whence it runnes and the marke of it whereto it runnes Consider Iesus Christ Ye six your mindes and hearts upon Moses to consider him in all particulars consider also Jesus Christ The Apostle and high Priest of our profession Our profession is our Religion whereby we professe to serve God and to be saved Of this our Religion Christ is the great Prophet the grand Apostle Emissary or Legate or the first Messenger of it because he was the first that was sent from God to bring it into the world and to publish or preach it unto men For every Prophet sent with a message immediatly from God is therefore an Apostle And of this our Religion Christ is the high Priest or chiefe President to order it because he perpetually administers and officiates all things pertaining to it and because by him all the professors of it have their accesse to God because hee expiates and purgeth away their sins and because hee takes care that all things pertaining to divine worship be rightly performed in the Temple of God dedicate to this Religion For in this place the Author remarkably calls Christ by the name of high Priest because anciently the high Priests were Presidents over the Temple and holy things of God From both these offices thus united in Christ appears his transcendent dignity For anciently there was an Apostle or Prophet of the Jewish Religion who was Moses for he first taught and published it but then among them there was another high Priest who was Aaron and his Successors But Christ alone in one person was both the Apostle and high Priest of our profession But in this place we must ampliate extend the word high Priest so largely that it may also comprehend the Regall dignity or office of Christ For it is not likely that the Author in this breviate of Christs offices would wholly omit the chiefest especially in this place where hee would move them to consider Christ especially when he had before tearmed him such a high Priest as was able to succour them that are tempted which thing belongs also to his Regall power and had in the first chapter so lively expressed his Regall dignity by severall testimonies of Scripture 2. Who was faithfull to him that appointed him It had been enough to move the Hebrewes to consider Christ by what the Author had delivered before in preferring him above the Angels by severall arguments of reason and testimonies of Scripture but the Author not content with this doth here single out Moses and equall Christ with him because the Hebrewes had Moses in high esteeme opposing him to Christ and preferring him before Christ The particular wherein he equals Christ with Moses is the faithfulnesse of Christ and he instanceth the rather in this particular because that when God gave a singular commendation of Moses the Lord instanced in the particular of his faithfulnesse to God He therefore declares that Christ was as faithfull to God as ever Moses was Now the faithfulnesse of Christ relates to both his offices of high Legate or Apostle and high Priest The faithfulnesse of a Legate consists in these two things 1. That he deliver his Message wholly and truly according to his Commission 2. That he use all meanes to perswade and gaine faith to his Message especially if he be thereto enjoyned by him that sent him And the faithfulnesse of a high Priest is To provide all things pertinent to the worship of God and then to propitiate God toward those that worship him The person to whom Christ was thus faithfull was the supreme God who made him his Legate and high Priest by appointing him to the execution of these offices wherein he might exercise his singular faithfulnesse for Christ assumed not these offices of himselfe but was thereto appointed of God the Father as afterward more fully As also Moses was faithfull in all his house Moses was a great Prophet and Legate sent from God in so much that when Aaron and Miriam had spoken against him the Lord to publish his great esteeme of him would vindicate him by his owne mouth and thereupon preferres him before all other Prophets in that he would deale more familiarly with him then with any other for he would speake to others by visions and dreames and dark speeches but he would speake to Moses mouth to mouth even apparently and he should behold the similitude of the Lord of which dealing with Moses the Lord gives this reason because Moses was faithfull in all the Lords house Numb 12.6,7,8 In which words who sees not how highly God esteemed Moses above all other Prophets Now whether we take house for Gods Tabernacle or for his family yet Moses was most faithfull in both respects in that he neglected nothing that pertained to the care and good of either The summe is Lest by this singular testimony given by God to Moses for his faithfulnesse any man should hereby thinke that herein Moses was greater then Christ therefore the Author adornes Christ with the very same commendation of faithfulnesse that God had given to Moses that thereby hee might take from Moses all prerogative of his being above Christ in any thing and consequently inferres Christ equall to Moses 3. For this man was counted worthy of more glory then Moses Having shewed that Christ was no way inferiour to Moses here he advanceth a degree higher and affirmes that Christ was much superiour to Moses and counted worthy of more honour that he might further move them to the consideration of Christ And yet more determinately that the honour of Christ is a great distance above that of Moses And the following words shew how much As much as he who hath builded the house hath more honour then the house He properly builds the house that either frameth it himselfe or causeth it to be framed for himselfe for whosoever is the owner is properly the builder and not the mercenary who is hired to build it for another Now the builder is more honourable then the building for the Builder by his building becomes the Lord or Owner of it which is the first originall or naturall ground of honour And looke how much the builder is more honourable then the building though the degree be never so indefinite so much is Christ more honourable then Moses For Moses was but a part of the building in Gods family but Christ under God is the builder of his whole Church 4. For every house is builded by some man No house doth raise or build it selfe but is built or raised by some person or other who builds it himselfe for himselfe or causeth it to be builded for himselfe But he that hath built all things is God Here he expresseth what person he understands for the architect or builder of the house whereof he speakes namely that he meanes God himselfe Hence it appeares that the Authors minde was to say That Christ is so much more honourable then Moses as God is
more honourable then his house which he hath built that is then his people who are the house of God For as Moses must be joyned with the house of God whereof he was a principall part so Christ must be joyned with God who joyntly with God hath built his house and exerciseth dominion or Lordship over it So that Christ this way considered is not a part of the building but a part of the builder and therefore above the building Furthermore if the difference in dignity betweene Christ and Moses be the same that is betweene God and his house then consequently there will be also the same proportion in dignity betweene God and Christ that there is betweene Moses and Gods house For in proportions consisting of foure termes the proportion is alternable Wherefore as Moses is in dignity inferiour to the house for he is but Gods Minister or Legate there who though he be superiour to any one person there singly taken yet he is inferiour to the whole taken collectiyely or joyntly So Christ is a secondary unto God from whom he hath received all divine power and authority to build and governe Gods house in Gods Name But we must take notice that in all this comparison of Christ with Moses there is no consideration had of this that the ancient house wherein Moses was faithfull to God was one and this new house is another wherein God hath adjoyned Christ for the building and governing of it For to the purpose in hand it is enough that both of them are the houses of God and the latter wherein Christ governes is as it were succeeded in the roome of that wherein Moses was faithfull so that in this respect they may seem in a manner all one But if any man shall urge them to be diverse be shall thereby not only not diminish the dignity of Christ for the advance whereof all these things are said but greatly increase it for this new house in dignity far exceeds the old 5. And Moses verily was faithfull in all his house as a servant Before he delivered the Prerogative or Dignity of Christ above Moses but generally and indefinitly now he explicates it more particularly and clearly Which being done it will plainly appeare That Christ is more honourable then Moses so much as God is more honourable then his house which is his people that is Moses must bee reckoned with the house and Christ with God The particle and here signifies not copulatively but illatively as much as for For Moses verily was faithfull as a servant All the dignity that Moses had in Gods house was but a servile dignity for he ordered and governed the whole house of God not as Lord over it but as a Minister and servant unto God He was the steward of Gods house that is the principall servant of the family to whose charge the Master of the family committed the charge of it Wherefore hee was alwayes forced to depend upon the becke and pleasure of God as of his Lord expecting in all things his command For hence it was that he could neither move the camp nor pitch it till first he had received notice of it from God And this very argument he takes from the testimony of Scripture before cited for the faithfulnes of Moses in which verse God cals Moses his servant For a testimony of those things that were to be spoken after Herein is specified the chief office wherein the service of Moses consisted God spake to his servant Moses mouth to mouth and Moses was to testifie and relate unto the people afterward those things which he had heard spoken of God either concerning their present affairs in the wildernesse or concerning the Lawes and Ordinances to be observed for the future in the land of Canaan for in this place the word Testimony is figuratively taken for a relating or rehearsing of things that have beene heard spoken by another Hence the Gospel as it was first spoken by God is called the word of God but as it was reported and delivered by Christ or the Apostles it is not seldome called their testimony See 1 Cor. 1.6 and 1 Cor. 2.1 and 2 Thess 1.10 and 2 Tim. 1.8 and Rev. 1.2 and Rev. 6.9 and Rev. 12.11 And the two Preachers in the Revelation are called the witnesses of God to whom God will give power to preach 1260. dayes Rev. 11.3 For it seems they were therefore called the witnesses of God because they were to prophesie or preach 6. But Christ as a Sonne over his owne house Now hee opposeth and prefers the dignity of Christ before that of Moses because Moses was but as a servant in his Masters house but Christ as a Sonne in his Fathers house that is as the Lord and heire of Gods house And therefore Christ must not be reckoned among the goods of the house as Moses was but must be joyned with the Master of the house as Lord of the family And consequently Christ is so much worthier then Moses as God is worthier then his own house For these words Over his owne house may bee referred 2 wayes 1 They may bee referred to Christ as his owne house And then the comparison between Christ and Moses will carry an opposition in three things 1 That Moses was but the servant of God but Christ was the Son of God 2 Consequently to the first that Moses was only in the house as parcell of the house and so with the rest of the house subject to the Master of the house but Christ is over the house as Lord and heire of it 3 Consequently to both the former that Moses ordered anothers house but Christ governed his owne house that God had given him by right of inheritance 2. The words Over his owne house may bee referred to God as Gods owne house for the comparison seems to require that in each terme thereof mention should be made of Gods house For the Author either takes it for granted that this house of God whereof he spake was the house of Christ or he takes it not for granted If hee take it for granted to what purpose did he say that Christ is over his owne house for if he be Lord and Owner of it he must needs bee over it He might have said more briefly That Moses was a servant in Gods house as in anothers house but Gods house was Christs own house But if he take it not for granted then the reason of this comparison and the argument thence drawne will not appeare For meerly from hence That Christ is over his owne house but Moses was a servant in Gods house it will not follow that Christ is far more honourable then Moses for many times it is a greater honour to bee a servant in anothers house especially in Gods house then a Master over his owne Besides the argument here is about that house wherein both Christ and Moses were faithfull to God but faithfulnesse is seen more in anothers house