14. The Apostle to the Hebrews hath no purpose to expone the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham, that Covenant (saith he) they break ▪ Yea it is contrary to the scope of the Apostle to set down the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace. He purposes in the Epistle to the Hebrews to exalt Christ above the Angels. ch. 1▪ above Moses, ch. 3. above all the Priests, the High Priest, and above all the Sacrifices Bullocks, Lambs, Goats, &c. he through the eternal Spirit, once offered himself to God. And ch. 8. he proves Christ to be a more excellent High Priest, a Minister of a more excellent Tabernacle, and a more excellent Ministry, Because he is Mediator of a better Covenant: he is a days-man who lays his hands upon both parties at variance, both upon God and man, to bring them together: See Job. 9.32, 33. that is, a Mediator of a Covenant▪ So that here he saith, Christ is engaged to the Father in a more spiritual, and heavenly Covenant. None could engrave the Law of God in the heart but Christ: one might say, was not the Law engraven in the heart of some, and their sins pardoned? Were not Moses, Aaron, and many of the people of God, sanctified, pardoned, and justified according to that Covenant? Ans. They were justified and sanctified, but not by the letter of the Covenant of Grace, nor by sacrifices, shadows, conditional promises, threatens, but by Christ, I the Lord Redeemer will write my Law in their heart, &c. It is then contrary to the Apostles scope; Heb. 8. to enter the discourse of the Doctrine of the literal Law-Covenant, or the conditional Covenant of Grace, it strongly concludes his point, to speak but of the half (though the choicest half) of the Covenant, as fulfilled in the elect, and that exalts Christ and his Ministry, that he hath a Ministry upon the heart. Now it is a shame to lay the blame of our not believing on Christ, be it a condition of the Covenant, or be it none: Christ works all our works in us, and by this reason it must he his fault (hallowed be his Name) that we sin at all, because he works not in us contrary acts of obedience. But to whom is the Sovereign Lord debtor? And therefore this Antinomian way must be refused.
14. The Apostle to the Hebrews hath no purpose to expone the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham, that Covenant (saith he) they break ▪ Yea it is contrair to the scope of the Apostle to set down the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace. He purposes in the Epistle to the Hebrews to exalt Christ above the Angels. ch. 1▪ above Moses, ch. 3. above all the Priests, the High Priest, and above all the Sacrifices Bullocks, Lambs, Goats, &c. he through the eternall Spirit, once offered himself to God. And ch. 8. he proves Christ to be a more excellent High Priest, a Minister of a more excellent Tabernacle, and a more excellent Ministry, Because he is Mediator of a better Covenant: he is a days-man who layes his hands upon both parties at variance, both upon God and man, to bring them together: See Job. 9.32, 33. that is, a Mediatour of a Covenant▪ So that here he saith, Christ is ingadged to the Father in a more spirituall, and heavenly Covenant. None could ingrave the Law of God in the heart but Christ: one might say, was not the Law ingraven in the heart of some, and their sins pardoned? Were not Moses, Aaron, and many of the people of God, sanctified, pardoned, and justified according to that Covenant? Ans. They were justified and sanctified, but not by the letter of the Covenant of Grace, nor by sacrifices, shadows, conditionall promises, threattens, but by Christ, I the Lord Redeemer will write my Law in their heart, &c. It is then contrair to the Apostles scope; Heb. 8. to enter the discourse of the Doctrine of the literall Law-Covenant, or the conditionall Covenant of Grace, it strongly concludes his point, to speak but of the half (though the choisest half) of the Covenant, as fulfilled in the elect, and that exalts Christ and his Ministry, that he hath a Ministry upon the heart. Now it is a shame to lay the blame of our not beleeving on Christ, be it a condition of the Covenant, or be it none: Christ works all our works in us, and by this reason it must he his fault (hallowed be his Name) that we sin at all, because he works not in us contrair acts of obedience. But to whom is the Soveraign Lord debter? And therefore this Antinomian way must be refused.
- 1The scope of the Epistle to the Hebrews is not to treat of the Covenant Preached in his nature, parties, promises, precepts, conditions, but to treat of the excellency of Christ above Angels, Moses, Priests, Sacrifices, and in acting of the Covenant upon the heart of the elect, especially Christ excels all.The scope of the Epistle to the Hebrews is not to treat of the Covenant Preached in his nature, parties, promises, precepts, conditions, but to treat of the excellency of Christ above Angels, Moses, Priests, Sacrifices, and in acting of the Covenant upon the heart of the elect, especially Christ excells all.
