Chapter IV
The privilege of believers under the New Testament illustrated, and proved
by the difference between them, and believers under the Old Testament, who had not this freedom of entering into the holiest.
There is a further special account to be given of this privilege, from a
difference between the manner of the dispensation under the law, and now under the gospel, as in respect unto this particular of prayer ; together with an explication wherein this difference lies of us from the old Jew, who yet directed their prayers unto God that was in heaven, and implored him to
hear in heaven when they prayed, as in 1 Kings viii. you often have it, and
elsewhere abundantly.
That there was and is (notwithstanding this now said of them) a difler-
ence of privilege between them and us in this respect, it is plain that this
exhortation in the text, to come boldly into the holiest, is spoken oppositely to what was theirs, specially when compared with other passages of this
epistle concerning them ; the text also styling this our manner of coming into the heavens to be a
* new way initiated, or new begun, (as the word
* consecrated in ver. 20 doth also signify), by the flesh of Jesus rent, as
ver 20, and by his blood, ver. 19, newly shed, as the words in the original
do import, of which further after.
Concerning which difference,
1. I will not hold you in the briers of a dispute about the meaning of
that difficult place of our apostle, chap. ix. 8, affirming that to the people of the Old Testament, The way (that is, for us) into the holiest of all was
not yet made manifest ; while as the first tabernacle was yet standing ; that
is, whilst the Jewish worship was yet in force, which was until Christ the
true high priest was ascended up unto his holiest, the heavens. The
plainest meaning to me is, that the mystery of this was kept hid, in a great measure, that Christ might have the greater honour in the discovery of it, upon and after his ascension ; and also to shew, that by virtue of his blood
it is that any do now, or ever did, enter therein. But still so as, whatever
de facto was then, that the godly entered into heaven at death, yet the way to be through Christ s entering, this was not then manifest (I take hold of, and keep to, the proper import of the word). He says not that none had
in reality, or indeed, not entered, for Enoch and Elias had, but that it was not manifest ; nor yet was it that it were altogether unknown to them
that they should one day come thither, for the patriarchs knew it, and
expected it, Heb. xi. 10, 14, 16. All which still was but with a glimmer
ing, obscure light ; as a dark shadow. I take, therefore, the apostle s
meaning in the same sense that the same apostle speaks it, of the whole
mystery of the gospel itself. Eph. iii. 5, Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Even so this particular of it was not manifest, that is, in that clear manner that it is now, upon Christ s ascension. The
very apostles (in the name of whom Philip seems to speak it), John xiv. 5,
say, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know
the way ?
My inference from this is, that if the way of entrance at last into that
holy of holies was not then so manifest to them, then much less was this way of worshipping and praying, by an immediate entrance of themselves
398 OF CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. [BOOK VI.
(through Christ) into heaven itself, whenever they prayed ; and as present with their high priest himself, to present themselves by faith unto God
through him, and so offer up their prayers to him ; but stood as aloof, as men on earth, whilst they prayed unto God as dwelling in heaven. But
this the apostle in my text hath taught us ; and this way, I may safely say of it, was not manifest then as it is now. But,
2. Besides the obscurity of the knowledge of this way of praying, they were preoccupated from such an address immediate, into heaven itself (such as we have), in that God appointed another place of his residence, viz., his
temple on earth, and therein specially the holy of holies,? calling upon them to look unto, and make their addresses to him, as dwelling also there ; whereas now he hath appointed heaven itself immediately for us in prayer to come into, when we come unto him, where also our high priest is pre sent. Their case stood thus : they knew, indeed, that God s dwelling-place was heaven, and that when they prayed, God heard in heaven his dwellingplace ; and therefore when they prayed, they spread forth their hands towards heaven, as Solomon in his prayer did. But yet withal, they were
first called upon to do homage to God, as sitting on his throne on earth ; as sitting between the cherubims on the mercyseat, which covered the ark
in the holy of holies. So Hezekiah directs his prayer, 2 Kings xix. 15, God, that sittest between the cherubims ; and others in the psalms the
like. And thereupon also, when they prayed (though in private prayer), they were bidden to look towards the holy place and temple ; as Ps. xxviii.
2, Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry unto thee ; when I lift up my hands to thy holy oracle. This oracle was the most holy place, where the ark, the mercyseat, and the cherubims were ; as you find 1 Kings viii. 6, and chap. vi. 5. And in this manner Solomon, in the dedication of his temple, directs his own prayer made by himself, and unto
this course directed the people also : in that 1 Kings chap. viii. he prays unto God, that dwelt in heaven, to hear in heaven ; and yet draws down
their eyes towards that house on earth, as dwelling there ; ver. 27-30, But will God indeed dwell on the earth ? Behold, the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee ; how much less this house that I have builded ! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his
supplication, Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee to-day ; that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there ; that thou mayest hearken unto the
prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. And hearken thou
to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall
: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place ; and when thou nearest, forgive. So as they took God up, as dwelling in both
pray toward this place
places ; but first looked to his dwelling-house, or himself as dwelling on
earth. And from thence their faith was to climb up to him, as dwelling in
that other, the most holy house in heaven, whereof this on earth was the
type ; and thereby was to their weakness a help unto their faith in prayer, to have God so near them (as the phrase is), as on earth ; that God should come down to earth, and there had a visible dwelling-house amongst them ; as Exod. xxv. 8, And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them ; which he had not again on all the earth. And hence ariseth a manifest difference betwixt their condition and ours, that though they prayed unto God that was in heaven, and to hear in
heaven, yet,
CHAP. IV.] OF CHEIST THE MEDIATOK. 399
(1.) Themselves looked upon themselves as standing afar off, at a dis
tance from heaven, whilst they were a-praying ; and entered not themselves
by faith into heaven, as we are here called upon to do. I may therefore
again say, this way of prayer in the holiest was not then manifest, as it is now. And,
(2.) Though they desired God would hear in heaven, yet the cry of their
prayer and the eye of their faith were directed first unto and towards his
holy of holies on earth ;* from whence, as by a rebound (as I may so
speak), it should as by an echo ascend up into the ears of the Lord of hosts
in heaven. Even as a man directing his speech, going immediately to such
or such a hollow place, or cavern, the sound thereof comes back at second hand by reflection, to one that is further off : and their intercourse with God in heaven was like as if one should send a letter, or a petition to a
great person, who had two dwelling-houses, one in a city, the other in some village very far off from that city ; and the man is appointed to send
his petition or letter directly to the country-house, but directed to him
withal in his standing house in his city. So as indeed the holiest saint of them looked unto God in both, and did homage to him as dwelling in both, and were not to neglect either. Whereas we take a direct course to heaven when we pray, and divert not the least cast of an eye to anything on earth wherein God should be. We look not to the right hand, nor the left ; not
to one place more than another : Let prayers be made everywhere, 1 Tim.
ii. 8., spoken in opposition to the Jews looking to their temple. And one reason of this was, that God dealing then with them as chil dren under age, Gal. iv. 1, and instructing them by figures of the time (as Heb. ix. 24, where he speaks of and applies that maxim to this very thing we are upon), he therefore would have a figurative house to dwell in ; not such as in common he is said to dwell in all the earth, but separated from
the rest of the earth ; which house was consecrated by himself, and wherein
his glory and shadowy presence did often shine and appear from forth the
: and thither their faith and prayers were to approach him first, and take up by the way, as we
oracle, the holy of holies, and filled that temple
say, in their addresses to heaven. God condescended herein to the weak ness of them whom he trained up as children. And it was a way of worship
fit for children, and suited to their capacity ; and yet sanctified unto them, because thus appointed by God.
You may perhaps in part understand an Old Testament Jewish heart, and that of one that was truly penitent, by the spirit of that poor publican, whose character and frame of spirit Christ hath lively set forth to us, Luke xviii. And therein view the distance which they keep. He was a sinner truly humbled, and an expectant of mercy. It is said, He went up to pray in the temple, ver. 10 ; so then it therein falls pat with the
subject afore me. Now, observe what confirms the foregone differences (as on their part) I have given. 1. He stood afar off; so ver. 13. There
is the distance I spake of. 2. He would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven ; but, 3. applied himself, and his prayer unto God, as sitting on his mercy-seat in the holiest : in those words, But smote upon his
breast, and said, God be merciful unto me a sinner. It is that word God
* The word which Calvin useth of David s praying, in the 3d Psalm, when he
fled from Absalom was David recta se ad tabernaculum convertit, unde promiserat Deus
se propitinm fore servis suis. On the words of the 5th verse Mediam viam tenuit, ne
vel signum visibile contemneret, quod Deus pro temporis ruditate institucrat : vcl superstitiosd loco affixum quicquam de gloria Dei carnale conciperet, Ibidem.
400 OF CHKIST THE MEDIATOR. [BOOK VI.
be merciful to me I take hold of for this. In the original, the word t
that is there used, is a verb answering to the noun /Xaor^p/oi/, the
mercy-seat ; and unto /Xao^og, a propitiation for sin, as 1 John ii. 2. And
so it is as if he had said, According to that mercy, thou, God, that sit-
test between the cherubims, over and upon thy mercy-seat (which is called
/Xa<rnjg/ov by the Septuagint, and owned by the apostle, Heb. ix. 5), decla
ring thereby that thou art and wilt be propitious and merciful to poor sin
ners, according unto that mercy thereby set forth, be merciful to me a
poor sinner, that am at this distance from that thy holy place thou dwellest
in. Yet I do look unto that thy mercyseat, and to thee who sittest
thereon ; and have my eye and hopes fixed wholly thereupon for pardon. And though I dare not look up to heaven itself, where thou dwellest, yet my soul looks toward this mercyseat, whereon thou sittest on earth. You
may, I say, understand hereby the level of a Jewish faith. And that word
/Xatfftyr/, as spoken by him, shews that they understood, though darkly, what that mercyseat did signify. That God, that sat thereupon, was mer
ciful, and favourable to expiate and make atonement for sins, and then to
cover, and pardon them, as the Hebrew word importeth (of which more
afterwards) ; unto which the word iXdffxsQai, and /Xa<rxg/v answereth ; sig
nifying both to make atonement or reconciliation by Christ (so Heb. ii. 17), and also to be merciful and forgive, upon such a reconciliation made : as
by Dan. chap ix. 14, and Deut. xxi. 8, Be merciful, Lord, &c. Now
of this man, Christ says, he went away justified. He being humbled, and
having this faith. I but observe here how yet he stood afar off, two courts
off from the holy of holies, where this mercy-seat was : yea, in the
remotest place, out of that outermost court, did this man stand ; for it is
comparatively spoken unto that nearer approach which the Pharisee for
sooth made, he going up unto the highest part of that outward court ; thither he crowds up himself with confidence, even next to the door of the
priest s court : but into that priest s court none was to enter but a Levite.
Well, but here, in this Heb. x., we see the faith we are exhorted unto:
4 Christ being come, an high priest of good things to come ; not as then, but in a shadow revealed, we are bidden to enter with boldness : yea, to draw near, when we are entered, with full assurance of faith, and confi
dence, even into the holy of holies ; the heaven where Christ is sitting at
the throne of the majesty on high. Under the law, the holiest saint of
that people was not to enter into the first earthly mundane tabernacle, into which the priests came. Yea, some have said, they were not so much as
to see into it (but that I am not fully resolved of; for they brought their
sacrifice to the door of that first tabernacle, and one would think should
see it sacrificed too for them) ; but enter they did not, that is certain. And
to that end there was a veil, called the first veil, placed at the entrance of the first tabernacle of the priests, to shut out the people ; as well as there was a second veil placed afore the holy of holies, as the apostle plainly in
sinuates, Heb. ix. 2. I will not dispute whether it was to hinder the people s
sight of what was done in the priests court, as well as the second veil hindered the priests sight of what was in the holy of holies ; but, to be
sure, it forbade entrance to the people, if not wholly debarred their sight. This practical instance I have, as by the way, and in the middle of my discourse, inserted, to shew the difference mentioned of a Jewish faith and prayer, and as giving light to the rest of my discourse on thia
argument.
I proceed to confirm the former notion further.
CHAP. IV.J OF CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 401
II. As in this manner they directed their prayers unto God in his temple, on their parts, so answerably on God s part he both promises,
1. That his eyes shall be open, and his ears attent unto the prayer that was made in that place. For now (saith he), I have chosen and sancti
fied my house, that my name may be there for ever : and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. And in 1 Kings ix. 3, it is added by God, My heart shall be there perpetually. 2. It is de facto said and spoken of God, that his hearing of their
prayers was out of his holy temple, as well as out of heaven; and to send
forth help, and blessings, and deliverances of his people upon their prayers ;
yea, and to work all his works of wonder, which he executes over the whole earth from out of his temple, his dwelling-place on earth.
But especially in the deliverances of his people
: Ps. iii. 4, I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. It was uttered by David when he fled from Absalom, as the title to the psalm is
(he having before placed the tabernacle and ark on Zion,* the city of David, 2 Sam. vi. 12, 17, which he calls in that Ps. iii.,
* The holy mount ); and that speech of his here hath an aspect and reference unto those passages in the story of his flight, 2 Sam. xv. The high priest did offer to carry the ark with him into the field, ver. 24. No, says David, let it stand in
its proper place, in the tabernacle appointed for it, ver. 25 ; and, thought he, my prayer shall be towards it, as it is placed in that ordained seat which God hath appointed. And his prayers having been heard, though at that distance from the ark itself, he glorifies God that had heard him at that distance out of his holy hill (thus Calvin glosseth on the words) ; David s faith glorying and triumphing in this, that whilst Absalom, who came and possessed the city of Jerusalem, and so had the outward presence of the temple and ark with him (and let him take that to himself) ; but
David, in the mean while, though removed from it, bent his prayers thither, and those prayers prevailed, and were heard therein (says he), whilst his wretched son was rejected, who had the local being of the ark close by him and with him, for he was possessed of Jerusalem (let these things be com
pared with the story). In like manner, Ps. xx., he brings in the people praying for their king ; their petition, ver. 2, is,
* Send thee help from the
sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion. f And lo, as he hears the
prayer in his sanctuary, so the performance of it is likewise said to come from God, as dwelling in the sanctuary ; from thence it was he gave forth his commands for the execution ; and yet so as heaven thereby was signi fied too. And therefore, upon this experiment, David (who was the king they had prayed for) strengthens his faith for the future : ver. 6,
* Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed ; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
Many other like passages you may find scattered up and down in the Psalms and elsewhere ; that what God doth at the prayer of his people, he is said to do it in his temple ; that is, that from out of his temple the sentence to come forth, to render recompence to his enemies, is said to be a voice out of his temple. Isa. Ixvi. 6, A voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies. For God sat as a
* Fateor quidem ccelum alibi ssepe vocari sanctum Dei palatium ; sed hie non dubito quin respexit ad Arcam : quae jam in monte Zion locata erat. Calvin in verba.
f Hoc est, auxilietur tibi e monte Sion : ubi Arcam fcederis locari jubens, domicilium sibi illic delegit. Galvinus in verba. VOL V. 00
402 OF CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. [BOOK VI.
judge in his holy temple, and ruled thence the whole earth, Hah. ii. 20. And Ps. xcix. 2,
* The Lord is great in Zion ; and he is high above all
people; and terrible out of his holy places, Ps. Ixviii. 35. The great deliverances of his people when threatened to be besieged by Sennacherib and his host in Hezekiah s times ; Ps. Ixxvi. 2, 3,* In Salem also is his
tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion. There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah. Observe how
it is said, There he brake, namely, in his temple, his habitation there. For unto that his temple doth the coherence in the verse afore carry it, for
that was last in mention, and with the greatest emphasis above the former; either Jerusalem or the land of Judah, ver. 1. And there he brake the
spear, &c., that is, frustrated and made void all their weapons prepared for
the battle, though not one stroke were struck ; so he is said to break the arm of the king of Egypt, Ezek. xxx., that is, to weaken his power. But
that which puts the greatest notoriety upon this, as to our purpose in hand,
is that in the story we read how that Sennacherib s overthrow was from Hezekiah s prayer in the temple ; for upon Sennacherib s letter, and Heze kiah s hearsay of the blasphemy, he took himself thither, went instantly into the temple, and began his prayer thus :
* thou God of Israel, that
dwellest between the cherubims. He invocates him under that style of
his dwelling in the holies,f and so hearing prayers there. Thus you have
it recorded both in Isaiah and in 2 Kings xxix. 15. And how suitably, in answer hereunto, it is said here in the psalm, that God gave forth sentence
presently out of his tabernacle ; yea, and that so suddenly too, as that the
very execution is said to be done there, that is, from thence. And yet
again, in the 8th verse of the psalm, it is said to be a sentence from heaven
too ; Thou didst cause judgment (so called because it was the sentence
of God as a judge) to be heard from heaven. Thus Hezekiah prayed, and thus God heard ; and both as in the temple.
* Unto Sennacherib s invasion doth Calvin refer it, for which he gives his reason. And Piscator, in the very title, doth the same. And Ainsworth, on the last verse, aptly applies it to the chieftains of Sennacherib s army, which is a most apt accom modation of the conclusion of the story, with a concluding admonition given to kings and princes ; ver. 12, He shall cut off the spirit of princes ; he is terrible to the
kings of the earth. The word translated princes, is antecessors, leaders (see Junius s
translation), next to kings (which follows), God doth cut off their spirits ; gather or take away their spirits, their lives, in a moment, at once, and with as much ease and
liberty at pleasure as a gardener prunes the leaves and branches of vines, or as he would gather the bunches of the grapes when fully ripe, and makes no matter on it to do it. How fitly this doth correspond with the event in that story, you may see but by reading these few words, which are the conclusion of that story too, in 2 Chron. xxxii. 21, And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the "leaders" and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. And
for those other words in the Psalm, He is terrible to the kings of the earth, take those other words in the same verse in the story, So he returned with shame of face to his own land. What a dread and confusion must it needs strike the heart of that haughty prince with. But that was not all ; read but the verse, And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came out of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.
t Qu. holiest ? ED.
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