HEBREWS 8 COMMETARYEDITED BY GLE PEASE

The High Priest of a ew Covenant1 ow the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

BARES, "Now of the things which we have spoken - Or, of the things of which we are speaking (Stuart); or as we should say, of what is said. The Greek does not necessarily mean things that had been spoken, but may refer to all that he was saying, taking the whole subject into consideration.

This is the sum - Or this is the principal thing; referring to what he was about to say, not what he had said. Our translators seem to have understood this as referring to a summing up, or recapitulation of what he had said, and there can be no doubt that the Greek would bear this interpretation. But another exposition has been proposed, adopted by Bloomfield, Stuart, Michaelis, and Storr, among the moderns, and found also in Suidas, Theodoret, Theophylact, and others, among the ancients. It is what regards

the word rendered sum - kephalaion - as meaning the principal thing; the chief matter; the most important point. The reason for this interpretation is, that the apostle in fact goes into no recapitulation of what he had said, but enters on a new topic relating to the priesthood of Christ. Instead of going over what he had demonstrated, he enters on a more important point, that the priesthood of Christ is performed in heaven, and that he has entered into the true tabernacle there. All which preceded was type and shadow; this was that which the former economy had adumbrated. In the previous chapters the apostle had shown that he who sustained this office was superior in rank to the Jewish priests; that they were frail and dying, and that the office in their hands was changing from one to another, but that that of Christ was permanent and abiding. He now comes to consider the real nature of the office itself; the sacrifice which was offered; the substance of which all in the former dispensation was the type. This was the

principal thing - kephalaion - the head, the most important matter; and the consideration of this is pursued through theHeb_8:1, Heb_9:1, and Heb_10:1chapters Heb. 810.

We have such an high priest - That is settled; proved; indisputable. The Christian system is not destitute of what was regarded as so essential to the old dispensation - the office of a high priest.

Who is set on the right hand of a throne ... - He is exalted to honor and glory

before God. The right hand was regarded as the place of principal honor, and when it is said that Christ is at the right hand of God, the meaning is, that he is exalted to the highest honor in the universe; see the note at Mar_16:19. Of course the language is figurative - as God has no hands literally - but the language conveys an important meaning, that he is near to God; is high in his affection and love, and is raised to the most elevated situation in heaven; see Phi_2:9; notes Eph_1:21-22.

CLARKE, "Of the things which we have spoken this is the sum - The word

, which we translate sum, signifies the chief, the principal, or head; or, as St.

Chrysostom explains it, , that which is greatest is always called kephalaion, i.e. the head, or chief.

Who is set on the right hand of the throne - This is what the apostle states to be the chief or most important point of all that he had yet discussed. His sitting down at the right hand of the throne of God, proves,

1. That he is higher than all the high priests that ever existed.

2. That the sacrifice which he offered for the sins of the world was sufficient and effectual, and as such accepted by God.

3. That he has all power in the heavens and in the earth, and is able to save and defend to the uttermost all that come to God through him.

4. That he did not, like the Jewish high priest, depart out of the holy of holies, after having offered the atonement; but abides there at the throne of God, as a continual priest, in the permanent act of offering his crucified body unto God, in behalf of all the succeeding generations of mankind. It is no wonder the apostle should call this sitting down at the right hand of the throne of the Divine Majesty, the chief or head of all that he had before spoken.

GILL, "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum,.... The scope and drift, the compendium and substance; or the principal of what has been said in or from Psa_110:4 and has been discoursed of in the three preceding chapters, is the priesthood of Christ:

we have such an high priest; as is described in the foregoing discourse, and in the following words: Christ is a priest, an high priest, and the saints' high priest; they are not without one under the Gospel dispensation; and Christ is he, and always continues, in whose sacrifice and intercession they have a share:

who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; he is "set", whereas the Levitical priests stood; which shows that he has done his work, and that with acceptance; and is in a state of ease and rest; and is possessed of honour, glory, majesty, and authority, and which continue: the place where he is set is, "on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty"; the same with the right hand of God; for by the throne of the Majesty is meant God the Father, in his royal glory and dignity; so Tiphereth, one of the ten numbers in the Jews' Cabalistic tree, whose name is Jehovah,

is called , "the throne of glory" (c); so angels are called thrones, Col_1:16 but God is a throne of majesty superior to them; and at his right hand sits Christ the great high priest; which is expressive of his high honour, glory, and power, and even of his equality with God: the phrase, "in the heavens", may refer both to God the throne of majesty, who is there, and to Christ the high priest, who is passed into them, and received by them, and sits there.

HERY, "Here is, I. A summary recital of what had been said before concerning the excellency of Christ's priesthood, showing what we have in Christ, where he now resides, and what sanctuary he is the minister of, Heb_8:1, Heb_8:2. Observe, 1. What we have in Christ; we have a high priest, and such a high priest as no other people ever had, no age of the world, or of the church, ever produced; all others were but types and shadows of this high priest. He is adequately fitted and absolutely sufficient to all the intents and purposes of a high priest, both with respect to the honour of God and the happiness of men and himself; the great honour of all those who have an interest in him. 2. Where he now resides: He sits on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high, that is, of the glorious God of heaven. There the Mediator is placed, and he is possessed of all authority and power both in heaven and upon earth. This is the reward of his humiliation. This authority he exercises for the glory of his Father, for his own honour, and for the happiness of all who belong to him; and he will by his almighty power bring every one of them in their own order to the right hand of God in heaven, as members of his mystical body, that where he is they may be also. 3. What is that sanctuary of which he is a minister: Of the true tabernacle, which the Lord hath pitched, and not man,Heb_8:2. The tabernacle which was pitched by man, according to the appointment of God. There was an outer part, in which was the altar where they were to offer their sacrifices, which typified Christ dying; and there was an interior part within the veil, which typified Christ interceding for the people in heaven. Now this tabernacle Christ never entered into; but, having finished the work of satisfaction in the true tabernacle of his own body, he is now a minister of the sanctuary, the holy of holies, the true tabernacle in heaven, there taking care of his people's affairs, interceding with God for them, that their sins may be pardoned and their persons and services accepted, through the merit of his sacrifice. He is not only in heaven enjoying great dominion and dignity, but, as the high priest of his church, executing this office for them all in general, and every member of the church in particular.

JAMISO, "Heb_8:1-13. Christ, the High Priest in the true sanctuary, superseding the Levitical priesthood; The new renders obsolete the Old Covenant.

the sum rather, the principal point; for the participle is present, not past, which would be required if the meaning were the sum. The chief point in (or, in the case; so the Greek,Heb_9:10, Heb_9:15, Heb_9:17) the things which we are speaking, literally, which are being spoken.

such so transcendently pre-eminent, namely in this respect, that He is set on the right hand of, etc. Infinitely above all other priests in this one grand respect, He exercises His priesthood IN HEAVEN, not in the earthly holiest place (Heb_10:12). The Levitical high priests, even when they entered the Holiest Place once a year, only STOOD for a brief space before the symbol of Gods throne; but Jesus SITS on the throne of the Divine Majesty in the heaven itself, and this for ever (Heb_10:11, Heb_10:12).

CALVI, "1.ow of the things, etc. That readers might know the subject he

handles, he reminds them that his object is to prove that Christ priesthood, by

which that of the law had been abolished, is spiritual. He, indeed, proceeds with the

same argument; but as he contends with various reasonings, he introduced this

admonition, that he might keep his readers attentive to what he had in view.

He has already shown that Christ is a high priest; he now contends that his

priesthood is celestial. It hence follows, that by his coming the priesthood

established by Moses under the law was made void, for it was earthly. and as Christ

suffered in the humble condition of his flesh, and having taken the form of a

servant, made himself of no reputation in the world, (Phi_2:7;) the Apostle reminds

us of his ascension, by which was removed not only the reproach of the cross, but

also of that abject and mean condition which he had assumed together with our

flesh; for it is by the power of the Spirit which gloriously appeared in the

resurrection and the ascension of Christ, that the dignity of his priesthood is to be

estimated. He then reasons thus Christ has ascended to the right hand of God,

that he might reign gloriously in heaven, he is not the minister of the earthly but of

the heavenly sanctuary. (127)

COFFMA, "THE ETHROED HIGH PRIEST O HIGH;

MIISTERIG THE HEAVELY SACTUARY;

ACCORDIG TO THE PATTER;

FIRST COVEAT IMPERFECT;

JEREMIAH'S PROPHECY OF THE EW COVEAT

ow in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: we have such a high

priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a

minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not

man. (Hebrews 8:1-2)

Jerden OTES that:

This passage does not present a recapitulation of topics already considered; it

emphasizes as the crowning topic in COECTIOwith our Lord's priesthood, the

fact that he has been made higher than the heavens.[1]

Two words in these verses challenge our attention because of the paradox, Hebrews

8:1 presenting our Lord as "seated," whereas Hebrews 8:2 hails him as a "minister

of the sanctuary," that is, "a servant." Both seated and serving, therefore, our Lord

is contrasted with the temporal high priests who found no chair within the Holy of

Holies, thus never being seated, and never permitted to remain except for a short

period of time. The seated and serving Christ, on the other hand, abides in perfect

and eternal control of the ministry on behalf of man which does not require that he

busy himself with this or that, but which service has already been essentially

completed, requiring only his presence upon the throne of God to assure its perfect

ADMIISTRATIO and efficacy.

THE TEMPLE I HEAVE

The reference in this place to EXISTECE of a heavenly temple or tabernacle

requires that any notion of a literal or actual temple or court in some particular

locale beyond the earth's atmosphere be refuted. It is the conviction of this writer

that such language is used by the Holy Spirit in ORDER to bring down to the level

of human comprehension those heavenly realities which are not capable of any

complete finite understanding, and that the eloquent words used in the sacred text

are accommodated to man's weakness and limitations, and that the marvelous

realities thus described are fantastically beyond the total human knowledge of them,

the very power and ability of language itself, as a means of communication, being

helpless to transmit anything more than a typical or suggestive outline of the things

that are in the heavens. Therefore, with the deepest reverence and humility, people

should strive in these matters to think God's thoughts after Him, and not to crush

the knowledge of that upper and better world into the straitjacket of its revealing

metaphor.

The whole earth is seen as God's temple in Psalms 29, and a mighty thunderstorm in

the wilderness is envisioned as actually taking place within the temple. "In his

temple doth every one speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the

Lord sitteth King forever" (Psalms 29:9,10). Micaiah saw a vision of the Almighty

hold court in heaven: "I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of

heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left" (1 Kings 22:19). Isaiah's

vision of God's throne (Isaiah 6:1ff) located it within the temple and stressed the

service of the seraphim, mentioning the Lord's TRAI, the smoke of incense, and

the live coals on the altar. Ezekiel beheld God's throne above the firmament as

having the appearance of a sapphire stone, and as the appearance of fire, and as of

the brightness of the rainbow, a very high eminence, being invariably above even

the heads of the cherubim (Ezekiel 1:26-28; 10:1). Psalms 11:4 has "The Lord is in

his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven." Micah saw the Lord's "holy

temple" as far above the earth from which the Lord would come down and tread

"upon the high places of the earth" (Micah 1:2,3). Habakkuk has the renowned call

to worship, "But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before

him" (Habakkuk 2:20). From all these and many other references, should it be

concluded that there is literally a temple in heaven? o. These revelations symbolize

and typify facts and realities beyond any intellectual grasp. That such a conclusion

is true appears from the surpassingly extensive vision of the apostle John

concerning the Holy City coming down from God out of heaven, in which it is

categorically stated, "I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and

the Lamb, are the temple thereof" (Revelation 21:22).

We have such a high priest refers to our Lord whose character and office have

ALREADY been shown to be so far above that of any other. An excellent summary

of the superiority of our high priest is that of Garbett, appended here.

In human priests, if the most extravagant claims were admitted, it would yet be true

that the dignity is only in the office, and not in the men. But when we turn to the

true High Priest, how different it is! Here is not only the glory of the office, but the

glory of the Person, infinitely qualified in his deity to stand between the justice of

God and the whole human race.

He is no mere dying man like an earthly high priest, but CLOTHED with "the

power of an endless life."

He was not made after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the oath of God

himself, "a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

He hath not ETERED into the tabernacle made with hands, with the blood of bulls

and goats, "but with his own blood he entered once into the holy place, having

obtained eternal redemption for us."

He is not one among many, like earthly high priests, but is alone in his own

SIGLE, unequaled majesty, "the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and

truth."

He does not fill a delegated office, like earthly priests, but fulfills his own office, and

that so perfectly that he "is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God

by him."

He needs not daily, as earthly priests, to seek forgiveness for his own sins, but is

"holy, harmless, and undefiled, and separate from sinners."

He does not minister afar off from God, like earthly priests, but is already "made

higher than the heavens," and at the right hand of his Father pleads evermore for

us.

He needs not to repeat his daily offerings, as earthly priests, but has made

atonement, once, "when he OFFERED up himself." And lastly,

He has no infirmity, like earthly priests, but is the Son of God, himself God, blessed

forevermore - omnipotent, omnipresent, infinite! Who perfect as he? and what

wonder that, thus perfect, he should govern as well as atone? - not only priest, but

King - nay, bearing on his head the triple crown of glory - Prophet, Priest, King.[2]

SIZE>

At this point, the author of Hebrews had overwhelmingly proved that any of the

Jewish Christians, tempted to revert to Judaism, had received in such a high priest

as Jesus far more than they had given up through renunciation of Judaism. He does

not stop here, however, but goes ahead with an analysis of certain other contrasts

between Jesus and the Levitical high priest.

[1] C. Jerden, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B.

Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), Vol. 21, Hebrews, p. 212.

[2] Garbett, Biblical Illustrator (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House,

1967), Vol. 1, Hebrews, p. 616.

HAWKER, "(1) Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (2) A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

I would not for the world knowingly strain a single word in scripture, by way of making it speak more, or less, than is intended; but would pause over these verses, and humbly ask, whether God the Holy Ghost, in the opening of this Chapter, did not mean to call the Church to behold Christ as the sum and substance of all revelation? Let the Reader recollect, how blessedly the Holy Ghost had been speaking, in the seven preceding Chapters, concerning Christ. Beginning in the first Chapter with proclamations of his eternal Power and Godhead, then of his Mediator glories; and in the second Chapter, of his human nature; and in the following, largely dwelling upon the many sweet, and endearing features of his offices, and particularly of his Priesthood: and, having followed him from the time of having purged our sins by himself, until he held him forth as seated as a Priest upon his throne, in glory, the Lord the Spirit begins this Chapter in a form of words, such as can hardly be found in the whole book of God. Now of the things (saith the Lord) which we have spoken this is the sum. As if the whole of revelation was here brought into one view, in the Person of Christ. And no doubt it is. For Christ, as Christ, is the visible Jehovah. There could have been no revelation of Jehovah in his threefold character of Person, but in, and by Him. He is come forth from the bosom of the Father to declare him, Joh_1:18. And, let the Reader further observe, how blessedly the Holy Ghost represents him, as having passed into the heavens, and there sat down, contrary to the priests on earth, who always stood ministering, Heb_10:11. Numberless beauties are contained in this short verse. First. Jesus being seated as the High Priest of his people, on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, carries with it the most palpable conviction, that he hath by himself purged our sins; and in proof, is set down on the right hand of God. Secondly. It becomes no less a proof, that Christ hath been accepted as our Surety in redemption, or he never would have been received there. Christs sitting down on the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, is in perfect conformity to Gods word, and oath, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa_110:1; Joh_17:4. Thirdly. Having such an High Priest there, our Advocate, whom God the Father heareth always; the same becomes an everlasting assurance, that all the concerns of his people, Jesus undertakes, and accomplisheth. No prayers can go unheard. No petitions remain unanswered. And all the ascension-gifts he is purposely exalted to bestow, are as certain, and sure, as if they were already in hand. God the Holy Ghost is come down, in confirmation, that Christ is gone up. He doth led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among them, Psa_68:18. And, lastly, to add no more; the sum and substance of the whole scripture being to tell the Church, that He who was dead, and is alive, and now liveth forevermore, and is on the throne of the majesty on high, is purposely there for his people, waiting to be gracious, and delighted to be by them employed. So he appeared to John , in his priestly vesture, dipped in blood, as if to say: See! I wear the vestments of office. Bring all your causes to me, and leave all with confidence in my hand.

But we must not stop here. He that is our High Priest, the Holy Ghost adds, is also a Minister of the Sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man. These offices also, are special, personal offices, peculiarly belonging to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to no other, and in which his people have everlasting concern. This sanctuary is not a worldly sanctuary of carnal ordinances; such as we read of, Heb_9:1; Heb_9:10. Neither is it an earthly sanctuary; neither is it an heavenly one; for then, it needed not to have been said, which the Lord pitched and not man. For it is well known, none but the Lord is the maker of heaven. But by the sanctuary, I should apprehend, is meant, the whole body of the Church, whom Christ, by the one offering of himself, once offered, hath perfected forever, as sanctified in himself, Psa_114:2; Isa_63:18. And by the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man, can be meant no other, according to my view, than the human nature of Christ, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And I am the more inclined to this opinion, because, all that is here said, is with the intention to magnify and exalt the Lord Jesus, by shewing, that all that was in the wilderness Church, was designed, but as the shadows of good things to come, and that all pointed to, and centered in Christ. Now, as the tabernacle in the wilderness, had frequently the Shechinah, or manifestation of the divine presence in it; here, was a lively representation of the Son of God, tabernacling in our nature, when he became flesh, and dwelt among us. And as the tabernacle was but a poor building, and to outward appearance, looking very wretched and mean; so the human nature, in which the Son of God tabernacled, was poor indeed, and had nothing of beauty, that we should desire him.

But the greatest point in this description remains to be considered. It is said, that the Lord pitched this true tabernacle, and not man. Yes! The whole Persons of the Godhead co-operated in the work. God the Father, prepared the body. So spake Christ by the Spirit of prophecy. Compare Psa_40:6-7 with Heb_10:5. God the Son took the nature of man upon him, Heb_2:14; Heb_2:16. And God the Holy Ghost, formed that holy thing, so called, Luk_1:35. Reader! do not hastily pass away, from the view of a subject so truly blessed. This true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man, is the only real temple, either in heaven, or on earth, for the divine residence., The divine essence, may, in one sense, be said to dwell everywhere; for, in the perfection of his Omnipresence, he fills heaven and earth. And God dwells by the influences of his Spirit in the hearts of his people. But it is not in either sense of this meaning, the tabernacle of the human nature of the Son of God, is inhabited by the indwelling residence of Jehovah. It is bodily in Christ, as fire in iron; essentially, personally, and eternally. Moreover, this is the only temple, Christs body, for meeting with his people. Here, the Lord comes to meet and bless them. In him, the Lord speaks to his people and they to him. Oh! the blessedness of this true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. How ought the redeemed to delight in Christ, and to be always going to Christ. It was the consciousness of this made David cry out; One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple, Psa_27:4. Oh! for grace, to be often eyeing Christ, as the sum of the things the Holy Ghost hath here spoken. Such an High Priest, set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man!

NOTES

The chief point, or the crown of the argument is this:

Maclaren, Dear brethren, our salvation is not so secured by the death upon the

cross as to make needless the life beside the throne. We need this ministry of the

high priest, for the work of atonement is completed, but the application of the

finished work of Christ will go on until history ends. There is only one mediator

between God and man.

The highest place that heaven affords

Is His, is His, by right,

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords

And Heavens eternal light.

We do not need a tower of Babel for we are already seated with Christ in the

heavenly places. Eph. 2:6 Where the head is there is the body.

He is superior because of his

Place-in heaven

Position-right hand of God

Posture-seated

His finished work does not mean he does not have intercession to make continually

for us. God is seated for he is the honored one before whom others stand. Dan. 7:9-

10.

We cannot imagine a Spirit on a throne and so God is portrayed as having a body

and a right hand. God wants us to have an image of him in our minds as a king on

the throne in great majesty. The right hand is a symbol of power Ex. 15:6, Eph 1:19-

21, and glory Matt. 26:64.

God is everywhere, but is specifically in heaven which is a place. We can come into

his presence who is everywhere present by thought and focus. To be in his heavenly

presence is superior to being in his earthy presence. Why is it better?

1. It is not made by man.

2. It is for all and not just Israel as the old temple

3. It is not exclusive as the old where the people could not enter the holy of holies.

Seated does not mean that He only sits and does not go about in other activities. It is

like a king is seated in his coronation but still goes about, and someone is seated in

Congress, but that just means they have been elected and have acquired the right to

be there. They hold a seat in congress, but not to stay there all the time. Jesus is

officially seated at the right hand of God and no one else can have that position.

Philip Mauro, The previous portions of the Epistle had to do specially with the trials,

dangers, and difficulties besetting the path of the pilgrims, on which account stress is laid

upon the prospect before them in the Kingdom of God that is to be established in the age

to come. The present portion of the Epistle (Heb. 8:1 to 10:25, inclusive), has to do with

the worship of Gods pilgrims, on which account prominence is given to the present

ministry of the Son of God, now appearing in the Presence of God for us, and to the One

Sacrifice Which He, when on earth, offered for sin; in virtue of which we may boldly

draw near to God. Those two topics, the present ministry of Christ on high, and the One

Sacrifice offered by Him on earth, are kept constantly before us in this section of the

Epistle.

by A.T. Jones

Such an High Priest

"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest,

who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the

sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."

This is the summing up of the evidence of the high priesthood of Christ presented in the

first seven chapters of Hebrews. The "sum" thus presented is not particularly that we have

an High Priest but that "we have such an High Priest." "Such" signifies "of that kind; of a

like kind or degree,"--"the same as previously mentioned or specified; not another or

different."

That is to say: In the preceding part (the first seven chapters of the Epistle to the

Hebrews) there have been specified certain things concerning Christ as High Priest,

certain qualifications by which He became High Priest, or certain things which are

becoming to Him as an High Priest, which are summed up in this text: "Now of the things

which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest."

It is necessary, therefore, to an understanding of this scripture that the previous portion of

this epistle shall be reviewed to see what is the true weight and import of this word, "such

an High Priest." The whole of the seventh chapter is devoted to the discussion of this

priesthood. The sixth chapter closes with the thought of this priesthood. The fifth chapter

is almost wholly devoted to the same thought. The fourth chapter closes with it, and the

fourth chapter is but a continuation of the third chapter, which begins with an exhortation

to "consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;" and this as the

conclusion from what had already been presented. The second chapter closes with the

thought of His being "a merciful and faithful High Priest" and this also as the conclusion

from what has preceded in the first and second chapters, for though they are two chapters

the subject is but one.

This sketch shows plainly that in the first seven chapters of Hebrews the one great

thought over all is the priesthood of Christ and that the truths presented, whatever the

thought or the form may be, are all simply the presentation in different ways of the great

truth of this priesthood, all of which is finally summed up in the words: "We have such an

High Priest."

Therefore, in discovering the true weight and import of this expression, "such an High

Priest," it is necessary to begin with the very first words of the book of Hebrews and

follow the thought straight through to the summing up, bearing constantly in mind that

the one transcendent thought in all that is presented is "such an High Priest" and that in all

that is said the one great purpose is to show to mankind that we have "such an High

Priest." However rich and full may be the truths in themselves, concerning Christ, which

are contained in the successive statements, it must be constantly borne in mind that these

truths--however rich, however full--are all expressed with the one great aim of showing

that we have "such an High Priest." And in studying these truths as they are presented in

the epistle, they must be held as subordinate and tributary to the great truth over all that is

the "sum,"--"we have such an High Priest."

In the second chapter of Hebrews, as the conclusion of the argument there presented, it is

written: "Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that

He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God." In this it is

declared that Christ's condescension, His likeness to mankind, His being made flesh and

dwelling amongst men, was necessary to His becoming "a merciful and faithful High

Priest." But in order to know the measure of His condescension and what is the real

meaning of His place in the flesh as the Son of man and man, it is necessary to know

what was first the measure of His exaltation as the Son of God and God, and this is the

subject of the first chapter.

The condescension of Christ, the position of Christ, and the nature of Christ as He was in

the flesh in the world are given in the second chapter of Hebrews more fully than in any

other one place in the Scriptures. But this is in the second chapter. The first chapter

precedes it. Therefore the truth and the thought presented in the first chapter are

essentially precedent to the second chapter. The first chapter must be fully understood in

order to be able to follow the thought and understand the truth in the second chapter.

In the first chapter of Hebrews, the exaltation, the position, and the nature of Christ as He

was in heaven before He came to the world are more fully given than in any other single

portion of the Scriptures. Therefore it is certain that an understanding of the position and

nature of Christ as He was in heaven is essential to a proper understanding of His position

and nature as He was on earth. And since it behooved Him to be what He was on earth, in

order that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest, it is essential to know what He

was in heaven, for this is essential precedent to what He was on earth and is therefore an

essential part of the evidence that is summed up in the expression, "We have such an

High Priest."

THE REVELATIO OF JESUS CHRIST O HIS

THROE

By Benjamin Smith

These verses of Scripture from the book of Revelation

reveal Jesus Christ on His throne:

1. Jesus is on His throne in the temple in heaven. Revelation 1:4, 8, 11. Please note

verse 4, where seven Spirits are before His throne; verses 8 and 11 tie together with

verse 4.

2. Jesus is on His throne in the temple in heaven. Rev. 4:9, 10; 5:1, 7, 13; 6:16; 7:9,

10, 11, 15; 8:2-4; 11:16, 17; 14:3, 5, 7; 19:4, 6; 21:5.

3. Christ is the Almighty. Matt. 28:18; Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7-14; 19:6, 15;

21:22.

4. The seven lamps of fire are the seven spirits of God or the Holy Spirit sent into all

the earth. Rev. 5:6.

5. The Lamb is called the King of kings and Lord of lords. Rev. 17:14.

6. Jesus is Lord God. Rev. 1:8, 10; 4:8; 15:3, 4; 16:5, 7; 19:1, 6; 21:22; 22:5-6.

7. Jesus has a new name. Rev. 3:12; 19:12 Known only to Himself. 19:12.

8. Jesus says "I am" more than eight times in Revelation:

1. Alpha and Omega Rev. 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13

2. The beginning and the end 1:8; 21:6; 22:13

3. The First and Last 1:11, 17; 22:13; Isaiah 44:6

4. He that liveth and was dead 1:18

5. Alive forevermore 1:18

6. In my Father's throne 3:21

7. The root and offspring of David 22:16

8. The Bright and morning star 22:16

9. Christ and the Lamb are referred to in each of these

verses: Rev. 5:6, 13; 6:16; 7:9, 10, 14-15, 17; 14:4, 10;

15:3; 19:15; 21:22. The throne is also mentioned in most

of these verses.

SBC, "The Great Possession.

I. Let us look at the reality of the fact. We have such an High Priest. It is not a matter of useless desire or of future hope, but of present accomplished possession.

II. The words affirm the singleness of the Person, and of the office He fulfils. "We have such an High Priest"not many, but one, one and only one; so absolutely alone that it is blasphemy to arrogate any part of His work. Who shall dare to do what Christ is doing, and what room is there for human priests, when the Divine Priest ever liveth? It is as if a man bought a wretched taper to help the light of the noonday sun.

III. The words call attention strongly to the perfection of the high priesthood of Christ, the perfection of Him who fulfils it. "We have such an High Priest." Turn back to the preceding chapter, and you will find that the Apostle enumerates beauty after beauty in Christ, as if he were gathering together a cluster of jewels to deck His crown of glory. It is singular, when we read the passage carefully, how we find it crowded with insignia of honour. In human priests, if the most extravagant claims were admitted, it would yet be true that the dignity is only in the office, and not in the men. But when we turn to the true High Priest, how different it is. Here is not only the glory of the office, but the glory of the Person, infinitely qualified in His Deity to stand between the justice of God and the whole human race. He is no mere dying man like an earthly priest, but clothed with the power of an endless life. He does not fill a delegated office, like earthly priests, but fulfils His own office, and that so perfectly that He is able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by Him. Let us, therefore, come boldly to the thronecome for pardon, come for peace, come for protection, come for sympathy, come for help here and glory hereafter, since we have such an High Priest.

E. Garbett, Experiences of the Inner Life, p. 40.

The Crowning PointChrist the High Priest in heaven.

I. Christ in heaven. This sums up all our faith. Here is our righteousness and our standing before God; here our storehouse of inexhaustible blessings, and of unsearchable riches; here our armoury, whence we obtain the weapons of our warfare; here is our citizenship and the hope of our glory. The right hand is the place of affection, as well as of honour and dignity. Christ is on the right hand of the Father, being His beloved Son, in whom He manifests His glory. The right hand is also the symbol of sovereign power and rule. Christ is Lord over all. Heaven being the locality of Christs priesthood, it must needs be perfect, eternal, spiritual, and substantial. What are the things with which Christ is now occupied as a priest? In one respect He rests, because He finished His work upon the earth, and, therefore, He is described as sitting down on His Fathers throne; His is now the perfect and peaceful rest of victory, for He has

overcome. But, on the other hand, His is now a constant priestly activity.

II. If Christ is in heaven, we must lift up our eyes and hearts to heaven. There are things above. The things above are the spiritual blessings in heavenly places. The things above are also the future things for which we wait, seeing that our inheritance is not here upon earth. If our life is now hid with Christ in God, then, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we also shall appear with Him in glory. Our citizenship is in heaven, and Jesus, whom we now love and serve, will come to receive us unto Himself.

A. Saphir, Lectures on Hebrews, vol. ii., p. 1.

Hebrews 8:1-2

The True Tabernacle.

I. The tabernacle has no fewer than three meanings: (1) In the first place, the tabernacle is a type, a visible illustration, of the heavenly place in which God has His dwelling. (2) The tabernacle is a type of Jesus Christ, who is the meeting-place between God and man. (3) The tabernacle is a type of Christ in the Church, of the communion of Jesus with all believers.

II. Our High Priest, by virtue of the one sacrifice, is in heaven. There can be only one temple. There was only one ark in the days of Noah, one tabernacle in the wilderness, one temple in Jerusalem. The forgiving, merciful, and glorious presence of Jehovah is manifested now in the throne on which Jesus is seated. Before the coming of Jesus, the shadow symbolised truth to believing worshippers. After the coming of Jesus, it must fade and vanish before the substance. If this is true of the Levitical priesthood, which was of Divine appointment, how much more fearful is the assumption of any priestly title, position, or function, during the new dispensation. All Christians are priests. To imitate a revival of that which God has Himself set aside by a fulfilment, perfect and glorious, is audacious, and full of peril to the souls of men. It is not even the shadow of a substance, but the unauthorised shadow of a departed shade.

III. We learn here of the wonderful grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the minister of the sanctuary; He is still going on with His service. He has ascended into the holiest, into the region of perfection and glory; but not to forget us who are still in the wilderness. As he loved His own, even to the end, He loves them now, and throughout all the ages; and He will come again to receive us unto Himself.

A. Saphir, Lectures on Hebrews, vol. ii., p. 31.

References: Heb_8:1-3.G. Huntingdon, Sermons for Holy Seasons, p. 223. Heb_8:1-5.Homiletic Quarterly, vol. ii., p. 358; R. W. Dale, The Jewish Temple and the Christian Church, p. 153.

Hebrews 8:1-2

Heb_8:1-2, Heb_8:6, Heb_8:10-12

The New CovenantIts Promises.

I. Pardon is the last named of the promises, but it is the first bestowed. The terms of the promise indicate two things respecting the blessing it holds forth, namely, its source and its fulness. (1) Its source"I will be merciful to their unrighteousness." The source, then, of the promised pardon is the mercifulness of God. We mean, of course, its moral source, for its legal source is the atonement of Jesus Christ. (2) The fulness of mercy"Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." This oblivion of transgression is a feature of the Divine pardon, much emphasized in Scripture, with a view no doubt of duly impressing men with the fact of its absolute entirety.

II. The intuitional knowledge of God assured by the better Covenant. The knowledge of God obtained through experience of His pardon is the grandest of all knowledge of Him. This is a knowledge of God that makes Him the predominant idea of the mans whole life, the supreme fact of his life, whether as regards its activities or its happiness.

III. The Divine kinship assured by the New Covenant. "God is not ashamed to be their God." He permits His people the utmost freedom in their assertion of the relationship. He holds it not in any way derogatory to His Divine dignity to be recognised as their Father. This relationship is in itself a guarantee of the fullest and most devoted service on their behalf.

IV. Observe the assurance which the better Covenant gives of a loving, childlike subjection to the Divine will. "I will put My laws in their minds, and will write them in their hearts." We see from this how completely the law of God, or the Divine will, becomes the motive power in the life of the divinely pardoned man, how wholly it assimilates his entire being, bringing it into beautiful harmony with the mind of God.

A. J. Parry, Phases of Christian Truth, p. 170.

References: Heb_8:2.W. M. Statham, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xii., p. 1. Heb_8:5.P. Brooks, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxiii., p. 344; Ibid., vol. xxxiv., p. 150; A. Johnson, Ibid., vol. xxxv., p. 356; S. Macnaughton, Real Religion and Real Life, p. 184.

RWP, "In the things which we are saying (epitoislegomenois). Locative case of the

articular present passive participle of leg after epi as in Luk_5:5; Heb_11:4, in the matter of the things being discussed.

The chief point (kephalaion). Neuter singular of the adjective kephalaios (from

kephal, head), belonging to the head. Vulgate capitulum, nominative absolute in old and common sense, the main matter (even so without the article as in Thucydides), the pith (Coverdale), common in the papyri as in Greek literature. The word also occurs in the sense of the sum total or a sum of money (Act_22:28) as in Plutarch, Josephus, and also in the papyri (Moulton and Milligans Vocabulary).

Such an high priest (toioutonarchierea). As the one described in chapters 4:16-

7:28 and in particular Heb_7:26 (toioutos) Heb_7:27, Heb_7:28. But the discussion of

the priestly work of Jesus continues through Heb_12:3. Toioutos is both retrospective and prospective. Here we have a summary of the five points of superiority of Jesus as

high priest (Heb_8:1-6). He is himself a better priest than Aaron (toioutos in Heb_8:1

such as shown in 4:16-7:28); he works in a better sanctuary (Heb_8:2, Heb_8:5); he offers a better sacrifice (Heb_8:3.); he is mediator of a better covenant (Heb_8:6); his work rests on better promises (Heb_8:6); hence he has obtained a better ministry as a

whole (Heb_8:6). In this resum (kephelaion) the author gives the pith (kephalaion) of

his argument, curiously enough with both senses of kephalaion (pith, summary) pertinent. He will discuss the four points remaining thus:

(1) The better covenant, Heb_8:7-13.

(2) The better sanctuary, Heb_9:1-12.

(3) The better sacrifice, 9:13-10:18.

(4) The better promises, 10:19-12:3.

One point (the better high priest, like Melchizedek) has already been discussed (4:16-7:28).

Sat down (ekathisen). Repetition of Heb_1:3 with touthronou (the throne) added. This phrase prepares the way for the next point.

EBC, "THE NEW COVENANT."Now in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: We have such a High-priest, Who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. For every high-priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is necessary that this High-priest also have somewhat to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a Priest at all, seeing there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve that which is a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses is warned of God when he is about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern that was showed thee in the mount. But now hath He obtained a ministry the more excellent, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises."-- Heb_8:1-6 (R.V.).

The Apostle has interpreted the beautiful story of Melchizedek with wonderful felicity and force. The point of the whole Epistle, he now tells us, lies there. He has brought forth the headstone of the corner, the keystone of the arch.[142] It is, in short, that we have such a High-priest. Country, holy city, ark of the covenant, all are lost. But if we have the High-priest, all are restored to us in a better and more enduring form. Jesus is the High-priest and King. He has taken His seat once for all, as King, on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty, and, as Priest, is also Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. The indefinite and somewhat unusual term "minister" or "public servant"[143] is intentionally chosen, partly to emphasise the contrast between Christs kingly dignity and His priestly service, partly because the author wishes to explain at greater length in what Christs actual work as High-priest in heaven consists. For Christs heavenly glory is a life of service, not of selfish gratification. Every high-priest serves.[144] He is appointed for no other purpose than to offer gifts and sacrifices. The Apostles readers admitted that Christ was High-priest. But they were forgetting that, as such, He too must necessarily minister and have something which He can offer. Our

theology is still in like danger. We are sometimes prone to regard Christs life in heaven as only a state of exaltation and power, and, consequently, to speak more of the saints happiness than of their service. It is the natural result of superficial theories of the Atonement that little practical use is made by many Christians of the truth of Christs priestly intercession. The debt has been paid, the debtor discharged, and the transaction ended. Christs present activity towards God is acknowledged and--neglected. Protestants are confirmed in this baneful worldliness of conception by their just desire to keep at a safe distance from the error in the opposite extreme: that Christ presents to God the Churchs sacrifices of the mass.

The truth lies midway between two errors. On the one hand, Christs intercession is not itself the making or constituting of a sacrifice; on the other, it is not mere pleading and prayer. The sacrifice was made and completed on the Cross, as the victims were slain in the outer court. But it was through the blood of those victims the high-priest had authority to enter the holiest place; and when he had entered, he must sprinkle the warm blood, and so present the sacrifice to God. Similarly Christ must enter a sanctuary in order to present the sacrifice slain on Calvary. The words of the Apostle John, "We have an Advocate with the Father," express only one side of the truth. But he adds the other side of the conception in the same verse, "And He is the propitiation," which is a very different thing from saying, "His death was the propitiation." But what sanctuary shall He enter? He could not approach the holiest place in the earthly temple. For if He were on earth, He would not be a Priest at all, seeing there are men ordained by the Law to offer the appointed gifts on earth.[145] The Jewish priests have satisfied and exhausted the idea of an earthly priesthood. Even Melchizedek could not found an order. If he may be regarded as an attempt to acclimatise on earth the priesthood of personal greatness, the attempt was a failure. It always fails, though it is always renewed. On earth there can be no order of goodness. When a great saint appears among men, he is but a bird of passage, and is not to be found, because God has translated him. If it is so of His saints, what of Christ? Christ on earth through the ages? Impossible! And what is impossible today will be equally inconceivable at any point of time in the future. A correct conception of Christs priestly intercession is inconsistent with the dream of a reign of Christ on earth. It may, or may not, be consistent with His kingly office. But His priesthood forbids. We infer that Christ has transformed the heaven of glory into the holiest place of a temple, and the throne of God into a shrine before which He, as High-priest, presents His sacrifice.

The Jewish priesthood itself teaches the existence of a heavenly sanctuary.[146] All the arrangements of tabernacle and ritual were made after a pattern shown to Moses on Mount Sinai. The priests, in the tabernacle and through their ritual, ministered to the holiest place, as the visible image and outline of the real holiest place--that is, heaven--which the Lord pitched, not man.

Now Christs more excellent ministry as High-priest in heaven carries in its bosom all that the Apostle contends for,--the establishment of a new covenant which has set aside for ever the covenant of the Law. "He has obtained a ministry the more excellent by how much He is the Mediator of a better covenant."[147] These words contain in a nutshell the entire argument, or series of arguments, that extends from the sixth verse of the eighth chapter to the eighteenth verse of the tenth. The course of thought may be divided as follows:--

1. That the Lord intends to establish a new covenant is first of all shown by a citation from the prophet Jeremiah (Heb_8:7-13).

2. A description of the tabernacle and of the entrance of the priests and high-priests

into it teaches that the way into the holiest place was not yet open to men. This is contrasted with the entering of Christ into heaven through His own blood, which proves that He has obtained for us an eternal redemption and is Mediator of a new covenant, founded on His death (ix. 1-18).

3. The frequent entering of the high-priest into the holiest place is contrasted with the one death of Christ and His entering heaven once. This proves the power of His sacrifice and intercession to bring in the better covenant and set aside the former one (Heb_9:25 - Heb_10:18).

I. A NEW COVENANT PROMISED THROUGH JEREMIAH.

"For if that first covenant had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second. For finding fault with them, He saith,

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand to lead them forth out of the land of Egypt; For they continued not in My covenant, And I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, And on their heart also will I write them: And I will be to them a God, And they shall be to Me a people: And they shall not teach every man his fellow-citizen, And every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For all shall know Me, From the least to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And their sins will I remember no more.

In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. But that which is becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing away."-- Heb_8:7-13 (R.V.).

The more spiritual men under the dispensation of law anticipated a new and better era. The Psalmist had spoken of another day, and prophesied of the appearance of a Priest after the order of Melchizedek and a Son of David Who would also be Davids Lord. But Jeremiah is very bold, and says[148] that the covenant itself on which the hope of his nation hangs will pass away, and his dream of a more spiritual covenant, established on better promises, will at some distant day come true. It is well to bear in mind that this discontent with the present order lodged in the hearts, not of the worst, but of the best and greatest, sons of Judaism. It was the salt of their character, the life of their inspiration, the message of their prophecy. In days of national distress and despair, this star shone the brighter for the darkness. The terrible shame of the Captivity and the profound agony that followed it were lit up with the glorious vision of a better future in store for the people of God. On the quivering lips of the prophet that "sat weeping," as he is described in the Septuagint,[149] this strong hope found utterance. He had washed the dust of worldliness from his eyes with tears, and, therefore, saw more clearly than the men of his time the threatened downfall of Judah and the bright dawn beyond. In reading his prophecy of the new covenant we almost cease to wonder that some persons thought Jesus was Jeremiah risen from the dead. The prophets words have the same ring of undaunted cheerfulness, of intense compassion, of prophetic faith; and Christ, as well as the Apostle, cites His prediction that all shall be taught of God.[150]

Jeremiah blames the people.[151] But the Apostle infers that the covenant itself was not faultless, inasmuch as the prophet seeks, in his censure of the people, to make room for another covenant. We have already been told that there was on earth no room for the priesthood of Christ.[152] Similarly, in the sphere of earthly nationality, there was no room for a covenant other than that which God had made with His people Israel when

He brought them out of the land of Egypt. But the earthly priesthood could not give efficacy to its ministering, and thus room is found for a heavenly priesthood. So also, the covenant on which the earthly priesthood rested being inadequate, the prophet makes room for the introduction of a new and better covenant.

Now the peculiar character of the old covenant was that it dealt with men in the aggregate which we call the nation. Nationalism is the distinctive feature of the old world, within the precincts of Judaism and among the peoples of heathendom. Even the prophets could not see the spiritual truth, which they themselves foretold, except through the medium of nationality. The Messiah was the national king idealised, even when He was a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. In the passage before us the prophet Jeremiah speaks of Gods promise to write His law on the heart as made to the house of Judah and the house of Israel, as if he were not aware that, in so speaking, he was really contradicting himself. For the blessing promised was a spiritual and, consequently, personal one, with which nationality cannot possibly have any sort of connection. It is a matter of profound joy to every lover of his people to witness and share in the uprising of a national consciousness. Some among us are beginning to know now for the first time that a national ideal is possible in thought, and sentiment, and life. But there must not, cannot, be a nationality in religion. A moral law in the heart does not recognise the quality of the blood that circulates through. This truth the prophets strove to utter, often in vain. Yet the breaking up of the nation into Judah and Israel helped to dispel the illusion. The loss of national independence prepared for the universalism of Jesus Christ and St. Paul. Now also, when an epistle is written to the Hebrew Christians, the threatened extinction of nationality drives men to seek the bond of union in a more stable covenant, which will save them, if anything can, from the utter collapse of all religious fellowship and civil society. It is the glory of Christianity that it creates the individual and at the same moment keeps perfectly clear of individualism. Its blessings are personal, but they imply a covenant. If nationalism has been dethroned, individualism has not climbed to the vacant seat. How it achieves this great result will be understood from an examination of Jeremiahs prophecy.

The new covenant deals with the same fundamental conceptions which dominated the former one. These are the moral law, knowledge of God, and forgiveness of sin. So far the two dispensations are one. Because these great conceptions lie at the root of all human goodness, religion is essentially the same thing under both covenants. There is a sense in which St. Augustine was right in speaking of the saints under the old Testament as "Christians before Christ." Judaism and Christianity stand shoulder to shoulder over against the religious ideas and practices of all the heathen nations of the world. But in Judaism these sublime conceptions are undeveloped. Nationalism dwarfs their growth. They are like seeds falling on the thorns, and the thorns grow up and choke them. God, therefore, spoke unto the Jews in parables, in types and shadows. Seeing, they saw not; and hearing, they heard not, neither did they understand.

Because the former covenant was a national one, the conceptions of the moral law, of God, of sin and its forgiveness, would be narrow and external. The moral law would be embedded in the national code. God would be revealed in the history of the nation. Sin would consist either in faults of ignorance and inadvertence or in national apostasy from the theocratic King. In these three respects the new covenant excels,--in respect, that is, of the moral law, knowledge of God, and forgiveness of sin, which yet may be justly regarded as the three sides of the revelation given under the former covenant.

1. The moral law will either forget its own holiness, righteousness, and goodness, and degenerate into national rules of conduct, or else, by the innate force of its spirituality,

create in men a consciousness of sin and a strong desire for reconciliation with God. Men will resist, and, when resistance is vain, will chafe against its terrible strength. "The Law came in beside, that the trespass might abound."[153] But it often happens that guilt of conscience is the alarum that awakens moral self-consciousness out of sleep, never to fall asleep again when holiness has found entrance into the soul. Beyond this the old covenant advanced not a step. The promise of the new covenant is to put the Law into the mind, not in an ark of shittim wood, and to write it in the heart, not on tables of stone. The Law was given on Sinai as an external commandment; it is put into the mind as a knowledge of moral truth. It was written on the two tables in the weakness of the letter; on the heart it is written as a principle and a power of obedience. The power of God to command becomes the strength of man to obey. In this way the new covenant realises what the former covenant demanded. The new covenant is the old covenant transformed, made spiritual. God is become the God of His people; and this was the promise of the former covenant. They are no more children, as they were when God took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. Instead of the external guidance, they have the unction within, and know all things. Renewed in the spirit of their mind, they put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and the holiness of truth.

2. So also of knowing God. The moral attributes of the Most High are revealed under the former covenant, and the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New. Abraham knows Him as the everlasting God. Elisha understands that there is no darkness or shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. Balaam declares that God is not a man that He should lie. The Psalmist confesses to God that he cannot flee from His presence. The father of believers fears not to ask, "Shall not the Judge of the earth do right?" Moses recognises that the Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Isaiah hears the seraphim crying one to another, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." But nationalism distorted the image. The conception of Gods Fatherhood is most indistinct. When, however, Christ taught His disciples to say in prayer, "Our Father," He could then at once add the words "Who art in heaven." The spirit of man rose immediately with a mighty upheaval above the narrow bounds of nationalism. The attributes of God became more lofty as well as more amiable to the eyes of His children. The God of a nation is not great enough to be our Father. The God Who is our Father is God in heaven.

Not only are Gods attributes revealed, but the faculty to know Him is also bestowed. The moral law and a heart to love it are the two elements of a knowledge of Gods nature. For God Himself is holiness and love. In vain will men cry one to another, saying, "Know the Lord." As well might they bid the blind behold the light, or the wicked love purity. Knowledge of nature can be taught. It can be parcelled in propositions, carried about, and handed to others. But the character of God is not a notion, and cannot be taught as a lesson or in a creed, however true the creed may be. The two opposite ends of all our knowledge are our sensations and God. In one respect the two are alike. Knowledge of them cannot be conveyed in words.

3. The only thing concerning God that can be known by a man who is not holy himself is that He will punish the impenitent, and can forgive. These are objective facts. They may be announced to the world, and believed. In the history of all holy men, under the Old Testament as well as under the New, they are their first lesson in spiritual theology. To say that penitent sinners under the Law could not be absolved from guilt or taste the sweetness of Gods forgiving grace must be false. St. Paul himself, who describes the Law as a covenant that "gendereth to bondage," cites the words of the Psalmist, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered," to prove that God imputes

righteousness without works.[154] When the Apostle Peter was declaring that all the prophets witness to Jesus Christ, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins, the Holy Ghost fell on all who heard the word. The very promise which Jeremiah says will be fulfilled under the future covenant Isaiah claims for his own days: "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."[155]

On the other hand, it is equally plain that St. Paul and the author of this Epistle agree in teaching that the sacrifices of the old covenant had in them no virtue to remove guilt. They cannot take away sin, and they cannot remove the consciousness of sin.[156] The writer evidently considers it sufficient to state the impossibility, without labouring to prove it. His readers consciences would bear him out in the assertion that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

It remains--and it is the only supposition left to us--that peace of conscience must have been the result of another revelation, simultaneous with the covenant of the Law, but differing from it in purpose and instruments. Such a revelation would be given through the prophets, who stood apart as a distinct order from the priesthood. They were the preachers. They quickened conscience, and spoke of Gods hatred of sin and willingness to forgive. Every advance in the revelation came through the prophets, not through the priests. The latter represent the stationary side of the covenant, but the prophets hold before the eyes of men the idea of progress. What, then, was the weakness of prophecy in reference to forgiveness of sin when compared with the new covenant? The prophets predicted a future redemption. This was their strength. It was also their weakness. For that future was not balanced by an equally great past. However glorious the history of the nation had been, it was not strong enough to bear the weight of so transcendent a future. Every nation that believes in the greatness of its own future already possesses a great past. If not, it creates one. Mythology and hero-worship are the attempt of a people to erect their future on a sufficient foundation. But men had not experienced anything great enough to inspire them with a living faith in the reality of the promises which the prophets announced. Sin had not been atoned for. The Christian preacher can point to the wonderful but well-assured facts of the life and death of Jesus Christ. If he could not do this, or if he neglects to do it, feeble and unreal will sound his proclamation of the terrors and joys of the world to come. The Gospel has for one of its primary objects to appease the guilty conscience. How it achieves this purpose our author will tell us in another chapter. For the present all we learn is that knowledge of God is knowledge of His moral nature, and that this knowledge belongs to the man whose moral consciousness has been quickened. The evangelical doctrine that the source of holiness is thankfulness was well meant, as an antidote to legalism on the one hand and to Antinomianism on the other. The sinner, we were told, once redeemed from the curse of the Law and delivered from the danger of perdition, begins to love the Christ Who redeemed and saved him. The doctrine contains a truth, and is applicable to this extent; that he to whom much is forgiven loveth much. But it would not be true to say that all good men have sought Gods forgiveness because they feared hell torments. To some their guilt is their hell. Fear is too narrow a foundation of holiness. We cannot explain saintliness by mere gratitude. For "thankfulness" we must write "conscience," and substitute forgiveness and absolution from guilt for safety from future misery, if we would lay a foundation broad and firm enough on which to erect the sublimest holiness of man.

Our author infers from the words of Jeremiah that there was an inherent decay in the former covenant. It was itself ready to vanish away, and make room for a new and more

spiritual one.[157]

II. A NEW COVENANT SYMBOLIZED IN THE TABERNACLE.

"Now even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the Holy place. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies; having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aarons rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat; of which we cannot now speak severally. Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services; but into the second the high-priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the errors of the people: the Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while as the first tabernacle is yet standing; which is a parable for the time now present; according to which are offered both gifts and sacrifices that cannot, as touching the conscience, make the worshipper perfect, being only (with meats and drinks and divers washings) carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation. But Christ having come a High-priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"-- Heb_9:1-14 (R.V.).

With the words of a prophet the Apostle contrasts the ritual of the priests. Jeremiah prophesied of a better covenant, because he found the former one did not satisfy conscience. A description of the tabernacle, its furniture and ordinances of Divine service, follows. At first it appears strange that the author should have thought it necessary to enumerate in detail what the tabernacle contained. But to infer that he is a Hellenist, to whom the matter had all the charm of novelty, would be very precarious. His purpose is to show that the way of the holiest was not yet open. The tabernacle consisted of two chambers: the foremost and larger of the two, called the sanctuary, and an inner one, called the holiest of all. Now the sanctuary had its furniture and stated rites. It was not a mere vestibule or passage leading to the holiest. The eighth verse, literally rendered, expresses that the outer sanctuary "held a position."[158] Its furniture was for daily use. The candelabrum supported the seven lamps, which gave light to the ministering priests. The shewbread, laid on the table in rows of twelve cakes, was eaten by Aaron and his sons. Into this chamber the priests went always, accomplishing the daily services. Moreover, between the holy place and the holiest of all hung a thick veil. Into the holiest the high-priest only was permitted to enter, and he could only enter on the annual day of atonement. This chamber also had its proper furniture. To it belonged[159] the altar of incense (for so we must read in the fourth verse, instead of "golden censer"), although its actual place was in the outer sanctuary. It stood in front of the veil that the high-priest might take the incense from it, without which he was not permitted to enter the holiest; and when he came out, he sprinkled it with blood as he had sprinkled the holiest place itself. In the inner chamber stood the ark of the covenant, containing the pot of manna, Aarons rod that budded, and the two tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written. On the ark was the mercy-seat, and above

the mercy-seat were the cherubim. But there were no lamps to give light; there was no shewbread for food. The glory of the Lord filled it, and was the light thereof. When the high-priest had performed the atoning rites, he was not permitted to stay within. It is evident that reconciliation through blood was the idea symbolized by the holiest place, its furniture, and the yearly rite performed within it. But the veil and the outer chamber stood between the sinful people and the mercy-seat. Our author ascribes this arrangement of the two chambers, the veil, and the one entrance every year of the high-priest into the inner shrine, to the Holy Spirit, Who teaches men by symbol[160] that the way to God is not yet open. But He also teaches them through the ordinances of the outer sanctuary that access to God is a necessity of conscience, and yet that the gifts and sacrifices there offered cannot satisfy conscience, resting, as they do, only on meats and drinks and divers washings. All we can say of them is that they were the requirements of natural conscience, here termed "flesh," and that these demands of human consciousness of guilt were sanctioned and imposed on men by God provisionally, until the time came for restoring permanently the long-lost peace between God and men.

Contrast with all this the ministry of Christ. He made His appearance on earth as High-priest of the things which have now at length come to us.[161] The blessings prophesied by Jeremiah have been realised. As High-priest He entered the true holiest place, a tabernacle greater and more perfect, even heaven itself.[162] It is greater; that is, larger. The outer sanctuary has ceased to exist, because the veil has been rent in twain, and the holy place has been taken into the holiest place. The tabernacle has now only one chamber, and in that chamber God meets all His worshipping saints, who come to Him through and with Jesus, the High-priest. The tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell, as in the tabernacle, with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them.[163] Yea, the holiest place has spread itself over Mount Zion, on which stood the kings palace, and over the whole city of Jerusalem, which lieth four-square, and is become the heavenly and holy city, having no temple, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple thereof. "And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it; for the glory of God lightens it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb." The city and the holiest place are commensurate. So large, indeed, is the holiest that the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof. It is also more perfect.[164] For Christ has entered into the presence of God for us. Such a tabernacle is not constructed of the materials of this world,[165] nor fashioned with the hands of cunning artificers, Bezaleel and Aholiab. When Christ destroyed the sanctuary made with hands, in three days He built another made without hands. In a true sense it is not made at all, not even by the hands of Him Who built all things; for it is essentially Gods presence. Into this holiest place Christ entered, to appear in the immediate presence of God. But the Apostle is not satisfied with saying that He entered within. Ten thousand times ten thousand of His saints will do this. He has done more. He went through[166] the holiest. He has passed through the heavens.[167] He has been made higher than the heavens.[168] He has taken His seat on the right hand of God.[169] The Melchizedek Priest has ascended to the mercy-seat and made it His throne. He is Himself henceforth the shechinah, and the manifested glory of the unseen Father. All this is expressed in the words "through a greater and more perfect tabernacle."

Moreover, the high-priest entered into the holiest place in virtue of the blood of goats and calves.[170] Add, if you will, the ceremony of cleansing a person who had contracted defilement by touching a dead body.[171] He also was cleansed by having the ashes of a heifer sprinkled upon his flesh. Why, the very defilement is unreal and artificial. To touch a dead body a sin! It may have been well to make it a crime from sanitary considerations, and it may become a sin because God has forbidden it. So far it touched

conscience. When Elijah stretched himself upon the dead child of the widow of Zarephath three times, and the soul of the child came into him again, or when Elisha put his mouth upon the mouth of the dead son of the Shunammite, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and the flesh of the child waxed warm, Gods holy prophet was defiled! The mother and the child might bring their thank-offering to the sanctuary; but the prophet, who had done the deed of power and mercy, was excluded from joining in thanksgiving and prayer. If the defilement is unreal, what shall we think of the means of cleansing? To touch a dead child defiles, but the touch of the ashes of a burnt heifer cleanses! Yet natural conscience felt guilty when thus defiled, and recovered itself, in some measure, from its shame when thus made clean.[172] Such men resemble the persons, referred to by St. Paul, who have "a conscience of the idol."[173] Judaism enfeebled the conscience. A man of morbid religious sentiment is often defiled in his own eyes by what is not really wrong, and often finds peace and comfort in what is not really a propitiation or a forgiveness.

On the other hand, Christ entered the true holiest place by His own blood. He offered Himself. The High-priest is the sacrifice. Under the old covenant the victim must be "without spot." But the high-priest was not without blemish, and he offered for himself as well as for the errors of the people. But in the offering of Christ, the spotless purity of the Victim ensures that the High-priest Himself is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. For this reason it is said here[174] that He offered Himself "through an eternal spirit," or, as we should say in modern phrase, "through His eternal personality." He is the High-priest after the order of Melchizedek; and He invests the sacrifice with all the personal greatness of the High-priest. Is He "without beginning of days or end of life"? So also His sacrifice abides for ever. His power of an indissoluble life belongs to His atonement. Is He untouched by the rolling stream of time? His death was of infinite merit in reference to the past and to the future, though it took place historically at the end of the ages. His eternal personality made it unnecessary for Him to suffer often since the foundation of the world. Because of His personal greatness, it sufficed that He should suffer once only and enter once into the holiest place. The eternal High-priest in one transitory act of death offered a sacrifice that remains eternally, and obtains for us an eternal redemption. If, then, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of an heifer appease, in some measure, the weak, frightened conscience of unenlightened nature, how much more shall the conscious, voluntary sacrifice of this eternal, personal Son deliver the conscience of him who worships, not a phantom deity, but an eternal, personal, living God, from the guilt of dead works, and bring him to worship that living God with an eternal, living personality!

Mark the contrasted notions. The brute life, dragged to the altar, little knowing that its hot blood is to be a propitiation for human guilt, is contrasted with the blood of the Christ (for there is but one), Who, with the consciousness and strength of an eternal personality, willingly offers Himself as a sacrifice. Between these two lives are all the lives which God created, human and angelic. Yet the offering of a beast in some fashion and to some degree appeased conscience, unillumined by the fierce light of Gods holiness and untouched by the pathos of Christs death. With this imperfect and negative peace, or, to speak more correctly, truce, of conscience is contrasted the living, eager worship of him whose enlightened conscience has been purified from spiritual defilement by the blood of Christ. Such a mans entire service is worship, and his worship is the ministering of a priest.[175] He stands in the congregation of the righteous, and ascends unto Gods holy hill. He enters the holiest place with Christ. He draws near with boldness to the mercy-seat, now the very throne itself of grace.

It will be seen, if we have rightly traced the line of thought, that the outer sanctuary no

longer exists. The larger and more perfect tabernacle is the holiest place itself, when the veil has been removed, and the sanctuary and courts are all included in the expanded holiest. Several very able expositors deny this. They find an antitype of the holy place either in the body of Christ or in the created heavens, through which He has passed into the immediate presence of God. But this introduces confusion, adds nothing of value to the meaning of the type, and is inconsistent with our authors express statement that the way into the holiest was not yet open so long as the holy place stood.

III. A NEW COVENANT RATIFIED IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST.

"And for this cause He is the Mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it. For a testament is of force where there hath been death; for doth it ever avail while he that made it liveth? Wherefore even the first covenant hath not been dedicated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses unto all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself, and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded to you-ward. Moreover the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry he sprinkled in like manner with the blood. And according to the Law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission. It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us: nor yet that He should offer Himself often; as the high-priest entereth into the holy place year by year with blood not his own; else must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once at the end of the ages hath He been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment; so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation. For the Law having a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image of the things, they can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect them that draw nigh. Else would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshippers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more conscience of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith,

Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, But a body didst Thou prepare for Me: In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hadst no pleasure:

Then said I,

Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of Me) To do Thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein (the which are offered according to the Law),

then hath He said,

Lo, I am come to do Thy will.

He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second. By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which can never take away sins: but He, when He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made the footstool of His feet. For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. And the Holy Ghost also beareth witness to us: for after He hath said,

This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws on their heart, And upon their mind also will I write them;

then saith He,

And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin."-- Heb_9:15-28; Heb_10:1-18 (R.V.).

The Apostle has proved that a new covenant was promised through the prophet and prefigured in the tabernacle. Christ is come to earth and entered into the holiest place of God, as High-priest. The inference is that His high-priesthood has abolished the old covenant and ratified the new. The priesthood has been changed, and change of the priesthood implies change of the covenant. In fact, to this priesthood the rites of the former covenant pointed, and on it the priestly absolution rested. Sins were forgiven, but not in virtue of any efficacy supposed to belong to the rites or sacrifices, all of which were types of another and infinitely greater death. For a death has taken place for the redemption of all past transgressions, which had been accumulating under the former covenant. Now at length sin has been put out of the way. The heirs of the promise made to Abraham, centuries before the giving of the Law, come at last into possession of their inheritance. The call has sounded. The hour has struck. For this inheritance they waited till Christ should die. The earthly Canaan may pass from one race to another race; but the unchangeable, eternal[176] inheritance, into which none but the rightful heirs can enter, is incorruptible, undefiled, fading not away, reserved in heaven for those who are kept[177] for its possession.

Because possession of it was delayed till Christ died, it may be likened to an inheritance bequeathed by a testator in his last will. For when a person leaves property by will to another, the will is of no force, the transference is not actually made, the property does not change hands, in the testators lifetime. The transaction takes place after and in consequence of his death. This may serve as an illustration. Its pertinence as such is increased by the fact, which in all probability suggested it to our author, that the same word would be used by a Hebrew, writing in Greek, for "covenant," and by a native of Greece for "a testamentary disposition of property."[178] But it is only an illustration. We cannot suppose that it was intended to be anything more.[179]

To return to argument, the blood of Christ may be shown to have ratified a covenant from the use of blood by Moses to inaugurate the former covenant. The Apostle has spoken before of the shedding and sprinkling of blood in sacrifice. When the high-priest entered into the holiest place, he offered blood for himself and the people. But, besides its use in sacrifice, blood was sprinkled on the book of the law, on the tabernacle, and on all the vessels of the ministry. Without a copious stream, a veritable "outflow"[180] of blood, both as ratifying the covenant and as offered in sacrifice, there was under the Law no remission of sins. Now the typical character of all the arrangements and