Verse 8, 9, 10

The use and signification of most of the words of these verses have already in our passage been spoken to.

Above when he says, &c.

There are two things in these three verses. (1.) The application of the testimony, taken out of the Psalmist, to the present argument of the Apostle, ver. 8, 9. (2.) An inference from the whole to the proof of the only cause and means of the sanctification of the Church, the argument he was now engaged in.

1. As to the first of these, or the application of the testimony of the Psalmist, and his reassuming it, we may consider,

1. What he designed to prove thereby, and this was, that by the introduction and establishment of the sacrifice of Christ in the Church, there was an end put to all legal sacrifices; and he adds thereunto, that the ground and reason of this great alteration of things in the Church by the will of God, was the utter insufficiency of these legal sacrifices in themselves, for the expiation of sin, and sanctification of the Church.

In ver. 9. He gives us this sum of his design, He takes away the first, that he may establish the second.

2. The Apostle does not here directly argue from the matter or substance of the testimony itself, but from the order of the words, and the regard they have in their order to one another. For there is in them a twofold proposition; one concerning the rejection of legal sacrifices; and the other an introduction and tender of Christ and his mediation. And he declares from the order of the words in the Psalmist, that these things are inseparable; namely, the taking away of legal sacrifices, and the establishment of that of Christ.

3. This order in the words of the Apostle is declared in that distribution of [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] & [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], above, and then; [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], above, that is, in the first place; these his words, or sayings recorded in the first place.

4. There is in the words themselves these three things.

1. There is a distribution made of the legal sacrifices into their general heads, with respect to the will of God concerning them all; sacrifices and offering, and whole burnt offerings, and sacrifice for sin. And in that distribution he adds another property of them, namely, they were required according to the Law.

(1.) He had respect not only to the removal of the sacrifices, but also of the Law itself, whereby they were retained; so he enters on his present disputation with the imperfection of the Law itself, ver. 4.

(2.) Allowing these sacrifices and offerings, all that they could pretend to, namely, that they were established by the Law; yet notwithstanding this, God rejects them as to the expiation of sin, and the salvation of the Church. For he excludes the consideration of all other things which were not appointed by the Law, as those which God abhorred in themselves, and so could have no place in this matter. And we may observe, that

1. Whereas the Apostle does plainly distinguish and distribute all sacrifices and offerings, into those on the one side, which were offered by the Law, and that one offering of the body of Christ on the other side; the pretended sacrifice of the Mass is utterly rejected from any place in the worship of God.

2. God as the sovereign law-giver, had always power and authority to make what alteration he pleased, in the orders and institutions of his worship.

3. That sovereign authority is that alone which our faith and obedience respects in all ordinances of worship.

After this was stated and delivered, when the mind of God was expressly declared, as to his rejection of legal sacrifices and offerings, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], then he said; after that, in order thereon, upon the grounds before mentioned, he said, Sacrifice, &c.

In the former words he declared the mind of God, and in the latter his own intention and resolution to comply with his will, in order to another way of atonement for sin; Lo, I come to do your will, O God; which words have been opened before.

In the last place he declares what was intimated and signified in this order of those things being thus spoken to; sacrifices on the one hand, which was the first, and the coming of Christ, which was the second in this order and opposition. It is evident,

1. That these words, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], he taketh away the first, do intend sacrifices and offerings. But he did not so do it immediately, at the speaking of these words, for they continued for the space of some hundreds of years afterwards; but he did so declaratively, as to the indication of the time; namely, when the second should be introduced.

2. The end of this removal of the first, was the establishment of the second. This second, say some, is the will of God; but the opposition made before, is not between the will of God and the legal sacrifices; but between those sacrifices and the coming of Christ to do the will of God. Therefore it is the way of the expiation of sin, and of the complete sanctification of the Church by the coming, and mediation, and sacrifice of Christ, that is this second, the thing spoken of in the second place; this God would establish, approve, confirm, and render unchangeable.

As all things from the beginning made way for the coming of Christ in the minds of them that did believe, so every thing was to be removed out of the way, that would hinder his coming, and the discharge of the work he had undertaken; Law, Temple, Sacrifices, must all be removed to give way to his coming; so is it testified by his forerunner (Luke 3:4), as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the Prophet, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. So it must be in our own hearts, all things must give way to him, or he will not come and take his habitation in them.