VERSE 9.

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines; for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

$1. The apostle's design explained in several expository remarks, which contain an analysis of his discourse. $2. Exposition. Various and strange doctrines, what $3. The exhortation not to be carried about with them. $4 The end to be aimed at in professing religion is, to be established. $5, Which is not to be done by the Jewish altar and ceremonies, but by grace. §6. The unprofitableness of the former. §7. Observations.

§1. THE

HE ensuing context from hence to the 17th yerse seems abstruse, and the reasoning not easy to be apprehended; but expositors generally overlook it, and attend only to the exposition of the parts. To find out the mind of the Holy Ghost in the whole, we must consider the design of the apostle in it, and how he adduces one thing from another.

1. There was at this time not only an obstinate adherence to Mosaical ceremonies amongst many of the Jews, who yet professed the gospel; but also an endeavor to reinforce their necessity, and to impose their observance upon others.

2. He adds a reason of this dehortation and warning, by pointing out the inconsistency of these Mosaic ceremonies with the gospel, with the very nature of the Christian religion, and that great principle of it, that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever." To this end he supposeth,

1. That the spring of all their observances about meats, eating or not eating, and consequently of the other rites of the same nature, was from the altar; for with respect to this was the determination of things clean and unclean; what might be offered on the altar "was clean, and what might not, was unclean.

2. That the foundation of religion lies in an altar; but that ours is not of such a nature as that from thence distinction of meats should ensue.

any

3. That whatever be the benefits of our altar, the way of their participation is not the administration of the old tabernacle services; nor could they who administered therein claim a right to them by any divine institution. Nay, if they rested in that administration, they were excluded from them.

4. He adds the reason of this excluding maxim taken from the nature of our altar and sacrifice; for it is a sacrifice of expiation to sanctify the people by blood; and even in the very type of it; the blood of the victims being carried into the holy place, their bodies were burned entirely without the camp; so that the priests themselves had no right to eat any thing of them.

5. In answer thereto the Lord Jesus Christ, who is himself both our altar, sacrifice, and priest, carried his own blood, in its atoning efficacy, into the holy place of heaven, having suffered in his body without the gate, where the sacrifices were burned. So that there is no place now left for eating, or distinction of meats. Yea,

6. Hereby a new state of religion, answerable to the nature of the altar and sacrifice, is introduced; with which the tabernacle observances, which depended on the nature and the use of the altar, were utterly inconsistent. Wherefore, whoever adhered to them, did thereby renounce this altar of ours and consequently the religion founded thereon; for none can have an interest in two altars, at the same time, of such different natures, and which draw after them such different re ligious observances.

7. He adds, in the last place, what we are to learn from the nature and use of our altar and sacrifice, in opposition to the meats which belonged to the old typical altar; and herein he instanceth in patient bearing of the cross or suffering for Christ, ver. 13. Selfdenial, as to temporal enjoyments, ver. 14; continual divine worship, which is a spiritual sacrifice made acceptable in Christ, our altar, priest, and sacrifice, ver. 15; and all good works of piety and charity towards men. These are the only sacrifices we are now called to offer. I hope we have not missed the apostle's design and reasoning in this analysis of his discourse, which makes his sublime way of arguing this great mystery plain and evident; and gives us a safe rule for the interpretation of every particular part of it.

§2. "Be not carried away with divers and strange doctrines.

It is evident that the doctrines intended were such as did then infest the churches, the Hebrew churches; which is manifest in the special instance given about meats. And they are called "various," because they were not reducible to that one faith, which was once delivered to the saints, and which was quite of another kind; because they had no consistency or agreement among themselves; and especially they were various from their object, seeing they were about various things. Or he calls them "various," because they took the mind from its proper stability, tossing it up and down at all uncertainties. When once men begin to give ear to such doctrines, they lose all the rest and composure of their minds, as we see by daily experience.

And they are "strange," as being concerning things foreign to the gospel, uncompliant with the nature and genius of it. Such are all doctrines about religious

ceremonies, and the over scrupulous observance of them; for the kingdom of God is not "meat and drink," but righteousness and peace, and joy, in the Holy Ghost, Rom. xiv, 17.

§3. With respect to those doctrines the charges are, "Be not carried about" with them, see Ephes. iv, 14. There is an allusion to ships, and the impression of the mind upon them. In themselves they are light, and are easily carried about of winds; and the false doctrines may be compared to winds, because those who would impose them on others, commonly do it with a great and vehement blustering. You must be circumcised, or you cannot be saved, as Acts xv, 1; unless you believe and practise these things, you are heretics and schismatics, &c. and the effects of them on the minds of some are those of contrary winds at sea; they toss them up and down; they run them out of their course; and threaten their destruction. First, they fill the minds of men with uncertainties, as to what they have believed; and then for the most part they alter the whole course of their profession; and lastly, they bring them to be in danger of eternal ruin. In proof of these things, witness the Galatian churches.

$4. The end to be aimed at, in the profession of religion is, "that the heart be (ßeßioba) established; so confirmed in faith, as to have a fixed persuasion of the truth; or a just firm settlement of mind in the assurance of it, as opposed to being tossed to and fro; that through the truth, the heart enjoy peace with God, which alone will establish it; giving it firmitude and rest in every condition, being stayed on God.

$5. (Xapili) by grace. "Grace" here is to be taken comprehensively, for the good will and love of God towards men, by Jesus Christ, as revealed in the gospel. This is that alone which doth, which can estab

lish the heart of a sinner in peace with a holy and just God, Rom. v, 1.

"Not with meats." Not that the heart may be established by meats also, but that grace is the only way thereof, though some foolishly pretended, that it might be done by eating, or by abstinence from eating, of meats, by virtue of divine prohibition, "touch not, taste not, handle not," Col. ii, 21; which distinction of meats arose from the altar; for the beast that might be offered at the altar in sacrifice being clean, and the first fruits being thus dedicated unto God, the whole of the kind became clean to the people; and what had not the privilege of the altar, was prohibited.

And hence we may see the reason why the Jews laid so great a stress on these meats, viz. because the taking of them away declared, that their altar, which was the life and centre of their religion, was of no more use. And hence we may also see the reason of the apostle's different treating with them in this matter; for, speaking of meats in their own nature, he declares, that the use of them is a thing indifferent, wherein every one is to be left to his own liberty, to be regulated only by the circumstance of giving offence or scandal, see Rom. xiv; but when he treats of them as a pretended necessary observance, as connected with the altar, he utterly condemns them, Gal. iv; Col. ii, 16–23.

"For it is (nanov) a good thing;" it is excellent, approved of God, and our incumbent duty to labor after. And in this positive comparative is included, it is good and excellent to such a degree, as to be far better than what they pretended.

$6. "Which have not profited them that have been occupied therein," (εvois πeρitalyσavies) them who have walked in them. To walk in meats, is to observe the 55

VOL. IV.