light of the World; the Revealer of the CHAP. Will of God in the most eminent Senfe. He V. is a propiatory Sacrificef; the Lamb of Gods: and, as he voluntarily offered himself up, he is ftiled our High-prieft. And, which feems of peculiar Weight, he is defcribed beforehand in the Old Teftament, under the fame Characters of a Prieft, and an expiatory Victim. And whereas it is objected, that all this is meerly by way of Allufion to the Sacrifices of the Mofaick Law, the Apostle on the contrary affirms, that the Law was a fhadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things: and that the Priefts that offer gifts according to the lawferve unto the example and fhadow of heavenly things, as Mofes was admonished of God, when he was about to make the tabernacle. For fee, faith be, that thou make all things according to the pattern fhewed to thee in the mount. i. e. the levitical Priesthood was a shadow of the Priesthood of Chrift; in like manner as the Tabernacle made by Mofes, was according to That fhewed him in the Mount. The Priesthood of Christ, and the Tabernacle in the Mount, were the Originals: of the for Joh. i. and viii. 12. f Rom. iii 25. and v. 11. 1 Cor. v. 7. Eph. v. 2. 1 Joh. ii. z. Matth. xxvi. 28. Joh. i. 29, 36. and throughout the Book of Revelation. Throughout the Epiftle to the Hebrews. h Dan. ix. 24. Pf. çx. 4. i Ifai. liii. * Heb. x. I. 1 viii. 4, 5. mer PART mer of which, the levitical Priefthood was a II. Type; and of the latter, the Tabernacle made by Mofes was a Copy. The Doctrine of this Epiftle then plainly is, that the legal Sacrifices were Allufions to the great and final Atonement, to be made by the Blood of Chrift; and not that This was an Allufion to Those. Nor can any thing be more express and determinate, than the following Paffage. It is not posible that the blood of bulls and of goats fhould take away Sin. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he faith, Sacrifice and offering, i. e. of bulls and of goats, thou wouldst not, but a body haft thou prepared me Lo I come to do thy will O God- -By which will we are fanctified, through the of fering of the body of Jefus Chrift once for all, And to add one Paffage more of the like Kind: Chrift was once offered to bear the Sins of many; and unto them that look for him Shall be appear the fecond time, without Sin; i. e. without bearing Sin, as he did at his first coming, by being an offering for it; without having our Iniquities again laid upon him, without being any more a Sin-offering :unto them that look for him shall be appear the fecond time, without fin, unto falvation". do the infpired Writers at all confine themfelves to this Manner of fpeaking concerning the Satisfaction of Chrift; but declare an Ef• ix. 28. Heb. x. 4, 5, 7, 9, 10. Nor ficacy in what he did and fuffered for us, ad- CHAP. ditional to and beyond meer Inftruction, Ex- V. ample and Government, in great Variety of Expreffion: That Jefus fhould die for that nation the Jews: And not for that nation only, but that alfo, plainly by the Efficacy of his Death, he should gather together in one, the children of God that were scattered abroad° : That be fuffered for fins, the just for the unjuft: That he gave his life, himself, a ranfom: That we are bought, bought with a price: That be redeemed us with his blood; redeemed us from the curfe of the law being made a curfe for us: That he is our Advocate, Interceffor and Propitiation: That be was made perfect, or confummate, through Sufferings: and being thus made perfect, he became the author of falvation": That God was in Chrift reconciling the World to himself; by the death of his Son, by the cross; not imputing their trefpaffes unto them: And lastly, that through death he deftroyed him that had the power of death*. Christ then having thus bumbled himself, and become obedient to death, even the death of the cross; God also hath PAR Thighly exalted him, and given him a name II. which is above every name: bath given all ~ things into his hands: bath committed all judgment unto him; that all Men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. For, worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, heard I, faying, Bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. These Paffages of Scripture feem to comprehend and exprefs the chief Parts of Christ's Office, as Mediator between God and Man, fo far, I mean, as the Natu. e of this his Of fice is revealed; and it is ufually treated of by Divines under three Heads. First, He was, by way of Eminence, The Prophet: That Prophet that should come into the world, to declare the divine Will. He published anew the Law of Nature, which Men had corrupted; and the very Knowledge of which to fome Degree, was loft among them. He taught Mankind, taught us authoritatively to live foberly, righteously and godly y Phil. ii. 8, 9. John iii. 35. and v. 22, 23. . in this prefent World, in expectation of the CHA P. future Judgment of God. He confirmed the V. Truth of this moral Syftem of Nature, and gave us additional Evidence of it; the Evidence of Teftimony. He diftinctly revealed, the Manner in which God would be worfhipped, the Efficacy of Repentance, and the Rewards and Punishments of a future Life. Thus he was a Prophet in a Senfe, in which no other ever was. To which is to be added, that he fet us a perfect Example that we should follow his Steps. Secondly, He has a Kingdom which is not of this World. He founded a Church, to be to Mankind a standing Memorial of Religion, and Invitation to it; which he promised to be with always even to the End. He exercifes an invisible Government over it, himself, and by his Spirit: Over that Part of it, which is militant here on Earth, a Government of Difcipline, for the perfecting of the faints, for the edifying his body: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect Man, unto the measure of the ftature of the fullness of Chrift. Of this Church, all Perfons fcattered over the World, who live in Obedience to his Laws, are Members. For thefe he is gone to prepare a Place, and will come again Eph. iv. 12, 13. p. 212, &c. с to |