1 ver. 9. ml John h. 2. " Heb. x. 14.
° John xiii. 8.
Christ's second coming.
Heb. ix. 27, 28. As it is appointed unto men once to die, hut after this the judgment : so Christ was 07ice offered to bear the sins of many ; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation.
IT is probable that many in the first ages of Chris- tiany wondered, as indeed many even at this time do.
how persons should be saved by the death of Christ, thousands of years before he came into the world ; more especially since the most solemn sacrifices under the Jewish economy were of no effect beyond the year in which they were offered. But the Jewish sacrifices needed to be repeated, because they were worthless and inefficient : whereas the perfection of Christ's sacrifice gave it a retrospective and pro- spective efficacy, so that, at whatever period of the world it should be offered, it needed never to be repeated. This is the scope of the passage before us ; and the Apostle illustrates his argument by an awful and acknowledged truth. To comprehend the force of his observations, we must consider,
I. Man's destination to death and judgment — Every man must die — [This is too obvious to need a proof. Whatever be our age, condition, pursuits, and prospects, w^e must die. If our life were protracted to the age of Methuselah, we must die at last: God has "appointed" it; nor shall his decree be either defeated or reversed. But it is only " once" that we can die. Though some few who have been miraculously restored to life, have died a second time, we must not expect to return from our graves. If the great work of salvation be not completed before we die, we shall be undone for ever^]
After death we shall all be judged — [God has appointed a day, wherein he will judge the world in righteousness, and reward every man according to his works. And this also shall be but " once :" for, though every man's state is fixed as soon as he goes into the invisible world, it is not till the general resurrection that his body shall participate the portion assigned to his soul. And, as there is no return from death to another state of probation, so there is no appeal from the sentence that shall be passed in that day.]
The Apostle having mentioned this, proceeds to state,
II. A similar appointment respecting Christ — Christ " once " died for the sins of men — [Though in appearance our Saviour died like other men, yet in reality his death was altogether different from theirs.
a Eccl. ix. 10.
2307.] Christ's second coming. 315
He died as a sacrifice for sin : his death was that very atone- ment which had been typically represented from the beginning of the world. But though he was to be " a propitiation for the sins of the whole world," he died only " once." The legal sacrifices were constantly repeated, because they were rather "remembrances of sins" than a real expiation of them: but " he, by one offering of himself, hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified'^ ;" and " many," even all that believe in him, have their sins removed for ever by virtue of it.]
He also will " appear a second time" at the day of judgment —
[At his first coming he appeared " in the likeness of sinful flesh •=," and was treated as a sinner both by God and man : but at his second coming he will assume a very different ap- pearance. As the high-priest, while offering the annual sacri- fices, was clothed only in plain linen garments, but when he had completed his sacrifice, came forth in his splendid robes to bless the people^; so our great High-priest will put off the garb of humiliation, and shine forth in all his majesty and glory®. At his first coming, he saved not himself ; but, at that day, he will impart "salvation" unto others, even to all who seek him in sincerity and truth,]