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SER M. have need that one teach you again, which be

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the first Principles of the Oracles of God; and are become fuch as have need of Milk, and not of ftrong Meat: For every one that is unSkilful in the Word of Righteousness, is as one that ufeth Milk: for he is a Babe, But fince Strong Meat belongeth to fuch as are of full Age, (i. e. to fuch as are perfect) and to those who by reason of Use (or Habit) have their Senfes exercifed to difcern both Good and Evil, ver. 11-14. Therefore leaving the Principles of the Doctrine of Chrift; let us go on to Perfection: And this will we do the next Opportunity if God permit, chap. xii. But fince the Melchifedechian Priesthood of our Lord will open a new Scene, and of itself supply us with Matter more fufficient for a whole Difcourfe; I fhall wave it at prefent, and from what has been faid concerning our Bleffed Saviour's fulfilling and finishing the Aaronick Priesthood, fhall draw fome practical Inferences and conclude.

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And these shall be no other than what the Author of the Epiftle before us, himself points

out.

Seeing then that we have a great High Prieft, chap. iv. 14. fo much greater than Aaron himself, and much more so than any

that

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that fucceeded afterwards of the Order of SER M. Aaron, an High Prieft that is passed into the Heavens, who is not entred into the boly Places made with Hands, which were but Figures of the true, but into Heaven itself, chap. ix. 24. he being no less than Jefus the only Son of God; feeing we Christians have fuch an High Prieft, let us hold faft our Profeffion; or (as it is expreffed in another Place of this fame Epiftle) let us hold faft the Profeffion of our Faith without wavering, chap. x. 23. i. e. let us hold faft that Profeffion which we made in our Baptism, and not be driven from it by any Opposition or Perfecution that may at any Time threaten 'us for it. Much lefs let us fuffer ourselves to be baffled out of our Religion by the idle Pratings of Men, who finding Christianity allows them no Indulgence to their Vices and Lufts, endeavour to perfuade themselves and others, if they could, that on the other hand it yields no folid Satisfaction or Affurance of the high Rewards it proposes: In which every good Man is able to contradict them; for he feels and experiences the Truth and the Force of them in his own Breast. Let us therefore maintain our Faith and our Hopes against all Attempts. For fince the High 04 Prieft

SER M. Prieft of our Profeffion is by God himself fo X. highly exalted; or rather fince one fo eter

nally exalted, became our High Prieft; we

may
be fure that Profeffion or Religion he
patronizes, must be the only true and effen-
tial Religion, the only one that will eternal-
ly endure.

But to haften to the practical Improvements of my Discourse.

It concerns us in the fecond Place to note well and obferve for whofe Sake he is appoint ed an High Prieft. Did he offer his Sacrifice, (or does he now intercede, in Virtue of his Sacrifice) for all Men indifcriminately, whether good or bad? No furely: No fuch Latitude is encouraged, or fuppofed to be intended by him, through all this Epiftle. He himself is exprefly set forth to us, as boly, harmless, undefiled, and feparate from Sinners, chap. vii. 26. And fuch, to our Power, must we endeavour to be, or else we come not into the Number of those for whom he intercedes. He was himself made perfect, i.e. he himself was confecrated to his Priesthood by Obedience and Sufferings; and in Virtue of that Confecration, he became the Author of eternal Salvation, chap. v.

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8, 9. the Author of it, and the Conferrer of SER M. it on all that shall enjoy it: But for fear you fhould mistake, and think that Men have nothing to do for themselves, pray mind the Words following, which fo closely and fo cautiously limit the Senfe.- He became the Author of eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him to all them; but to them only to them only, who believe his Promises, obey his Precepts, and chearfully fuffer rather than fwerve from their Obedience or Faith And this' Limitation of the Benefits of his Priesthood is in another Place very carefully put in; to prevent our placing any unwarrantable Confidence in it; and that too even where the Greatnefs and Sufficiency of it is the Thing difplayed. In Oppofition to the frequent, but yet ineffectual, Repetition of the Sacrifices amongst the Jewish Priests, it is obferved that this Man, the Bleffed Jefus, after he had offered one Sacrifice for Sins, and but one only, for ever fat down at the Right Hand of God, chap. x. 11, 12... For by one Offering, i. e. by the Offering of his Body once for all, ver. 10. he bath perfected for ever them that are sanctified, ver. 14. But fanctified you must be, or else even this Man's, Chrift Jefus his Offering,

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SER M. fering, how infinitely valuable or meritorious

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foever, and though it should be as often re-
peated as the Offerings under the Law, will
no more avail to make you perfect than the
most imperfect Sacrifices of the Law itself.
For as Chrift through the eternal Spirit, (or
as the Divine Person of Christ) offered him-
Self (as to his human Nature) without Spot
to God; fo the End of that Offering was to
purge their Confcience from dead Works, to
Serve the living God, chap. ix. 14.
ing that as the Jewish Rites restored Men to
the Temple, and put them into a Capacity
of frequenting again their religious Worship;
fo the Expiation and Interceffion of Chrift is
an Encouragement to us to perform our Ser-
vices, both religious and moral. It is a Com-
fort to us in fuch Performances; as it is an
Affurance that we shall be accepted if we do
perform them: But by no Means are we to
think it a Difpenfation from them. For
Christ intercedes not for the Careless and Pre-
fumptuous, who imagine that every Thing is
already done for them, who talk of, and de-
pend upon, abfolute Decrees, and irresistible
Grace, without offering to do any thing for
themselves, or endeavouring to work out
their own Salvation: No, He neither shed

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