his blood, and peace with God for sinners thereon. See 2 Cor. v. 19, 20. Eph. ii. 14-16.

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

chap. vii. 11.

'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 do they 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 obsti nately 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. As 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 princi

pal 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,

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 τελειοτέρας oxnews. These words may have prospect to what is afterwards declared 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 Schlictingius, who labours much in the explanation of it. But 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 in heaven. For as the apostle hath in one and the same place, described a double tabernacle here on earth, a first and a second, with their utensils and services, distinguished the one from the other by a vail, so there are two places in heaven answering thereunto. The first of these he would have to be the dwell ing place of the angels; the other the place of the throne of God himself, represented by the most holy place in the tabernacle. Through the first of these, he says, the Lord passed into the second, which is here called his tabernacle. And it is indeed said, that the Lord Christ in his exaltation, did pass through the heavens, and that he was made higher than the heavens, which would seem to favour that conceit, though not observed by him.

But there is no ground to fancy such distinct places in heaven above, yea it is contrary to the Scripture so to do. For. the residence of the holy angels is before and about the throne. of God. So are they always placed in the Scripture, Dan. vii. 10. Mat. xviii. 10. Rev. v. 11. And these aspectable heavens which Christ passed through, were not so much as the vail of the tabernacle in his holy service, which was his own flesh, chap. x. 20. The only reason of this ungrounded curious imagination, is a design to avoid the acknowledgment of the sacrifice of Christ whilst he was on the earth. For this cause, he refers this tabernacle to his entrance into the most holy place, as the only means of offering himself. But the design of the apostle is to shew, that as he was a high priest, so he had a tabernacle of his own wherein he was to minister to God.

This tabernacle whereby he came a high priest, was his own human nature. The bodies of men are often called their tabernacles, 2 Cor. v. 1. 2 Pet. i. 14. And Christ called his own body the temple, John ii. 19. His flesh was the vail, Heb. x. 20.; and in his incarnation, he is said to pitch his tabernacle among us, John i. 14. Herein dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily,' Col. ii. 9. that is, substantially; represented by all the pledges of God's presence in the tabernacle of old. This was that tabernacle, wherein the Son of God administered his sacerdotal office in this world, and wherein he continueth yet so to do in his intercession. For the full proof hereof, I refer the reader to our exposition on chap. viii. 2. And this gives us an understanding of the description given of this tabernacle, in the adjuncts of it, with reference to that of old. This is given us, First, Positively, in a double comparative property.

1. That it was greater,' moves, than it. Greater in dignity and worth, not quantity and measures. The human nature of Christ, both in itself, its conception, framing, gracious

qualifications and endowments, especially in its relation to, and subsistence in the divine person of the Son, was far more excellent and glorious than any material fabric could be. In this sense, for comparative excellency and dignity, is my almost constantly used in the New Testament. So is it in this epistle, chap. vi. 13. 16. The human nature of Christ doth thus more excel the old tabernacle, than the sun doth the meanest star.

2. More perfect, Turgas. This respects its sacred use. It was more perfectly fitted and suited unto the end of a tabernacle, both for the inhabitation of the divine nature, and the means of exercising the sacerdotal office in making atonement for sin, than the other was. So it is expressed, ch. x. 5. Sacrifice and burnt-offering thou wouldst not have, but a body hast thou prepared me.' This was that which God accepted, wherewith he was well pleased, when he rejected the other as insufficient unto that end. And we may hence observe, that,

Obs. V. The human nature of Christ, wherein he discharged the duties of his sacerdotal office in making atonement for sin, is the greatest, the most perfect and excellent ordinance of God, far excelling those that were most excellent under the Old Testament. It was an ordinance of God, in that it was what he designed, appointed and produced, unto his own glory. And it was that which answered all ordinances of worship under the Old Testament, as the substance of what was shadowed out in them and by them. I have laboured elsewhere to represent the glory of this ordinance, as the principal effect of divine wisdom and goodness, the great means of the manifestation of his eternal glory. The wonderful provision of this tabernacle, will be the object of holy admiration unto eternity. But the glory of it is a subject which I have elsewhere peculiarly laboured in the demonstration of. And unto the comparison with those of old here principally intended, its excellency and glory may be considered in these as in other things. 1. Whatever they had of the glory of God in type, figure and representation, that it had in truth, reality and substance. 2. What they only shadowed out as unto reconciliation and peace with God, that it did really effect. 3. Whereas they were capable only of a holiness by dedication and consecration, which is external, giving an outward denomination, not changing the nature of the things themselves; this was glorious in real internal holiness, wherein the image of God doth consist. 4. The matter of them all was earthly, carnal, perishing. His human nature was heavenly as unto its original-the Lord from heaven; and immortal or eternal in its constitution-he was made a priest after the power of an endless life; for although he died once for sin, yet his whole nature had always its entire subsistence in the person of the Son of God. 5. Their relation unto God, was by virtue of an outward institution or word of command only; that

of his, was by assumption into personal union with the Son of God. 6. They had only outward typical pledges of God's presence in him dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 7. They were exposed unto the injuries of time, and all other outward occurrences, wherein there was nothing of the glory or worship of God. He never did nor would suffer any thing, but what belonged unto his office, and is now exalted above all adversities and oppositions. And other considerations of the like nature might be added.

Obs. VI. The Son of God undertaking to be the high priest of the church, it was of necessity that he should come by, or have a tabernacle, wherein to discharge that office. He came by a tabernacle.' So it is said unto the same purpose, that it was of necessity that he should have somewhat to offer, ch. viii. 3. For being to save the church by virtue of, and in the discharge of that office, it could not be otherwise done, than by the sacrifice of himself, in and by his own tabernacle.

Secondly, He describes this tabernacle by a double negation: 1. That it was not made with hands. 2. That it was not of this building. And this latter clause is generally taken to be exegetical of the former only, and that because of its introduction by τετεστιν, 'that is to say.' I shall consider both.

1. It was gots, not made with hands.' The old tabernacle, whilst it stood, was the temple of God. So it is constantly called by David in the Psalms. Temples were generally sumptuous and glorious fabrics, always answering the utmost ability of them that built them; not to have done their best therein, they would have esteemed irreligious. For they designed to express somewhat of the greatness of what they worshipped, and to beget a veneration of what was performed in them. And this men, in the degenerate state of Christianity, are returned unto, endeavouring to represent the greatness of God, and the holiness of his worship, in magnificent structures, and costly ornaments of them. Howbeit, the best of them all were made by the hands of men, and so were no way meet habitations for God, in the way he had designed to dwell among us. This Solomon acknowledgeth concerning the temple which he had built, which yet was the most glorious that ever was erected, and built by God's own appointment. 2 Chron. ii. 5, 6. The house which I build, is great; for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven, and heaven of heavens, cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?' And, 1 Kings viii. 27. Will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee: how much less this house that I have builded! Service was to be done unto God in that temple, according unto his appointment, but a meet habitation for him i