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We hear when David, that princely prophet, has spoken of himself, how he waited upon God, and in his waiting he prayed to the Lord, and he heard him and delivered him, etc., then in the next words, (which are the words that goes before these), he speaks of the kirk, and says, “Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are toward us.” And then he acknowledges his own weakness, and the weakness of all flesh, for offering up of condign praises to the Lord for his goodness.
Now, for these words that now I have read to you, ye must not make great doubt of them, but that they are spoken by David as being a type of the person of Jesus Christ; because the apostle, Hebrews 10:5, applies these same very words to Christ, and he tells that, (for he not only rehearses these same words, but he explains them), he tells that he may remove the first, that he may establish the second. That is, he removed the sacrifices of the Jews, which were types, that he may establish the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which was the antitype. And this tells unto us plainly that the words are to be understood of Jesus Christ. If ye would understand this, how it is that David speaks of Christ, ye must understand that David is the father of Christ according to the flesh; and therefore is it that he speaks of himself as of Christ, he being of his seed. These words, they are to be understood as the words in Psalm 16:10, are to be understood: “Thou wilt not leave my soul in grave;1 neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Now in Acts 2:25-32, the Apostle Peter makes it evident that David was already dead and buried, and his body was corrupted in the grave, and his sepulchre remained still with them'; and therefore of necessity the words must be understood of David, speaking in the person of Christ. And the reason of David’s speaking so was, because he was father of Christ according to the flesh.
Now for the meaning of these words, this is it; that when we find ourselves unequal and unworthy, on whom the Lord should bestow so great goodness, and insufficient to offer up condign sacrifices for it, then let us still have recourse to the sacrifice of Christ, which is sufficient enough for all. ~ As if he said, What is this that I shall do again for all this goodness of God, or how shall I get a sacrifice to offer to him for it? For if we be guilty of ingratitude, when God bestows no favours upon us, if so be that the Lord bestow any favours upon us, and we be not thankful for them, then we draw on new guiltiness upon ourselves. Now, says he, I would be willingly content to offer up sacrifices and burntofferings, because I am not able of myself to expiate my guiltiness drawn on by sin, nor am I able to express my thankfulness to God; but he will not accept of these. And therefore, seeing it is so, we must have recourse to Christ, as it is Hebrews 10:5 “A body hast thou prepared for me, It is written in the volume of thy book.” For the law, it aims at Christ, because it was he who offered this sacrifice for sin; and it is written of him in that book, “I delight to do thy will, O my God:” and in the Hebrews, “I come to do thy will, O God.” “It is in the midst of my belly and my guts to do thy will,” for so the word is. That is, corruption has gone no farder down in the Old Adam, than obedience to the law has now gone down in my heart. And so he rests and concludes upon this; and this, indeed, is the sure rest of all, when they have committed any sin, or received any benefit from God, and cannot offer a sacrifice for their sins, nor express their thankfulness to God for his benefits, then let them still have recourse to Christ.
That ye may conceive the purposes the better, as they lie in the words, consider of them thus. 1. Who it is that speaks these words,—It is Christ. 2. What it is that the Lord does not desire,—“Burnt-offerings and sin-offerings hast thou not required.” 3. What it is that the Lord requires, and will accept,—“An ear hast thou opened,” or dlgged this is for his obedience. And then, 4., What it is that he undertakes upon himself,—“In the volume of thy book it is written of me: I delight to do thy will, O God; yea, thy law is within my heart.”
I. First then, I say, the words are to be understood of Christ, because it is Christ who says, “Sacrifice and bruntofferings thou wouldst not.” And therefore, whenever we have any challenges for sin or for ingratitude, when we are disposed to repent, and are not able or fit, or when we are disposed to offer up a sacrifice for thanksgiving, and cannot offer a sacrifice that is worthy to come before God, what should we do then, and what course should we take? Many are soon put to a point in this; for there are many who never had their souls perplexed and troubled for sin; these knows not what I am saying now: and there are many who never thought themselves to be unthankful, nor that the were not able to express the goodness of God; these will not be careful about this. But if so be that your consciences were wakened, and ye were sensible of the burden of sin, ye would think it the best news that ever was told you, to hear how to get a sacrifice that would be acceptable to God for expiation of sin. Or if ye were come to this, I have received many benefits from God, and still T am receiving more and more favours, and yet for all that, I cannot be thankful for them: what shall I do then? Shall the soul be evermore soped (exhausted) in trouble because of this? No. And there is no way of peace for thee, whill (till) thou have recourse to Christ, to his oblation, sacrifice, and obedience.
Qu. This man might go boldly to Christ’s sacrifice and obedience, seeing he was his father; but how shall I go to him? It may be called misnurturedness (ill breeding) in me to go to him, who has not any relation to him, as David had. A. If we be of the seed of the faithful, we are flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone; for he has taken on our nature, and we are his brethren and sisters, and so we are as sib (related by blood) to him as David was. His principal sibness was not because he was to come of David’s seed, but because David had the spirit of Christ. “The Lord said unto my Lord:” so he was David’s Lord, albeit David was his father. I would wish that first of all your consciences were challenging you for the guiltiness of your sins, and that ye saw how great God’s favours are towards you,—either these which are common to you with the rest of the world, or these which are only proper to the children of God; then there is no doubt but ye would be brought to this, Woe is us, what shall we do? for our consciences, they are troubled because of our sins, and because of our unthankfulness against so good a God. And then, having our consciences wakened, we would gladly hear of this, that Jesus Christ is come into the world, and has taken on our nature, to satisfy for our sins, and to give obedience for our unthankfulness.
II. What it is that the Lord requires not? They be set down in four particulars. 1. “Sacrifice.” 1 take this to be a general, comprehending all the rest, and the word signifies no other thing but generally all sort of sacrifices. 2. The “Offerings.” These were oblations, that were called gifts, or free-will offerings. These sacrifices were not of beasts or fowls, etc., but of flour, and things liquid, as oil, incense, etc.; as ye may see the order of them set down in Leviticus. 3. There is Brunt-offerings. The word is taken from a word that signifies, to ascend, because all these offerings and sacrifices, (and there were sundry sorts of them, some of four-footed beasts, some of birds, aye according to the quality of them who offered them, and according to their ability), all these whole sacrifices were brunt, and so ascended: the priest gat no part of them at all. 4. Sin-offerings. Ye may say, These are of divers sorts, Were not all offerings that were offered sin-offerings, and were not brunt-offerings sin-offerings also? Yes, but these brunt-offerings were holocausts, as they call them— they were offered for sin in the general; for they offered these holocausts, albeit for that time they had not the challenge of any particular sins; but these that are called sinofferings, they are offered for such and such particular sins.
Now he says, There is none of all these sacrifices, or offerings, or brunt-offerings, or sin-offerings, which the Lord requires: where I would have you to consider—ye may see what great diversity of sacrifices were ordained to be offered under the law for sin, as they are set down in the book of Leviticus; but by that general, and these three sorts of sacrifices in particular, ye may learn that sin has put men to great fashrie (trouble), to great charges, and to great pains. As under the law, there was such fleshing2 and cooking at these sacrifices, which was great fashrie, and they were great charges also; and then it was great pains, for there was not the least sacrifice that they offered, but it behoved to be offered at the temple at Jerusalem. And so, certainly, we may see that sin is the most fashious and the most troublesome thing that can be: and if there be such a trouble in the service of God because of sin, what trouble must there be to sinners when they are put to suffer in hell eternally for their sins? And therefore it were good for us that in time we were casting off sin and the works of darkness, for howsoever sin at the first, when it is in acting, seems to be utile, jucundum, et honestum, profitable, pleasant, or honest, yet it is the most hurtful, unpleasant, and unhonest (dishonourable) thing that can be, or that ever any man applied his heart to. When God begins to punish for sin, what loss, what pain, what shame and disgrace will there be then! And what fearful horror will there be, when sinners are cast into a pit that wants a bottom, and be custen into that fire which never dies out night nor day!
Now he says, The Lord requires not these things. How can this be? Does not the Lord require sacrifices, freewillofferings, burnt-offerings, and sin-offerings? Are not all these sacrifices commanded, and every one of them particularly commanded, yea, every part of them particularly set down,—the killing, the burning, etc., each one of these told particularly by themselves? A. Beloved, there is nothing more frequent in the prophets than this, and many of them insists upon it, especially the prophet Esay, That the Lord requires not these things at our hands; they have an evil smell in his nostrils; he cannot look unto them; he will not taste of them, etc.; they displease his whole five senses, his hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching. And therefore it cannot be absolutely understood that he had no delight at all in these sacrifices, nor commanded them not at all; but the meaning is this, that the Lord required not these according to that manner that they used to do them. And how was that? Ignorant people then, (even as it is now under the gospel), they came to the temple with their ox, or their sheep, or their fowl, etc., and gave that to the priest to offer for them, and thought with themselves, Now I have taken this fashrie, this pains; and this charges, I have wared (expended) it. And wherefore was it? That they might have their sins, particular or general, forgiven; to be a sacrifice of thankfulness, etc.: and then they went home, thinking that all was well enough, seeing that they had done that. And use not ye to give this same sort of service to God also? Ye will say, I have been at the kirk this day, and stayed both the preachings; I sleeped none all the time; I stayed and saw the Baptism celebrate; I have received the sacrament of the Communion; I have been at a fast, and I have tasted nothing this day: and if ye have done so, ye think it to 'be enough, and a recompense for all thy by-gane sins. But alas! many of you are beguiled by all that. If ye do these outward duties without an inward and hearty disposition, and do them not with a present and a believing heart, all these things are but abomination in the sight of God; as to offer dogs or swine in sacrifices under the law had been a transgressing of the commandment of God, and abomination to offer such sacrifices. Even so under the gospel, when ye do the outward work, and does no more, in obeying of one commandment ye break another, for by this thou makes up a form of worship for thyself, even as thou were a Messiah. And therefore, take heed what ye do in the service and worship of God. God has a house, and ye should come to it to worship him: and ye are bound to ware (spend) charges and pains for preservation of his worship; but all that will not be a sufficient sacrifice for sin, except there be some other thing joined with it. There must either be another sacrifice with that, or otherwise it will not be accepted off thy hand.
“Thou hast not required.” He has indeed required them, but the meaning is, he does not require them so much, in respect of another thing that he craves with them. He has not so much respect to any outward sacrifice, as he has to obedience; and so the prophet Hosea says, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” This is an ordinary phrase in Scripture, That the Lord required not such things as these. “Who required these things at your hands? Your sacrifices, your new moons, your Sabbaths, I desire them not.” That is, the Lord does not so much look to these things as he does to another. And, indeed, obedience is better than any sacrifice. For, when a man offered an ox, it was only but the losing of an ox; but in giving obedience he made oblation of himself to the Lord. And therefore, when thou has sacrificed all that thou has to God, obedience is more acceptable to him than it is all.
But ye may not think that any of these is the meaning of this, howbeit indeed both of them be true. It’s true, indeed, these outward sacrifices were without the heart, and so the Lord required them not; and it is also true that, in respect of obedience, all other sacrifices were not so much required; yet none of these is the meaning here. But the apostle tells, Hebrews 10:9, what is the meaning of this. “He removes the first, that he may establish the second.” That is, The Lord requires not these sacrifices as satisfactions for sin of themselves, but only as types of the sacrifice of Christ, who was to be offered up in a sacrifice for sin: and so, the antitype being come, he does not require them now at all. Where I would have you to consider, that there is no other sacrifice for sin; there never was no sacrifice, nor is there yet any sacrifice nor yet ever shall there be any sacrifice, which is either propitiatory or is satisfactory for sin, but only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I do not by this defraud the sacrifices under the Old Testament of their due; for who is there who says that they did satisfy for sin? they did only typify Christ untous. And now the sacrament of the Communion, it only represents unto us the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, which is already offered, and is a perfect propitiation and satlsfactlon for sin. The mass-book, and our servicebook urged upon us which is a mass-book also, make a twofold oblation in the sacrament of the Supper. 1. Of bread and wine to the priest, and he must present it before the Lord. He who brings this oblation to the altar, he must bring it humbly, that is, he must bow his knee; and he who receives it must hold it up as a heave-oftering to God. And, indeed, I may say that sometimes this will be a more silly offering than ever was offered under the Old Testament, for the least offering that was then was a handful of flour; but they will make an offering of two or three wafers, even when there are but two or three to communicate. 2. The second oblation is of the hostie after consecration; and it is clear that they make an oblation thereof. Because the words of consecration, they are spoken directly to God, and not to the communicants, and while they are in speakmg, the priest must lay his hands upon the elements; and he, speaking to God directly, with his hands upon the elements, imports that he would have the effect of his prayer brought back upon the elements, to change them. And this is grounded upon bodily presence, which is also joined with adoration, for the words are, “Sanctify thou by thy word and Spirit this bread and this wine, that it may be unto us the body and the blood of Christ.” That is, to change the elements into the body and blood of Christ by his operative operatory working; or otherwise the words, they must be nonsense. For, if they be right sense, then there must first be a warrant for them, and, according to that warrant, to pray that they may be turned in the body and blood of Christ. Now there is a warrant given for the sacrament already. The apostle says to Timothy, “All things are sanctified by the word and prayer: ” now there is a warrant for the sacrament in the Word, and only prayer rests to be used, according to the Word. There is none who can say, when he says the grace to his meat, Give me a warrant to use this meat, for he has that already; but he only seeks that it may be blessed of God for that use whereunto he has appointed it. But this is grounded upon bodily presence, and bodily presence brings in adoration and the sacrifice of oblation; and these are the very noble parts of the mass.
But we should labour, beloved, since there is no sacrifice but only the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ for sin, to get assurance that it is offered for us. For, if we would offer all our coins to God, burn all our oil in offerings, make a burnt-offering of all our sheep, oxen, etc., and make particular offerings for their particular sins; and although a man or a woman should offer their only begotten son, “the fruits of their body for the sin of their soul;”— all that will not do the turn. Yea, although thou wouldst shed all thy own blood for sin, yet there is nothing can satisfy for it, but only that oblation and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Thou see how far thou art oblished to be thankful to Christ, who has given this to thee; for it is far greater favour than [if] he had given thee a kingdom; for if so be thou had a kingdom, when thou art challenged for sin, thou would give it all for the assurance of the forgiveness of sin. And if thou have forgiveness of sin, then thou will have peace: and if so be that there be a right challenge for sin, there will be no peace found, but only in the blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin. I remember a meditation of a man of old, that laboured to stir up to thankfulness, and he says thus, As a man has received benefits any way, still the more he receives, his debt grows more, and his obligation increases. If a man says he should give thee a thousand pound, thou art oblished to him for that: then, if he shall give thee another thousand pound, then thy obligation is doubled. Then says he, “Thou has eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands,” etc.; any one of these are worth many thousand pounds. If thou wanted but thy eyes, thou wouldst give hundreths of thousands, if thou had so much, for to have the use of them. Now, if thou would count thyself oblished for one thousand pound to a man, what art thou oblished to God for that which is worth so many hundreth thousands, which the members of thy body are worth? And then what art thou oblished for thy soul? and if thou be obleist for thy soul, then thou art much obleist for them who has given a price for thy soul, and then that thou has life eternal promised to thee by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And so he concludes, that man’s obligation, whereby he is bound to the Lord, is boundless in many respects, but in special that there is such a sacrifice given for his immortal soul, that it should not perish eternally,—a sacrifice whereby all our sins should be expiated and purged.
III. What is it that the Lord requires? “Mine ears hast thou opened,” or bored mine ear, or digged it, as the word has it. Boring of the ear is set down, Exodus 21:6 A servant who was bound to servitude, and desired not liberty when the time of liberty came, that is, when seven years were done, then his ear was bored, and nailed to a post, in sign that he was a perpetual slave, that is, still to be a slave till this year of jubilee came. For God laboured by all means possible to have his people to be a free people, and therefore he ordained that whosoever among them were bound to be slaves, they should be free in seven years, and they who would not be set free, he ordained that they should serve till the jubilee came, and that was once in fifty years. Secondly, there is opening and circumcision of the ear; for there is a fore skin upon the ear, as there is upon the heart, even a striffen (film), as it were, that the natural man has. Man is born with a skin upon his ear, that he cannot hear the word of God; and therefore his ear must be opened. This is not true of Christ privatively in respect of himself, but is spoken of him negatively, for it is he who gives an open ear and circumcises it; but he himself, while he was here, had an ear, an ear ready to hear the word of God. This is a phrase that is often used in Scripture, that he bores and opens our ears, and makes us to take tent (attend) to the word.
Boring of the ear is meant of slaves. When liberty is proclaimed by the Son of God, then strive to be partakers of that liberty; for God was careful by all means to have liberty to his people. They were slaves for a time in Egypt, but he relieved them from that; and when they were come into the land of Cannan, but he freed them of that. They are not worthy of life, who loves not liberty. I mean not carnal liberty, to follow after the will of the flesh; but when God is proclaiming a jubilee of liberty, it is well wared (they well deserve) that their ears be bored and nailed to a post perpetually, who will not accept of liberty then. 'The little taste that we have gotten of liberty now may make us know what liberty is; that now we are not under tyrants, that we dare not serve God for them, as it was wont to be, when we might not seem for them to be careful of our own souls. And, beloved, we should seek to draw near to God, that so we may be obedient to him.
Hebrews 10, this word is altered, “A body hast thou prepared for me.” And here it is, “Mine ear hast thou opened.” This is a shorter cut. He gave a body with an ear, that he might give obedience to him. God gave Christ such a body as ours, that so he might be obedient to the death. O if we could consider that God has given to us a body, and that we would think upon that, wherefore he has given it, even that we may be obedient to him! Truly he has given it for another end than many of you use it, and ye shall be countable for it one day, how ye use your bodies. He has given you eyes to see, and to behold his works; ears to hear his will; and when ye set them to hearing of ill and sinful words, ye will reckon for that. And when thy eyes are set to behold vanity, speir (ask) but at them, who made them? if it was the devil who made them, or if it was God? If the devil made these, then bestow them on sin; but if so be that ye will acknowledge that it was God who made them, how dare ye bestow them upon such bastard objects as ye do?
What is it that he undertakes to do? To give obedience. “In the volume of thy book.” The word that is translated “volume” in the Hebrew signifies head: here it signifies a roll. Because these volumes had heads, and as a parchment they began at the end and rolled it up till it came to the head: and then when they read them, they were easy to open up, for they were rolled up upon trees (wooden rollers). So he says, “In the volume of thy book,” that is, the Scriptures. The sum of his obedience is contained in the Scriptures, where ye may see what is the manner of Christ’s obedience. God has given Christ a commandment to take on our nature, and ordained that he should fulfil that commandment; and he has promised that whosoever believes in him shall be saved. This is the sum of the whole Scripture, both in the Old and New Testament; it looks all to Christ; and as it is written of him and the commandment given to him, he is as ready to obey that commandment, and he delights to do it. And the law of God, it was in his bowels, and in the midst of his heart; so that sin went no farder down in the first Adam’s heart, than obedience to the will of God did in the heart of Jesus Christ.
Here is a pattern to us (and I wish that all of us may have copies of it written in our heart) for our obedience. How should our obedience be? Even according to the example that Christ has set before us; with this difference indeed, that it is only he who pays a price for our sins; that he is God and man, and not man only; that he has satisfied for sin, but we cannot satisfy for it. But first of all, when the Lord makes thee obedient to his will, then he opens thy ear. That is, whereas before thy ear was close, and a thick skin upon it, he circumcises it, and pierces through that skin, so that now thou hears the word of God aright, whereas before thou heard it not. Then, when he has opened thy ear to hear his word, then he makes thee to be obedient according to that word: for obedience must have a commandment going before it, otherwise it cannot be called obedience, if it be not done according to a commandment. And so as Christ has commanded, so thou must do; and doing so, that is obedience: and then it shall be written of thee, that thou delights to do the will of God. Then thou must do it heartily, so that thou can say, I delight to do thy will. Albeit I cannot get it done, yet it is my delight to do it, as it is Romans 7:22 the inner man delights into it; and it troubles thy peace when thou gets it not done. And so thou must not be of the number of these who hates to be reformed, and loves not to walk in the ways of righteousness. Albeit thou be not fully reformed, yet thou must have an inclination to it; and albeit thou cannot walk perfectly in the ways of righteousness, yet thou must love them, and have a delight to walk into them.
“In the midst of my bowels.” O if we could win (reach) this far on, to have the law of God written into the midst of our heart ! If when we riped up our bowels, and fand (found) sin fast there, and that it was placed in the midst of our heart, that we could cast away that, and have a delight to do the will of God there, O then we were happy! We should complain of ourselves, that sin is farder in into us than the Spirit of God, and strive to have Christ and his Spirit within us, who cnly makes willing and ready to such an obedience as this. And then he received this in sincerity; and this makes a constant and a hearty obedience. For sincerity and constancy, they are evermore together, even as hypocrisy and defection, they accompany one another.
If so be that we could get new hearts, and get our obedience framed according to the word of God, and have our delight and contentment to do his will; and to change the former course of our lives, then we needed not to fear burt the Lord would bring fordward that good work which he has begun among us. But if so be that ye will turn back to sin, and delight in it, and keep it in your heart, then when the Lord shows mercy to the land, ye shall find no skair (share) in it; but the Lord shall heap heavy judgments upon you. And therefore, as ye would wish to be partakers of the mercy of God, in sending the light of the gospel to shine clearly, that so ye be not a hissing and a reproach to all the world about you, strive for new hearts, to have the doing of the will [of God] written in the midst of your hearts, and to delight in it. And thus God shall get glory by you, and your own souls comfort, through Jesus Christ. To whom, etc.