are safe; and if we depart from it, we shall be hurried and carried about through innumerable uncertainties into ruin.

7. And we see, that those who consider any thing but grace, as the only means to establish their hearts in peace with God, shall in vain exercise themselves in other things and ways to that end.

VERSE 10.

We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

$1. The direct design of the words. §2. Our altar, what. $3. On what ground, and in what respect, they who serve the tabernacle have no right to partake of our altar. §4. Observations.

§1. THE design of the context, and coherence of the words, have in general been spoken to before; having asserted the only way of the establishment of the heart in peace with God, and the uselessness of all distinction of meats to that purpose, he here declareth the foundation of the truth; for whereas the sole ground of all distinction of meats, and other ceremonies among the Jews, was the altar in the tabernacle, with its nature, use, and services, he lets them know that "we have an altar" and services quite of another kind than those which arose from the altar of old, such as he describes, ver. 13-15; this is the direct design of the apostle in this place, and the proper analysis of his words.

§2. The altar which we now have, is Christ alone, for he was both priest, altar, and sacrifice to the church, as to all the use and efficacy of them, which is evident in the context; for this altar is, in its nature, use, and efficacy, opposed to the altar in the tabernacle; and indeed the apostle expressly declares that Jesus sanctified the people with his own blood, which was to be

done at or on the altar; and "by him," as our altar, we are to offer our sacrifices unto God, ver. 15, "the fruit of our lips, confessing unto his name;" which leads us off from all thoughts of any material altar. Estius, one of the soberest expositors of the Roman church, concludes, that it is Christ, and his sacrifice alone, is intended in this place.

§3. "Whereof they have no right to eat (o λaTpEUOUTES) who serve the tabernacle;" he speaks in the present tense, those who do serve, or who are serving at the tabernacle; for he hath respect to the original institution of divine worship, which was in the tabernacle, and he takes no notice of the things that ensued on the erection of the temple, because it made no alterations in the worship itself, and he supposeth them to be in the state wherein they were appointed; "cho serve;" namely, the priests and Levites in their several orders and degrees, who had a right to eat of the altar, or the things that were consecrated thereby, and a part of which was offered thereon. "They who wait at the altar, are partakers with the altar," 1 Cor. ix, 13; x, 18; nor was it lawful for any others to eat any thing from the altar, unless in the case of the thank-offering by special indulgence, or in extreme necessity.

"Whereof they have no right to eat;" ( 8, i. e. Avoiaclypis) of which altar, and all the things which are sanctified thereby; to eat; what was every one's portion was to be eaten, hence the apostle useth the word (Payew) to eat here for any kind of participation; they have no (8σiav) right or title, by virtue of any divine institution; he doth not absolutely exclude such persons from ever attaining an interest in our altar; no, far from it; but he doth it in two respects; they had no such right by virtue of their office and relation to the tabernacle; and-whilst they adhered to the use of

their own tabernacle, altar, &c. for the establishment of their hearts with God, they would have no interest in this altar of ours.

$4. From hence we may learn;

1. That the Lord Christ, in the one sacrifice of himself, is the altar of the new testament church.

2. That this altar is every way sufficient of itself for the grand end of an altar in general; namely, the sanctification of the people, ver. 12.

3. The erection of any other altar in the church, or the introduction of any other sacrifice requiring a material altar, is derogatory to the sacrifice of Christ, and excludes him from being our altar.

4. Whereas the design of the apostle in the whole of this discourse, is, to declare the glory of the gospel, and its worship, above that of the law; of our priest and altar above theirs, it is fond to think, that by "our altar" he intends such a material fabric as is every way inferior to that of old.

5. When God appointed a material altar for his service, he himself enjoined the making of it, prescribed its form and use, with all its utensils, services, and ceremonies, allowing of nothing relating to it but what was by himself appointed; it is not therefore probable, that, under the New Testament, there should be a material altar of equal necessity, without a divine appointment. But,

6. Sinners, under a sense of guilt, have in the gospel an altar of atonement to which they may have continual access for the expiation of their sins; "he is the propitiation."

7. That all privileges, of whatever nature, without a participation of Christ, as the altar and sacrifice of the church, are of no advantage to their possessors.

VERSES 11, 12.

For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the High Priest for sin, are burned without the camp; wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

$1. The apostle's threefold design. (2. Exposition. The typical sin offering. $3. The burning of the bodies without the camp. $4. The inference, whereforc Jesus, 5. Expository remarks. §6. Without the gate, what implied in it. $7. Observations.

§1. THE apostle in these words, proceeds to the confirmation of his whole present design in all the parts of it, which are three;

1. To declare of what nature our altar and sacrifice are, and thereon of what nature and kind the duties of religion are which depend upon them.

2. To testify that the removal of all distinction of meats, by virtue of this altar, was signified in the old institutions which had their accomplishment in this altar and sacrifice.

3. To shew the necessity of the suffering of Christ without the gate of the city, from the typical representation of it; and so to make way for treating of the use we are to make of it.

§2. "For the bodies of those beasts," &c. (Пep, aμapTias) for sin; referring to the sin offering on the great day of atonement; see on chap. x, 6; the blood of that sacrifice alone was carried into the most holy place by the High Priest; and there was an especial institution for burning the bodies of the beasts whose blood was then offered without the camp, Lev. xvi, 27.

§3. The burning of the bodies was ordered to be without the camp; namely, whilst the Israelites were in the wilderness, encamped round about the tabernacle. To this camp the city of Jerusalem afterwards answered; wherefore, when this sacrifice was observed

in the temple, the "bodies of the beasts" were carried out of the city to be burned; hence the apostle makes the suffering of Christ without the gate, to answer the burning of those bodies without the camp; the city and the camp being in institution the same thing. In this sacrifice there was no eating; all was consumed; hence, the apostle proves that meats did never contribute any thing towards the establishment of the heart before God, for there was no use of them in the sacrifice whereby the atonement for sin was made; whereon the establishment of the heart dependeth; yea, there was a clear prefiguration, that when the great atonement was made, there should be no use of the distinction of meats left in the church.

§4. "Wherefore Jesus also;" being to fulfil all righteousness, and the whole law, what he did was regulated by the predictions of scripture, and the typical representations of what was to be done; the expression intimates a similitude, such as is between the type and the thing typified; as was that sacrifice, or sin offering, under the law, so was this of Christ"Wherefore Jesus also."

§5. There are sundry truths of great importance in these words, the consideration whereof will give us the just exposition of them.

1. That Jesus in his sufferings offered himself to God; this is plain in the words; "that he might sanctify the people with his blood (Tab) he suffered;" for in that suffering, his blood was shed whereby the people were sanctified; which utterly overthrows the SOCINIAN figment of his oblation in heaven.

2. That in his sufferings he offered himself a sin offering; in answer to those legal sacrifices, whose blood was carried into the holy place, and whose bodies were