us in the new testament which comprehends our perpetual deliverance from all punishments of all our sins our eternal inheritance of eternall life For by the admitting of this sense wee shall the more easily interpret the words following concerning the very image of the things For this condition seemes plainely taken from the Law and attributed to the Gospel Of those things which are not so much the parts of our happinesse as the means and adjuncts of it the Gospel doth not exhibit unto us the image but the substances themselves but of those promises it proposeth to us in this life rather the image then the substance although our deliverance from the punishments of our sinnes doe in some measure begin in this life But it exhibits unto us the very image of them in as much as it describes and promiseth them most openly to us so that are may seem in a manner to see them before our eyes But the Law had only a shadow of those good things from whence we could but conjecture very darkly and imperfectly what and what manner of things they were To that shadow contained in the Law were proportionably answering both the sacrifices by meanes whereof those good things were attained and also the high Priest the Sanctuary and such like But now seeing a clear and perfect image of those celestiall goods is proposed unto us and promised us in plaine and open tearmes therefore there are required other sacrifices which have an apparent and manifest vertue and efficacie to procure those goods unto us which can beget in our soules a most assured hope of them and can draw us to a course of life sutable to them Can never by those sacrifices which they offered yeare by yeare continually The words yeare by yeare doe not seem to cohere with offered for then there is a great and hard transposition of the words but agree rather with those sacrifices for so the sense is facile and usuall as if hee had said the same sacrifices recurring yeare by yeare whereby he would intimate that under the Law the same sacrifices were offered yet not every day and moneth but every yeare and every yeare sacrifices were offered yet not diverse but the same the same kinde yeare by yeare The space of time whereby those sacrifices were distant one from another was a yeare and when the yeare came about the sacrifice was of the same kinde Which they offered The persons who did make the offering were the high Priests to whom the Law enjoyned it But here the words are put in a passive sense to signifie the sacrifices which were offered For ordinary it is that an active forme of speech doth carry a passive sense So Luke 12.20 The words are active This night shall they require thy soule But the sense is passive this night thy soule shall be required Continually In this there is more signified then in the words yeare by yeare for it intimates that the course of yeares wherein yeare by yeare the same sacrifices were iterated was not interrupted nor intermitted but constantly continued and the continuance of this custome was not short for the space of some few yeares successively but a long continuance for many ages Can never make the commers thereunto perfect Although the same sacrifices were yeare by yeare iterated without intermission for a long continuance yet the Law by means of those sacrifices could never perfect the Commers thereto The Commers were all such amongst Gods people as came to worship God and serve him by means of those sacrifices and therefore in the verse following the same persons in the same respect are called the worshippers For in the peoples accesse or comming to the Tabernacle is also included that divine worship and service which there they performed Seeing their Accesse and Comming thither was but for worship and service and seeing again that worship and service might bee done no where else but by comming there for the Law forbad the people to offer sacrifice in any other place but the Sanctuary To perfect signifies to expiate or purge from sinne and to expiate so fully and finally that the party once expiate shall want nothing else shall need no other oblation of any other sacrifice nor no iteration of the same and consequently shall feele no further conscience of his sins 2. For then would they not have ceased to be offered This sentence should not be rendred negatively then they would not have ceased for this negation is quite contrary to the sense and reasoning of the Author But affirmatively thus for then would they have ceased to be offered For because the same sacrifices were yeare by yeare offered continually therefore from thence he proves that they could not perfect the worshippers or commers to the sacrifices and this their imperfection he further confirmes ab absurdo for if the same sacrifices could have perfected the commers thereto they would have ceased from being iterated and offered againe yeare by yeare continually For what need the same sacrifices be iterated yeare by yeare if they could perfect the commers to them by expiating their sinnes fully and finally for if the
sacrifices had done this then they must have finally determined and ceased But seeing they could not do this therefore they ceased not but were offered iterated year by year continually Because that the worshippers once purged should have no more conscience of sins Here he gives a reason of the former affirmation why the same sacrifices should have ceased to be offered namely because the worshippers once purged and expiated perfectly should have no more conscience of sins To have conscience of sinnes signifies two things whereof the one is consequent to the other as to know himselfe guilty of sinne and to acknowledge himselfe guilty of punishment The maine doctrine which the Author teacheth is this That those sacrifices had not force to effect that men should know themselves not guilty of sinne which is then done when they abstain from sinne and then that men should not acknowledge themselves guilty of punishment which is then done when they are not afraid of it Therefore they were iterated yeare by yeare continually for a long succession of many ages that year by year they might heale the sore of the conscience which broke out againe yeare by yeare For where health is fully recovered and setled the medicine is not iterated but if there be relapses and the disease have recourses the use of the medicin must be often applied either therefore that Sacrifice being once offered must expiate the future sins of all the future years and ages to come although it withdrew not men from the acts of sinne or if this be absurd then seeing it could not withdraw men from the acts of sinne there was good reason it should be iterated yearly to heale the conscience yearly wounded with sinnes But it had been very absurd that the sins of so many men and ages should be purged by the bloud of one goat 3. But in those sacrifices is a remembrance againe made of sinnes every yeare Here he teacheth the contrary to the last consequence namely that after those Sacrifices the consciences of the people were againe guilty of sinnes And this he proves thus because at those Sacrifices yeare by yeare the high Priest did yeare by yeare rememorate and confesse the sinnes of the people For he must lay both his hands upon the head of the Scape-goat and confesse over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins c. Levit. 16.21 For to this place the Author here hath reference In those sacrifices i. then at that solemne Fast-day when those Sacrifices were offered the sinnes of the people were also remembred and confessed For though the yeare before they were all laid upon the head of the Scape-goat and banished into the wildernesse together with the goat yet the next yeare and successively yeare by yeare another goat must be banished because the people had more sins to be banished 4. For it is impossible that the bloud of bulls and of goats should take a way sinnes Here hee gives a reason of his principall assertion That those Sacrifices could never perfect the commers thereto by an argument taken from the very nature of those Sacrifices because they were but the bloud of bulls and goats which hath no possiblity to take away sinnes i. it cannot effect that men should afterward abstaine from sinne and so have no further conscience of sinnes and consequently feare no punishment of them For what force can the bloud of beasts have to produce this effect But the bloud of Christ hath this efficaâ—ie and force and all men may easily acknowledge it if they will of which point we have formerly treated in severall places Yet the Author saith not that the bloud of those beasts had no force at all in no measure and for no time to take away the guilt of those sinnes for which by the Law of God it was to be offered seeing this is evidently false for if it expiated not sinne at all in no measure to what purpose was it offered year by year Why doth the Author himselfe affirme that the worshippers for whom it was offered were once purged by it Certainly then they did purge some sinnes for some time namely sins of error for a year Therefore the minde of the Author is as we have explicated it before that the bloud of bulls and goats hath not any force and impossible it is it should have any to withdraw men from their sins and to effect that afterward they should not sinne and so to free them from feare and guilt of all future punishment 5. Wherefore when he commeth into the world From the imperfection and infirmity which he hath shewed to be in the Legall sacrifices the Author gathers or rather affirmes that therefore God hath rejected them and in their roome hath elected the onely offering of Christ This he proves by a testimony taken Psal 40.6 Where David and under the person of David Christ himselfe is brought in speaking hereof But in this place there is a great question what should be understood by this comming of Christ into the world Yet the thing it selfe shewes that they are much mistaken who interpret this comming of the nativity or birth of Christ For it is apparent that we must understand these words to be spoken of Christ then when he prepared and addressed himselfe for his sacrifice and to performe his offering in stead of the Legall sacrifices Loe I come saith he to doe thy will O God This comming therefore of Christ into the world must be so understood as to be joyned with the execution of Gods will But this cannot be said of Christs nativity for Christ presently upon his birth did not performe this will of God which the Author designes seeing then he could not doe any will of God at all For when hee was new borne and yet an Infant how could he doe the will of God or could he then say these words For it is apparent that the Author speakes here of Christ as man which we therefore intimate that no man may thinke here to flye to the destinction of his natures Besides this phrase of comming into the world doth no where signifie his nativity For they who for this sence of the phrase bring the place John 1.9 do not observe that the Greeke words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if wee respect the Grammaticall sence may as well bee referred to the preceding Noune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies light as to the Noune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is man but if we respect the phrase of Scripture then comming into the world must much rather be referred to the word light So that the participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must not be rendred in Latin venientem in reference to man as the vulgar Latine edition hath it but veniens as referred to the light And so the sence made to be thus That Christ who is the true light rising upon the earth like the Sun and comming into
wherein it is opposed to the legall Tabernacle whereof one of the roomes was the most holy yet not absolutely but comparatively only in respect of the other which was called the first Tabernacle and the holy place because it was lesse holy then the second as the second was farre lesse holy then heaven which is farre the holiest of all By the bloud of Iesus For from the bloud of Jesus wee draw our boldnesse both for our liberty and confidence to enter because both the New Testament whereby is granted unto us not only leave but a right to enter into the holiest is confirmed by the bloud of Jesus but also the new sacrifice once only offered and never to be iterated for the offering whereof Christ entered into the holiest was prepared by the bloud of Jesus For by the entrance of Jesus into the holiest who is our leader and our head we have liberty that we may and we take courage that wee shall enter seeing whither soever our leader and head whom God himselfe hath appointed unto us doth enter and arrive thither also a right and liberty of entring is granted unto us for not only the same issue of the journey is promised to us that was granted to our Captain and Head but also therefore our Captaine entered heaven and obtained all power there that both from his example and from the power he hath there we might have an assured faith and hope of those heavenly blessings and in due time might really enjoy them 20. By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us Here the Author seems to declare whence it is that we have our liberty and confidence to enter heaven and he saith we have it hence That Christ hath consecrated for us a way to it Consecrated here is initiated or dedicated for the Greek word is the same that before we rendred dedicated Chap. 9. v. 18. Now Christ is said to consecrate or initiate this way unto us not only as he was the first that entered heaven after death and a death so fearfull and shamefull but also because hee hath procured us a right to the same way that we may lawfully passe along in it and trace the steps of Christ to immortality For Christ hath consecrated this way for us by using it himselfe first and then leaving the use of it free to us for consecration is the first use of a holy thing before which it might not lawfully bee used by any other Before Christ opened heaven by his entrance thither and consecrated the way leading thither it was lawfull for no man to enter it especially after death But now this way being consecrated dedicated or initiated any man that will may enter it and by it passe safely unto heaven This way is called new not only because it was lately or newly consecrated or initiated but especially because it was lately discovered and newly opened even in the latter times and last age of the world and besides because it is an appendent and concurrent with the New Testament for during the Old Testament and the old Tabernacle the way to the holiest was not open The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first Tabernacle was yet standing Chap. 9.8 This new way is so marked with the steps of Christ that no length of time can deface it especially seeing so many thousands of the godly have heretofore followed and hereafter will follow Christ their leader in that journey and the way by their steps is continually renewed and kept open And it is called a living way not formally but finally because life is the end of it whereto it leads for so bread is called the bread of life and living bread because effectually it doth vivifie and make us live Hee seemes herein to have a tacite reference to the entrance into the holy places under the Law which was a mortall and deadly way because it was death for any man to enter them excepting only the high Priest and he but once a yeare upon a prefixed day to performe solemne ceremonies And therefore he opposeth the way to the heavenly holy place to the way of the old legall holy place in as much as this latter is a deadly way that brings death but the former is a living way that leadeth unto life Besides this entrance and way leading to the heavenly holy place is commonly made by death and sometimes by a horrid and cruell death and so may seem rather to lead unto destruction and therefore he called it a living way very seasonably to comfort us by teaching us that it hath a far different issue from what it seems at the first sight Through the vaile that is to say his flesh Hee alludes to the vaile that was spread between the two holy places of the Tabernacle and disparted the one from the other To which vaile he saith the flesh of Christ is answerable For as the old legall high Priest could not enter into the most holy place unlesse the vaile were withdrawne So Christ could not enter into the heavenly holy place before his flesh was withdrawne and as I may say rent and broken Therefore the high Priest entered by moving the vaile aside and Christ by laying his flesh aside so Christ entered through the vail An open sign whereof was in the death of Christ whereby his flesh was dissolved and laid aside For when Christ yeelded up the ghost suddenly the vail of the Temple was rent in twain And this renting of that vaile what doth it portend else then that by Gods appointment those holy places should be no more shut but open and common and become in a manner of publicke use so that any man might lawfully either looke into or enter them And hereby what else was signified but that the flesh of Christ being rent and broken by the death of the Crosse thereupon the passage unto the heavenly holy places was unlocked and set open to Christ and to all that beleeve in him so that not onely Christ himselfe might enter but all that are Christs may enter also and before they enter actually may looke in by faith and hope While the mortall body of Christ was entire and whole both Christ himselfe was debarred from the entrance of those heavenly places and we both from the entrance and prospect of them but after that this vaile of Christs flesh was by death dissolved then both Christ himselfe did enter heaven and procured us a right and power to enter and before we do enter actually to view the happinesse of it by faith and taste the sweetenesse of it by hope For the entrance of Christ into heaven following upon his death doth make us certainely to see and hope for the inheritance of heaven which was hidden from us by Christ as by a vaile till he was withdrawne and taken from us by his death and Resurrection 21. And having a great high Priest Christ is called a great high
Priest not onely in respect of the faithfull who are but a kinde of lesse Priests compared to Christ as of old under the Law among the Priests one was great and head over the rest but in respect of the high and great Priests under the Law who as we have heard compared with Christ were not onely little but in a manner very small and dimme shadowes Over the house of God By this house of God we may understand both that heavenly Sanctuary wherein our high Priest performes his holy offices answerable to the Legall Tabernacle and also the Church or people of God who are the spirituall house of God For Christ is president over both these houses both that heavenly and this spirituall on earth 22. Let us draw neere Here begins the other part of the Chapter containing an admonition drawne from the former doctrines They were said to come or draw neere as we heard at the first verse who while the Priest was officiating were intentive to the divine service for which they approached to the Tabernacle whereby they also came neere or drew neere to God The Author doth call upon us That seeing we have a high Priest truly great resident in the Sanctuary of heaven who there performes holy offices offerings for us therefore we also should approach and draw neere in soule and spirit unto that heavenly Sanctuary intentively minding the worship of God Which is nothing else but to apply our selves to the worship of God and never make doubt to draw neere unto him in confidence of Christ our high Priest With a true heart He shews what manner of persons they must be who will exercise this spirituall worship of God and apply themselves unto it They must have a true heart And a true heart is opposed to a seined deceitfull and dissembling heart which makes onely an outward shew of holinesse and thereby endeavours to deceive In full assurance of faith A full assurance of faith is opposed to a wavering and doubting faith for looke how much doubt is mingled with faith so much is wanting to the perfection and fulnesse of it Therefore then we have a full faith when wee doubt nothing of the truth of the Christian Religion and discipline Having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience He alludes to a Ceremony ordained under the Law whereby they who had touched any uncleane thing must be sprinkled with the holy water of seperation before they might enter into the assembly of Gods people at the Sanctuary to performe the worship of God for if they did otherwise they must dye for it This purging or cleansing of the flesh by sprinkling the Author transferres spiritually to the spirit and soule whereby the soule is cleansed from the guilt and staine of conscience and the body from the filth of sinne Now the sprinkling or purging of the heart from an evill conscience may be taken two wayes either to signifie that cleansing whereby we get a full remission of our sinnes by the bloud and sacrifice of Christ and are freed from an evill conscience and from feare of Gods punishment in which manner he said before that our conscience is purged from dead works or to signifie the cleansing of our soule from inward and secret sinnes For by an evill conscience in this place by a metony my of the effect he seemes to understand the hidden and secret vices of the soule as opposed to the filth of the body which as in the words immediatly subsequent he teacheth must be washed away For what else can the filth of the body signifie then those outward sinnes which are committed by the body it self not as if these did not also defile the conscience but because open sinnes are exposed to the eyes and censures of other men but the secret and inward sinnes of the soule though they make no man else conscious to them yet they agitate and burden the conscience Therefore by the former sence of these words is signified the great benefit of God which we attaine by the bloud and sacrifice of Christ and by the latter is intimated our duty whereto wee are excited and oblieged by so great a benefit And our bodies washed We have already said that this washing of the body must be referred to the washing away of that filth whereby our body stands defiled before God therefore if we receive the last sence of the former words then the Author here puts us in minde of the same thing whereof Paul remembers us 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearely beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God And the Author shewes that it is a most fit and convenient thing to wash the body in this sence because anciently under the Law they who approached to the Sanctuary for the performance of Gods worship must wash their bodies all the difference is that there men understood the carnall staines of sinne but here the spirituall With pure water There is no necessity we should by this allegory thinke any thing answering by name to this water seeing the Author seemes to speake in allusion to the custome used under the Law of washing the body with pure water For comparisons as we have often intimated are subject to many abusions Yet if any man desire a full resemblance we may say that hereby is meant the spirit and doctrine of Christ or that spirituall water wherewith Christ sprinkleth his people not excluding his bloud For this is the pure water for the soule and by it only the filth of sin is washed away They that here understand the water of Baptisme are mistaken For the water of Baptisme is but onely an outward signe and shadow of this washing which here the Author understands wherewith neither can our hearts be sprinkled nor the filth of our vices really washed away Therefore that spirituall Baptisme which doth truly save us must be here understood even that Baptisme which as Peter saith is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh or the outward washing of the body but the answer of a good conscience toward God 1. Pet. 3.21 Which is not effected by any elementary water but only the heavenly and spiritual which washeth the conscience 23. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith He exhorts them to constancy in the profession of the Christian religion because it is not sufficient for us to serve God in heart and other workes unlesse wee also confesse him with the mouth In the Greeke it is the profession of our hope and by the word hope the Author seemes to comprise the whole Christian religion for the Christian religion consisteth chiefly in hope and in a hope most excellent even the hope of immortall life and eternall happines and all the parts and heads are directed and concurre to breed in mens mindes this hope and a holinesse of life sutable to it Hence Peter under the same
Commandements of Christ Strictly as it eminently signifies the most grievous sin of Apostacie which is a falling away from the Christian Religion or rather infidelity in generall whereto if by way of difference yee adde what the Author presently addeth after knowledge of the truth received ye have the definition of Apostacie For Apostacie is an Infidelity that followes after faith or a desertion of the faith and a rejection of the truth once knowne and received So John 16.9 Christ by the word sinne seems eminently to understand Infidelity The latter sense is favoured 1. In that the Author ver 28. following being to prove that men sinning after the manner here specified shall by no meanes escape the judgement of God seemes to draw his argument from them who wholy rejected Gods Law and turned to false Gods of whom wee read Deut. 17. and whom no men resemble neerer then they who fall away from Christ and his most holy Religion 2. In that it seems proper to Apostates to tread under foot the Son of God and to account the bloud of the Covenant an unholy thing for this is incompatible to them who constantly adhering to the Christian Religion are notwithstanding fallen into some single sin or vice 3. In that this place seems most alike to that Chap. 6.4 where we have said the Author speaks properly of Apostates But the former sense is also favoured 1. In that the word Sinne hath a generall signification and perhaps every where for words must not be restrained within the use of speech when no reason constraines it And the word Sinne in the place of John 16.9 hath of it selfe a generall signification though afterward it be specified and explicated in particular what kinde of sin he there understands 2. From the occasion and scope of the Author For before he had admonished them to exhort one another and now he shews what great danger will or at least may come of it if this action be neglected namely that they may wilfully sinne after they have received the knowledge of the truth and so involve themselves into a heavy judgement And seeing the Exhortation is at large as must bee used as a remedy against all kinde of sinnes why therefore should not that sin which the Author faith might easily arise from the neglect of exhortation be extended largely also Now in answer of the reasons brought for the other sense To the first we say that the Authors argument seems drawne from all them who sinned against the Law with a high hand of whom there is a place Numb 15.30,31 But the soul that doth ought presumptuously whether he be borne in the land or a stranger the same reproacheth the Lord and that soule shall be cut off from among his people Because he hath despised the word of the Lord and hath broken his Commandement that soule shall surely be cut off his miquity shall be upon him For to despise the Law here in this Author is the same with despising the word of the Lord and breaking his Commandement with Moses in Numbers Here to sinne wilfully and there to doe presumptuously are all one And here shall dye without mercy and there he shall surely be cut off are all one for what is this else but not to spare not to shew any mercy To the second we say That he doth tread under foot the Son of God and account the bloud of the Covenant an unholy thing who dares violate the Covenant which is published by Christ and established by his bloud or dares as much as in him lyes to irritate or dissolve it that it may be void and of no effect by committing those sinnes which by the Covenant are punished by death and damnation To the third we say That this place is not so altogether like that Chap. 6.4 but that there appears a plaine unlikenesse For there both the scope and occasion of the words and the word it selfe of falling away compared with the matter preceding doe all declare that the Author properly speaks of Apostacie but here as we have seene the scope and occasion of the words tend another way Wherefore we must conclude that the former acception of the word Sin which includes in it also the latter is rather to bee received Although amongst those sinnes Apostacie holds the first place and thereto the Author hath reference chiefly but not only The word wilfully as we have said seems to signifie the same sinne that the Scriptures of the Old Testament call presumptuously and so committed in contempt of Gods Majesty or by hautinesse and pride of minde and this kinde of sinne is opposed to sinnes committed either out of ignorance or infirmity Wherefore it notes unto us those kinde of sinnes which are wittingly advisedly and purposely and so argue a meer malice of mind Such under the New Testament are accounted all vitious habits and customes of sinning and persevering in evill-doing as also all heynous and foule wickednesses done wittingly and advisedly For infirmity or humane frailty cannot be pretexed for such sinnes especially among Christians After that we have received the knowledge of the truth Sinnes wilfully and wittingly committed before the knowledge of the truth are of another nature then those that follow that knowledge for the Sacrifice of Christ was ordained to expiate the former but for the expiation of the latter there is no other sacrifice to be expected as wee shall heare afterward For crimes or foule sinnes committed after the knowledge of the truth are far more heynous then those done in ignorance of it and the malice of man appeares far greater in those then in these though otherwise the facts may be equall Therefore it more agrees with the equity and wisdome of God to grant a meanes for the expiation of those then of these and consequently to pardon those and not these There remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes In these words is expressed the miserable estate of those who after knowledge of the truth received sinne in the manner we have said namely that seeing the sacrifice and offering of Christ did not profit them there remaines no other wherby their sinnes may be expiated But the sacrifice and offering of Christ profited them not because they are relapsed into their former sinnes and bring not forth fruit worthy of faith and repentance For upon this condition only it is that the sacrifice and offering of Christ bringeth salvation to them who live after their knowledge of the truth and their reception of the Christian faith For sins committed before the knowledge of the truth may be washed away by faith only in Christ and the profession of it and a purpose and as it were a covenant of living holily afterward but sins done after such knowledge are no otherwise washed away but by an actuall and totall desertion or forsaking of them and by inducing in their roome all Christian virtues as fruits of the Spirit and of faith For this is it
have spent their life for his sake For by witnesses in this place wee must chiefly understand them who testifie Gods faithfulnesse and goodnesse with their bloud and hence are eminently called Martyrs i. witnesses A cloud of witnesses That is a great multitude of witnesses which carry the shew and bulke of a cloud Hence God himselfe comparing the multitude of our sins to a cloud saith I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sinnes Isaiah 44.22 Let us lay aside every weight Hee recedes not from his simily proposed For they that will contend in the running of a race must free themselves from all weights and lighten themselves as much as they can By weight in this spirituall race of faith wee must understand the love of this life and the care of things pertaining to it wherewith our soules are burdened and pressed downeward to the earth as it were with a great weight And the sinne which doth so easily beset us He seemes to allude to long and loose garment which unlesse they be laid aside are a great hinderance to runners about whose legs such garments doe easily wave and wrap themselves By sinne he seemes to meane all outward vicious acts as before by weight he signified the inward vices of the soule For vicious acts doe easily insinuate themselves upon us in our race of faith and greatly retard us in our course begun unlesse we cast off all our love to sin for as often as we commit an actuall sinne so often we fall as it were in our course of godlinesse And let us runne with patience the race that is set before us This race is the course it selfe wherein we strive by running for in the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby is signified all kinde of strife in this manner whether it be by running wrestling hurling or any other way but here he speakes of running Therefore to runne the race is nothing else but to strive by running and by this strife in running he meanes especially the strife of our faith which consists in this that we never be cast in our hope of Gods promises made by Christ especially when wee are to doe or suffer some hard matter for Christs sake To this strife particularly Paul exhorts his Timothy when he calls upon him to fight the good fight of faith 1 Tim. 6.12 And the very same is signified by this Author when in the next verse willing to excite us to this strife and to strengthen us for it he requires us to looke unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith For this we must therefore doe least we should waver in our faith fainting and failing under it for this is opposed to the strife of faith ver 3. This race is said to be set before us namely by God and Christ because the price or reward of eternall life is appointed us upon no other condition but of our running this race And wee are commanded to runne with patience either because without patience it is impossible to keepe our faith with God or rather because this race or strife of faith appeares and shewes it selfe in nothing more then in a constant suffering of adversities in so much that he who with an invincible courage doth suffer all evils for Gods sake and Christ is thereby truly said to runne the race of faith things doth strive with afflictions and will not be conquered or foiled by them 2. Looking unto Iesus the author and finisher of the faith Here hee shews from whence especially we must procure courage and strength for our race of faith and patience and what should incite us to runne stoutly and beare all things patiently for righteousnesse sake Namely the example of the Captaine of our faith upon whom we must cast and fasten the eyes of our minde considering seriously both what he did and what he suffered what a race he ran and what a prize hee obtained having finished his course But he calls him not the Captain of faith simply but of the faith adding the article the to specifie unto us some particular and singular faith which is denominated from him and called the Christian faith because Christ was the Author and Captain of it not only because he was the first that taught it but also the first that performed it or the first that did run the race of it And he is also called the finisher of our faith because as he was the first Author that began it so he is the finisher thereof to bring it to an issue and put an end unto it for a thing is then finished when it hath attained the proper end In like manner our faith shall be finished when it is come to the issue of it whereby we attaine the salvation of our soules which as Peter saith is the end of our faith 1 Pet. 1.9 And this end is attained through Christ For the like reason it was that this Author before Chap. 3. ver 1. called Christ Jesus the Apostle and high Priest of our profession For the appellation of Apostle though it rather note that Christ was the first teacher of our faith then the first sufferer for it and contrarily the appellation of the Captaine of our faith which here the Author useth notes rather the latter then the former yet both these appellations doe tacitly include both But Christ is our high Priest especially therefore because it is his office to procure the expiation of our sinnes and the eternall salvation of our soules in which point as we said consisteth the finishing and ending of our faith For to this present purpose this appellation of Christ is very sutable and of great force to strengthen our minds and confirme them against all afflictions For with what face should we forsake that faith which hath so great a Captaine to it and hath him for the finisher of it who is the Author of it Who for the joy that was set before him Christ to obtain the joy that was set before him endured the crosse and counterpoised the paine of death against the joy of eternall life Hence it appears that the joy of heaven cannot be gotten at any lesse price then the crosse if need require And he saith this joy was set before Christ in allusion to the prize that is proposed to them that run in a race or strive at some other game By Joy he understands that supreme and heavenly happinesse which Christ attained and he calls it joy from the adjunct of it because it is accompanied with unspeakable and perpetuall joy and withall is opposed to the paine of the Crosse which he suffered Of such high advantage it is for thee to endure trouble and torment for a small time that thereby thou maiest attaine heavenly joyes and pleasures for ever Endured the crosse The crosse hath in it two things extremely bitter extreme paine and extreme shame yet the shame of it is to a noble spirit far
that have been occupied therein Here he brings the reason why in a manner he denied that the heart is established with meats or that such establishing is not so good a thing namely because they that have exercised therein have found no profit thereby To be occupied in meats or as the Greek hath it to walke in meats seeing here as we have shewed meats signifie the meats of the sacrifices or of the holy things is nothing else but to partake of those carnall sacrifices and to accustome the eating of things offered and consecrated and placing therein a part of Gods worship and serice By those who are said to be occupied in those meats are meant the Jewes before they were illuminated in the doctrine of Christ Which have not profited them The Jews found no true profit by eating those meats For as Christ saith of Manna John 6.49 Your fathers did eat Manna in the wildernesse and are dead So may it well be said of the meats of the sacrifices and things consecrated to God Your fathers did eat the meats of sacrifices and are dead But he that recreates and fills his soule with that grace of God which is revealed and exhibited to men in the Gospell hee shall live for ever Therefore the words not profited doe not simply exclude all profit and advantage wholly for the meats of the sacrifices did profit something in respect of that time to repaire the strength of the body for a short time but they had not a true profit belonging to the Spirit but only a carnall profit that was transitory and fugitive not durable and eternall In which sense also Christ saith of his flesh eaten in a carnall way as his Disciples understood it Joh. 6 63. It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing that is it furthereth nothing unto life to produce in men a spirituall and eternall life It is the Spirit that vivifies men which as from the spirituall eating of the flesh of Christ slaine for the life of the world and from the spirituall drinking of his bloud so from that sweet taste of that divine grace which was confirmed by the death and bloud of Christ doth distill into our soules and so revives and quickens us From these words of the Author it is manifest that to Christian Religion it is nothing pertinent or profiting to eat any true meat properly and consequently not the flesh and bloud of Christ For if the body of Christ were properly eaten and therein consisted a part of Religion would not the Author have opposed the meat of Christs flesh and bloud to the meats of those sacrifices would he have said we have an altar whereof it is not lawfull for them to eat no not for the Priests if it be lawfull for the Priests to eat the body and drinke the bloud of Christ offered every day upon the altar and unlawfull not to eat and drinke it Would he have left us only the sacrifice of praise and good workes for the sacrifices and offerings of all animals and other creatures which might be turned into meats 10. We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle Hitherto the Author hath shewed that there is very little or no cause why Christians should desire those sacrifices of the Law and the meats of those offerings or should place some part of Gods worship or service in them or should take it grievously that for the profession of Christian Religion they are drawne from commerce and communion with the Jewes and their state Now he shews further that it is not lawfull for Christians to eat the meats of sacrifices as was anciently done under the Law He therefore saith We have an altar Any man may easily perceive that these words are figurative and improper taken from the ordinances in the discipline of Moses which for the most part cannot be applied to the discipline of Christ but by way of abusion and impropriety whereof we had no few examples formerly especially in the comparison of Christ with the Leviticall Priests For for comparisons sake we many times use such words of a thing which without respect to the comparison wee would never use The same impropriety falls out againe here In the Christian Religion to speake properly there is no Altar no Tabernacle to serve no Sacrifices which can be eaten neither if we respect the eating of sacrifices or the abstinence from them is there any such difference betweene Christians as if some were Priests and Ministers of the Tabernacle and others were not Therefore in such sayings we must not weigh every word singly by it selfe as what is signified by the Altar what by the Tabernacle and whereto it answers but we must enquire for the sense of the whole sentence Wherefore these words import nothing else but that Christians have no other sacrifices but such whereof they have no power to eat By those which serve the Tabernacle which under the Law were only Priests and Levites are signified all Christians in generall Christians therefore are said to be in that condition as if under the Law there had been such an Altar whereof and of the sacrifices laid upon it and offered unto God it was not lawfull for any man to eat no not for the Priests themselves and other Ministers of the house of God much lesse for the rest of the people For if there had been such an Altar under the Law then it is apparent unto all men that the eating of sacrifices and things offered unto God should have had no place under the Law But thus it is under the Gospell and therefore the eating of sacrifices must be to Christians unlawfull 11. For the bodies of those beasts whose bloud is brought into the Sanctuarie by the high Priest for sinne are burnt without the campe Here the Author proves by his assertion in the former verse why in Christianitie the matter is so ordered that under the Gospel there is such an Altar whereof the Sacrifices are not permitted to be eaten of any man Yet he proposeth his argument so concisely and briefly that he seemes rather to point at it then explicate it And it manifestly appeares that the Authour takes it as graunted for a ground That Christians have no other Sacrifice but what is resembled by the entrance of the high Priest into the Sanctuary or by those beasts onely whose bloud was brought into the Sanctuary by the high Priest and their bodies were burnt without the campe For unlesse the Author took this for graunted he could not from this that in those sacrifices it was not lawful to eat the flesh of the offering simply conclude that it is not lawfull for us Christians to eat sacrifices or that we have an altar whereof we may not lawfully eat And this he might well take for granted because by that Sacrifice whereby our high Priest entred into his Sanctuary under the new Covenant all things were perfomed whether we
respect the plenary expiation of our sinnes or the full reconciliation of Gods favour and grace towards us that for that effect there is no further need of any Sacrifices of beasts or other things corporeall Neither is there reason why any man should say that in the Christian Religion there are other Sacrifices and oblations which Christians must offer and therefore by that sacrifice other Sacrifices and oblations are not excluded For the Author doth not oppose that Sacrifice to those that are wholly incorporeall and spirituall and whereof no meat can be made as are the Sacrifices to be offered by Christians such as a contrite and humbled heart as David speakes the Sacrifices of praise the fruits of our lippes confessing unto the name of God communicating or doing good as the Authour hath it afterwards and other workes of pietie But hee opposeth it to those Sacrifices wherein are offered things corporeall and fit for food so that he leaves no further place for all these Therefore herewith the Sacrifice of the Masse must needs fall wherein a thing corporeall that may be eaten is said to be daily offered But some man may demand how it can be true that in the Christian Religion there remaines that Sacrifice whereby the bloud of slaine beasts was by the Priests brought into the Sanctuary for sinne and their bodies burnt without the campe We answer because that under Christianity there remaines the Sacrifice of Christ our high Priest which is the antitype and solid body whereof that Sacrifice was but a type and shadow Which sacrifice of Christ by the comming of it hath abolished all other carnall sacrifices and the eating of them Whereof this is an open and manifest argument that in the type and shadow of it there was no place allowed for eating but the bodies of the beasts slaine for it were wholly burnt and that without the campe Yet it is not necessary we should say that here is a reference to that yearly Sacrifice onely whereby the high Priest entered the Oracle or the holiest of all seeing the reference may be to all those Sacrifices which were made as well for the high Priest himself as for the whole people For the bloud of those beasts that were slaine for a sin-offering was by the high Priest brought into the Sanctuary although not into the Oracle or holiest place of all yet into the first Tabernacle which is properly called the Sanctuary chap. 9. vers 2. which in other Sacrifices for private men was not done wherein the bloud of the beasts slain after the high Priest had sprinkled the hornes of the Altar that stood in the court at the doore of the Tabernacle was all poured downe at the bottome of the Altar Levit. 4.25 and the bodies of the beasts so slaine for sinne-offerings were no lesse burned without the campe then was done in that solemne anniversary Sacrifice as it appears in the same fourth chapter of Leviticus 12. Wherefore Iesus also that he might sanctifie the people with his own bloud suffered without the gate Because hee had said that in those Sacrifices that caryed a type and shadow of the Sacrifice of Christ the bodies of the beasts slaine were wholly burnt without the campe therefore he affirmes it came to passe that Jesus also whom those beasts slaine for the Expiation and Salvation of the whole people fully represented and shadowed suffered without the gate And this hee doth for this end that the conformitie and resemblance betweene the tipe and antitipe betweene the shadow and the bodie might appeare the better which at the first sight would sufficiently argue that one was referred to the other The Citie of Jerusalem wherein the people after their conquest of Canaan seated themselves is answerable to the campe wherewith they journeyed in the wildernesse and succeeded in the roome of that campe And therefore in this respect it was all one for a man to bee drawne without the gate or walles of Jerusalem when the people dwelt in that Citie as without the campe when they had a campe for their Citie Iesus also the particle also hath in this place the force of a comparison as if hee had said not onely the bodies of those beasts were burnt without the campe but Jesus also himselfe suffered without the gate Suffered namely the death of the Crosse the genus being put for the species And the death of Christ is answerable not onely to the slaughter of the beasts that were made within the campe and Citie or compasse of the Temple but also to the burning of their bodies which was performed without the campe and City for this death answered their slaughter as his bloud was shed and their burning as his body was buried And the things that in the tipe and shadow were as it were severed were in the antitipe and body united so that onely death in Christ answered both the slaughter and burning of the beasts That hee might sanctifie the people In these words Christ is tacitely compared with the legall high Priest whose proper office it was to sanctifie or expiate not this or that single person but the whole people and the bloud of Christ is compared to the bloud of those beasts which was shed for the whole people And Jesus did sanctifie and wholly expiate the people with his bloud in that by the intervention of his cruell death hee entered into the heavenly Sanctuary and appeares for us for ever in the sight of God to make intercession for us i. to free us by his care from all the guilt and penalties of our sinnes For the same saying is expressed by Saint Paul in other words Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us For that which is sanctified or made holy is rightly opposed to that which is execrated or made a curse Wee have already observed heretofore that the Author thought he had occasion to speak of Christs bloud brought into the heavenly Tabernacle whereto his comparison and resemblance of Christ to the legall high Priest might invite him yet doth purposely avoide it and useth onely words from which it might appeare that our sinnes were expiated by the bloud of Christ yet not as brought into the Tabernacle of heaven and offered unto God but onely as it was shed and prepared entrance for Christ into heaven and there to help himselfe unto God The same caution is used also by the Author in this place who in the former verse having made expresse mention of the bloud of beasts brought by the high Priest into the Sanctuarie for sin-offerings yet when hee comes to the bloud of Christ saith nothing else of it but that hee Sanctified his people with it or as it is in the Greeke by it that is by shedding it By his owne bloud Not as the high Priest under the Law who sanctified the people by bloud yet not by his owne bloud but by the bloud of beasts but because
me of sin or if ye cannot do that but that my innocency acquits me from all crime why do yee reject me as an Impostor and a counterfeit and do not rather acknowledge my doctrine for truth Lastly the Bloud of Christ i. his cruell and infamous death which he suffered with such constancy that hee might assert his doctrine and especially that hee might testifie himselfe to bee Christ and the Sonne of God what possible suspicion can this leave of the least fraud or falshood For if Christ had beene conscious to himselfe of any fraud or falshood would hee have cast himselfe upon so infamous and fearfull a death and endure it with such patiency and constancy of minde If he had an intent to get himselfe a name by lyes and deceits would he have cast himselfe so freely uponextreame reproach and disgrace and get fame by no other meanes but by an infamous death for being condemned to the Crosse what could he else hope for if hee were an Impostor But if Christ were no way conscious to himselfe of any fraud or falshood but suffered death to assert his doctrine who sees not but he must needs be void of all offence For if his doctrine were false it must needs be fained of himselfe For he publiquely professed that he had seene the Father had received commands from him and was sent from him into the world that he was the Son of God and the King of Gods people which God had promised long before Now if these things were false how could Christ be ignorant of their falshood but if he knew them to be false whence could he have such a contempt of death for the asserting of them whence could he have such an invincible constancy and courage of minde Seeing therefore we have Jesus a surety of the new Covenant attested with so many documents of the truth shall we doubt to joyne our faith unto him to rest upon the hope of those heavenly blessings which he hath promised in this Covenant to cast off the yoke of sin and to give our name up to God and his righteousnesse Some man may marvaile why the Author treating of Christs Priesthood both before and after should suddenly call him the surety of the new Covenant and not the Priest of it Why did hee not say by so much was Iesus made a Priest of a better Testament For the whole context of the Chapter seemes to require this It is very credible that in the word surety the Priesthood of Christ is also understood For it is the part of a surety not onely to promise something in the name of another and to interpose his faith for another but also if the cause require to performe the thing he promised in anothers name and among men there is cause if the principall performe it not for whom the surety interposed but here it proceeds upon a contrary cause for the former cannot here take place namely because he for whom Christ interposed as a surety doth performe his promises to us by Christ himselfe in which action the Priesthood of Christ doth chiefly consist For Christ as he is a Priest doth now in heaven nothing more intentively then to performe Gods promises unto us i. he takes away all punishment of our sins he endowes us with Gods gifts and graces and at last translates us into heaven 23. And they truly were many Priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death Here he brings a new difference betweene Christ a Priest after the order of Melchisedec and the Priests after Aarons order and withall proves him far more excellent then they And this difference is that they were many but Christ was but one himself onely The reason of both is taken from the 16. and 17. verses because they were mortall and one being dead another must succeed but Christ is immortall and lives for ever 24. But this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood The Priesthood of Christ is said unchangeable because it is not transitory to change the person and passe from one to another for seeing he lives for ever and hath no successor therefore the Priesthood doth alwayes remaine in his person For because his person is unchangeable and continueth for ever therefore also his Priesthood is unchangeable and continueth for ever in his person 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost From the former verse he drawes this as a consectary wherein appeares a great difference betweene Christ and the legall priests and his great preheminence above them Namely that Christ is able to save for ever and at all times which none of them could doe To the uttermost in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the uttermost of time at all times and for ever for uttermost must be referred to the perfection or fulnesse of time and not of his saving For although the salvation it selfe which Christ our Priest brings unto us be in all points perfect and complete yet this in this place is not deduced from the former verse but the other onely So that to the uttermost is all one with continually and perpetually as appeares by the latter words of this verse wherein the Author shews the reason of this as we shall shew there Able to save This salvation in reference to Christ is in it self as we said most perfect and absolute For Christ saveth us as he takes away all the guilt and punishment of all our sinnes as he succours us in our infirmities from sinking under them and consequently from falling into punishment for our sinnes thereupon as he receives our soules into his hands which he restores us in due time invested with eternall glory and happinesse Whereof wee treated chap. 2. and 4. and 5. That come unto God by him Christ doth not save all men actually but them that come unto God by him To come unto God is to worship God and serve him with all our heart by offering sacrifices unto him as the Author speakes afterward chap. 13.15 Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God And to come to God by Christ is to worship God in confidence of Christ trusting upon him and in obedience of Christ following his Commandements and to worship him in worshipping of Christ by adoring praising and praying to Christ For he that doth this doth not so much worship and serve Christ as God himselfe by Christ Seeing hee ever liveth to make intercession for them In these words hee expresly addes the reason of the Consectary at the beginning of the verse Christ is able to save to the uttermost continually and perpetually because hee liveth to the uttermost continually and perpetually for he liveth ever Christ is said to make intercession by way of resemblance to the legall Priest who by entring and offering in the most holy place did make intercession So also Christ by his entrance into the heavenly tabernacle by his owne blood and by his
perpetuall residence there in procuring our salvation and the expiation of our sinnes is said to make intercession for us But as hee hath all power given him by his Father as he himselfe saves us and expiates our sinnes as he bestowes all happinesse upon us so he cannot be said to make intercession for us although these actions differ rationally rather then really seeing in them hee conveyes that to us which hee receives of his Father for us and therefore cannot properly be said to intercede or sue for that which hee hath full power to give of himselfe for God hath freely given him that full power 26. For such an high Priest became us Hee brings a reason why Christ was made a Priest to live for ever to make intercession for us because such a Priest did become us or was convenient for us Whence it appears that the following attributes given unto Christ do not notifie the innocent life of Christ which was indeed spotlesse and blamelesse but his happy and blessed state whereby it comes to passe that he ever lives and ever hath a care of us For although those attributes are most true of Christ if wee understand them of his life and innocencie yet being so understood in this place they make nothing to the present purpose of the Authour Who is holy In respect of his immortall nature which doth make him a Saint by sanctifying and hallowing him Harmelesse Not actively to do no harme but passively to have no harme by freeing him from all evill and miserie Vndefiled His state is purely happy and blessed not stained or blotted with any adversity or evil Seperate from sinners both in place and condition not conversing any more with them as once he did upon earth And made higher then the heavens He is now exalted above the two lower regions of heaven and seated in the highest region at the right hand of God All these are said of Christ in some manner by way of resemblance to the legall Priest Although in these againe there be a great disparity betweene Christ and him as we shall shew presently Yet if we respect the dignity of Priesthood the legall Priest was a venerable and holy person hee was harmelesse and inviolable and as his providence and care could lead him he was undefiled and hee was separate from sinners not conversing with them but residing in the Sanctuary which resembled heaven But all these could not be perfect in the legall Priest by reason of his infirmities or if they had been most perfect yet they had been but a shadow of those most divine qualities which were shewed before in Christ Now that such a Priest became us the thing it self declares for unlesse he were such a one hee could not be perpetually vigilant intent over our salvation to save all that should come to God by him For the contraries to these qualities would either trouble the functions of his office or wholly hinder them for even the legall Priest if at any time he were defiled might not performe the holy services to offer for others or sacrifice for their sin till first he had made some entrance in sacrificing for his owne 27. Who needed not daily as those high Priests to offer up sacrifice first for his owne sinnes and then for the peoples He shews another difference between Christ and the legall Priests depending on the former diffrences and consequent from them For the legall Priests must offer sacrifices yearly first for their owne sinnes and then for the peoples but Christ did this only once Daily i. upon the determine and set day for the yearly sacrifice which was the day of expiation For that the Author means that yearly sacrifice it appears from his saying that those Priests must offer first for their owne sinnes and then for the peoples But we read not that either hee did or was to doe this at any other time then at that yearly sacrifice of expiation For at other times he must either offer for himselfe alone if he stood guilty of some sin or if he were partaker of sinne with the people he must expiate it with one only sacrifice for himselfe and them together and not sacrifice first for himselfe and after for them See afterward chap. 10. v. 11. where daily is likewise taken for the appointed and set day For this hee did once He speaks of Christ our Priest What did Christ once certainly nothing else but what the old high Priest did yearly upon the set day But it is manifest from the former passages and from the context of the reasons that he speaks not here principally of the offering for the peoples sinnes on that day but especially for the offering for the sinnes of the Priest himselfe Sinnes are properly transgressions of Gods Lawes which seeing they had no place in Christ for hee knew no sinne therefore there must needs be an impropriety in the word sinnes here for by them must be meant the infirmities and sufferings of Christ whereof we spake before chap. 5.2,3 For we have already seen that the contraries to these infirmities and sufferings were in the next verse before described by the names of holinesse and harmlessenesse for these two verses do mutually illustrate each other When he offered up himselfe He shewes when Christ offered for himself namely prayers and supplications as we heard before chap. 5.7 And then he offered for himselfe when he offered himselfe for God when hee prepared himselfe for the offering of himselfe i. when he was slaine as a sacrifice For the offering of Christ in this place must be so farre extended as to comprise his death as a necessary antecedent or a kind of beginning and entrance to it Therefore Christ because hee now lives happy and blessed for ever and nothing can interrupt or hinder his happinesse therefore I say he is now secure of himselfe and need no more offer for himselfe but is only carefull for us and our salvation Yet because the time was once when he was forced to offer for him selfe therefore being well acquainted with sufferings he will so much the more readily succour the distressed But seeing this verse depends upon the former and is inferred from thence it appears therefore that the former verse speaks not of the manners of Christ our Priest but of his blessed state and condition For Christ needs not therefore not offer any more for himselfe because he was holy and harmlesse in respect of his manners and actions here upon earth seeing he was alwaies so but because by his Resurrection to Immortality he was freed from all harmes and evills for ever As therefore the sinnes of our Priest signified his sufferings and paines so the contraries to these his holinesse and harmlessenesse in the former verse declare him exempt and free from all such evills 28. For the Law made men high Priests which have infirmity Hee addes the cause of this difference between Christ and the legal Priests