tinction. But in the offering of himself he was vota, a slain sacrifice,' which was in and by the effusion of his blood: in the very shedding of it, it was offered unto God. 3. It is an useless observation, that the apostle, in comparing the sacrifice of Christ with the legal victims, doth, as it is said, carefully avoid the saying that he offered his blood. For in those legal sacrifices the beasts themselves were always said to be offered, although it was the blood alone wherewith atonement was made on the altar, Lev. xvii. 11. And this the apostle expressly ascribes unto the blood of Christ, in answer unto the blood of bulls and goats, ver. 13, 14. 4. The apostle doth not insinuate the mention of the shedding of the blood of Christ, only to make up a full and fit comparison with the legal victims, as is impudently insinuated; but he directly ascribes the whole effect of reconciliation, peace, atonement, remission of sins, and sanctification, unto the blood of Christ, as shed and offered unto God. And this he doth not only in this Epistle, where he insists on this comparison, but in other places also where he hath no regard unto it, Rom. iii. 25; Eph. i. 7, v. 2, 25, 26; Tit. ii. 14; Rev. i. 5. 5. Having advanced thus far, in the close of his exposition he excludes the blood of Christ from any more interest or efficiency in the purification of these heavenly things, than the blood of goats and calves; which is such an open contradiction unto the whole design and express words of the apostle, as that the assertion of it exceeds all the bounds of sobriety and modesty.

From the words thus opened, we may observe unto our own use, Obs. IV. Neither could heavenly things have been made meet for us, or our use, nor we have been meet for their enjoyment, had they not been dedicated, and we been purged by the sacrifice of Christ.-There was no suitableness, either in them unto us, or in us unto them, until it was introduced by the blood of Christ. Without the efficiency hereof, heavenly things would not be heavenly unto the minds and souls of men; they would neither please them, nor satisfy them, nor make them blessed. Unless they themselves are purged, all things, even heavenly things themselves, would be unclean and defiled unto them, Tit. i. 15.

Obs. V. Every eternal mercy, every spiritual privilege, is both purchased for us, and sprinkled unto us, by the blood of Christ.

Obs. VI. There is such an uncleanness in our natures, our persons, our duties, and worship, that unless they and we are all sprinkled with the blood of Christ, neither we nor they can have any acceptance with God.

Obs. VII. 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 to God.

VER. 24.-The opposition between the high priests of the law, and their sacrifices, with their efficacy, and the Lord Christ with his sacrifice and its efficacy, is farther carried on in this verse. And this is done in an instance of a dissimilitude between them, as it was shown in general before, in how many things they did agree. And this dissimilitude consists in the place and manner of the discharge of their office,

after the great expiatory sacrifice, which each of them did offer. The casual connexion of the words doth also intimate, that a farther evidence is given unto what was before laid down; namely, that heavenly things were purified by the blood of Christ. For as an assurance thereof, upon the dedication of the new covenant, he entered into heaven itself. Had he purified the things only on the earth, we could have entered only into an earthly sanctuary, as did the high priest of old. But he is entered, as the apostle now declares, into heaven itself, which, in the gracious presence of God therein, is the spring and centre of all the things purified by his sacrifice.

VER. 24. Ου γαρ εις χειροποιητα άγια εισήλθεν ὁ Χριστος, αντίτυπα των αληθινων, αλλ' εις αυτον τον ουρανον, νυν εμφανισθηναι τη προσωπῳ του Θεου ὑπερ ἡμων.

Eiç ayia, Syr. span, 'into the house of the sanctuary:' sancta, sacrarium, sanctuarium, sancta sanctorum, the most holy place.' XεiроTоINTα, manufacta, manibus extructa, built with hands.' AVTITUTα Twv aλndivwv, Syr. 8772 177 87, which is the similitude of that which is true.' Vul. Exemplaria verorum. Exemplar respondens veris illis, An example answering unto the true,' 'a resemblance of the true. To pоowπ; Syг. п, 'before the face;' faciei, vultui, conspectui, in the presence.'

6

VER. 24.-For Christ is not entered into the holy places (the sanctuary) made with hands, the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

There is in the words a dissimilitude between the Lord Christ and the priests of the law, or an opposition between what was done by the one and the other. And one branch of the antithesis, as unto affirmation on the one hand, is included in the negation on the other. For in that he says he is not entered into the holy places made with hands, it is affirmed that the high priest did so of old, and no more.

In the words there is,

First. The subject spoken of, that is Christ.

Secondly. A double proposition concerning him. 1. Negative; that 'he is not entered into the holy places made with hands.' 2. Affirmative; that he is entered into heaven itself.'

Thirdly. The end of what is so affirmatively ascribed unto him, 'to appear in the presence of God for us.'

First. The subject spoken of is, o Xporos, Christ.' 'Jesus,' saith the Vulgar Latin. But all Greek copies, with the Syriac, have 'Christ.' From the 15th verse, he had spoken indefinitely of the mediator of the new covenant, what he was to be, and what he had to do, whoever he were. This mediator, and the high priest of the church, are one and the same. He makes application of all he had said, unto one singular person, Christ our high priest.

Secondly. That which in general is ascribed unto him, or spoken of him both negatively and affirmatively, is an entrance,' one. That

which was the peculiar dignity of the high priest of old, wherein the principal discharge of his duty did consist, and whereon the efficacy of his whole ministration did depend, was, that he, and he alone, did enter into the holy place, the typical representation of the presence of God. Wherefore, such an entrance must our high priest have after he had offered himself once for all. This entrance of our high priest as unto the place whereinto he entered, is expressed.

First. Negatively; ου γαρ εις χειροποιητα άγια, not into the holy places made with hands. The place intended, is the sanctuary, or most holy place, in the tabernacle. It is here expressed in the plural number, to answer the Hebrew pwp; for so the LXX. render their reduplications, wherewith they supply their want of superlatives. These holy places Christ entered not into. A double description is here given of this place. 1. As unto its nature. 2. As unto its use.

1. As unto its nature, it was xepoπointα, 'made with hands,' built by the hands of men. The manner of this building was part of its glory; for it relates unto the framing and erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness. And as this was wholly directed by God himself, so he endowed them, in an extraordinary manner with singular skill and wisdom, by whom the work was wrought. But as unto the thing itself, it is a diminution from its glory, not absolutely but comparatively; that it was still made by the hands of men, and so had no glory in comparison of that which doth excel, namely, heaven itself.

2. As unto the use of these holies, they were avτiтva тwv aλndivwv. Αντίτυπον is sometimes used for πραγμα αντι του τυπου, ' that which is signified by the type;' and this we commonly call the antitype. So is the word used by the apostle Peter, 1 Pet. iii. 21, the substance of what is typifed. Sometimes it is used for τυπος αντι του πραγματος, 'the type and resemblance of the thing signified.' So is it here used, and well rendered 'figures.' And what the apostle calls TodayμаTа in the foregoing verse, he here calls avtituña. They are therefore the same, only they express different respects and notions of the same things. As the delineation and representation of heavenly things in them were obscure and dark, they were vπodayμara similitudes, resemblances of heavenly things;' as that representation which they had and made of them, was a transcript from the original pattern and idea in the mind of God, and shown unto Moses in the mount, they were aνTITUTα, or express figures.'

And they were thus figures, Twv aλndivwv, 'of the true;' that is, the true holies. True,' in these expressions, is opposed unto 'shadowing' and typical, not unto that which is false or adulterate. John i. 17, 18, 'real, substantial,' the things originally in all these in

stitutions.

So

This is a brief description of the place whereinto the high priest under the law did enter, wherein his great privilege did consist, and whereon the efficacy of all his other administrations did depend. And it is described, 1. With respect to its institution, it was the most holy place, peculiarly dedicated to the reception of the especial pledges of presence of God. 2. As to its fabric, it was made with hands: though of an excellent structure, directed by God himself, and framed

the

by his especial command: yet was it in itself no more but the work of men's hands. 3. As to its principal end and use, it was a figure and resemblance of heavenly things. All God's appointments in his service, have their proper season, beauty, and glory, and use, which are all given them by his appointment. Even the things that were made with men's hands, had so, whilst they had the force of a divine institution. To enter into the presence of God, represented by the typical pledges of it in this place, was the height of what the high priest, under the law attained to. And this he did on the ground of the dedication and purification of the tabernacle by the blood of the sacrifices of goats and calves. And it may be said, if the Lord Jesus Christ be the high priest of the church, hither or into this place he ought to have entered. I answer, he ought indeed so to have done, if by his sacrifice he had purified only earthly things. But whereas he had no such design, nor were the temporal things of the whole creation worth the purification with one drop of his blood, but they were things spiritual and heavenly that were purified by his sacrifice, he was not to enter into the holy place made with hands, the figures of the same, but into heaven itself.

Secondly. In opposition to what is denied of him, and which is therein ascribed to the high priest of the law; the place whereinto he did enter, is called avros ó oupavoç, 'heaven itself.' The entrance spoken of was sacerdotal, not triumphant and regal, as I have elsewhere declared. And by this 'heaven itself,' a peculiar place is intended. The apostle hath in several places affirmed that in his ascension, he 'passed through the heavens,' and 'was made higher than the heavens.' Wherefore by this heaven itself,' some place that is called so by way of eminency, is intended. This in the Scripture is sometimes called 'the heaven of heavens,' and 'the third heaven,' the place of the peculiar residence of the presence, majesty, and glory of God, and of his throne; where all his blessed saints enjoy his presence, and all his holy angels minister to him. A place above all these aspectable heavens, the heavens which we do behold.

The entrance of Christ into heaven as our high priest, was into it as the temple of God, wherein the chief thing considerable is the throne of grace. For it is that which answers to, and was signified by, the entrance of the high priest into the most holy place in the tabernacle. And there was nothing therein but the ark and the mercy-seat, with the cherubim of glory overshadowing them, which, as we have declared, was a representation of a throne of grace. He entered likewise into heaven triumphantly as it was the palace of God, the throne of the great King, and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; but this he did not with respect to the execution of his kingly office with authority and power. For as the offices of Christ are distinct, and their exercise is so also; so heaven itself,' wherein he now dischargeth them all, is proposed to us, under divers considerations, distinctly answering to the work that the Lord Christ hath yet to perform therein. And,

Obs. I. These distinct offices of Christ, give direction and encouragement to faith.-When we apply ourselves to Christ to seek for aid

for the subduing and destruction of our spiritual adversaries, by his ruling power, that mighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself, we consider him on the throne of majesty, in the full possession of all power in heaven and earth: hereby is faith both encouraged and directed in its acting or approach to him. And when we go to him for relief under our temptations with a sense of the guilt of sin, which requires tenderness and compassion, we consider him as in the temple of God, appearing as our high priest before the throne of grace, ch. iv. 14-16.

Obs. II. Christ, accepted of God in our behalf, is the spring of all spiritual consolation.-God on a throne of grace, the Lord Christ before it in the exercise of his office with faithfulness, compassion, and power, is the spring and centre of all the comforts of the church.

Slichtingius affirms on this place, that these things are spoken of Christ only in a neat and handsome metaphor, under which he is compared to the priests of old. And the whole of his discourse tends to this, that it is a comparison framed or coined by the apostle for the illustration of what he intends. But this is not to interpret the meaning of his words, but directly to oppose his whole design. For it is not a fancied, framed comparison that the apostle insists on, but a declaration of the typical significancy of legal institutions; and his purpose is to manifest the accomplishment of them all in Christ alone.

Thirdly. The end of this sacerdotal entrance of Christ into heaven is expressed, vvv supavio Invai, 'now to appear in the presence of God for us. A farther degree of opposition between our high priest and those of the law, is expressed in these words. They entered into the holy place to appear for the people, and to present their supplications to God. But this was only in an earthly tabernacle, and that before a material ark and mercy-seat. In what is here ascribed to Christ, there are many differences from what was so done by them.

1. In the time of what he did or doth, vvv, 'now,' at this present season, and always. What those others did, was of no continuance. But this now,' is expressive of the whole season and duration of time from the entrance of Christ into heaven, to the consummation of all things. So he declares it in the next verse. He never departs out of the sanctuary to prepare for a new sacrifice, as they did of old. There is no moment of time wherein it may not be said,He now appeareth for us.'

2. In the end of his entrance into this heavenly sanctuary, εupavioInval, that is, as To, 'to appear.' Absolutely his entrance into heaven had other ends, but this is the only end of his entering into heaven as God's temple, the seat of the throne of grace, as our high priest. And the whole discharge of the remaining duties of his sacerdotal office, are comprised in this word, as we shall immediately demonstrate.

3. In that he doth thus appear, T4 TOOσWAY TOV ɛov, vultui, conspectui, faciei Dei, that is, the immediate presence of God,' in opposition to the typical symbols of it in the tabernacle, before which the high priest presented himself. The high priest appeared before the ark, the cherubim and mercy-seat, composed into the form of a throne: Christ enters into the real presence of God, standing in his sight, be

VOL. IV.

N