understood; fince without it we cannot rightly difcern the Lord's Body, and confequently muft receive it unworthily. For if the Body and Blood of Chrift, as facrificed for us, is not understood to be there reprefented; it cannot be there difcerned otherwise than it may be in any other Miniftration whatsoever; and this Sacrament can no more fhew forth the Lord's death, or facrifice of his Body and Blood, for his Death was that Sacrifice, than our common and daily Prayers. And therefore, unless we allow and acknowledge this Sacrament to be a Reprefentative Sacrifice, I cannot fee what Benefit we can propofe to receive from it. Which I think is fufficient to fhew the Neceffity of Preaching this Doctrine.

I

HEB. XIII. 10.

We have an Altar whereof they have no Right to eat, which serve the Tabernacle.

T

6.

HE Holy Apoftle having fhewed at large in this Epiftle to the Hebrews, that the Law of Mofes is antiquated, and the Obligation of it entirely abolish'd fince the Coming of Christ the Heb. viii. Mediator of a better Covenants That God having appointed another Priesthood, after vii.11,12. the Order of Melchifedec, and not after the Order of Aaron; the Priesthood being changed, made of neceffity a change alfo of the Law; and that Chrift, after he had offer- x. 12. 141 ed one Sacrifice for Sins, and by that one Offering bad perfected for ever them that are fanctified, for ever fat down on the right Hand of God. Left they fhould from hence infer that there is no more Priefthood upon Earth, no more Sacrifice, no more Altar, and confequently no Rites and Ordinances of Religious Worship; he lets them know in the Words of the Text, That we have an Altar, but fuch an one whereof they have no Right to eat, which ferve the Tabernacle. And if we have an Altar, we must also have a Sacrifice or Oblation to be B offered

offered upon that Altar, and Priefts alfo to make or offer that Sacrifice or Oblation. I fhall not now trouble iny felf or you, to fhew who are the true Chriftian Priefts, or how, or by what means they derive their Priefthood from Christ himself by a SpiriSermon of tual Generation, as Aaron's Sons did from the him by a natural Generation, and confenour of the Priesthood. quently are called of God to that Office as was Aaron and his Race, having already done this in another Difcourfe: But I will fhew you from this Text, that as we have a proper Priefthood under the Gofpel, fo we have a proper Propitiatory Sacrifice or Oblation for our Priefts to offer, and a proper Altar whereon to make that Oblation.

Now by an Oblation or a Sacrifice, we understand a Reverend and Solemn Prefentation of fome vifible material Gift, to the God we worship, and whereby we honour and acknowledge him to be God and Lord, which being fo prefented or offered, is afterwards to be put to no common Ufe, but to be difpofed of, and confumed in fuch manner as our God has appointed. And the Place whereon we offer, prefent, or lay this material vifible Gift or Element, is that which we therefore call the Altar. because the Element or Gift being there laid, from that Moment becomes God's peculiar Property, and is no more common, nor Can after that Time be put to any ordinary

Use,

Ufe, unto which before it might have been applied: And whofoever after this folemn Presentation fhall prefume to put it to any other Use than God has directed for it, is guilty of the higheft Sacrilege. And this Oblation, or folemn Prefentation of the Gift or Element to God, can be made only by a Prieft, who being taken from among Heb.v. 1. Men, is ordained for Men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both Gifts and Sacrifices for Sin. And if

any other prefume to make fuch an Offering, but be Heb. v.4 that is called of God, as was Aaron, He is guilty of the highest Presumption, and may juftly fear, left he perish in the gainsaying Jud. 1. of Core.

I know indeed that by a Sacrifice Men commonly understand the fhedding the Blood of fome living Creature, and therefore fuppofe there can be no Sacrifice without fhedding of Blood. But this is a Miftake; for altho' when living Creatures were facrificed, their Blood was always fhed ; yet, if we look into the Law of Mofes, we fhall find there were Sacrifices of other things befides living Creatures, and fuch Offerings Levit. v. were accepted inftead of living Creatures; 7. 11. as particularly, if a Man was unable to bring a Lamb, or two young Pigeons for a Sin Offering, he might bring for his Sin Offering the tenth Part of an Ephah of fine Flower. The Meat-Offerings alfo, which Levit. ii B 2

are

14.

13.

are frequently fpoken of in the old Law, were to be af fine Flower, unleavened Cakes of fine Flower mingled with Oil, and baked Levit. vii. in the Oven, and fometimes leavened Bread. And this is called the Bread for Numbers God's Sacrifices to be offered unto him in xxviii. 2. due Seafon. And this Offering of Bread vida. was esteem'd as Holy or Sacred, and as acceptable to God, even under the Jewish Law, as any other Sacrifice or Oblation: For it is plainly intimated in the Law, that the offering this Bread, was as Sacred, and as high an Act of Worship as could be performed by a Prieft. Thou shalt Thou shalt fanctifie him therefore, fays the Lord, for he offereth the Bread of thy God: He fhall be Holy unto thee.

Nam xxi.

8.

From hence it is evident that there may be unbloody Sacrifices as well as bloody ones: And that the unbloody Sacrifices are no lets holy and acceptable to God than the others were, and of as great Worth and Dignity: If they were not, we cannot fee a Reafon, why, when the Holy Ghoft faw it expedient to give Directions to the Priest to preferve the Dignity of his Character, as Lev. xxi. being a chief Man among his People, he fhould chufe to exprefs the Excellency of this Dignity by his offering the Bread of God. If this. Offering of Bread had been a lefs Worthy Sacrifice, than the Offering of Victims, the holy Penman would certainly