f John xiii. 8 — 10.
Heb. X. 19 — 22. Havmy therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh ; and having an High-priest over the house of God ; let us draiv near with a true heart in full assuraiice of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed tvith pure water.
MAN, by the fall, lost that intercourse with God which he had maintained in his state of innocence. The intent of Christianity is to restore him to the enjoyment of his privilege. Hence the inspired writers urge the great doctrines of the Gospel, not merely as truths which are to be believed, but as motives which are to animate and direct our conduct. The author of this epistle has set forth at large the correspondence between our blessed Lord, and the typical representations which were given of him under the Mosaic law. He now proceeds to the
practical improvement of his subject. In the words before us he opens,
I. The grounds of our access to God —
They who are ignorant of their own extreme guilt and helplessness, imagine, that they can come to God without any mediator. But the Scriptures uniformly declare that the way of access to him is,
1. Through the atonement —
[The original way of access to God by the covenant of works was shut up for ever upon the first transgression. Nor does that typical way which was appointed under the law continue any longer. There is " a new way" now opened to us through the vail. The human nature of Christ was repre- sented by the vail of the temple. At the very instant that his body expired upon the cross, the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom ^ That being the precise time of the evening sacrifice, all the worshippers in the temple had a perfect view of the holy of holies. Thus an intimation was given to them, that, by the rending of Christ's body, the way into the most holy place was opened indiscriminately to all. As the high-priest went into the typical sanctuary with the blood of the sacrifice, so might all from henceforth go into the very heaven of heavens, as it were, with the blood of Jesus. This way was now " consecrated for them" by Jesus himself. It was a netv way, not only because it was different from that which had existed before, but because it should never wax old or vanish as the other had done''. And it was a living way, because, while the former way prohibited access to all, except the high-priest, under the penalty of death, this infallibly imparts life to all who come to God in it.]
2. Through the intercession of Christ —
[The Church of God is that " house" which the temple of Solomon prefigured. In it God dwells in a more immediate manner than he ever did by the Shechinah upon the mercy- seat''. Christ, as the great High-priest, presides over this house. He is gone with his own blood into the holy of holies''. He is there sprinkling it on our behalf in the pre- sence of his heavenly Father. There also is He offering the incense of his continual intercession. Under the law, the hopes of the Israelites were founded on the intercession of their high-priest. In vain was the sacrifice killed, if its blood was not carried within the vail : and in vain would it be
a Matt, xxvii. 51. ^ Heb. viii. 13.
<= 2 Cor. vi. 16. ^ Heb. ix. 12.