them everlasting life Hee 's that Joshua who leads us and gives us possession of our spiritual and celestial Canaan 2. This Captain Prince and Authour was made perfect of God by Suffering or God made him perfect by Sufferings To be perfected in this place is to be consecrated and made a compleat Priest or at least to be put in an immediate capacity to act as a Priest Aaron and the Levitical Priests had their Consecration and it was not without Blood and the death of Sacrifices and the form was instituted and prescribed by God who alone could give them this Glory Power and Office That Christ was a Priest is expresse Scripture as we shall understand in this Epistle hereafter Yet such he could not be without Consecration neither could he be consecrated without Blood and suffering of Death and offering a bloody Sacrifice And the difference of the Consecration of other Priests and him was this that though both were consecrated by Blood yet they were consecrated by the blood of Beaâ—â—s sacrificed He by his own Blood when he sacrificed and offered himself without spot unto God The reason of this was Because he must be a Meditatour between God and sinful Man to reconcile them but no reconcilion without Blood and no Blood but his own Blood immaculate would be accepted For though God was merciful and willing to be reconciled yet his justice would admit of no reconciliation but upon satisfaction to be made by this Blood God did manifest his Justice and hatred of sin by punishing it in Christ before he would pardon it in Man It was God that did Consecrate him for no Man or Angel could conferr this Office upon him or make him an universal and eternal Priest to officiate and minister in Heaven only God could do this And he as supream Lord and Law-giveâ— could appoint and accept him to be Redeemer prescribe the manner of Consecration and as supream Judge accept of his Consecration once finished and invest him with this sacerdotal Power In these respects God is said to Consecrate him By him thus consecrated many Sons are brought to Glory There are many Sons brought to Glory he that brings them to Glory is God he doth this by Christ consecrated and made their Captain To bring to Glory is in the end to give possession of Glory and that everlasting and most excellent Estate prepared for the Sons of God These are many and are made his Sons by Regeneration and Adoption The one doth make them capable of the other gives them right to Glory which they shall fully enjoy when their heavenly Birth and gracious Adoption are perfected They derive their title from their Captain as consecrated by Suffering and received by Faith For as they are the Sons and Heirs of God so are they joynt-Heirs with Christ and in his right And if he never had been consecrated by Sufferings they never had been either Sons or Heirs or Glorified For he by his Sufferings merited all and laid the foundation of their eternal Happiness And for this Suffering he made him Captain and Head of all his Sons and gave him power to give eternal Life to as many as he had given him It 's God who brings these Sons to Glory by their Head and Captain He loved Man he gave his Son to Death he raised him up again made him King and Priest and gave him power to convert us and by him he adopts us and by him he gives us Glory The sum of all is this The glorification of sinful Man from first to last is from God it 's he and he alone that brings him to Glory yet though the persons glorified be many yet they are all Sons and none but Sons shall enjoy the Inheritance neither are they Sons by Nature or of themselves He makes them such by Christ and Christ was consecrated by Sufferings and made their Captain It became him for whom and by whom are all things in bringing many Sons to Glory thus to do God is here described from his efficiency where-by he is the cause of all things the universal Agent who produceth preserveth ordereth all things to their end especially his Sons unto Glory For though his works be many then some are more excellent then others and one of the chiefest is the Salvation of man Some do think that by these words for whom and by whom are meant that God is the final and efficient cause of all yet in strict sense God cannot in himself be said to be the end of any thing yet the manifestation of his glorious Perfection may be said to be intended by him in all his Works To consecrate the Captain of all his Sons by Sufferings did become him that is it seemed best to his divine Wisdom to use this means as most fit to manifest his justice and mercy in the Redemption and Salvation of man What Ways and means as conducing to this end he knew or his divine Wisdom did dictate unto him is hidden from us but this here mentioned he resolved upon as the best and most agreeable to his excellent perfection For God doth nothing but that which becomes him so glorious in himself and so excellent an Agent Men may do many things unbeseeming and no ways befitting them to do nay Angels have done many things which did not become so noble Spirits to do but God doth nothing but what God may do And this is the reason why Christ must taste of Death for every man Because it seemed good to God by that way and means to save sinful man And this is the relative consideration and connexion implyed in the causal conjunction For. They give a reason why Christ was lower then the Angels and suffered Death And why It became God so to do Ver. 11. For both he that Sanctifieth c. § 14. The Apostle in these and the following words doth manifest how it became God to cast Christ below the Angels and consecrate him by Sufferings and he doth so manifest it as that it may appear to be agreeable to Reason which is a spark or ray of divine Light To understand this the better you must remember 1. That Christ was lower then the Angels in suffering Death 2. That as God or Angel he could not suffer Death 3. If he could have suffered Death as a Spirit yet that Death was not so fit to redeem Man or expiate his sin and sanctify him 4. That seeing he must both dy and dy for man he must be Man and mortal Man to sanctify man These things premised the Apostle proves that it became God to make Christ a mortal Man and the reason is because he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctifyed ought and must be of one and this is the coherence In the words themselves we have the unity and indentity of the Sanctifier and sanctified By the Sanctifier or the person sanctifying is meant Christ and by the sanctified sinful men by being of one that
put away Sin by the Sacrifice of Himself THE Subject of these words is the Sacrifice of Christ whereby he entred Heaven it self and of this it 's affirmed That it was but once offered and that by the one Offering of this one Sacrifice the heavenly things were purified by taking away Sin for ever This single Offering of this single Sacrifice is set forth by way of Dissimilitude and Opposition to the Levitical Sacrifices and that 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively Negatively Ver. 25. wherein we have two Propositions the one concerning the Levitical the other concerning Christ's Sacrifice The first concerning the former is That the Levitical High-Priest entreth into the Holy place every Year with the Blood of others This is meant of the great Anniversary Sacrifice of Expiation which in the beginning of this Chapter the Author singled out as the greatest and highest piece of Service that was performed under the Law with this design to prove the Sacrifice of Christ to be far more excellent in many things especially in the vertue and effects thereof In this we have 1. The entrance of the Priest into the holy place 2. This entrance made with the blood of others 3. This entrance yearly or every year 1. The holy place was that within the second Veil the holiest of all for into that the High-Priest alone might enter and that but once every year 2. Yet he might not enter without blood and this blood was the blood not of the High-Priest himself but of others that is the blood of Bulls and Goats 3. The principal thing in the Proposition to be noted is the frequency of his entrance and offering for he entred and offered every year God thereby signifying that it was not of eternal virtue The second Proposition is That Christ did not offer himself often He must offer and offer himself and by his own Blood enter Heaven yet he must not do this often his offering must be single and individual both in respect of the Sacrifice and the oblation thereof He must not once entred come out again and offer a new and another Sacrifice or the same again So that the thing that is denyed of this Sacrifice is frequency of offering § 25. In the latter part of the Text ver 26. we may observe 1. The reason why this Sacrifice must not be reiterated 2. The affirmative part of the principal point Yet the whole verse may be said to give a reason of the former Negative proposition and the same is two-fold The first is ab absurdo The second ab inntili â—â—â—-necessario For Christ's offering must not be reiterated 1. Because it was inconvenient and absurd 2. Because it was no wayes profitable or necessary I will sum up the whole in two Propositions The first If Christ should offer himself often then must he often have suffered since â—â—â—â— the foundation of the World The second But now once in the end of the World hath he appeared to put away sin oâ—â—â—â—â— by the Sacrifice of himself The first Proposition implyes 1. That where there is offering there must be suffering for in sacrificing living Creatures the thing sacrificed must be slâ—in as well as offered For mactation and oblation are essential to such as Sacrifice 2. That seeing there was Sin since the beginning of the World and Sacrifice for Sin appointed by God there must be suffering and offering from the beginning of the World or at least some Sacrifice offered which once presented to God should be of eternal Virtue 3. Because the offering of Christ requires necessarily his suffering therefore if Christ's own offering of himself once could not expiate Sin for ever then he must suffer often The absurdity and inconvenience of Christ's frequent offering of himself was this that if he must often offer he must often suffer and this was thought unreasonable to divine wisdom to put his Son so often to such a cruel Death For by Suffering is meant suffering of Death in that manner as Christ Suffered Yet it seemed good unto God to appoint the Levitical High-Priest often to offer and often with blood to enter into the holy place to signify the imperfection of the Legal Expiation that the People might expect a far more excellent sacrifice In the second Proposition concerning Christ's once offering we may observe 1. Christ's appearing 2. The time of his appearance 3. The end 1. Christ's appearance is 1. His Incarnation 2. The manifestation of him incarnate 3. The presenting of himself as a Priest having Sacrificed himself unto his heavenly Father without which his Incarnation and Manifestation had been to no purpose He appeared from the foundation of the World in the Word of the promise and in Types and Figures yet this was but obscure At length he appeared really and far more clearly when the Word was made Flesh dwelt and lived amongst men dyed and as a Priest offered himself unto God the Supream Judge for the Sin of Man 2. The time of his appearance was the end of the World which is opposed to the foundation of the World Yet as this end is not the last so the foundation is not the first day of the World therefore end and foundation must be taken with a Latitude Christ appeared to Suffer a thousand six hundred years ago and upward and yet the World is not ended therefore End signifies the last times of the World which may be many years yet to come as many years of these last â—inâ—es as parts thereof are past already And so the foundation of the World may be the beginning thereof and this beginning may be so far extended as to comprehend many hundred and 〈◊〉 thousands of years This end of the World is called the fulness of the time Gal. 44. because as some tell us the time appointed by God was fully come all things which were decreed to be before his coming were fully accomplished And though we understand not the reasons yet the end of the World was the fiâ—â—ell of all others for this appearance and though the last times seem to have the greatest benefit of his Exhibition yet the first times were not without it for the virtue of this Sacrifice extended to all times 3. The end of this appearance was to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Where we have two ends the one subordinate to the other The first was the Sacrificing of himself The second by this Sacrifice to put away Sin Christ was the Priest and the thing Sacrificed was himself and the blood by which he entred Heaven was his own blood and he himself was slain and suffered and he himself did offer himself slain The end and so the effect of this Sacrifice once offered was the putting away of sin This putting away was not the abrogation of the Law transgressed but a taking away the moral effects and consequents of Sin committed against that Law and principally of guilt For one certain and perpetual effect of Sin in
Hebrews THE parts of this Letter written and sent to the Hebrew Christians are The Substance and Body of the same The Conclusion The End whereat the Apostle aims is The confirmation of them in the belief and profession of the Gospel The Means he useth for the attainment of this end is Clearly to demonstrate the excellency of Christ as a Prophet and a Priest far above all former Prophets and Priests and thereupon to perswade them to rely upon Him who alone can effectually and eternally save them and make them fully blessed The Method observed by him is to deliver 1. The Doctrine of his Prophetical Office and to apply the same and this is done in the first four Chapters 2. The Doctrine of his Sacerdotal Office and to apply it this is begun Chap. 5. and continued to the 18 verse of the last Chapter CHAP. 1. VVHerein the Apostle taking for granted that the Doctrine of the Old Testament was revealed from God by Prophets and by Angels and the Doctrine of the Gospel by Christ he begins his Discourse concerning Christ as a Prophet and proves him 1. More excellent then all the Pen-men of the Old Testament For 1. He was the Son of God 2. He was the Heir of all things 3. God by him did make the Worlds 4. He was the Brightness of his Father's Glory and Character of his Person 5. He upholdeth all things by the Word of his Power 6. He expiated and purged Sin by his Blood 7. He is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on High In all these seven particulars he far excells the former Prophets ver 1. 2 3. 2. More excellent then the Angels because he hath inherited a far more excellent Name Power and Dignity ver 4. He hath obtained by inheritance a more excellent Name Because 1. He is his The Son and God his Father ver 5. 2. God commanded all the Angels to Worship him ver 6. 3. They being created are but Messengers and Servants but Christ the Son sits in a glorious Throne and is possessed of a Kingdom which is everlasting and when the Earth and the Heavens created by him shall wax old and be changed it shall abide unchangeable for ever ver 8 9 10 11 12. 4. He is set at the right hand of God and by the Word and Patent of God is made Supreme and Universal King and Prince a Place never granted to any of the Angels who all of them are but Ministring Spirits under Him for the Heirs of Salvation This Jesus Christ so excellent was a Prophet for God spake by him as more excellent and in a more excellent manner then by them so that his Doctrine is more full more powerful and more perfect then the Doctrine of Prophets and Angels CHAP. II. VVHerein 1. The former Doctrine of the excellency of Christ and the Gospel is applied by way of exhortation 2. The excellency of Christ above the Angels though he was lower then them for a time is further proved In the Exhortation we may observe 1. The Duty exhorted unto 2. The Reason or Motive to enforce performance 1. The Duty is diligently to attend unto the Doctrine of the Gospel and to take heed of falling from the belief and profession of the same ver 1. 2. The Reason is taken from the most grievous punishment which they cannot escape if they continue not in their Profession This Reason is delivered by way of comparison in quantity For if they who disobeyed the Law then much more they who disobey the Gospel shall be severely punished and shall not escape The Consequence is good and clear from the excellency of the Gospel above the Law For 1. The Law was delivered by Angels the Gospel by Christ. 2. The Law is a Doctrine of Death and Damnation the Gospel of Salvation 3. The Gospel preached by the Apostles commissioned by Christ was attested from Heaven and confirmed by Signs Wonders Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost but the Law was not And from the excellency of the Gospel in respect of the Authour the Matter and Confirmation the Sin is aggravated and the Punishment made more grievous ver 2 3 4. The Exhortation finished the Apostle doth not only enforce the former Reason but proceeds farther to demonstrate the excellency of Christ above the Angels The Argument is That God hath not subjected the World to come to Angels but to Christ who for a little time was lower then the Angels for so it is to be understood ver 5. This Argument is taken out of Psal. 8. 4 5. Where we may observe 1. The words of the Psalm cited ver 6 7. 2. The Apostle's Discourse upon them wherein he observes 1. That all things were put in subjection to him by the Patent and Edict of his heavenly Father yet not actually subdued and brought into subjection ver 8. 2. The Humiliation of Christ which went before his Exaltation For He was made lower then the Angels for a little time Of this Humiliation he delivers the Causes Efficient Final The efficient Cause was 1. The Grace and free Mercy of God which did decree it for the benefit of sinful man ver 9. 2. The Wisdom of God which contrived it as the fittest way in bringing many Sons to Glory to consecrate their Captain by Sufferings ver 10. The final Cause may best be understood if we consider what this Humiliation whereby he was lower then the Angels is It was 1. To be made a Mortal man 2. In this mortal humane Nature to suffer Death 1. The reason why he must be made Man and mortal was Because he that sanctisieth and they that are sanctified must be one and because the sanctified which were to be made Sons did partake of Flesh and Blood therefore he took part with them that in this respect they might be his Brethren And that they were so he proves ver 11 12 13. 2. The End and final Cause why he was made man and mortal was 1. That he might dye for his Brethren and by his Death destroy the Devil and deliver his People ver 14 15. And for this reason he took not the Nature of Angels to deliver them but the Seed of Abraham ver 16. 2. Another end was That he Suffering and being Tempted in their Nature might be a merciful and faithful High Priest and make atonement for the Sins of the People and succour them who were tempted ver 17 18. CHAP. III. VVHerein Christ is proved to be more excellent and a greater Prophet then Moses For the Jews did think it very unreasonable in any part to recede from that Doctrine which they had received from God by Prophets Angels Moses and to hearken unto Christ except he could be proved to be a Greater Prophet sent from God and his Doctrine more excellent and perfect And this was the cause of the Apostle's Undertaking This part of his Discourse is brought in by way of Exhortation Where 1. The Duty exhorted
2. That whereas he became man in latter times he must needs be of some Nation and People with reference to the Head and first Father of that Nation and for Nation he was according to his humane Nature a Jew the first Father of which Nation was Abraham The reason hereof is this because God had made a special promise to Abraham That in his Seed all Nations should be blessed By which word Seed is meant Christ and Christ as descended from him according to the Flesh He is also called the Son of David because God promised That he should be born of his Family in Bethlehem the native place of David This sense 1. Is most agreeable to the Context antecedent where it 's said That Christ must be lower then the Angels must taste of Death must be consecrated by Suffering must be one with the sanctisied must be partaker of Flesh and Blood and deliver sinful man from the Devil But if he had assumed the nature of Angels none of these could be affirmed of him 2. The former two senses cannot be good because then he should have only apprenended and succoured the Seed of Abraham according to the Letter of this Text. Therefore seeing he took upon him the Seed of Abraham as he did the Seed of David therefore to take on him or assume the Seed of Abraham is to be of the Seed of Abraham as he was of David 2 Tim. 2 8. and to be made of the Seed of Abraham as he was made of the Seed of David according to the Flesh Rom. 1. 3. And it is the same with that of the Divine Evangelist The Word was made Flesh Joh. 1. 14. Crellius here trifles egregiously for he excepts against this sense 1. Because to apprehend or take hold of a thing is not to assume the nature of it 2. The word Angels which is plural should have been singular But 1. Who will grant him that which neither others do nor he can prove that the word must be turned apprehended in this place whereas it hath other senses both in the Septuagint and in the New Testament and is turned oftner and by more Translatours assume as was shewed before 2. If Christ had assumed the individual substance of an Angel he had assumed the Nature of Angels He did but assume one individual Flesh and Blood yet he is said to take part with the Children which were many He again objects that if it be said that he took the nature not of Angels but Men then these words cannot contain and render a reason That Christ was made lower then the Angels because it is the same But 1. How will he prove that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is causal if it should be denied 2. Who told him that it referrs only to those words of the 7th verse as a reason of them whereas it 's plain if the conjunction be causal it referrs to that which went immediately before 3. To be lower then the Angels and assume the nature of Man are not precisely the same For now he is Man and yet above the Angels These words thus explained and cleared inform us 1. Of some special love of God shewed unto Man and to Angels and of some benefit issuing from that love and given unto Man and denied to the Angels He so loved Man that he gave his only begotton Son to be the propitiation for his sin and not for the Angels Christ and the eternal Word must be Man and dy for him but he must not be an Angel to dy for Apostate Angels or redeem them The cause of this was the free will of God who might have neglected both the one as well as the other for both were sinful and deserved Death Yet there might be a reason why he passed by the Angels and not Man even because Angels were not tempred yet sinned but Man was deceived and so was a subject more capable of mercy though he deserved no mercy Yet if Man will be obstinate in his sin and refuse to acknowledg this love and receive Christ God will turn his love into hatred and send him a cursed wretch into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels and he shall lose eternally the benefit of Christ's Redemption which is remission and eternal life 2. They let us know the condescension and deep humiliation of the Son of God who vouchsafed not only to be Man but took upon him the form of a Servant and was obedient unto Death the Death of the Crosse. And this Incarnation is a deep mystery and this humiliation a matter of greatest wonder 3. They acquaint us with the excellent dignity and high advancement of the humane Nature in that it was assumed and inseparably united unto that eternal Word which is God The Angels in many things are above us and more excellent then we are yet in this we are above the Angels and nearer unto God and our nature in Christ is Lord of Angels 4. We learn from them that the Seed of Abraham and the People of the Jews have a priority and priviledg above all People For Christ took upon him their Flesh and Blood and they were his Brethren of whom according to the Flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever Amen Rom. 9. 5. This is the reason why he said when he lived on Earth That he was sent to the lost Sheep of Israel and why he chose out of them the Apostles preached the Gospel unto them first for the tender of eternal life was first made to them and why he began and finished the work of Redemption amongst them 5. From them we understand something of the nature of the Incarnation For herein we have 1. One person the eternal Word and the Son of God 2. Two Natures Divine and Humane 3. The union of these two by assumption for the Word assumed the nature of Man and this Nature was thereby united to the Word in the unity of person 4. The distinction of these two Natures for the Word is God and not Man this humane Nature remains Man and is not God and the difference is very great and perpetual And thus God-Man is Christ our blessed Saviour and Redeemer and happy are they who know him and believe in him Ver. 17 18. Wherefore in all things it behâ—â—ved him to be made like unto his Brethren c. § 19. In these words we have another reason why Christ must be lower then the Angels Man and like his Brethren One end was that he might suffer and dy and this he could not do except he be partaker of Flesh and Blood and therefore he took upon him the Nature of Men and not of Angels The end why he must dy was 1. That he might destroy the Devil who had the power of Death and so deliver them that were in continual danger 2. That he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest and so make reconciliation for the sins of his People and be
to null and abrogate it The effect of this Gospel upon the Expiation made by Christ is the Perfection that is the Justification and Sanctification of sinful guilty Man whereby he is freed from the sad and woful Consequents of Sin and especially from the condemning vindicative Justice of God and eternal death and so may draw nigh to God Where we must consider 1. What it is to draw nigh to God 2. Why this Clause is added To draw nigh to God is sometimes a Duty somtimes a Reward and Priviledge given for Christ's merit to such as perform the Duty As it is a Duty it 's sometimes a coming to the place where God hath put his Name and where he vouchsafed his special presence as in the Tabernacle and Temple he did for to worship him It 's sometime a worshipping of God or performing any divine Service unto him for then we pretend to leave the World and turn our backs upon all things and to present our selves before his Throne as in Prayer and other Duties Again it is a turning from our sins with a Resolution to forsake them and an engagement of our selvs and that with our whole hearts to be his Servants and obedient Subjects And this we cannot do effectually without Faith in Christ and the further we depart from sin the nearer we draw to him and are more like unto him This is a Duty But to have peace with God to be reconciled to him so as to have free access with boldness and confidence to the Throne of Grace where he sits as propitiated by the Blood of Christ and as a Father looks upon us as his Children is a great and gracious reward and special priviledg and presupposeth the former Duty performed and the party performing it in the state of Justification and Reconciliation For being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ By whom also we have acccess by Faith into this Grace wherein we stand c. Rom. 5. 1 2. To understand this more fully we must consider That the words are in some sort Metaphorical wherein the Apostle alludes either to the giving of the Law upon Mount Sinai where he represented himself very terrible as sitting in the Throne of Justice and not of Grace and Mercy so as that to draw nigh unto him was a present Death The People must keep at a distance only Moses might come near and ascend the Mount which was a special and extraordinary favour or he may allude unto the legal dispensation under which no unclean person as a Leper or one defiled by touching a dead body or some other way might come into the Congregation or nigh the Tabernacle or Temple so as to worship with God's People before they were cleansed and purified but upon their purification finished they might draw nigh and come with the rest of God's unpolluted Servants to Worship and to serve their God so as to have communion with him and receive mercies blessings and comforts from him So in this place such as are perfected that is justified and sanctified through Faith by the Blood of Christ have liberty to draw nigh to God as to a Father to seek and receive mercies and increase of Grace and heavenly Comforts and have sweet communion with him Before their justification and reconciliation they stood at a distance from their God and looked upon him as a consuming Fire and to draw near was danger though even then they might have some hope of mercy They are like the Publican standing a far off and beating upon his Brest and saying Lord be merciful to me a Sinner but when their Consciences are purged and their Souls by Faith are cleansed in the Blood of Christ they then have liberty and draw nigh to serve and worship God with confidence that he will accept their persons prayers and other Services This is the drawing nigh to God here meant yet you must know that these approaches are not so nigh in this life but that there is some distance But in the place of Glory the approach shall be so near as that it will take away all distance and we shall have immediate and full communion with our God The reason why this Clause was added which is the second thing is to let us know how far more excellent the Gospel is above the Law For by the Law no Man was brought nigh to God or might approach unto him in this manner It 's true they might draw nigh to the place of God's special presence if legally clean or cleansed and by observation of the Law escape some temporal Judgments obtain some temporal Blessings and enjoy some earthly Comforts yet continue spiritually unclean guilty and liable to eternal penalties be far from God with their hearts remain unjustified unsanctified and so could have no spiritual peace with God nor any heavenly comfort neither could they draw nigh to God with boldness so as to have any near communion with him To draw nigh to God as to a Father in Christ is a far more excellent priviledg and could not be obtained by the Law Some do make these words a reason to prove that Perfection was had by the Priest-hood of Christ because by it we draw nigh to God And it 's true that by Christ as a Priest and the Gospel we obtain this priviledg which the Law could not give us For to draw nigh to God presupposeth the party approaching perfected and sanctified and by what we are sanctified by that we draw nigh and this priviledg doth prove perfection by the Gospel as the effect doth prove and manifest the cause So that the argumentation in form is this By what we draw nigh to God by that we are perfected But by the Priest-hood of Christ and the Gospel we are perfected Therefore by them we draw nigh to God For as we must not seperate the Levitical Priest-hood and the Law so neither must we divide the Priest-hood of Christ and the Gospel In all this discourse two things are observable 1. That God did not take away the Levitical Priest-hood and the Law till he brought in the Priest-hood of Christ and the Gospel 2. That he took away that which was imperfect to bring in that which was perfect and far more excellent And all this was done as to manifest his wisdom so especially his mercy and serious intention to save man For he would leave nothing undone that was necessary for the compleating of man's eternal Salvation For if the Levitical Priest-hood and the Law could have justified Man and so given life He had never sent Christ and made him a Priest and revealed the Gospel For then both Christ and Gospel had been needless and useless to that end For as the Apostle saith If there had been a Law given which could have given life verily Righteousness should have been by that Law Gal. 3. 21. But because both Law and Priest-hood were insufficient therefore he decreed
ridiculous and a matter of laughter rather then of fears except they did suspect some magick Spells and diâ—belical power might be used in that formal procession 4. The Event was the fall of the Walls of Jericho and the ruine of that City and the Inhabitants Some think this fall to be the sinking of the Wall whole and entire into the ground so that the highest parts of them lay level with the surface of the Earth yet there is no certainty of this But this is certain that they so fell as that Israel might easily enter This was a work of almighty power and by this example we easily understand that when out of Faith we obey God's Commands that which God hath promised will be effected Therefore when any business is difficult to be done we must not so much look at the impotency of natural and secondary Causes as at the promise of God and the performance of our Duty And though it 's true that the principal if not the sole effective cause be the Power of God yet without the Faith and Obedience of man the fulfilling of the Promise cannot be expected This manner of giving Jericho into Israel's hand to humane reason not acquainted with the Counsel of God might seem strange Yet it was an excellent way to animate Israel and terrify the Canaanites For by this miraculous Event Israel might understand how easily without blow or blood of any man the strongest City might be taken and delivered into their hands and the Enemy might know that neither the strongest and highest Walls nor the power of the most warlike Souldiers could be able to stand out The principal thing here to be observed is the excellency of Faith grounded upon the Word and Promise of God § 30. In this strange and fearful destruction of Jericho God remembred mercy and saved Rahab and her Family so that they perished not with the rest For Ver. 31. By Faith the Harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the Spies with peace THis is the last Example of those whereupon the Apostle severally and more distinctly insists In it we may observe 1. The Party named and proposed for an Example which was Rahab the Harlot 2. The Work of her Faith She received the Spies in peace 3. Her Preservation in the general ruine of that City 4. Her Faith whereby she obtained that Reward 1. The Party was a Woman her Name Rahab a Gentile a Canaanite an Inhabitant and Native of Jericho an Inn-Keeper and an Harlot for she seems to be both Yet this is so far true that though she had formerly been guilty yet now she was a Penitent and upon her Faith if not before reformed God had prepared her for his own Design and made her a sit Instrument to save the Spies and the Spies fit Agents to inform Joshua of the Truth and to encourage all Israel to go on boldly in the Conquest of all Canaan 2. Her Work of Faith was that she received the Spies in peace These Spies were Agents sent by Joshua to discover the Country on the West-side of Jordan according to his Directions and his End in sending them was to receive Information from them of such things as were convenient to be known as Preparative for the future Conquest As Stratagems so Spies were useful as other Intelligencers are in a well-ordered State that hath to deal with Enemies and if the Cause be just and the Enemies unjust they are certainly lawful These she received though Enemies to her Country not only as Guests but Friends and as she received so she dismissed them in peace that is in safety and as Friends and not as Enemies This she did with so great Care Prudence and Fidelity that their best Friends in that Case could not have done more and better for them The manner how she entertained them the Conference she had with them the Contract made between them the Act how she concealed them the Counsel she gave them and the Contrivance of their safety you may read more at large in the Book of Joshua Her officious Lie which she made in their behalf cannot in strict Justice be excused though in mercy it may be pardoned And in this Act and Work of Charity towards them she was not guilty of persidious Treachery to her own Country which she knew to be wicked and destined by God himself unto Destruction and she was bound to love God more than her Country and his People more than his Enemies By her Faith she had renounced all to serve the true God and in her heart was become already one of God's Saints and Servants Treachery indeed is unjust and contrary to the Laws of God which require fidelity to God first and then to our Country so far as it shall be consistent with Fidelity to the Supream Lord and not one â—ote further 3. Her Reward followed upon this For she perished not with them that believed not Where we have 1. The Destruction of Unbelievers 2. Her Preservation The first implies that her Neighbours and Fellow-Citizens were grievous Sinners and so hardned in their Sins that they did not believe and so were Vessels of Wrath and fitted for Destruction These being such did perish and suffered Punishment due unto their Sins which was a total and final ruine But she perished not but was preserved and the manner of her Preservation we find related in the History For both the Spies and Joshua were faithful to her and performed the Promise and the Oath made unto her By this we learn how easily God can save us even in the midst of general Calamities 4. This her Preservation was a Reward of her Faith not that Faith did merit it but made her capable of God's Mercy This here Faith was wrought in her by the Fame of God's glorious Works and Counsels which she had heard and by the Power of the Holy Ghost and it was manifested much and very much both by her Words and Deeds when she received the Spies and preserved them from Death It was so much the more to be admited seeing she was an Alien a Gentile a Canaaâ—ute and dwelt amongst a cursed People amongst whom she had been a grievous Sinner Surely she will rise up in Judgment against the Unbelievers of our times § 31. The Apostle forbears to insist largely and particularly upon the Faith of any more of the ancient Worthies either Men or Women and draws towards a Conclusion by Contraction of his Discourse and in this manner Ver. 32. And what shall I more say For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barac and of Samson and of Jeptha of David also and Samuel and of the Prophets IN these words and those that follow in this Chapter we must consider 1. The manner how the following Discourse is brought in 2. The matter of it 1. The manner is by a Rhetorical Paraleipsis signifying 1. There was no necessity of any more
able to succour them So that the Apostle 1. Affirms that he must be Man and that being Man he must Suffer 2. Proves why he must be Man 3. Why being Man he must Suffer The Text is brought in by an illative wherefore and the conclusion inferred is That in all things it behooved Christ to be like unto his Brethren And the premisses do not go before but follow in the last words of this verse and is explained more fully in verse 18. The conclusion is concerning Christ and the thing affirmed of him is That he must be like his Brethren for it behooved him in all things to be like them Where 1. We must understand what the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behooved doth import 2. What it is In all things it behooved him to be like them The Syriack word which signifies it was meet convenient right doth best expresse the meaning For it was most agreeable to God's wisdom and Mans condition That he should be like his Brethren Some make this conveniency to be a kind of duty to be performed or debt of money to be paid or of punishment to be suffered because the Word is so used in other places of the New Testament but none of these significations are here intended or can well be meant 2. For the words in all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they may be referred either to the Verb behooved and then the sense is It was altogether convenient and in every respect sitting or to the Adjective like that is He must be like us in all things there must be similitudo â—nmimods And whereas some tell us that this must be understood with a limitation and exception of sin it 's needless For if he must be a Saviour and expiate the sin of others he must needs be without sin This exception is made by the Apostle Chap. 4. 15. but upon another account The meaning therefore is That he must be like unto us in all things which are necessary or requisite to make him a compleat Redeemer and Saviour of sinful man But to this sin was neither necessary nor requisit but it was absolutely necessary he should be free from it This is the conlusion § 20. The premisses or Principle from whence it 's inferred is this Because he must be a merciful and faithful High-Priest If we bring the Apostles discourse into form it 's this onto this purpose If Christ must be a merciful and faithful High-Priest c. then in all things it behooved him to be like unto his Brethâ—ren But he must be a merciful and faithful High-Priest c. Wherefore or therefore In all things it behooved him to be like his Brethren In these words and those that follow we may observe that Christ 1. Is a merciful and faithful High-Priest c. 2. How he became such and that was by suffering and being tempted In the first part we have 1. Christ's Office 2. The Qualification for this Office 3. The Work of Function of his Office 1. His Office is to be an High-Priest in things pertaining to God A Priest is an Officer in things appertaining to God that is in matters of Religion wherein we have some Communion or Converse with God the Supream Lord upon whom we depend for all things especially such as tend to our spiritual and eternal happiness Therefore Priest-hood is an Office distinct from all Offices of a civil state Of this we shall hear more Chap. 5. Amongst Priests some are inferiour some are superiour and some above all the rest and the chief and highest Priests differed from the rest by some power proper to them and to none else as to enter into the Holy of holies and make the general Expiation Christ was a Priest and Mediatour between God and Man in matters of Religion and he was the highest supream and universal Priest and had a proper power far above all other Priests and could enter the Sacrary of Heaven and doth minister in that glorious Temple This is his Office 2. His Qualification which is alwayes requisite in a Priest is in two things He was 1. Merciful 2. Faithful 1. He must be merciful for he must deal with God for sinful and miserable Man for to help him and relieve him And he is then merciful when he doth not only know Man's misery but is inwardly sensible of it as his own so as to be moved and resolved and that effectually to succour him This mercifulness is opposed not onely to Ignorance of others misery and senslesness but also to harshness severity cruelty And Christ was more merciful than ever any Man or Angel was and there was great need he should be so for if every Offence nay if many and great offences should move him to Passion and enrage him so as to reject them and their Cause or proceed to plead against them or condemn them how many thousands should perish everlastingly 2. As he is merciful so he must be faithful and such as poor sinners may safely trust unto and depend upon when they commit their Cause concerning their eternal estate into his hands Christ may be said to be faithful either to God who hath given the Office of High-Priest and a Command to discharge it or unto Man who according to the Rules of God's Word believs in him trusts upon him and commits himself and all that he hath unto him And then he is actually faithful when he performs all things belonging to his Sacerdotal Office and goes thorough with his Work until he hath perfectly finished and sinful Man attains that for which he trusted him Man may be merciful and not faithful Christ is both and will be sensible of our Case and Cause will minde it and do it as his own In this respect our Hope is firm and our Comfort is unspeakable Blessed are all they who trust in him This is his Qualification the best that ever was or can be in any Priest 3. The Work the principal Work is to make Reconciliation for the Sins of his People 1. He hath his People and they are such as know him and trust in him 2. These have their Sins and are guilty 3. Reconciliation therefore is necessary otherwise they dy they perish everlastingly 4. There must be some one and the same a Priest both merciful and faithful to make this Reconciliation and this is Christ. The word that is translated to make Reconciliation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which taken actively and transitively is to make God propitious and merciful to sinful Man so as to free him from Sin and the woful Consequents thereof And this must be done so as to deliver Man from sin fully and for ever before this Sacerdotal Work shall cease This Reconciliation is first made and the Foundation of it laid in his Suffering Death and offering himself a Sacrifice unto the supream and universal Judge for the sin of Man first to make it remissible But it 's actually made when Man
believs and this High-Priest makes intercession effectually for his People who come to God by him and then it 's consummate when all the sins of his People are for ever pardoned and they finally justified This is a Work of great Mercy and if God commit it to him he undertake it and Man rely upon him if it be not done how can he be said to be faithful To reconcile and propitiate is a Work of greatest fidelity because of greatest Consequence Ver. 18. For in that he hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted § 21. In this Text and by these words we are informed of the Reason why Christ is so merciful and faithful an High-Priest and how he became such and that was by suffering and temptation whereof he had experience in himself In the words we have his Suffering and Temptation Power to help the tempted 1. His Sufferings were many and cruel and such as never any did endure yet his greatest Sufferings were reserved to the last And though he never sinned yet he knew and felt the woful Consequences of Sin and the Punishments it deservs 2. He was tempted for no sooner was he baptized and publickly initiated and declared in the sight of Heaven and Earth to be the Son of God but Satan the great Enemy set upon him and attempted his ruine yea all his Sufferings as from Satan were temptations and it 's very likely he did assault him most violently in the end By both these he knew what a sad and woful thing Suffering for Sin is and how hard a thing it is to be tempted and not to sin and how much such as being violently tempted do sin are to be pitied For if he who had the greatest power that ever was to resist and overcome temptations was hardly put to it he must needs know and could not be ignorant how dangerous Man's condition is and how easily a frail Sinner may be foiled 2. This Suffering and Temptation made him more merciful and faithful and able to succour To succour is to do all things for the procuring the Reconciliation of his People and his ability to succour is his mercifulness and fidelity whereby he is every way fitted powerfully inclined and effectually moved to succour them To be able sometimes is to be sit as Varinus observeth and so it may be here taken And the more fit the more able The saying is None so merciful as those who have been miserable and they who have not onely known misery but felt it are most powerfully inclined not onely to inward compassion but to the real relieving of others miserable And this was a contrivance of the profound Wisdom of that God who is infinitely knowing and merciful to find a way how to feel misery and be merciful another way This was by his Word assuming Flesh that in that Flesh he might be tempted violently and suffer most grievously and all this that he might be more merciful and effectually succour sinful Man This is the most powerful Remedy against despaire and the firmest ground of hope and comfort that ever sinful miserable Man sensible of his Sin could have And that was the great reason why Christ must suffer being tempted that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest and that he might be such was the end why it behoved him to be like his Brethren not onely in being Man and assuming flesh but in Suffering and Temptation too And thus the Son of God for a little time was made lower than the Angels This the Apostle insists upon so largely to let the Hebrews know that there was little reason why they should be offended with his Humiliation either because he was a mortal Man or that he suffered death For 1. It was fore-told that he must be lower than the Angels 2. That he should be lower for a little time 3. That this his Humiliation for a time was a way to Glory he was lower than those heavenly Spirits for a little time that he might be above them for ever 4. That thus to be humbled became God and it seemed in his Wisdom to be the most excellent way of consecrating the great Captain of our Salvation 5. It was most fitting that he that was sent to redeem and sanctify Man should be Man and not an Angel 6. It was infinitely beneficial unto us for by this means 1. He tasted death for us 2. By his death destroyed the Power of Satan 3. By destroying his Power delivered us from the slavish fear and danger of death 4. By his Humiliation in Suffering and Temptation he became a most merciful and faithful High-Priest and most able effectually to procure their Reconciliation And why should this voluntary Humiliation be either any the least derogation from the Excellency of Christ or stumbling-block unto the Jew or seem foolishness to the Gentiles There is no reason at all but it argues the Ignorance if not the wilful blindness of both Jew and Gentile The Errours of Crellâ—us we shall meet with hereafter For 1. He denieth Christ's Sufferings to be Punishments 2. He affirmeth that to succour is to expiate Sin 3. He saith that the principal Function of Christ's Priest-hood is performed now in Heaven and was not performed by his death on Earth which he denyes to be an Expiation by suffering Punishment for our sins CHAP. III. Ver. 1. § 1. THE Sum and Substance of this Chapter is an Exhortation to perseverance in the Christian Faith yet upon new grounds and reasons distinct from those in the two former Chapters For they shew that Christ was more excellent than the Prophets and the Angels and that the World to come was not subject to Angels but to Christ who though by his Sufferings he was for a little time lower than the Angels yet upon his Resurrection and Ascension was far above them This Chapter manifesteth his Excellency far above Mofes and argues that if Moses was to be heard then Christ much more and if they which disobeyed Moses were punished much more they which disobey Christ. In the Exhoâ—tation we must observe 1. The parties to whom the Exhortation is directed 2. The Duty exhorted unto 3. The reasons whereby the performance of the Duty is urged And these Reasons are taken from the Excellency of Christ. Benefit of Perseverance Punishment of Apostacy The Punishment is set forth by an Example of their Fathers Proposed Applied Ver. 1. Wherefore holy Brethren partakers of the heavenly Calling c. § 2. This is the Description of the parties exhorted They were Hebrews yet Christians and described as Brethren Holy Partakers of the heavenly Call They were Brethren and as such related to Paul an Hebrew and one unto another And the ground of this Relation and Fraternity was not onely Generation but chiefly Regeneration not so much natural as supernatural For though they were Brethren by natural Generation as descended from Abraham the same Father as the unbelieving Jews