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times Christ, sometimes Jesus Christ, sometimes the Son, and sometimes the Son of God. And he had respect herein, to the various notions which the church of the Jews had concerning his person, from the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament. And he useth none of them peculiarly, but when there is a peculiar reason for it; as we have already observed on sundry occasions. And so there is in this place. He doth not say, Jesus is come, or the Son, or the Son of God, but Christ being come; that is, the Messiah being come. Under that name and notion was he promised from the beginning, and the fundamental article of the faith of the church was, that the Messiah was to come; all their desires and expectations were fixed on the coming of the Messiah. Hence, & Epxouevos, he that was to come,' was the name whereby they expressed their faith in him, συ ει ὁ ερχομενος, Matt. xi. 3, 'Art thou he who is to come?' And the coming of Christ or the Messiah, was the time and the cause, wherein and whereby they expected the last revelation of the will of God, and the utmost perfection of the church. Wherefore, the apostle on this occasion mentions him by his name, he who was promised of old that he should come, upon whose coming the faith of the church was built, by whom, and at whose coming, they expected the last revelation of the will of God, and consequently a change in their present administrations, the promised Messiah being come. The church was founded of old on the name Jehovah, as denoting the unchangeableness and faithfulness of God in the accomplishment of his promises, Exod. vi. 3. And this name of Christ is declarative of the accomplishment of them. Wherefore, by calling him by this name, as it was most proper when he was to speak of his coming, so in it, he reminds the Hebrews of what was the ancient faith of their church concerning him, and what in general they expected on his coming. He had now no more to offer unto them, but what they had for many ages expected, desired, and earnestly prayed for.

2. As a general foundation of what is afterwards ascribed to him, or as the way whereby he entered on his office, he affirms that he is come, 'Christ being come,' Tapayεvoμevoç. The word is nowhere else used to express the advent or coming of Christ. Hence by the Vulgate, it is rendered, 'assistens,' which as it doth not signify to come, so the sense is corrupted by it. The Rhemists render that translation, but Christ assisting a high priest.' But this increaseth the ambiguity of the mistake of that translation, as not declaring that Christ himself was this high priest, which is the direct assertion of the apostle. That which is intended is the accomplishment of the promise of God, in the sending and exhibition of Christ in the flesh, he being now come, according as was promised from the foundation of the world. For although the word is inseparable in its construction with what followeth, 'a high priest;' being come a high priest,' yet his coming itself in order to the susception and discharge of that office is included in it. And on this coming itself depended the demonstration of the faithfulness of God in his promises. And this is the great fundamental article of Christian religion in opposition to Judaism, as it is declared, 1 John iv. 2, 3. Wherefore, by his being come in this place, no one single act

is intended, as his advent or coming doth usually signify his incarnation only. But the sense of the word is comprehensive of the whole accomplishment of the promise of God in sending him, and his performance of the work whereunto he was designed thereon. In that sense is he frequently said 'to come,' or to be come,' 1 John v. 20.

And, as was before observed, there is not only argument herein to the apostle's design, but that which being duly weighed, would fully determine all the controversy he had with these Hebrews. For all their legal administrations were only subservient to his coming, and were representations thereof, all given in confirmation of the truth of the promises of God, that so he should come. Wherefore on his coming they must all necessarily cease and be removed out of the church.

3. There is in the words a determination of the especial end of his coming, which is the subject under present consideration; aoxipEVC, 'a high priest;' being come a high priest,' that is, in answer to, and in the room of the high priest under the law. This states the subject of the apostle's argument. He had before proved that he was to be a priest, that he was a priest, and how he came so to be. He now asserts it as the foundation of those actings, which he was to ascribe to him, in answer to those of the legal high priests, whose offices and services, with the effects of them, he had before declared. Those high priests did so, but Christ being come a high priest,' &c.

4. He adds the especial object of his office, or the things about which he is conversant in the discharge of it, των μελλόντων αγαθών, ' of the good things to come.' As the assertion is positive, so there is a comparison and opposition included in it. The high priests of the law were not so. They were not priests of good things, that is, absolutely, or such as were necessary to the purification, sanctification, and justification of the church; and so far as they were priests of good things, they were so of good things present, not of the good things promised, that were to come. And this is the force of the article Twv, of the good things,' namely, that God had promised to the church. A priest, or a high priest, may be said to be the priest of the things that he doth in the execution of his office; or of the things which he procureth thereby. He is the priest of his duties and of the effects of them. As a minister may be said to be a minister of the word and sacraments which he administereth, or of the grace of the gospel which is communicated thereby. Both are here included; both the duties which he performed, and the effects which he wrought.

The things whereof Christ is a high priest, are said to be things to come;' that is, they are yet so, absolutely so; or they were so called with respect to the state of the church under the old testament. Most expositors embrace the first sense; these good things to come, they say, are that future eternal salvation and glory which were procured for the church by the priesthood of Christ, and were not so by the Levitical priesthood. To the administration of the priesthood under the law, he assigns only things present, temporal things, as to what could be effected by them in their own virtue and power. But to that of Christ he assigns eternal things, as he speaks immediately, he hath procured for us eternal redemption. The eternal salvation and glory of the

church was procured by the priesthood of Christ, or Christ himself in the discharge of that office, and were not so by the Levitical priests. These things are true, but not the meaning, at least not the whole meaning of the apostle in this place. For,

First. This confines the relation of the priesthood of Christ in this place, to the effects of it only, and excludes the consideration of his sacerdotal actings in the great sacrifice of himself; for this was not now to come, but was already past and accomplished. But this is so far from being excluded by the apostle that it is principally intended by him. This is evident from the words ensuing, wherein the tabernacle is described in which he was thus a high priest of good things to come; for this was his human nature wherein he offered himself, as we shall

see.

Secondly. He doth not in this place, compare together and oppose the future state of glory which we shall have by Christ, with and to the state of the church in this world under the old testament, which were not equal, nor would be cogent to his purpose, seeing the saints of old were also made partakers of that glory. But he compares the present state of the church, the privileges, advantages, and grace which it enjoyed by the priesthood of Christ, with what it had by the Aaronical priesthood. For the fundamental principle which he confirms, is, that the Teλewals, or 'present perfection' of the church, is the effect of the priesthood of Christ.

Wherefore the apostle expresseth these things, by that notion of them which was received under the old testament and in the church of the Hebrews; namely, the good things to come. That is, they were so from the beginning of the world, or the giving of the first promise. Things which were fore-signified by all the ordinances of the law, and which thereon were the desire and expectation of the church in all preceding ages. The things which all the prophets foretold, and which God promised by them, directing the faith of the church to them. In brief, all the good things in spiritual redemption and salvation, which they looked for by the Messiah, are here called 'the good things to come. Of these things Christ was now come the high priest; the law having only the shadow, and not so much as the perfect image of them, ch. x. 1. And these things may be referred to two heads.

First. Those wherein the actual administration of his office did. consist. For, as we said, he was the high priest of the duties of his own office; he by whom they were performed. These in general were his oblation and intercession; for although his intercession be continued in heaven, yet was it begun on the earth, as his oblation was offered on the earth; but it is continued in heaven, as to the perpetual exercise of it. The whole preparation to, and actual oblation of himself, was accompanied with most fervent and effectual intercessions, ch. v. 7. And such was his solemn prayer, recorded John xvii. These things themselves, in the first place, were the good things to come.' For they were designed in, and formed the substance of the first promise, as also of all those which were afterwards given, for the confirmation of the faith of the church therein. These did all the legal institutions direct to and represent. And that they are here intended by the apostle,

he plainly declares in the next verse; for with respect to these good things to come, he opposeth our Lord's own blood and sacrifice, with the atonement he made thereby, to the blood of bulls and of goats, with whatever could be effected thereby.

Secondly. The effects of these sacerdotal actings are also intended. For these also are reckoned hereunto in the close of the next verse, in the instance of one of them; namely, eternal redemption, which is comprehensive of them all. And these also were of two sorts.

1. Such as immediately respected God himself. Of this nature was the atonement and reconciliation which he made by his blood, and peace with God for sinners thereon. See 2 Cor. v. 19, 20; Eph. ii. 14-16.

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2. The benefits which hereon are actually collated on the church, whereby it is brought into its consummated state in this world. they are we have discoursed at large on ch. vii. 11.

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These, therefore, are the good things to come,' consisting in the bringing forth and accomplishing the glorious effects of the hidden wisdom of God,' according to his promises from the beginning of the world, in the sacrifice of Christ, with all the benefits and privileges of the church, in righteousness, peace, and spiritual worship, which ensued thereon. And we may observe,

Obs. I. These things alone were the true and real good things that were intended for and promised to the church, from the beginning of the world. The Jews had now utterly lost the true notion of them, which proved their ruin; and yet they do continue in the same fatal mistake to this day. They found that great and glorious things were spoken of by all the prophets, to be brought in at the coming of the Messiah. And the hope of good things to come they lived on, and continue yet so to do. But being carnal in their own minds, and obstinately fixed on the desire of earthly things, they fancied them to consist in things quite of another nature. Honour, riches, power, a kingdom and dominion on the earth, with a possession of the wealth of all nations, were the good things which they hoped were to come. to reconciliation and peace with God, by a full and perfect atonement for sin, righteousness, deliverance from spiritual adversaries, with a holy worship acceptable to God; these are things which they neither desired nor regarded. Wherefore, choosing the world and the things of it, before those which are spiritual and heavenly, to the world they are left, and the curse which it lieth under. And it is to be feared, that some others also have deceived themselves with carnal apprehensions of the good things, if not of the priesthood, yet of the kingdom of Christ.

Obs. II. These things alone are absolutely good to the church, all other things are good or evil, as they are used or abused.—Outward peace and prosperity are good in themselves, but oftentimes they prove not so to the church. Many a time have they been abused to its great disadvantage. They are not such things as are too earnestly to be desired; for who knows what will be the end of them? But these things are absolutely good in every state and condition.

Obs. III. So excellent are these good things, that the performance

and procuring of them was the cause of the coming of the Son of God, with his susception and discharge of his sacerdotal office.-They are excellent in their relation to the wisdom, grace, and love of God, whereof they are the principal effects; and excellent in relation to the church, as the only means of its eternal redemption and salvation. Had they been of a lower or meaner nature, so glorious a means had not been designed for the effecting of them. Woe to them by whom they are despised. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?' And,

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Obs. IV. Such a price and value did God put on these things, so good are they in his eyes, that he made them the subject of his promises to the church, from the foundation of the world. And in all his promises concerning them, he still opposed them to all the good things of this world, as those which were incomparably above them and better than them all. And therefore he chose out all things that are precious in the whole creation, to represent their excellency, which makes an appearance of promises of earthly glories in the Old Testament, whereby the Jews deceived themselves. And because of their worth, he judged it meet to keep the church so long in the desire and expectation of them.

5. That to which the apostle hath immediate respect, in the declaration of the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, is what he had newly at large declared, concerning the tabernacle and the service of the high priest therein. Wherefore he assigns a tabernacle to this high priest, in answer to that under the law whereby he came, or wherein he administered the duties of his office. And concerning this he asserts, First. That he came by a tabernacle. Secondly. He describes this tabernacle in comparison with the former; 1. Positively, that it was greater and more excellent; 2. Negatively, in that being not made with hands, it was not of the same building with it.

First. He came by a tabernacle, δια της μείζονος και τελειότερας Knung. These words may have prospect to what is afterwards deelared in the next verse, and belong thereunto. As if he had said, 'Being come a high priest, he entered into the holy place by a perfect tabernacle with his own blood;' for so the high priest of the law entered into the holy place, by or through the tabernacle, with the blood of others. But the words do rather declare the constitution of the tabernacle intended, than the use of it, as to that one solemn service; for so before he had described the frame and constitution of the old tabernacle, before he mentioned its use.

'Being come a high priest by such a tabernacle;' that is, wherein he administered that office. What is the tabernacle here intended, there is great variety in the judgment of expositors. Some say it is the church of the New Testament, as Chrysostome, who is followed by many. Some say it is heaven itself. This is embraced and pleaded for by Slichtingius, who labours much in the explanation of it. whereas this is usually opposed, because the apostle in the next verse affirms that Christ entered into the holies, which he expounds of heaven itself, by this tabernacle, which therefore cannot be heaven also, he endeavours to remove it. For he says there is a double tabernacle

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