profession of Christianity, it must be allowed, it was one of the principal obstacles to their entering into the true spirit of it. The apostles discovered, for a long time, a great deal of indulgence to those, who were misled by their prejudice. St. Paul, a perfect model of that Christian indulgence and toleration, which the consciences of erroneous brethren require, became, to the Jews. a Jew; and far from affecting to degrade the ceremonies of the law, observed them with a scrupulous exactness himself. But when it was perceived, as it soon was, that the attachment of the Jews to the ceremonies of the law, and particularly to sacrifices, was injurious to the sacrifice of the cross, the apostles thought it their duty vigorously to oppose such dangerous prejudices, and this is the design of the epistle to the Hebrews, in which St. Paul establisheth his thesis, I mean the inutility of sacrifices, on four decisive arguments. The first is taken from the nature of the sacrifices. The second is derived from the declarations of the prophets. The third is inferred from types. And the last arises from the excellence of the Gospel-victim. my It is not possible, says the apostle immediately before. text, that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin, Heb. x. 4. this is as much as to say, the blood of irrational victims is not of value sufficient to satisfy the justice of God, righteously expressing his displeasure against the sins of intelligent creatures. This is an argument, taken from the nature of sacrifices. Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant, that I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, chap. viii. 8, 9. This is an argument taken from the decisions of the prophets. Jesus Christ is a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech. For this Melchisedech, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also, king of Salem, which is king of peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually. The law was a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, T 2 chap. chap. vii. 17, 1, &c. and x. 1. This is an argument taken from types. The argument taken from the excellence of the victim runs through this whole epistle, and has as many parts as there are characters of dignity in the person of Jesus Christ, and in his priesthood. The first character of dignity is this. Jesus Christ is neither a mere man, nor an angel, he is the Son of God, the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person. He upholds all things by the word of his power, chap. i. 3. and of him when he came into the world, it was said, Let all the angels of God worship him, ver. 6. He, in a word, hath the perfections of a supreme God, and to him the Psalmist rendered the homage of adoration, when he said, Thy throne, O God! is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou, Lord! in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old, as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail, ver. 8, &c. The solemnity of the instituting of Jesus Christ is a second character of dignity. Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest: but it was God, who said unto him, Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten thee, chap. 7. 5. The sacred oath, that accompanies the promises, which Jesus Christ alone fulfils, is a third character of dignity. When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely, blessing, I will bless thee, chap. vi. 14. The priests, under the law, were made without an oath: but this with an oath, by him that said unto him, The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech, chap. vii. 21. The unity of the priest and the sacrifice is a fourth character of dignity. They truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, ver. 23, 24. The fifth character of dignity is the magnificence of that tabernacle, into which Jesus Christ entered, and the merit of that blood, wnich obtained his access into it. The first covenant covenant had a worldly sanctuary, chap. ix. 1. into the first room of which the priest went always, accomplishing the service of God; and into the second the high-priest alone went once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people. But Christ, being come a high-priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, neither by the blood of bulls and calves, but by his own blood, entered not into holy places made with hands, which were figures of the true: but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us, chap. x. 6, 7, 11, 12, 24. To what purpose are Levitical sacrifices, of what use are Jewish priests, what occasion have we for hecatombs, and offerings, after the sacrifice of a victim so excellent? My text contains one of the most essential doctrines of christianity, that Jesus Christ offered himself for us to the justice of his Father. This is a doctrine, the evidences of which we all receive with joy; a doctrine, the, enemies of which we consider with horror; a doctrine, of which we have the highest reason to be holily jealous, because it is the foundation of that confidence, with which we come boldly to the throne of Grace, throughout life, and in the article of death: but a doctrine, however, that will be intirely useless to us, unless, while we take Jesus Christ for our Redeemer, we take him also for our example. The text is not only the language of Jesus Christ, who substitutes himself in the place of Old-Testament sacrifices: but it is the voice of David, and of every believer, who, full of this just sentiment, that a personal dedication to the service of God is the most acceptable sacrifice, that men can offer to the Deity, devote themselves entirely to him. How foreign soever this second sense may appear from the first, there is nothing in it, that ought to surprize you. This is not the only passage of holy scripture, which contains a mystical as well as a literal signification, nor is the first time in which the dispositions of inspired men have been emblems of those of the Messiah. Let us justify this second sense of our text. Come, my brethren, adopt the words, say with the prophet, and thus prepare yourselves for the celebration of the festival of the nativity, which is just at hand, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not: but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure then said I, Lo! I come, as it is written in the vo lune lume of the book, to do thy will, O God! This is the second part, or rather the application of this discourse. II. God willeth not sacrifices. The meaning of these words is easily understood, I presume. They signify, that the only offering, which God requires of us, is that of our persons. Recollect a distinction, which we made a little while ago, to justify the first sense of the text, and which is equally proper to explain the second. There is in God a twofold will, a willing of means, and a willing of an end. If the word will be taken in the first sense, it cannot be said, God willeth, or desireth, not sacrifices. He appointed them as means to conduct us to that end, which he intended, that is, to the offering of our persons. I have been delighted to find this idea developed in the writings of those very Jews, who of all men have the strongest inclination to exceed in respect for the ceremonial of religion. I have my eye on a work of a Rabbi, the most respectable, and the most respected, of all, who are so called, I mean Moses Maimonides. The book is entitled, A guide to doubting souls*. Under how many faces does he present this distinction? On what solid foundation does he take care to establish it? I should weaken the arguments of this learned Jew by abridging them, and I refer all, who are capable of reading it, to the book itself. You understand then in what sense God demands only the sacrifice of your persons. It is what he wills as the end; and he will accept neither offerings, nor sacrifices, nor all the ceremonies of religion, unless they contribute to the holiness of the person, who offers them. Let us not rest in these vague ideas: but let us briefly close this discourse by observing, 1. The nature of this offering. 2. The necessity of it. 3. The difficulties. 4. The delights, that accompany it; and lastly, its reward. 1. Observe the nature of this sacrifice. This offering includes our whole persons, and every thing, that providence hath put in our power. Two sorts of things may be distinguished in the victim, of which God requires the sacrifice; the one bad, the other good. We are engaged in vicious habits, we are carried away with irregular propensities, we are slaves to criminal passions; all these are our bad things. We are capable of knowledge, meditation, and love; we * More Nevochim. possess possess riches, reputation, employments, and so on; these are our good things. God demands the sacrifice of both these. Say to God in both senses, Lo! I come to do thy will, O God! Whatever you have of the bad, sacrifice to God, and consume it in spiritual burnt-offering. Sacrifice to him the infernal pleasure of slander. Sacrifice to him the brutal passions, that enslave your senses. Sacrifice to him that avarice, which gnaws and devours you. Sacrifice to him that pride, and presumption, which swell a mortal into imaginary consequence, disguise him from himself, make him forget his original dust, and hide from his eyes his future putrefaction. But also sacrifice your good things to God. You have genius. Dedicate it to God. Employ it in meditating on his oracles, in rectifying your own ideas, and in diffusing through the world by your conversation and writing the knowledge of this adorable Being. You have the art of insinuating your opinions into the minds of men. Devote it to God, use it to undeceive your acquaintances, to open their eyes, and to inspire them with inclinations more worthy of immortal souls, than those which usually govern them. You have credit. Dedicate it to God, strive against your own indolence, surmount the obstacles, that surround you, open your doors to widows and orphans, who wish for your protection. You have a fortune. Devote it to God, use it for the succour of indigent families, employ it for the relief of the sick, who languish friendless on beds of infirmity, let it help forward the lawful desires of them, who, hungring and thirsting for righteousness, wander in the deserts of Hermon, and pour out these complaints on the hill Mizar, As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God! My soul thirsteth for God, Psal. xlii. 6, 1, &c. My flesh crieth out for thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my king, and my God, Psal. lxxxiv. 2, 3. Having observed the nature of that offering, which God requires of you, consider next the necessity of it. I will not load this article with a multitude of proofs. I will not repeat the numerous declarations, that the inspired writers have made on this subject. I will neither insist on this of Samuel, To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams, 1 Sam. xv. 22. Nor on this of the psalmist, Unto the wicked, God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant |