it a respect unto what he had last asserted in particular, concerning his ability to save them to the utmost that come to God by him.

VER. 26.—Τοιουτος γαρ ήμιν επρεπεν αρχιερευς, όσιος, ακακος, αμιάνος, κεχωρισμένος απο των ἁμαρτωλων, και ύψηλότερος των ουρανων γενομένος.

ואיך הנא גיר כומרא אף אדק הוא .Teisures leg ein tress; Syr

1, for yet also this high priest was just to us: that is, it was just, right or meet that we should have this high priest. All others, talis nos decebat.

Orios; Syr. 7, pure;' sanctus, holy.' Axaxos; Syr. 17, without malice.' malo alienus. Innocens, free from all evil.'

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Beza, ab omní

Aciates; Syr. who, without spot.' Vul. impollutus. Beza, sine labe, unpolluted, without spot.'

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Kexagiousvos año Twy aμagt wλwy; Syr. 27 10 p7, separate from sins;' all others, from sinners.'

The words will be farther explained in our inquiry into the things signified by them.

VER. 26. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.

There is something supposed and included in this assertion; namely, that if we intend to come unto God, we had need of a high priest to encourage and enable us thereunto. For if in particular we need such a high priest, it is supposed that without a high priest in general, we can do nothing in this matter. This, therefore, is the foundation which in this argument, the apostle proceedeth on; namely, that sinners as we are all, can have no access unto God, but by a high priest. And there was no need for him much to labour with those Hebrews in the confirmation hereof. For from the first constitution of their church, they had no other way of approach unto God, in and with their sacred services. And God had not only by the institution of that office among them, declared that this was the way whereby he would be worshipped; but also with legal prohibitions, fortified with severe penalties, he had forbidden all men, the highest, the greatest, the best and most holy, to come unto him by any other way. Hereby were they taught the everlasting necessity of a high priest, and the discharge of his office, whatever end or issue their typical priests came unto. And herein lies a great aggravation of the present misery of the Jews. High priest of their own they have none, nor have had for many ages. Hereon all their solemn worship of God, utterly ceaseth. They are the only persons in the world, who, if all mankind would give them leave and assist them in it, cannot worship God as they judge they ought to do. For if Je

rusalem were restored into their possession, and a temple reedified in it more glorious than that of Solomon, yet could they not offer one lamb in sacrifice to God. For they know that this cannot be done without a high priest, and priests infallibly deriving their pedigree from Aaron, of whom they have amongst them not one in all the world. And so must they abide under a sense of being judicially excluded and cast out from all solemn worship of God, until the veil shall be taken from their hearts, and leaving Aaron, they return unto him who was typified by Melchisedec, unto whom even Abraham their father acknowledged his subjection.

Whence, this necessity of a high priest for sinners arose, I have so largely inquired into, and declared in my exercitations on the original and causes of the priesthood of Christ, as that there is no need again to make mention of it. Every one's duty it is to consider it, and rightly improve it for himself: the want of living up to this truth, evacuates the religion of most men in the world.

Upon this supposition of the necessity of a high priest in general, the apostle declares what sort of high priest was needful for us. And this he shews,

1. In his personal qualifications.

2. In his outward state and condition, ver. 26.

3. In the nature of his office, and the manner of its discharge, ver. 27. And he confirmeth the whole by the consideration of the person who was this priest, and of the way and manner how he became so, compared with them, and their consecration unto their office, who were priests according unto the law, ver. 28.

The two first are contained in this verse; namely, 1. The personal qualifications of him who was meet to be a priest for us, by whom we might come unto God; and 2. His outward state and condition.

And in the first place, the necessity of such a high priest as is here described, is expressed by treit, became us.' Decuit, decebat. It was meet, it was just for us, as the Syriac renders it. And respect may be had therein, either unto the wisdom of God, or unto our state and condition, or unto both; such a high priest it was meet for God to give, and such a high priest it was needful that we should have. If the condecency of the matter, which lies in a contrivance of proper means unto an end, be intended, then it is God who is respected in this word; if the necessity of the kind of relief mentioned, be so, then it is we who are respected.

The word is applied unto God in this very case, chap. ii. 10. "It became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things." Consider God as the supreme ruler and governor of the world, as the first cause and last end of all, and it became,

was necessary unto his infinite wisdom and holiness, that hav. ing designed the bringing of many sons unto glory, he should make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. So the condecency here intended, may respect, 1. The wisdom, grace and goodness of God. It became him to give us such a high priest as we stood in need of; namely, one that was able in the discharge of that office, to save all to the uttermost, that come unto God by him. For to design our salvation by a high priest, and not to provide such a one, as was every way able to effect it, became not the wisdom and grace of God.

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2. Respect may be had herein w, to us,' to our state and condition. Such this was, as none but such a high priest could relieve us in, or save us from. For we stand in need of such a one, as our apostle declares, as, 1. Could make atonement for our sins, or perfectly expiate them. 2. Purge our consciences from dead works, that we might serve the living God; or sanctify us throughout by his blood. 3. Procure acceptance with God for us, or purchase eternal redemption. 4. Administer supplies of the spirit of grace unto us, to enable us to live unto God in all duties of faith, worship, and obedience. 5. Give us assistance and consolation in our trials, temptations and sufferings, with pity and compassion. 6. Preserve us by power, from all ruining sins and dangers. 7. Be in a continual readiness to receive us in all our addresses to him. 8. To bestow upon us the reward of eternal life. Unless we have a high priest that can do all these things for us, we cannot be saved to the uttermost. Such a high priest we stood in need of, and such a one it became the wisdom and grace of God to give unto us. And,

Obs. I. God in infinite wisdom, love and grace, gave us such a high priest, as in the qualifications of his person, the glory of his condition, and the discharge of his office, was every way suited to deliver us from the state of apostasy, sin and misery, and to bring us unto himself through a perfect salvation.This the ensuing particulars will fully manifest.

The qualifications of this high priest are expressed, first, indefinitely in the word Tolos. A difference from other high priests is included herein. He must not be one of an ordinary sort, but one so singularly qualified unto his work, so exalted after his work, and so discharging his work unto such ends. In all these things we stood in need of such a high priest, as was quite of another sort, order and kind, than any the church had enjoyed under the law, as the apostle expressly concludes, ver. 28.

His personal inherent qualifications are first expressed; and we shall consider, first, some things in general that are common unto them all, and then declare the especial intendment of every one of them in particular.

Such an high priest became us, as is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.

1. There is some allusion in all these things unto what was typically represented in the institution of the office of the priesthood under the law. For the high priest was to be a person without blemish, not maimed in any part of his body. He was not to marry any one that was defiled, nor to defile himself among the people. On his forehead in his ministrations, he wore a plate of gold with this inscription, "Holiness to the Lord." And no doubt but personal holiness was requir ed of him in an especial manner; for want whereof, God cast out the posterity of Eli from the priesthood. But most of these, things were only outward representations, of what was really required unto such a high priest as the church stood in need of For they were mostly external, giving a denomination unto the subject, but working no real change in it. And where they were internal, they were encompassed with such a mixture of sins, weaknesses, infirmities, and the intercision of death, as that they had no glory in comparison of what was required. All these things the apostle observes, reducing them unto two heads, namely, that they were obnoxious unto sin and death; and therefore, as they died, so they offered sacrifices for their own sins. But the church was taught by them from the beginning, that it stood in need of a high priest, whose real qualifications should answer all these types and representations of them.

2. It is possible that our apostle in this description of our high priest, designed to obviate the prejudicate opinion of some of the Hebrews concerning their Messiah. For generally they looked on him as one that was to be a great earthly prince and warrior, that should conquer many nations, and subdue all their enemies with the sword, shedding the blood of men in abundance. In opposition unto this vain and pernicious imagination, our Saviour testifies unto them, that he came not to kill, but to save and keep alive. And our apostle here, gives such a description of him in these holy, gracious qualifications, as might attest his person and work to be quite of another nature than what they desired and expected; and their frustration herein, was the principal occasion of their unbelief. See Mal. iii. 1-3.

3. I am sorry that it hath fallen from the pen of an able expositor of our own on this place, that the time when the Lord Christ was thus made a high priest for ever, and that by an oath, was after he had offered one sacrifice, not many; for the people, not for himself; once, not often; of everlasting virtue, and not effectual for some petty expiations for a time; and after he was risen, ascended, and set at the right hand of God. If by being made a high priest, only a solemn declaration of VOL. V.

being made so, is intended, these things may pass well enough. For we allow that in the Scripture, then a thing is oft-times said to be, when it is first manifested or declared. So was the Lord Christ determined to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead. But if it be intended, as the words will scarce admit of any other interpretation, that then the Lord Christ was first made a high priest after all this was performed, the whole real priesthood of Christ, and his proper sacrifice is overthrown. For it is said he was not made a high priest until after that he had offered his one sacrifice. And if it were so, then he was not a priest, when he so offered himself. But this implies a contradiction, for there can be no sacrifice where there is no priest. And therefore the Socinians, who make the consecration of the Lord Christ unto his sacerdotal office, to be by his entrance into heaven, do utterly deny his death to have been a sacrifice, but only a preparation for it, as they fancy the killing of the beast to have been of old. And the truth is, either the Lord Christ was a priest before, and in the oblation of himself on the cross, or he was never any, nor needed so to be, nor could he so be; for after he was freed from death, he had nothing to offer. And it is a strange order of things, that the Lord Christ should first offer his only sacrifice, and after that be made a priest. But the order, time, and manner of the call and consecration of the Lord Christ to his priesthood, I have elsewhere declared. Wherefore,

4. We may observe that all these qualifications of our high priest, were peculiarly necessary on the account of the sacrifice which he had to offer. They were not only necessary for him, as he was to be the sacrificer, but also as he was to be the saerifice; not only as he was to be the priest, but as he was to be the lamb. For the sacrifices were to be without blemish, as well as the sacrificers. So were we "redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot," 1 Pet. i. 19. But however the sacrifices were chosen under the law without blemish, yet were they still in their own nature, but calves, and goats, and lambs. And therefore, priests who had weaknesses and infirmities and sins of their own, might be meet enough to offer them. But here, both priest and sacrifice were to be equally pure and holy.

5. We must not pass by the wresting of this text by the Socinians; nor omit its due vindication. For they contend that this whole description of our high priest, doth not respect his internal qualifications in this world, before and in the offering of himself by his blood; but his glorious state and condition in heaven. For they fear (as well they may) that if the qualifications of a priest were necessary to him, and required in him whilst he was in this world, that then he was so indeed. He who says such a high priest became us as is holy, harmless,