Chapter 5: says, “Every high priest taken from among men is ordained

for men in things pertaining to God_, that he may offer both gifts and _sacrifices for sin_” (ver. 1), that no man takes this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron. So Christ glorified not Himself, to be made a high priest; but He that said unto Him, “Thou art My Son, to-day have I begotten Thee!” and again, “Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” (vers. 4, 5, 6).

Further on, after setting forth, in the seventh chapter, the surpassing excellence of the High Priesthood of Christ in comparison with that of Aaron, and marking how exactly such a High Priest was adapted to our every need, “holy, harmless, undefined, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (c. vii. 26), the Apostle sums up his argument in the eighth chapter: “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—a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man (Heb. viii. 1, 2). And inasmuch as every high priest _is ordained to offer_ both gifts and sacrifices, it is _of necessity that this man have somewhat to offer_” (Heb. viii. 3).

Jesus was proved to be our High Priest by offering up His own body for our sins, which is stated in the most explicit terms. “But Christ being come, a High Priest of good things to come; . . . neither by the blood of goats and calves, but _by His own blood_ He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption (for us)” (Heb. ix. 11, 12).

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit _offered Himself without spot to God_, _purge_ your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. ix. 14). (See also ver. 15.)

“Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to PUT AWAY SIN _by the_ SACRIFICE _of Himself_” (Heb. ix. 25, 26).

“So Christ was once _offered to bear the sins_ of many,” _i.e._, of all that look to Him for salvation (Heb. ix. 28).

“By the which will we are sanctified through the _offering of the_ BODY _of_ Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. x. 10).

“For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. x. 14).

The Apostle Paul uses language equally explicit in Eph. v. 2:—“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, _and given Himself for us_, _an offering_ and a _sacrifice to God_, of a _sweet smelling savour_.” {46}

Having thus shown how, on the _principles_ of the _priesthood of Aaron_, the Lord Jesus had proved Himself to be a priest, although of the higher and more perfect order of Melchisedec—the order of righteousness and peace, and everlasting endurance—this epistle points out in a very conclusive manner the defects of the Mosaic institutions, which were enjoined for a time only, to prepare the way, and lead up to the enduring realities of the Gospel of Christ. And here we cannot but notice again how completely the Christian mind of the author had passed from all the Jewish prejudices and predilections of his former training, to regard everything in the light and spirit of Christ; while far from disregarding or repudiating that which he showed to be past, worn out, and abolished, he draws from it his most powerful arguments in favour of the New Covenant as required to complete the first, by making good its typical meaning, and securing to all who had passed from earth to heaven under the provisions of the Law, those blessings which they had already entered on, upon the promise of the sacrifice of Christ to come.

“For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Heb. vii. 19). That better hope is stated to be the “blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,” purging our conscience, &c. (Heb. ix. 13, 14)

“For the Law having a shadow (or shadowing forth) of good things to come, and not the very image (or substance and reality) of the things, can never by those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (Heb. x. 1). It was “therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens, should be purified with these, {48a} but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices {48b} than these” (Heb. ix. 23).

The passage last quoted follows verse 22, which declares, “without shedding of blood is no remission” (See also Lev. xvii. 11). But if it was impossible that the blood shed under the law of Moses (Heb. x. 4), should take away sins, it is evident that other blood _must be_ shed of which that was typical, and which should be effectual for the purpose, agreeably to Heb. ix. 15, referring to Christ; “For this cause He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” In the former sacrifices there was a remembrance again made of sins every year (Heb. x. 3). But after the one Sacrifice for ever it is said, “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (x. 17).

“And having made peace _through the blood of His cross_, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, whether things in earth or things in heaven” (Col. i. 20).

“In _the body of His flesh through death_, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight” (Col. i. 22).

Thus we are given to understand that the sins of future generations, should be atoned by the one offering of Christ, as well as those of past generations, so that all generations alike owe their salvation to the one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, in whom “all are made alive, and who is the one only hope of glory. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. xv. 22) in such manner that if we are united to Him we partake of what is His, and shall find in Him all that we can need as a Saviour, Mediator, Intercessor, and Redeemer.

Nothing is of us; all from Christ. In Him is all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Col. ii. 9); full of grace and truth (John i. 14). All power is committed to Him in heaven and in earth (Matt. xxviii. 18). As maker and upholder of all things, blessings, spiritual and temporal, are in His hand (Heb. i. 2, 3); and in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. ii. 3), and “He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him” (Heb. vii. 25).

Can we not now with reverent feeling enter into somewhat of the deep meaning of those few words of our Lord, “_That thus_ IT MUST BE” (Matt. xxvi. 54)? and of that awful scene which had just passed in the garden of Gethsemane, when He had thrice prayed—“_If it be possible_, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt”—when His soul was “exceeding sorrowful even unto death” (Matt. xxvi. 38, 39); and when “there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven strengthening Him (Luke xxii. 43); when His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke xxii. 44).

The words referred to were spoken when Peter had made an attempt at resistance, and smitten off the ear of the High Priest’s servant, who came with others to take Jesus, and when He had rebuked Peter, saying, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels? _But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled_ that _thus it must be_?” (Matt. xxvi. 51–54). “The Lord” had “sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” (Ps. cx. 4). And then to show that He needed not even the legions to rescue Him, but had still all power in His hands, when about to be “brought as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa. liii. 7), as soon as He had said to the band of men and officers who came with Judas to take Him, “_I am He_” they went backwards and fell to the ground (John xviii. 3–7), signifying that they had no power to touch Him until again encouraged by Jesus. And so at each step of His trial, mocking, scourging, until by wicked hands He was crucified and slain (Acts ii. 23)—it was: “Thou couldst have no power against Me except it were given Thee from above” (John xix. 11). At each step it was His voluntary submission to ignominy and insult, and a cruel death, that He might redeem us from death, and from the power of the grave and of hell by His own blood.