tution, which is superadded to the other. It is not my business to insist at large on the things themselves, but only to open the words, and declare what is the mind of the Holy Ghost in them.

First. He proposeth the duty which we owe to God immediately on the account of our altar and sacrifice.

VER. 15.—Δι' αυτού ουν αναφερωμεν θυσίαν αινέσεως διαπαντος το Θεῳ, τουτεστι, καρπον χειλεων ὁμολογούντων τῳ ονοματι αυτου.

VER. 15.-By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise unto God continually; that is, the fruit of our lips, confessing to his

name.

The words are an exhortation to duty, by way of inference from what was before declared concerning the Lord Christ, his sufferings and offering to the sanctification of the people; ouv, therefore' let us. Two things do follow on the due consideration thereof. 1. In general, the necessity of a return to God in a way of duty on the account of so great a mercy. Seeing we are sanctified and dedicated to God by the blood of Christ, it cannot be but that the duty of obedience to God is required of us. 2. The special nature of that duty, which is described in the words. And it is placed principally in praise, as that which it naturally calleth for, and constraineth to. For thankfulness is the peculiar animating principle of all gospelobedience. And,

Obs. I. Every act of grace in God, or love in Christ towards us, is in its own nature obligatory to thankful obedience.

The duty itself exhorted to, is expressed two ways. 1. Positively, 'Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.' 2. Declaratively, as to its special nature, that is, the fruit of our lips, confessing unto his name.'

First. The duty exhorted to in general is αναφερωμεν θυσιαν τῳ Θεῳ, offering sacrifice to God.' What it is that he peculiarly intends, the next words declare. But he thus expresseth it, 1. To show what is the use of our altar, in opposition to all the services of the altar in the tabernacle, which consisted in the offering of sacrifices. For we also, having an altar, must have sacrifices to offer, without which an altar is of no use. 2. To show the immediate end and object of all gospel worship, which is God himself, as he was of all sacrifices. None might be offered but to him alone. So,

Obs. II. The religious worship of any creature, under what pretence soever, hath no place in our Christian profession. And,

Obs. III. Every act and duty of faith hath in it the nature of a sacrifice to God, wherewith he is well pleased.

Secondly. The especial nature of this sacrifice is declared in opposition to the carnal sacrifices of the law. And that,

1. In the only way and means of offering it, which is by Christ; d' avrov, by him' let us offer. All the sacrifices of the people under the law were offered by the priests. Wherefore respect is here had to Christ in the discharge of his priestly office. How we come to God

by him as our high priest, and offer our sacrifices by him, hath been fully declared in the exposition of ch. iv. 14-16, and x. 19-22. In brief, 1. He sanctifies and dedicates our persons to God, that we may be meet to offer sacrifices to him. He sanctifies the people with his own blood, ver. 12, and makes us priests to God, Rev. i. 5, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by him, 1 Pet. ii. 5. 2. He hath prepared and made a way for our access with boldness into the holy place, where we may offer these sacrifices, ch. x. 19-21. 3. He bears the iniquity of our holy things, and makes our offerings acceptable through his merit and intercession. 4. He continues to administer in the tabernacle of his own human nature, all the duties and services of the church. Offering them up to God in our stead and on our behalf, ch. viii. 2; Rev. viii. 3, 4. With respect to these, and other similar acts of his mediation, we are said by him to offer this sacrifice to God; that is, under his guidance, trusting to him, relying on him, pleading his name and his grace for acceptance with God.

And by him,' is the same with by him alone.' There is a profane opinion and practice in the Papal church, about offering our sacrifices of prayer and praise to God by others, as by saints and angels, especially the blessed virgin. But are they our altar? Did they sanctify us by their blood? Did they suffer for us without the gate? Are they the high priests of the church? Have they made us priests unto God? or prepared a new and living way for our entrance to the throne of grace? It is on the account of these things that we are said to offer our sacrifice by Christ, and it is the highest blasphemy to assign them to any other. And,

Obs. IV. The great, yea, the only encouragement which we have to bring our sacrifices to God, with expectation of acceptance, lieth herein, that we are to offer them by him who can, and will make them acceptable in his sight.-And,

Obs. V. Whatever we tender to God, and not by Christ, it hath no other acceptance with him than the sacrifice of Cain.

2. In the especial nature of it, it is a sacrifice, aveσEWS,' of praise.' Praise is not a concomitant, but the matter of the sacrifice intended. There were thank-offerings under the law, which were peculiarly accompanied with praises and thanksgivings. But the matter of them was the blood of beasts. But this is such a sacrifice as consisteth in praise only, exclusively to any other matter of it. The nature of gospel-obedience consisting in thanksgivings for Christ and grace by him, the whole of it may be called a sacrifice of praise. So the apostle describes it by presenting our bodies' (that is our persons) a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,' and calls this 'our reasonable service,' Rom. xii. 1. But in the following description the apostle limits it to the duties of worship, and our oral praising of God therein.

There were two things in the sacrifices of old. 1. The mactation, killing, or shedding the blood of the beast that was to be offered. 2. The actual offering of the blood on the altar. And both these were required to the completing of a sacrifice. The slaying or shedding

the blood of a beast, wherever it was, was no sacrifice unless the blood was offered on the altar, and no blood could be offered on the altar, unless the beast were immediately slain at the altar, in order there

And there is a twofold spiritual sacrifice in a resemblance hereunto, wherein our Christian profession doth consist. The first is of a broken spirit, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,' Ps. li. 17. Repentance in mortification, and crucifying of the flesh is the first Christian sacrifice. Herein we present our bodies a living sacrifice to God,' see Rom. vi. 13. This answers the mactation, or killing of the beast for sacrifice, as it is the death and destruction of the flesh. The other is this sacrifice of praise, which answers the offering of the blood on the altar by fire with incense, yielding a sweet savour to God. The other sacrifices mentioned in the next verse, are so called from the general adjunct of acceptance, though God be not their immediate object, as we shall see.

There are sundry things observable in this exhortation of the apostle to the offering of a sacrifice of praise, on the consideration of the Lord Christ as our altar and sacrifice, with the atonement made, and sanctification of the church thereby. As, 1. The great obligation that is upon us of continual thankfulness and praise to God on the account thereof. The sum and glory of our Christian profession is, that it is the only way of praising and glorifying God for his love and grace in the person and mediation of Christ. 2. This obligation to praise succeeding in the room of all terrifying legal constraints to obedience, alters the nature of that obedience from what was required under, and by the law. 3. Where the heart is not prepared for, and disposed to this fundamental duty of praising God for the death and oblation of Christ, no other duty or act of obedience is accepted with God.

Again, whereas the apostle confines our sacrifices to praise, whereunto he makes an addition in the next verse, of doing good and communicating, all which are metaphorical; it is evident that he excludeth all proper or propitiatory sacrifices from the service of the church. Here had been a place (if any where) for the introduction of the sacrifice of the mass, if any such thing had been of divine institution. For whereas it pretends to be, not only a representation, but a repetition of the sacrifice of Christ, and the principal duty of the church on the consideration thereof; is it not strange, and that which evinceth it to be a mere human figment, that the apostle, proposing the consideration of that sacrifice on so high an occasion, and in so eminent a manner, describing thereon the entire duty of the church, and what by virtue thereof is required of it, should not only not mention this mass and its sacrifice, but also determine the duties of the church to things quite of another nature? It is indeed absolutely and peremptorily excluded out of the Christian religion in this context of the apostle. For his design is to show that the one sacrifice of Christ hath put an end to all other altars and sacrifices in the worship of God, establishing such a way of it, as hath no relation to them, yea, is inconsistent with them. Certainly, had there been any such thing in the church, they of Rome have great reason to take it unkindly of

him, that treating so distinctly and at large of all the sacrifices of the law, and of their accomplishment in the one sacrifice of Christ, with the whole duty of the church thereon, he should not give the least intimation of this sacrifice of the mass, which was to succeed into the room of all them of old; but leave them absurdly to seek for a sorry pretence in the bread and wine which Melchisedec brought forth to Abraham and his soldiers. But the truth is, he hath dealt yet more unkindly with them. For he hath so declared the nature of the sacrifice of Christ, its use and efficacy, as either it or the mass must be turned out of the church, for they are inconsistent.

Thirdly. This sacrifice of praise we are enjoined to offer diamavros, 'continually ;' diaTavros, the same with TavTOTE, Luke xviii. 1, to pray always,' and adiaλunтws, 1 Thess. v. 17, without ceasing.' And two things are included in it. 1. Freedom from appointed times, seasons, places. The sacrifices under the law had their times and places prescribed to them, out of which they were not accepted. as to this of ours, every time and place is equally approved. For it may comprise places as well as times, from a distinction whereof we are freed by the gospel, Ev Tavτɩ тожų, 1 Cor. i. 2. 2. Diligence and perseverance. This is that which we ought to attend to, and to abide in, that is, to do it continually, as occasions, opportunities, and appointed seasons do require. A constant readiness of mind for it, with a holy disposition, and inclination of heart to it, acted in all proper seasons and opportunities, is enjoined us. And,

Obs. VI. To abide and abound in solemn praise to God for Jesus Christ, and for his mediation and sacrifice, is the constant duty of the church, and the best character of sincere believers.

Fourthly. In the last place, the apostle gives us a declaration of the nature of this sacrifice of praise, which he recommendeth to us, TOUTEσTI, that is,' saith he, or it consisteth in the fruit of our lips, confessing to his name. It is generally granted that this expression of KaρTov Xεidεwv, the fruit of our lips,' is taken from Hos. xiv. 2, where the same duty is called now, the calves of our lips,' for the sense is the same in both places, and praise to God is intended in them both. But the design of the apostle in alleging this place is peculiar. For the prophet is praying in the name of the church for mercy, grace, and deliverance, and hereon he declareth what is the duty of it upon an answer to their prayers. Now, whereas this, according to the institutions of the law, was to have been in vows and thank-offerings of calves and other beasts, he declares, that instead of them all, vocal thankfulness in celebrating the praise of God, should succeed. This he calls the calves of our lips,' because that the use of our lips in praise, was to come into the room of all thank-offerings by calves. The Psalmist speaks to the same purpose, Ps. li. 16, 17. But moreover, the mercy, grace, and deliverance, which the prophet treats about in that place, were those which were to come by redemption which is in Christ Jesus. After that there was to be no more sacrifice of calves, but spiritual sacrifices of praise only, which he therefore calls the calves of our lips. The apostle therefore doth not only cite his words, but respects the design of the Holy Ghost in

them, which was to declare the cessation of all carnal sacrifices, on the deliverance of the church by the sacrifice of Christ. And he changeth the words from calves to fruit, to declare the sense of the metaphor in the prophet.

And, because there may yet be some ambiguity in that expression, the fruit of our lips,' which in general is the product and effect of them, he adds a declaration of its nature in those words, óuoλoyovvTwv To ovoμati avtov, confessing to his name,' our lips confessing, that is, we confessing by our lips. The Hebrew word, which the LXX. usually render by ouoλoyew, signifies to praise,' properly. But because the praise of God consisteth principally in the acknowledgment of his glorious excellencies and works, to confess to him,' that is, so to profess and acknowledge those things in him, is the same with praising him. And the apostle chooseth to make use of this word in this place, because the praise which he intends did consist in the solemn acknowledgment of the wisdom, love, grace, and goodness of God in the redemption of the church by Jesus Christ. This is confessing to his name.' Wherefore this is that which we are taught, namely, that

Obs. VII. A constant solemn acknowledgment of the glory of God, and of the holy excellencies of his nature (that is his name) in the work of the redemption of the church, by the suffering and offering of Christ, is the principal duty of it, and the animating soul, and principle, of all other duties whatever.

This is the great sacrifice of the church, the principal end of all its ordinances of worship, the means of expressing our faith and trust in the blood or mediation of Christ, and of giving up that revenue of glory to God, which in this world we are entrusted withal.

VER. 16.Της δε ευποιΐας και κοινωνιας μη επιλανθάνεσθε, τοιαύταις γαρ θυσίαις ευαρεστείται ὁ Θεος.

VER. 16.—But (moreover) to do good, and communicate, forget not, (of well-doing, and communication or distribution, be not forgetful); for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

The first great instance of Christian duties, which the apostle mentioned as incumbent on us, on account of the sanctification of the church by the blood of Christ, respected those spiritual duties of worship, whereof God himself is the immediate object. Now, to manifest what influence it ought to have upon the whole of our obedience, even in things moral also, and the duties of the second table, he adds this exhortation unto them in such instances as are the spring of all mutual duties among ourselves, and towards mankind. And because he persisteth in his design of declaring the nature of gospel worship and obedience, in opposition unto the institutions of the law, which is his argument from the 9th verse, he calls these duties also sacrifices, upon the account of their general notion of being accepted with God, as the sacrifices were of old. There is in the words, 1. A note of connexion. 2. Duties prescribed. 3. An enforcement of the exhortation unto them.