A commentary vpon the Epistles of Saint Paul to Philemon, and to the Hebrewes together with a compendious explication of the second and third Epistles of Saint Iohn. By VVilliam Iones of East Bergholt in Suffolke, Dr. in Divinity, and sometimes one of the fellowes of the foundation of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge.

VERSE 23.

IT was therefore necessarie. 1. because God commanded it to be so. 2. Because it was meete they should by these ceremo∣nies be consecrated to God. 3. That they might the better sig∣nifie the things that were to come.

Patternes: such as did lively set before their eyes as by cer∣taine examples, the things to come.

Of things in the heavens, that is, of the Church in the time of the Gospell: that is called heaven, because the head of it is in hea∣ven: and their conversation is in heaven: the Church which is ter∣med the kingdome of heaven, should be purified with these, that is, with earthly things like to themselves. They were earthly, and they ought to bee purified with earthly things, the ashes of an Heifer, the bloud of Calves, Goates, &c.

But the heavenly things themselves, that be under the Gospell, which is a Gate and entrance into the kingdome of heaven, the Church in the time of the Gospell, the true Tabernacle and faith∣full Citizens of heaven, it was necessary that these should be purified with better sacrifices above these: namely with the sacrifice of Christ himselfe; else we could never have had any right to the kingdome of heaven.

Christ's one sacrifice is here called by the name of many; be∣cause it is compared with the many sacrifices in the Law, and oppo∣sed to them.

Not because there be many Masse-Sacrifices to represent this one sacrifice.

Here wee see how wee are advanced above them in the time of the Law: they had the patternes, wee the things patterned: they painted flowers; we the flowers themselves: they the shadowes; wee the body: they the picture; we the man: they the lineaments of the house; we the house it selfe. How are we beholden to God? happy are the eyes that see what we see! O that wee could walke wor∣thy of them!

Better.) No comparison betweene them: no more than be∣tweene the creatures and the Creator. What are Bulls, Goates, Calves to the Son of God, that hath offered himselfe for us?