Heb. x. 12.

    “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”

We live in very anxious times.  Different phases of error are following each other with great rapidity, like waves before the gale on a stormy sea.  A very short time ago we were deeply distressed by the sceptical tendencies of certain able writers,—tendencies still in rapid progress, though public attention has been recently directed into another channel.  Now we are startled by the open declaration of Romish doctrine, and open practice of Romish ceremonial, by men who have accepted office in a church which declares these very doctrines to be “blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits.”  It has become, therefore, absolutely necessary that we p. 4should understand the reasons why the Church of England has separated from that of Rome, and why it is that we raise our voice against these innovations.  I am well aware that such a subject is distasteful to many minds.  Some shrink from the trouble of controversy, and would rather have their whole attention fixed on that which they find helpful to their own souls.  Others think it uncharitable; and maintain that, provided a person be conscientious in his practice, we need feel no anxiety about the truth or error of his creed.  But I am persuaded that it will not do so to deal with truth.  These are days in which we must know what we believe, and why we believe it.  If we desire to stand fast, we must know our standing-ground.  And if we desire to see our young people growing up as witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ, we must not merely strive to call forth in them a religion of feeling, but must train them in sound Scriptural principles, that they may be able to give an answer to every one who asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them.  The Romish question is forced upon us by the enormous efforts which the Church of Rome is making for the recovery of its ancient supremacy in England; and I must say, and say it with the p. 5deepest grief and humiliation, I fear we have been betrayed, in many cases, by men who, as clergymen of the Church of England, have pledged themselves to the very principles they are betraying.  It is high time, therefore, that we should understand the ground of our solemn protest against Rome, and that we should not merely study truth in its simplicity, but study it likewise in its opposition to Romish error.  I purpose, however, God helping me, to direct your thoughts this morning to one point of the controversy.  I cannot attempt the many points on which we are at issue.  I confine myself, therefore, to one; and that is, the teaching of the word of God with reference to our exalted Saviour, in opposition to the teaching of Rome in the doctrine of transubstantiation.  May the Lord direct our studies, and write His own truth most deeply on our hearts!

A glance at the text will show us that it refers to two subjects; the completeness of the sacrifice offered on the cross, as in the words, “after He had offered one sacrifice for sin for ever,” and the present session at the right hand of God; as in the words, “sat down at the right hand of God.”  It is the second of these that we shall study this morning.

p. 6The words teach us that at the present time our Blessed Lord and Saviour is at the right hand of God, and they suggest two subjects, His place, and His employment.

His place, then, is heaven itself; and His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Father.  In His real human body He has ever been like ourselves, in one place at one time.  When He was here he passed from place to place; from Galilee to Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem to Galilee.  So when Lazarus died He was absent from Bethany, and after his death He went there.  Just so in His ascension He passed into the heavens, and, being there, He is as much absent from us in the body as He was absent from Martha and Mary in their deep anxiety about their brother.  When present here, in His human person, He was absent there.  Being present there, He is now absent here. [6]

Then, again, with the place there has been a complete change in His employment.  He was here to found His kingdom and to make atonement.  He is there to carry out the results of that atonement and to reign.  His office was represented by the high priest of old, who first in the outer court offered the sacrifice, and p. 7afterwards went in before the mercy-seat to sprinkle the blood.  So Christ Jesus here on earth offered Himself as the sacrifice, and now He is gone into the holy of holies there to present the blood before the mercy-seat of God.  Thus He is described by St. Peter (Acts, v. 31) as being exalted to be a “Prince and a Saviour;” a Prince, because He is exalted as King of kings and Lord of lords; a Saviour, because as a living friend, He is saving those whom, when on earth, He redeemed by His blood.  Every passage, therefore, which describes Him in His present condition, represents Him as in the possession of living power.  Sometimes He is said to be reigning, as (1 Cor. xv. 25), “He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet.”  Sometimes we see Him as the Priest (Heb. iv. 14), “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.”  Sometimes He is the Advocate (1 John, ii. 1, 2), “If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;” and sometimes He is the loving Friend, watching the struggles of His faithful disciples, and waiting to welcome His dying servant in the solemn moments of his rough and stormy martyrdom.  p. 8“Behold,” said Stephen, “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God;” and so, having seen it, he followed up the vision by the dying prayer, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts, vii. 56.)

Here, then, is our delightful assurance.  We look back to the work of the cross, and there see the whole burden of all our sin borne by Him, and so put away for ever.  We ask no further sacrifice, for we know that He made there upon the cross “a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world;” and we now look to our Blessed Saviour as reigning and saving.  Because He reigns we know that all is rightly ordered, and because He saves we believe that we ourselves shall be safe for eternity.  We see many things in the world that are altogether opposed to what we think best; but we know that God has put all things under His feet, and given Him to be the Head over all things to His Church; and, therefore, that all is in His hand, and all will work together for good.  We find deep sin in ourselves, and we know how hard a thing it is really to walk with God.  We find defect in our prayers, defect in our faith, defect in our service, defect in our best efforts, p. 9defect everywhere; but we look up to yonder throne, and there we find a loving Saviour; one who knows our deep need,—one who has died for us,—one who loves us,—one who can feel with us, and who vouchsafes to act as our Priest and Advocate, so that in the midst of all our shortcomings and deficiencies we may, in His Name, and through His most precious blood, “come boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Let any one search the Scriptures, and they must be convinced that this is the truth there plainly taught.  But what can be more palpably contradictory to it than to suppose that He is present, in body, soul, and divinity, in the form of the small piece of lifeless bread which we receive in the Lord’s Supper?  In other words, that there is not only the one Saviour in heaven at the right hand of God; but that there are two or three hundred living Saviours collected together on the table every time that the Lord’s Supper is administered.  I am not surprised if some of you feel shocked at such a statement, and I know that there is enough to shock any religious mind.  I am shocked at it myself, and am sorry to have to make it.  But this is the real teaching of p. 10the Church of Rome.  The decree of the Council of Trent is as follows:—“If any man shall say that the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, together with his soul and divinity, and, in short, that a whole Christ, is not contained, truly, really, and substantially, in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist; but shall say that he is in ............