2. The repetition of sacrifices, arose solely from their imperfection, as the apostle declares, chap. x. 2. And if it undeniably proved an imperfection in the sacrifices of the law, that they were repeated once every year in one place only; how great must the imperfection of the sacrifice of Christ be esteemed, if it be not effectual to take away sin, and perfect them that are sanctified, unless it be repeated every day, and that, it may be, in a thousand places!

3. To say that Christ offereth himself often, is expressly, and in terms, contradictory to the assertion of the apostle. Whatever, therefore, they may apprehend of the offering of him by their priests, yet most certain it is, that he doth not every day offer himself. But, as the faith of the church is concerned in no offering of Christ, but that which he offered himself, of himself, by the eternal Spirit, once for all; so the pretence to offer him often by the priests, is highly sacrilegious.

4. The infinite actings of the divine nature, in supporting and influencing of the human, the inexpressible operation of the Holy Ghost in him, unto such a peculiar acting of all grace, especially of zeal unto the glory of God, and compassion for the souls of men, as are inimitable unto the whole creation, were required unto the offering of himself a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour unto God. And how can a poor, sinful, mortal man, such as are the best of their priests, pretend to offer the same sacrifice unto God?

5. An unbloody sacrifice is, 1. A contradiction in itself. Ov ia, which is the only sacrifice which the apostle treats of, is victime mactatio, as well as victimæ mactatæ oblatio. It is a sacrifice by death, and that by blood-shedding; other via there never was any. 2. If it might be supposed, yet is it a thing altogether useless; for without shedding of blood, there is no remission. The rule, I acknowledge, is first expressed with respect unto legal sacrifices and oblations: yet is it used by the apostle by an argument drawn from the nature and end of those institutions, to prove the necessity of blood-shedding in the sacrifice of Christ himself for the remission of sin. An unbloody sacrifice for the remission of sin, overthrows both the law and the gospel. 3. It is directly contrary unto the argument of the apostle in the next verse; wherein he proves that Christ could not offer himself often. For he doth it by affirming, that if he did so, then must he often suffer, that is, by the effusion of his blood; which was absolutely necessary in and unto his sacrifice. Wherefore, an unbloody sacrifice, which is without suffering, whatever it be, is not the sacrifice of Christ. For if he be often offered, he must often suffer, as the apostle affirms. Nor is it unto any purpose to say, that this unbloody sacrifice of the mass, receiveth its virtue and efficacy from the

one sacrifice of Christ on the cross, as it is pleaded by the defenders of it; for the question is not what value it hath, nor whence it hath it; but whether it be the sacrifice of Christ himself or not.

To sum up the substance of this whole controversy; the sacrifice or offering of Christ was, 1. By himself alone through the eternal Spirit. 2. Was of his whole human nature as to the matter of it. He made his soul an offering for sin. 3. Was by death and blood-shedding, whereon its entire efficacy as unto atonement, reconciliation, and the sanctification of the church, do depend. 4. Was once only offered, and could be so no more, from the glory of his person, and the nature of the sacrifice itself. 5. Was offered with such glorious internal actings of grace, as no mortal creature can comprehend. 6. Was accompanied with his bearing the curse of the law, and the punishment due unto our sins; which were taken away there. by. And in all this, the human nature was supported, sustained, and acted by the divine in the same person, which gave the whole duty its efficacy and merit. That pretended in the mass is, 1. Offered by priests without him, or those which call themselves so; who, therefore, rather represent them by whom he was crucified, than himself who offered himself alone. 2. Is only of bread and wine, which have nothing in them of the soul of Christ, allowing their transubstantiation. 3. Can have no influence into the remission of sins, being confessedly unbloody; whereas, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. 4. Is often offered, that is every day, declaring a greater imperfection in it, than was in the great expiatory sacrifice of the law, which was offered only once a-year. 5. Requires unto it no grace in the offerer, but only an intention to do his office. 6. Doth in nothing answer the curse of the law, and therefore makes no atonement. Wherefore, these things are so far from being the same sacrifice, as that they are opposite, inconsistent, and the admission of the one is the destruction of the other.

Some observations we may take from the text.

Obs. I. Such is the absolute perfection of the one offering of Christ, that it stands in need of, that it will admit of, no repetition in any kind.-Hence the apostle affirms, that if it be despised or neglected, there remains no more sacrifice for sin. There is none of any other kind, nor any repetition to be made of itself; as there was of the most solemn legal sacri fices. Neither of them are consistent with its perfection. And this absolute perfection of the one offering of Christ, ariseth, 1st, From the dignity of his person, Acts xx. 28. There needs no new offering after that, wherein he who offered, and who was offered, was God and man in one person. The repetition

of this offering, is inconsistent with the glory of the wisdom, righteousness, holiness and grace of God; and would be utterly derogatory to the dignity of his person. 2d, From the nature of the sacrifice itself; 1. In the internal gracious actings of his soul; he offered himself unto God through the eternal Spirit. Grace and obedience could never be more glorified. 2. In the punishment he underwent, answering and taking away the whole curse of the law; any farther offering for atonement, is highly blasphemous. 3. From the love of the Father unto him, and delight in him. A3 in his person, so in his one offering, the soul of God resteth and is well pleased. 4. From its efficacy unto all ends of a sacrifice. Nothing was ever designed therein, but was at once accomplished by this one offering of Christ. Wherefore,

Obs. II. This one offering of Christ is always effectual unto all the ends of it, even no less than it was in the day and hour when it was actually offered.-Therefore, it needs no repetition, like those of old, which could affect the conscience of a sinner only for a season, and until the incursion of some new sin. This is always fresh in the virtue of it, and needs nothing but renewed application by faith, for the communication of its effects and fruits unto us. Wherefore,

Obs. III. The great call and direction of the gospel, is to guide faith, and keep it up unto this one offering of Christ, as the spring of all grace and mercy.-This is the immediate end of all its ordinances of worship. In the preaching of the word, the Lord Christ is set forth as evidently crucified before our eyes and in the ordinance of the supper especially, is it represented unto the peculiar exercise of faith.

Secondly, But we must proceed to a brief exposition of the remainder of this verse. The one offering of Christ is not here proposed absolutely, but in opposition unto the high priest of the law, whose entrance into the holy place, did not put an end unto his offering of sacrifices, but his whole service about them was to be annually repeated. This sacrifice of the high priest, we have treated of before, and shall therefore now only open these words wherein it is expressed.

1. The person spoken of is the high priest; that is, any one, every one that is so, or that was so in any age of the church, from the institution of that priesthood, unto the expiration of it: domię i nexusetus, as the high priest;' in like manner so ὥσπερ *Zez, he did.

2. It is affirmed of him, that he entereth,' sigra, in the present tense. Some think that respect is had unto the conti nuance of the temple-service at that time. He entereth, that is, he continueth so to do. And this the apostle sometimes admits of, as chap. viii. 4. But in this place, he intends no more but the constitution of the law. According unto the law he

entereth. This is that which the law requires. And hereby, as in other instances, the apostle lays before their consideration, a scheme of their ancient worship, as it was at first established, that it might be the better compared with the dispensation of the new covenant, and the ministry of Christ.

3. This entrance is limited unto the holy place," εις τα άγια. The most holy place in the tabernacle or temple, the holy place made with hands.

6

4. There is the season of their entrance, xar' auтoy, yearly. Once in an annual revolution, or the day fixed by the law, the tenth day of the month Tisri, or our September.

own.

5. The manner of his entrance was, ά xλlgw, with the blood of others;' blood that was not his own, as the Syriac expresseth it. The blood of the sacrifice of Christ, was his He redeemed the church, dia to idis diμatos, Acts xx. 28, Hereunto aλλorgiev is opposed; 78 7, other blood,' the blood of others; that is, the blood of bulls and goats offered in sacrifice; in for cum, say most expositors, which is not unusual. See 1 John v. 6. Gen. xxxii. 10. Hos. iv. 3. The meaning is, by virtue of the blood of others,' which he carried with him into the holy place.

That which is denied of Christ the antitype, is the repetition of this service, and that because of the perfection of his sacrifice, the others being repeated because of their imperfection. And we may observe, that,

Obs. IV. Whatever had the greatest glory in the old legal institutions, carried along with it the evidence of its own imperfection, compared with the thing signified in Christ and his office. The entrance of the high priest into the holy place, was the most glorious solemnity of the law. Howbeit, the annual repetition of it, was a sufficient evidence of its imperfection, as the apostle disputes in the beginning of the next chapter. VER. 20. Επει εδει αυτον πολλακις παθειν απο καταβολής κόσμο νυν δε άπαξ επι συντελεία των αιώνων, εις αθέτησιν ἁμαρτίας, бые θυσίας αύτου πεφανέρωται.

της

E is properly causal; quia, quandoquidem, quoniam. But it is generally rendered in this place by all expositors, alioquin, by concession;' if it were so that he would offer, offer himself; for otherwise.' Edu, Syr. 27, he would have been a debtor; it would have been due from him. Oportebat, oportuisset, he ought.' Пorraxis wadeiv, Vul. frequenter pali. Others, sæpe, sæpius passum fuisse, to have suffered often, more often, frequently; that is, once every year. Syriac, 280 2017, many times,' and not once only. A xαταβολής κόσμο. Vul. ab origine mundi; others, à condito mundo, 'from the foundation of the world; that is, after the entrance of sin. Ez vrtiα w αway, Syr. maby¬ nn¬na, in the

agrias, ad pecVul. ad destitutionem Пpangarai, apparuit ; Δια της θυσίας αύτε ;

end of the world.' Vul. in consummatione seculorum; sub consummationem seculorum, towards the consummation of all things,' in the fulness of time.' Eis as catum abolendum, ad abolitionem peccati. peccati. Rhem. the destruction of sin.' patefactus est, he was made manifest.' the Vulgar renders the words, per hostiam suam apparuit; which the Rhemists translate, he hath appeared by his own host;' most absurdly both as unto words and sense. Syr. at one time he offered his soul, by the sacrifice or immolation of himself.' What Qavieras doth relate unto, we must inquire in the exposition of the words.

VER. 26. For then (if otherwise) must he (he ought) often (to) have suffered since (from) the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world (in the consummation of times) hath he appeared, (been made manifest) to put away (to abolish, or for the destruction of) sin, by the sacrifice of himself.

There are sundry difficulties in these words, both as to the signification and construction of them, as also unto their sense and import, with the nature of the argument contained in them, and the things treated of. I shall not repeat the various conjectures of expositors, most of which are alien from the mind of the apostle, and easy to be refuted, if that belonged any way unto the edification of the reader. But I shall only give that account of the whole, and the several parts of it, which, according unto the best of my understanding, doth represent the mind of the Holy Ghost with perspicuity and clearness.

The verse consists of two parts.

1. A reason confirming the foregoing assertion, that Christ was not often to offer himself, as the high priest did offer sacrifice every year, when he entered into the holy place. For then must he,' &c.

2. A confirmation of that reason from the nature and end of the sacrifice of Christ, as stated in matter of fact according unto the appointment of God. But now once in the end,' &c.

In the first, we may consider, 1. The note of connexion, and of the introduction of the reason insisted on. 2. The signification or sense of the words. 3. The ground and nature of the argument contained in them.

First, The note of connexion is s, which we render, for then if it were so, namely, that Christ should often offer himself; had it been otherwise, that Christ had so offered himself so we observed that most translate the word by alioquin. Either way the intention of the apostle is expressed, which is to confirm what he had before affirmed by the introduction of a new reason of it.