VERSE 4.

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.

$1. The important ends of instituting the legal sacrifices, though they could not take away sins $2. The impossibility of atonement being made by them, in the nature of the thing. $3, Taking away sin what. $4. How impossible by the blood of bulls and goats. $5. Observations.

§1. THERE is no difficulty in the words, and very little difference in the translations of them; "by the blood of bulls and goats," he intends all the sacrifices of the law; now, if it be impossible that they should take away sin, for what end then were they appointed?

The answer which the apostle gives, with respect to the law, in general, may be applied (with a small addition, from a respect to their special nature,) to the sacrifices of it, "they were added to the promise, because of transgressions." For God in and by them continually represented to sinners the curse and sentence of the law; or, that death was the wages of sin; for although there was allowed in them a commutation, that the sinner himself should not die: but the beast that was sacrificed in his stead (which belonged to their second end of leading to Christ) yet they all testified to the sacred truth, that it is the judgment of God that "they who commit sin are worthy of death." He let no sin pass without a representation of his displeasure against it, though mixed with mercy directing to relief against it, in the blood of the sacrifice. Again; they were added as the teaching of a schoolmaster to lead to Christ. By them was the church taught, and directed to look continually after that sacrifice, which alone could really take away all sin; and in this consisted, we may affirm, the principal exercise of grace under the Old Testament economy.

As to their special nature, they were added as the great instruction in the way and manner, whereby sin was to be taken away; for although this arose originally from God's mere grace and mercy; yet, was it not to be accomplished by sovereign grace and power alone. Such a taking away of sin would have been inconsistent with his truth, holiness, and righteous government of mankind.

These things evidently express the wisdom of God in their institution, although of themselves they could not take away sin; and those by whom these ends of them are denied, as they are by the Jews and Socin. ians, can give no account of any end of them, which answer the wisdom, grace, and holiness of God.

§2. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats." If in the nature of the thing itself it was impossible that the sacrifices, consisting of the blood of bulls and goats, should take away sin; then however, whensoever, and by whomsoever they were offered, this effect could not be produced by them; wherefore, in these words, the apostle puts a close to his argument, and makes mention of it no more, except for illustration to set forth the excellency of the sacrifice of Christ; as ver. 11, and chap. xiii, 10—12. The reason why the apostle expresseth them by "bulls and goats," while yet they were calves and kids of the goats, hath been declared on chap. ix, ver. 11, 12.

He makes mention only of the blood of the sacrifices; whereas in many of them, the whole bodies were offered, and the fat of them all was burned on the altar, because it was the blood alone whereby atonement was made for sin; and there is a tacit opposition to the matter of the sacrifice, whereby sin was really to be expiated, which was the "precious blood of Christ," as chap. ix, 13, 14.

§3. That which is denied of these sacrifices, is aQaipei apaphias) the taking away of sins, which is to make atonement for it, to expiate it before God by a satisfaction given, or price paid, with the procurement of the pardon of it, according to the terms of the new covenant.

He declares directly and positively what he intends by this taking away of sin, and the ceasing of legal sacrifices; ver. 17, 18, "Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more, now where remission of these is, there is no more offerings for sin." The cessation of offerings follows directly on the remission of sin, which is the effect of expiation and atonement; and not of the turning away of men from sin for the future. It is, therefore, our justification, and not even sanctification, that the apostle discourseth of. It is, moreover, an act, upon sin itself, and not immediately upon the sinner; nor can it signify any thing, but to take away the guilt of sin, that it should not bind over the sinner to punishment, whereon conscience for sin is taken away.

§4. The manner of this negation is, that it was “impossible” it should be otherwise; and it was so, not only from divine institution, but also from the nature of the things themselves. It had no condecency to divine justice; in satisfaction to justice, by way of compensation for injuries, there must be a proportion between the injury and the reparation, that justice may be as much exalted and glorified in the one, as it was depressed and abased in the other; but there could be no such thing between the demerit of sin, and the affront put on the righteousness of God, on the one hand; and the reparation by "the blood of bulls and goats," on the other.

$5. From these things we may observe,

1. It is possible that things may usefully represent, what it is impossible they themselves should effect. This is the fundamental rule of all institutions of the Old Testament. Wherefore,

2. There may be great and eminent uses of divine ordinances and institutions, although it be impossible that in themselves, in their most exact and diligent use, they should work out our acceptance with God; and it belongs to the wisdom of faith to use them to their proper end.

3. It was utterly impossible that sin should be taken away before God, and from the sinner's conscience, but by the blood of Christ; other ways, men are apt to betake themselves to for this end, but all in vain. It is the blood of Jesus Christ alone that cleanseth us from all our sins; for he alone was the propitiation for them.

4. The declaration of the insufficiency of all other ways for the expiation of sin, is an evidence of the holiness, righteousness, and severity of God against it, with the unavoidable ruin of all unbelievers.

5. Herein also consists the great demonstration of the love, grace, and mercy of God, with an encouragement to faith; in that, when the old sacrifices could not perfectly expiate sin, he would not suffer the work itself to fail, but provided a way that should be infallibly effective of it; as in the following verses:

VERSES 5--10.

Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me; in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then, said I, lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. Above, when he said, sacrifice and offering, and burnt offerings, and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein (which are offered by the law,) then, said he, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the secë ond. By the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

$1 Introduction and connexion. $2 (I.) Exposition of the words. (3. Christ's coming. $4. In what sense God rejects the legal sacrifices and offerings- $5. What he wills in their stead. 6---8. The Psalmist, Septuagint, and Apostle reconciled. 9--15. Exposition continued. §16--19. (11) Observations.

§1. HERE we have the provision God made to supply the defect of legal sacrifices, as to the expiation of sin, peace of conscience, &c. For the words contain the blessed undertaking of our Lord Jesus Christ, to perform and suffer all things required by the will, wisdom, holiness, righteousness, and authority of God, to the complete salvation of the church.

This is a blessed portion of divine writ, summarily representing to us the love, grace, and wisdom of the Father: the love, obedience, and suffering of the Son; the federal agreement between the Father and the Son, about the work of redemption and salvation, with the blessed harmony between the Old and New Testament, in the declaration of these things. The divine authority and wisdom that here evidence themselves are ineffable.

§2. (I.) (410) wherefore, for which cause, for which end. It doth not intimate why the words following were spoken, but why the things themselves were so disposed; "wherefore," saith the apostle, because it was so with the law, things are thus ordered in the wisdom and counsel of God; (λɛyɛ) he saith; the words may have a threefold respect; as they were given out by inspiration, and recorded in scripture; as they were used by David the penman of the Psalms, who speaks by inspiration, and as a type of Christ. But David did not, would not, ought not in his own name and person reject the worship of God, and present himself with his obedience in its room, especially as to the end of sacrifices in the expiation of sin. Wherefore, the words are properly the words of our Lord Jesus Christ;