And this is the first part of this verse, or the preface of what ensues.
Secondly, The second part of it, in the following words, contains the first general pre-eminence of our high priest, and that taken from his present and eternal state or condition. And there are three things considerable in the words: 1. Our relation unto this high priest. 2. The general denotation of him. 3. His eminency and dignity in particular above all others.
1. Our relation unto him is expressed in the roe encomuer, * We
VER. 1.] . EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 7
have.” For the apostle, together with his assertion of the priest- hood of Christ, and the declaration of the nature of it, doth frequently intersert the mention of our interest therein, or our relation unto him in the discharge of that office: “Such an high priest became us,” chap. vii. 26; “ We have not an high priest that cannot,” etc., chap. iv. 15; “The high priest of our profession,” chap. ii. 1; and here, “ We have such an high priest.” And to the same purpose, “ We have an altar,” chap. xiii. 10. And three things the apostle seems to design herein:—
(1.) The dignity of the Christian church, as now separated ae the church of the Jews. In all their confidence in their worship, that which they principally boasted of was their high priest and his office. He was anointed with the holy oil. He wore the garments that were made “ for beauty and for glory.” He had on his forehead a plate of gold with that glorious inscription, “ Holiness unto Jeho- vah.” And he alone entered into the holy place, having made expiation for the sins of the people. The Christians, who were now separated from them, they despised, as those who had no lot nor portion in all this glory;—no such visible high priest as they had. So the same persons were afterwards reproached by the Pagans, that they had neither temples, nor altars, nor images or visible deities. So hard was it to call off the carnal minds of men from things visible and sensible in divine worship, unto those that are spiritual and heavenly. And herein lies the reproach of degenerated Christians, especially those of the Roman church, that whereas the gospel, in asserting the pure, heavenly, spiritual worship of God, had prevailed against the world, and triumphed over all that is carnal, invented to please the senses and satisfy the superstitious minds of men; they have made themselves the scorn and spoil of their conquered enemies, by return- ing to the same kind of worship, in various degrees, which was before destroyed and triumphed over. And as therein they seem to make a public acknowledgment, that the gospel, in the management of their predecessors, had much injured the world, in the introduction of a worship spiritual and divine, excluding all those visible glories which it had found out to entertain the minds of men; so it will ap- _ pear in the issue that they have made themselves transgressors, by building up what was before destroyed. But the primitive Chris- tians did still oppose the spiritual worship of sanctified souls, in the observation of the institutions of Christ, unto all the pretences of glory and beauty pleaded to be in their outward forms. So the apostle here, to evince the dignity of the Christian church against the unbelief of the Jews, pleads their relation unto an invisible, spiritual high priest, exalted in glory and dignity far above all that they could enjoy by virtue of a carnal commandment. ‘ What- ever you think of us, whatever you boast of yourselves, “ we
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8 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIIL
have an high priest;”’ and that such an one as he immediately declares. 5
(2.) He would teach us, that whatever be the glory and dignity of this high priest, without an interest in him, without an especial relation unto him, unless “ we have an high priest,” we are not con- cerned therein. Many do give their assent unto this truth, that Christ is. a high priest; but how or wherein he is so to them they know not, nor yet do they make any use of him as such, Yea, unto many, the principal mysteries of the gospel are but mere notions and barren speculations; what it is to be practically influenced by them, and to live in the power of them, they know not. That there is a high priest, they believe; but what it is for them to have a high priest, they cannot understand. But this is that we are to look after, if we intend. any benefit by it. And we may know whether we have a high priest or no, really and substantially, by the use which we make of him as such in all our approaches unto God. For he presides over the whole house of God, and all the sacred services thereof. None can come unto the Father but by him. Through him. have we boldness, through him have we ability, through him have we access unto and acceptance with God. He presents both our persons and duties unto him. Without a daily improvement by faith of the office of Christ unto these ends, it cannot be said that we have a high priest.