viz. the death and the ascension of Christ, which are matters of history; and the second advent, which is still future. 1. Ghrist died as a Sacrifice for sin. (Ver. 28.) His death wae e. stupendous event--being that of a Divine Person. It did not occur e.s the result of disease, or of natural decay. It was not an accidental death. It was judicially inflicted. Sentence was pronounced upon Jesus, not merely in the bi"h prieRt's palace and in Pilate's judgment-hall, but in the court of heaven. "It pleas;d the Lord to bruise him;" "The Lord bath laid on him the iniquity of us all." 2. He ascended to heaven as our Priest. (Ver. 24.) Of the three offices which ,Jesus executes, the prophetical occupied the most prominent place while he was on earth . his priestly office has seerued to come into the foreground now that he has gone t~ heaven; and his kingly functions will appear to be most fully discharged after the second advent. Why was it necessary that he sbonld enter heaven as our Priest? (1) To purify the heavenly tabernacle. (Ver. 23.) The Hebrew sanctuary was sprinkle(l with blood to cleanse it from ceremonial pollution. The true tabernacle may be said to be purified with Christ's blood in this sense, that his atonement has made it a righteous thing for God to receive sinful men into his favour, and to give them grace and glory. (2) To present himself before God as our Repr88entative. (Ver. 24.) He appears "before the face of God for us." His very presence in heaven is a perpetual and prevalent intercession. On the basis of his own finished work he introduces each believer to the Father, and acts as his Advocate before the throne. He lifts up in heaven his nail-pierced hand, and pleads for "mercy" to us, and for "grace to help." 3. He shall come again to consummate the salvation of his people. (Ver. 28.) On the Day of Atonement, after Aaron had sprinkled the mercy-seat with the blood, he came forth from the holy of holies, reclothed himself in his splendid vestments of blue and red and purple, trimmed with pomegranates and golden bells, and appeared outside to bless the waiting multitudes. So our High Priest, although be still tarries iu the heavenly tabernacle, filling it with the fragrant incense of his intercession, shall appear at the end of the ages, wearing the robes of his immortal glory, to say to his expectant people," Come, ye blessed of my Father." He shall appear "apart from sin." When he came the first time, he was" made to be sin on our behalf," although he "knew no sin;" but at his second advent he shall not again assume the dreadful burden. He shall appear "unto salvation," i.e. to complete the redemption of his people. By his first coming he saved their souls ; at his second coming he shall save their bodies. Or, rather, at his first coming he paid down the ransom-price of our redemption ; while at his second coming he shall receive the final instalment of his purchased possession. II. THE DOCTRINAL Focus OF THE PASSAGE. The chief point of thought for the sake of which these three dootrines are adduced is marked by the repetition of the word " once " in vers. 26-28; and by the contrast between this "once" and the "often " or "year by year" of ver. 25. Christ died only once ; he ascended only once ; he shall come again only once. Why is it that, while Aaron entered the Hebrew holy of holies every year, Jesus Christ has gone into the heavenly sanctuary " once for all"? Two reasons are assigned : the one, that to repeat his sacrifice would be unnatural ; and the other, that to do so is unnecessary. 1. It would be unnatural. (Vers. 27, 28.) Jesus Christ is the Son of man, and in all things he has been "made like unto his brethren." Now, it is a human thing to die once; and the death of every child of Adam will be followed by his appearance at the general judgment. So " it was in harmony with the law of mortality in this world that Christ should die but once. There would have been something unnatural in his dying and rising, and dying and rising, again and again without end" (Dr. Lindsay). The Lord's death and his second advent are parallel arrangements to what is the common lot of man. 2. It is unnecessary. This reason is still more satisfying, and it receives great prominence in the verses before us. It was not needful that Christ should die and ascend and come again oftener than once; for: (1) He has effected a real atonement for sin. (Ver. 26.) By his death he has "put away sin." Ha has accomplished its abolition. That is to say, he has reconciled .a guilty world to God, and procured peace of conscience for the belieYer. His obedi- ence and sufferings were those of a Divine Person~f him who is "the Effulgence of God's glory, and the very Image of his substance;" and therefore his death consti- tuted an atonement, not only of transcendent magnificence, but of infinite merit. (2) The efficacy of the atonement ea:tencla over all the pasl. (Ver. 26.) Its saving in.fluenco JlEBBl!lWS. B 242 THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [cII. IX. 1-28,
has been retrospective. Daniel and David, Elijah and Enoch, Abraham and Ad11m, and all the Old 'l'estament saints, lived really under the shadow of Calvary. The oroes of Christ has been powerful to redeem from " the transgressioDR that were under the first covenant" (ver. 15). And any devout men belonging to the vast heathen world whom God may have accepted notwithst1mding that they had never heard the gospel, have been saved on the ground of that one atonement. Dut if the blood which we.a sherl once had virtue to cover all sin in the past, its efficacy may be expected to extend equal!~• into the future. (3) Christ's atonement has opened the door of mercy to th6 world. (Ver. 28.) The Saviour h68 borne" the sins of many,'' i.e. of myriads, of man- kind in general. Although he cherishes a special love for his owu people, and although he gave himself in a specia.l sense for them, he is "the Propitiation for the whole worl<l" (1 John iL 2). His cross points out the way of life to all men, and invites every one to walk in that way. Not one sinner shall finally perish because no room could be found for him in the great atonement. The perdition of every lost man shall be entirely his own fault. And, seeing all these things are so. it is evident that Christ needed to ofi'er himself but once.