pointed by the law, as those which God abhorred in themselves, Obs. XX. Whereas the apostle doth plainly distinguish and distribute all sacrifices and offerings, into those on the one side which were offered by the law, and that one offering of the body of Christ on the other side, the pretended sacrifice of the mass is utterly rejected from any place in the worship of God. Obs. XXI. God, as the sovereign lawgiver, had always power and authority to make what alteration he pleased, in the orders and institutions, of his worship. Obs. XXII. That sovereign authority is that alone which our faith and obedience respects in all ordinances of worship. After this was stated and delivered, when the mind of God was expressly declared, as unto his rejection of legal sacrifices. and offerings, TOTS, then he said;' after that, in order thereon, upon the grounds before mentioned, he said, Sacrifice,' &c. In the former words he declared the mind of God, and in the latter his own intention and resolution to comply with his will, 6 Lo, I come in order unto another way of atonement for sin, to do thy will, O God;' which words have been opened before. In the last place, he declares what was intimated and signified in this order of those things being thus spoken unto; sacrifices on the one hand, which was the first, and the coming of Christ, which was the second in this order and opposition. evident, It is 'he taketh away the 1. That these words, avaigu TO TOWTOY, first,' do intend sacrifices and offerings.' But he did not so do it immediately, at the speaking of these words, for they continued for the space of some hundreds of years afterwards; but he did so declaratively, as unto the indication of the time, namely, when the second should be introduced. 2. The end of this removal of the first, was the establishment of the second. This second, say some, is the will of God; but the opposition made before, is not between the will of God and the legal sacrifices, but between those sacrifices and the coming of Christ to do the will of God. Wherefore it is the way of the expiation of sin, and of the complete sanctification of the church by the coming, and mediation, and sacrifice of Christ, that is this second, the thing spoken of in the second place this God would establish, approve, confirm, and render unchangeable. Obs. XXIII. As all things from the beginning made way for the coming of Christ in the minds of them that did believe, so every thing was to be removed out of the way, that would hinder his coming, and the discharge of the work he had undertaken. Law, temple, sacrifices, must all be removed to give way unto his coming. So is it testified by his forerunner, Luke iii. 4. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight; and the rough ways shall be made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' So it must be in our own hearts, all things must give way unto him, or he will not come and take his habitation in them. VER. 10. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. From the whole context, the apostle makes an inference, which is comprehensive of the substance of the gospel, and the description of the grace of God which is established thereby. Having affirmed in Christ's own words, that he came to do the will of God, he shews what was that will of God which he came to do, what was the design of God in it, and the effect of it, and by what means it was accomplished; which things are to be inquired into. As, 1. What is the will of God which he intends; by which will.' 2. What was the design of it, what God aimed at in this act of his will, and what is accomplished thereby: we are sanctified.' 3. The way and means whereby this effect proceedeth from the will of God; namely, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ,' in opposition to legal sacrifices. 4. The manner of it, in opposition to their repetition; it was once for all.' But the sense of the whole will be more clear, if we consider, 6 First, The end aimed at; namely, the sanctification of the church. And sundry things must be observed concerning it. 1. That the apostle changeth his phrase of speech into the first person, we are sanctified,' that is, all those believers, whereof the gospel church-state was constituted, in opposition unto the church-state of the Hebrews, and those that did adhere unto it; so he speaks before, as also chap. iv. 3. We who have believed, do enter into rest.' For it might be asked of him, you that thus overthrow the efficacy of legal sacrifices, what have you yourselves attained in your relinquishment of them? We have, saith he, that sanctification, that dedication to God, that peace with him, and that expiation of sin, that all those sacrifices could not effect. And observe, Obs. XXIV. Truth is never so effectually declared, as when it is confirmed by the experience of its power in them that believe it, and make profession of it. This was that which gave them the confidence which the apostle exhorts them to hold fast and firm unto the end. Obs. XXV. It is a holy glorying in God, and no unlawful boasting, for men openly to profess what they are made partakers of by the grace of God, and blood of Christ.-Yea, it is a necessary duty for men so to do, when any thing is set up in competition with them, or opposition unto them. Obs. XXVI. It is the best security in differences in and about religion, (such as these wherein the apostle is engaged, the greatest and highest that ever were) when men have an internal experience of the truth which they do profess. 2. The words he useth are in the preterperfect tense, so, and relate not only unto the things, but the time of the offering of the body of Christ. For although all that is intended herein, did not immediately follow on the death of Christ, yet were they all in it, as the effects in their proper cause, to be produced by virtue of it, in their times and seasons; and the principal effect intended, was the immediate consequent thereof. 3. This end of God, through the offering of the body of Christ, was the sanctification of the church; we are sanctified.' The principal notion of sanctification in the New Testament, is the effecting of real internal holiness in the persons of them that do believe, by the change of their hearts and lives. But the word is not here so to be restrained, nor is it used in that sense by our apostle in this epistle, or very rarely. It is here plainly comprehensive of all that he hath denied unto the law, priesthood and sacrifices of the Old Testament, with the whole church-state of the Hebrews under it, and the effects of their ordinances and services. As, 1. A complete dedication unto God, in opposition unto the typical one, which the people were partakers of by the sprinkling of the blood of calves and goats 2. A complete church-state for the upon them, Exod. xxiv. celebration of the spiritual worship of God, by the administration of the Spirit, wherein the law could make nothing perfect. 3. Peace with God upon a full and perfect expiation of sin, which he denies unto the sacrifices of the law, ver. 1—4. 4. Real, internal purification or sanctification of our natures and persons, from all inward filth and defilement of them; which he proves at large that the carnal ordinances of the law could not effect of themselves, reaching no farther than the purification of the flesh. 5. Hereunto also belong the privileges of the gospel, in liberty, boldness, immediate access unto God, the means of that access by Christ our high priest, and confidence therein; in opposition unto that fear, bondage, distance, and exclusion from the holy place of the presence of God, which they All these things are comprised in this of old were kept under. expression of the apostle, we are sanctified.' The designation of such a state for the church, and the present introduction of it by the preaching of the gospel, is that whose confirmation the apostle principally designs in this whole discourse; the sum whereof he gives us, chap. xi. 40. God having provided some better thing for us, that threy without us should not be made perfect.' Secondly, The whole fountain and principal cause of this state, this grace, is the will of God, even that will which our Saviour tendered to accomplish; by which will we are sanctified.' In the original it is, in which will;' in for by: which is usual. Wherefore, we say properly, by which will,' for it is the supreme efficient cause of our sanctification, that is intended. And in that expression of our Saviour, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God,' it is evident, 1. That it was the will, that is, the counsel, the purpose, the decree of God, that the church should be sanctified. 2. That our Lord Christ knew that this was the will of God, the will of the Father, in whose bosom he was. And 3. That God had determined, which he also knew and declared, that legal sacrifices could not accomplish and make effectual, this his will, so as the church might be sanctified thereon. Wherefore, the will of God here intended, (as was intimated before) is nothing but the eternal, gracious, free act or purpose of his will, whereby he determined or purposed in himself, to recover a church out of lost mankind, to sanctify them unto himself, and to bring them unto the enjoyment of himself hereafter. See Eph. i. 4-9. And this act of the will of God was, 1. Free and sovereign, without any meritorious cause, or any thing that should dispose him thereunto without himself; he purposed in himself. There are every where, blessed effects ascribed to it, but no cause any where. All that is designed unto us in it, as unto the communication of it in its effects, were its effects, not its cause. See Eph. i. 4. and this place. The whole mediation of Christ, especially his death and suffering, was the means of its accomplishment, and not the procuring cause of it. 2. It was accompanied with infinite wisdom, whereby provision was made for his own glory, and the means and way of the accomplishment of his will. He would not admit the legal sacrifices, as the means and way of its accomplishment, because they could not provide for those ends, for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin.' 3. It was immutable and irrevocable; it depended not upon any condition in any thing or persons without himself; he purposed in himself;' nor was it capable of any change or alterations from oppositions or interveniencies. 4. It follows hereon, that it must be infallibly effectual, in the actual accomplishment of what was designed in it, every thing in its order and season; it cannot in any thing be frustrated or disappointed. The whole church in every age, shall be sanctified by it. This will of God, some would have not to be any internal act of his will, but only the things willed by him, namely, the sacrifice of Christ; and that for this reason, because it is opposed to legal sacrifices, which the act of God's will cannot be. But the mistake is evident, for the will of God here intended, is not at all opposed unto the legal sacrifices, but only as to the means of the accomplishment of it, which they were not, nor could be. Obs. XXVII. The sovereign will and pleasure of God, acting itself in infinite wisdom and grace, is the sole, supreme, original cause of the salvation of the church, Rom. ix. 10, 11. verse, Thirdly, The means of accomplishment, and making effectual of this will of God, is the offering of the body of Christ Jesus. Some copies after yαoμevol soμev, read of, and then the sense must be supplied by the repetition of you, in the close of that who by the offering of the body of Christ were once sanctified.' But there is no colour for this supply, for the word ' once,' doth directly respect the offering of Christ, as the following verses, wherein it is explained, and the dignity of this sacrifice thence demonstrated, do prove. Wherefore this article belongs not to the text, for it is not in the best copies, nor is taken Why, and in what sense the sacrinotice of in our translation. fice of Christ is called the offering of his body, was before declared. And by which,' die Tas, refers not to the cause of our sanctification, which is the will of God, but to the effect itself. Our sanctification is wrought, effected, accomplished by the offering of the body of Christ. 1. In that the expiation of our sin, and reconciliation with God, were perfectly wrought hereby. dedicated 2. In that the whole church of the elect was to God; which privilege they are called into the actual participation of, through faith in the blood of Christ. 3. In that thereby all the old legal sacrifices, and all that yoke, and burden, and bondage, wherewith they were accompa4. In that he nied, are taken out of the way, Eph. ii. 15, 16. redeemed us thereby from the whole curse of the law, as given originally in the law of nature, and also renewed in the covenant of Sinai. 5. In that thereby he ratified and confirmed the new covenant and all the promises of it, and all the grace con6. In tained in them, to be effectually communicated to us. that he procured for us all grace and mercy, and received these into his own disposition in the behalf of the church, effectually to communicate them to our souls and consciences. In brief, whatever was prepared in the will of God for the good of the church, it is all communicated to us through the offering of the body of Christ, in such a way as tendeth to the glory of God, and the assured salvation of the church. This offering of the body of Christ, is the glorious centre of all the counsels of the wisdom of God, of all the purposes of his will for the sanctification of the church. For, 1. No other way or means could effect it. 2. This will do it infallibly, for Christ |