fering God: Reflections on the readiness of Christ to be our sacrifice. oftentimes ment. 73 Heb. x. 11 11 And every And this agrees with what I observed above, sECT. priest standeth daily to be the property of a true and effectual atone- xiii. ministering and of For indeed every priest of the Mosaic the same sacrifices law standeth daily ministering, and offering the which can never same sacrifices often, which, as appears from take away sins: that very circumstance of the repetition of them, can never avail to take away the guilt of 12 But this Man, sins; But he, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ, 12 after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, having offered one ever efficacious sacrifice for for ever sat down on the sins of all who shall believe in him, and the right hand of obey him, hath for ever sat down at the right hand of God; never more to stand and minister in such a manner as he has done, but answering the great character drawn in the prophet, (Zech. vi. 13,) of a priest on a throne, where royal dignity, and certain conquest, are added 13 From hence- to his other glories; For the rest, waiting 13 forth expecting till only till the appointed time come, in which achis enemies be made his footstool. cording to the promise we have been contemplating, all his enemies shall be made the footstool 14 For by one of- of his feet. For by that one offering up of him- 14 fering he hath per- self, concerning which we have been speaking, fected for ever them that are sanctified. he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified by it, and on whom its blood is, as it were, sprinkled, and hath rendered all believers perfectly acceptable to God, and made effectual provision for raising them to a state of complete holiness, felicity, and glory. IMPROVEMENT. SINCE the shadows are now fled away, and the substance is verse come; since the most substantial blessings are bestowed by the 1 gospel; let us celebrate the praises of him by whom we have received them; of him, who so cheerfully presented himself a spotless sacrifice to God for us. In the body which God hath prepared 5 for him, he fulfilled all righteousness, and made a most perfect atonement in that he, once for all, made full expiation for the sins of his people, having no sin of his own to expiate: and O! with what grateful emotions of heart should we commemorate his love; reflecting that when all other sacrifices would have been vain, he should so readily cry out, Lo, I come, I delight to do thy will, O God; when that will of his heavenly Father was, that his body should be offered in so painful and so tragical a manner! With such readiness let us too concur in every intimation of the Divine good pleasure: let us, like the blessed man whom David described, not only fear the Lord, but delight greatly in 74 xiii. Where there is remission, there needs no more sacrifice. SECT. his commandments, (Psal. cxii. 1,) and labour that the law of God may be inscribed on our hearts, and the characters grow larger and deeper there. This shall please God better than the most verse costly sacrifices, even of his own ritual; better than any whole burnt offering, and sin offering, though it were an ox or a bullock, which hath horns and hoofs, Psalm Ixix. 31. 8 10 May we be so sanctified through the sacrifice of Christ, according to the will of God, that we may approach the Divine Being with acceptance. And may we daily be looking to Jesus 12, 13 as sat down at his Father's right hand, where he waits till his enemies are made his footstool. Let us likewise expect that great event in full assurance of faith. Let our affections be there where Jesus sits; and let us live in cheerful confidence, that the Saviour, in whose cause we are engaged, will finally appear triumphant over all his enemies, and ours. Amen. SECT. xiv. Heb. SECT. XIV. The apostle urges Christians to improve the privileges which such an High Priest and covenant gave them, to the purposes of a fiducial approach to God, a constant attendance on his worship, and a benevolent love to each other. Heb. X. 15-25. HEBREWS X. 15. HEBREWS X. 15. I HAVE spoken of Christ, as having by one WHEREOF the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us for after that he offering of himself for ever perfected those that are sanctified; and this a representation x. 15 very agreeable to the word of God: for even had said before, the Holy Ghost testifieth to us in that passage (Jerem. xxxi. 33, &c.) which I have quoted 16 above, after having before said, This [is] the 16 This is the covcovenant which I will make with them after those enant that I will days, saith the Lord: I will give my laws to be make with them after those days, saith written on their hearts; I will also inscribe the Lord; I will put them on their minds: my Holy Spirit shall work my laws into their in them cordial dispositions humbly to practise hearts, and in their minds will I write 17 and obey them; He adds in consequence of them; remember no more. 18 Now, where this, their sins and their transgressions, how 17 And their sins many and aggravated soever they may have and iniquities will I 18 been, I will never remember any more. But where [there is] such an entire remission of remission of these is these, as this great amnesty, this universal pardon implies, which wipes out the very remem • Testifieth to us.] Or, as it might be rendered, bears witness with us, that is, assents to, and confirms by his testimony what I have said; in which sense the original word is used, as Raphelius hath shown by several Greek Classics. Therefore we should draw nigh through the blood of Jesus: 75 there is no more of- brance of all offences, [there is] no more room SECT. fering for sin. for any sccrifice for sin, which implies that xiv. they are remembered, and remain to be expiated. ness to enter into 21 And having an High Priest over the house of God: Heb. x. 18 19 Having there- This therefore, my dear brethren, is now our 19 fore, brethren, bold- happy case; and let us endeavour to enjoy the holiest by the and improve it aright. Having such liberty to blood of Jesus, enter into the holy places by the efficacy of this 20 By a new and atoning blood of Jesus: [Having that] new 20 living way, which he discovered and ever living way, which he hath hath consecrated for us through the vail, consecrated for us through the vail, that is, by that is to say, his means of his flesh, or of that human nature in flesh; which he hath vailed his Divine glories, and to which it ever becomes us to pay a regard in our access to God: And [having] also such a 21 great and glorious Priest over the House of God, who most faithfully manages his Father's concerns, and bears a most tender regard to our's; 22 Let us draw Let us not stand at a distance as if God were 22 near with a true inaccessible; but, on the contrary, let us draw heart, in full assurance of faith, having near with a sincere and affectionate heart, in our hearts sprinkled the full assurance of faith, supported by such from an evil con- considerations as these, which may well embolden us, (conscious as we are of our own unworthiness,) to make our approach unto him in the most cheerful expectation of his blessing. Only let us take care that this approach be made in a regular and proper manner, as ever we desire to meet with Divine favour and acceptance; particularly, as the water of purification was to be sprinkled on the Israelites, to cleanse them from any pollutions they might have contracted, so let us see to it that we come, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, free from all allowed guilt and indulged sin. And this is indeed our case, if we are true Christians: our hearts are thus New and living way.] Dr. Owen illus- The vail.] It is well known, that the trates this, by observing that the blood of vail was a curtain separating the holy from other sacrifices was to be used immedi- the most holy place. The priest could ately upon its effusion; for if it were cold not pass to the sanctuary, unless he passand congealed, it was of no use to be of- ed through it: so Christ could not pass fered or sprinkled but the blood of into heaven as our High Priest, till he had Christ is, as it were, always warm, hav- taken human flesh in his way; and till it ing the same spirit of life and sanctifica- had been, as it were, put aside by death. tion moving in it. So that the way of And I cannot forbear thinking, that it approach by it is said to be (ara nas po- may further refer to the Shechinah being aro, living, yet, (putting it for Christ vailed by this curtain, which bore so rewho is the Way,) always, as it were, markable an analogy to the Divine glory newly slain. See Owen on the Spirit, of Christ, as vailed by assuming human p. 386. VOL. 6. 11 nature. 76 SECT. And hold fast the profession of our hope. our sprinkled by the purifying and cleansing blood science, and xiv. of Jesus, as well as our bodies in baptism bodies washed with washed with pure water, intended to repre*.23 sent our being cleansed from sin. Heb. pure water. And since 23 Let us hold fast faith without wavering: (for he is faith we have received such benefits by the gospel the profession of our which we have embraced, let us hold fast the profession of [our] hope, without ever giving ful that promised.) way to the pressure and agitation of any temptation, or wavering in a case where we have such certain and indubitable evidence; for we know that whatever storms and tempests may arise, he [is] assuredly faithful who hath promised; he will stand by to defend us, and to 24 make us more than conquerors over all. And 24 And let us con let us consider each other, and reflect seriously sider one another to provoke unto love, on the circumstances in which we and our and to good works = brethren are situated, that we may judge what influence we can have over them for their advantage, and may endeavour accordingly to provoke, and stimulate them on to the exercise of sincere love, and to a readiness to all good works, by our exhortations, and especially by our example, and by such a conduct towards them as may engage the return of their affection, and the exertion of their zeal for the 25 general good: Not deserting the assembling 25 Not forsaking ourselves together, for the solemn purposes the assembling of of public worship as the manner of some ourselves together, now [is] in order to decline that reproach some is; but exhortand persecution which the attendance on ing one another; and such assemblies may draw after it; but exhorting and comforting [one another] as much f as the manner of Mr. & Bodies washed with pure water.] Mr. faith, upon the authority only of a single Peirce would make this the beginning of manuscript. See Dr. Mills in loc. another sentence; and having washed our Assembling ourselves together.] bodies with pure water, that is, " having. Peirce is of opinion, that when the apostle been solemnly devoted to God in baptism, adds, as the manner of some is, he intends let us answer the engagements of that holy to blame the conduct of the Jews, who ordinance by holding fast the profession of on account of their old prejudices against our faith, &c. considering that he is faith- the Gentile converts, absented themselves ful to the engagements he was pleased to from the assemblies into which they were seal unto us by it." But I think the sense admitted; and perhaps also to censure a will be very easy and intelligible, if it be similar behaviour in the Gentile converts connected with the preceding words, as arising from prejudices they had newly referring to the custom of washing their contracted against the Jews. And he bodies in clean water, before they went imagines this, in some measure, is intito worship at the temple, especially upon mated by the use of the word rouvaya#• their solemn days. (Compare 2 Thess ii. 1.) But I think the account given of the ground of this caution in the paraphrase, is on the whole much more certain. e • Profession of [our hope.] Instead of xidos, hope, our translators read wists, Reflections on our liberty of access to God. 77 Heb. x. 25 so much the more as as we can; and this so much the rather, as ye SECT. ye see the day ap- see the day approaching, that awful day, in xiv. proaching. which we must appear before the tribunal of God, and that day of vengeance upon the Jewish nation, which Christ hath described as so terrible an emblem of it. And let none, who would not share with the enemies of Christ in the destruction which shall be poured out upon them, abandon his people now, and basely betray that cause and interest, by which none shall on the whole be losers, whatever they may for the present suffer on its account. IMPROVEMENT. WHAT can be more desirable than to approach to God! what verse more effectually encourage that approach, than the considera- 22 tion which the apostle here urges: the new and living way which this great High Priest hath consecrated! Let us then see to it 19, 20 that we thus approach in the way of his own appointment. But if we desire acceptance, let us attend to the strength of our faith, and the purity of our consciences; that inward purity, without 22 which our baptismal washing will stand us in little stead. To establish us in a resolution of retaining the profession of our faith and hope, amidst all the attempts that may be made to wrest it out of our hands, let us often reflect on the importance of those promises we have received, and the infallible fidelity of that God, who hath condescended to enter himself into such engagements. Let the community of that blessed hope which these sacred engagements afford, unite us in the bonds of the most affectionate love. Instead of watching over each other for evil, let us consider 23 one another's circumstances with the most friendly and compassionate eye. And whatever we behold of necessity or distress, let us immediately be instigated and quickened kindly to attempt relief and assistance; that every one may be, as it were, in a confederacy against the evil by which any one may be attacked. Much will this benevolent disposition be promoted, by a dili- 25 gent attendance on the ordinances of religious worship; and much is it to be lamented, that it is the manner of so many to forsake them, even the assemblies which are honoured with the promise of the Divine presence; a promise, to the accomplish & Day approaching] They knew that the day of Christ's final judgment, being certainly future, came nearer and nearer. And from what Christ had said concern ing the destruction of Jerusalem, as to happen in the lives of some who had been present with him about thirty years before the date of this epistle, (compare Mat. xvi. 28,) they might infer that that was now near, though they should not have been able to trace it up into its causes, or to calculate the exact time. |