Obs. VI. The Lord Christ, in his ineffable love and grace, put himself between us and all our enemies; and took into his breast
‘all their swords, wherewith they were armed against us: so they are his enemies.
Obs. VII. The Lord Christ, by the offering of himself, making peace with God, ruined all the enmity against the ehurch, and all the enemies of it. or all their power arose from the just displea- sure of God, and the curse of his law.
Obs. VIII. It is the foundation of all consolation to the church, that the Lord Christ, even now in heaven, takes all our enemies to be his; in whose destruction he is infinitely more concerned than we are.
Obs. IX. Let us never esteem any thing, or any person, to be our enemy, but only so far and in what they are the enemies of Christ.
Obs. X. It is our duty to conform ourselves to the Lord Christ, in a quiet expectancy of the ruin of all our spiritual adversaries,
Obs. XI. Envy not the condition of the most proud and cruel ad- versaries of the church; for they are absolutely in his power, and shall be cast under his footstool at the appointed season.
Ver. 14,—“ For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
The apostle, 1. Gives the great reason of this state of things with reference unto the Lord Christ in the discharge of his office, namely, that he did not repeat his offering, as the priests under the law did theirs, every year, and every day; and that he is set down at the right hand of God, expecting his enemies to be made his footstool,— wherein they had no share after their oblations: and this is, because “by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” This being done, there is no need of any daily sacrifice, nothing that should detain the Lord Jesus out of the possession of his glory. So the particle yep, “ for,” infers a reason in these words of all that was assigned before unto him, in opposition unto what was done by the priests of the law: it was “by one offering.” 2. What he did so effect, which rendered all future offerings and sacrifices impossible: “ He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
Tép.
1. For the first, what he did of the nature of the thing spoken of, was wig xpoopopd, “ by one offering ;” as what the priests of old did was also by offerings and sacrifices.
Mie wporhoge,
VER. 11-14. ] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.’ 493
The eminency of this offering the apostle had before declared, which here he refers unto. It was not of bulls or goats, but of himself;— he “offered himself to God;” of his body,—that is, his whole human nature. And this offering, as he had observed before, was only “once offered;” in the mention whereof the apostle includes all the opposition he had made before between the offering of Christ and those of the priests, as to its worth and dignity.
2. That which is effected hereby is, that “he perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Those on whom his work is 5...) effected are thereby “sanctified.” They that are dedi- cis 3 dnvexts eated unto God, those who are sanctified or purged by 7 #v#Sewé- virtue of this sacrifice, unto them all the other effects are” confined. First to sanctify them, then to perfect them, was the de- sign of Christ in offering of himself; which he purposed not for all men universally. So in the foundation of the church of Israel, they were first sanctified and dedicated unto God in and by the sacri- fices wherewith the covenant was confirmed, Exod. xxiv.; and after- wards were perfected, so far as their condition was capable thereof, in the prescription of laws and ordinances for their church-state and worship. The word here, rersAc/wxev, was used before. He hath brought them into the most perfect and con- summate church-state and relation unto God, as unto all his wor- ship, that the church is capable of in this world. It is not an abso- lute, subjective, virtual, internal perfection of grace, that is intended ; the word signifies not such a perfection, “ made perfect,” nor is ever ~ used to that purpose; nor is it the perfection of glory, for he treats of the present church-state of the gospel in this world: but it is a state and condition of that grace and those privileges which the law, priests, and sacrifices, could never bring them unto. He. hath by his “one offering” wrought and procured for them the complete pardon of sin, and peace before God thereon, that they should have no more need of the repetition of sacrifices; he hath freed them from the yoke of carnal ordinances, and the bondage which they were kept in by them, prescribing unto them a holy worship, to be per- _ formed with boldness in the presence of God, by an entrance into the holy place; he hath brought them into the last and best church- state, the highest and nearest relation unto God that the church is * capable of in this world, or the glory of his wisdom and grace hath assigned unto it. And this he hath done «ig +d dsqvexés, “for ever,” so as that there shall never be any alteration in that estate where- unto he hath brought them, nor any addition of privilege or advan- tage be ever made unto it.