Hebrews THE parts of this Letter written and sent to the Hebrew Christians are The Substance and Body of the same The Conclusion The End whereat the Apostle aims is The confirmation of them in the belief and profession of the Gospel The Means he useth for the attainment of this end is Clearly to demonstrate the excellency of Christ as a Prophet and a Priest far above all former Prophets and Priests and thereupon to perswade them to rely upon Him who alone can effectually and eternally save them and make them fully blessed The Method observed by him is to deliver 1. The Doctrine of his Prophetical Office and to apply the same and this is done in the first four Chapters 2. The Doctrine of his Sacerdotal Office and to apply it this is begun Chap. 5. and continued to the 18 verse of the last Chapter CHAP. 1. VVHerein the Apostle taking for granted that the Doctrine of the Old Testament was revealed from God by Prophets and by Angels and the Doctrine of the Gospel by Christ he begins his Discourse concerning Christ as a Prophet and proves him 1. More excellent then all the Pen-men of the Old Testament For 1. He was the Son of God 2. He was the Heir of all things 3. God by him did make the Worlds 4. He was the Brightness of his Father's Glory and Character of his Person 5. He upholdeth all things by the Word of his Power 6. He expiated and purged Sin by his Blood 7. He is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on High In all these seven particulars he far excells the former Prophets ver 1. 2 3. 2. More excellent then the Angels because he hath inherited a far more excellent Name Power and Dignity ver 4. He hath obtained by inheritance a more excellent Name Because 1. He is his The Son and God his Father ver 5. 2. God commanded all the Angels to Worship him ver 6. 3. They being created are but Messengers and Servants but Christ the Son sits in a glorious Throne and is possessed of a Kingdom which is everlasting and when the Earth and the Heavens created by him shall wax old and be changed it shall abide unchangeable for ever ver 8 9 10 11 12. 4. He is set at the right hand of God and by the Word and Patent of God is made Supreme and Universal King and Prince a Place never granted to any of the Angels who all of them are but Ministring Spirits under Him for the Heirs of Salvation This Jesus Christ so excellent was a Prophet for God spake by him as more excellent and in a more excellent manner then by them so that his Doctrine is more full more powerful and more perfect then the Doctrine of Prophets and Angels CHAP. II. VVHerein 1. The former Doctrine of the excellency of Christ and the Gospel is applied by way of exhortation 2. The excellency of Christ above the Angels though he was lower then them for a time is further proved In the Exhortation we may observe 1. The Duty exhorted unto 2. The Reason or Motive to enforce performance 1. The Duty is diligently to attend unto the Doctrine of the Gospel and to take heed of falling from the belief and profession of the same ver 1. 2. The Reason is taken from the most grievous punishment which they cannot escape if they continue not in their Profession This Reason is delivered by way of comparison in quantity For if they who disobeyed the Law then much more they who disobey the Gospel shall be severely punished and shall not escape The Consequence is good and clear from the excellency of the Gospel above the Law For 1. The Law was delivered by Angels the Gospel by Christ. 2. The Law is a Doctrine of Death and Damnation the Gospel of Salvation 3. The Gospel preached by the Apostles commissioned by Christ was attested from Heaven and confirmed by Signs Wonders Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost but the Law was not And from the excellency of the Gospel in respect of the Authour the Matter and Confirmation the Sin is aggravated and the Punishment made more grievous ver 2 3 4. The Exhortation finished the Apostle doth not only enforce the former Reason but proceeds farther to demonstrate the excellency of Christ above the Angels The Argument is That God hath not subjected the World to come to Angels but to Christ who for a little time was lower then the Angels for so it is to be understood ver 5. This Argument is taken out of Psal. 8. 4 5. Where we may observe 1. The words of the Psalm cited ver 6 7. 2. The Apostle's Discourse upon them wherein he observes 1. That all things were put in subjection to him by the Patent and Edict of his heavenly Father yet not actually subdued and brought into subjection ver 8. 2. The Humiliation of Christ which went before his Exaltation For He was made lower then the Angels for a little time Of this Humiliation he delivers the Causes Efficient Final The efficient Cause was 1. The Grace and free Mercy of God which did decree it for the benefit of sinful man ver 9. 2. The Wisdom of God which contrived it as the fittest way in bringing many Sons to Glory to consecrate their Captain by Sufferings ver 10. The final Cause may best be understood if we consider what this Humiliation whereby he was lower then the Angels is It was 1. To be made a Mortal man 2. In this mortal humane Nature to suffer Death 1. The reason why he must be made Man and mortal was Because he that sanctisieth and they that are sanctified must be one and because the sanctified which were to be made Sons did partake of Flesh and Blood therefore he took part with them that in this respect they might be his Brethren And that they were so he proves ver 11 12 13. 2. The End and final Cause why he was made man and mortal was 1. That he might dye for his Brethren and by his Death destroy the Devil and deliver his People ver 14 15. And for this reason he took not the Nature of Angels to deliver them but the Seed of Abraham ver 16. 2. Another end was That he Suffering and being Tempted in their Nature might be a merciful and faithful High Priest and make atonement for the Sins of the People and succour them who were tempted ver 17 18. CHAP. III. VVHerein Christ is proved to be more excellent and a greater Prophet then Moses For the Jews did think it very unreasonable in any part to recede from that Doctrine which they had received from God by Prophets Angels Moses and to hearken unto Christ except he could be proved to be a Greater Prophet sent from God and his Doctrine more excellent and perfect And this was the cause of the Apostle's Undertaking This part of his Discourse is brought in by way of Exhortation Where 1. The Duty exhorted
Christ hath by Inheritance it 's Hereditary and he is invested with it and actually possessed of it to enjoy it for ever Yet the word in the Greek signifies sometimes only to acquire possesse enjoy and so doth Iarash in Hebrew The Connexion is clear for whosoever hath greater dignity and power then another and that justly must needs be more excellent For excellency is a proper necessary consequence of Power § 13. For to which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And again I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son By these words he proves that Christ hath or doth inherit a more excellent Name which is the minor 1. This is a proof by an inartificial argument or testimony which depends upon the authority of the Person testifying 2. The party testifying is God therefore the authority is Divine and without exception especially to the Hebrews who acknowledged the Old Testament to be from God and infallible 3. He produceth two places out of the Old Testament 4. He alledgeth both especially the first by way of interogation affirmative which is a more vehement Negation For to which of the Angels said he that is to none and he challengeth the Hebrews or any other to prove that God said so to any Angel The first Testimony we find Psal. 2. 7. which must first be examined The words are used by the Apostle to prove the Resurrection of Christ Act. 13. 33. and his Priestâ—â—ood Chap. 5. 5 1. By the first place Psal. 2. we understand that upon the Resurrection after the time of his Humiliation was past he was made a King and by the second Hebr. 5. 5. he was made and created a Priest 2. That both are to be understood of Christ and of Christ raised up from death 3. That upon this Resurrection Christ was constituted King and Priest universal and supream in Heaven and Earth Therefore he said after his Reâ—â—rrection and before his Ascension All Power is given unto me in Heaven and iâ— Earth Matth. 28. 18. Therefore this day is not Eternity nor are the words to be understood of his eternal Generation as some of the Ancients expounded them but it 's the day of Resurrection when he laid aside the Form of a Servant and that Work which in that Form he must accomplish was finished This place truly understood doth plainly inform us that as none of the Angels did so humble themselves as he did to do so great and glorious a Service as he performed so none of them were rewarded with the honour and power of an universal Kingdom and Priest-hood as he was He had a better Name a higher place and a greater power for the Regal power he gave him was such that the very Angels were subject unto him as to their Lord and Soveraign The second place alledged we find 2 Sam. 7. 14 16. and the words of that former History contracted a Câ—ron 22. 10. in this manner The Lord speaking of a Son who should succeed him faith He shall build an House for my Name and he shall be my Son and I will be his Father and I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom over Israel for ever To understand this passage of Scripture you must consider 1. That the words are to be understood of Solomon for David intending to build a House and Temple to God was certified by Nathaâ— from the Lord that he should not build Him an House but Solomon his Son who should sit in his Throne after him should undertake and finish that Work 2 That Solomon was but a Type of Christ and that in three things 1. In building God's House 2. In being a King And 3. In the perpetuation of his Kingdom 3. You must know that when any words are spoken of a Type as a Type they are to be understood of the Anti-type and that principally to agree more exactly to the Aâ—â—â—-type For here to build God a spiritual House and to succeed David as an everlasting King did agree fully to Christ not to Solomon 4. The words understood both of the Type and the Anti-type make but one literal sense For that I call the literal sense which is intended by the Spirit And this is the excellency of the Scripture that by the same word it signifies not onely one but several things and thaâ— as the words signify things immediately at first hand so these things signify other things-things past or present or things to come For such was the wonderful Wisdom of God that he ordered things of old so that they plainly shadowed out things to come and so did teach Mysteries not onely by words but things and many things by one word 5. Christ and his Apostles do sometimes so quote the words of the Old Testament that they onely Point at the place and refer the hearer to it where he may read more than he hears and the whole when a part onely is spoken 6. This place joyned with the former doth plainly tell us that to be a Son is to be a King universal over the Church for ever and this is the more excellent Name and hereditary Power given to Christ never given to the Angels David himself by these words understood that God therein promised the Messâ—as and his eternal Saviour who was afterwards called the Son of David and his Throne and Kingdom the Throne and Kingdom of David By Son in both places is meant 1. Not a Servant 2. Not any kind of Son but the first-born 3. Not the first-born of any but of a King 4. Not the first-born of any King but of God as universal and Supream King for his Son this Son must be Heir and Lord of all § 14 Ver. 6. And again when he bringeth in the first-begotten c. These words are taken out of Psal. 97. and are found in the Septuagint Deut. 32. 43. They are brought to prove the excellent Name of Christ above the Angels affirmed in the Minor of the Apostle's Argument Expositors differ in the manner of bringing in these words upon the former but agree in the matter The difference is two-fold 1. About the Adverbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. The bringing of Christ into the World whether it was his Incarnation as some affirm or his coming to Judgment as others For the Adverbe 〈◊〉 turned again some make it onely a word of Connexion of these words with the former as an Addition of a third Proof of the Minor out of a third place His first was from Psal. 2. The second from 2 Sam. 7. which is added to the former in this manner And again The third is this from Psal. 97. So that the word here signifies onely an Addition of a third Proof to the two former Thus Beza Trimellius Vatablus the Tigurines Zurick Erasmus Sasbout and our English Translators understand it Others think this too harsh a Transposition and joyn it with the Verbe
believs and this High-Priest makes intercession effectually for his People who come to God by him and then it 's consummate when all the sins of his People are for ever pardoned and they finally justified This is a Work of great Mercy and if God commit it to him he undertake it and Man rely upon him if it be not done how can he be said to be faithful To reconcile and propitiate is a Work of greatest fidelity because of greatest Consequence Ver. 18. For in that he hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted § 21. In this Text and by these words we are informed of the Reason why Christ is so merciful and faithful an High-Priest and how he became such and that was by suffering and temptation whereof he had experience in himself In the words we have his Suffering and Temptation Power to help the tempted 1. His Sufferings were many and cruel and such as never any did endure yet his greatest Sufferings were reserved to the last And though he never sinned yet he knew and felt the woful Consequences of Sin and the Punishments it deservs 2. He was tempted for no sooner was he baptized and publickly initiated and declared in the sight of Heaven and Earth to be the Son of God but Satan the great Enemy set upon him and attempted his ruine yea all his Sufferings as from Satan were temptations and it 's very likely he did assault him most violently in the end By both these he knew what a sad and woful thing Suffering for Sin is and how hard a thing it is to be tempted and not to sin and how much such as being violently tempted do sin are to be pitied For if he who had the greatest power that ever was to resist and overcome temptations was hardly put to it he must needs know and could not be ignorant how dangerous Man's condition is and how easily a frail Sinner may be foiled 2. This Suffering and Temptation made him more merciful and faithful and able to succour To succour is to do all things for the procuring the Reconciliation of his People and his ability to succour is his mercifulness and fidelity whereby he is every way fitted powerfully inclined and effectually moved to succour them To be able sometimes is to be sit as Varinus observeth and so it may be here taken And the more fit the more able The saying is None so merciful as those who have been miserable and they who have not onely known misery but felt it are most powerfully inclined not onely to inward compassion but to the real relieving of others miserable And this was a contrivance of the profound Wisdom of that God who is infinitely knowing and merciful to find a way how to feel misery and be merciful another way This was by his Word assuming Flesh that in that Flesh he might be tempted violently and suffer most grievously and all this that he might be more merciful and effectually succour sinful Man This is the most powerful Remedy against despaire and the firmest ground of hope and comfort that ever sinful miserable Man sensible of his Sin could have And that was the great reason why Christ must suffer being tempted that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest and that he might be such was the end why it behoved him to be like his Brethren not onely in being Man and assuming flesh but in Suffering and Temptation too And thus the Son of God for a little time was made lower than the Angels This the Apostle insists upon so largely to let the Hebrews know that there was little reason why they should be offended with his Humiliation either because he was a mortal Man or that he suffered death For 1. It was fore-told that he must be lower than the Angels 2. That he should be lower for a little time 3. That this his Humiliation for a time was a way to Glory he was lower than those heavenly Spirits for a little time that he might be above them for ever 4. That thus to be humbled became God and it seemed in his Wisdom to be the most excellent way of consecrating the great Captain of our Salvation 5. It was most fitting that he that was sent to redeem and sanctify Man should be Man and not an Angel 6. It was infinitely beneficial unto us for by this means 1. He tasted death for us 2. By his death destroyed the Power of Satan 3. By destroying his Power delivered us from the slavish fear and danger of death 4. By his Humiliation in Suffering and Temptation he became a most merciful and faithful High-Priest and most able effectually to procure their Reconciliation And why should this voluntary Humiliation be either any the least derogation from the Excellency of Christ or stumbling-block unto the Jew or seem foolishness to the Gentiles There is no reason at all but it argues the Ignorance if not the wilful blindness of both Jew and Gentile The Errours of Crellâ—us we shall meet with hereafter For 1. He denieth Christ's Sufferings to be Punishments 2. He affirmeth that to succour is to expiate Sin 3. He saith that the principal Function of Christ's Priest-hood is performed now in Heaven and was not performed by his death on Earth which he denyes to be an Expiation by suffering Punishment for our sins CHAP. III. Ver. 1. § 1. THE Sum and Substance of this Chapter is an Exhortation to perseverance in the Christian Faith yet upon new grounds and reasons distinct from those in the two former Chapters For they shew that Christ was more excellent than the Prophets and the Angels and that the World to come was not subject to Angels but to Christ who though by his Sufferings he was for a little time lower than the Angels yet upon his Resurrection and Ascension was far above them This Chapter manifesteth his Excellency far above Mofes and argues that if Moses was to be heard then Christ much more and if they which disobeyed Moses were punished much more they which disobey Christ. In the Exhoâ—tation we must observe 1. The parties to whom the Exhortation is directed 2. The Duty exhorted unto 3. The reasons whereby the performance of the Duty is urged And these Reasons are taken from the Excellency of Christ. Benefit of Perseverance Punishment of Apostacy The Punishment is set forth by an Example of their Fathers Proposed Applied Ver. 1. Wherefore holy Brethren partakers of the heavenly Calling c. § 2. This is the Description of the parties exhorted They were Hebrews yet Christians and described as Brethren Holy Partakers of the heavenly Call They were Brethren and as such related to Paul an Hebrew and one unto another And the ground of this Relation and Fraternity was not onely Generation but chiefly Regeneration not so much natural as supernatural For though they were Brethren by natural Generation as descended from Abraham the same Father as the unbelieving Jews
not made of things that did appear 2. They were made or framed by the Word of God 3. This is understood by Faith Or rather thus 1. The Worlds were framed so that things seen were not made of things that did appear 2. They were thus framed and made by the Word of God 3. That they were thus made we understand by Faith Where we have two Propositions concerning the Object one concerning the Act. In the first Proposition we have 1. The Worlds and Things seen 2. The World 's framed and things seen made 3. Things seen not made of things that did appear 1. By Worlds must be understood Heaven and Earth and all things therein the Hosts of them the reason of the name Worlds you may read Chap. 1. 2. Things seen may be visible part of the World which is conspicuous and may be seen by bodily Eyes as the frame of Heaven and Earth with the Lights of Heaven and Creatures upon Earth and also the Waters and the Seas and all things therein in which respect they are contra-distinct to invisible Creatures For all things were made by Christ and these were either visible or invisible other wayes things seen may be things existent and in perfect being 2. These were framed and made that is they received their being and existence for the act and work of Creation gave existence to things that had no actual being before Yet the Word framed is extended by some to signify not only the work or act of Creation but also the union order and perfection of the whole and all the parts but howsoever it may connote these yet the intended force of it is to be Created so as that creation and Making are the same 3. The things seen were of things that did not appear By things not appearing some understand the Samplar and Idea of things in the Mind and Counsel of God but this can harldy be the sense But others say That things not appearing are things not pre-existent or in being And this may be taken two wayes 1. To signify that the first Creation did presuppose no matter stuff or atoms or any such thing because all things were purely and meerly Nothing had no being nor principle nor rudiment nor part of being at all And this doth differense the powerful and wonderful active strength and productive force of God from the power and active force of all other Agents in respect of which that 's true Ex nihilo nihil fit 2. To signify that the things now seen were made of that Earth that seminary and imperfect Rudiment which Gen. 1. 2. as the Septuagint translate it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 invisible and darkness was upon the face of it For out of it God created the Elements and mixt Creatures which when Light was made and they finished did appear and most of them were visible This last sense is good and so is the former and both may agree because that Earth and imperfect Chaos concreated with the Heaven of Heavens was first nothing then invisible and not appearing before the things made out of it could be seen Where note that not to be made of things appearing and to be made of things not appearing are the same 2. The second Proposition is That these were made by the Word of God The Word of God is either the Word which was God and begotten of the Father from everlasting and so it cannot be taken here or the Word of God expressing something out of himself And this is also two-fold 1. That Word whereby he effecteth something 2. That which signifieth his mind and is not effective and productive further then to make his mind known But here his effective and productive Word is meant For God said Let there be Light this is his Word and there was Light this is the production of his powerful Word This Word is called the Will and Command of God not that it was so but because it did signify that it was his Will that at such a time such or such a thing should be made or created and did as it were command himself and his almighty power to effect it For he spake unto himself as almighty and his Word was his Deed and as his Wisdom Word and Power are not separated in himself so neither were they separated in this Work So that the World was made without any difficulty toil tumult tools or other adjuvant ministerial Causes The mighty glorious Work was done instantly and with ease by him to whom nothing is impossible The third Proposition is That by Faith we understand that the World was thus created Where three things 1. The thing understood 2. The understanding of it 3. The understanding of it by Faith 1. The thing understood is not this that the World was made for that may be known by Reason For it 's clear enough that it 's an Effect and must necessarily have an efficient Cause which must produce and effect it And they which hold it was ab eterno from Eternity some of them do confess this only they affirm that it was meant necessarily by the Supream Agent and the Production of it was like the Production of Light from the Sun which was no sooner in Being but Light did necessarily flow and issue from it so that there could be no Priority of time between the Sun and Light but the Being of both was simultaneous But that this World should be made at such a time and at first of no pre-existent matter and in the space of six dayes and in that order one part after another and by the Word of God as the sole efficient and so many years ago is far above Reason 2. Yet this is understood and it 's our reason and intellective faculty which doth apprehend and understand it For without it we can know nothing by it we know all things that are known unto us even the deep things and Counsels of God revealed Neither is Reason meerly passive but really active in this Work for it moves acts knows this Creation of the World as certainly as it doth things cognoscible by the senses or those whereof we have intuitive or demonstrative Knowledg 3. Yet we know it by Faith which is a divine and supernatural Light and elevates Reason above it's natural Sphere Faith sometimes by a Trope is taken for the Rule of Faith which is the Word and Revelation of God The proper Act of this word is to represent and this Representation may be made either outwardly or inwardly in the Soul so as to inform it and that either immediately which is Inspiration or mediately which is a more imperfect Disciplination When the Soul is once informed it receives the Impression knows the thing represented and assents unto it and this assenting Knowledg is a vital Act. The thing here represented is such as Reason by it's natural Active Power cannot reach therefore this divine Representation is necessary as a supernatural Light which by the
and now again in these last dayes then by Moses and the Prophets now by Christ his Son 2. That when he gave the Law and made the former Covenant he spake on Earth upon Mount Sinai but when he spake by Christ he spake from Heaven for he came from Heaven returned to Heaven again and from Heaven sent down the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles and by that Spirit in them revealed the Gospel 3. That some Sins are more hainous than others and the more hainous the Sin is the more heavy the Punishment will be 4. That to refuse God speaking on Earth was a grievous Sin and deserved a grievous Punishment and so to refuse him speaking from Heaven is a great Sin and renders the Refuser liable to fearful Punishment 5. That the latter is a more grievous Sin than the former and deservs a greater Punishment These things presupposed the Reason is clear and we must in any wise take heed of rejecting or renouncing the Gospel because if they who transgressed the Law given on Earth were severely punished then they if guilty of a far greater Sin as all such are who refuse the Gospel revealed from Heaven then they must suffer a far greater Penalty and no wayes could they escape it This differs something from the Argument used Chap. 2. 2 3 c. for that compares the Law delivered by Angels with the Gospel spoken and confirmed by Christ and the excellency of Christ above the Angels is the ground of his Argument But here God's speaking on Earth by Angels is compared with God's speaking from Heaven by Christ and here the Excellency of Heaven from whence the Gospel was revealed above the Earth where the Law was given is made the Foundation of the Reason And God by giving the Law on Earth and the Gospel from Heaven did intimate that there was some Excellency in the Gospel which was not in the Law in the new Covenant which was not in the old otherwise God could have revealed them both on Earth or both from Heaven Let us apply this unto our selvs and consider 1. Who speaks unto us 2. What he speaks 3. From whence he speaks 1. It 's not Man but God not Moses but Christ The Law indeed was by Moses but Grace and Truth by Jesus Christ. The Majesty and Power of him who speaks is such as Angels are bound to attend and obey with all humble Submission and shall we Worms nay Dust and Ashes refuse to hear this glorious Lord 2. The Matter that he speaks and we hear is the best the most sweet the most comfortable and the most excellent never better things seen or heard or understood by the Heart of Man The Gospel is a Doctrine of profoundest Wisdom of greatest Love and Mercy and of highest Concernment and most conducing to our everlasting good And shall we reject it Shall we sin against so great a Majesty so great a Mercy Sins against the Mercies of God so freely tendred to us in Jesus Christ are the most hainous of all others Let us tremble to think of these Sins and those Punishments which they must suffer that are guilty of them 3. He speaks from Heaven for the Gospel is a Mystery hid from the beginning of the World and was brought unto us from the Bosom of the Father by his only begotten Son and by the Holy Ghost it 's the clearest manifestation of God's deepest Counsels concerring Man's eternal Estate and of his greatest Love to sinful Wretches the brightest Light that ever shined from Heaven yet we hear it and most men regard it not but reject it to their everlasting Woe § 24. The Apostle draws to a Conclusion and urgeth Perseverance by another Argument in the words following Ver. 26. Whose Voice then shook the Earth but now he hath promised saying Yet once more I shake not the Earth only but Heaven also Ver. 27. And this Word Yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain GOD shook the Earth when he gave the Law and from this shaking the Authour takes occasion from the words of Haggai to prove the Immutability of the Gospel and the Administration of Christ's Kingdom In the Text the Proposition concerning this Immutability is 1. Cleared 2. Applyed in the two last Verses of the Chapter In the first he doth 1. Affirm the shaking of the Earth in giving of the Law 2. Alledgeth God's Promise of another shaking not only of Earth but Heaven 3. From that Promise he infers the Immutability of the Evangelical Administration The Propositions of the first part of the Text are two 1. That God then shook the Earth 2. That he that then shook the Earth promised to shake once more not only the Earth but Heaven also 1. God then shook the Earth The Adverb then points at the time of giving the Law on Mount Sinai for in the former Verse it 's said that he spake on Earth in the Hearing of all Israel That then he shook the Earth is the express words of the History Mount Sinai was all on a Sâ—â—ak and the whole Mount quaked greatly Exod. 19. 18. With this agrees that of the Psalmist When thou O God wentest before thy People when thou didst march through the Wilderness The Earth shook the Heavens also dropped at the presence of God even Sinai it self was moved at the presence of God the God of Israel Psal. 68. 7 8. The principal things then signified by this shaking the Mount and the Earth were two 1. The Alteration of the former Administration of the Church and 2. The Constitution of that Order which continued untill the times of the Gospel For 1. Then God made a great Alteration in the Kingdom of Aegypt divided the Red Sea and shook the hearts of men in several Nations 2. He reduced the People of Israel into a Polity both Civil and Ecclesiastical made a Covenant with them gave them Laws Moral Ceremonial Judicial ordained a Priest-hood instituted a Form of Worship to continue till the coming of the Messias Thus then he shook the Earth 2. He promised once more to shake not only the Earth but Heaven Where the Subject is Shaking and presupposeth one Shaking past and informs us of another and the same far greater The former was only of the Earth the latter of Heaven too This Shaking is the thing promised the Promise was made first the Performance followeth several hundred years afterwards The Promise we find in Haggai the Prophet the words are these For thus saith the Lord of Hosts Yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land And I will shake all Nations and the Desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House with Glory saith the Lord Hag. 2. 6 7. Where we may observe 1. That the Occasion of these words was this the
People of Judah returned out of Captivity rebuilt the Temple and dedicated the same with great Joy yet so that many in this Solemnity did weep for the ancient People which had seen the former House built by Solomon knew that it was far more magnificent than this latter Temple which was no wayes comparable to the former God to comfort these dejected Jews makes a Promise to make this latter House far more glorious than the former by the coming of Christ who should honour it with his presence 2. That the Apostle neither follows the Hebrew nor the Septuagint precisely yet he takes that which was for his purpose and retains the sense and rather expounds than translates or cites the Prophet for â—ie signifies 1. That the words are a Promsse of God 2. That the Shaking promised and to come was greater than the former for then God's Voice shook the Earth but now he would shake not only the Earth but the Heavens 3. That the Earth the Sea the dry Land are the same and only different parts of the same Globe By all this we understand the mighty Power of God who by his Word and Voice can shake the Earth the Rocks the strongest Mountains who can shake not only Earth but Heaven who can make great Alteration in the World when he pleaseth yet the proud and stony Heart of Man is little moved at the word of this glorious God But for the more full Explication of the words of the Prophet we must consider what this shaking of Heaven and Earth is and how this was fulfilled 1. This Shaking is a Work of God whereby he makes great Alterations and Commotions in the World preparing for something to follow and in this he usually manifests his glorious Power and Wisdom Yet these Alterations are seldom made without some prodigious and miraculous Works and such as many times amaze and terrify mortal men Thus before the coming of Christ when this Promise was fulfilled there were many prodigious and dreadful Signs iâ— Heaven Earth the Sea before the Civil Warrs between Pompey and Cesar and that between Augustus and Brutus Cassius Lepidus Antony Upon these followed the Alteration of the Roman Government and an universal Peace At Christ's Birth the universal Enrollment was a great Commotion amongst men the Angels from Heaven singing and celebrating Christ's Nativity on Earth and the new Star seen of the wise men in the East and directing them to the place where Christ was born imply an extraordinary Commotion in Heaven When Christ suffered and dyed upon the Cross the Heavens were darkned the Earth did quake the Rocks were rent asunder and the Graves were opened and at his Resurrection there was an Earth-quake and a glorious Angel descended from Heaven so that even then the Earth and the Heaven were shaken and so they were before the Ruine and Destruction of Jerusalem But the principal performance of this Promise was the Alteration made by taking away the Law and bringing in the Gospel Then Heaven was shaken for Christ ascended entred sate down at the right hand of God began to reign and make Intercession the Angels and all the Holls of Heaven became Subject unto him and all Creature were at his Command Then the Earth was shaken for the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles the Gospel was preached to Jews and Gentiles the Law and Levitical Service and Priest-hood were taken away the Idolatâ—y of the Gentiles beaten down the Jews and Gentiles are converted and became Christian. So that this Shaking was an Alteration in Religion and in the Administration of Christ's Kingdom and it was universal in Heaven and Earth § 25. The latter part of the Text is a Discourse of the Apostle upon the words of the Propher wherein he 1. Takes notice of the word Yet once more 2. Informs us what it signifies and imports Yet once more hath no sense without the Verb I will shake which is therefore to be understood The Action is Shaking yet once more the Circumstance The meaning is I have once shaken the Earth and I will shake it again and not shake it but Heaven also and make a far greater Alteration yet I will but do this once and no more From hence in the second place the Apostle inferrs two things 1. That whatsoever was removed and abolished in this latter Shaking was removed for ever and 2. Whatsoever was then brought in must stand unalterable for ever This is that which the Apostle saith is signified by that word Yet once more If the words be reduced to Propositions they are these 1. There is a removing of things shaken as of things made 2. There are things which cannot be shaken which remain 3. The former things were removed that the latter might remain 4. All this was signified by the word of God's Promise Yet once more 1. There is a removing c. 1. We have things shaken The things are the Levitical Law Priest-hood Tabernacle Service and the Administration of God's Kingdom under the Law and the first Covenant These things were shaken moved and altered yet an Alteration may be of the Substance or Accidents of the thing but this was of the Substance for they were so moved that they were removed the very Substance and Being of them was so changed that they were wholly taken away for as one Law may be so made as to repeal and wholly abrogate another so the Gospel and the Administration of Christ were so brought in by God as they took away and wholly abolished the Law It 's further said that there was a removing of these as of things made which some do so understand as though the things made were the Tabernacle or Temple with all the Utensils of both which though they were made according to the Pattern in the Mount yet were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things made with hands and but Shadows of far better things which once exhibited these must needs vanish Yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signify things finished and past never to return again The Hebrew woâ—d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is very often turned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signify to destroy suppress and make an End of 2. There were things which could not be shaken which remained Things not shaken or moved are the Gospel and the manner of the Administration of Christ's Kingdom after his sitting at the right hand of God These are not shaken nor altered either in part or whole in Substantials or Accidentals but they remain in full force and shall so continue unto the End No other Doctrine Manner of Worship Order in Heaven or Earth or Administration must be expected for the Christian Religion shall continue to the End till time shall be no more and this was God's purpose in the bringing in of these things 3. The former things were removed that these might be introduced and established When two things cannot stand together the one is removed that the other might take place and
4. Who made them by him 1. By Worlds some understand 1. All times 2. All things in all times Others think that he used the expression of the Rabbins who make there Worlds 1. The lowest which is the Earth Sea and all things in them The second and the middle is the Ayr and the Aethereal part with the Sphears The third is the supream the World of Angels God and Souls Yet all these are but one World and systeme of Heaven and Earth and the Word signifies all times and durations with all places and all things in all times and places 2. The making of these Worlds is the giving them their Being after that they had no Being and is the same with creating and framing as we may read in many other places 3. These Worlds were made by the Word which once made Flesh was Christ For by the Word and Wisdom of God which was the Rule and Idea of all things all things were modeled and received their forms shapes and distinct beings 4. It was God who by this Word which was his Word and was with him in the beginning and also from eternity so that it was God as he was God the same God the same essence Yet we must not understand this so as though God made the World by his Son as by an instrument or inferiour distinct Agent but Father Word and Spirit were an individual efficient sole cause of the Worlds This is the same with that of the divine Evangelist All things were made by him that is by the Word and without him was not any thing made which was made Joh. 1. 3. The Apostle Paul expresseth this more particularly and distinctly for speaking of the Son he saith That by him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in â—arâ—â— visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominâ—ons or Principalities or Powers all things were created by him and for him Colos. 1. 16. This is so clear that I wonder with what face Crâ—llius could expound the words so as by the Worlds to understand Man and by making and creating the Worlds the reforming and restoring Mankind This seems to be more strange seeing he understands those words By Faith we understand that the Worlds were framed by the Word of God Heb. 11. 3. of the Creation of the World The cause of this his false exposition is plain enough For this being affirmed of Christ that by him God made the Worlds it did plainly evince his Existence before his conception of the Virgin Mary nay before the World which was contrary to their damnable Errour Therefore he wilfully devised this interpretation lest he should grant the etemity of the Son of God But in Chap. 11. 3. where there was no mention of Christ he could give the genuine sense § 7. Ver. 3. Who being the brightness of his Glory To be Hâ—iâ— of all things did agree to him upon the Resurrection that God made the Worlds by Him referrs unto the work of Creation but to be the brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express image of his person agrees to Him from eternity For in these words we may observe his eternal generation and production Some think the expression is taken out of the Book of Wisdom though Apocryâ—hâ—l Chap. 7. 26. where Wisdom is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brightness oâ— effulgency of eternal Light For we find diverse expressions of those Apocryphal Books taken up and used in the New Testament For the better understanding hereof we must observe 1. That God is often called Light because this bodily and visible Light is Glorious and in several respects resembles that eternal glorious essence of God 2. That here God is said to have Light or Glory not that Glory or Light is an accident in God but because he is said to have that which he is For God is not only lightfome and glorious but Light and Glory Therefore this Glory is essential Glory or Light â— 3. The Similitude here used is taken not from accidental but substantial Light as the same is said to be a Light Purity beauty delectability in Light do teach us something of Him 4. Brightness or effulgency here must not be understood to be either an effect or an accident of this spiritual infinite and eternal Glory yet it 's something issuing from and produced by that Glory as the mental Word which is a kind of invisible brightness is the issue product or broode of the intellect which is a spiritual Light From this pâ—ice and such like the Nicene Fathers did conlude That Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God begotten of his Father before all Worlds God of God Light of Light very God of very God begotten not made being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made By this we may easily understand that they believed 1. The Glory to be a substance 2. The brightnesse to be a substance not an effect or accident 3. That the glory and brightnesse were one and the same substance 4. That the brightness issued from and was a product of the Glory not meerly as from a substance but as from a substance acting and acting upon it self 5. That Christ in this respect did exist from eternity We know little of this bodily Light less of the intellectual Light of the Soul and least of all of this eternal Light Therefore we trust believe according to plain Scripture most certainly that which we cannot clearly understand From hence we may understand the reason why Jesus Christ is called the Word and it is as because the word of the Intellect reflecting upon it self to know it self is a product of it self so is the Son of God the product of the eternal Intellect beholding it self to know itself yet this is the difference that this Word of the Soul is not so perfect nor real as this Word of God And the express Image of his person If Light produce Light then the Light produced must be like unto and in some measure represent more the Light and Glory producing and the more perfect and immediate the production is the more perfect is the resemblance and expression And because this production was perfect therefore this brightness is said to be the express Image of his Father The word translated here the express Image is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Character or impression made by Sculpture or some other way and this Character if rightly made is a lively expression of the samplar as an ectypon of the prototype This brightness is said to be the Character of his Hypostasis which some turn substance some turn person This implys 1. That he is a substantial Image yet not another but the same substance 2. That there is a relation between God who is this eternal Light and this image or brightness for he is the Image of this Glory 3. Yet he is not the Image of nor hath relation unto the Essence for
immediately design and qualify for this Work § 3. Thus you have heard 1. That a Priest is an Officer in Religion 2. That his proper Work is to offer Gifts and Sacrifices The third thing is the disposition which is most suitable to his place 3. He must be merciful and inclined to compassion as one who himself hath his Infirmity For it followeth Ver. 2. Who can have Compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way for that he himself also is compassed with Infirmity THis disposition and affection is so necessary that no man without it is fit to be a Priest For this reason God contrived a way whereby Christ after he was risen from the dead ascended into Heaven obtained fulness of joy in his presence and pleasures for evermore at his right hand might be sensible of Man's misery To understand the words of the Text we must consider 1. What it is to have Compassion 2. Upon whom he must have Compassion 3 Why he should be the more compassinaâ—e To have Compassion is to be inwardly affected with the misery of another so as to be moved and inclined so far as we are able to help relieve and comfort them Therefore saith one Misericordia est â—iseria aliena in corde nostro The word in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to suffer moderately or rather in some certain measure 1. He must suffer for he that is merciful doth suffer with them that suffer and mourn with them that mourn for we should be like fellow Members of one Body and as there is a Sympathy or fellow-feeling amongst the Members of one Body so there should be amongst us Yet as our own Passions and Affections should be moderated by the rules of Reason so must this Compassion be it must neither be boundless nor irregular For there be such hainous Offenders and abominable Sinners that they are no fit Subjects either of the Mercy of God or Man and we may exceed in our Compassion Therefore the Rules of divine Wisdom and Justice must regulate and measure the same otherwise we may make our selves unfit to officiate for others yet this was seldom the fault of Priests whose Compassion was usually defective 2. The parties to be pityed and the Subject of the Priest's Compassion were the ignorant and such as are out of the way Ignorance and Errour are often taken for sins yet not such as are capital and crying crimes but Offences committed out of ignorance infirmity and violence of temptation for which under the Law Sacrifices were prescribed and accepted upon the Confession of the Delinquents for there was no Sacrifice to expiate capital sins for they must be punished by Death They which were ignorant and seduced out of the way willing to confess and desirous of pardon were to be pitied as a fit Subject of the High-Priest's Compassion 3. The reason why he should the more have Compassion on these was because he was compassed himself on every hand with the like infirmity and might easily fall into the like Sin This should make him the more careful to make Reconciliation for them as for himself because he might fall into the same condition and it was the Wisdom of God to make such kind of Persons to be Priests § 4. The end of the Priest's officiating and his Compassion was to make Reconciliation for his own and their sins For Ver. 3. And by reason hereof he ought as for the People so also for himself to offer for Sins THe reason why he must be merciful and sensible of the guilt and misery of the People was that he might offer for their Sins and because he was compassed with infirmity and had his own Sins therefore he must offer for himself His own infirmity and sin might move him both to pity them and also seek their pardon as his own To offer for Sins is to do that upon which God hath promised to pardon and remission is the very end and ultimate effect of all propitiatory Sacrifices and the Service of all lawful Priests Before I conclude this part of the Chapter it may be expedient to resolve two Questions The first is Whether it be necessary and essential to a Priest to have sins of his own for which he must offer The second is Whether in the times of the Gospel after Christ had offered his Sacrifice and was confirmed an eternal Priest in Heaven there be many persons properly called Priests and such as are here described To both I answer Negatively For 1. It 's not essential to a Priest to have sins of his own or that he be a Sinner For Christ himself is a most perfect and compleat Priest and yet without Sin yet he is merciful and as sensible of our miseries as any ever was And this indeed was a necessary qualification in a Priest that must make reconciliation for Man and he that is unmerciful is no ways sit to be a Priest for guilty Wretches yet a Priest may be merciful and yet without sin though there never was any such Priest in the World but Jesus Christ the Son of the living God For the second there never was in proper sense since Christ's Ascension into Heaven in the Church-Christian any such Priest as is here described And it 's observable that such as officiate in the Church-Christian and minister in holy things are in the New Testament called Ministers Elders Bishops Pastors Teachers Men of God Apostles Evangelists Prophets but never styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Priests much less High-Priest neither are there any Temples Altars Sacrifices in the time of the Gospel that are properly such Some of the Church of Rome do affirm The Masse to be a Sacrifice and the same with that which Christ offered upon the Cross and propitiatory for the Sins of the Living and the Dead Yet seeing they confess 1. That it 's incruâ—ntum unbloody therefore it must needs essentially differ from that Sacrifice and Oblation wherein the Blood of Christ was once shed never to be shed again never to be re-iterated 2. Seeing it 's not essentially the same it cannot be properly propitiatory 3. Seeing it 's not expiatorium redemtorium as they grant it is not How should it be the same 4. That which is a representation commemoration and application of that Sacrifice once offered never to be offered again can neither be the same nor propitiatory And as it is not the same Sacrifice but essentially different from it it 's no Sacrifice at all in proper sense neither can any wit of Man prove it so to be Therefore in respect of it their Priests can be no Priests their Tables no Altars their Temples no Temples When divers of the Ancients call the Ministers of the Gospel or Bishops Priests the Service of the Eucharist a Sacrifice and the Communion-Tables Altars they must either be understood to speak tropically and metaphorically or deliver that which is untrue and also contradict
or rather no hope of recovery 2. That he was perswaded better things of them though the negligence of many had been great In his Exhortation ver the 11. two things are chiefly to be taken notice of 1. The duty exhorted unto which was perseverance 2. The reasons whereupon he urgeth the performance § 2. To begin with the Resolution the thing resolved upon is expressed in the first words 1. Briefly Leaving the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ let us go â—â— to perfection 2. More largely Not laying again the Foundation c. This Resolution doth imply that in Christianity there is a Doctrine 1. Of Principles 1. Of perfection The first is for Babes and Children the second is for persons of full age The Principles are like Premises and the more perfect Doctrines like unto Conclusions and as some premises contain many excellent and precious Truths deducible from them and have affinity with many others reducible to them so these principles Both Principles and higher Doctrines must be taught in their time according to the capacity of the persons to be taught And the best must begin with the principles and after they are once well grounded in them they must proceed to higher points The Apostle here presupposeth the principles taught and once learned by these Hebrews therefore he resolves now to lay them aside and omit the Doctrine of them and to ascend to higher matters What he meant by leaving the principles he explains more at large and in particular It was Not to lay again the foundation of Repentance from dead works c. Where 1. He compares the work of man's Salvation to a Building And 2. The teaching of principles to the laying of the foundation which is the first and principal part of the Building supporting all the rest of the Superstructure and the teaching of these prime Truths is the laying of the foundation upon which the rest of Christianity depends 3. To lay this Foundation again presupposeth that he had formerly done this work and initiated them and to do this again implies they had lost their Christianity and were relasped into that Condition wherein they were before they did believe and were baptized and there was need of re-baptizing them 4. Yet this he would not do and to leave the Doctrine of the beginning or principles of Christ and not to lay the foundation of Christianity are the same And lest they or any other should be ignorant what these principles of Christianity and fundamental Doctrines were he informs us That they were the Doctrines Of Repentance Faith Baptism c. To understand these words the better we must consider 1. What was the way and order of initiating Christians 2. What Doctrine is contained in these particular Fundamentals 1. The way and order was this That 1. When they had taught them Repentance and Faith and they had willingly received this Doctrine and signified their acceptation then they most solemnly promised to repent and believe that Doctrine they did professe 2. Upon their promise and profession they were baptized 3. Being baptized they were confirmed by imposition of hands and receiving the Holy Ghost 4. Being confirmed they were exhorted to persevere to the end in hope of Resurrection to eternal life and fear of Condemnation to eternal punishment To lay the foundation in this manner was to admit them Christians again after they had lost their former Christianity 2. The Doctrine contained in these Particulars may easily be understood by the words themselves The first Head or Topick is that of Repentance from dead Works where by dead Works are meant Sins which pollute us spiritually and morally and also render us liable to Death of which hereafter Chap. 9. 14. Repentance from these is an acknowledgment of them with grief of heart and a resolution to forsake them and reform This Doctrine presupposeth the Creation especially of Man in the Image of God and contains those Truths we read in Scripture concerning Satan's Temptation man's Fall and Sin what Sin is and what the Consequents thereof be one whereof is Punishment and Death Knowledge Confession godly sorrow hatred of Sin returning to God this is the first part of the Creed The second Head is Faith in God under which comes in the Doctrine of God who so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son to redeem us from our Sins by dying for us and rising again to apply and communicate the benefits of his Redemption The particulars of these parts are the Incarnation the Offices of Christ his Humiliation In taking upon him the form of a Servant and being obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross The immediate effects thereof which are satisfaction merit and putting man into a capacity of Salvation his Resurrection upon which he was made King and Priest his Ascension into Heaven his sitting at the right right hand of God to reign as King and make Intercession as a Priest and so make his satisfaction and merit effectual 3. The third Head is the Doctrine of Baptisms wherein Repentance and Faith are professed new obedience promised and both sealed and confirmed by Baptism To this Head may be referred the Covenant and the confirmation of it This Covenant presupposeth the Gospel with the Precepts and Promises thereof This was revealed by Christ as a Prophet sending the Holy Ghost to reveal it therein commanding promising and performing as a King As it presupposeth the Covenant in general so it doth the making thereof in applying the Precepts and Promises unto the particular persons to be baptized who on their part must professe and promise upon which done the confirmation on Gods part and Man's doth follow in Baptism We need not trouble our selves with the word Baptisms which is plural nor debate the reason why he used that number whether it was because the Baptisms of John and Christ both instituted from Heaven did differ in several particulars and so were Baptisms or because the Baptism of Christ was two-fold of Water and the Spirit which both must joyntly concurr to Regeneration or because that though Baptism in general in respect of the Institution be one yet in respect of several individual persons baptized it 's multiplyed For the Baptism of Peter is one the Baptism of Paul another and so many Baptisms there may be said to be as there are persons Baptized It 's certain he meant but one Baptism Rite and Ceremony instituted by Christ applyed to many several persons and so the Syriack Translatour using a Nown singular understood it 3. The fourth Head is that of Imposition of hands and by this may be meant either the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost proper to the Apostolical Times given upon imposition of the hands of the Apostles and Prayer or the sanctifying Power of the Spirit to confirm them in the Truth and enable them to keep the Covenant of God Under this Head come all the Gifts Virtues and saving-Graces of the Spirit without
offer the Tabernacle but in the Tabernacle did not minister it but in it And the Apostle seems to take his expression from Exod. 29. 30. where it 's said That that Son which is Priest in Aaron 's stead shall put on the holy garments seven dayes when he cometh into the Tabernacle of the Congregation to minister in the holy place or Sanctuary Where we have 1. A Minister that must minister or officiate 2. The Tabernacle of the Congregation into which he must come 3. The Sanctuary where he must officiate The very same words of Minister Sanctuary Tabernacle are used by the Septuagint in that place which the Apostle taketh up in this place And though the Body of Christ may be called a Tabernacle yet that 's nothing except it be so taken here And we find the word here turned Sanctuary signifying Heaven Heb. 9. 12. and also Ver. 24. of that Chapter makes it more plain where it 's written That Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it self to appear in the presence of God for us Where we may observe 1. That the word which there is turned holy places and Ver. 12. before the holy place is here translated Sanctuary 2. That this Sanctuary or holy places into which Christ entred was not made with hands which is the same with not pitched by Man 3. This place is said to be Heaven it self 4. That Christ doth minister there by his Intercession for us after that he had offered his great Sacrifice and by the Blood thereof entred into the heavenly Sacrary within the Veil To signify this the inner Veil of the Temple rent instantly upon the death of Christ to signify that the great High-Priest was entring Heaven with his Blood 2. The Excellency of this Tabernacle is set forth 1. By the quality 2. The Cause The Quality it 's the true Tabernacle True is not here opposed to that which is feigned or nothing at all but to the Typical Tabernacle which was a real and true sacred Building yet so far inferiour to this that comparatively it might be said to be nothing or but a shadow at the best and this is the Substance For though that was glorious and honoured with God's special presence yet earthly things are poor to heavenly though we who never saw the inward glory of Heaven may admire them The Cause is expressed assirmatively pitched by God negatively and not by Man By both which is signified the excellency of it far above any Work and Building made by the power and skil of Man For the efficient power and skil of Man is nothing to the efficiency of God whose Power is almighty and Wisdom infinite and who hath made Heaven a far more glorious place than any on Earth 3. Christ is the Minister of this Sanctuary and Tabernacle to minister and officiate in it For every High-Priest must have some Temple or sacred place wherein he must minister and serve for Priest-hood Temple and Service must go together When the Temple was destroyed by the Chaldeans the High-Priest might pray but he could not offer Sacrifice burn Incense expiate Sin by entring the Holy of Holies with blood These Services were confined by God's Institution to that House and sacred Building after once it was consecrated Neither could they perform such Services till it was re-built and dedicated again Neither have the unbelieving Jews any High-Priest that can do any such thing since the second Temple was demolished by the Romans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Minister 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to minister and serve and these two words are often used by the Septuagint For so they turn several Hebrew words and especially 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which both signify to serve in general but many times to serve God the Supream Lord and to worship him And though the performance of this Service be the general Duty of all even of private Persons yet there are certain parts of this Service proper to the Priests and some to the High-Priest who is not a private but a publick Minister as the rest of the Priests be and mediates between God and the People and by whom the People offer their Services to God The same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used in the New Testament and doth signify not onely to perform the Levitical but also the Evangelical Service and from this Verbe comes Liturgy a Form or Directory for the Worship of God In this place a Minister is 1. A Priest 2. An High-Priest 3. The great High-Priest of the heavenly Sanctuary Christ Jesus And here it might be observed that a Minister is not a contemptible but an honourable Title as given not onely to the Levitical Pontiff but to the Apostles and to Christ himself The Text thus explained contains an Argument to prove the excellency of Christ above the Legal High-Priest for he indeed was a Minister and did officiate yet he did this onely in an earthly Sanctuary and Tabernacle but Christ officiates as an High-Priest in Heaven And this second Verse may be part of the former Sum and Abridgment and a Conclusion deduced from the former words For if Christ be an High-Priest in the Heavens then he must needs be the Minister of an heavenly Sanctuary yet it 's so deduced from the former that it brings in new matter and gives occasion of a new Discourse concerning Christ's Ministration for if he be a Minister of a Sanctuary he must officiate and amongst other things offer something to God Ver. 3. For every High-Priest is ordained to offer Gifts and Sacrifices wherefore it is of necessity that this Man have somewhat to offer § 3. THis Text must be examined 1. In its relation to that which goes before 2. In it self 3. In reference to what follows First It relates to Chap. 5. 1. where in the Description of an High-Priest we have the very words For 1. He must be taken from amongst men 2. Ordained for men in things pertaining to God 3. Thus he is ordained for to offer both Gifts and Sacrifices For there we have his Election Ordination and Ministration And hitherto the Apostle having spoken of his Election and Ordination now begins to treat of his Ministration in offering Gifts and Sacrifices for Sin The nearer Connexion is with the Text immediately antecedent and 1. With the word Minister for if he be a Minister he must minister and officiate by offering 2. With the word Tabernacle For if that signify the Body of Christ as Beza Junius and Dr. Goug◠with divers others do understand the place He must have his Body to offer But of this I have said something already and shall have occasion to say more hereafter The words in themselves are discursive for the Apostle argues thus Every High-Priest being ordained to offer Gifts and Sacrifices must have somewhat to offer But Christ is ordained
and he stood so strictly upon these terms that except these were performed he would neither promise not give Remission and Salvation but Man must lye under his eternal displeasure Christ's mediation by intreaties or interpretations and declarations of the will of both the partie could do no good to be hately a Prophet would not serve the turn Therefore to mediate in this place is to be a Surety 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as you heard in the former Chapter And as Sponsor and Surety he first undertake to satisfy God's Justice by his own purest Blood and so make an arâ—â—â—ment and way for God's metoy to make promises upon easy terms and for the performance of the terms and conditions he by this Blood merits the Grace of the Spirit to enable man to repent's believe reform and relye wholly upon God's mercy procured by Christ's Sacrificeâ— neither is this all but in the second place he undertakes to obtain the mercies promised by his intercessions and pleading his blood in Heaven for penitent and believing Sinners That he is Mediatoâ—â— by his Blood shed and offered is evident from Chap. 9. 16. where it 's said That for this cause is he the Mediator of the new Covenant that by means of Death for the Redemption or Remission of the Transgressions that were under the first Covenant they which are called might receive the Promise of eternal Inheritance Where we may observe 1. That he was the Mediator of the new Covenant 2. That he was Mediator for his Sacrifice and offering of himself without spot to God 3. That whereas there was no expiation of Sin by any Sacrifice of the Law the sins then committed were expiated and remitted by vertue of his Death and Sacrifice 4. That except this expiation and remission had been obtained by this death the called could not have received the Promise of eternal Inheritance That he is Mediator of this Covenant by his Intercession is evident from 1 Joh. 2. 1. and other places Now both these agree to Christ as a Priest and therefore he is the Mediator of this new Covenant of better Promises as a Priest The Levitical Priests were Mediators for the former Covenant by their Offerings and Prayers to obtain the Promises of that Covenant and this Mediation was but a shadow and an obscure Representation of this heavenly and far more excellent Service and Ministry For 5. He by reason of this Mediation obtained and so enjoyed a more excellent Ministry and Office of Priest-hood For he that could lay the foundation of such an excellent Covenant by satisfying divine Justice and as Surety make it so valid so effectual and of eternal continuance must needs be a more excellent Priest in respect of his Ministration which had far more glorious effects than the Ministration of the High-Priests under the Law Where by the way observe That Christ is an High-Priest in respect of his Office and a Minister in respect of his Officiation which was the work and end of his Office From all this the force of the Argument is clear and evident for every Cause is to be valued according to its causal activity and the effects produced by it For that cause which produceth more noble and excellent Effects Physical Moral or Divine is more noble and excellent And seeing Christ as Priest by his Ministration doth produce far more glorious supernatural and divine Effects tending most effectually to Man's spiritual and eternal happiness therefore he is far more excellent than the Levitical Priests which were Mediators only of a far inferior Covenant and yet could not by their Officiation make that effectual Yet the Apostle not contented with this that he obtained a better Ministry further adds that the Ministry was so much the more excellent as the Covenant whereof he was Mediator was more excellent But the Covenant was far better and more excellent by many degrees therefore the Ministry is such too The major Proposition would easily be granted That the more excellent the Covenant the more excellent the Ministry But the Assumption might be excepted against and that several wayes as 1. There was no other Covenant or 2. If there was it was not better or more excellent Both these he therefore proves and 1. That the Covenant was better for it was established upon better Promises In which words we may observe two Arguments one expressed the other implyed For 1. The more excellent the Promises and the Rewards and Duties promised are the more excellent the Covenant must needs be this is expressed 2. When he saith that it 's established upon better Promises he implies that it is stable firm and raâ—fied so as not to be altered such the former was not Both these he proves and that two wayes 1. By an Artificial Argument 2. By Testimony § 6. First By an Artificial Argument Ver. 7. For if the first Covenant had been faultless then there should have no place been sought for the second IN the handling of this Text I will 1. Consider it absolutely and explain it 2. Inquire into the Apostle's Argumentation 3. Examine what the Apostle intends to prove 1. Absolutely considered it presupposeth as a thing well-known to these Hebrews that there are two Covenants the first and the second Upon this presupposed we find two absolute Propositions 1. That the first Covenant was not faultless 2. There was place sought for a second And both these are presupposed here as a ground of the Apostle's Argumentation though both are proved afterwards By this first Covenant is meant as we shall understand anon the Covenant made with the Israelites in the Wilderness after they were come out of Aegypt of it we find it affirmed that it was faulty or not faultless Not to be faultless is to be imperfect and defective and so not able to sanctify and perfect any man though the Jew thought otherwise and through his Unbelief and erroneous Imagination sought perfection by it Yet God in giving it intended no such thing but aimed at other ends for which it was sufficient neither could it possibly perfect any man because it neither gave Man any sanctifying Power to enable him to perform spiritual Obedience neither could the Priests by their Ministration expiate any Sin Therefore to be faulty is not to be unjust or justly blamable or insufficient for those ends God intended it but to be unable to justify as the Jew falsly judged it to be 2. There was place sought for a second The second was the Covenant of Grace in the Gospel called the second because it came in after the first It 's true that the Promise was 430 years before the Law and was the same for Substance with the Gospel but differed in this that it held out Christ onely in Promise to be exhibited in time then to come and required Faith in him not yet incamate But this new Covenant of the Gospel required Faith in Christ already come Between these two the Promise and the new
to blot out all our Sins and never remember them never charge them upon us that Christ should be the Mediator of this Covenant and never cease his Mediation till he hath fully sanctified justified and blessed us for ever What can Man desire which he shall not have What can he want which God hath not provided for him Doth he desire an High-Priest He is ready and he is the best in the World Doth he desire his Ministry in Heaven He shall be sure of it Doth he desire a Covenant Here is a Covenant a new Covenant a Covenant of the best and sweetest Promises that ever were Doth he desire a Mediator of this Covenant A Mediator is at the right hand of God who ever lives there and as an Advocate pleads his Cause and will not rest Day or Night untill he hath made us capable of Pardon and procured Remission of all our Sins for ever The remembrance of these things must needs be sweet and wonderfully revive and refresh a bruised Spirit and a broken heart sensible of Sin hungring and thirsting after Righteousness and Salvation But how great is our Ignorance of these things how weak our Faith how languishing our Hopes Our eternal happiness depends upon this Covenant this Priest this Mediation and Ministry and issues from God the Father and from this High-Priest and from pure Mercy And how happy we if we had but a true and living Faith effectually to believe these things and totally to rely upon God's pure free and abundant Mercy in Jesus Christ for they who believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life and he that hath the Son hath Life and Life for evermore Many and grievous are our Sins great is our danger and none can help us but this great Mediator of this blessed Covenant yet we are sensless of our Sins and do not seek unto our Saviour We are secure and do not understand that without his help and Ministry we must unavoidably perish God hath done much to save us and hath brought eternal life near unto us but we regard it not We continue in our Sins and will not believe on Christ and therefore are we condemned already because we have not believed in the Name of the onely begotten Son of God And this will be our Condemnation that Light is come unto us and yet we love Darkness rather than the Light therefore Salvation is far from us Christ will not be our Saviour nor make Intercession for us O Lord put thy Laws in our minds and write them in our hearts that we may see our Sins and be sensible of them and seek our Saviour that thou mayest be our God and we thy People and know thee all of us from the least unto the greatest that so thou mayest mercifully pardon our Unrighteousness and remember our Sins and Iniquities no more Amen Amen CHAP. IX Of the Sacrifice of Christ and the excellent vertue thereof § 1. THE Apostle here doth enlarge upon and more particularly and distinctly explain those things which in the former Chapter he had only in general and briefly mentioned For he implyed there that a Priest once made and consecrated must have a Sanctuary must minister in it and be the Mediator of a Covenant and that the more excellent the Sanctuary the Service and the Covenant the more excellent the Priest that is Minister of these And did affirm that Christ in respect of all these was more excellent than the Levitical Priest But in this Chapter he speaks more at large of the earthly and the heavenly Sanctuary of the Service performed in both but especially of the great Sacrifice and Expiation made by both the Priests most of all of Christ's Expiation-Offering of the rare vertue and the excellent Effects thereof and how by it he was the Mediator of the new Covenant and made it effectual unto Remission and the eternal Salvation of Man This is some kind of co-herence whereby this part is joyned to the former But there is another for the Apostle having proved Christ more excellent than the Levitical High-Priest 1. In respect of his Constitution Chap. 5. 6. and especially in the 7th 2. In respect of his Ministration in the 8th In this 9th he proceeds to speak of his Ministration in particular and of his excellent Service in Offering himself a Sacrifice without spot to God § 2. The Subject of this whole Chapter and part of the tenth is the Sacrifice of the Cross. The Scope is to manifest how excellent this piece of Service is The Method upon consideration of the whole is this He informs us 1. Of the Typical Tabernacle and the Service especially the great Expiatory Sacrifice performed therein and this by way of Introduction to the 11th Verse 2. Of the Anti-Typical Sanctuary and Sacrifice and teacheth us 1. The Nature and Quality of both especially of the Sacrifice 2. The Vertue of this Sacrifice manifested in the Effects thereof from Ver. 11. to the end And this he doth 1. Both absolutely and sometimes comparatively in this Chapter 2. More comparatively in the Chapter following This is the general Analysis the particular you may expect both in and after the Explication The Substance of the whole is this He that being a Minister of a better Sanctuary doth offer a far more excellent Sacrifice must needs be a more excellent Priest than the Levitical But Christ being Minister of a better Tabernacle offered a more excellent Sacrifice Therefore he is a more excellent Priest The Proposition he takes for granted The Assumption he proves at large and very effectually and this is his Design and Work in this Chapter and part of the 10th § 3. To begin with the Introduction Ver. 1. Then verily the first Covenant had also Ordinances of Divine Service and a worldly Sanctuary VVHere we may observe 1. The Connexion 2. The Matter The Connexion is signified by these words Then verily or according to the Original Therefore verily and so Vatablus Beza Junius translate By which the words following seem to contain a Conclusion deduced from the former Chapter Ver. 2. 3 4 5. and especially from the 5th where it 's implyed that there must be a Tabernacle and the Priests must serve and officiate in it according to the Example and Shadow of heavenly things and there were certain Rules given to Moses according to which both he must make the Tabernacle and the Priests must serve therein This briefly for the Connexion It follows 2. The former had Ordinances of Divine Service c. Where we have 1. The Subject 2. The Predicate The Subject the first the Original expresseth no more not informing us whether the first Priest-hood or the first Tabernacle or the first Covenant be meant Some Copies expresly read the first Tabernacle and so some understand the place but most reject that and supply the Ellipsis by the word Covenant and so much the rather because in the last Verse of the former
man yet willing upon certain terms to be merciful unto him And one condition which performed he will accept is that Christ as Surety for man should suffer Death for man to satisfie divine Justice In this respect is he said to give himself a Ransome or Price How far different this is from the offering here described is easy to understand The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used about sixteen times in this Epistle but never taken in his sense which is so absurd and unworthy that no rational man as rational much less a Christian and a Schollar can any wayes approve but reject with scorn The rest of his discourse upon this Text is like his description of Christ's offering and by it he seeks to cast a mist upon the divine Doctrine of the Apostle lest he should confound himself and suffer his Reader to see the truth Dr. Gouge upon this Text affirms Christ to be a Priest in both natures which cannot be true for though he that is Priest be God yet as God he is not he cannot be a Priest For a Priest is an Officer and all Officers as Officers are made such by Commission from the Supream Power from whom they derive their Office whom they represent and are Servants under them to serve them There are two prime and proper acts of Christ as a Priest to Sacrifice and offer himself to God as Supream Lord and to make Intercession to him To attribute either of these to God as God and affirm them of him in proper sense is plainly blasphemous and inexcusable it turns the Lord into the Servant and God into Man § 14. Hitherto the excellency of Christ's Sacrifice and Service hath been manifested by two glorious and excellent effects the one immediate which is Expiation the other mediate which is purging the Conscience from Dead Works The former made Sin pardonable and the Consequents thereof removable the latter actually takes away Sin and the Consequents thereof in him who believeth Besides these two there is a third effect shewing it to be yet more excellent and that is confirmation of the New Covenant for thus he writes Ver. 15. And for this cause is he the Mediatour of the New Covenant that by means of Death for the Redemption of Transgressions under the first Test ament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal Inheritance THe subject of this Verse is the confirmation of the New Covenant by the Death and Sacrifice of Christ which is affirmed here and illustrated from ver 16. to the 23. afterwards And here the Coherence is 1. To be examined 2. The Text in it self to be considered The coherence with the former is in these words And for this cause The Copulative and may be as in other places expletive or it may be used to signify that the Death and bloody Sacrifice of Christ as it was ordained for another end besides the two former of Propitiation and purging the Conscience so it hath another and a third effect which is The confirmation of the New Covenant For this is to observed that he speaks and still continues his discourse of the Death and Blood of Christ. The words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this cause which are turned by some therefore may referr either to that which goes before or that which follows If to that which goes before then they inform us that because Christ by his Blood entring the holy place of Heaven obtained eternal Remission and by it offering himself through the eternal Spirit without spot doth purge the Conscience to serve the living God therefore and for this cause and in respect of these two effects is he the Mediatour of the New Covenant If they relate to that which follows they are to be understood in this manner That because by the Death of Christ the Called receive the promise of eternal Inheritance therefore he is the Mediatour of the New Covenant This is the Coherence The absolute consideration of the Text followeth wherein we have two principal express Axioms or Propositions 1. Christ is the Mediatour of the New Covenant 2. By means of Death for the Redemption of Transgressions under the first Covenant the Called might receive the promise of eternal Inheritance 3. Christ is a Mediatour of the New Covenant that by means of Death for Redemption c. the Called may receive the promise c. In the first we have 1. A New Covenant 2. A Mediatour of this New Covenant 3. Christ the Mediatour 1. The New Covenant is that of the Gospel whereof you have heard in the former Chapter where it was opposed unto and compared with the Old Covenant made with the Fathers in the Wilderness Exod. 19. as established upon better promises And that word which was there turned Covenant is turned Testament not that there is any necessity but a conceived congruity For because here is mention of an Inheritance which is usually conveyed by the Will and Testament of man which Will is then firm and unalterable when the Testatour dieth therefore it was conceived by some that in this place that which formerly was called a Covenant should be called here a Testament yet notwithstanding it agrees with a Testament and may by a Metaphor be so termed yet it is more properly a Covenant 2. We have a Mediatour of this Covenant and what a Mediatour is you have heard before as also the distinctions of Mediators Some tell us that a Mediatour is aut â—untius aut sequester pacis aut arbiter aut sponsor yet we need not insist upon these terms for the Mediatour of this Covenant is a Priest and a Minister of it as the High-Priest was of the former Covenant 3. This Mediatour is Christ who may be said to be Nuntius à Dâ—o Intercessor pro hâ—mine Arbiter inter utrumque Sponsor pro utroque and he is a Messenger declaring the Covenant as a Prophet an Arbitratour between God and Man as a King a Surety and Intercessour as a Priest Yet though all this said may be in some respect true yet it 's neither accurate nor pertinent in this place Christ as a Priest and as a Priest officiating and offering himself a Sacrifice to propitiate God and purge the conscience of sinful Man is the Mediatour of this Covenant For as such and in this respect he mediates between God and Man to propitiate God and to make man fit for the receiving of the eternal Reward promised and both these he doth by his Blood and Death without which offered and applyed the promise would be void and never take effect It 's true that Christ doth procure the Covenant declares it confirms it and makes it effectual and in all these respects he may be said to be a Mediatour Yet here he is made such principally and most properly as confirming and making it effectual Moses and not Aaron was the Mediatour in the making and confirming the Old Covenant For he dealt between God and the
put away Sin by the Sacrifice of Himself THE Subject of these words is the Sacrifice of Christ whereby he entred Heaven it self and of this it 's affirmed That it was but once offered and that by the one Offering of this one Sacrifice the heavenly things were purified by taking away Sin for ever This single Offering of this single Sacrifice is set forth by way of Dissimilitude and Opposition to the Levitical Sacrifices and that 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively Negatively Ver. 25. wherein we have two Propositions the one concerning the Levitical the other concerning Christ's Sacrifice The first concerning the former is That the Levitical High-Priest entreth into the Holy place every Year with the Blood of others This is meant of the great Anniversary Sacrifice of Expiation which in the beginning of this Chapter the Author singled out as the greatest and highest piece of Service that was performed under the Law with this design to prove the Sacrifice of Christ to be far more excellent in many things especially in the vertue and effects thereof In this we have 1. The entrance of the Priest into the holy place 2. This entrance made with the blood of others 3. This entrance yearly or every year 1. The holy place was that within the second Veil the holiest of all for into that the High-Priest alone might enter and that but once every year 2. Yet he might not enter without blood and this blood was the blood not of the High-Priest himself but of others that is the blood of Bulls and Goats 3. The principal thing in the Proposition to be noted is the frequency of his entrance and offering for he entred and offered every year God thereby signifying that it was not of eternal virtue The second Proposition is That Christ did not offer himself often He must offer and offer himself and by his own Blood enter Heaven yet he must not do this often his offering must be single and individual both in respect of the Sacrifice and the oblation thereof He must not once entred come out again and offer a new and another Sacrifice or the same again So that the thing that is denyed of this Sacrifice is frequency of offering § 25. In the latter part of the Text ver 26. we may observe 1. The reason why this Sacrifice must not be reiterated 2. The affirmative part of the principal point Yet the whole verse may be said to give a reason of the former Negative proposition and the same is two-fold The first is ab absurdo The second ab inntili â—â—â—-necessario For Christ's offering must not be reiterated 1. Because it was inconvenient and absurd 2. Because it was no wayes profitable or necessary I will sum up the whole in two Propositions The first If Christ should offer himself often then must he often have suffered since â—â—â—â— the foundation of the World The second But now once in the end of the World hath he appeared to put away sin oâ—â—â—â—â— by the Sacrifice of himself The first Proposition implyes 1. That where there is offering there must be suffering for in sacrificing living Creatures the thing sacrificed must be slâ—in as well as offered For mactation and oblation are essential to such as Sacrifice 2. That seeing there was Sin since the beginning of the World and Sacrifice for Sin appointed by God there must be suffering and offering from the beginning of the World or at least some Sacrifice offered which once presented to God should be of eternal Virtue 3. Because the offering of Christ requires necessarily his suffering therefore if Christ's own offering of himself once could not expiate Sin for ever then he must suffer often The absurdity and inconvenience of Christ's frequent offering of himself was this that if he must often offer he must often suffer and this was thought unreasonable to divine wisdom to put his Son so often to such a cruel Death For by Suffering is meant suffering of Death in that manner as Christ Suffered Yet it seemed good unto God to appoint the Levitical High-Priest often to offer and often with blood to enter into the holy place to signify the imperfection of the Legal Expiation that the People might expect a far more excellent sacrifice In the second Proposition concerning Christ's once offering we may observe 1. Christ's appearing 2. The time of his appearance 3. The end 1. Christ's appearance is 1. His Incarnation 2. The manifestation of him incarnate 3. The presenting of himself as a Priest having Sacrificed himself unto his heavenly Father without which his Incarnation and Manifestation had been to no purpose He appeared from the foundation of the World in the Word of the promise and in Types and Figures yet this was but obscure At length he appeared really and far more clearly when the Word was made Flesh dwelt and lived amongst men dyed and as a Priest offered himself unto God the Supream Judge for the Sin of Man 2. The time of his appearance was the end of the World which is opposed to the foundation of the World Yet as this end is not the last so the foundation is not the first day of the World therefore end and foundation must be taken with a Latitude Christ appeared to Suffer a thousand six hundred years ago and upward and yet the World is not ended therefore End signifies the last times of the World which may be many years yet to come as many years of these last â—inâ—es as parts thereof are past already And so the foundation of the World may be the beginning thereof and this beginning may be so far extended as to comprehend many hundred and 〈◊〉 thousands of years This end of the World is called the fulness of the time Gal. 44. because as some tell us the time appointed by God was fully come all things which were decreed to be before his coming were fully accomplished And though we understand not the reasons yet the end of the World was the fiâ—â—ell of all others for this appearance and though the last times seem to have the greatest benefit of his Exhibition yet the first times were not without it for the virtue of this Sacrifice extended to all times 3. The end of this appearance was to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Where we have two ends the one subordinate to the other The first was the Sacrificing of himself The second by this Sacrifice to put away Sin Christ was the Priest and the thing Sacrificed was himself and the blood by which he entred Heaven was his own blood and he himself was slain and suffered and he himself did offer himself slain The end and so the effect of this Sacrifice once offered was the putting away of sin This putting away was not the abrogation of the Law transgressed but a taking away the moral effects and consequents of Sin committed against that Law and principally of guilt For one certain and perpetual effect of Sin in
conducing and necessary 1. By a Similitude taken from a Testament and last Will For as the Death of the Testatour is necessary for to make his Testament of force and effectual so the Death of Christ was for the making effectual the Covenant of Grace ver 16 17. 2. From the manner of the Sanction and confirmation of the first Covenant which was solemnly confirmed by Blood God even then signifying That the better Covenant must be established by Blood yet by better blood ver 18 19 20. Secondly He manifests that it was as necessary for purification and expiation of the parties in Covenant and this also by a Similitude from the Law Ceremonial whereof we may observe two parts 1. The proposition concerning Expiation and Purification under the Law For then the Tabernacle and Vessels and almost all things were purified by Blood and without Blood there was no Legal Expiation and Remission ver 21 22 23. The Reddition follows and therein is signified That if it was necessary that these shadows should be purified with the blood of Sacrifice men certainly it was necessary that the heavenly things shadowed should be purified and that with the blood of some better Sacrifice and this Sacrifice was that of Christ himself by the blood whereof he enters Heaven and there appears before God for us ver 23 24. Yet lest they should think that as the High-Priest entred often and every time with blood therefore Christ must often suffer Death that he may often offer he informs them that though the High-Priest was a Type of Christ and was like unto him in many things yet in these two they did much differ 1. Then they entred often 2. They entred with the blood of Beasts But Christ 1. Offered but once and entred Heaven 2. He offered himself and by his own Blood entred Heaven and took away Sin for ever And in this God made him like to other men for whom he suffered For as he hath appointed that they shall dye once and after come to Judgment so he had ordained that Christ should dye but once and after that to come in Glory to reward his Saints with eternal Salvation § 29. Before I proceed unto the next Chapter it will not be amisse to take notice of the glosse of the Socinian Expositor upon the former proposition of this Text. For he would have us to believe that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bear the Sins is to take away Sin by removing it and sanctifying his People To this end he 1. Observes that the word sometimes so signifies and argues that because the Offering of Christ was performed in Heaven therefore it cannot here signify to bear Punishment for Sin But 1. The word doth no where in the New Testament signify to take away but either to take or bear up unto an higher place or to offer and suppose it should signify in some few places of the Old Testament to take away yet in many and very many places it hath another signification and under one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it 's used by the Septuagint 80 times for to offer Neither are any of the four places cited by him truly and sincerely but falsly alledged But suppose it should signify sometimes â—ay often to take away doth it follow from thence that therefore it must so signify here 2. Sin may be and is taken away 1. By suffering the Punishment to make it remissible 2. By pardon and Remission 3. By sanctifying and renewing the Sinner And To conclude that because it 's taken away by Sanctification therefore it 's not taken away by Suffering and Expiation is very inconsequent 3. For Christ's offering of himself in Heaven we know that in his sense it cannot be true For Christ's willing Suffering for the Sin of Man is the offering of himself and this was done on Earth as is evident from the Scriptures And though when he presenred himself in Heaven as having suffered and this before God yet this is seldom called offering Yet if it were it presupposeth another Act antecedent which is an offering in proper sense CHAP. X Concerning the Perfection of Christ's Sacrifice and certain Duties which we are bound to performs in respect of his Priest-hood § 1. THE Author continues his Discourse concerning Christ's Sacrifice which being finished he proceeds to apply the Doctrine of Christ's Priest-hood and Sacrifice and deduce some practical Conclusions from it The parts therefore of the Chapter are two 1. Concerning Christ's Sacrifice 2. Concerning certain Duties which he exhorts these Hebrews to perform This is so plain that there is a general agreement amongst Expositors concerning the same Christ's Sacrifice as in the former Chapter so here is considered and handled comparatively and with reference to the Levitical Sacrifices The intention of the Apostle is to set forth the Excellency of it as far above the other in respect of the Efficacy So that we have of this first part of the Chapter two Branches 1. Concerning the Imperfection and Impotency of the Legal Sacrifices 2. Concerning the Perfection and Efficacy of Christ's one Sacrifice This takes up the first part of the Chapter unto Ver. 20. where the Apostle begins the hortatory part grounded upon the excellency of Christ's Priest-hood and the Perfection and Efficacy of his Sacrifice The Duties exhorted unto principally are Faith Perseverance in Profession And both these are urged upon several strong and powerful Reasons The former briefly the latter largely unto the last Chapter The principal Arguments in this Chapter are taken 1. From the Punishment which must be suffered if we fall away where according to the Aggravations of the Sin the grievousness of the penalty is set forth 2. From their former Constancy and Patience whereof he doth remind them 3. From the glorious Reward which they shall shortly and certainly receive upon their perseverance This is the general Method and so clear and obvious to the intelligent and observant Reader that it 's generally agreed upon for the Substance of it The particulars shall be more distinctly delivered in the Explication To enter upon the words let 's begin with Ver. 1. For the Law having a Shadow of good things to come and not the very Image of the things can never with those Sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the Commers thereunto perfect THese words are in Effect the same with those of the former Chapter Ver. 9. and serve to infer the necessity of that better Sacrifice of Christ. For the Authour had said That it was necessary that the heavenly things themselves should be purified with better Sacrifices than these Ver. 23. These words therefore contain a Reason whereby is proved the Imperfection of the Levitical Sacrifices in respect of Sanctification The Argumentation in Form is this That which had but a Shadow of good things to come and not the very Image of the things themselves could not by the yearly Sacrifices continually offered perfect the commers
the Hebrew Copies we have now translate the place thus And Israel bowed himself upon the Beds-head To reconcile these some tell us of the difference of Mittah and Matteh the one signifying a Bed the other a Staff and say that the word being at first unpointed might be taken to signify the one or the other or both so that he might be at the head of his Bed leaning upon a Staff It 's true that the Chaldee and Samaritan read it Mittah a Bed The Syriack turns the word Sceptrum Yet this is clear enough that the Apostle followed the Greek Translation and we may safely follow him being divinely inspired Upon this Staff he leaned and by it supported himself after that Joseph had sworn to him that he would bury him in the Land of Canaan in the burying place of his Fathers He leaned thus upon his Staff that he might bow and worship But the Question is To whom he bowed Some think he bowed to Joseph not looking upon him now as his Son but as a Prince and Administrator General of the Kingdom of Egypt and this might give occasion to the Syriack Interpreter to think this Staff was Joseph's Scepter as though by this Posture he gave not only Honour but Thanks unto his Son that he would not only promise but confirm his Promise by Oath Others conceive that he had far higher thoughts and that with all humility he adored the divine Majesty and dd praise his glorious Name that he had provided for his Burial in the Land of Promise where his Posterity should settle where his Saviour should be born and where he should rise again to eternal Glory and this outward bowing was a Sign of his most humble Submission and Adoration of the supream and eternal Lord. This doth teach us 1. That the Object of religious Adoration is God as Supream Lord of infinite and eternal Excellency 2. That Humility is essential to this Act of Adoration 3. That by outward Carriage in the Worship of God we should signify our inward Humility 4. That near our End we should think not only of Death but of the Resurrection and with the thoughts thereof support and comfort our hearts Thus Jacob blessed thus he bowed and both by Faith For they were Effects of Faith without which it was impossible to do either of them as he did them This is the principal thing intended in all the Examples to shew the necessity and excellency of Faith and by both to perswade Perseverance therein And surely Jacob had some divine Revelation concerning the future Fates of his Grand-children and upon Joseph's Oath of his Burial in the Land of Canaan and he did most certainly believe it and rely upon it and this Belief and Reliance was the inward Principle of his Benediction and Adoration otherwise they had neither been effectual nor acceptable § 21. Thus both Joseph's Sons were blessed by the Faith of his Father Jacob and Joseph also had his Faith which was effectual too For Ver. 22. By Faith Joseph when he dyed made mention of the departing of the Children of Israel and gave Commandment concerning his Bones HEre likewise we have 1. The Effects of Joseph's Faith 2. His Faith the ground of these Effects The Effects are two 1. Mention of Israel 's Departure 2. A Charge or Command concerning his Bones 1. Joseph made mention of Israel's Departure Israel was the divine Name of Jacob for it was given him from Heaven because by his earnest and fervent Prayers he prevailed with God This Name was after given to his Posterity according to the Flesh and in the New Testament to his Children according to the Spirit In this place it signifies those Children and that Posterity of his who were living when God sent Moses to Pharaoh This Departure here meant is their departure out of Aegypt and Freedom from that miserable Bondage they suffered there This Deliverance Joseph being ready to dy and knowing his End to be near remembred as a matter of very great moment and out of this remembrance puts the Israelites his Brethren and probably his own Children and Nephews in mind of it and this perhaps also he did with a special Charge they should make it known to their Childrens Children that it might not be forgotten Of this we thus read And Joseph said unto his Brethren I dy and God will surely visit you and bring you out of this Land unto the Land which he sware to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob Gen. 50. 24. These words do fully explain this part of the Text. This was the first Effect 2. The second was That he gave Commandment concerning his Bones This is explained by the words following Gen. 50. 25. And Joseph took an Oath of the Children of Israel saying God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my Bones from hence These words imply that he had a great desire that his very Bones and that part which at the time of their Deliverance remained might be buried in Canaan and so take Possession of that Land where his Saviour should be born redeem sinful Man and rise again to Glory Out of this desire he gives a strict Charge unto his surviving Brethren and their Posterity to carry his Bones with them out of Aegypt into that Holy Land and if their Love to him could not perswade them as his Father took an Oath of him so he took an Oath of them to do this last Service and Office of Love that so not only Affection and Respect to him but the fear of the eternal God by whom they had sworn might make them and their Posterity mindful of their Promise And according to his Command their Promise and Oath the thing was done For Moses took the Bones of Joseph with him for he had straitly sworn the Children of Israel saying God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my Bones hence with you Exod. 13. 19. And they were buried many years after in Shechem the Portion of Joseph Josh. 24. 32. All this was done by Faith which was grounded upon that Promise which was confirmed by an Oath unto Abraham Isaac and Jacob that he would give them the Land of Canaan and bring their Children out of Aegypt for to settle them in that Country which was a Type of Heaven and in which by Christ they should rise again to everlasting Life This Revelation from Heaven he did assuredly believe and rested upon the Promise This Example should teach us to remember and never to forget the Promises of God to mind others of them perswade them to rest upon them and deeply to engage them to their God and the Performance of their Duty This doth also inform us of the Excellency of the Bodies of the Saints which have been Temples of the Holy Ghost and one day shall be made immortal § 22. And now we are come to the great Prophet Moses whose Preservation was wonderful and his Works glorious The Apostle instanceth 1. In
that he was miraculously delivered and restored unto them for their great Comfort and the benefit of the Church And it 's certain many Prayers were made for Paul's Liberty when a Prisoner at Rome For they thought it a great Prejudice to the Gospel a Dammage to the Church and an hinderance of the Conversion of many Souls that so vigilant laborious faithful zealous and eminent an Apostle should be imprisoned and consined And Paul himself knew that his Liberty and his Presence would be both a great Comfort and also a Benefit not only unto these Hebrews but to many other Christians and Disciples Therefore he requests them as they desired the Comfort and Benefit of his presence amongst them upon his speedy Release to pray for him frequently and servently § 18. The next part of the Conclusion is the Apostle's Prayer Ver. 20. Now the God of all Peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant Ver. 21. Make you perfect in every good Work to do his Will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen THESE words are a perfect Prayer of which we have two principal parts 1. A Petition 2. A Doxology Yet these may be made four 1. The Compellation of the Party invocated 2. The Petition of the Party invocating 3. The Doxology 4. The Conclusion and Confirmation of the whole Yet the first and last of these four belong both to the Petition and Doxology To begin with the Petition which presupposing Adoration begins with the Compellation and goes on with the Petition In the Compellation we have a Description of God the Party prayed to and that is from his Titles 1. Of Peace and 2. Of Power He is first acknowledged the God of Peace as in another place the God of all Grace 1 Pet. 5. 10. The God of all Peace and Grace may be the same and that is a most gracious and loving God Yet if Peace be taken according to the Hebrew for perfect Happiness and the Enjoyment of all Blessings then the God of Peace is that God which is the Fountain of all Goodness and perfect full eternal Happiness yet such he is as a gracious God and loving Father reconciled and propitiated by the Blood of Christ. As he is a God of Peace so he is of Power and this Power is set forth by that glorious Work of raising Christ from the dead for therein was manifested the exceeding greatness of his Power according to the working of the sâ—â—e when he raised Christ Ephes. 1. 19 20. The Party whom he raised was Jesus Christ whom he describes from his Relation to the Church to be the great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant Where we may observe 1. That there is the Blood of the everlasting Covenant 2. By or through this Blood Christ became the great Shepherd of the Sheep 3. God raised this great Shepherd from the dead 1. The Covenant is the Law and Covenant of Grace wherein God binds himself to sinful Man by excellent Promise upon the Conditions of Repentance and Faith to give him remission of all his Sins and everlasting Life Of this you have heard Chap. 8. This Covenant is everlasting because though the Covenant made with Israel in the Wilderness was abolished yet this is unalterable and shall continue for ever and by it and it alone the Called attain both the title and possession of the eternal Inheritance The Blood of this Covenant so called by Christ Mark 13. 22. Luke 22. 20. is the Blood of Christ which was shed as for other ends so for the confirmation of this Covenant And the Blood Death and Sacrifice of Christ confirmed the Covenant because it made it effectual and able to reach the end which was the eternal Salvation of sinful man For by this Blood being shed he satisfied divine Justice and made Sin remissible and merited the mercies promised the promises themselves the terms and conditions and power to perform them and by this Blood pleaded in Heaven upon the performance of the conditions he obtains actual Remission and in the end actual fruition of their eternal Inheritance The former Covenant with Israel was indeed confirmed with Blood of Sacrifices yet because that Blood could not expiate Sin and the Levitical High-Priest could not enter Heaven to plead any such expiatory Blood therefore that Covenant was not everlasting In respect of this Blood purging mens Consciences from dead Works Christ was made the Mediatour of the New Covenant of which you may see Chap. 9. 15. By this Blood therefore it is said That Christ is the great Shepheard of the Sheep For because Christ took upon him the form of a Servant and became obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross and shed his Blood therefore God exalted him and gave him a Name above every Name And therefore did his Father love him and made him an eternal Shepheard of the Sheep because he had laid down his life for his Sheep Joh. 10. 17. For this very cause his Father gave him Poâ—er over all Flesh that he might give eternal Life to as many as he had given him Joh. 17. 2. So that by this Blood he became the Shepheard the Great Shepheard For all the Prophets and the Apostles and Ministers of the Gospel are Shepheards yet so that they are but Servants under him the Sheep are not theirs but Christ's who bought them by his Blood And God raised him and made him Lord and the great and chief Shepheard of the Flock that he might keep them raise them up at the last Day and then give them everlasting life This Shepheard was raised by the mighty power of God who not only raised him From the Dead but made him King and Priest for ever that is the great and chief Shepheard This is more at large described Eph. 1. 19 20 21. to the end for that place doth expound this for one part For if we consider Christ in this place as the Object of God's almighty Power We may observe 1. His Humiliation 2. His Exaltation His Humiliation is signified by his Blood and Death whereby the new and everlasting Covenant is confirmed Thus humbled thus Dead he is the subject of God's almighty Power which did manifest it self 1. By raising him from the Dead 2. By making him the great Shepheard Lord and King advancing him above the Angels the Principalities Powers and Dominions of Heaven and all Names and Powers on Earth and gave him to be Head and Shepheard of the Church-Universal And the reason why the Apostle gives God these titles of Peace and Power and instanceth in the Resurrection and Exaltation of Christ as glorious Effects of this Power is because the continued sanctification and perfection of man once regenerate which is the thing desired in the Petition following depends