this difference? Is it that the sin is less in the one than in the other? Nay, being supposed of the same kind, commonly it hath more aggravating circumstances in the regenerate than in the unregenerate. Is it because God is less displeased with sin in some than others? Nay, God is equally displeased with equal sins, in whomsoever they are found; if there be any difference, he is more displeased with them in believers than in others. But the difference ariseth merely from the event. Regenerate persons will, through the grace of God, certainly use the means of faith and repentance for the obtaining of pardon, which the other will not; and if they are assisted also so to do, even they in like manner shall obtain forgiveness. No man therefore can take a relief against the guilt of sin from his state and condition, which may be an aggravation, and can be no alleviation of it. 2. There are degrees of sin amongst men unregenerate, who live in a course of sin all their days. We see it is so, and it ever was so in the world. And sometimes here, but certainly hereafter, God deals with them not only according to their state of sin, and their course of sin, but according to the degrees and aggravations of sin in great variety. All do not sin equally, nor shall all be equally punished. 3. In the sins of believers there are different degrees, both in divers, and in the same persons. And although they shall be all pardoned, yet have they different effects; with respect, 1. Unto peace of conscience. 2. Sense of the love of God. 3. Growth in grace and holiness. 4. Usefulness or scandal in the church or the world. 5. Temporal afflictions. And, 6. A quiet or troublesome departure out of this world; but in all, a reserve is still to -be made for the sovereignty of God and his grace.

Obs. IV. Our ignorance is both our calamity, our sin, and an occasion of many sins unto us. Having declared that the high priest was first to offer sacrifices for the sins of men, and then that he was to be compassionate towards them, both in their sins and sorrows; the first instance which the apostle gives of those who are concerned herein, is of them that are ignorant. They stand in need both of sacrifice and compassion. And ignorance in spiritual things is two-fold: 1. Original, subjective and universal. This is that whereby men have their understandings darkened, and are alienated from the life of God, Eph. iv. 18. The ignorance that is in men unregenerate, not savingly enlightened, consisting in the want or defect of a principle of heavenly or spiritual light in their minds, which I have elsewhere at large described. But it is not this sort of persons, nor this sort of ignorance, which are here intended. 2. There is an ignorance which is objective and partial, when the light and knowledge that is in us, is but weak and infirm, extending itself unto some objects, and affecting the mind with darkness,

and disorder in the apprehension of them also. And this also may be considered two ways. First, Absolutely; and so the best, and the most wise, and the most knowing, are ignorant, and to be esteemed among them that are so; for the best know but in part, and prophesy but in part, and see darkly as in a glass, 1 Cor. xiii. 9. 12. Yea, how little a portion is it that we know of God! We cannot by searching find out the Almighty to perfection: such knowledge is too wonderful for us. Yea, we know nothing perfectly, neither concerning God nor ourselves. If we know him, so as to believe him, fear him, and obey him, it is all that is promised us in this life, all that we can attain unto. Wherefore, let the best of us, 1. Take care that we be not puffed up, or fall into any vain elation of mind upon the conceit of our knowledge. Alas! how many things are there to be seen, to be known in God, that they who are puffed up know nothing of; and nothing do they know as they ought, or as it shall be known. 2. Endeavour in the constant use of all means, to grow in the knowledge of God, and of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The more we learn here, the more we shall see there is to be learned. 3. Long for the time, or rather that eternity, wherein all these shades shall fly away, all darkness be removed from our minds, all veils and clouds taken away from about the divine being and glory; when we shall see him as he is, with open face, and know as we are known, which is the eternal life and blessedness of our souls. 4. Know that on the account of the ignorance that is yet in the best, yea that was in the most holy saint that ever was on the earth, they all stand in need of the compassion of our high Priest to bear with them, pity and relieve them. Secondly, This second sort of ignorance may be considered comparatively. So among believers, some are more chargeable with this evil than others, and are more obnoxious unto trouble from it. And these we may distinguish into four sorts: 1. Such as are young and tender, either in years, or in the work of grace upon their souls. These the apostle calls babes and children, that have need to be nourished with milk, and not to have their minds overcharged with things too high and hard for them. And concerning this sort, many things are spoken graciously and tenderly in the Scripture. 2. Such as, through the weakness of their natural capacities, are slow in learning, and are never able to attain unto any great measure of sound knowledge and judgment; although we often see many notable natural defects in the minds of them that are sincere, to be abundantly compensated by the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, shining plentifully upon them and in them. 3. Such as are so disposed of by the providence of God, in their outward concerns in this world, as that they enjoy not

the means of knowledge and growth therein, at least in so full and effectual a manner as others do. Hereby are they kept low in their light and spiritual apprehensions of things, and are thereby obnoxious to manifold errors and mistakes. And of these, partly through the blindness of them, who in many places take upon themselves to be the only teachers and guides of the disciples of Christ, partly through some sloth of their own, in not providing as they ought for their own edification, there is a great number in the world. 4. Such as by reason of some corrupt affections, spiritual sloth, and worldly occasions perpetually diverting their minds, are dull and slow in learning the mysteries of the gospel, and thrive but little in light or knowledge, under an enjoyment of the most effectual means of them. These our apostle complains of, and reproves in particular, ver. 11-13. And this sort of comparative ignorance, is attended with the greatest guilt of any, the reasons whereof are obvious. But yet unto all these sorts, doth our high Priest extend his compassion, and they are all of them here intended. And he is compassionate toward us under our ignorance, 1. As it is our calamity, or trouble, for so it is; and as such he pities us in it, and under it. Who is not sensible of the inconveniences and perplexities that he is continually cast into, by the remainders of darkness and ignorance in him? Who is not sensible how much his love and his obedience are weakened by them? Who doth not pant after fuller discoveries, and more clear and stable conceptions of the glorious mystery of God in Christ? Yea, there is nothing, on the account whereof believers do more groan for deliverance from their present state, than that they may be freed from all remainders of darkness and ignorance, and so be brought into a clear and intimate acquaintance with the uncreated glories of God, and all the holy emanations of light and truth from them. Herein then our merciful high Priest exerciseth compassion towards us, and leads us on, if we are not slothfully wanting unto ourselves, with fresh discoveries of divine light and truth, which although they are not absolutely satisfactory to the soul, nor do utterly take away its thirst after the all-fulness of the eternal Fountain of them; yet do they hold our souls in life, and give a constant increase unto our light towards the perfect day. 2. This ignorance also is our sin, as being our gradual falling short of the knowledge of the glory of God required in us, and the occasion of manifold failings and sins in our course; most of our wanderings being from some kind of defect in the conducting light of our minds, are things known and confessed. And with respect hereunto, namely, that efficacious influence which our ignorance hath into our frequent surprisals unto sin, it is principally that we have relief from the compassion of our high Priest.

Obs. V. Sin is a wandering from the way-See on chap. iii. 10.

Obs. VI. No sort of sinners are excluded from an interest in the care and love of our compassionate high Priest, but only those who exclude themselves by their unbelief.-Our apostle useth these two expressions to comprise all sorts of sinners, as they did under the law, unless they were such presumptuous sinners as had no relief provided for them in the institutions thereof. Of this nature is final unbelief alone under the gospel. Therefore on all others our high Priest is able to have compassion, and will especially exercise it towards poor, dark, ignorant wanderers. And I would not forbear to manage fron hence some encouragements to believing, as also to declare the aggravations of unbelief, but that these discourses must not be drawn out to a greater length. Wherefore I shall only add on this verse,

Obs. VII. It was well for us, and enough for us, that the Lord Christ was encompassed with the sinless infirmities of our

nature.

Obs. VIII. God can teach a sanctified use of sinful infirmities, as he did in and to the priests under the law.

VER. 3.-IN the third verse the apostle illustrates what he had asserted concerning the high priest, as to his being encompassed with infirmities, from a necessary consequent thereof. He was to offer sacrifices for his own sins.' Before he had declared in general that the end of his office was to offer gifts and sacrifices to God, that is, for the sins of the people. But proceeding in his description of him, he mentions his own frailty, infirmity and obnoxiousness to sin. And this he did, that he might give an account of those known institutions of the law, wherein he was appointed to offer sacrifices for his own sins also.

VER. 3.—Και δια ταυτην οφείλει, καθως περι το λαό, έτω και περι ἑαυτε, προσφέρειν ὑπερ ἁμαρτιῶν.

For dia Tauτny MS. T. di' auta, that is, adevar. 'Because of which infirmity.' Vulg. Lat. Propterea debet. Wherefore, or for which cause, he ought.' Or as we," and by reason hereof." Syr." So also for himself to offer for his own sins." Kai din Taur, that is, say some, for die T8To, the feminine put for the neuter by a Hebraism. Hence it is rendered by some propterea. But or plainly and immediately refers to devia. Propter hanc, or istam infirmitatem. Had the high priest under the law been avaagratos, without any sin or sinful infirmity, as the Lord Christ was, he should have had nothing to do, but to offer sacrifice for the sins of the people. But it was otherwise VOL. IV.

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with him, seeing he himself also, as well as they, was encompassed with sinful infirmities.

'Opuu, he ought.' He ought to offer for his own sins, and that on a double account, whereinto this duty or necessity is resolved. 1. The nature of the things themselves, or the condition wherein he was. For seeing he was infirm and obnoxious to sin, and seeing he did, as other men, sin actually in many things, he must have been ruined by his office, if he might not have offered sacrifice for himself. It was indispensably necessary that sacrifices should be offered for him and his sin, and yet this no other could do for him, he ought therefore to do it himself. 2. The command of God. Heought so to do," because God had so appointed and ordained that he should. To this purpose there are sundry express legal institutions, as we shall see immediately.

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Kadws Tigi to day, in like manner as for the people.' That is, either the whole people collectively, or all the people distributively, as their occasions did require. In the first way, the great anniversary sacrifice which he celebrated in his own person for the whole body of the people, is principally intended, Lev. xvi. 16. 24. Add hereunto the daily sacrifice belonging to the constant service of the temple, which is therefore used synecdochically for the whole worship thereof, Dan. viii. 11, 12. For herein also was the whole church equally concerned. In the latter way, it respects all those occasional sacrifices, whether for sin or trespasses, or in free-will offerings, which were continually to be offered, and that by the priests alone.

Outw nai zigi jaurs, so for himself,' in like manner, on the same grounds, and for the same reasons that he offered for the people. He had a common interest with them in the daily sacrifice, which was the public worship of the whole church; and therein he offered sacrifice for himself also, together and with the people. But besides this, there were three sorts of offerings that were peculiar to him, wherein he offered for himself distinctly or separately.

1. The solemn offering that ensued immediately on his inauguration, Lev. ix. 2. "And he said to Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord." This was for himself, as it is expressed ver. 8. "Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf, which was the sin-offering for himself." After this he offered distinctly for the people, a kid of the goats for a sin-offering, ver. 3. 15. And this was for an expiation of former sins, expressing the sanctification and holiness that ought to be in them that draw nigh to God.

2. There was an occasional offering or sacrifice which he was to offer distinctly for himself, on the breach of any of