people, was the confirmation of the cove nant on their part, as the sprinkling of it upon the altar was the confirmation on God's part. And the words added to the action were, This is the blood of the covenant: that is, this is the blood by which the covenant is confirmed, and made inviolable betwixt God and you: he calls it the blood of the covenant, because it was a sign of it, and a seal confirming it. In like manner the new covenant was confirmed by blood, even by the blood of Christ, as is evident from his own words, Luke xxii. 20. This cup is the new testament in my blood for remission of sins. Remission of sin is one principal blessing promised in the new covenant; but this promise had been in vain, if Christ's blood had not been shed to satisfy divine justice, and thereby make sin remissible. For though man had repented, and could have made even hell itself to swim with his tears, yet his sins could not have been remitted, had not the blood made it remissible; so that the blood of Christ is the firm and immovable basis and foundation upon which the new coveBant was fixed. This is the first part of the apostle's design in these words, namely, to prove the necessity of Christ's blood for confirination of the new covenant. Next, he proves the efficacy of that blood for taking away of sin; telling us, that the tabernacle, the vessels, and all the utensils thereunto belonging, yea, all things which were purified, were ceremonially purified by blood; and that, as without shedding of blood then there could be no remission, so no acceptance with God now without the shedding of the blood of Christ. Learn hence, That in all things wherein we have to do with God, and whereby we approach unto him, it is the blood of Christ, and the application of it to our consciences, that gives a gracious acceptance with God; without this all is unclean and defiled now, as without shedding of blood there was no purification then,

23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

As if the apostle had said, "If the tabernacle and utensils thereto belonging, which were patterns and types of heavenly things, must be consecrated by the blood

of bulls and goats, much more must the heavenly things themselves, which were shadowed by them, be purified and consecrated by better blood than the blood of beasts, even with the precious blood of Jesus Christ." Learn hence, 1. That there is such uncleanness in our natures, in our persons, in our duties, in all our services, that unless they and we are purified by the blood of Christ, neither we nor they can have any acceptance with God. Learn, 2. That the sacrifice of Christ is the one only everlasting fountain and spring of all sanctification and sacred dedication, whereby the whole new creation is purified and dedicated unto God. Learn, 3. That neither heaven itself, nor heavenly things, could have been made meet for us, or we for them, had not they been dedicated, and we purged by the sacrifice of Christ. By heavenly things here we may understand heaven itself, of which the tabernacle was a type. Now as the purification of the tabernacle was only to prepare it to be a place in which their persons might be presented before God; in like manner was heaven itself prepared and purified for us by our Lord's entrance into it, with his own atonement, or propitiatory sacrifice: Christ's entering into heaven, and his appearing with his blood of sprinkling in the presence of God for us, procures the acceptance of our prayers and praises whilst we live, and our admission into those heavenly mansions of bliss and glory prepared for us when we die.

24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true : but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Observe here, 1. The person spoken of, and that is Christ, our great high-priest, the mediator of the new covenant. Observe, 2. What is spoken of him, 1. Negatively, That he is not entered into the holy place of the sanctuary, or tabernacle made with hands, that is built by the hands of men, which was a figure of the true holy of holies, to wit, heaven. All God's appointments in his service have their proper season, their proper glory, beauty, and use; even the tabernacle, and the external utensils thereof, made with men's hands, had so, while they had the force of a divine institution. 2. Positively, he is entered into heaven itself, the place of the peculiar resi

dence of the presence, majesty, and glory of God; where all his blessed saints enjoy him, and his holy angels minister unto him. Observe, 3. The end of our great Highpriest's entrance into heaven declared, Now to appear in the presence of God for us. The priests of old, when they entered the holy place, were forced soon to go out again, to prepare for a new sacrifice; but this word now is expressive of the whole season and duration of time, from the entrance of Christ into heaven, unto the consummation of all things: there is no moment of time in which it may not be said, he now appeareth in the presence of God for us. Learn hence, That the con. tinual appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ for us in heaven, as our great High-priest, in the presence of his Father, is the foundation of both our safety and our comfort, from whence relief may be derived upon all occasions, whatever difficulties, temptations, and trials, may be before us.

25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high-priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others; 26 (For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world ;) but now once, in the end of the world, hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Our apostle in these words sets forth the excellency of Christ's sacrifice from its singularity; it needeth no repetition, as their sacrifices of old did their sacrifices were repeated often, and their repetition was an evidence of their imperfection; but Christ's once offering himself a sacrifice was sufficient, in regard of the infinite worth and dignity of his person: Once in the end of the world, the gospel age, the last age of the world, hath he appeared, to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Here note, That the virtue of Christ's sa

crifice, once offered, did extend itself to all times, and purchase pardon for sins committed in all ages, even long before it was offered for the death of Christ must be considered not as a natural, but as a moral cause not as a medicine that heals, but as a ransom that frees a captive. A captive may be released upon assurance given that a ransom shall be paid, though it be not actually paid. Thus the death of Christ was available to purchase pardon for believers before his coming, because he inter

posed as their surety; and therefore called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, not only in respect of God's decree, but Christ's efficacy: the salvation we derive from him, was ever in him; Christ's once offering was sufficient; his sacrifice may be often commemorated, but only once offered. Such indeed is the absolute perfection of the once offering of Christ, that it stands in need of, and will admit of, no repetition in any kind. Note farther, That this once offering of Christ is always effectual unto all the ends of it, now and hereafter, even no less than it was in the day and hour when it was actually offered. This sacrifice needs no repetition like those of old, but is always fresh in the virtue of it, and needs nothing but renewed application by faith for the communication of its effects and fruits unto us: For by one offering he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified. Though the sufferings of Christ were necessary to the expiation of sin, yet he suffered neither more nor oftener than was necessary; to have suffered often was altogether needless, and would have been useless. Note, lastly, The great end for which Christ once became a sacrifice, namely, to put away sin; plainly implying, that sin had erected a dominion, a tyranny, over all men, as by a law; that no power of any mere creature was able to disannul or abolish this law of sin; that the destruction and dissolution of this law of sin, was the great end of Christ's coming, to discharge his priestly office in the sacrifice of himself: Now in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away, to abolish and destroy, sin by the sacrifice of himself.

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment; 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin,

unto salvation.

These words may be considered relatively and absolutely. Relatively thus: "As God has appointed that all men should once die penally for sin, and then be judged, so did he determine that Christ should once suffer penally, to expiate sin, and take away the guilt of it fully. And as after death men must appear the second time to judgment, so after his once offering to take away sin and death, Christ shall ap

pear the second time to bestow upon us eternal salvation." Note here, That Christ's being offered to take away the sins of many, cannot be meant of his taking them away in the Socinian sense, to wit, by his holy doctrine, which was confirmed by his death, but of his bearing our sins by way of imputation; for this is evident from the opposition here between his first appearance and his second: Christ was once offered to bear our sins, but he shall appear a second time without sin. Why did he not appear the first time without sin? Yes, certainly he did, as to any inherent guilt; for the scripture assures us, he had no sin. What then is the meaning of the opposition, at his first coming he bore our sins; at his second coming he shall appear without sin? The words can have no other imaginable sense but this that at his first coming he sustained the person of a sinner, and died as a sacrifice; but at his second coming he shall appear as a judge, to confer eternal life on those who are made partakers of the sacrifice of his death. Thus the words are to be considered relatively. Absolutely thus," It is appointed for all men once to die. Here is the first word of certainty, all men must die; then the word of singularity, they must once die, not often: once, and but once; they die by statute and appointment. The supreme Lord of life and death appoints man his time, both for coming into the world, and going out of it: we come in at his command, and leave at his disposal. And after death the judgment: the word after signifies the order of time; for death goes before, and judgment follows it." The judgment is both particular and of every individual person, and general and universal of all; after which follows the final, eternal, and unalterable condition of man, either in a state of misery or felicity. The parties judged will be angels and men; the person judging, Jesus Christ: he, by redeeming mankind, obtaining right and power to judge mankind: such a judge as the power of the mightiest cannot daunt; such a judge as the subtilty of the wisest cannot delude; such a judge as the riches of the wealthiest cannot bribe; in a word, such a judge as there is no appealing from, or repealing of, his sentence. O great day! when the stiffest knee shall bow at the tribunal of Jesus Christ, and the strongest back shall break under the insupportable burden of a Redeemer's wrath! when the

Alexanders and Cesars, which once shook the earth, and made the world to tremble, shall revere and lie prostrate at the foot of Christ! and, Lord, seeing that judgment is before us, let us seriously believe it, daily expect, duly prepare for it; let no profit tempt us, no pleasure entice us, no power embolden us, no privacy encourage us, to do that thing which we cannot account for at thy tribunal. Amen.

CHAP. X.

The design of our apostle in the chapter before us, is twofold: first, to show the weakness and imperfection of the Levitical sacrifices considered in themselves, and the necessity and efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ. Secondly, To improve this doctrine unto faith, obedience, and perseverance in our christian profession unto the death, by several weighty arguments; showing particularly the fatal danger of apostasy from Christ and his holy religion.

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 comers thereunto perfect.

In the former part of this chapter, the apostle proves the impotency and imperfection of the Levitical sacrifices by sundry arguments; namely, first, from the nature of them, they were but shadows; from the plurality of them, they were many; from the repetition of them, they were often; and from the inefficaciousness of them, they could not take away sin.

The former of these is taken notice of, in this first verse, The law having a shadow of good things to come. An allusion probably to the art of painting, wherein a shadow is first drawn, and afterwards the very image itself; or a metaphor taken from the shadow of a body in the light of the sun. As a shadow is the representation of a body, a just and true representation of it, and of nothing else, yet but an obscure representation of a body; the life, vigour, and spirit of a body, cannot be represented by it: thus was it between the sacrifices of the law, and the sacrifices of Christ; the blood of those sacrifices were representations of Christ; they were a just representation of Christ: he was the idea in the mind of God, when Moses was charged to make all things according to the pattern showed him in the mount: and they were but an obscure and dark representation of him; the glory and efficacy of these good things appeared not visible in them. Learn hence, That whatever there may be in religious in

stitutions, and the diligent observation of them, if they only shadow forth Jesus Christ, and do not actually exhibit him to the faith of believers with the benefits of his mediation, they cannot make us perfect, nor give us acceptance with God.

-Those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

Here we have a second argument to prove the impotency and weakness of the legal sacrifices; and it is drawn from the repetition and non-cessation of them. Thus, "Those sacrifices which were often repeated year by year, could not of themselves make satisfaction for sin, or purge the conscience of the sinner from guilt. Had justice been satisfied, and conscience quieted, there had been no reason why those sacrifices should have been so often repeated. But the case was otherwise, for in their most solemn sacrifices there was a commemoration and confession made of their former sins by the high-priest every year; which was an intimation to them that they needed a new and better sacrifice for the expiation of sin, namely, that of the Messiah, in and by which alone remission of sin was to be expected and ob. tained." Learn hence, 1. That the repetition and reiteration of the same sacrifices, is an evident demonstration of their weakness and insufficiency. Accordingly, the church of Rome, by affirming the sacrifice in the mass to be the very same with that which Christ offered on the cross, do prove an insufficiency in the sacrifice of Christ for the expiation of sin, if the apostle's argument here be good for he affirms, that all sacrifices that must be repeated are weak and insuffi. cient. Learn, 2. That although repeated sins have need of repeated confession, and renewed pardon, yet they have no need of sacrifice: For he who is once purged has no more conscience of sin, that is, though he knows he has many sins, yet he has not a trembling, tormenting, accusing

conscience, because he is purged, and his sins pardoned, through that one sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Learn, 3. That the discharge of conscience from the guilt of sin by virtue

of the sacrifice of Christ, is a full demonstration of the sufficiency of the virtue of that sacrifice: and that there needs no reiteration of it, but only fresh applications made unto it by repeated acts and exercises of faith.

4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

The intendment of our apostle in these law could not expiate sin, nor make reconwords is to prove, that the sacrifices of the ciliation with God, which the sacrifice of Christ alone was ordained and appointed to. Here observe, 1. The subject matter spoken of, the blood of bulls and goats: they were of ceremony in their celebration; and the accompanied with great solemnity and pomp people had a great esteem and veneration of them in their minds; but when all was done, that which was offered was no more than the blood of bulls and goats. Observe, 2. That which is denied of these sacrifices, namely, the taking away of sins; to take away sin, is to make atonement for sin, to expiate the guilt of it before God, by a satis faction given, or price paid, that it shall never bind over the penitent sinner unto punishment. Observe, 3. The manner of the negation: it was impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Impossible from divine institution; they were never designed for that end, therefore could never effect it; for the virtue of every institution depends upon its designation to its end. Now the blood of bulls was only designed to represent the taking away of sin, but never by itself to effect it. And it was also impossible from the nature of the thing; for how could the blood of a beast expiate the sin of a man? satisfaction must be made for sin in and by the same nature that had sinned. Learn hence, That it was utterly impossible that sin should be taken away before God, and from the conscience of a sinner, by any other blood than the blood of Christ: it is this alone that cleanseth us from all sin, for he alone was the propitiation for them.

5 Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me; 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of

the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above, when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burntofferings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; (which are offered by the law :) 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Our apostle having showed the weakness and insufficiency of the Levitical sacrifices in the former verses, he comes now to declare the efficacy and sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, and his blessed undertaking, to do, ful

fil, perform, and suffer all things required by the will and wisdom, by the holiness and righteousness of God, unto the complete salvation of the church. And this he doth by a quotation out of the Old Testament, Psal. Ix. 6, 7, 8. Where Christ is brought in as newly made man, speaking to his Father,

in and after this manner: "Forasmuch as thy wisdom did institute, and formerly appoint, sacrifices, as types to prefigure the sacrifice of thy Son, but thou didst not intend their longer continuance, when he should once be offered up; pursuant to this holy will and pleasure of thine, I am now come into the world: thou hast prepared me a body, an holy and innocent human nature, fit to be united to my glorious god head; in which nature I will suffer, and by my suffer ings satisfy thy justice for sin; and by the sufficiency of my sacrifice put a period to all the Levitical sacrifices that did precede me, and prefigure me." Learn hence, 1. That in the fulness of God's appointed time, Christ came into the world to accomplish

that which the Levitical sacrifices did only prefigure, but could not effectuate. 2. That in order thereunto, Christ did assume the human nature, and offered in himself that nature willingly to his Father, as a sacrifice to atone divine displeasure.

3. That by this one sacrifice and oblation of Christ, which he performed in obedience to the will of God, all that believe in him are justified and saved, do obtain remission of sin, grace here, and glory hereafter: By which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest standeth dai

ly ministering, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God: 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool: 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Our apostle still proceeds upon his former argument, namely, to assign a farther difference between Christ and the Levitical priests. 1. The Levitical priesthood consisted of a plurality of persons; the priests were many; by reason of death they had many succesed but of one single person, the Lord Jesus, sors: but the evangelical priesthood consistcalled here, this Man. 2. The Levitical priesthood consisted of a plurality of sacrifices; there were also many, many in num&c. but the sacrifice which Christ offered ber, and many in kind, bulls, lambs, goats, was but one, as to the kind, namely, that body which was prepared, ver. 5. 3. The Levitical sacrifices were oft-times offered, ver. 11. but the sacrifice of Christ was but once offered. 4. The Levitical sacrifices the sacrifice of his death took away sin for could never take away sin; but Christ by vitical priests stood and ministered, ver. 11. ever, fully and everlastingly. 5. The Le Every priest standeth daily. This is the posture of servants; but Christ sits, which is the posture of a Lord; This man, after he had offered, sat down. 6. They stood daily ministering and offering, because their Christ did his work fully by one offering, sacrifices could not take away sin; but and after that sits or rests for ever in heaven. Learn hence, 1. That Christ crucified is the

only divine and proper sacrifice under the gospel. Divine, because its institution and all the essential properties of an expiatory appointment was of God: proper, because sacrifice were found in this. It was a living creature offered by a priest; it was offered to God, and it was a sweet savour unto him; and it is the only proper sacrifice of the gospel. Doing good is called a sacrifice, Heb. xiii. 16. Righteousness is called a sacrifice, Psal. iv. 5. but not properly, but allusively and metaphorically only. Learn,

2. That the sacrifice of Christ is but of one

kind, and was but once offered; yet is of such unspeakable value, and everlasting efficacy, as to take away sin fully and finally,