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work, thankfully own the guidance and assistance, which hath been given me in the interpretation of it, as a mere effect of sovereign and undeserved grace; from that alone it is, that having, many and many a time, been at an utter loss as to the mind of the Holy Ghost, and finding no relief in the worthy labors of others, he hath graciously answered my poor weak supplications in supplies of the light and evidence of truth.

VERSES 19-23.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised.

$1. The apostle's professed design. The subject stated. (2--6. (I.) The ground and reason of the exhortation. $7--10. (II.) The manner of our using this privilege. §11, 12, (III.) The special duty exhorted to, §13---16. (IV.)

Observations.

§1. In these words the apostle enters on the last part of the epistle, which is altogether hortatory; for though there be some occasional intermixtures of doctrines, consonant to those before insisted on, yet the professed design is to propose to, and press on the Hebrews such duties as the truth he had insisted on direct to, and make necessary to all believers; and in all his exhortations there is a mixture of the ground of those duties, their necessity, and privilege. In these words there are three things:

I. The ground and reason of the duty exhorted to, with the foundation of it, as the special privilege of the gospel, ver. 19-21.

II. The

way and manner of our using this privilege to that end, ver. 22.

III. The special duty exhorted to, which is, perse verance, and constancy in believing, ver. 23.

§2. (I.) Having therefore, (adeλo) brethren, he hath in this appellation a peculiar respect to those among the Hebrews, who had received the gospel in sincerity; had he called them heretics and schismatics, and I know not what other names of reproach, he had, in all probability, "turned that which was lame quite out of the way;" but he had another spirit, was under another conduct of wisdom and grace, than most men are now acquainted with. (Ovv) therefore, seeing that things are now made manifest to you, seeing it is so evidently testified unto in holy writ, that the old covenant sacrifices and worship could not make us perfect, nor give us access to God; and seeing all things are accomplished by the office and sacrifice of Christ; and seeing privileges are thereon granted to believers which they were not before made partakers of;—let us make use of them to the glory of God, and our own salvation, in the duties which they necessarily require, and which duties are utterly inconsistent with Mosaical worship. We may now freely enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus; but an entrance, in any sense, into the most holy place, is inconsistent with, and destructive of all Mosaical institutions. "Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest;" the privilege intended is directly opposed to the state of things under the law; they therefore are utterly mistaken who suppose this entrance to be an entrance into heaven after this life for all believers; or the apostle doth not here oppose the glorious state of heaven to the church of the Hebrews, and their legal services; but the privileges of the gospel state and wor

ship only; neither were believers then also excluded from heaven after death, any more than now; therefore the privilege mentioned consists in our drawing nigh to God in holy services and worship through Christ, ver. 22, 23.

(Пappoiα) boldness. There were two things with respect to those worshippers in this matter;-a legal prohibition from entering into the holy place; and-a dread and fear, which deprived them of all boldness, or holy confidence, in their approaches to God; therefore the apostle expresseth the contrary frame of believers under the New Testament by a word that signifieth both liberty, or freedom from any prohibition, and boldness with confidence in the exercise of that liberty; we have a right to it, we have liberty without restraint, and we have confidence without dread.

"To enter into the holiest;" that is, the true sanctu ary, the holy place not made with hands, see chap. ix, 11, 12, the immediate gracious presence of God himself in Christ Jesus. Whatever was typically represented in the most holy place of old, we have access to, even to God himself, in one Spirit by Christ.

§3. (Ev Tw aipal Iɛ08) by the blood of Jesus, the procuring cause of this privilege, and which is the same with his sacrifice, or the once offering of his body, By its oblation, all causes of distance between God and believers were removed; it made atonement for them, answered the law, removed the curse, broke down the partition wall, or the law of commandments contained in ordinances, wherein were all the prohibitions of approaching to God with boldness. Again, there are not only hindrances on the part of God lying in the way of our access to him, but also the consciences of men, from a sense of guilt, were filled with fear and dread, and durst not so much as desire an immediate VOL. IV.

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access to God. The efficacy of the blood of Christ being, through believing, communicated to them, takes away all this discouraging fear, being accompanied with the Holy Spirit as a Spirit of liberty.

§4. Having told us that we have, (TV Eσodov) an entrance into the holiest, he now declares by what way we may enter; the way into the holiest under the tabernacle was "a passage with blood through the sanctuary, and then a turning aside of the veil," as we have declared before, but the whole church was forbidden the use of this way, and it was appointed for no other end but to signify, that in due time there should be a way opened to believers to the presence of God, which was not yet prepared.

The preparation of this way is by (eynaviopos) a dedication; the word (ɛynaivi) hath a double signification, one natural, the other sacred; which yet are of no affinity to one another. In things natural it is to make new, so as to be ready for use; in things sacred, it is to dedicate or consecrate any thing, at its first erection or making, to sacred services; the latter sense, as in our translation, is here to be embraced, yet so as it includes the former also; for it is spoken in opposition to the dedication of the tabernacle, and way into the most holy place, by the blood of sacrifices, whereof we have treated in the ninth chapter; so was this way into the holy place dedicated, and set apart sacredly for the use of believers, so that there can never be any other way but by the blood of Jesus; and the way itself was moreover-new prepared and made, not being extant before. The properties of this way are two:

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1. It is (poo Palos) new, because it was but newly made and prepared; belongs to the new covenant, and admits of no decays, but is always new, as to its effica

by and use, as in the day of its first preparation; whereas that of the tabernacle waxed old, and so was prepared for a removal; but this way shall never be changed, shall never decay, being always new.

2. It is (owoav) living, not only in opposition to the way into the holiest in the tabernacle, (which was a sure cause of death to any one that should make use of it, the high priest only excepted, and he but once a year;) but also as to its efficacy; it is not a dead thing, but hath a spiritual vital efficacy in our access to God, and effectually leads to life everlasting.

This "new and living way of our approach to God" is nothing but the exercise of faith for acceptance with God by the sacrifice of Christ according to the revelation made of it in the gospel.

$5. "Through the veil;" referring to that between the sanctuary and the most holy place, which we have before described, chap. ix. What this veil was to the high priest in his entrance into that holy place, that is the flesh of Christ to us in our approach to God. He, indeed, entered into it by turning the veil aside, on whom it immediately closed again; but there could be no passage laid open, no general abiding entrance into that holy place, unless the veil was rent and torn in pieces, so that it could close no more. Hence, on our Lord's death, the veil of the temple was "rent from the top to the bottom;" signifying that, by virtue of the sacrifice of Christ, whereby his flesh was torn and rent, we have a full entrance into the holy place, such as would have been of old upon the rending of the veil. This, therefore, is the genuine interpretation of this place; "we enter with boldness to the most holy place through the veil," that is to say, his flesh, “by virtue of the sacrifice of himself, wherein his flesh was rent, and all hindrances taken away." Of all which

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