of Christs dying and his dying for mens salvation was the grace of God the free love and favour of God did bestow this transcendent benefit upon men that Christ should taste death for them For the Author had no sooner made open mention of Christs death but presently he addes the great and weighty causes of it both finall and efficient lest any man should sleight it and think it not a matter of such moment that therefore the Lord of the faithfull should be lesse then the Angels for that end 10. For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things These words are a circumlocution or a designation of God from his two great attributes of being the last end and the first cause of all things and are introduced as a ground whereby to answer this tacit objection Had it not beene farre more convenient and decent That Christ the Lord and King over Gods people though he were not an Angell but a man by nature mortall should not taste of death and other sufferings but alwaies remaine in his happinesse and glory as it became the worth of so great a King To this the Author answers That it wonderfully became God to proceed this way and not to doe otherwise then he did because this way did especially suite to his end and was a most convenient meanes to attaine the end by God intended For God himselfe is the last end of all things for whom all things are and he is also the first efficient of all things from and by whom all things are and therefore it became God who begins all things by himselfe and finisheth them for himselfe to apply such meanes as are most conducent to his end for it becomes the wisest agent to worke most wisely The particle by whom notes not God as an instrumentall or meane cause as if some higher agent did worke by him but supposeth him the principall and prime agent which is alwayes so when it is used of God as an efficient or agent of some thing For that particle referred to God carries with it this force in sence that the thing mentioned was not onely primely invented and decreed by God but by him also brought to issue by effectuall meanes proceeding from himselfe and not borrowed elsewhere This working of God as being sole Author and sole meanes is distinguished by Paul by these two phrases Of him and through him are all things Rom. 11.36 But by this Author both are comprised in this one by whom are all things And the universall particle all things must be restrained to his proper respective subject formerly mentioned namely all things concerning the salvation of the faithfull In bringing many sons unto glory Here is expressed the intention or end whereat God aymed which was to bring many sons unto glory The faithfull are the sons of God in a double spirituall respect 1. Of their spirituall birth because they are regenerate begotten and borne of God by the action of his holy Spirit upon them 2. Of their spirituall right because they are adopted or instituted to be the universall heires of all his estate by having the same right with Christ whereby they become and are called his brethren For in a rurall sence he that hath a right to anothers estate becomes his son And the estate whereto God brings them is glory whereby is meant all that future happinesse and heavenly inheritance which eminently for the honour of it is called glory and which was mystically understood Psal 8.5 and wherewith a little before Christ is said to be crowned And the sons brought to glory are many not as many is a parcell opposed to all but as it is a multitude opposed to few for God hath ordained to bring to glory not a few sons but a great many even many multitudes God is not as man who can have but a few sons and cannot bring each of them to all his estate but God hath many multitudes of sons and yet will bring each of them to glory even to all his whole estate And therefore no marvaile if for so many sons sake God would not spare their Captaine whom he might have spared partly though not wholly had their number beene but few To make the Captaine of their salvation perfect through sufferings Here is expressed the meane whereby God wrought his end in bringing a multitude of sons to glory namely by giving them a Captaine and perfecting him through sufferings For seeing God hath so many sons or rather so many multitudes therefore they being so great an army required a Captaine Now Christ is the Captaine or in moderne language the Generall over the army of the faithfull in two respects 1. By leading them in their journey going before them in all their troubles and afflictions 2. By governing them as their head and Lord to command over them for in an Army the Generall doth both lead and governe it And he is the Captaine of salvation to the faithfull because he leads and governes them in their journey to salvation that is to the eternall glory wherewith himselfe is crowned as before which to them is salvation because thereby they are safe not only from destruction but from all affliction and all other evils And because Christ is their captain by whom God brings them to salvation by whom God saves them from death therefore Christ is called and is their Saviour And Christ their captaine passed thorow sufferings whereby is meant death especially a violent death comprising also all the miseries and evils that do precede and accompany it through all which sufferings Christ passed which therefore are called and are his passion And by these sufferings Christ was made perfect His mortality was finished and ended and he being translated to immortality was crowned with eternall glory and honour as before which was his ultimate consummation and finall perfection wherein nothing was wanting to him that might accrue to his supreme happinesse Now seeing therefore that this journey to salvation leads for the most part through divers calamities and afflictions through death and a violent death did it not become the wisedome of God that the leader or captaine in this journey should passe through divers sufferings and death yea a violent death before he could penetrate and arrive at the mark of eternall salvation that by his example hee might teach us that this so rough and craggie way which seemes to precipate men into eternall destruction should lead to the highest tower of eternall salvation by finishing our mortality and perfecting us into immortalitie And did it not become the wisdome of God that he into whose hand God had put the salvation of all his sons and whom he would ordaine for their high Priest should in all things be made like unto his brethren and taste of the same cup of sufferings with them that being himselfe acquainted with sufferings he might learne to succour them in theirs 11 For both he
committing them to the care of Christ See John 6.39.40 and John 17.6,7 And by giving him power to give them eternall life Joh 17.2 For hee did predestinate them to be conformed to the image of Christ that Christ might be the first-borne among many brethren Rom. 8.29 And Christ and the faithfull are brethren in being signes and wonders For Christ was for a signe which should be spoken against Luke 2.34 And the Apostles were made a spectacle to the world unto angels and to men 1. Cor. 49. yet the faithfull are not the sonnes of God before they be given to Christ and beleeve in him for by faith they are made the sonnes of God But as soone as a man is given to Christ then hee becomes the son of God and unlesse he be so given he cannot be the son of God See John 6.44,45 14. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and bloud After the Author had taught us the neere alliance of brotherhood betweene Christ and the faithfull he now shews what is the state and condition of the faithfull that from thence he might conclude that Christ also their Captaine and high Priest must needs have the like condition with them And so returnes to what he had said at the ninth verse before That Christ was made a little lower then the Angels expressing here the impulsive cause of that lownesse By flesh and bloud Here is understood an infirme fraile and ruinous nature and condition subject to divers evils even to death and corruption Of this nature and condition the faithfull who are Gods children are all partakers He also himselfe likewise tooke part of the same Therefore Christ also the Captaine and high Priest of the faithfull to whom he was so neerely allyed as to be their brother did himselfe also in the very same manner partake of the very same nature and condition of flesh and bloud to be as infirme fraile and ruinous as they subject to as many miseries as they even to death and corruption For he suffered death actually and was by nature subject to corruption yet he suffered not corruption actually for God by his power and by his grace rescued him from it and would not suffer his holy One to see corruption Acts 2.27 The summe of the Reasoning is Seeing Christ must be the Captaine and high Priest of mortall and fraile men therefore he must not be Angel but lower then the Angels even a mortall and fraile man like his brethren subject to divers sufferings even to death it selfe But the Incarnation of Christ cannot be concluded from these last words for then by the same reason the Incarnation of the faithfull or the rest of Gods children must needs be concluded from the former seeing Christ is said to partake of flesh and bloud likewise or in like manner with them But seeing the faithfull the rest of Gods children are not incarnate no more is Christ their Captaine and high Priest otherwise betweene Christ and the rest of Gods children there must be a great difference and unlikenesse in that wherein they are here concluded to be most semblant and alike namely in their partaking of flesh and bloud And granting the Incarnation here then from the death of Christ and his Resurrection following it the faithfull cannot take an example of their resurrection or immortality after death by death to be acquired and therefore by the death of Christ cannot be delivered from the feare of death as the Author inferres it in the verse next following That through death he might destroy the Devill The finall cause to what end Christ did partake of a mortall condition and of death it selfe whereby he was lower then the Angels is here expressed to be double whereof notwithstanding one end is dependent and consequent from the other The first is That by his death he might destroy the devill Christ by his death destroyes not the devill for his person for the devill by his person is an angell and therefore by nature indestructible incorruptible and immortall But Christ by his death destroyes the devill for his power he abolisheth and abrogates the kingdome and power that Satan hath in the world particularly his power of death and therefore he describes Satan by this circumlocution him that had the power of death The power of Satan consists in this that he detaines men mancipated to his command and enslaved at his beck most obsequious to commit any sinne from the yoake of which slavery they have of themselves no meanes to pull their necke This power is by an Hebraisme called the power of death i. a mortiferous or deadly power because Satan by sin brings men to death and that death is eternall to them Christ therefore suffered death that he might overthrow the tyranny of Satan breaking all his forces that he might take from this power of holding men in deadly bondage and deliver them from it For hence it is that we are said to be delivered from the power of Satan See Acts 26.18 and Col. 1.13 And it is by the death of Christ that Satan is said to be devested and spoiled of all his dominion and power See John 12.31,33 and Col. 2.15 Now the reason why Christ destroyes the deadly power of Satan by his death is Because Christ by his death hath obtained the supreame power over all things whereby he is enabled to master all his enemies whereof Satan is the head first breaking their forces and last utterly destroying them This way of destroying Satans deadly power if we respect the nature of the action though Christ might have done it without his death yet it was so ordered by the decree and counsell of God that it should not be effected but by the meanes of his death and that for the second end of his death which is expressed in the next verse following namely to deliver them who through feare of death c. 15. And deliver them who through feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage The second or subordinate end of Christs death is to vindicate men from a fearefull bondage This servitude or bondage is the feare of death and of eternall death or as it may bee feared to last eternally for as it is the manner of slaves to feare so feare it selfe is a fearefull slavery hence S. Paul termes it the spirit of bondage Rom. 8.15 And they are subject to this slavery of feare not who stand in actuall fear but who are liable to fear or by right ought to fear Hence it plainly appeares that all they who fear death have no share in this deliverance or libertie by Christ but remaine in a grievous slavery And all they are forced to fear death and the eternitie of it who have not a sure hope of their Resurrection And how grievous this slavery or bondage of it is appeares from the duration of it in that it continues upon men all the time of their life No minute
imperfection of that Priesthood and Law he proves the abrogation of both If perfection were by the Leviticall Priesthood By perfection here he understands nothing else but a true and perfect expiation of sinne whereby the guilt not of some sinnes only but of all even of the most grievous offences and crimes is taken away whereby all punishments of sinne not only temporall concerning this life but the eternall punishment of death it selfe is remitted and forgiven whereby a right to eternall life is granted unto men and lastly whereby not only all guilt of all sinnes but all sinnes themselves are taken away from men For in these things consisteth the true perfection of men before God If therefore this perfection could have been brought to men by the Leviticall Priesthood certainly there had been no need nor use of a new Priesthood after the order of Melchisedec for every Priesthood is ordained for the expiation of sinnes But if a perfect expiation of sinnes could have been effected by the Priesthood after the order of Aaron what need a new Priest bee super induced after the order of Melchisedec to performe those actions which might have been done by the former Wherefore seeing God would ordaine a new Priest and also now hath ordained him hence it appears that by the Leviticall Priesthood no man could obtaine perfection or perfect expiation and certainly no man did obtaine it For by that Priesthood some sinnes only were expiated namely as we shewed before ignorances and infirmities but great offences as crimes and villanies were punished with death Neither had that expiation any force to take away eternall death but only to release some temporall punishments proper to this life Neither in those sacrifices was there any power to withdraw men from sinne it selfe all which particulars the Author prosecutes in the passages following Yet the Author useth not the word perfection in one sense only for there are divers perfections of a thing and therefore we must still gather from the matter handled what perfection hee meanes Here because hee speaks of perfection flowing from the Priesthood therefore no other can be understood but that which is seen in a perfect expiation of sinne namely that a man bee wholly spotlesse and blamelesse subject neither to paine nor losse by any sentence of condemnation in the sight of God In which sense he useth the same word chap. 10. 14. For under it the people received the Law For what purpose the Author inserted these words into his former argument we shall see afterward and for the present shall speake of their explication Under it i. under the Priesthood as if the people had received the Law under the Priesthood and so most Interpreters affirme But this sense is contrary to the words in the originall which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and doe not signifie under it but upon it and contrary to the truth of the thing for the Law was not given under the Priesthood as if the Priesthood had been extant before the Law given but rather contrarily a great and principall part of the Law was already given before the Priesthood was ordained so that it might be more truly said the Priesthood was given under or after the Law then the Law under or after the Priesthood And lastly this sense is contrary to the mind of the Author and makes nothing to the purpose For what makes it to the purpose in hand that the Law was given in the time of the Priesthood For would it thence follow either that perfection must be by that Priesthood or if perfection were by it that there were no need of another Priesthood or lastly if the Priesthood were abrogated that then the Law were abrogate Wherefore as the Greeke words sound it is said in this place that the people received the Law not under the Priesthood but upon the Priesthood And to receive the Law upon the Priesthood is nothing else but of the Priesthood concerning or touching it Which sense some Interpreters doe acknowledge as Junius and Tremellius and Piscator For the Greeke particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answers the Hebrew Hal which often notes the object or matter of a thing Now therefore these words may seem to cohere with the minde of the Author three wayes 1. If we say that in them he shews the cause why he named the Leviticall priesthood and no other q.d. therefore I name the Leviticall priesthood because the people received the Law of it 2. That in them he shews cause why it might seem that perfection came by that Priesthood namely because the people received the Law of it 3. That those words containe a confirmation or peculiar reason why if perfection came not by the Leviticall priesthood there must not be another Priest ordained diverse from the Leviticall For though this would bee sufficient of it self to exclude another Priest yet it follows so much the more if not only perfection be by the Leviticall Priesthood but also that Priesthood was established by the Law and of this reason wee most approve Therefore it is as much as if the Author had said If perfection be by the Leviticall Priesthood especially seeing concerning it Laws were given to the people what need is there for the ordination of another Priest for many times in Scripture a reason of a sentence is inserted before the sentence bee fully uttered in all the parts of it Whereof among other places we have an example 1 Pet. 4.1.2 in these words For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin which must be read as in a parenthesis For they containe the cause why Christians must suffer in the flesh with Christ i. crucifie the flesh because he that hath suffered in the flesh i. whose body is put to death he hath ceased from sinne And the reason is generall agreeing to all the dead Therefore the words which follow from the beginning of the second verse That he no longer should live c must not be joyned with the words next preceding Ceased from sinne but they being included in a parenthesis as a generall reason they must be referred to the former words arm your selves as to their finall cause The mind of the Author in this place will be more plain if we transfer these words to the end of the verse thus Therefore if perfection be by the Leviticall Priesthood what further need was there that another Priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec and not be called after the order of Aaron especially seeing of that Priesthood the Law was given to the people For thence it presently followes that together with this Priesthood the Law must be abrogated when a Priest ordained according to the order of Melchisedec which should not be abrogated unlesse there were some default in it That another Priest should rise From his former grounds he inferres that a Priest after the order of Melchisedec must be another and a different Priest from those Priests that
according to the paterne and fashion whereof Moses should take order to frame the Tabernacle as neere as the art of mans hand could worke it and as the materials would beare was without all question for the fashion of it farre more excellent then that which was framed to the likenesse of it out of grosse and earthly materials And because it was shewed him upon the Mount it was therefore in a manner heavenly in respect of that Tabernacle which was to be made below the Mount Although that originall patterne or modell also was but an empty shadow of that true Sanctuary whereof Christ is the Minister So that the ancient Tabernacle was but a paterne of a paterne and the shadow of a shadow 6. But now hath he obtained a more excellent Ministery The particle now here notes not a difference of time but is an adverbe adversitive to expresse the dignity of Christs Ministery above the Legall Priests They served as shadowes of heavenly things but Christ our Priest hath obtained a more excellent Ministery because he is the Minister of a farre more excellent Sanctuary which also requires a more excellent way of administring convenient and sutable unto it By how much also he is the Mediatour of a better Covenant He proves yet further that Christ hath obtained a better Ministery because he is the Mediatour of a better Covenant and so much better by how much the Covenant is better For look how much the Covenant whereof Christ is the Mediator is better then the former Covenant so much is his Ministery under it better then theirs who ministred under the former Covenant For the Covenant and the Priesthood must correspond in dignity seeing as we said in the former Chapter the dignity of the Priesthood doth chiefly depend upon the end use of it And the end use of the Priesthood depends upon the Covenant for Gods promises are setled by the Covenant and we obtaine them by the Priesthood And here begins another part of the Chapter wherein is contained a comparison of the new Covenant with the old To be the Mediatour of Gods Covenant is nothing else but to be the Interpreter of God or the Intercessor passing betweene God and men with mutuall messages to make and finish up the Covenant on both parties by which Inter-messenger God declares and testifies his wil to men and they again informed in the knowledge of Gods will do comply with God and contract with him are reconciled with him enjoy their peace afterward For what is here implyed that Paul expresseth Gal. 3.19 where he shews that there was a Mediatour also of the old Covenant even Moses And we must take notice that even in this respect Christ hath surpassed the Legall Priests because they were Priests onely to the old Covenant and not Mediatours of it but Christ is both Priest and Mediatour of the new Covenant that is farre more excellent then the old Which was established upon better promises In these words he proves that the Covenant whereof Christ is the Mediatour is better then the former because it is established upon better promises Every man sees that any Covenant is so much the better by how much the promises are better therein contained Seeing therefore that in the new Covenant whereof Christ is the Mediatour there are contaiend better promises therefore it must needs be better then the old and be so much better as the promises are better Hence it is appearent that eternall life was not openly promised in the old Covenant nor a full forgivenesse of all sinnes For seeing nothing can be found better to men then these two things if both these were promised in the old Covenant how can the new Covenant be said to be established upon better promises But we urge this principally concerning the full remission of sinnes for this onely is epresly mentioned in the description of the new Covenant and we deny not but that eternall life was occultly and secretly comprised in the promises of the old Covenant as Paul doth manifest it who interprets and takes the words of the Law promising life to them who exactly keepe all the precepts of it to be understood of eternall life and justification such as we obtaine by Christ See Rom. 10.5 and Gal. 3.12 The Law therefore did promise life eternall in a secret and hidden sence but withall under condition of exact and absolute obedience in all points and therefore granted no expiation in respect of eternall death and the expiation which it granted for some temporall punishments did not extend to all sins but onely to errours and frailties or such lapses whereinto men are prone to fall Notwithstanding when the whole Nation had been severely punished of God and by that punishment were brought to a sence of their sins and to returne to the service of God then the Law by an everlasting Covenant granted them forgivenesse of all their grievous offences in respect of all temporary punishments for this life without any Sacrifices intervening See Levit. 26.40 to the end of the Chapter But the new Covenant containes a most open and cleere promise of eternall life and therefore is truly said to promise eternall life For a hidden promise and unknowne to the party to whose benefit it is made or being such that no man can be certainly assured of it or at least doth not appeare to be certaine must not be truly called a promise especially in that fence wherein a promise is here to be taken when we speake of the promises of the Covenant Besides the new Covenant requires of no man an exact and absolute obedience in all points but is content with true repentance and with such an amendment of life as carrieth a will never to offend God more and therefore trusting to the assistance of Gods Spirit we accustome our selves afterward to no sin but walke in the wayes of all vertues although it may fall out that afterward through humane frailty we may sometime slip in which point is contained the forgivenesse of our sinnes They who thinke the contrary to what we have asserted do affirme that the promises of the new Covenant are therefore called better because they are cleerer But we thereupon demand whether they thinke the old promises so cleere that men may certainly know and beleeve them by vertue of the Covenant or not If they say the first that they are so cleere then we deny it not onely of the remission of sins which the very nature of Moses Law requiring the merit of works doth reject but also of eternall life Neither could the Author call the promises in the new Covenant simply better therefore because they are therein proposed either somewhat more cleerely or much more cleerely much lesse could he gather from thence that he dignity of the new Covenant was greater then that of the old and yet againe much lesse could he thence inferre that the Priesthood of Christ is better then the Legall neither
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
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
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
perfect purging that we may enjoy a right to heaven Secondly because by the accesse of sinfull men who by the doctrine of the Gospel are called to take possession of the kingdome of heaven it seemes to be polluted which Christ himself hath expressed in other words when he said The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force Matth. 11.12 As the old Tabernacle was accounted polluted by the sins and uncleannesses of the people who lived round about it Therefore as the high Priest of old did expiate that old Tabernacle as polluted by the sinnes of the people with Sacrifices and Offerings and reconciled it as it were to its due holinesse So Christ as I may say restored heaven to it due honour when he offered himself there to God and thereby tooke order that men guiltie of sinnes having first deposed their sinnes by a lively faith and repentance might not be thought altogether unworthy of heaven With better sacrifices then these He puts the plural number for the singular to comply with his comparison which included many Sacrifices so that here also the comparison produced an abusion For by those better Sacrifices is meant that single sacrifice of Christ offered I say offered because by use of Scripture that onely is accounted a Sacrifice which is offered For Christ after he was slaine was himself offered and therein is a difference betweene the old Sacrifices especially those that were expiatory and the Sacrifice Christ for when the old Sacrifice was slaine the beast it selfe was not offered to God but only the bloud of it and those other parcels that were burnt with fire upon the Altar But Christ himselfe who was slaine and not his bloud was offered to God and hee not then while yet he lay dead but then when he was raised to life and such a life as was eternall Although as we have often said in this sacrifice of Christ offered is also included the shedding of his bloud and his bloudy death For although Christ offered to God not his bloud but himselfe yet without the shedding of his bloud he neither could nor might offer himselfe And by reason of what we have said therefore it is that the Author comparing Christ with the legall sacrifices doth perpetually shun to say that the bloud of Christ was offered and yet that he might comply with his comparison he perpetually insinuates the shedding of Christs bloud which unlesse it had preceded there could not have been so full and so fit a comparison betweene Christ and the old sacrifices From hence therefore it is manifest that into those holy places of heaven for their purification and dedication there must be brought a most pretious sacrifice and therefore not the bloud of calves and goats nay not any bloud at all but the very Sonne of God himselfe and hee also stripped of all his mortall nature then which there could not be imagined a more pretious and more sacred sacrifice 24. For Christ is not entered Here hee gives the reason why hee said that the heavenly holy places were purged with better sacrifices namely because Christ our high Priest is entered into no other holy places but those of heaven Whereupon it must follow that be must enter with a far better sacrifice and more worthy of those holy places then the old high Priest entered into his earthly holy places Not into the holy places made with hands He illustrates the matter by a difference and an opposition between those heavenly holy places and the earthly that those were not made with hands which difference we have already shewed before ver 11. Which are the figures of the true For figures the Greeke text hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antitypes are the images or figures imprinted from the mould as the wax is figured from the seale or mony from the stampe which in this place signifies the same that paternes did in the verse before Now the holy places made with hands are called antitypes or figures not as opposed efficiently to that which doth figure them but as opposed objectively to the thing whereof they are a figure or which they are accounted to represent as the image or superscription upon a peece of coine is not properly the image of the stampe which did imprint it but of the Prince whose image it is and whom it represents for the person of the Prince is that verity or truth whereof the coine is but the image or figure So that antitypes are here put simply for types which is an usuall signification of the word among the Greeks As in this sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put simply for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when Christ is said to be a ransome 1 Tim. 2.6 Now the true holy places whereof the earthly holy places made with hands are said to be types or figures are the heavenly holy places which are called the true as we noted before not as if the earthly were false but because the earthly were but types figures and shadowes in respect of the heavenly or because those qualities which should have been in the earthly were found most truly and perfectly in the heavenly And yet those earthly places were called holy primely and properly but the heavenly metaphorically After this manner Christ is called the true light the true bread and the true vine Now the qualities of those earthly places are these first to be most sacred or holy and wholy seperate from all prophane uses and 2ly to be an house or dwelling for God Both which qualities agreed to those earthly holy places but umbratilously imaginarily and imperfectly but to the heavenly holy places truly really and perfectly But into heaven it self Christ did never enter into the earthly holy places which were but the types figures of heaven but into heaven it self where are the right true holy places And he is entred into that heaven which is beyond and above all the visible orbes of heaven and into that place of that heaven which is the most holy even where the Throne of God is at the right hand whereof he is seated Now to appeare in the presence of God for us Hee gives the reason why Christ entered into heaven and he drawes his reason from the end of his entrance In expressing whereof he alludes to the ancient high Priest and the better to serve his allusion if we respect the property and usuall signification of his words he faith lesse of Christ then the thing is indeed and then the full end of his entrance came to For the ancient high Priest entring the most holy place is said to appeare before God because he so procured the salvation of the people that hee himselfe conferred it not but obtained it from another for he sued to God to conferre it But the appearance of Christ our high Priest before God and his offering of himselfe must bee so taken that it exclude not his sitting at the right hand of
name of hope seems to comprehend all the heads of our Christian profession 1. Pet. 3.15 Without wavering We must hold this hope so fast that wee neither decline from it our selves nor suffer our selves to be beaten from it by any engins of temptation or affliction For he is faithfull that promised Hee inserts the cause why we should hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering namely because this hope is grounded both upon a promise and a promise of him that is faithfull to performe it namely of God himselfe God is therefore termed faithfull because he keeps his faith i. He alwayes performes whatsoever hee hath undertaken for his part and never disappoints his people of his help and favour Therefore we are never to doubt of Gods faith so we keepe our owne and performe our parts with all care and diligence 24. And let us consider one another This may be understood that we should looke unto both one anothers state and condition of life and also one anothers behaviour and action And for what end wee should doe this hee presently shewes in adding To provoke unto love To provoke is to intend or increase the force of a thing and love is then provoked when it is quickened and increased And it gathers increase from our mutuall consideration and inspection either in our selves or others In our selves it is increased when wee are either stirred up by the notable examples of other men or moved by their state and condition to embrace them with more ardent affection and good will if their estate be prosperous that wee doe not onely envie them but use our endeavour to defend and advance their happinesse to our power but if they are in distresse that we succour and benefit them in what we are able In others love is increased when we look into their lives and manners for this end that where they grow negligent in their duties or suffer their love to decay there by our admonitions and exhortations we excite to good workes and to repaire the decayes of their love Therefore this provoking to love may be taken either passively when the increase of love is made upon our selves or actively when we increase it upon others And to good workes Then we are provoked to good workes when we follow them with an ardent affection or as Paul would have us when wee are zealous of good workes Hee adjoynes good workes to love to teach us that our love should not be barren but fruitfull of workes although workes may be taken more largely and extended to all workes of holinesse as well concerning God as our selves 25. Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together Namely for this especiall end to retaine and preserve the communion of Saints and the unity of the Spirit Which is then done when Christians meet together to performe the worship of God to heare his word to powre forth unanimous prayers unto him to exercise that censure of manners which Christ and his Apostles have prescribed to celebrate the memory of Christs death by sacred breaking of bread according to his own institution to make a common supply for the poore and distressed as occasion requires and with all their forces and advices to promote the affaires of the Church As the manner of some is It is apparent that in those times there were some who though they had not forsaken the Christian religion yet had forsaken the assemblies of the faithfull that they might the better lie hid and thereby more easily avoide dangers and persecutions And it is apparent also hence that they sinne grievously who withdraw themselves from the company of the faithfull and from the assemblies of the Saints But exhorting one another To the neglect of assembling hee opposeth this mutuall exhorting or admonishing Whence it is manifest that Christian assemblies were ordained among other ends for this also to exhort and admonish one another which may be done most opportunely when men are assembled into some one place And so much the more as yee see the day approaching The words so much the more must also be communicated to the day of approaching as well as referred to the exhorting By how much the more ye see the day approaching by so much the more let us exhort one another By the day as the article the doth intimate must be understood some certaine day and that well knowne i. the day of judgement and punishment for the disobedient Which judgement seeing it is twofold we must needs understand a twofold day or time of it For we may take it both for the time of Gods taking vengeance upon the Jewes in the finall destruction of Jerusalem and also for the last day of the whole world at the finall destruction of the world The approach of that former day they might easily perceive both from the signes foretold by Christ and also from the predictions of those Prophets who lived in those times in the Church of God The approach of this latter day every man sees though not in respect of the whole world and of the present age yet every man sees it in respect of himselfe For as death is alwayes approaching unto every one of us and the terme of every mans life draws nearer so also thereby every mans last day doth approach and draw nearer not only because after death there shall bee no change in respect of our salvation and damnation but also because that whole time intercurrent between the last moment of our life and the last judgement is none in respect of the dead For when we are dead and thereby void of all sense of time the last moment of our life departing and the first moment of our life returning for returne it shall at the last judgement will seem one and the same to us at our rising againe to life They who lye in a deep sleep are not sensible of the time that passeth though the time be very long and death is a deeper sleep then any sleep of those that sleep alive And this is the cause why the holy Scriptures doe sometime speake so as if we should wholy live till the comming of Christ or were presently after our death translated to the Lord and so to the joyes of heaven For they have no regard of the time intercurrent between the last end of our life and the comming of Christ and the future happinesse of the godly see 2 Cor. 5.8 and Ephes 4.30 and Phil. 1.6,26 and 1 Tim. 6 14. and Jam. 5.7,8 and some others 26. For if we sinne wilfully Hee brings a cause or a motive why they should diligently exhort one another because otherwise it might easily fall out that after knowledge of the truth received they might sin wilfully in which case how miserable and unhappy their condition would be he presently declares To sin in this place may be taken in two senses either largely or strictly Largely as it is extended to divers sins which are committed against the
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
of their life is free from the fear of it for though every minute they doe not actually fear it yet every minute they are subject to fear and may justly fear it From this slavish fear of death Christ hath delivered men by his death while by his death he not onely passed to an immortall life but also obtained power to represse and destroy the power of Satan Hence Christ saith to John Fear not I am the first and the last I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore and have the keys of hell and of death Revel 1.17.18 For what man now will fear death to be his eternall undoing when he sees a deliverance from death with a most glorious issue if he imitate Christ when he sees that the forces of his enemy who before oppressed him and enthralled to eternall death are no longer to be feared but are broken and destroyed by him who himself under-went a bloody death And hence it further appeares that with the death of Christ here wee must joyne his Resurrection for that wee might no longer fear death Christ must needs not only suffer death but must againe be raised from death For if Christ be not raised our faith is vaine we are yet in our sins and the dead in Christ are perished 1. Cor. 15.17,18 16 For no where he taketh hold of Angels Here he confirmes the doctrine delivered at the ninth verse That Christ was not made in the nature of an Angel but was made a little lower then the Angels for the suffering of death Why so The reason is here laid downe because Christ was not ordained to succour and help the Angels who by nature are immortall and die not and therefore need not be succoured or holpen from death For no where There is no testimonie or authority extant in Scripture whereon to ground this for it is no where said that he takes hold of Angels to help them Taketh hold The word in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies properly to take a man with thy hand either to lead him some whither or to uphold him thereby to help him See Mark 8.23 and Luke 9.47 and Luke 14.4 Hence figuratively it is translated to signifie succouring or helping For when we would help one from falling or sinking under some burden or would raise him being fallen then wee put our hand to him and take hold of him Hence it is said of Wisdome that she exalteth her children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and layeth hold of them that seeketh her i. shee helpeth or aideth them that seeke her And there is the same sence of the counterverbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because when we would help a man up with his burden we take hold of it over against him And this sence of the word is explicated afterward by the Author at the last verse of this Chapter for what he calls here taking hold of there he expresseth by the word succouring That Christ suffering himselfe being tempted is able to succour them that are tempted for in both these verses he treates of the same thing and the reason of the consequence proposed in this verse is explicated in that Thus for the sence of the word now for the sence of it It is not of the preter-tense as if referred to a time past particularly to that time when as it is at the ninth verse before Christ was made a little lower then the Angels for at that time being the time of his birth he did neither help Angels nor men but it is of the present tense he taketh not hold in reference to the time of his death upon which the Author groundeth all this argument For by his death he destroyes the devill and delivers men from the feare of death What is the reason of that Because by his death he taketh not hold of Angels to help and succour them or deliver them from the feare of death who being immortall by nature cannot feare it Neither can here be any enallage of the present tense for the preter but rather of the present for the future Christ was made lower then the Angels Why so Because by his death he was not to take hold of the Angels to help and succour them from the feare of it Now both this sense and this sense of the word was well perceived by our last Translators of the Bible into English for they have noted it in the margent of this verse though in the Text they correspond with some other Translations Hence it plainly appeares how these words are mistaken by some Translators and Interpreters who from hence would shew that Christ tooke not on him the nature of Angels which assertion though it be in it selfe most true yet it cannot be the meaning of this place For 1. It is against the sence of the words whereof there are but two and it goes against the sence of them both For to apprehend or take hold of a thing cannot signifie to assume or take on us the nature of it And the word Angels in the plurall number cannot imply an assumption of their nature for then it must have beene Angel in the singular 2. It is against the context or reasoning of the Author who could not nor ought not to take that for an argument or a reason which by argument and reason he was to prove for no one and the same truth can be an argument or a reason to it selfe why it selfe should be true At the seventh verse before this truth is laid downe That Christ tooke not on him the nature of Angels but was made lower whereof how can a reason be given by this that he tooke not on him the nature of Angels seeing these two sayings are identicall whereof neither can be the cause or reason of the other But if we understand these words of not helping or succouring the Angels then all things cohere most elegantly and rationally thus Christ tooke not the nature of Angels but was made lower then them because by his death he was not to help or succour the Angels from feare of death but to succour a creature lower then they who is all his lise in bondage of death and subject to the feare of death But hee tooke hold of the seed of Abraham That Christ should helpe the Angels is no where said in Scripture but it is said in some one or severall places of Scripture that hee was ordained to take hold of the seed of Abraham to helpe and succour it For to take hold in this clause of the verse carries the very same sence that it did in the former where it was denyed of the Angels The word seed especially among the Hebrews is for the most part a Noune collective and signifies a multitude of persons and therefore the Author fitly useth the word seed importing a multitude that he might oppose it to the Angels in the plurall number And the seed of Abraham are the children
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
then offer for this end that he might be saved from death which as wee have cleared from the words of the Authour was indeed the end of his offering Besides being in heaven he offered himselfe immaculate and therefore had no need to offer for himselfe there Wherefore Christ offered one way for himselfe and another way for us for for himselfe hee offered prayers on earth for us he offered himselfe in heaven for himselfe when yet he was mortall or in the dayes of his flesh for us when he was made an immortall and eternall Spirit And was heard The effect and issue of these prayers offered was this that he was delivered and saved not from death for hee suffered it and dyed but out of death from whence he was raised For whom God heareth praying in that manner him he delivers and frees though not from his misery before he suffer it yet out of it after hee hath suffered So speakes David as a type of Christ Psal 22.21 Thou hast heard mee from the hornes of the Vnicornes i. as learned men have noted thou hast heard to save me from extreame dangers So that the word heard is taken here Metonymically to include the effect of his hearing hee was heard and saved In that he feared Hee was saved from or out of the thing hee feared namely out of death The originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some take for a passionate feare the object whereof here in Christ was death and so by a Metonymie feare is here put for death the act for the object or thing to be feared For of all terrours death is most terrible and fearfull and this feare was the cause of his prayers and supplications at least of the cryes and teares wherewith they were offered And then this example of Christ may teach us partly with what fervency of soule we must implore the help of God in the times of our distresses partly what things especially we must pray for partly wherein that opportune help chiefly consists whereof the Author spake in the end of the former chapter namely in this that Christ saveth us out of death into eternall life Others take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a reverentiall or religious feare for this sence is set in the margent of our last translation that he was heard for his pietie And then the object of his pietie reverence or fear was God to whom he prayed And so this feare of God was the proper motive to this offering of Christ and to all the circumstances of his offering His offering it selfe proceeded from his pietie or feare of God for every offering is an act of pietie His prayers and supplications proceeded from it for prayer also is an act of pietie his cryes and teares proceeded from it for they also are concurrents of pietie and fervent devotion His exaudition in being heard of God proceeded from it for Gods hearing of our prayers is the fruit of our pietie and devotion seeing God heareth not impious and sinfull persons but such as are pious to reverence and worship him and doe his will those hee heareth John 9.31 The prayers of Christ were supplications i. as before is noted petitions exhibited upon the knees with great worship and reverence given to God His prayers in the garden were such supplications performed with great worship and reverence bowing toward God for first hee fell upon his knees and afterward hee went more humbly and fell upon his face And his prayers on the crosse were supplications also as the Author termeth them and therefore performed with reverent bowing also such as was possible for Christ to use in that case being stretched and nailed upon the crosse where because he could not bow his knees therefore as the Sacred story relates it hee bowed his head when hee cryed and commended his spirit unto God Which bowing of his head was not a simple act of a dying man as some Interpreters slightly passe it over but an act of worship and reverence of a pious man that was making his offering unto God by prayers and supplications adding cryes and teares and all religious meanes for exaudition that God might heare him Wherefore it carries a very congruous sence to say that Christ was heard for his pietie i. for the feare and reverence he used toward God in his prayers and supplications for fear is the inward motion of the soule from which the outward worship and reverend bowings of the body do proceed And these outward reverences of bowing the head bowing the body and bowing the knees are acts of worship unto God which have beene used by Gods people in all ages of the world For bowing the head See Gen. 24.26.48 and Exod. 4.31 and Exod. 12.27 and Exod. 34.8 and 1. Chro. 29.20 and 2. Chro. 20.18 and 2. Chro. 29.30 and Nehem. 8.6 Hence it appeares also from this example of Christ that our prayers and supplications unto God should proceed from inward piety and fear of God and should be offered unto him with outward worship and reverence accompanyed with cryes and teares in times of extreme distresses if we mean to have exaudition that God should graciously heare us 8. Who though he were a son Christ by the evils which he suffered became such a one as to have compassion on those who labour to obey God through difficulties and sufferings Hee learned obedience He learned what it is to obey God what a difficult and harsh duty it is how bitter and unpleasing to flesh and blood For in this place hee takes obedience for that part of obedience which is seene in difficult and hard cases such as are these to be afflicted and suffer death for the justice and truth of God Yet I conceive the word obedience is here to be understood more literally and derivatively from audience for a giving of audience Christ who upon his prayers and supplications made to God with cryes and teares to save him from death had audience of God and was heard therein did therby learne to give audience and hearing to his people when in their distresses they offer up prayers and supplications with cryes and teares to him thereby to have compassion on them and deliver them from their distresses For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here fitly renderd obedience doth carry an elegant symploce of sence both of audience to heare another what he would have done and of obedience to doe the thing which he hath heard And that very act of compassion in Christ in hearing the distressed though it be his audience to them yet it is his obedience to God who ordained a high Priest for that function By the things that hee suffered In the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of or from the things that he suffered so it is rendred Mat. 24.32 Learne a parable of the figtree Christ by or from his owne evills and sufferings learned what bitternesse and trouble there lyes in suffering persecutions for righteousnesse
dulnesse were not very capable of them and that he would not now spend any labour in delivering the principles of Christian Religion Thus of the former sence now for the latter The Author had reproved the Hebrewes for being so slow and dull in their study of Christianity that when for the length of their time spent therein they should become teachers of others themselves had need to be taught againe the first principles of it and like babes must yet be nourished with milke and not with strong meate Therefore he admonisheth them that casting off this drowsinesse of spirit they would leave at last those principles and launch themselves into a deeper knowledge of those divine mysteries Therefore that which before he had objected unto them that they had need to be taught againe the principles of Christianity must not be so understood as if they had now wholly forgotten or lost them for this to speake generally of them all could hardly be but because by their negligence they did not well remember them but had need to have them renewed and re-inforced upon them For it plainly appeares from passages which are read of them both in this chapter and other parts of this Epistle that they began to doubt of the Christian faith and truth Now they that are such have need that Christian principles should be anew inculcated and confirmed unto them Neither is it his meaning that they should altogether leave and neglect the principles and so goe on to perfection for this neither could nor must be done but they should not stick and dwell wholly upon the principles without proceeding any further for they that proceed further doe passe by the places whereat they are already arrived So a man may say to a boy leave your Accedence and your Grammer and passe on to other Authors The principles of the doctrine of Christ They are the fundamentall verities which being first learned do help us to proceed in Christian Religion Let us go on unto perfection The principles rightly understood and applyed will by degrees carry us on from one verity to another till we come at the deepest mysteries of Christianity and into a full body where being once arrived we are at perfection even at a fulnesse and ripenesse in the knowledge of Christ Not laying againe the foundation The foundation is the first principles of Christianity which are as it were a foundation of that edifice of doctrines wherein the perfect knowledge of God and Christ consisteth Now to lay this foundation is either to teach these principles if we follow the former sense or to learne them if we follow the latter And to lay this foundation againe is to initiate these principles anew from the beginning and for a man to become the Disciple of Christ a second time after once he had deserted the verities of them whereof supposing the latter sense he would have the Hebrewes to beware for they were neere approaching to this mischiefe and lest they should fall into it the Author excites them very seriously For they had not as yet altogether deserted the Christian faith as appeares partly from this whole Epistle and partly from a passage at the ninth verse of this chapter where he saith that he is perswaded better things of them then of those he meanes who after the knowledge of the truth have relapsed and revolted from it and lastly in that he continues to exhort them to constancy in Christianity Of repentance from dead workes He being to explicate this foundation of Christianity and layes severall parts of it whereof the first is repentance But because in this place as we have said he treates of laying the foundation not in regard of Christian life but of Christian doctrine as it appeares by the words following of resurrection of the dead and eternall life which may be repeated againe in respect of the doctrine or learning of them Therefore here to lay the foundation of repentance is either to teach or learne the doctrine of repentance and in like manner the doctrine of faith in God of the resurrection of the dead and of eternall judgement All which doctrines are the principles of Christian discipline and as it were the foundation of all other Christian verities Dead workes are deadly workes such as bring and continue death upon the agent And repentance from these deadly workes which is a principle of Christianity includes not onely a sorrow of minde that thou hast committed deadly workes but also and much rather the effect of that sorrow which is a course of minde and life far diverse from the former For repentance is sometimes distinguished from that sorrow as the effect from the cause See 2 Cor. 7.9,10 And of faith towards God What that is the Author shews afterward chap. 11. 2. Of the doctrine of baptismes and the laying on of hands These words may be taken two wayes either as they signifie some part of the foundation distinct from the parts both preceding and following namely from the doctrine of repentance and faith of the resurrection and eternall judgement or else as added by way of apposition for amplification sake q.d. which doctrines of repentance and faith belong to those that are baptized and that receive Imposition of hands If we follow the former sense and take them for parts of the foundation to signifie the doctrine of Baptismes and of Imposition of hands then first it may be demanded what that doctrine is The Answer is that doctrine consisteth chiefly in shewing what baptismes and imposition of hands signifie and to what ends they are used And these doctrines are therefore accounted among the principles of Christianity because they were used from the beginning of the Church to initiate men into Christ and therefore it was needfull that the Disciples of Christ should at first be instructed in them and be taught their end and scope Secondly it may be demanded why he mentions baptismes in the plurall number as if he intended many although the Syriake translation render it baptisme in the singular number seeing Christians received but one baptisme of water for repentance Resp This was therefore done either because he spake in respect of them that were baptised who because they were many made also many baptismes or else because he respected both the baptisme of John who was the forerunner of Christ and the baptisme of the Apostles the followers of Christ especially that wherewith the Apostles baptised after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ For the Baptisme of John was the baptisme of Repentance for the remission of sinnes which was used as a signe and a pledge of future repentance for the forgivenesse of sinnes because by washing it resembled repentance and remission of sinnes For both these are a washing from the filth of sin repentance is a washing from the acts of it and remission from the guilt and paine of it Repentance was signified as the baptisme of those that were baptised of their owne
Jesus of Nazareth was Christ And Christ though he was conceived by the holy Ghost without the act of any man yet is said to spring from Abraham from Judah and from David because he was borne of Mary the wife of Joseph who was of the posterity of David of Judah and of Abraham For any son that is borne of a mans wife which is accounted her husbands body though it be not begotten by the husband so it be not begotten by any other man is his son who is husband to the woman For God hath free liberty to give a man a son any way whether naturally by the husband or supernaturally without the husband For by the Law of God it was ordained of old that when the husband died without issue his brother if he have any should marry the widow and as soone as he had any childe by her it should be called the seed of her husband that was deceased With how much more reason may Christ justly be called the son of Joseph and therefore of David Judah or Abraham because though he were not begotten by Joseph himselfe yet he was begotten in his life time not by the act of any other man supplying the part of Joseph but by the worke and power of the holy Ghost and by him begotten upon Mary the espoused wife of Joseph The points by some disputed on this place whether Christ by his mothers side were not of the Tribe of Levi are doubtfull in themselves and impertinent to the matter For among the Jews no man was referred to any Tribe but by his father Hence in all the genealogies or pedigrees mentioned in Scripture men onely are named but the genealogies of women are never described or no otherwise but by the men as the genealogie of Iudith chap. 8. But if in any genealogie a woman be mentioned her parents are not inserted as Matth. 1. Boos begat Obed of Ruth Judas begat Pharez of Thamar David begate Solomon of her that had been the wife of Vrias The reason is because it mattered not for the tribe or pedigree of what woman the childe were borne whether of one or other For the father alwayes gave the tribe and family to the childe Wherefore the genealogie of Christ whether by Matthew or Luke is not framed from the ancestors of Mary but of Joseph 15. And it is yet more evident for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another Priest By another argument taken from the nature of the Priesthood he shews that by the rising of another Priest after the order of Melchisedec the Law is abrogated q. d. If it be evident as it is that upon the translation of the Priesthood to another tribe or family contrary to the precept of the Law the Law it selfe is thereby abrogated much more is the abrogation of it evident upon the rising of another Priest after the order of Melchisedec If the Priesthood had been onely translated to another tribe or family and remained in the former qualitie of it without any other alteration certainly lesse violence had been done to the Law but seeing the Priesthood is translated into another family and tribe upon which the Law no way setled it and also altered into a new kinde of Priesthood much more is it evident that by this translation and alteration of the Priesthood the Law it selfe is changed and abrogated After the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another Priest Another Priest notlike Aaron to be either of his family or of his continuance but like Melchisedec to continue a Priest for ever 16. Who is made not after the Law of a carnall commandment but after the power of an endlesse life The Priest after the similitude or likenesse of Melchisedec is not like the Priests after Aarons order who are made after the Law of a carnall commandment neither is hee a temporary Priest to live for a time onely as they did but an eternall Priest for ever After the Law of a carnall commandment By Law of commandment he meanes those particular precepts in the Law for the election and ordination of the Priest which are called carnall because they had respect onely to the flesh and considered onely the linage birth and death of the Priest binding the Priesthood to a certain tribe namely of Levi and to a certain family in that tribe namely of Aaron and providing for the mortalitie of the Priest by determining the rights of succession all which considerations are carnall respecting onely the flesh For the Law commanded that upon the death of one Priest another should succeed him to the end that though the Priests dyed yet the Priesthood might not die According to this carnall commandment or Lawes respecting the flesh that Priest was not to bee ordained who was to be made after the order of Melchisedec For hee had neither predecessour nor successour neither came hee from the family of Aaron The particle after doth here note the manner of the Priesthood for the constitution of it as applyed to some certaine rule or Law for though the word sometime signifie otherwise yet this is the most usuall sence of it So that here is proposed unto us the qualitie of that Priest who is after the likenesse of Melchisedec and a qualitie contrary to the qualitie of the Priests after Aarons order because as we have often noted every Aaronicall Priest was but temporary onely for a time but the Priest after Melchisedecs order is perpetuall and eternall for ever The words following do enforce this sence especially if wee regard the proofe contained in the verse following But after the power of an endlesse life The Priest after Melchisedees order is such a one as hath the power of perpetuitie such as an endlesse life requires to be Hee is not a carnall mortall and frail Priest that after a little time should need a successour but a most potent Priest that hath an absolute power an eternall Priest that hath an endlesse life For to this sence that which followes doth excellently agree 17. For hee testifieth Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec q.d. Therefore I say that the Priest after the order of Melchisedec is an eternall Priest because God openly testifies it when hee saith Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec 18. For there is verily a disanulling of the commandement going before He had said before that if the Priesthood were changed then the Law also must be changed and hitherto he hath proved that consequence Now he shewes the reason why the Law must be antiquated changed or abrogated For hee seemes to looke backward to the principall purpose and the scope of the former words partly expressed verse 12. and in a manner repeated verse 15. and so againe verse 16. where hee saith that Christ is not made a Priest according to the Law of a carnall commandment In which words he shewed that the commandment of the Law for ordaining of the
Priest was neglected in Christ and therefore abrogated Therefore now lest any man should marvell at this hee shewes the reason why the Law was justly abrogated For the weaknesse and unprofitablenesse thereof This is the cause why the Law was abrogate because it was weake and unprofitable For all Lawes use to be abrogated and disanulled when by experience they are found to be ineffectuall weake and unprofitable for wise men have found out no other causes why Lawes should bee disanulled and repealed Now the infirmitie of a Law appears in this that it cannot performe the matter for which it was ordained which infirmitie or wickednesse of the Law he either explicates or amplifies by the word unprofitable for the weakenes of a Law makes it uselesse 19. For the Law made nothing perfect Here hee proves that the Law is weake and unprofitable whereof he gives this reason because it made nothing perfect i. it contained no perfect expiation for sinne as wee heard before verse 11. and shall heare it againe Chapter 10. verse 1.14 Now perfect expiation consisteth in a totall taking away all guilt of all sinnes and of all punishments not onely temporall but eternall Such an expiation the Law conferred upon no man For if as wee saw at the 11. verse the Priesthood could not do this how could the Law doe it seeing the Law could doe nothing this way but by vertue of the Priesthood The Law did condemne men but not justifie them it granted expiation to some small sinnes and that only in regard of temporall punishment but for heynous offences upon which it ordained the punishment of death it left no pardon but laid a curse upon all that offended highly In this perfect expiation is contained antecedently as I may say an obduction from sinne For perfect expiation comes to us upon that condition as we shall see by the opposition following Made nothing perfect Nothing here is put for no man the neuter gender for the masculine and so likewise at the seventh verse If therefore the Law could bring perfect expiation and justification to no man it is justly said to be weake and unprofitable namely in regard it could not produce the true and perfect good of men But the bringing in of a better hope did q.d. The Law perfected no man but the superinduction of a better hope doth perfect men for here is an illustration from the contrary By a better hope hee understands the hope of eternall life joyned with a plenary remission of all sinnes granted from God to all penitent persons without which remission the promise of eternall life made to mankinde had beene ineffectuall and unprofitable seeing we have all sinned and thereby made our selves unworthy of eternall life Therefore the Author describing afterward the new Covenant in the words of the Prophet and shewing that it is established upon better promises mentions only the remission of sinnes granted in the new Covenant And by the new Covenant or Gospel and the Priesthood of Christ adjoyned to it this better hope is superinduced upon the Law For the new Covenant brings a better hope because it is established upon better promises but not without the Priesthood of Christ which doth not only confirme and establish the promises of the Covenant but doth also perfect and performe them For the perfect remission of our sinnes depends upon Christs Priesthood and therefore the Priesthood of Christ spoken of in this place must here be joyned with the new Covenant as also the old Priesthood and sacrifices must be joyned with the Law Therefore the superinduction or bringing in of a better hope that is the new Covenant containing the Priesthood of Christ which gives us an assured hope of eternall life and of perfect forgivenesse of all our sins doth most perfectly expiate men and purge them from all guilt of all sinne By the which we draw nigh unto God Here he gives a reason why this hope is better and doth perfect us because it makes us to approah and come neare unto God by suing for his favour by serving him with all our heart and obeying him in all things commanded us For he that hath this hope in God purifieth himselfe even as he is pure 1 John 3.3 And because we approach unto God therefore reciprocally God also approacheth and draweth nigh unto us i. doth embrace us with a strict bond of love that so being purged from all sinne hee may deliver us from eternall death and invest us ' with eternall life Hence saith St. James Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you Jam. 4.8 The Law therefore because it wanted this hope could not make us draw nigh unto God and because it could not doe that therefore it could not make us partake of a perfect expiation For our approach unto God is the way to perfect expiation seeing while we approach unto God we cast off sinne and live godly and while God approacheth unto us we are thereby perfectly expiated and justified As therefore this bringing in of a better hope makes us approach unto God so far it justifies us Which the Law could not doe but for the rigor of it whereby it excludes penitents from a full remission of sins and also for default of any open promise of eternall life which ministers unto men great power and courage for obedience unto God 20. And in as much as not without an oath he was made Priest After the Author had shewed that by the Priesthood of Christ the Law was abrogated and added the cause of that abrogation and taught that in the room thereof there succeeded a far more excellent Covenant that maketh us approach unto God Now by a new argument hee shews how much Christ our Priest is greater then the legall Priests and how far the new Covenant excels the old And he draws his argument from hence that Christ was made a Priest with an oath but the old legall Priests without an oath from whence it plainly appeares that Christ is better then they For an oath declares the truth and the strength of a thing Now the things that God will have to be firme strong and unchangeable must needs bee better then those things which have not that firmity and strength such as are the things whereto no oath is added but God will have them to depend upon his will and pleasure that he may either remove or retaine them as it shall seem good unto him And besides looke how much better the Priest is so much is the Covenant better For the Priesthood takes all the dignity and excellency of it from the Covenant of God and by the Priesthood the effect of the Covenant is performed And therefore from hence that Christ was made a Priest by oath by so much hee was made a surety of a better testament as the Author rightly collects it ver 22. that is by how much Christ who was ordained with Gods oath is better then the Priest who was ordained
because the Law made men high Priests which have infirmity i. such as can never depose their infirmity which alwayes held them in this condition that after expiation for their sinnes and errors they againe fell into the like sinnes and errors which required againe another expiation But the word of the oath which was since the Law The word containing the oath whereof he spake before vers 20. That oath whereby Christ was ordained Priest was since the Law and therefore the Priesthood of Christ is no way depending or established by the Law For here the word of the oath made since the Law is opposed to the Law Maketh the sonne who is consecrated for evermore Maketh the sonne Priest The sonne is here put eminently for the Sonne of God and opposed to common men who have infirmities as those men had whom the Law made Priests so in many places of Scripture Christ is opposed to the rest of men See Gal. 1.1 and Ephes 2.7 Consecrated for evermore Christ is expiated for evermore not in respect of the time past as of old under the Law under which the Priests by reason of their infirmities were forced to renue their expiation every year But Christ by his one single expiation upon the crosse was freed from all further sufferings and paines for evermore so that hee hath no further need to expiate or offer for them any more for ever And hence againe it appears that Christ was not fully perfectly our high Priest before he was consecrated expiated and perfected for evermore That is before he became immortall The Contents of this seventh Chapter are 1. Melchisedec was a Priest v. 1. Reason 1. Because he blessed men sacerdotally for so he blessed Abraham v. 1. 2. Because he received tithes for Abraham gave him a tenth v. 2. 2. Melchisedec was a singular Priest v. 3. Reason 1. Because there were no more Priests of his order for he was without father or mother without predecessour or successour v. 2. 2. Because he was a perpetuall Priest for he had neither beginning of dayes nor end of life but remained a Priest continually v. eod 3. Melchisedec was greater then Abraham v. 1. Reason 1. Because he blessed Abraham sacerdotally v. eod 2. Because he received tithes from Abraham v. 2. 3. Because he was in a manner an eternall person that had no parentage neither beginning of dayes nor end of life 4. Melchisedec was greater then the Leviticall Priests v. 5. Reason 1. Because he blessed them in Abraham who had the promises of them that they should be his seed v. 6. 2. Because he tithed them in tithing Abraham for they were then in the loynes of Abraham v. 5. 9. 10. 3. Because he was a singular and an eternall Priest but they were many and mortall for they dyed and succeeded one another v. 8. 5. Christ is not a Priest after the order of Aaron v. 11. Reason 1. Because Christ sprang not from the tribe of Levi as Aaron did but from Juda another tribe v. 13. 14. 2. Because Christ was not ordained by vertue of any carnall law that respected his birth and parentage as Aaron and his successours were v. 16. 3. Because Christ was made with an oath to make his Priesthood immutable and irrevocable but they without an oath v. 20. 21. 4. Because Christ was a singular and eternall Priest whose Priesthood is unchangeable but they were many and mortall and their Priesthood transitory changing upon death from one person to another v. 23 24. 5. Because Christ is in a divine and blessed state for he is inviolable unharmable undefileable seperate from sinners and seated in heaven They had not the substance of this state but only some shadow of it v. 26. 6. Because Christ needed but one offering for himselfe whereby to expiate and put off his infirmities for ever they needed yearly a new expiation for their infirmities v. 27 28. 6. Christ is a Priest after the order of Melchisedec chap. 6. v. ult Reason 1. Because Christ is a Royall Priest both a King and a Priest as Melchisedec was v. 1. 2. Because Christ is a singular Priest having no other Priest after his order but himselfe for he was without predecessour and successour as Melchisedec was v. 3. 3. Because Christ is an eternall Priest who liveth for ever as Melchisedec is said to have done 7. The Leviticall Priesthood is expired v. 11. Reason 1. Because Christ another Priest is raised up who is not after Aarons order v. eod 2. Because the Priesthood is translated from the tribe of Levi upon whom the Law had setled it v. 13 14. 3. Because that Priesthood was ruled by a carnall law with respect to the birth life and death of the Priest v. 16. 4. Because it made no perfect expiation for sinnes for thereto it was weake and unprofitable v. 18 19. 8. The Leviticall Law is expired v. 12. Reason 1. Because that Priesthood is abrogate and changed v. eod 2. Because the commandements and precepts of it were carnall touching the line the birth and death of Priests touching washings of the flesh of men and sacrificing the flesh of beasts v. 16. 3. Because it made no perfect expiation for sin but to that effect was weake and unprofitable CHAPTER VIII 1. Now of the things which we have spoken this is the summe Wee have such an high Priest Hee had before spoken many things concerning Christ our high Priest both for his quality what manner of person hee is and for his dignity how farre hee exceedeth the legall Priests Now being partly to adde something further and partly to repeat something formerly spoken he calles this repetition the summe of what hee had spoken Now the summe may signifie either the breviat of what hee had spoken or else the maine head and principall point which last sense is most agreeable to this place q.d. Of all those things which have been or may bee spoken concerning Christ our high Priest the main head or principall point is this That we have such an high Priest who is set on the right hand c. Who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens Of these words we treated chap. 1.3 And by them is signified unto us so great a dignity and Majesty in Christ our high Priest that there was scarce extant any shadow of it in the ancient legall Priests seeing none of them did ever sit at the right hand of that throne which was placed in the oracle of the Sanctuary namely of the Mercy-seat or covering of the Arke which was all over shadowed by the wings of the Cherubines and called the Throne of God whereupon God was said to sit between the Cherubines But all those legall high Priests when they entred into the oracle or most holy place of the Sanctuary were forced to stand before the Arke and so before the Mercy-seat upon it But Christ is so great an high Priest that he sits on
narrowly and therein also the same things are expressed sometime more amply and sometime more briefly Whereof we must take notice for the better understanding and reconciling of severall places So the word Faith is sometime taken so narrowly that salvation and justification is ascribed to it alone and sometime again more largely to comprise other vertues in it sometime more sometime fewer according as the sense of the word is extended or restrained I will put my lawes into their minde and write them in their hearts Here he begins to describe the new Covenant q.d. In the old Covenant I wrote some of my Lawes in tables of stone and Moses wrote other some in a booke and they were put in the Arke to be kept there But my new Covenant shall not be according to that way but by it I will write my Laws in their hearts and put them in their mindes to be kept there They shall not be arbitrary and positive Lawes flowing from my sole will and pleasure whereof their hearts can conceive no reason and whereof their memories may easily faile such as were most Lawes in my former Covenant but they shall be only naturall Lawes grounded only upon naturall honesty and upon the dictates of right reason that their mindes may easily conceive them and their memories retaine them And their owne consciences shall acknowledge them to be convenient just right and good And besides they shall not have a bare understanding of my Lawes to know them but an hearty affection to doe them Now because Gods Covenant is described in these words therefore hence it appeares that this writing of Gods Laws in mens minds and hearts dependes and proceeds from the nature of the Covenant And therefore these words must bee taken within their force and efficacie and not necessarily extended to the very effect of the writing which is alway left in the free power of man For this is intimated unto us by the following words of God at the 12. verse wherein God opens unto us the cause manner or meanes of this which containeth wonderfull grace and mercy of God offered to his people for by this means he saith it would come to passe that they would serve him and keep his Laws with so great fervency But this way Gods Laws are written upon none but willing hearts The sense therefore is I will make such a Covenant that shall have sufficient force and power to containe my people in their duties For to have Gods Laws written in our mindes and hearts is nothing else but to be so knowing so mindfull and so affected with them that we never decline from them but alwayes observe them with all our endeavour And I will be to them a God This follows from the former as the former clause opposite to this and I regarded them not followed from the people 's not continuing in his Covenant which in like manner is opposed to the writing of Gods Laws in mens hearts For God to be a God unto us is to be our sovereigne Protector to defend us from all evill and to be our sovereigne Benefactor to accumulate us with all his blessings And they shall be to me a people Either this is really the same with the former and an amplification of it consisting of a mutuall relation such as we had before in these words I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son chap. 1.5 Or else it is as much as if the Author had said And they shall deale by me as my people ought to doe both of us shall performe our parts respectively I by protecting and benefiting them they by worshipping and serving me 11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord They shall not need to admonish and exhort one another first to know my lawes and decrees and after upon knowledge thereof to observe them but all of them shall bee carried with such alacrity of minde to know and obey mee that none shall need any remembrancer to put him in minde of it Neighbour and brother are taken here for the same for in the Law these three names are coincident neighbour brother and friend See Lev. 19.18 For all shall know me from the least to the greatest Here againe God speaks of the efficacie of this Covenant and not of the effect it selfe for it shall be able to produce an universall knowledge of God though in some single persons it produce it not actually All of al sorts from the least age to the greatest yong old from the least state to the greatest poor and rich and from the least degree to the greatest low and high 12. For I will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sinnes and their iniquities will I remember no more Here God opens unto us the cause of his ardent affection towards us and withall unfolds the nature of this Covenant namely that therein he will be mercifull to all the sinnes of his people to their unrighteousnesses their transgressions and iniquities and will never remember them more This so great a benefit must needs oblige all mens mindes and in a manner constraine them to consecrate themselves wholly unto God and constantly to persist in the daily observation of his Lawes Which effect seeing every remission of sinne cannot produce therefore we must here understand such a one as hath the power to doe it namely a plenary and perfect remission whereby such as are truly and seriously penitent and afterward live holily are released from the guilt or bond of all their former sinnes not only in respect of temporall punishment and death but also of eternall death and withall eternall life is ordained for them For this remission of sinnes adding the condition of repentance hath this vertue and power in it to withdraw men from sinne and for the future to devote themselves to God The words unrighteousnesse sins and iniquities doe in like manner teach us that this remission is plenary and perfect extended to all manner of sinnes even the most heynous Hence we see that this plenary remission of sinnes is a promise proper to the new Covenant For in these words is evidently proved what he said before concerning the new Covenant that it was established upon better promises then the old This is the mysticall sense of those words of the Prophet the literall sense was that God would deliver the people of the Jewes from the captivity of Babylon and would so blot out their former wickednesse and foule sinnes that hee would acquit them from all further temporall punishments for them for which so great benefit the people must needs bee marveilously bound to God and induced to serve him constantly for ever after But this sense is far too slender to answer fully and solidly unto words of so high a nature For at that time to speake properly God neither made any new Covenant different from the former neither was
that benefit of such efficacie and power as to containe the people in their duty perpetually after And therefore it is apparent that the Holy Ghost intended some other sense farre more excellent In the literall sense then that remission must bee understood to bee really performed for the taking away of their temporall punishment but in the mysticall sense it must be understood of Gods promise to be performed in due time for the releasing especially of eternall death under condition of repentance as the nature of the new Covenant requires it And hence it is why the Iews being afterward forgetfull of this divine benefit as of a thing past did againe fall into divers sinnes and forsake Gods law But the Christian or the people of the new covenant may be excited to do their duty perpetually and serve God cheerfully to the end they may at last really obtaine the blessing promised them a right whereto they now enjoy and not make themselves unworthy of it by their own fault 13. In that he saith a new Covenant he hath made the first old By these words he shewes that the old Covenant is in a manner condemned and rejected For when God saith hee will make a new Covenant he thereby antiquates and abrogates the old Whence it plainely appeares that the old Covenant was in it selfe blameable and faultie and therefore contained no great and excellent promises in it And from hence it is most manifest that the new Covenant is cleerly different from the old neither differs it onely in perspicuity and cleernesse as many men beleeye but in the very promises and conditions of it Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away From the former words he inferres by the way that the old Covenant although at that time it seemed to bee of force among the Jewes and to stand while their Temple and their state were standing yet by little and little it grew to decay as a thing waxing old and already antiquated of God For that which waxeth old though it bee yet for a time extant and appeare yet after a while it will wholly decay and vanish seeing to wax old is nothing else but by little and little to be destroyed and abolished This the Authour doth ominate of Moses Covenant and the event was answerable to his prediction For not long after the Temple and State of the Jews was overthrowne whereupon the Mosaick religion and the publike worship of God prescribed in the old Covenant did fall and vanish so that at this day there appeares nothing of it but onely some relicks and shatters in the tolerated Synagogues of that scattered Nation The Contents of this eighth Chapter are 1. Doctrine Christ is a greater Priest then any of the legall Priests verse 1. Reason 1. Because he is set at the right hand of Gods throne whereas the legall Priest stood before the Mercy-seat which was but the shadow of Gods throne verse 1. 2. Because Christ Ministers in the true heavenly Sanctuary whereof the legall Sanctuary was but a shadow verse 2. 3. Because Christ offers himselfe to God a gift and sacrifice whereof the legall offerings were but shadows verse 3. 4. 4. Because Christ is the Mediator of a better Covenant established upon better promises then the former verse 6. 2. Doctine The Gospel or new Covenant is better then the old legall Covenant verse 6. Reason 1. Because the Gospel hath a better Mediatour so much as Christ is better then Moses verse eod 2. Because the Gospel is established upon better promises eod 3. Because the old Covenant was faulty for God found fault with it as weak and unprofitable verse 7. 8. 4. Because the Gospel hath better Lawes for they are written in the mindes and hearts of the faithfull ver 10. 5. Because the Gospel breeds an universall knowledge of God in all men from the least to the greatest verse 11. 6. Because the Gospel allowes an universall pardon of all sinnes whatsoever v. 12. 7. Because the new Covenant doth antiquate and abolish the old v. ult CHAPTER IX 1. THen verily the first Covenant The particle then for therefore shewes that these words so follow the former that in a manner they are deduced or inferred from them Yet they seem not inferred from the words immediatly preceding though they have some connexion even with them also but rather from the words neer the beginning of the former chapter where the Author made a comparison of Christ with the legall Priests and affirmed that their Tabernacle their Ministery and offerings to God were but terrene shadows of that heavenly Sanctuary wherein Christ doth minister and offer himselfe to God and therefore that the Priesthod of Christ was farre more excellent then theirs To this point he seemes now to returne and to handle a little more largely what before hee had but briefly touched concerning the ministery and service of the legall Priests The word first in the originall hath no substantive with it wherewith to agree yet must not be referred to the Tabernacle as some copies translate it for it hath a cleare reference to the Covenant which in the last verse of the former chapter is called the first and here againe repeated so for by this reference of it all things wil most rationally correspond and comply both with the preceding and subsequent passages Had also ordinances of divine service Ordinances are institutes i. Arbitrary and positive Lawes or precepts depending on the sole will and pleasure of the Law-maker or ordainer to determine any action for the manner and other circumstances which in it selfe and by the Law of nature is indifferent and may be done many wayes to be notwithstanding performed after some one way For Gods Covenant doth not containe promises only which are to be performed on Gods part solely but they also comprehend Commandements and Precepts of services and duties to be performed on our part which we if we enter the Covenant must promise and covenant to performe as God on his part doth covenant to performe his promise The matter or subject of these ordinances was divine service how God should be publikly worshipped and served The true nature of divine worship and service The originall word here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifies worship and not service for worship and service in reference to God though by most Interpreters on the holy Scriptures they bee confounded and put indifferently each for other yet indeed their natures are very different and contradistinct For worship properly signifies any holy reverence which by some lowly gesture we performe to God as by standing up bowing downe kneeling downe or falling downe before him whereof the Scriptures afford us many examples But service properly signifies any holy action performed immediatly to the honour of God as prayer praise thanksgiving and sacrificing whereof also the examples are frequent in Scripture and particularly all the Ministery of the legall Priesthood by offering
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
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
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
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
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