SERMON XI The true Chriftian Doctrine of the HEB. ix. 24. For Chrift is not entered into the holy places made with bands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the prefence of God for us. T HE boly places made with bands, here SER M. fpoke of, are the holy places of the XI. tabernacle built by Moses; and more particularly the holy of holies, or the most holy place, into which none was to enter but the High-Prieft; and he neither but once in a year, on the great day of expiation, when he carried in the blood of the anniversary facrifice of expiation to make atonement for himfelf and the people. This he calls a figure of the true holy place, that holy of holies was a type or representation of heaven; and the confequence here drawn in this and the foregoing verfe is, that as it was neceffary thofe patterns of SER M.of things in the heavens fhould be purified XI. with those legal facrifices, fo heaven itself, which was reprefented by it, fhould be purified by the blood of Chrift. The only obfcurity in this discourse of the Apostle is the import of that phrase of purifying the places; the priest's making atonement for the holy place, and anfwerable to this, the blood of Chrift purifying the heavens, when neither of them are polluted: But the meaning is no more than this, that atonement was to be made for the fins of thofe people who would have polluted that place, in cafe they had been admitted without fuch expiation; and accordingly whilft the High-Prieft was making the atonement, the people were not suffered to come within the tabernacle. In the whole procefs of this difcourfe, the scope and design of the Apostle is to fhew how the High-Prieft, the anniversary facrifice of expiation, and the holy of holies were all types and reprefentatives; that they were but fhadows, and patterns, and figures of things true and real: The High-Prieft was a type of Chrift; the great facrifice of expiation a type of the body of Chrift offered on the crofs; the holy of holies a pattern of the highest heavens, where the more immediate presence of God is: And the yearly entrance of the High-Priest into the most holy place, to fprinkle the blood of the facrifice that was offered for the fins of the people; and fo to make atonement for them, them, was a figure or reprefentation of Christ'sS E R M. entering into the highest heavens, once for XI. ever, to make application of the infinite virtue of that facrifice of himself for our falvation; to appear in the presence of God, as the HighPriest did, to make atonement and interceffion for us: And this the Apostle observes he performs for us, after a more excellent and effectual manner, as his priesthood was so much fuperior to that which was only representative of him. For Chrift, &c. All this is fo plain and obvious to any one who reads this epiftle without prejudice, that it could hardly enter into a man's thoughts that it was capable of any other interpretation; and yet the Socinians give it all quite another turn: they can't flatly deny his priestly office, but they make as little of it as they can. As for the anniversary facrifice of expiation, they allow it to be a type of Chrift; but the oblation of himself they will not allow to be made upon the crofs but in heaven by which they would at once evade the virtue and merits of that facrifice here on earth, and the application of it now in heaven by any real interceffion through the power and efficacy of it. Intending now, from this text, to discourse of that mysterious work of our Saviour's in our behalf now he is entred into the true tabernacle, heaven itself, to appear in the prefence of God for us; I fhall first give a true account of the Socinian doctrine in this point, XI. SER M. from their beft authors; because this may be a happy occafion of a greater infight into this part of the of the great mystery of our redemption, and give us a more exact and comprehensive knowledge of it. As it hath been ever a quality peculiar to the gofpel, the more it is obfcured with the darkness of errour, it after breaks out with a more glorious light: And this I am perfuaded will, in God's good time, be the confequence of Socinianism, the thickest cloud that ever overspread the whole face of Christianity. In order to speak more plainly of our Saviour's interceffion, it will be neceffary first to obferve what they hold concerning his Priesthood. ; They unanimoufly deny that he was a Prieft at all before his afcenfion into heaven which I am not to fpeak to now, because it hath not fo near a relation to my present fubject. They own that after his afcenfion he is a Prieft, not really and properly fo; but metaphorically, and by way of allufion: Est figuratus dicendi modus cum Chriflus Sacerdos vocatur, fays Socinus ( on 1 John ii. 12.) And Crellius, in answer to Grotius, who infifted upon a true and proper priesthood, fays fi boc vult fcripturam vocem facerdotis proprie de Chrifto ufurpare, nec ullum huic appellationi Chrifto tributa fubeffe tropum, fallitur : And Volkelius, that fubtile manager of the whole cause, ; caufe, argues, that no writer of the New Tefta-S E R M. ment gives Chrift the title of Prieft, but the XI. author of this epiftle to the Hebrews: And furely fays he, f Chriftus propriè facerdotis perfonam fuftineret, they would never have paffed over a thing of that moment in filence (Volke. lib. iii. Cap. 38.) and in an another place affirms that he is called a Prieft, figurato analogicoque dicendi genere. And here they triumph, and well they may, for they have given any man a hard task who will go about to prove that our Saviour, now in heaven, is any other than a Prieft by analogy. It is this gives thofe men that advantage in this, as well as in other parts of this mystery of our redemption; they give us things to prove. that are impoffible; and when we fail of it, then they think their confequences true. All that is yet afferted is fo far from being difproved, that it is to be granted them. No doubt there is a figure and analogy at the bottom of this matter, but they have fatally mif taken it. And therefore, now we are to confider wherein this trope, and figure, and analogy which they dwell fo much upon confifts. They fay the allufion is all to his kingly office, which they contend to be proper and not figurative, he having received all power in heaven and earth: But he is faid to be a Prieft only in allufion to that; and there is no real difference between his kingly and priestly office. When the author to the Hebrews, fays VOL. I. U Volkelius, |