innocency of Chrift's perfon, but that there is in him a perfect and fufficient righteoufnefs for the juftification of his people, fuch as the Father approves of, and does, and will eternally acquiefce in: And when it is added, ye fee me no more, that clause seems to have a peculiar emphafis in it, and to direct us to that fenfe of the foregoing words which I have mentioned. The high priest under the law, when he had finifhed his work, flain the facrifice, carried the blood of it into the holy of holies, fprinkled it towards the mercy-feat, and fo made the fulleft expiation for fin, which that difpenfation would admit of, was feen again: He came out of the holy of holies, and upon the return of the year was feen to go in again. But our Lord Jefus, our great High Priest over the house of God, having by the one oblation of himself made full atonement for fin, and been accepted of God in it, was feen no more; he did not, as he needed not, return to add any thing to the one facrifice of his death, to make it more complete and perfect than it was: For, this man after he had offered one facrifice for fins, for ever fat down on the right-hand of God.For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified, Heb. X. 12, 14. As the Apostle in the foregoing chapter, when fhewing the fuperior excellency of the priesthood of Chrift to that of all the priefts under the law, reprefents his entring once into Heaven, as an evidence of the complete virtue of his death for the expiation of fin, and the redemption of his people, Heb. ix. 11, 12. But Chrift being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not : not made with hands, that is to fay, not of this building neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entred in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. And this is of fo much importance to eftablish our faith in the fufficiency and acceptance of the one facrifice of the death of Chrift, that he brings it over again in the moft exprefs manner, in the 24th, 25th, and 26th verfes of the fame chapter. For Chrift is not entred into the boly places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the prefence of God for us: Not yet that he bould offer himself often, as the high priest entreth into the holy place every year with blood of others: (for then muft he often have fuffered `fince the foundation of the world) but now once in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put a way fin by the facrifice of himself. I would add hereto, that I cannot but think, that this is what the Apostle defigned to fuggeft, Heb. viii. 4. when defcribing the priesthood of Chrift, as having every thing in it, that was of neceffary use in the priesthood under the law, he adds, that if he were on earth he fhould not be a priest, feeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. Nor that we are to confine Chrift's priesthood to what he tranfacts in Heaven, in exclufion of the great and important acts of it, which were compleated in the oblation of himself upon the cross; as the Socinians do, who deny the doc. trine of fatisfaction, own no oblation of Chrift, but what is made in Heaven; we must shut our eyes against the most glaring light of scripture, to to exclude Chrift's fhedding his blood upon the crofs from being a part of his priestly office: But when the Apoftle fays, that if Chrift were on earth he fbould not be a prieft; his meaning is, either that if he had always remained on earth without going to Heaven at all, we fhould have wanted one great evidence, which we now have, that he had offered up a perfect and acceptable facrifice to God, conformably to what was done by the priests under the Jewish difpenfation; or elfe that he could not have entered upon the full difcharge of his priestly office, one branch of which lies in making interceffion for his people *, as it was a known part of the miniftry of the high priest, when he carried the blood of the facrifice on the great day of atonement into the holy of holies, to fprinkle it before the ark, and fo to offer it up with the prayers of the people, and to intercede for them. But now being entered into Heaven he hath, as the Jewish priefts had under the law, fomething to offer; for what is Chrift's interceffion, but the prefenting or exhibiting the merit of his death and facrifice on the behalf of his people? And as the prevalence and fuccefs of Chrift's interceffion depend fo much upon the excellency and efficacy of his facrifice, what a clear and evident proof is this, that the death of Chrift was a proper and perfect fatisfaction for fin, and that God accepted it as fuch, for otherwife would it be the ground and plea of his interceffion? And this very bleffing, which the believer enjoys in the virtue of Chrift's interceffion, will at the fame time be an evidence dence of the value and efficacy of his death, and of its acceptablenefs to God. And fo the Apoftle, in the feventh chapter of this epiftle, where he reprefents Christ as a priest of a fuperior order to Aaron; not made after the law of a car. nal commandment, but after the power of an endless life; a priest, as he stiles him, for ever af ter the order of Melchizedec, and that hath an unchangeable priesthood, what neither needs nor admits of a fucceffor: When he comes to give us the proper inference from these feveral reprefentations, he does it in establishing his complete and abfolute all-fufficiency to fave; verfe 25. Wherefore he is able, alfo to fave them to the uttermoft, that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them. The priesthood of Chrift drew into it every thing that was valuable and important in the priesthood of Aaron and Melchifedec, and in fome things differed from them both, particularly in this, that he offered himself: as the Apoffle farther obferves, verfe 27. who needeth not daily, as thofe high priests, to offer up facrifice, first for his own fins, and then for the peoples for this he did once when he offered up himself. He was himfelf both prieft and facrifice; and fuch a facrifice offered up by such a prieft, and whofe virtue is renewed, as it were, in his interceffion, how acceptable muft it be with God, and how effectual for the expiation of fin, and for the perfected falvation of all that apply to God in and through him? He may ask what he will, he can afk nothing but what he hath purchased, and fhall never be denied. In fhort, by Chrift's facrifice offered up upon the crofs, a tonement tonement was made; and by Christ's facrifice prefented to God in Heaven, the atonement is applied made effectual for all the purposes for which it was defigned. Hence the Apostle, when fpeaking of the fecurity which the elect have in the death of Chrift from condemnation, puts a much rather upon it, when he comes to look to his refurrection, afcenfion, and interceffion, Rom. viii. 34. "Who is he that condemn'eth? It is Chrift that died, yea, rather that is 'rifen again, who is even at the right hand of 、 God, who also maketh interceffion for us.' I have been the more particular in tracing out the Apoftle's way of reafoning, when reprefenting the efficacy and acceptablenefs of the death of Chrift for our pardon and justification, because the more we examine into it, with the more force and beauty it will appear: whilst we fhall fee at the fame time, how the securing and perfecting these bleffings was uniformly carried on, with the full acceptance of God through all Chrift did and fuffered on earth, and is ftill doing in Heaven. And now, to bring what has been offered upon this head to a point; has God confidered as the fupreme Lord and Judge of all, fo many ways teftified his acceptance of Chrift's righteoufnefs, as a full provifion for his own glory, and every ways effectual for the purpofes for which his children want it, what a firm and fure foundation muft this lay for its being imputed to us, and for our receiving the full advantage of it? If it were not accepted of God, in vain do we plead it, and trust in it: But God's acceptance and approbation concurring, the believer has as full a claim in it, and it is as much |