Twenty-Seven Lectures Upon Hebrews, Lectures · Lecture 21
The xxj. Lecture, vponupon the residue of the chapter, the 14. 15. & 16. verses.
14 Seeing then that we hauehave a geat high priest, which is entred into Heauen, euen Iesus the sonne of God, let vsus holdefast our profession.
15 For we hauehave not an hye Priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all thinges temped in like sorte, yet without sinne.
16 Let vsus therfore go boldely vntounto the throne of grace, that we may receiue merciemercy and finde grace to help in time of neede.
WE hauehave heard (dearely beloued) howe the Apostle hath taught, that Christe is nowe our onelyonly Prophet, & what care we should hauehave, diligently and faithfully to harken vntounto him, if we will not be guiltie before God, of great condemnation and iudgement. The reasons are of the Apostle to proue him our onelyonly Prophet: first, because God sending his onelyonly begotten sonne into the worlde, made man like vntounto vsus and reuealing the will of his father vntounto vsus, the excellencie of his person inforceth vsus to confesse, that God ordeyneth him alone to be our Prophet.
Againe, he was faithful in the house of God, and then what nedeth any other prophet vntounto vsus? thirdly, he was more honourable then Moses in this office, & many wayes to be preferred afore him: therfore no other Prophet is to bee ioyned with him. Fourthly the Prophet Dauid said: To day if you hear his voice, &c. which we must needes vnderstand, to be a perpetuall prophesie, and therefore accomplished in Christ, whome we must heare, if we wil beleeue, and be saued. Last of all, the force & strength of the word of God, is such, as it must needes warrant the maiestie of God in Christ the author of it: and as n one other hath that glory, so none to be our prophet but he alone; vntounto all those reasons he hath added, as you hauehave heard, ernest exhortatiōs, to giuegive more weight vntounto them, for the better persuasion of his brethren, to whome he writeth,
Nowe, he beginneth the other principall point of this first part of the Epistle, that is, to proue that Christ is our only priest, which disputation he continueth to the eleuenth chapter, as we shal (god willing) heare. He beginneth it firste with an exhortation, as he vsed the like often before, and, as I saide: to make vsus more carefully regarde his woordes. Sith thē, we hauehave a great high priest, who hath entred into heauen, Iesus the sonne of God: let vsus hold this professiō: the force of this exhortation, is in the excellencie of the priesthood of Christe, secretely compared with the priesthood of Aaron, who was in nature their brother, in person weake as other men, in office, earthly, entring into a tabernacle made with hangs, in vertue, a figure of a better sacrificer, himselfe not profiting at all: but Christ is another highe priest in nature the sonne of GOD: in qualitie, great and full of glorie: in office heauenly, entering before God to be our mediatour: in vertue, holie and perfect himselfe, to purge our sinnes. This the Apostle noteth, calling him, high priest, greate, entring into heauen, and the sonne of God: and so much the more we are guiltie before him, if we shal not holde fast, and professe all his instruction and doctrine. Now, least we should thinke the Apostles exhortation is weake, and that he taketh it for graū ted, which is in controuersie (for he calleth our sauiour Christ high priest, which yet it seemeth he hath not proued) we must consider what hath beene spoken before, and so we shall see good argumentes in this exhortation for the proof of his cause. He hath taught him to be the sonne of God, made man, reuealinge vntounto vsus the counsell of his father, purchasing a most glorious inheritance for vsus, and setting vsus free from the bondage of the diuel, in which wee were holden vnderunder the feare of death, which things before witnessed of our Sauiour Christ, and necessarily prouing him, for the same cause, to be our priest, according to that trueth, in the beginning of this disputation: he calleth him, our great highe priest. So he beganne before the thirde chapter: Consider holie brethren, the Apostle and high priest of our profession: not yet hauing particularly spoken of those offices, but calling him by those names: because, according to ye description of his person before made, it must needes followe, that he was both our priest and Prophet.
Another argument of his priesthood, is, that hee was here in earth, afflicted as we be, submitting him selfe to death, from which he is risen, and nowe ascended into heauen: therefore he is our priest, crucified for our sinnes, risen for our iustification, and making now Intercession for vsus before God his father. Thus we see vponupon howe good warrant the Apostle in the beginning exhorteth them to acknowledge Christ their priest: and thus muche touching this entraunce of the Apostle, into this disputation, and why he vseth such wordes.
Now, touching the matter. To teach that our sauiour Christ is our onelyonly priest, he first sheweth by the workes of Christ, what is the office of the true priest, and that is: that hee be greate and stronge to beare all our infirmities: then, that hee make an entrance for vsus vntounto God induing vsus now with saith & boldenesse of his spirit: and finally, giuing vsus his grace and saluation: which things, as they were neuer in Aaron, nor in all the sonnes of Leuie, so they hauehave clearely appeared in Christe, and therfore with boldnesse let vsus cleaue vntounto him: to this effecte is this exhortation. Now, where he saith: Sith therfore we hauehave a great high priest, who hath entred into the heauens, Iesus the sonne of God, let vsus holde this profession: I would we could heere learne of the Apostle, to bee wise. The excellencie of our sauiour Christ, both of his person, and of his doings, was a strong persuasion vntounto him to giuegive glorie vntounto Christ alone. Seing Christe was the sonne of God, full of power to doe all he would, who had entred into the presence of his liuing father: what man is he shall ioyne him selfe vntounto him, to claime a parte and fellowshipp in that worke, which Christe hath taken vppon him selfe? or, who that may hauehave his hope and reioycing in Christ, wil cast it off, to glorie in a mortall man… this madnesse was so greate in the Apostles eyes, that as a thing which it grieued him to remember, so he besecheth his brethren neuer to let it sink into them: but rather, seeing Christ was vntounto them such a one, let them abide in him, & hold fast his profession. Thus we at this day, let vsus strengthē our faith, and aunswer all our aduersaries: if the question be, whether iustification bee in our owne woorkes, let vsus say: seing Christ the sonne of the liuing God, hath beene conceiued of the holie Ghost, and borne of a virgine, and sanctified himselfe for vsus, fulfilling all righteousnesse in his flesh, and offering vsus freely of his fulnesse to be made holie before God, we will holde this profession: and wee that are but dust, and full of euill, wee will not ioyne our selues with so excellent a sauiour: we renounce our righteousnesse and the righteousnesse of our fathers, the righteousnesse of Abraham, of Paule, of Peter, of the virgin Marie: and the righteousnesse of Christe shalbe our righteousnesse alone. If wee be asked, whether the Masse be a sacrifice for our sinne, let vsus aunswer: seeing Christ the immaculate lambe of God, by his eternall spirit, hath offered vp once his owne bodie vppon the crosse, and giuen eternall redemption to those that doe beleeue: if an impure priest of polluted members, will presume to bee one in this businesse: let his sinnes be imputed vntounto him, who with vnchaste handes, will needes crucifie againe the sonne of God: we will none of his cursed workes, but will holde our profession. Christ is our sacrifice and sacrificer alone: & he is the pro pitiation for our sinnes. So in all other poinctes: if Christ who came downe from heauen, and is in the bosome of his father, hathe taken vponupon him to be our prophet, let vsus holde this profession, and not care what fleshe and bloud can say vntounto vsus. If Christ, to whom all power is giuen in Heauen and in Earth, who is King of glorie, and sitteth on the right hand of maiestie in the highest places, if he hauehave taken vponupon him to lose the workes of the diuel, and set vsus free from his bondage, why holde we not this profession? or why runne we to holie water, belles, candels, crosses, and such vanities: as though they holped Christ in his worke? Or if all our enimies thinke they can connute this, that here we say, let them aunswer vsus: howe is the reason of the Apostle good against the priesthod of Aaron, that it is abolished, & no other sacrifices are, but Christ? because he is so excellent a priest, the sonne of God, the greate high priest, and hath entred the heauens. If this dignitie of his person, proue the priesthod onelyonly to bee his, why doth not the same proue all these thinges we speake of, to be done & wrought by him alone? or how is it possible, that his priesthood, for the excellencie of it, cannot stand with the priesthood of Aaron, which yet was glorious: and that it shoulde stande with the filthy stinking priesthood of a greasie handed pope, which is loathsome to see & heare▪ or how can his glorie beare no fellowe in his priesthod, & yet beare the fellowship or any partenership with other, in the office of a Kinge and prophet? Seeing then it is thus withvs, that wee be glorified to hauehave such a priest, so high, so greate, let vsus holde (as the Apostle saith) his profession, and acknowledge no helpers vntounto him. Thus the Apostle hauing shewed the dignitie and glorie of Christ our priest in the 15. verse following, he sheweth also his merciemercy and compassion, that we may knowe him a perfect priest: and for this cause he addeth this, least the weake Iewes should otherwise be offended, and fall at the knowledge of his glorie: for hearing our Sauiour Christe exalted as God, they would easily thinke: and shall the Lord againe speake vntounto vsus? do we not remember the dayes of mount Sinai, when he spake vntounto them, and they were all afraide? yea, Moses himselfe, did he not tremble, and the people pray, that they might heare him no more? shal it be so agiane with vsus? or, hath the Lord spoken, and we hauehave not seene his maiestie? to stop this, or like offence, the Apostle addeth this, of his compassion & louelove: for we hauehave not a high priest: which cānot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all things tempted in like sorte▪ yet without sinne: the summe of which words are, that as we acknowledge Christe to bee the sonne of God: so we also beleeue that he was made man like vntounto vsus: and in this participation of nature, hath taken also vponupon him, al our infirmities, accounting them as his owne: so that we may be bolde to come vntounto him, who is no more fearfull in the glorie of his maiestie, but louing, in y• similitude of our nature. And that it is said here, he suffereth with vsus, is tempted as we, made like vsus in all things: we must vnderstand it, by reason of that spirituall and vnspeakable coniunction which we hauehave with him, in that he is our head, and we are his members, a vnitie not knowen of fleshe and bloud: for it is not made of ioynts and sinewes, but seene onelyonly with the eyes of faith, according as it standeth by participation of the same spirite: and when we shal know what the spirite is, we shall see the band in whiche we are knitt together, and be able to speake it, howe Christ now suffereth with vsus, and howe the afflictions of his sainctes are suche vntounto him, as if they were in his own bodie, euen as he saith: Saule, Saule, why persecutest thou me? by which experience, the apostle Paule also, calleth his afflictions the afflictions of Christ: in which we are to learne: if God hauehave so loued vsus, we ought also to louelove our brethrē, to remember them that are oppressed, as if we also were oppressed in bodie: and to reioyce with those that do reioyce, as if our owne hearts were filled with gladnesse: & a iust iudgement is vntounto them all, who hauing Christ such an example of louelove, cā yet notwithstanding hate their brethren.
And here we also learne, whatsoeuer afflictions are, yet are they lesse then the strength giuen vntounto Our a…ctions lesse then the stren…h th… ….vsus: neither shall they euer turne the louelove of God from vsus: for all afflictions, without exception, Christ suffereth with vsus. We see by Paule: howe many, howe greate, howe aboue measure were his troubles by sea, by lande, of friendes, of enimies, in bodie, in spirite: yet calleth he them al the afflictions of Christe, and his suffering. Lazarus, in all his pouertie, sicknesse, sores, suffered nothing, wherin Christ was not partaker of his griefe: if ye paines and miseries of patient Iob, were nowe vppon any man, euen Iob fealt nothing which Christ fealt not with him: for while this mysterie is, which is for euer, yt Christ is the head & we the body, how shuld the bodie be hurt, and the head not touched with the paine of it? Let vsus not then care what crosses we beare, for as there is none more shamefull then the crosse of Christe, so all ours are accounted as his. If we be poore, sicke, contemned, imprisoned, or whatsoeuer is the fruite of sinne, God is not as man, to turne his face from such children, but we are the dearer in his sight, & cucric crosle sealeth the louelove of 2. Coi. 5. 21.Christ, that he suffereth this with vsus, to the ende hee might neuer caste vsus away: euen as he was made sinne for vsus, who knewe no sinne, that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him. Who nowe can be discouraged with the afflictions of his life? or be enuious against the wicked man, if wee see his dayes full of peace and prosperitie? No, no, these be but broken weapons, and can not enter to the hurt of our soule: only let vsus take heede of sinne, that it reigne not, nor hauehave any kingdome in vsus: for therein, Christ hath taken no part, and by it onelyonly we are separate from him, as by that with which he will hauehave no felowshippe.
And where it is heere saide, that our Sauiour Christ was like vntounto vsus in all things, except sinne, it is a cleare place to teache vsus, what to beleeue of the What wee must bee leeue oftrue humanitie of our sauiour Christ: leaue off foolish and vaine questions, in which there is no edification: dispute not of particular things, this or that, wherin thy foolishe minde may fall into heresie, the true humanity of Christ.and thy foolish heart may take offence, but beleeue it stedfastly that thou haste learned truely, that in all things Christ was like vntounto thee (sinne only excepted:) if any thing bee spoken of his humanitie, not agreeing with this, it is false, and to bee refused.
It foloweth now in the last verse: Let vsus therfore go with boldnesse vntounto the throne of grace, that we may obteine merciemercy, & finde grace to help in time of nede: In these wordes the Apostle concludeth, wherefore hee hath thus magnified the priesthood of Christe, and what benefite we hauehave by it, that is: to go with boldnesse vntounto the throne of God, and knowe our selues assuredlie reconciled vntounto him: in consideration of which excellent & vnspeakable benefite, he maketh his conclusion by way of exhortation, that wee might neuer bee slacke and slouthfull to receiue so great a blessing, nor by any vnthankfulnesse shewe our vnworthnesse of it. Now, in these wordes are manie especiall good lessons for vsus to learne: firste, were hee saith: Let vsus goe: which exhortation hee groundeth vponupon the former wordes, that Christ (as hee said) is entred into the Heauens: we must here learne to applie it to our selues, all that Christe hath done, as in deede he did it not for his owne cause, but for ours: and we learne how it belongeth vntounto vsus, euen as it is wrought by Christe in our nature, whose members we are.
And thus, what so euer we can see in Christ that he hath done, and what soeuer glorious promises are made vntounto him: let vsus knowe our vnitie that we hauehave with him, & all blessings, that they are ours. If he hauehave ouercome sinne, we hauehave also ouercome it. If he hauehave vanquished death, we hauehave vanquished it also. If he hauehave risen from the dead, wee shall rise also. If hee hauehave ascended into Heauen, we shall ascende. If he sitt on the right hand of maiestie, wee shall also be glorified, and see God as he is: for wee be ioyned all vnseparably vntounto him, as the head is ioyned vntounto the bodie, by the wonderfull mysterie of Gods wisdome, who hath made him of our nature and giuen vntounto vsus of his spirite: and in this felowship with him which he hath giuen vsus, there is nothing so greate, but hee hath giuen vsus with him: the righteousnesse of all his woorkes, and glorie of all his inheritaunce, with him is ours, and wee are also Lordes ouer all: whether it be Paule, or whether Appollo, or whether it bee Cephas: whether the world, whether it be life, or whether it be death: whether things present, or whether things to come: all things are ours, and we are Christes, and Christe is Gods.
Thus we must apple it, and make it ours, whiche Christ hath giuen vsus: euen as the Apostle saith of this, that Christ is our high preist & mediatour: let vsus therefore go vntounto the throne of grace.
An other thinge wee must heere note, that the Apostle exhorteth vsus, to goe with boldenesse, teaching vsus, that a constant persuasion, and good assuraunce of Gods fauour, doe highly commende our prayers vntounto God: and without it, we are like vntounto the flouds and waues of the sea, which are rouled Iac. 1. 6.vp and downe with the winde: and our hope with God is frustrate. Now, this boldnesse which is thus necessarie for vsus, we must learne likewise, both how we hauehave it, and what it bringeth vntounto vsus: how we hauehave it, we canne no way better learne, then by the Apostle him selfe, who making againe this selfe same exhortation, in the tenth chapter following, saith thus. Seeing we hauehave this great high priest, the ruler ouer the house of God, let vsus go vntounto him, with a true hart & ful persuasion of faith, hauing our harts sprinkled frō an euil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water: this is then the boldnesse with which we approche vntounto God, stedfastly to beleeue, that with the bloud of Christ, our mindes are washed frō impure thoughtes, and our bodies from sinne. This S. Paule also teacheth in plaine and manifest wordes: in Christ (saith he) we hauehave this freedome and entrance Ephe. 3. 12.with boldnesse, through faith in him: and in another place he saith, this must needes be thus, that by faith onelyonly we should hauehave this accesse vntounto God, else (saith hee) the promise of God, coulde not be sure and good vntounto all the seede of Abraham: for he was a father of manie nations, euen of such as were vncircumcised, & to whom the lawe was not written, Rom. 1. 16.therefore to the ende that Iewe and Gentile might both inherit this blessing, it must needes be by faith & not by workes. So then, thus farre we are taught by the Apostle, that if we receiue Iesus Christ to be our high priest, our only way to enter with him into the heauens, is by faith: & our faith hath boldnes and full persuasion, in which it is accepted according to that which is written: God hath not giuen Rom. …. 15.vsus the spirite of feare againe vntounto bondage: but God hath giuen vsus the spirite of adoption, by which 2. Tim. 1. 7.we crie, Abba, Father. Here (dearly beloued) let vsus learne to discerne spirits, & to trie whether they be of God, or no: Euerie spirit that confesseth Christ to be our only mediatour, is of God: for by him wee hauehave libertie through faith, to go with boldnes vntounto the throne of grace. And euerie spirite that denieth Christ to be our onelyonly mediatour, is not of God, but it is the spirit of Antichrist, of whome we hauehave heard, that he is entred into the world: for god 1. Tim. 6. 19.dwelleth in light which no creature can approch vn to, neither hath any man seene him, nor cā see him, Ephe. 2. 18.but only by Christ, through one spirite we hauehave all entrance vntounto him. These (dearly beloued) they are y• words of the scripture, they are not the wordes of man: & whē you are in place, obiect them vntounto the papists, see what one word they are able to answer, who in times past, hauehave told you yet of a great number of mediatours, confessours, martyrs, Saints, Angels, Archangels, euerie one in his degree, they hauehave made them mediatours, and besought them to leade vsus vntounto God. I beelie them not, tenne thousand of their bookes are yet to see, & tenne thousand prayers in them, in which they hauehave done this wickednesse. Aske them, & bid them speake plaine, what one woord hauehave they of defence for this dooinge? surely (dearly beloued) I tel you the trueth, not one worde they can speake, which is a word of trueth, a word of righteousnesse, a worde of life, a worde (I meane) of God, to which you may trust: a fonde fansie they hauehave found of their owne, as hee that dreameth doth tell a dreame: and they say there are two mediatours, one of intercession, an other of redemption: beside the foolishnesse of this speache, a mediatour of intercession, which you may as wel call an intercessour of mediation: for intercessour and mediatour, are both one: beside this (I say) manifest follie, let them name any Apostle, prophet, or Euangelist, vponupon whome we must build and stand, that euer mentioned any such thinge: let them tell of whome they learned it: sure they wil not, they are starke dumbe: they knowe they hauehave no Scripture, no not a word, & of their schoolemaisters, in deede, they are ashamed: but I wil tel you who they be, and they shall not denie it, except they bee as shamelesse as they of whome they are learned. The Gods of the Gentiles, which are diuels, they had this woorshipp amongst them: these diuels amonge them selues, they which were reputed of the lower sorte were made, as meanes to come vntounto the higher, whereof also they were called Dij medioximi, that is Gods only for intercession: and Gentiles bookes are ful of examples, how these thinges were practised: as if Neptune would speake to Iupiter, hee made Mercurie his meanes and intercessour, and such like toyes, which shall bee abolished, and tholouers of them. And wee may see, howe GOD hath recompenced this their euill vntounto them: for, where this is the comforte of a Christian man, to hauehave peace towarde God, and which is giuen vsus, by hauing Christe our only mediatour, they who hauehave made so manie coulde neuer finde it, but still they are in suspense and doubt, wauering & vnconstant in all their wayes, and this doubtfulnesse they begett and nourishe vntounto them selues, while they seeke so many mediatours: and what else doe they but teach all their posteritie in choosing many mediatours, to hauehave confidence in none? Euen as the rebellious people of Israel, wearied them selues, running (as the prophet saith) like Dromedaries, to eueryevery high hill, and eueryevery greene tree, till they were weake and wearie, and their soules fainted in them, seeking peace and could finde none: and in deede, howe should they finde it? for though they followed a thousand Gods, yet was there but one, the God of peace, whome they had forsaken: so, though the Papists seeke a thousand mediatours, yet hauehave they no boldenesse to goe vntounto God: for there is but one mediatour betwene God and vsus, euen Iesus Christ, whome they for their Sainctes hauehave forsaken: for Christ wil be ioyned with no fellowes. And what a miserable brotherhood must they then needes be, which hauehave no peace, but feare and trembling is in their wayes?
Againe, wee hauehave heere to marke, that the presence of God, to which Christe leadeth vsus, is called heere the Throne of grace: noting heereby, that by the merites of Christ we be brought vntounto God, as before a iudge, who from his iudgement seate doth acquite vsus for euer, from al guiltinesse of our sinnes, and therefore called the throne of grace, because we be quit onelyonly by grace and Gods free merciemercy: a monument of which louelove he setteth before vsus, in the name of the seate on which hee sitteth, and calleth it the throne of grace: neither shall euer man be iustified before it, who bringeth with him boldenesse of his owne woorkes, nature, kinred, or any thing, and looketh not only for his pardon by grace and merciemercy: neither can the Lord any more shewe merciemercy vntounto him, that is proude of his owne selfe, then he can chaunge the propertie of his iudgement seate, to make it no more the throne of grace.
Now, it foloweth: That we may obteine merciemercy and finde grace to help: these wordes teache vsus, what the throne of grace is, & what it offereth vntounto vsus: euen as we saide before, boldenesse and constancie, that we should not feare to goe vntounto it. For, if it bee a throne of grace, that is, of fauour, of merciemercy, of louelove, of forgiuenesse, of life: then can there not be in it, anger, guiltinesse, affliction of spirit, bondage, and feare of death: but as the Apostle saith here: it giueth vntounto vsus merciemercy, grace, and helpe, in the time of neede. Let vsus not then say, as the Papistes say, that we ought to feare and doubt of Gods fauour, and fil our mouthes with blasphemie, as they hauehave done: to say, It is presumption, to come with boldenesse vntounto the throne of grace: but let vsus rather acknowledge all the goodnesse of God, and confesse, that he hath set vp vntounto vsus a throne of grace, before whiche wee shall finde nothing but merciemercy, but pardon, but forgiuenesse, but helpe: neither wil we euer despise his grace, to bring doutfulnesse or mistrust vntounto it. If the Pope, who is a seruaunt of seruants, will sett vp an other throne of miserable bondage, of ignominie, of anger, of cruel death: let them feare before it, who list to go vntounto it: for our parte, we hauehave once accurssed both the Pope & his throne, and we will neuer more endanger our selues vntounto the censure of it. That which the Apostle here addeth last: In time of neede: he applieth to that which he spake so much of before, To day, noting (as I tolde you thē) that euen now while yet the Gospell is preached, the opportunitie of time is, in which we must be faithfull, and inherit, as it were, the firste fruites of eternall life, which time neglected cannot be called back againe, though we should wish it with teares: and therefore let vsus regarde it, now while it is offered, knowinge this, that God hath not ordeyned a throne of grace, but for those which finde their helpe and comforte in due time. And let vsus pray, that God would lightē our mindes, that wee may be wise, to knowe the time of our calling, &c.