SECTION III. 557 thereby from an evil or guilty conscience. He proceeds then to make another inference, viz. that the Jewish converts or He- brews should hold fast their profession of the christian faith without wavering, and not forsake the christian assemblies and worship, verses 24, 25. For, says he, if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, if we depart front christianity, and particularly from the great and important doc- trinesof it which my pen has just written, that is, " the sacrifice of Christ for the obtaining the pardon of. our sins," and that after such evident conviction and constraining reason to believe it, there remains no more sacrifice for sin to those who deny or evacuate this sacrifice of Christ." Now " if blood was appoint- ed to make atonement for the soul." Lev. xvii. 22. " if there was no remission of levitical defilement to be obtained under the Jewish law without shedding of blood ;" if the priest was never to enter into the most holy place, nor appear before God there without the blood of the sacrifice ; Lev. xvi. 14, 15. if Christ himself as the high -priest and representative of his people, would " not once enter into heaven to appear there in the presence of God for us without Isis blood : lieb. ix. 12-24. surely they run a most dreadful risk of unpardoned guilt and divine indignation who renounce the only effectual sacrifice for sin, even that which the Son of God has offered, and venture into the presence of God without the blood of sprinkling upon them, without faith in the blood of Christ. The very close connection of these dread. ful words of threatening, with so long and particular discourse on the atonement made by the blood of Christ, seems to point this threatening not merely against those who are apostates from all the christian doctrine, but particularly against those who forsake and renounce this great truth of the " sacrifice of Christ for sin." And let it be observed that the form of the threatening " there remains no more sacrifice," seems to have a peculiar reference to the denial or renunciation of this doctrine. Some think the words of St. Peter may confirm this of St. j'aul ; 2 Pet. ii. 1. where he foretels of " false teachers, who shall bring in damnable heresies, in Greek, heresies of destruc- tion, denying the Lord that bought them, and bring on them- selves swift destruction." Now as in natural religion, " a de- nial that God made us," is in effect the same thing as a " denial of the God that made us," so in revealed religion to " deny that the Lord Jesus bought us," is it not much the same as to " deny the Lord Jesus that bought us ?" For it is a renouncing him under that character or office by which he becomes a Savi- our, and therefore swift destruction follows upon it. lgut will not insist on this, the other is sufaeient,
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