const.ituted him Priest-King, "Ask of me" (Pd. ii. 8), thus expressly authorizin" his intercession, We cannot fathom the mystery of the atonement; but it is enou~h to know that Christ's sacred b\ood WM shed for ou_r salvation bY: Divine appointment and7 we are persuaded that, had 1t n?t posscsse_d m~nt enough for its purpose, it would never hove been shed ot all. Jesus sits upon his pnestly throne, and does his priestly work by Divine right, ' III. HE HAS THE ABILITY OF INFLUENCE, He possesses not only merit and ric,ht but also power, Ho is "a Priest upon his throne." And it was more than a ~er; external statute that set him there. Christ is our Intercessor in virtue of " the power of an endless life." These words are emphatic, "He ever liveth." He conducts our cause in heaven, as our Advocate, in the strength of the imperishable life which he bas possessed from eternity. Enthroned in glory, he has yet power upon earth, for he has sent down to us his Holy Spirit. 'l'his gift is the direct fruit of his sacrifice and inter- cession. While the Saviour intercedes without ns, his Spirit intercedes within us. The work of the "other Paracleto" is complementary of that of the first. The Holy Ghost within our minds and hearts bestows all the communications of grace, and conducts all the preparations for glory; but he docs so as the agent of the Lord Jesus, and his work: is dependent upon our High Priest's constant pleadings at the bar of God. IV. HE HAS THE ABILITY OF SYMPATHY, Even as God, the S,wiour can sympa- thize with us; for our nature was formed in the likeness of our Maker, so that rnau belongs to the same order of being as God himself. But our necessities demanded more than the sympathy of God. How sweet, then, to remember that our High Priest is also e. man I He is a woman's Son, and therefore in a true sense one of ourselves. ffis earthly life was full of experiences substantially the same as ours ; so that he knows our difficulties and sorrows and temptations. He is careful to adapt his per- petual intercessions to the currents of individual experience. Believers can approach him with confidence in the spirit of the exquisite lines- "' Thou our throbbing flesh hast worn, 'l'hou our mortal griefs hast home, Thou· bast shed the human tenr: Gracious Son of Mary, hear I" (Milman.) Amidst his unparalleled exaltation, the Man Christ Jesus does not forget the humblest of his people. Our High Priest has every name that is dear to him engraven upon his breastplate-written upon the imperishable tablet of his loving heart. CONCLUSION. 1. Let us retain Jesus as our Advocate. 2. Let us tell him our whole case, and commit it unreservedly into his hands. 3. Let us be sure of his ability suc- cessfully to plead the cause of his clients.
Ver. 26.-Separated from sinners. This verse exhibits in a strong clear light the moral purity of our High Priest, and its becomingness in relation to the necessities of his people. I. THE HOLINESS OF CHRIST. He was born without entail of birth-sin. His boy- hood and youth were stainless. His manhood was one of sinless perfection. His friends regarded him as faultless. His enemies testified to his purity (Pilate, Judas, the devils whom he ca8t out). Jesus himself claimed to be holy (John viii. 46; xiv. 30) ; and he never confessed sin, or begged forgiveness. The voice of his Father from heaven attested him, once and again, to be the Holy One of God (Matt. iii. 17; xvii. 5).. Notice: 1. The elements of his holiness. Three adjective8 are used, referring to three different departments of moral character. (1) "Holy," i.e. pious in relation to God. Jesus lived the life of ideal godliness. He perfectly obeyed " the great and first commandment "-the four "words" of the first table of the Law. (2) "Guileless,'' i.e. just and kind towards his follow-men. Jesus perfectly observed the six precepts of the second table. He injured no one. He "went a.bout doing good." (3) "Unde- filed," i.e. personally pure; uncontaminated by his constant contact with sinful men ; holy in the midst of sin, temptation, and suffering. 2. The singitlarity of his holiness. "Separated from sinners." 'l'his phrase sustains a relation of contrast to the three adjectives. It indicates the unique character and the matchless barwony ot 102 THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [en. vn. 1-28.
the Saviour's moral lifo. It expresses his solitariness in his holines~. If the human race be divided into two classes-the sinners and the holy-all the rest of mankind must take rank as sinners, while Jesus stands by himself as the one human beino- who was holy. 3. The reward of his holiness. "Made higher than the heavens/' His supreme exaltation has set him more visibly apart from other men than before. It was conf~rred_ npon him as the reward of his pure, unworldly, self-sacrificing life. His med1atonal throne has been erected in the new heavens of the new covenant, and these are higher than any heavens formerly known to mankind. II. 'I'HE NECESSITY OF CHRIST'S HOLINESS IN RELATION TO OUR SALVATION. ., Such a High Priest became us." In eh. ii. 10 we read of what in this connection" became" God; here, of what .".became" man: . The purity of tb~ Redeewer was admirably adapted to the necess1t1es of our condition. 1. That he might be a true manifestation of God. A priest is a mediator or middle-man between God and men; and it is indispensable that he should be in perfect sympathy with the purity of the Eternal. Holiness is the crown and flower of the Divine perfections; and it was needful that our priest should reflect that holiness in his own character. 2. That his sacrifice might l>e an adequate atonement for sin. He must be on the very best of terms with the God whom we have offended. His expiation must be satisfactory to Divine justice. It is impossible that Jesus could have atoned for us had he been himself morally infirm li~e the Jewi~h _high _priest. He could _only purchase our reconciliation by offering himself as a V1ctun, without spot or blem1~h, upon the altar. 3. That he might leave w a perfect example. The Christian life consists in the imitation of Christ. Believers follow him in the three great departments of moral excellence in which he was so absolutely pure. We ought to copy him also in his separatedness from the world. Indeed, his people should already be in spirit, through their oneness of character with their risen Lord, "made higher than the heavens.''