burned without the camp; and this belonged to sinofferings only. 3. The end of this offering was, that he might sanctify the people; this was (finis operis & operantis) the end of what was done, and of him who did it; (wa) that, hath respect to the final cause; and the object of the work wrought is the people; that is, all the elect people of God, both Jews and Gentiles, 1John ii, 2. 4. That which he designed and accomplished for this people, was their sanctification; and it is here manifest, by the respect his blood had to the great sacrifice of expiation, that it signifies to have atonement made. 5. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ designed for his church, and he did it by his own blood, Acts xx, 28; Rev. i, 5; an evidence of the unspeakable worth and value of this offering, and whereon ali its efficacy doth depend. What a testimony is here of what it cost the Lord Jesus to sanctify the people; even with his own blood! §6. "Suffered without the gate;" intimating that he left the city and church state of the Jews, put an end to all acceptable sacrificing in the city and temple; that his sacrifice and its benefits were not included in the church of the Jews, but were finally extended to the whole world, 1 John ii, 2; that his death and suffering were not only a sacrifice, but a punishment for sin, the sins of the people that were to be sanctified by his blood; for he went out of the city as a malefactor, and died the death which by divine institution was a sign of the curse, Gal. iii, 13. By all these things it appears, how different our altar and sacrifice are from theirs under the law; and how necessary it is from thence that we should have a worship of another nature than what they had, wherein particular the distinction of meats should be of no use. §7. And we may hence observe; 1. The complete answering and fulfilling of all types in the person and office of Christ, testifieth the sameness and immutability of the council of God in the whole work of redemption, notwithstanding all the outward changes that have been in the institutions of divine worship; from hence it is manifest, that, in the whole, Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, to day, and for ever." 2. The church could no otherwise be sanctified, but by the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, see on chap. x, 4-7. 3. The Lord Jesus out of his incomprehensible love to his people, would spare nothing that was needful for their sanctification, their reconciliation, and dedication unto God; for he did it with his own blood. 4. The whole church is perfectly sanctified by the offering of the blood of Christ as to impetration; and it shall be so actually by the virtue of the same blood in its application. 5. When the Lord Jesus Christ carried all the sins of his own people in his body on the tree, he left the city as a type of all unbelievers under the wrath and curse of God. 6. Going out of the city as a malefactor, he bore all the reproaches that were due to the sins of the church, which was a part of the curse. VERSES 13, 14. Let us go forth therefore unto him, without the camp, bearing his reproach; for here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. §1. An exhortation to go forth without the camp. $2. To Christ, to bear his reproach. 93, 4. The reasons to enforce it, 5, 6, Observations. $1. FROM the account given of our altar in the suffering and offering of Christ, the apostle draws an exhortation to a general duty. VOL. IV. 56 "Let us go forth therefore unto him (ε Tns TapeμBoλns) without the camp." He refers, as before hinted, to the original institution in the wilderness; therefore he confines his discourse to the tabernacle, without any mention of the temple, or the city wherein it was built, though all that he speaks be equally applicable to them. Now the camp in the wilderness was that space of ground which was taken up by the tents, as they were regularly pitched about the tabernacle; out of this camp the bodies of the beasts for the sin offerings were carried and burned; and to this afterwards answered the city of Jerusalem; now the camp and city were the seat of all the political and religious converse of the Jewish church; and to be in the camp, is to have a right to all the privileges and advantages of all the commonwealth of Israel, and the whole service of the tabernacle; but here it may be asked, how were the Hebrews on account of this sacrifice of Christ, and the sanctification of the people by his own blood, to go out of this camp? It is not a local departure out of the city that is primarily intended, though I am apt to think, from the next verse, that the apostle had some respect also thereunto; but what is principally intended, is a moral and religious going forth; there was nothing that these Hebrews more valued, and more tenaciously adhered to, than their political and religious interest in the commonwealth of Israel; they could not understand upon what principle they must forsake all the glorious privileges granted of old to that church and people; this therefore the apostle clearly shews them by the suffering of Christ without the camp. §2. They were thus to "go forth unto him;" he went forth at the gate, and suffered; and we must go forth after him. And it denotes, 1. A relinquishment of all the privileges of the camp and city for his sake; leave them, and go to him. 2. A closing by faith with his sacrifice and sanctification thereby, in opposition to all the sacrifices of the law. 3. The owning of him under all that reproach and contempt which was cast upon him in his suffering without the gate; or a not being ashamed of the cross. 4. The betaking ourselves to him in his office, as the king, priest, and prophet of the church, for our acceptance with God, and in his worship, ver. 15. "Bearing his reproach;" either the reproach that was cast on his person, or the reproach that is cast on ours for his sake, see on chap. x, 33; this we bear when we patiently undergo it, and are not shaken in our minds, in what we suffer by it. The sum of all is, that we must leave all to go forth to a crucified Christ. An enforcement of this exhortation, or an encouragement to this duty, the apostle adds in the next words. §3. "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come," see on chap. xi, 10—16. Their interest in the city of Jerusalem was gone, after the Lord Jesus went without the 'gate to suffer. Now it is not said of believers absolutely, that they' belonged to no city, but that they have no continuing city. But it is spoken on other accounts. 1. They had no city that was the seat of divine worship, and to which it was confined, as it was before with respect to Jerusalem. 2. They had no city wherein they did rest, or which was the seat of their (Toλeva) conversation; Phil. iii, 20. Not such a city as contained their lot and portion. 3. They had not in this world an abiding city. Whatever conveniences they might have for a season, yet they had no city that was to abide for ever, nor which they could for ever abide in. And probably herein the apostle shews the difference and opposition between the state of the Christian church, and that under the Old Testament; for, after they had wandered in the wilderness and elsewhere, for some ages, they were brought to rest in Jerusalem; but, saith he, with us it is not so; "but we seek one that is to come." See the description of the state of pilgrimage here intended, in the Exposition on chap. xi, 9-16. §4. "But (εlaμev) we seek one to come," with desire and diligence; not as a thing unknown, but (Tyv persoav) that city; not one indefinitely, but that which was to be their eternal habitation; to come; not merely because it was future as to their state and interest in it, but with respect to their being certain of enjoying it; for it was prepared for them, and promis ed to them. §5. And we are herein taught, 1. That all privileges and advantages whatever are to be renounced, which are inconsistent with an interest in Christ, and a participation of him, Phil. iii, 4-10. 2. It was the duty of the Hebrews to forsake those ways of worship, which were originally of divine institution, that they might wholly give up themselves to Christ, in all things pertaining to God; much more is it ours to forego all such pretences to religious worship, as are of human invention. And, 3. Whereas the camp contained not only ecclesias· tical, but also political privileges, we should be ready to forego all civil accommodations also, as houses, lands, possessions. &c. when called to give them up on the account of Christ and the gospel.` |