blood of Calves, and of Goats, with water and Scarlet wool, and hysop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
20. Saying, This is the Blood of the Testament, which God hath enjoyned unto you.
Hee explicates and proves this Argument out of the History, Exod. 24. concerning the dedication of the first Tabernacle by Blood, where Moses sprinkled the Book of the Covenant, and the people, with the blood of Calves and Goats, withall expounding the signification and use of the ceremony, that that Blood was the Blood of the Covenant, or a symbol of the Covenant typically made in those ceremonies, and truly to bee fulfilled in the Blood of Christ.
Vers. 21. Moreover, hee sprinkled with blood both the Tabernacle, and all the Vessels of the Mini∣stery.
22. And almost all things are by the Law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remis∣sion.
Argum. 4. As under the Law all things were purged either with blood, or washings, drawing virtue to purge from the Sacrifices, so that without typical shedding of blood, there was no remission of sins: So in the New Covenant, there can bee no remission of sins, but by the shedding of the Blood of Christ: Therefore the Death of Christ was necessary. The Tabernacle, and the Holy Vessels, which were in themselves without pollution, are said to bee sprinkled with blood, because in respect to us, were wee not purified by the Blood of Christ, all things become polluted unto us: Therefore the use of the most holy things must bee sanctified to us by Christ, other∣wise to the impure all things are impure, in as much as in all things, unbeleevers pollute themselves.
Vers. 23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better Sa∣crifices than these.
Argum. 5. If the types ought to bee purged with ty∣pical blood, heavenly things, signified by those types, ought to bee consecrated by better Sacrifices, i. e. with the Blood of the Mediator himself, who in his Virtue comprehends all Sacrifices; and by consequence the Death of Christ was necessary.
Vers. 24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven it self, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Argum. 6. Confirming the former, Christ is not en∣tred into the typical Holy place, made with hands, but into heaven, signified by the holy place, that constant∣ly appearing there, hee might intercede for us: There∣fore it behoved him to offer up a more excellent Sacrifice, viz. himself, as much as heaven exceeds the earthly Holy place; and by consequence his death was necessary.
Vers. 25. Nor yet, that hee should offer himself often, a•• the High-Priest entereth into the Holy place, eve∣ry year with blood of others:
Now hee proves the sufficiency of the one Oblation of Christ upon the Cross, by five Arguments.
Argum. 1. Christ entred not often into the Terrestrial Sanctuary, that hee might often offer up himself, as the Levitical High-Priest, (who offered not his own, but o∣ther blood yearly) but is once entered into heaven: Therefore that one Oblation of himself upon the Cross, was sufficient, whereby hee was admitted into heaven.
Vers. 26. For then must hee often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world, hath hee appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself.
Argum. 2. Unless that one Oblation of Christ upon the Cross had been sufficient, hee must by often offering himself, die often from the beginning of the world; for if an Oblation of the Body of Chirst ought to have been often offered up for sin, it would have been necessary that the Oblation should have begun, at what time sin began to bee committed, i. e. from the beginning of the world, and from that time that Sacrifice ought to have been so often repeated, as new sins were committed after the Sacrifice, the courses of Sacrifice being acted over and over, without number. But this is absurd: Therefore his once offering up upon the Cross was sufficient.
But now once] Argum. 3. Christ in the fulness of time appeared, to that end, that by his one Oblation of him∣self, he might abolish the sins of his people, present, past, and to come; For to the obtaining and application of remis∣sion of sins, to the mortification and abolishing of sins, of all the Redeemed or Elect, there is virtue enough in the Death of Christ: Therefore his one Oblation is suffici∣ent.
Vers. 27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Iudgement;
28. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him, shall hee appear the second time, without sin, unto Salvation.
Argum. 4. As it is appointed of God that all men shall once die, and after death come to Judgement, so it is ap∣pointed of God, that Christ should onely once offer up himself to expiate the sins of many, i. e. of his Elect, and that hee should come the second time judge both of quick and dead: Therefore his one Oblation of him∣self upon the Cross is sufficient.
The second time] Argum. 5. Christ coming the second time at the Day of Judgement, shall make it manifest to all the world, that hee with one Oblation of himself hath most fully satisfied for sin, and that the imputation of sin, and the punishment or misery, and whatever foot∣steps there are of sin, are removed from himself as the Surety, and from his, for whom hee stood engaged, and that Salvation is obtained for the faithful, who expect his coming: Therefore his once Oblation upon the Cross for our Redemption was compleat. It is said that Christ shall appear the second time, without sin, in re∣spect to his first coming, wherein though hee was most free from the pollution of sin inherent, yet hee was not free from the sins of others, or ours, which were imputed to him: And thereupon hee became obnoxious to infir∣mity and misery, till hee satisfied for our sins; but at the Day of Judgement hee shall appear in glory, which will testifie the total abolition of sin, and by consequence will demonstrate that that one Oblation upon the Cross, was abundantly sufficient to take away sin.