him, lie makes himself one who is yet far from the goal : comp. Heb. iii. 14, note.
24. Aia67ixr,$ v'sag, of the new covenant) It is elsewhere called xa/vjj, vsa here: vtoc denotes the newness of that which is native or born, or even that which is living: comp. ch. viii. 13, note,1 and ch. x. 20 ; Is. xliii. 19. — Meo7r«j, to the Mediator) Formerly Moses, himself the mediating messenger, feared and trembled : now access has been granted to the Mediator of the New Testament.— a'/pan pavno/Aov, to the blood of sprinkling) A remarkable connec tion to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, AND to the blood of sprinkling. The blood is looked upon in this passage, as it is in heaven, in the same way as the Mediator is looked upon, and God, and the ten thousands, etc. Attend, reader, to what is now to be said, by distinct positions.
§ 1. The blood of Jesus Christ was most abundantly shed in His suffering and after His death.
In the sacrifices of the Old Testament, afytargx^yov'a, the shedding of blood, was requisite ; and the blood was to be entirely poured out, so that nothing should remain in the veins and vessels of the bodies. This was accomplished also in the one oblation of the New Testament — the oblation of the body of Jesus. Shed ding of this most precious blood in every way then took place: in the garden, by sweat ; in the palace, by scourging ; on the cross, by the nails ; and after death, by the spear. Thus Christ was manifestly put to death in the flesh, 1 Pet. iii. 18. I do not know whether he who has duly weighed the words of Ps. xxii. 15, 16, can say, that even a drop of the whole mass of blood re mained in His most holy body : / am poured out like WATER. My strength is DEIED UP as a potsherd, and my tongue has cleaved to my jaws ; and Thou hast brought me unto THE DUST of death. Truly the Lamb of God sfftpayri, was sacrificed. It does not mean, that one part of His blood was shed, another part not shed : but, as His whole body was delivered up, so His whole blood was shed : Matt. xxvi. 28. The shedding of the
1 Ngog-, the opposite of yepai/ ; as xaivo; is of wx'hcttof. ^£0$, recent or lately originated, young, Kettvog, new, that which comes in place of what was formerly. So xetivq $ia0y%v, the New Testament, as opposed to the Old covenant or Testament : but vkat, %toc,0yx.r,, the recently established covenant, of which the Jews were now partakers. —