levelled at the temporal and eternal Happiness of all Mankind. IT is a fevere Circumftance, which attends thofe, who oppose received Opinions, that they must not only contend against popular Prejudices, and Notions long imbibed, against the Interests and Paffions of great Numbers of artful and combining Men, but in moft Countries against the Weight and Force of public Authority. The labouring Oar too will always lie upon you: You muft difprove what has no Proof to support it, and bring Clouds of Arguments to maintain Propofitions that are really felf-evident; a bare Poffibility that you may be mistaken, shall be deemed a full Conviction; and fometimes the clearest Demonftration on your Side, fhall be called only carnal and human Knowledge, not to be used about Spiritual Things; and even when the irrefragable Strength of your Reasoning forces Confent, you will have no Thanks for your Pains, but will be efteemed officious and factious, and be faid to difturb Points already fettled, if by chance you fhould efcape the Cenfure of promoting the Caufe of Deifm or Atheism. HOWEVER, thefe Claims, in the Popish and popifhly-affected Clergy, are fo enormous, the Confequences of them fo fatal to Chriftianity, and the Arguments pretended to be brought from Reason and Authority for their Support, fo weak and contemptible, the whole Defign and current of the Gospel being directly against them; that I fhall do my utmoft totally to demolish and throw down the tottering Building, and fhew that it has no Foundation in common Sense or Scripture. No Propofition can be more evident, than that, before any pofitive Inftitution, every Man E 6 muft must have been his own Prieft, and alone must have offered up his own Prayers and Thankfgivings; but when God Almighty inftituted the Jewish Difpenfation, which confifted of numerous Rites, Ceremonies, and Sacrifices, he alfo appointed Perfons to officiate and execute thefe Duties for the People as well as for themselves, who were called Priests or Sacrificers, with particular Salaries or Dues annexed to their Office, and they were to be only chofen out of one Tribe. ACCORDINGLY, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. v. ver. 1. and chap. viii. ver. 3. a HighPriest is defined as one taken up from among ft Men, and ordained for Men in Things pertaining to God; that he may offer Gifts and Sacrifices for Sins: So that the Bufinefs of the Priesthood was for expiating Sin, and reconciling Men to God, by offering Gifts and Sacrifices: And the Apostle adds, Verfe the 4th, That no Man could take this Honour to himself, but he which was called of God, as was Aaron, whofe Commiffion was couched in the plaineft and most exprefs Words imaginable, and the People's Duty and Obedience were prescribed even to the minuteft Circumftance. As the Jewish Rites and Ceremonies were almoft endless, and confifted of fo many minute Particulars, that it was next to impoffible not to commit fome Breaches of their Law; therefore God appointed Atonement to be made for the leffer Tranfgreffions of it, by Gifts and Offerings, and the Perfons aforefaid to make thofe Offerings; but for the greater Sins, fuch as Idolatry, Perjury, Murder, Adultery, breaking their Sabbath, &c. no Sin-Offerings or expiatory Sacrifices were allowed; and for this Reafon the Apostle, chap. vii. v. 18, 19. argues, that there is is verily a Difannulment of the Commandment going before for the Weakness and Unprofitableness thereof; for the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in a better Hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God. He adds, chap. ix. ver. 9. That Gifts and Sacrifices could not make him that did the Service perfect, as pertaining to the Confcience. And chap. x. v. 4. That it is not poffible, that the Blood of Bulls and of Goats fhould take away Sins. And v. 6, 8. That in Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices for Sins, God has no Pleasure; and he argues from thence, chap. v. v. 4, 10. and chap. vii. from the 11th v. to the 19th, a Neceffity that another Priest Should arife after the Order of Melchifedek, which was an higher Order, and that he should be perfect (being to become Author of eternal Salvation to all them who obey him): For if Perfection was in the Levitical Priesthood, (under which the People received the Law) what Need was there, that another Prieft fhould arife after the Order of Melchifedek, and not after the Order of Aaron? For the Priesthood being changed, there is made a Neceffity of the Change alfo of the Law. AND then he obferves many Differences between our Saviour's and the Jewish Priesthood: 1. THAT this Priest was not made after the Law of a carnal Commandment, but after the Power of an endless Life. 2. THAT he was made a Prieft, not without an Oath, which the Jewish Priests were not, v. 20, 21. 3. THAT they were many Priests, because they were not fuffered to continue, by reafon of Death; but this Man, because he continueth, hath an unchangeable Priesthood: Wherefore he is able to fave them to the utmost, that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make Interceffion for them, v. 23, 24, 25. 4. THAT the Law maketh Men High-Priefts which have Infirmity; but fuch a High-Prieft became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, feparate from Sinners, and made higher than the Heavens, who needeth not daily to offer up Sacrifices, first for his own Sins, and then for the People; for this he once, when he offered up himself, v. 26, 27, 28. did 5. THAT he obtained a more excellent Miniftry, by how much be is Mediator of a better Covenant, which was established upon better Promises; for if the Covenant had been faultlefs, then should no Place have been fought for the fecond; for finding Fault with them, faith the Lord, I will put my Laws into their Minds, and write them in their Hearts, and they shall not teach every Man his Neighbour, faying, Know the Lord; for all fhall know me from the greatest to the leaft; for I will be merciful to their Unrighteoufnefs, and their Sins and Iniquities I will remember no more; in that he faith, By a new Covenant, he hath made the first old; and that which decayeth, and waxeth old, is ready to vanish away, chap. viii. ver. 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13. and chap. x. ver. 16, 17. 6. IN chap. ix. the Apoftle compares the Rites and bloody Sacrifices of the Law, and fhews how far inferior they are to the Blood and Sacrifice of Chrift, who not by the Blood of Goats and Calves, but by his own Blood, entered at once into the holy Place, having obtained eternal Redemption for us; for if the Blood of Bulls and of Goats, and the Afbes of an Heifer fprinkling the Unclean, fanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh, how much more shall the Blood of Chrift, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself, without Blot, to God, purge your Con Confciences from dead Works, to ferve the living God? ver. 12, 13, 14. 7. IN chap. x. he fhews the Weakness of the Law-Sacrifices; which, being offered up Year by Year continually, could not make the Comers thereto perfect; for then they would have ceafed to have been offered, because that the Worshippers, once purged, fhould have had no more Confcience of Sins. Ver. 1, 2. Then faid he, Lo, I come to do thy Will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may eftablish the fecond; by the which Will we are fanctified, through the Offering of Jefus Chrift, once for all. Every Prieft ftandeth miniftring, and offering the fame Sacrifices, which can never take away Sins; but this Man, after he offered one Sacrifice for Sins for ever, fat down at the Right-hand of God; for by one Offering he hath perfected, for ever, them that are fanctified; that is, those who obey his Commands, v. 9, 10, 11, 12, 14. And in v. 18. he tells them, Where Remiffion of Sins is, there is no more Offering for Sins. IN the rest of the Chapter, the Apostle exhorts the Hebrews, whom he calls his Brethren, to have the Baldness to enter in with him into the Holieft, by the Blaod of Jefus; and having a High Prieft over the House of God, to draw near with a true Heart, in full Assurance of having our Hearts Sprinkled from an evil Confcience, and our Bodies washed with pure Water, and to hold fast the Profeffion of our Faith, without wavering; and to confider one another to provoke unto Love, and to good Works; not forfaking the affembling ourselves together, as the Manner of fome is; but exhorting one another, and fo much the more, as ye fee the Day approaching. And he enforces his Argument, by telling them, that if we fin wilfully after the Know ledge |