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Chap. 7. could not make the comers thereunto perfect, Hebr. 10. I. The blood of bulls and goats could not take away fin, v. 4. Still there was a confcience of fin, and a remembrance of it every year, v. 2, 3. Hence God reprobated all thofe facrifices, and would have none of them; they were not rejected for the hypocrifie of the offerer, as they were Isa. 1.12, 13; nor comparatively as being in the outward work lefs than mercy, Hof.6.6: But they were rejected as not able to do the great work, to expiate fin; they were to vanish as Clouds before the Sun, as Types before the substance. But when Chrift gave himself an offering and a facrifice to God for a fweet-smelling favour, Ephef. 5. 2, there was a penal, total expiation of fin not the flesh but the Confcience was purged, not ceremonial, but Moral guilt was done away. Thus the Apoftle, comparing his Sacrifice with the legal ones, faith, The blood of Chrift, who through the eternal Spirit offered up himself without spot to God, shall purge your confcience from dead works to ferve the living God, Heb. 9. 14. Emphatica omnia, & totidem pene caufæ, quot verba, æternæ utpåsew; per Chriftum parte, faith the worthy Paraus; all things in the Text are Emphatical, and there are almost as many caufes,as words, of the eternal redemption obtained by Christ. He of fered, not as the Gentiles to Devils, but to God; he offered, not as the Priest under that Law, a Sacrifice diftinct from himself, but he offered himself: the thing offered and the Prieft, beyond all parallel, were one and the fame. He offered, not as the deceiver, a corrupt thing, Mal. 1. 14; but his pure and innocent felf, in whom there was no fpot or blemish. He offered up himself, not meerly through an human spi

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rit, but through a Divine Eternal one; through his Chap. 7. Divinity, which aspired an eternal vigor and fragrancy into his Sacrifice, fo that it needed not, as the legal ones, any reiteration: for, as the Apostle hath it, be hath by one offering perfected for ever them that are fandlified, Heb. 10. 14. This is that great Sacrifice, more than all other facrifices, which fatisfied Justice, expiated moral guilt, averted the wrath of Heaven, and procured an eternal redemption for us.

Further, Christ was not only the fubftance of the facrifices, but of the High-Priests alfo. He hath the true holy garments, the graces of the Spirit the true Urim and Thummim, lights and perfections. His girdle is Truth, his golden bells pure Doctrine, his anointing the Spirit and Power. He entred not with the blood of Goats and Calves into the Holy of Holies here below, but with his own blood into Heaven, there to appear in the prefence of God, and bear the names of his people upon his heart. He is an HighPriest above all high-priefts; not a meer man, but God, whofe Deity poured out an infinite virtue upon his Sacrifice.He was not made an High-Priest only, but made fuch by an oath; The Lord fware,Thou art à Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedeck, Hebr.' 7. 21. The Aaronical Priesthood was temporary and of less moment, but Christs was unchangeable and of far greater moment; hence God pawned his Holinefs, Life, Being it felf, to make it immutable for ever. Other high-priests died as men; but Christ, though he died as a Sacrifice, yet as an High-Prieft he lives for ever: hence the Apostle faith, That he was a Prieft after the power of an endless life, Heb. 7. 16. His Deity made him an everliving Prieft, and tranf

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Chap. 7. fused an endless life of merit into his Sacrifice. He is confecrated for evermore, Heb. 7. 28. He is a perfec Prieft, the efficacy of his Sacrifice is perpetual: the holy Unction on his head is indeficient, and ever running down upon believers. This is the great HighPriest, the fubftance of all those under the Law. Lastly: The truth of Gods Worship is fet forth in and by Christ. Though the truth and fincerity of Worship were required under the Law; though external Worship as well as internal, be due under the Gospel; yet the truth of Worship was never fo excellently fet forth, as it is in and by Chrift. This appears in three or four things.

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[1. The matter of Worship is now more free and pure than it was; the clog of Ceremonies and ritual obferv. ances,is now removed. Under the Law there was abundance of Carn Ordinances,a great number of Sacrifices, Circumcifions, Wafhings, Purifyings, Fringes, Festivals, Travels to the Temple,and diftinctions of meats; but in and by Chrift the yoke is broken, the carnal Ordinances cease, and all is turned into fpirituality. Our Sacrifice is to present and confecrate our felves to God, which is a fervice highly reasonable, and indeed no other than the right pofture of the foul towards him. Our Circumcifion is in the fpirit, and a cutting off the corrupt flesh of it. Our Washing is that of Regeneration and Reformation. Our Purifying is that of Faith, which purifies the heart by the Blood and Spirit of Chrift apprehended by it. Our Fringes are no outward ones, thofe being fupplied by the Law in the heart. Chrift is our Paísover; the Holy Spirit poured out, our Pentecoft. Our Feaft is Ta Sebra agárler, to do our duty, as one

faith: To delight in works of Virtue, as another Chap. 7. hath it. There is now no tye to this or that place : Omnis locus viro bono templum, Every place is a Temple to a good man ; Every-where we may lift up holy hands to God. Nor any distinctions of meat; To the pure all things are pure. The Levitical uncleanness in beafts, did fhadow out the moral uncleanness in men: Quod Judæi vitabant in pecore, id nos vitare oportet in more; What the Jews avoided in the beast, that we are to avoid in our converfation. If there be no difcretion of things in us, the beaft doth not part the hoof; if no heavenly rumination, it doth not chew the cud. An idle perfon is a fish without fins or fcales, feldom in motion. An earthly man is a creeping thing, that goes upon his belly, and feeds on duft. Thus in and by Chrift Religion is refined, the load of carnal and ritual obfervations is caft off, and Worship is brought forth in its pure and fpiritualglory.

2. The mode of Worship is excellently fet forth in the Gospel. God, who is a Spirit, must be served as becomes him, in fpirit and truth: There must be a lowlinefs and humility of mind, a reverence and godly fear, an elevation and devotional ascension of the foul to God, a filial love and obedience to his command, a single eye, a pure intention at his glory, a divine fervour and freedom of fpirit in the work, a faith in the great Mediator for acceptance, a waiting and holy expectancy upon God, that he would bless his own Ordinance, and irradiate the duty with the light of his countenance. It's true, this mode of Worship was known under the Old Teftament; but it was never fo illuftrioully fet forth

as

Chap. 7.

as by our Saviour Jefus Chrift. As a Painter, faith Theophylact, doth not deftroy the old lineaments, but only make them more glorious and beautiful; fo did Christ about the Law, by his pure difcoveries he put a glofs and glory upon the Divine Worship.

3. The help to Worship is communicated in and by Jefus Christ. The Holy Spirit, which first newframes the heart for pure fpiritual Worship, and then ftirs up and actuates the holy Graces in it, is more largely afforded under the Gospel than ever it was before. Under the Law there were fome dews and droppings of it in the Jewish Church; but under the Gofpel it is poured out upon all flesh. It was a Judaical axiom, The Divine Majefty dwells in none without the Land of Ifrael. But after Jesus Christ had by his sweet-fmelling Sacrifice purchased the Spirit, and in the glory of his Merits had afcended into Heaven, he shed forth the Spirit in a rich and abundant measure upon all forts of men, Jews and Gentiles: Into what place foever the Gospel comes, there the Spirit is at work to frame new creatures, and fet them in motion, that God may be ferved, not in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the spirit; that his Worship under the gales and fweet influences of the Spirit may come forth, as it ought, in its life and pure fpirituality.

4. The great motive to Worship, the reward of eternal life, was never fo manifefted as it was by Jefus Chrift. It's true, holy men of old had fome glimmerings of it; Abraham fought after an heavenly Country; Jacob waited for Gods falvation; Mofes had refpect to the recompence of Reward; Job fpeaks of feeing God in his flesh; the believing-Jews

could

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