ordinarily do to the original, and more than enough to the old Latin translation, which the Church of Rome holds as authentic. It is right that all readers of the Bible should know that the word translated "testament" in this paragraph, is the same word that in the preceding and in the following context is rendered "covenant;" and not only there, but wherever it occurs in our New Testament, with the exception of Matt. xxvi. 28, Mark xiv. 24, Luke xxii. 20, 1 Cor. xi. 25, 2 Cor. iii. 6, 14, Heb. vii. 22, Rev. xi. 19, in every one of which it ought to have been rendered covenant. The substitution of the word covenant-understanding by that, arrangement, economy, order of things in the room of the word testament, with a few slight changes which necessarily rise out of that substitution, gives perfect distinctness of meaning and conclusiveness of argument to a passage obviously of high significance and importance, which, as it stands in our version, appears to me altogether inexplicable.

Let us now proceed to a somewhat minuter inspection of the various parts of the text; but before doing so, it will be requisite to say a word or two as to the design of the paragraph of which the text forms a part, and the manner in which it is introduced.

The Apostle is proving that Jesus Christ, as our High Priest, has received a more excellent ministry than Aaron or any of his sons. He has briefly described in succession their ministry and His. He has, in the words immediately preceding, shown that His ministry excels theirs in the kind of efficacy that belongs to it theirs was efficacious to remove ceremonial guilt and defilement, and to fit for ceremonial worship; His was efficacious to remove moral guilt and pollution, and to fit for spiritual worship. And in the paragraph, from the 24th to the 28th verse, he shows that His ministry had a corresponding superiority to theirs, in the completeness and permanence of its efficacy; theirs requiring to be indefinitely repeated, His being performed once for all. The paragraph to which our text belongs, comes in between these two proofs of the superiority of our Lord's ministry. It is a kind of digression, but a digression closely connected with, naturally rising out of, the argument. It is intended to meet the Jewish prejudice, which may be expressed in the question—a prejudice having a deep root in

human nature-But why did this great High Priest die? And the substance of the answer is just this :-Death, and the death of a person so illustrious, was, in the nature of things, absolutely necessary to the gaining of the great ends of that new and better covenant, of which Jesus Christ, as our High Priest, is Mediator.

I intend to confine myself to the illustration of the 15th verse, which resolves itself into the following propositions :Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant. The great design of the new covenant was, that they who are called may obtain the promise of everlasting inheritance. In order to this, there must be a redemption of the transgressions which were under the first covenant. To the redemption of them, death, and death of adequate value, is necessary. Such a death is the death of Jesus Christ. And for this cause, for all these things taken together, Jesus Christ is "the Mediator of the new covenant." What a rich field of spiritual pasture opens be

fore us here!

I. The first proposition in the text is,-Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant. The word covenant, in our language, means a league, or a bargain. The words in the original Scriptures rendered by that word are of more comprehensive meaning. They signify a disposition, arrangement, settled order of things. A league is a covenant, and so is a bargain; and they are so, because they are arrangements. But so also is a law, or a promise, or a testament, or, indeed, any regularly fixed disposition of things. The arrangement that there is not to be another general deluge, and that the seasons are to follow each other in regular order, is called God's covenant with the earth. God's promise to Abraham and his seed is called a covenant. The institution of circumcision is called a covenant. The law at Sinai is called a covenant. The Messiah, as God's ordinance, appointed means for saving men, is termed "a covenant to the people." We are accustomed from our infancy to hear of two covenants, the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. The first of these is the arrangement under which mankind were placed immediately after the creation, and by the violation of which we all became guilty. I am not sure that this arrangement is ever termed a covenant in the Scriptures, though quite certain that it might have been

So.

The second of these covenants is the arrangement by which God, in the exercise of His sovereign mercy, saves lost man, through the mediation of His Son. In the New Testament we read also of two covenants. The first of these is the old covenant, the arrangement made known in the law of Moses, according to which the people of Israel became in a peculiar sense the people of God, and had secured to them a variety of privileges. The second, or new covenant, nearly, if not entirely, coincides with the second in the former division-is the arrangement, fully revealed in the writings of the New Testament, by which an innumerable multitude from among mankind, of all nations, in all ages, become God's people in a peculiar and much higher sense, and have secured for them much more exceeding great and precious blessings. The Aaronical priesthood was the mediator of the first covenant. Of the second covenant Jesus Christ, the High Priest of our profession, is the Mediator. He comes between us and God. He brings us into a state of reconciliation; He keeps us in a state of reconciliation. It is through what He has done, and is doing, that all the blessings of the new covenant come to those who are interested in it. That is what is meant by His being the Mediator of the covenant. We come to God through Him, and God comes to us through Him. But what are the blessings which this new covenant is intended to secure for those interested in it? The text informs us; and this is the second point to which we must attend.

II. The great object of the new covenant is, "that they who are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” They who are called, or "the called ones," is a descriptive appellation of the true spiritual people of God, borrowed, like so many other of their descriptive appellations, from a denomination bestowed on the Israelites, the external people of God. The appellation originates in the call of Abraham out of the idolatry of Ur of the Chaldees, and of his posterity out of the bondage of Egypt. "I called Abraham alone. Israel is My son, My first-born; I called him out of Egypt." Abraham and his posterity were supernaturally called by God to the enjoyment of peculiar privileges in the land of Canaan; and hence we find the Israelites termed by Isaiah, Jehovah's called ones. The leading idea is, invited and led by God into the enjoyment of certain privileges. In the New Testament this appellation is

transferred to the spiritual people of God, the spiritual descendants of Abraham, whether they be his natural descendants or not. They are often termed the called of God the Father, called in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, called unto the kingdom and glory of God. These are those whom the Apostle represents as saved and called with a holy calling,—men who, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, are made to listen to, understand, believe, and obey the call of God in the word of the truth of the Gospel, to whom the word comes, not in word only, but in power; with the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. These called ones are the same as the chosen ones, predestinated in love before the foundation of the world; for it is whom He did predestinate that He calls. Their calling is not according to their works, but according to His own purpose and grace, given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. To these, the spiritual Israel, pertains the new covenant, as the old did to Israel after the flesh; and the great design of the covenant with regard to them is, " that they may receive the promise of eternal inheritance,"-literally, of the eternal inheritance. We will mistake the meaning of these words if we consider them as signifying, that they might have the everlasting inheritance promised to them—that they might obtain a promise of at some time receiving it. That is secured in the covenant; but there is much more than that secured. The intelligent reader of the New Testament must notice the word "promise" often means 'the thing promised,' just as "faith" often means the thing believed,' and "hope," the thing expected. To "inherit the promises," is to enjoy the blessings promised. The patriarchs "died, not having received the promises,”—not having obtained in this world the promised blessings. "The promise of the Spirit," in Gal. iii. 14, as well as "the Spirit of promise," Eph. i. 13, means the promised Spirit; and in like manner, promise of the eternal inheritance" is equivalent to the promised eternal inheritance.' Under the old covenant there was a promised inheritance, the inheritance of Canaan, to be enjoyed by the called Israelites in peace, under the peculiar blessing of Jehovah. A promise was given them of entering into this rest of God; and the various arrangements of the covenant were intended to fit them for that inheritance, to secure their entrance on it, and their continued enjoyment of it. It was only

"the

through the covenant that these ends were to be gained. Now to us, under the new covenant, as well as to those under the old, are good news proclaimed. An inheritance-a better inheritance than Canaan-a spiritual, a heavenly, an everlasting inheritance-holy happiness, in being acknowledged by and knowing God, being loved by God and loving God, being like God, thinking along with Him, choosing along with Him, enjoying along with Him, this is the inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, laid up for us in heaven. This inheritance, this everlasting inheritance, is promised to all the called ones. For thus runs the covenant of promise," God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "He that believeth on the name of the Son of God. hath everlasting life." Now, as the arrangements of the old covenant were intended to secure for the Israelites their promised inheritance, so the arrangements of the new covenant are intended to secure for "the called ones" their inheritance. The question naturally arises, And what was necessary for this purpose? Many things were necessary, all of which were secured by the covenant; but the Apostle fixes our attention specially on one thing absolutely necessary, and which, if secured, would secure everything else. This he does in the third proposition, to the consideration of which we now proceed.

III. In order to the called receiving the everlasting inheritance, "there must be a redemption of the transgressions which were under the first covenant." The transgressions which were under the first covenant, is not an expression equivalent to that in Rom. iii. 25, “sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" that means, sins that had been pardoned, though not expiated,' from a regard to the fore-appointed propitiation which is set forth in the Gospel. Nor does it appear to be synonymous with sins that were committed under the old covenant. Looking at the expression in connection with what is said in the preceding context, vers. 11-14, and in the succeeding context, ver. 23, it seems impossible to doubt that the words mean, those transgressions of the divine law which remained transgressions, and therefore unforgiven, because unexpiated, under the old covenant, for the expiation of which, in other words, the old covenant made no provision. It made provision for making atone