Inf. 5. Lastly, How are they obliged to love, serve, and honour Je- sus Christ, whom he hath enlightened with the saving knowledge of himself? O that with hands and hearts lifted up to heaven, ye would adore the free grace of Jesus Christ to your souls ? How many round about you have their eyes closed, and their hearts shut up ! How many are in darkness, and there are like to remain, till they come to the blackness of darkness, which is reserved for them ? O what a pleasant thing is it for your eyes to see the light of this world ! But what is it for the eye of your mind to see God in Christ ? To see such ravishing sights as the objects of faith are ? and to have such a pledge as this given you of the blessed visions of glory ? for in this light you shall see light. Bless God, and boast not : rejoice in your light, but be proud of it ; and beware ye sin not against the best and highest light in this world. If God were so incensed against the Heathens for disobeying the light of nature, what is it in you to sin with eyes clearly illuminated with the purest light that shines in this world? You know, God charges it upon Solomon, 1 Kings xi. 9- that he turned from the way of obedience after the Lord had appeared to him twice. Jesus Christ
SERM. XI. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 143
intended when lie opened your eyes, that your eyes should direct your feet. Light is a special help to obedience, and obedience is u singular help to increase your light.
The Nature and necessity of the Priesthood of Christ.
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in tlie Heavens should be purified with these ; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
©ALVATION (as to the actual dispensation of it) is revealed by Christ as a Prophet* procured by him as a Priest, applied by him as a King. In vain it is revealed, if not purchased; in vain revealed and purchased, if not applied. How is it revealed, both to us, and in us, by our great Prophet, hath been declared. And now, from the prophetical office, we pass on to the priestly office of Jesus Christ, who as our Priest, purchased our salvation. In this office is contained the grand relief for a soul distressed by the guilt of sin. When all other reliefs have been essayed, it is the blood of this great sacrifice, sprinkled by faith upon the trembling con- science, that must cool, refresh, and sweetly compose and settle it Now, seeing so great a weight hangs upon this office, the apostle industriously confirms and commends it in this epistle, and more especially in this ninth chapter ; shewing how it was figured to the world by the typical blood of the sacrifices, but infinitely excels them all : and as in many other most weighty respects, so principally in this, that the blood of these sacrifices did but purify the types or patterns of the heavenly things ; but the blood of this sacrifice purified or consecrated the heavenly things themselves,, signified by those types.
The words read, contains an argument to prove the necessity of the offering up of Christ, the great sacrifice, drawn from the pro- portion betwixt the types, and the things typified *. If the sanc-
* He concludes the foregoing argument on the necessity of redemption, from the proportion between the types and the heavenly things : for, if the things typi- cally sacred, behoved to be purified with typical blood ; surely, the heavenly things behoved to be purified by blood so much more excelling that other, as these things themselves excel their earthly types. The reason is plain : because, what pro- portion there is between the types and the things typified, must likewise take place as to the blood that consecrates them. Parous on this place.
144? THE FOUXf AIN OF LIFE. SEIiM. XI.
tuarv, merev-seat, and all things pertaining to the service of the tabernacle, were to be consecrated by blood; those earthly, but sacred types, by the blood of bulls and lambs* §c. much more the heavenly things shadowed by them, ought to be purified or consecrated by better blood than the blood of beasts. The blood consecrating these, should as much excel the blood that conse- crated those, as the heavenly things themselves do, in their own nature, excel those earthly shadows of them. Look, what pro- portion there is between the type and anti-type, the like porportion also is betwixt the blood that consecrates them ; earthly things with common, heavenly things with the most excellent blood.
So then, there are two things to be especially observed here : First, The nature of Christ's death and sufferings : It had the na- ture, use and end of a sacrifice ; and of all the sacrifices the most excellent. Secondly, The necessity of his offering it up : it was necessary to correspond with all the types and prefigurations of it under the law : but especially it was necessary for the expiating of sin, the propitiating of a justly incensed God, and the opening a way for reconciled ones to come to God in. The point I shall give you from it is,
Doct. That the sacrifice of Christ, our High-priest, is most ex* cellent in itself, and most necessary for us.
Sacrifice? * are of two sorts, eucharistical, or thaiik-offerings, in testification of homage} duty and service ; and in token of grati- tude for mercies freely received ; and ilastical, or expiatory, for satisfaction to justice, and thereby the atoning and reconciling of God. Of this last kind was the sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ for us : to this office he was called by God, Heb. v. 5. In it he was confirmed by the unchangeable oath of God, Psal. ex. 4. for it, he was singularly qualified by his incarnation, Heb. x. 6, 7. and all the ends of it he has fully answered, Heb. ix. 11, 12.
My present design is, from this scripture, to open the general nature and absolute necessity of the priesthood of Christ; shewing what his priesthood implies in it, and how all this was indispensably necessary in order to our recovery from the deplorable state of sin and misery.
First then, we will consider what it supposes and implies ; and then, wherein it consists. And there are six things which it either pre-supposeth, or necessarily includeth in it.
* Of sacrifices, some are typical, others are the very things signified by the type : and both are of two sorts, lAasiza, expiatory, or govap/j/xa, *• e« thanks- giving. Lucas Trelcat, p. 78.
SERM. XI. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE, 145
1. At first sight, it supposes marts revolt and fall from God ; and
a dreadful breach made thereby betwixt God mi * s
, , . i j r J .n Ike nature of
and him, else no need of an atoning sacrifice. ch ifs vriesU " If one died for all, then were all dead,'* 2 , , K
Cor. v. 14. dead in law, under sentence to die, "