mh_parser/vol_split/58 - Hebrews/Chapter 8.xml

<div2 id="Heb.ix" n="ix" next="Heb.x" prev="Heb.viii" progress="77.73%" title="Chapter VIII">
<h2 id="Heb.ix-p0.1">H E B R E W S.</h2>
<h3 id="Heb.ix-p0.2">CHAP. VIII.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Heb.ix-p1">In this chapter the apostle pursues his former
subject, the priesthood of Christ. And, I. He sums up what he had
already said, <scripRef id="Heb.ix-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.1-Heb.8.2" parsed="|Heb|8|1|8|2" passage="Heb 8:1,2">ver. 1, 2</scripRef>.
II. He sets before them the necessary parts of the priestly office,
<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.3-Heb.8.5" parsed="|Heb|8|3|8|5" passage="Heb 8:3-5">ver. 3-5</scripRef>. And, III.
Largely illustrates the excellency of the priesthood of Christ, by
considering the excellency of that new dispensation or covenant for
which Christ is the Mediator, <scripRef id="Heb.ix-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.6-Heb.8.13" parsed="|Heb|8|6|8|13" passage="Heb 8:6-13">ver.
6, to the end</scripRef>.</p>
<scripCom id="Heb.ix-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8" parsed="|Heb|8|0|0|0" passage="Heb 8" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Heb.ix-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.1-Heb.8.5" parsed="|Heb|8|1|8|5" passage="Heb 8:1-5" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Heb.8.1-Heb.8.5">
<h4 id="Heb.ix-p1.6">The Priesthood of Christ. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Heb.ix-p1.7">a.
d.</span> 62.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Heb.ix-p2">1 Now of the things which we have spoken <i>this
is</i> the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right
hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;   2 A
minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the
Lord pitched, and not man.   3 For every high priest is
ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore <i>it is</i> of
necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.   4 For
if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there
are priests that offer gifts according to the law:   5 Who
serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was
admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for,
See, saith he, <i>that</i> thou make all things according to the
pattern showed to thee in the mount.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p3">Here is, I. A summary recital of what had
been said before concerning the excellency of Christ's priesthood,
showing what we have in Christ, where he now resides, and what
sanctuary he is the minister of, <scripRef id="Heb.ix-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.1-Heb.8.2" parsed="|Heb|8|1|8|2" passage="Heb 8:1,2"><i>v.</i> 1, 2</scripRef>. Observe, 1. What we have in
Christ; we have a high priest, and such a high priest as no other
people ever had, no age of the world, or of the church, ever
produced; all others were but types and shadows of this high
priest. He is adequately fitted and absolutely sufficient to all
the intents and purposes of a high priest, both with respect to the
honour of God and the happiness of men and himself; the great
honour of all those who have an interest in him. 2. Where he now
resides: <i>He sits on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
on high,</i> that is, of the glorious God of heaven. There the
Mediator is placed, and he is possessed of all authority and power
both in heaven and upon earth. This is the reward of his
humiliation. This authority he exercises for the glory of his
Father, for his own honour, and for the happiness of all who belong
to him; and he will by his almighty power bring every one of them
in their own order to the right hand of God in heaven, as members
of his mystical body, that where he is they may be also. 3. What is
that sanctuary of which he is a minister: <i>Of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord hath pitched, and not man,</i> <scripRef id="Heb.ix-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.2" parsed="|Heb|8|2|0|0" passage="Heb 8:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>. The tabernacle which was
pitched by man, according to the appointment of God. There was an
outer part, in which was the altar where they were to offer their
sacrifices, which typified Christ dying; and there was an interior
part within the veil, which typified Christ interceding for the
people in heaven. Now this tabernacle Christ never entered into;
but, having finished the work of satisfaction in the true
tabernacle of his own body, he is now a minister of the sanctuary,
the holy of holies, the true tabernacle in heaven, there taking
care of his people's affairs, interceding with God for them, that
their sins may be pardoned and their persons and services accepted,
through the merit of his sacrifice. He is not only in heaven
enjoying great dominion and dignity, but, as the high priest of his
church, executing this office for them all in general, and every
member of the church in particular.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p4">II. The apostle sets before the Hebrews the
necessary parts of Christ's priesthood, or what it was that
belonged to that office, in conformity to what every high priest is
ordained to, <scripRef id="Heb.ix-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.3-Heb.8.4" parsed="|Heb|8|3|8|4" passage="Heb 8:3,4"><i>v.</i> 3,
4</scripRef>. 1. <i>Every high priest is ordained to offer gifts
and sacrifices.</i> Whatever was brought by the people to be
presented to God, whether expiatory sacrifices, or peace-offerings,
or thank-offerings, must be offered by the priest, who was to
expiate their guilt by the blood of the sacrifice, and perfume
their gifts and services by his holy incense, to render their
persons and performances typically acceptable; so then it
necessarily belongs to the priesthood of Christ that he should have
somewhat to offer; and he, as the antitype, had himself to offer,
his human nature upon the altar of his divine nature, as the great
atoning sacrifice that finished transgression, and made an end of
sin once for all; and he has the incense of his own righteousness
and merits too to offer with all that his people offer up to God by
him, to render them acceptable. We must not dare to approach to
God, or to present any thing to him, but in and through Christ,
depending upon his merits and mediation; for if we are accepted, it
is in the Beloved. 2. Christ must now execute his priesthood in
heaven, in the holy of holies, the true tabernacle which the Lord
hath fixed. Thus the type must be fully answered; having finished
the work of sacrificing here, he must go into heaven, to present
his righteousness and to make intercession there. For, (1.) <i>If
Christ were on earth, he would not be a priest</i> (<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p4.2" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.4" parsed="|Heb|8|4|0|0" passage="Heb 8:4"><i>v.</i> 4</scripRef>), that is, not according
to the Levitical law, as not being of the line of that priesthood;
and so long as that priesthood continued there must be a strict
regard paid to the divine institution in everything. (2.) All the
services of the priest, under the law, as well as every thing in
that tabernacle which was framed according to the pattern in the
mount, were only exemplars and shadows of heavenly things,
<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p4.3" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.5" parsed="|Heb|8|5|0|0" passage="Heb 8:5"><i>v.</i> 5</scripRef>. Christ is the
substance and end of the law for righteousness. Something therefore
there must be in Christ's priesthood that answers to the high
priest's entering within the veil to make intercession, without
which he could not have been a perfect priest; and what is this but
the ascension of Christ into heaven, and his appearance there in
the sight of God for his people, to present their prayers, and
plead their cause? So that, if he had still continued on earth, he
could not have been a perfect priest; and an imperfect one he could
not be.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Heb.ix-p4.4" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.6-Heb.8.13" parsed="|Heb|8|6|8|13" passage="Heb 8:6-13" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Heb.8.6-Heb.8.13">
<h4 id="Heb.ix-p4.5">The Old and New Covenant. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Heb.ix-p4.6">a.
d.</span> 62.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Heb.ix-p5">6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent
ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant,
which was established upon better promises.   7 For if that
first <i>covenant</i> had been faultless, then should no place have
been sought for the second.   8 For finding fault with them,
he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
  9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of
the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I
regarded them not, saith the Lord.   10 For this <i>is</i> the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write
them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall
be to me a people:   11 And they shall not teach every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for
all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.   12 For I
will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more.   13 In that he saith, A
new <i>covenant,</i> he hath made the first old. Now that which
decayeth and waxeth old <i>is</i> ready to vanish away.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p6">In this part of the chapter, the apostle
illustrates and confirms the superior excellency of the priesthood
of Christ above that of Aaron, from the excellency of that
covenant, or that dispensation of the covenant of grace, of which
Christ was the Mediator (<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.6" parsed="|Heb|8|6|0|0" passage="Heb 8:6"><i>v.</i>
6</scripRef>): his ministry is more excellent, by how much he is
the Mediator of a better covenant. The body and soul too of all
divinity (as some observe) consist very much in rightly
distinguishing between the two covenants—the covenant of works and
the covenant of grace; and between the two dispensations of the
covenant of grace—that under the Old Testament and that under the
New. Now observe,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p7">I. What is here said of the old covenant,
or rather of the old dispensation of the covenant of grace: of this
it is said, 1. That it was made with the fathers of the Jewish
nation at mount Sinai (<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.9" parsed="|Heb|8|9|0|0" passage="Heb 8:9"><i>v.</i>
9</scripRef>), and Moses was the Mediator of that covenant, when
God took them by the hand, to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
which intimates the great affection, condescension, and tender care
of God towards them. 2. That this covenant was not found faultless
(<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p7.2" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.7-Heb.8.8" parsed="|Heb|8|7|8|8" passage="Heb 8:7,8"><i>v.</i> 7, 8</scripRef>); it was a
dispensation of darkness and dread, tending to bondage, and only a
schoolmaster to bring us to Christ; it was perfect in its kind, and
fitted to answer its end, but very imperfect in comparison of the
gospel. 3. That it was not sure or stedfast; <i>for the Jews
continued not in that covenant, and the Lord regarded them not,</i>
<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p7.3" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.9" parsed="|Heb|8|9|0|0" passage="Heb 8:9"><i>v.</i> 9</scripRef>. They dealt
ungratefully with their God, and cruelly with themselves, and fell
under God's displeasure. God will regard those who remain in his
covenant, but will reject those who cast away his yoke from them.
4. That it is decayed, grown old, and vanisheth away, <scripRef id="Heb.ix-p7.4" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.13" parsed="|Heb|8|13|0|0" passage="Heb 8:13"><i>v.</i> 13</scripRef>. It is antiquated,
canceled, out of date, of no more use in gospel times than candles
are when the sun has risen. Some think the covenant of peculiarity
did not quite decay till the destruction of Jerusalem, though it
was forfeited at the death of Christ, and was made old, and was now
to vanish and perish, and the Levitical priesthood vanished with
it.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p8">II. What is here said of the New-Testament
dispensation, to prove the superior excellency of Christ's
ministry. It is said,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p9">1. That it is a better covenant (<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p9.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.6" parsed="|Heb|8|6|0|0" passage="Heb 8:6"><i>v.</i> 6</scripRef>), a more clear and
comfortable dispensation and discovery of the grace of God to
sinners, bringing in holy light and liberty to the soul. It is
without fault, well ordered in all things. It requires nothing but
what it promises grace to perform. It accepts of godly sincerity,
accounting it gospel perfection. Every transgression does not turn
us out of covenant; all is put into a good and safe hand.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p10">2. That it is established upon better
promises, more clear and express, more spiritual, more absolute.
The promises of spiritual and eternal blessings are in this
covenant positive and absolute; the promises of temporal blessings
are with a wise and kind proviso, as far as shall be for God's
glory and his people's good. This covenant contains in it promises
of assistance and acceptance in duty, promises of progress and
perseverance in grace and holiness, of bliss and glory in heaven,
which were more obscurely shadowed forth by the promises of the
land of Canaan, a type of heaven.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p11">3. It is a new covenant, even that new
covenant that God long ago declared he would make with the house of
Israel, that is, all the Israel of God; this was promised in
<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p11.1" osisRef="Bible:Jer.31.31-Jer.31.32" parsed="|Jer|31|31|31|32" passage="Jer 31:31,32">Jer. xxxi. 31, 32</scripRef>, and
accomplished in Christ. This will always be a new covenant, in
which all who truly take hold of it shall be always found preserved
by the power of God. It is God's covenant; his mercy, love, and
grace moved for it; his wisdom devised it; his Son purchased it;
his wisdom devised it; his Son purchased it; his Spirit brings
souls into it, and builds them up in it.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p12">4. The articles of this covenant are very
extraordinary, which are sealed between God and his people by
baptism and the Lord's supper; whereby they bind themselves to
their part, and God assures them he will do his part; and his is
the main and principal part, on which his people depend for grace
and strength to do theirs. Here,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p13">(1.) God articles with his people <i>that
he will put his laws into their minds and write them in their
hearts,</i> <scripRef id="Heb.ix-p13.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.10" parsed="|Heb|8|10|0|0" passage="Heb 8:10"><i>v.</i> 10</scripRef>.
He once wrote his laws to them, now he will write his laws in them;
that is, he will give them understanding to know and to believe his
law; he will give them memories to retain them; he will give them
hearts to love them and consciences to recognize them; he will give
them courage to profess them and power to put them in practice; the
whole habit and frame of their souls shall be a table and
transcript of the law of God. This is the foundation of the
covenant; and, when this is laid, duty will be done wisely,
sincerely, readily, easily, resolutely, constantly, and
comfortably.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p14">(2.) He articles with them to take them
into a near and very honourable relation to himself. [1.] He will
be to them a God; that is, he will be all that to them, and do all
that for them, that God can be and do. Nothing more can be said in
a thousand volumes than is comprehended in these few words: <i>I
will be a God to them.</i> [2.] They shall be to him a people, to
love, honour, observe, and obey him in all things; complying with
his cautions, conforming to his commands, comporting with his
providences, copying out his example, taking complacency in his
favour. This those must do and will do who have God for their God;
this they are bound to do as their part of the contract; this they
shall do, for God will enable them to do it, as an evidence that he
is their God and that they are his people; for it is God himself
who first founds the relation, and then fills it up with grace
suitable and sufficient, and helps them in their measure to fill it
up with love and duty; so that God engages both for himself and
them.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p15">(3.) He articles with them that they shall
grow more and more acquainted with their God (<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p15.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.11" parsed="|Heb|8|11|0|0" passage="Heb 8:11"><i>v.</i> 11</scripRef>): <i>They shall all know me from
the least to the greatest,</i> insomuch that there shall not be so
much need of one neighbour teaching another the knowledge of God.
Here observe, [1.] In the want of better instruction, one neighbour
should be teaching another to know the Lord, as they have ability
and opportunity for it. [2.] This private instruction shall not be
so necessary under the New Testament as it was under the Old. The
old dispensation was shadowy, dark, ritual, and less understood;
their priests preached but seldom, and but a few at a time, and the
Spirit of God was more sparingly given out. But under the new
dispensation there shall be such abundance of public qualified
preachers of the gospel, and dispensers of ordinances statedly in
the solemn assemblies, and so great a flocking to them, as doves to
their windows, and such a plentiful effusion of the Spirit of God
to make the ministration of the gospel effectual, that there shall
be a mighty increase and spreading of Christian knowledge in
persons of all sorts, of each sex, and of all ages. O that this
promise might be fulfilled in our days, that the hand of God may be
with his ministers, that a great number may believe and be turned
to the Lord!</p>
<p class="indent" id="Heb.ix-p16">(4.) God articles with them about the
pardon of their sins, as what always accompanies the true knowledge
of God (<scripRef id="Heb.ix-p16.1" osisRef="Bible:Heb.8.12" parsed="|Heb|8|12|0|0" passage="Heb 8:12"><i>v.</i> 12</scripRef>):
<i>For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,</i> &amp;c.
Observe, [1.] The freeness of this pardon. It does not result from
merit in man, but from mercy in God; he pardons for his own name's
sake. [2.] The fullness of this pardon; it extends to their
unrighteousness, sins, and iniquities; to all kinds of sin, to sins
highly aggravated. [3.] The fixedness of this pardon. It is so
final and so fixed that God will remember their sins no more; he
will not recall his pardon; he will not only forgive their sins,
but forget them, treat them as if he had forgotten them. This
pardoning mercy is connected with all other spiritual mercies.
Unpardoned sin prevents mercy, and pulls down judgments; but the
pardon of sin prevents judgment, and opens a wide door to all
spiritual blessings; it is the effect of that mercy that is from
everlasting, and the earnest of that mercy that shall be to
everlasting. This is the excellency of the new dispensation, and
these are the articles of it; and therefore we have no reason to
repine, but great reason to rejoice that the former dispensation is
antiquated and has vanished away.</p>
</div></div2>