SERMON VII. That the death and fufferings of HEB. ix. 26. For then must be often have fuffered fince the foundation of the world: But now once in the end of the world, bath he appeared to put away fin by the facrifice of himself. B Y the end of the world is here meant SER M. the time of Chrift's coming into the VII. world, the fame that is expreffed in other places by the fulness of time. The Greek is exprefs to this purpofe, ἐπὶ συντελεία τῶν ἀιώνων, in the confummation of the ages, (i. e.) in the laft age of the world; when the revelations of God were to be filled up, and all his difpenfations for the falvation of mankind compleated; and that no new difpenfation or œconomy was ever to fucceed to the end of the world. SERM. The scope of this chapter is to fhew how VII. the Jewish High-prieft was a type of Christ, and that the tranfcendent excellency of one beyond the other might appear, the Apoftle, defcribing how the holy of holies, in the tabernacle, was a femblance of Heaven, the place of God's more immediate prefence, makes a comparison in three particulars: As the High-prieft entered only into that earthly tabernacle, fo Chrift entered into Heaven it felf: Again, as the High-prieft entered only with the blood of beafts, fo Chrift entered with his own blood: And lastly, as the Highpriest repeated this every year, fo Chrift was to perform it once for all; at the 25th verse, Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the High-Priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others. Then follow the words of the text, which are a proof of the reafonableness of this, drawn from an abfurdity which would follow from a fuppofition of the contrary. For then must be often have fuffered fince the foundation of the world, &c. (i. e.) If Chrift muft often have made an oblation of his blood, by way of atonement for fin, why then he must as often have shed that blood; and fo he must have been frequently firft dying, and then offering his blood ever fince the beginning of the world; ever fince there was any fin to be atoned for. The words thus explained are a demonstrative proof, that the death and sufferings of Christ had respect to all preceding generations S ER M. of men, as well as to thofe which were to VII. fucceed him to the end of the world: A truth fo plain and evident that if it were any way confiftent with the Socinian hypothefis, they would never have denied it: But because none of thofe ends which they propose, and the reasons they give of our Saviour's dying, can have any relation to fuch as lived in the world before his appearing in it, they are under this dilemma, either of afferting that the death of Chrift had no respect to them; or of allowing the real virtue and merits of it. Since nothing but this could have rendered it of any benefit or efficacy with respect to any that went before him': And if once thofe Perfons who give every text of fcripture a turn to leffen the dignity of his perfon, and the virtue of his facrifice could prove, that the death of Chrift had no refpect to those who lived before it; people would be easily induced to believe that it was of no great importance to those who lived after. Wherefore in difcourfing of this doctrine, of fo great confequence to our chriftian faith, I fhall obferve this method. 1. I fhall make out the truth of it a little more fully. 2. By way of farther confirmation of it, I fhall fhew by what degrees this great mftery opened, from the foundation of the world to M 4 the SER M. the fulness of time, here called the confumVII. mation of the ages. 3. I fhall confider the reafons of this wondrous difpenfation of providence in deferring the coming of Chrift into the world fo long, and why he chofe to appear at the time he did. 1. As to the firft, I have already observed that the words of this text is a demonftration that Chrift died for the fins of all that ever were before him, and we cannot make fense of them upon any other fuppofition; no, fays Socinus, it infers quite the contrary; (de Serv. par. ii. cap. 26.) for if the virtue of Chrift's facrifice could extend to them who were before that facrifice, what need was there that he should often have suffered, upon the fuppofition that his blood must be often offered? The answer is ready, because the blood must be fhed, before there could be any oblation of it. The fhedding of Christ's blood was a neceffary condition of the oblation of it; they perplex the matter by dif tinguishing between the fhedding, and oblation of the blood; whereas the question here is, whether both the fhedding and the oblation of that blood was neceffary to be performed often, or once for all. If they were to be performed often, the Apoftle's inference is, that they muft have been fo from the foundation of the world: And fince it is not neceffary, it was fufficient that both should be performed performed now once in the fullness of time; SER M. which was of the fame power and efficacy VII. with refpect to them who lived before him, as if it had been repeated all along with the fame frequency with the Jewish anniversary facrifice. But to prevent all evafion, let us refolve the Apostle's argument; why must Christ have suffered often? Because it is fupposed that he was often offered. Why must he have been often offered from the foundation of the world? Because there was fin ever to be atoned for. But if the being offered once for all in the confummation of the ages, will be of fufficient virtue and efficacy to take away. fin (fin in the abftract, which could not be taken away without him) as effectual for that purpose as if he had been often offered, then there was no neceffity for that constant repetition of it from the foundation of the world. And thus we are come back again to the Apostle's first propofition, which is the thing he afferts and proves. Now that Chrift could die but once, and confequently his blood be offered but once, he farther proves in the following verfe from the common state and condition of that human nature which Christ took upon him. As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this to judgment; fo Chrift was once offered to bear the fins of many. Obferve the oppofition, that on that one offering once offered are laid the fins of many ; and therefore need not to have been repeated; it |