high priest, Heb. vii. 26. tells us, For fuch an high priest became us *, fuited our cafe, and was neceffary for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, feparate from finners, and made higher than the heavens. Our great high priest was holy, his nature was abfolutely free from all the stain and pollution of fin, that holiness of the Lordt, which was infcribed upon the mitre of the high priest, was infcribed upon his heart; harmless, with refpect to his innocent and inoffenfive conduct and behaviour towards man, he offered no injury to any man's perfon or property, did no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth; undefiled, though he paffed through a finful world, and upon particular occafions converfed with finners in a free and friendly manner, upon which Oftendit folum Jefum Chriftum fuiffe, in quem convenirent qualitates ejus pontificis, qui nos per fe, ac propria fua oblatione Deo patri reconciliatos, et in perpetuum falvos redderet. Quare quod ait, decebat, non fic accipiendum, quafi per alium potuerit idem illud officium preftari; tametfi minus decenter; fed quia per neminem alium omnino potuit. Eflius in loc. to qui non laminæ, fed menti infcriptum habeat WP [Sanctitas Domino] Exodi xxxix. 30. Grotius in loc. Dr. Whitby, by the holiness of Christ, understands his being confecrated to his office and in that fenfe all the utenfils of the tabernacle and temple were ftiled holy. "But fince the word or, as Mr. "Pierce has observed upon the place, is never as far 66 as he can find, fo ufed, we muft rather take it here to refer to what is commonly meant by holiness, an "internal difpofition of mind. Nor can there be any "doubt, that fuch an holiness was abfolutely neceffary "in our great high prieft." Befides, that the Apoftle is not here fpeaking so much of Chrift's confecration to his office, as of his fitnefs and qualifications for it. which account his enemies reproached him, yet he contracted no manner of defilement from any perfon, or thing whatever; separate from finners, in principle and practice, maintaining the utmoft diftance from them, whatever communion he had with them in the fame nature, he had none at all with them in their fins; and made higher than the heavens, that is, higher in the glory of every perfection than the angels * the spotlefs inhabitants of heaven, confequently his holiness was of a fuperior kind to theirs, and what is abfolutely impoffible, fhould be ever loft or tainted with the leaft fin. And from fuch a perfect principle of holiness, did every act of obedience flow. He was a lamb without blemish and without pot; who was manifefted to take away our fins; and in him is no fin, 1 Pet. i. 19. 1 John iii. 5. Who needeth not therefore, (as the Apostle fays of the Jewish high priefts, Heb. vii. 27.) to offer up Jacrifice firft for his own fins, muft therefore be the better fitted to make atonement for the fins of others. What a glorious obedience was here, performed to the preceptive part of the law in its utmoft K 2 * Mr. Pierce, in his notes upon Hebrews, chapter i. 10. has shown, that the heavens are often put for the inhabitants thereof, the angels. And if this fenfe of the word be admitted, what fhould hinder our underftanding, what is faid of Chrift's being made higher than the angels, of his being more perfect in holiness, as well as in every other refpect, than the moft exalted of mere creatures? Nothing could be more fuitable to the Apostle's defign than this, when reprefenting the dignity of Chrift's priesthood, and his fuperior fitness for it By the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him, he was fanctified in a degree above angels. utmost extent and purity! And can the law complain, when the finner is juftified through fuch an obedience performed unto it? In fhort, here lies the cafe: "No man fince the fall be❝ing able to keep the law and fulfil it, and yet "God requiring ftill, that the law fhould be o"beyed and the righteousness of it fulfilled, "Chrift was content freely and of his own ac"cord (who was otherwife free and difengaged) "to be under the law, and by obeying the law, "to bring in fuch a righteoufnefs as the law "requires*." And as the command of the law was perfectly obeyed, fo the penalty of the law was perfectly undergone. There was nothing in the penalty of the law, which Chrift did not bear; nor threatned in it, as the juft punishment of fin, to which he did not fubmit; that fword, which was edged with wrath, was fheathed in his bowels; that cup, which was mingled with fo much bitterness, was with all its dregs poured into his bofom; and, in one word, the curfe of God, in all its weight, fell upon Chrift, when he hung upon the cross a dying victim for the fins of his people: As it is written, curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree.' Hence we find the sufferings of Chrift reprefented by every thing that may give us a view of the greatnefs and terriblenefs of them. He was a man of forrows, and acquainted with 6 grief; and never was forrow like to his forrow; it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and to 'put him to grief; he was wounded for our tranf * Vid. Rowe's Immanuel, page 165. tranfgreffions, and bruised for our iniquities poured out his foul to death; and became o'bedient to the death of the crofs.' Who can tell what he bore in the garden, when, under the preffure of that load that was upon him, he began to be forrowful, and very heavy; and his foul was exceeding forrowful, even unto 'death?' And as his agony increased, how was 'his sweat, as it were, great drops of blood fal'ling down to the ground,' infomuch, that' an angel appeared to ftrengthen him? Matt. xiv. 37, 38. Luke xxii. 43, 44. And upon the cross how high did his distress rise, when he cried out in his extreme fufferings, My God, my God, 'why haft thou forfaken me? Hear, O Heavens, ' and be aftonifhed, O earth: Shall the Son of the bofom be forfaken of his Father, and his God? And forfaken of him when he is fulfilling the counfels of his will, and paying down the highest inftance of obedience? But it is not that the Father's heart is changed, but juftice must be fatisfied, fatisfied at any rate. God then faw the fins of his people charged upon him, and to be expiated by his fufferings and death; and this made him bear in upon him with fuch painful fenfations of his wrath, and draw fo thick a cloud between the light of his countenance, and the fuffering Saviour; nor did he expire till he could fay, it is finished; the law has no more to demand, the labours of my crofs are at end, the full obedience, that was to be completed by me, is perfected. It is ftrange, after all the affecting reprefentations which the fcripture gives us of Chrift's fufferings, that any fhould be found, who industriously K 3 duftriously set themselves to leffen and depreciate them. This, indeed, has not been always done upon the fame principles; but whatever their pleas have been, I cannot but think they are in fome degree guilty of this, who will by no means allow, that Chrift bore the idem, the fame death, the fame curfe that was threatened in the law as due to fin, and to us for it. But furely they who urge this, never took fuch a view as they might, and as they ought, of the agonies and fufferings of a dying Saviour: For what was that part of the fentence of the law, that was gone out against fin, which he did not fubmit unto? Only here we must distinguish between what is effential to punishment, and what relates to the circumftances of it; and carrying this eafy diftinction along with us, I fay, what was that part of the fentence of the law, that was gone out against fin, which he did not fubmit unto? Was it the primitive threatning, in the day thou eateft thereof thou shalt furely die? And was not that part of the fentence executed upon him? He tafted death and became obedient to it; Body and foul were separated; and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghoft. Was there a curfe lodged and wrapped up in the threatning? In what way did he redeem from the curfe of the law, but by being himself made a curfe for us? Has the law any thing more dreadful in all its ftores, than the wrath of God? And who ever bore this, if the bleffcd Jefus did not? What infinite Almighty wrath did he encounter, when the Father, the righteous eternal Judge, awakened his fword against him, and did not fpare bis own Son made him no abatement, deduct ed |