Obs. II. These things alone are absolutely good unto the church;
s
VER. 11.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 265
all other things are good or evil as they are used or abused.—Out- ward peace and prosperity are good in themselves, but oftentimes they prove not so to the church. Many a time have they been abused unto its great disadvantage. They are not such things as are too earnestly to be.desired, for who knows what will be the end of them? But these things are absolutely good in every state and condition.
Obs. III. So excellent are these good things, as that the per- formance and procuring of them were the cause of the coming of the Son of God, with his susception and discharge of his sacerdotal office—They are excellent in their relation unto the wisdom, grace, and love of God, whereof they are the principal effects; and excel- lent in relation unto the church, as the only means of its eternal redemption and salvation. Had they been of a lower or meaner nature, so glorious a means had not been designed for the effecting of them. Woe unto them by whom they are despised! “ How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” And,—
Obs. IV. Such a price and value did God put on these things, so good are they in his eyes, as that he made them the subject of his promises unto the church from the foundation of the world—And in all his promises concerning them, he still opposed them unto all the good things of this world, as those which were incomparably above them and better than them all. And therefore he chose out all things that are precious in the whole creation to represent their excellency; which makes an appearance of promises of earthly glo- ries in the Old Testament, whereby the Jews deceived themselves. And because of their worth, he judged it meet to keep the church so long in the desire and expectation of them.
Fifthly, That which the apostle hath immediate respect unto in the declaration ¢f the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, is what he had newly at large declared concerning the tabernacle and the ser- vice of the high priest therein. Wherefore he assigns a tabernacle unto this high priest, in answer unto that under the law, whereby he came, or wherein he administered the duties of his office. And _ concerning this he, 1. Asserts that “he came by a tabernacle.” 2. Describes this tabernacle in comparison with the former: (1.) Po- sitively, that it was “greater and more perfect;” (2.) Negatively, in that being “not made with hands,” it was not of the same building
~ with it.
1. He came by a tabernacle. These words may have prospect unto what is afterwards declared in the next verse, and, , ae belong thereunto ;—as if he had said, ‘Being come an gay; xa) ras high priest, he entered into the holy place by a perfect sortpas exn- tabernacle, with his own blood;’ for so the high priest ””” of the law entered’ into the holy place, by or through the taber-
266 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IX.
nacle, with the blood of others. But the words do rather declare the constitution of the tabernacle intended than the use of it, as unto that one solemn service; for so before he had described the frame and constitution of the old tabernacle, before he mentioned its use.
“ Being come an high priest, by such a tabernacle ;” that is, wherein he administered that office. What is the tabernacle here intended, there is great variety in the judgment of expositors. Some say it is the church of the new testament, as Chrysostom, who is followed by many. Some say it is heaven itself. This is embraced and pleaded for by Schlichtingius, who labours much in the explanation of it. But whereas this is usually opposed, because the apostle in the next verse affirms that “Christ entered into the holies,” which he expounds of heaven itself, by this tabernacle, which therefore cannot be heaven also, he endeavours to remove it. For he says there is a double tabernacle in heaven. For as the apostle hath in one and the same place described a double taber- nacle here on earth, a first and a second, with their utensils and services, distinguished the one from the other by a veil; so there are two places in heaven answering thereunto. The first of these he would have to be the dwelling-place of the angels; the other the place of the throne of God himself, represented by the most holy place in the tabernacle. Through the first of these he says the Lord Christ passed into the second, which is here called his tabernacle. And it is indeed said that the Lord Christ in his exal- tation did “pass through the heavens,” and that he was “made higher than the heavens;” which would seem to favour that con- ceit, though not observed by him. But there is no ground to conceit or fancy such distinct places in heaven above; yea, it is contrary to the Scripture so to do, for the residence of the holy angels is before and about the throne of God. So are they always placed in the Scripture, Dan. vii. 10; Matt. xviii. 10; Rey. v. 11. And these aspectable heavens, which Christ passed through, were not so much as the veil of the tabernacle im his holy service, which was his own flesh, Heb. x. 20. The only reason of this ungrounded, curious imagination, is a design to avoid the acknowledgment of the sacrifice of Christ whilst he was on the earth. For this cause he refers this tabernacle unto his entrance into the most holy place, as the only means of offering himself, But the design of the apostle is to show, that as he was a high priest, so he had a tabernacle of his own wherein he was to minister unto God.