that have been occupied therein Here he brings the reason why in a manner he denied that the heart is established with meats or that such establishing is not so good a thing namely because they that have exercised therein have found no profit thereby To be occupied in meats or as the Greek hath it to walke in meats seeing here as we have shewed meats signifie the meats of the sacrifices or of the holy things is nothing else but to partake of those carnall sacrifices and to accustome the eating of things offered and consecrated and placing therein a part of Gods worship and serice By those who are said to be occupied in those meats are meant the Jewes before they were illuminated in the doctrine of Christ Which have not profited them The Jews found no true profit by eating those meats For as Christ saith of Manna John 6.49 Your fathers did eat Manna in the wildernesse and are dead So may it well be said of the meats of the sacrifices and things consecrated to God Your fathers did eat the meats of sacrifices and are dead But he that recreates and fills his soule with that grace of God which is revealed and exhibited to men in the Gospell hee shall live for ever Therefore the words not profited doe not simply exclude all profit and advantage wholly for the meats of the sacrifices did profit something in respect of that time to repaire the strength of the body for a short time but they had not a true profit belonging to the Spirit but only a carnall profit that was transitory and fugitive not durable and eternall In which sense also Christ saith of his flesh eaten in a carnall way as his Disciples understood it Joh. 6 63. It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing that is it furthereth nothing unto life to produce in men a spirituall and eternall life It is the Spirit that vivifies men which as from the spirituall eating of the flesh of Christ slaine for the life of the world and from the spirituall drinking of his bloud so from that sweet taste of that divine grace which was confirmed by the death and bloud of Christ doth distill into our soules and so revives and quickens us From these words of the Author it is manifest that to Christian Religion it is nothing pertinent or profiting to eat any true meat properly and consequently not the flesh and bloud of Christ For if the body of Christ were properly eaten and therein consisted a part of Religion would not the Author have opposed the meat of Christs flesh and bloud to the meats of those sacrifices would he have said we have an altar whereof it is not lawfull for them to eat no not for the Priests if it be lawfull for the Priests to eat the body and drinke the bloud of Christ offered every day upon the altar and unlawfull not to eat and drinke it Would he have left us only the sacrifice of praise and good workes for the sacrifices and offerings of all animals and other creatures which might be turned into meats 10. We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle Hitherto the Author hath shewed that there is very little or no cause why Christians should desire those sacrifices of the Law and the meats of those offerings or should place some part of Gods worship or service in them or should take it grievously that for the profession of Christian Religion they are drawne from commerce and communion with the Jewes and their state Now he shews further that it is not lawfull for Christians to eat the meats of sacrifices as was anciently done under the Law He therefore saith We have an altar Any man may easily perceive that these words are figurative and improper taken from the ordinances in the discipline of Moses which for the most part cannot be applied to the discipline of Christ but by way of abusion and impropriety whereof we had no few examples formerly especially in the comparison of Christ with the Leviticall Priests For for comparisons sake we many times use such words of a thing which without respect to the comparison wee would never use The same impropriety falls out againe here In the Christian Religion to speake properly there is no Altar no Tabernacle to serve no Sacrifices which can be eaten neither if we respect the eating of sacrifices or the abstinence from them is there any such difference betweene Christians as if some were Priests and Ministers of the Tabernacle and others were not Therefore in such sayings we must not weigh every word singly by it selfe as what is signified by the Altar what by the Tabernacle and whereto it answers but we must enquire for the sense of the whole sentence Wherefore these words import nothing else but that Christians have no other sacrifices but such whereof they have no power to eat By those which serve the Tabernacle which under the Law were only Priests and Levites are signified all Christians in generall Christians therefore are said to be in that condition as if under the Law there had been such an Altar whereof and of the sacrifices laid upon it and offered unto God it was not lawfull for any man to eat no not for the Priests themselves and other Ministers of the house of God much lesse for the rest of the people For if there had been such an Altar under the Law then it is apparent unto all men that the eating of sacrifices and things offered unto God should have had no place under the Law But thus it is under the Gospell and therefore the eating of sacrifices must be to Christians unlawfull 11. For the bodies of those beasts whose bloud is brought into the Sanctuarie by the high Priest for sinne are burnt without the campe Here the Author proves by his assertion in the former verse why in Christianitie the matter is so ordered that under the Gospel there is such an Altar whereof the Sacrifices are not permitted to be eaten of any man Yet he proposeth his argument so concisely and briefly that he seemes rather to point at it then explicate it And it manifestly appeares that the Authour takes it as graunted for a ground That Christians have no other Sacrifice but what is resembled by the entrance of the high Priest into the Sanctuary or by those beasts onely whose bloud was brought into the Sanctuary by the high Priest and their bodies were burnt without the campe For unlesse the Author took this for graunted he could not from this that in those sacrifices it was not lawful to eat the flesh of the offering simply conclude that it is not lawfull for us Christians to eat sacrifices or that we have an altar whereof we may not lawfully eat And this he might well take for granted because by that Sacrifice whereby our high Priest entred into his Sanctuary under the new Covenant all things were perfomed whether we
marrow In this sence is signified that this sword doth not onely cut the outward parts that lye open to the eye but also the inward parts that are hidden from it i. The force of Gods decree and sentence reacheth not onely to those crimes which are notorious and publique as the decrees and Judgements of Magistrates do who therefore have the power of the sword and therewith do execution upon malefactors but his decree also takes vengeence on those sins which are most secret and hidden bordering as it were upon the confines of the soule and spirit and lye closed up as it were betweene the joynts or within the marrow then which places nothing can be devised more secret Now the soule is the inferiour faculty in us containing the affections or passions as lust and wrath respecting onely those things which please and content the body Hence they which follow this faculty and suffer themselves to be governed by it are called in Scripture animall men But the spirit is the superiour faculty which discerns between things lawfull and unlawfull drawing us to things lawfull and honest and driving us from the contrary whereby we understand know God and his will and our finall happinesse Although the spirit may also be taken for that part of us which doth first vivifie the body and remaines after death And the soule may be taken for life it selfe or for that faculty which flowes from the spirit over the whole body And is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart This hee addeth that what hee said concerning the word of God might bee further pressed and the better understood God doth both take knowledge of the thoughts and intents of mens hearts and also decrees them to be punished if they deserve it This hee therefore saith lest any man should thinke that he may lye hid from Gods decree and escape the force and sharpnesse of his sentence if he only nourish his unbelief in his heart and reserve it in his secret thoughts So that no thought of ours though never so secret no wavering in our faith can be concealed from God 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight Now he speaks that more generally whereof before he spake but in particular God doth not only discerne and know the thoughts of our hearts but there is nothing at all in the world that can escape the sight of his eye for by creatures he understands all things in generall But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes He illustrates what he said before by the contrary to it There is nothing so covered or hidden but the sight of his eyes can discover it And eyes are attributed to him because he clearly seeth all things be they never so remote and so leaveth nothing unpunished Opened 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This word is diversly expounded some thus the whole face from head to shoulders is discovered and exposed to the eyes of all Others thus The skinne is drawne over the shoulders from head to taile Others the creature is flayed and hanged up by the heeles having the belly and bowells opened to the chine of the backe that all lyes open both without and within But all these come to one sense namely that there is nothing so covered and hidden which lyes not open to Gods word or decree for the sight of his eyes doth not only fall upon the outward covering of things but pierceth inwardly all over their substance Of him with whom we have to do In the originall of that whereof we speake i. of that word whereof we speake Hereby he shewes that he understands not any word of God in generall but some certaine word namely that quicke and powerfull word whereof we have hitherto spoken and which is to be understood in all this matter of piercing dividing and discovering 14. Seeing then that we have a great high Priest This is the second part of this Chapter wherein he returnes to treat of the dignity of Christs Priesthood from whence he had digressed to fall upon the exhortation hitherto explicated Now therefore hee resumes his former argument and from thence drawes another admonition for constancie in the Christian Religion The Priestly office of Christ that here we may speake of it a little more fully consisteth in this That Christ expiateth all our sinnes before God and administreth all matters concerning Religion as the chiefe President over holy things Therefore we say Christ hath expiated all our sinnes because it was the office of the high Priest to expiate the sinnes not of one single person only but of the whole people But for the manner how Christ expiates our sinnes there is a great difference betweene him and the legall high Priest so that in this respect Christ is like God yea in a manner supplyes the part of God and not of the Priest For Christ remaining in heaven doth so expiate our sinnes that by power granted him hee removes all punishment from us and abolishes all things that may involve us in any punishment Whence it appeares that Priestly office differs not really from his regall office but rationally only For Christ doth not now really execute any thing about God or performe any condition upon the deed whereof there followes by the decree of God a purgation of our sinnes as anciently the legall Priest was wont to doe For he entered into the tabernacle of God with bloud and there appearing before God did sprinkle the bloud after a forme prescribed him and offered it unto God which being done there followed the expiation of sinne upon it For although Christ shed his bloud upon earth and by afflictions prepared himselfe for the execution of his office to the end that by a sense of our infirmities hee might bee the more readily affected toward us all which conditions were pre-required of God and were first to be performed by Christ yet being now in heaven and fullier administring his Priestly office in procuring the expiation of our sinnes he really performes no further conditions For in that after his bloudshed upon the crosse he entred into the heavenly tabernacle and by this means offered himselfe to God this was not any true condition upon which God decreed the remission of our sinnes seeing that entrance and oblation of himselfe was a great benefit of God bestowed upon him but it was only a meanes whereby Christ obtained supreme power both in heaven and earth from whence followed the expiation of our sinnes and which being granted unto Christ God did openly testifie that he would not punish any of their sinnes who did belong to Christ This indeed is true that this entrance of Christ into heaven and his appearance before God have a resemblance or likenesse with the entrance of the legall Priest into the Sanctuary and his appearance before God as God anciently required it Which resemblance or liknesse is the cause why Christ is compared with the legall Priest
into Gods rest whereinto as we have already seen the people of God must enter he hath so rested from workes as God rested from his For as God in making the world dispatched all his works in the space of six dayes never to make any more workes so hee that hath entered into Gods rest or the like rest with God he also hath dispatched and finished all his workes his labours paines cares and troubles and whatsoever is wearisome to man in this life and he enjoyes an eternal rest and quiet joyned with eternall happinesse 11. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest Having shewed that there remaines a rest for the people of God and that in the best and highest degree he now repeates his admonition at the beginning of the chapter exhorting them to strive with all labour that they may enter that rest The originall word for labour signifies also haste to worke with haste and dispatch For we must make haste in this our spirituall journey which leads and determines in an eternall rest that is we must be diligent and quick in tracing the path of faith â—nd holinesse not lazy and slow Because wee must alwaies have an ardent and earnest affection after so great a blessing and therefore must use all diligence to hasten our selves onward and toward it as they do that are in a journey toward their own countrey or toward a place most desirable and acceptable to them Into that rest Not into any earthly rest but into that heavenly rest proper to God himselfe and by his infinite grace communicable to his people and is yet remaining to them Lest any man fall We must therefore diligently labour after that rest lest we fall into the like destruction with those fathers who perished and were destroyed in the wildernesse for fall here is put for perish lest any perish as they did After the same example of unbeliefe If we fall after their example into the same sin we shall also fall after their example into the same judgement and perish as they did We have seene their unbeliefe and we know what a world of miseries it brought upon them Let both these be examples unto us and let us therefore endeavour to shunne the rock that is shewed us The Originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies both unbeliefe and disobedience and this latter more usually for those two sins are so neere allyed in nature that one word will serve to signifie them both for unbeliefe and disobedience are either wholly the same or mutually consequent one to another 12. For the word of God is quick By this word of God here many think Christ is meant but that cannot be 1. Because Christ is called the Word of God onely by John as is observed by diverse 2. Because this word here is said to be powerfull and sharper then any two edged sword both which qualities agree rather to things then to persons Others by the word of God here understand the Scripture which cannot be neither because then there could be no genuine connexion nor congruity of reasoning in these words from the former For how should this be coherent Let us labour to enter into that rest lest following the example of our fathers unbeliefe we should follow them also in their destruction because the Scripture is quick and powerfull By the word of God therefore is meant the Decree of his Judgement or the Menace of God whereby he threatens and ordaines unbeleeving and disobedient persons to destruction and punishment Of which kinde is that very Oath of God whereby he sware to exclude those fathers and all such like as they from entring into his rest For by this sence there is an elegant coherence betweene this verse and the former Therefore let us labour to enter into Gods rest and let us take heed of falling into the disobedience of those fathers because the word of God and his oath whereby he debarres disobedient men from his rest and devotes them to destruction is quick and powerfull This exposition is easily confirmed from diverse other passages of Scripture wherein the Decrees of God whereby he wils and commands something to be done are called by like termes of his word and have the like attribute of being lively or quick and the like resemblance to a sharpe and two edged sword and diverse the like effects See Psal 105.18,19 and Psal 107.20 and Psal 147.15 and Isaiah 40.8 and Isaiah 55.11 which last place Peter applyes to the word of the Gospel because therein also is contained the decree of God for the saving and condemning of men 1 Pet. 1.23,25 See also Isaiah 66.2,5 and Jerem. 23.29 and Joel 2.11 Now this word or Decree of God is called quick or lively because it dies not neither is exolete or frustrated with any tract of time or age And it is called effectuall or powerfull because it is not onely firme and stable in regard God never revokes it or willingly changeth it or suffers it to fall as Princes often suffer their words or decrees to fall either by oblivion negligence or inconstancy but also because it is of full power and force to execute and effect all the will of God therein contained Hence it is compared to raine and snow For as the raine commeth downe and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not returne unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it Isaiah 55.10,11 And sharper then any two edged sword It strikes and wounds more fearefully and deadly then any sword how sharpe soever And in other places of Scripture the Decree of Christ against ungodly and disobedient persons is compared to a two edged sword going out of his mouth or at least is signified by such a sword For God and Christ doe destroy all their enemies by their word going out of their mouth i. by their powerfull and effectuall command Piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soule and spirit and of the joynts and marrow The sharpenesse of this sword hath first this effect that it pierceth deeply and the effect of that piercing is to divide and cut asunder soule and spirit joynts and marrow By which words it appeares that Gods Decree and command is farre more sharpe and piercing then any sword because it doth not onely pierce and cut the body of man but also his soule and spirit yea it pierceth the body in such manner that it cuts not onely the skin and flesh but also all the joynts and bands of the member yea the very bones themselves and consequently the marrow contained in the bones So that this sword pierceth into the most secret and inmost parts of man even the soule spirit and
the testimonies are alleadged for the same thing Some men that they may elude the true sense of the former testimony which the Holy Ghost shewes to be in the words Thou art my Sonne To day have I begotten thee say that those words are not alleadged as a testimony of Gods collating the Priesthood upon Christ but as a description of him who conferred this office upon him There men doe a manifest injury to the truth and to the words of the Author For how should these following words agree with the former as he saith also in another place doth hee not by these latter words manifestly declare that now another place or Psalm is cited by him wherein the same point is proved for which the former testimony was produced For ever The Priestood of Christ shall last for ever in the person of Christ without ever having any successour in his office for his office shall last as long as there needs any expiation for sinnes even to the end of the world and so long he shall continue in that office After the order of Melchisedeck The duration or terme of Christs Priesthood shall runne out like the duration of Melchisedecks Priesthood or as the Author expresseth himselfe afterward chap. 7.15 after the similitude of Melchisedeck But of these words we shall speake further chap. 7. where the Author explicates this likenesse more fully But here he tacitly meets with a doubt which some man might imagine touching the Priesthood of Christ in that Christ descended not from the family of Aaron or tribe of Levi to which tribe the Priesthood was limited by the Law of God For the type of Melchisedeck doth not only require an eternall Priesthood but also requires that no respect of tribe or family should be had therein as we shall shew hereafter 7. Who in the dayes of his flesh From the third property required in a high Priest and concluded to agree with Christ he ascends now to the second property and saith that Christ also was compassed with infirmity and by reason thereof offered for himselfe This he shews in this 7. verse and then at the 8. verse he inferres that from this infirmity Christ learned to be mercifull toward the distressed and afflicted In the dayes of his flesh By flesh hee understands the infirmity of Christ for flesh is the subject of infirmity and in a manner the cause of it And the dayes of his flesh are the dayes wherein he suffered for in that time chiefly his infirmity most appeared For then it most appeared that Christ was flesh When he had offered prayers and supplications Now he shews that Christ offered also for himselfe Of which his oblation his infirmity and afflictions were the cause the sence whereof how deepely it struck into his soule and how greatly it exercised him appeares from the things which he offered For he shews distinctly both what he offered and to whom as also the adjunct of his offering and the issue of it The matter of his offering was Prayers This is a generall word to signifie all petitions or rather all kinde of speech unto God And supplications which are the prayers or petitions of supplicants whose manner is to fall upon their knees casting themselves at the feet or touching the knees of them to whom they make their prayer The originall word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as some Interpreters note doth properly signifie an olive-branch wrapped about with wooll which supplicants held in their hands Hence we may easily imagine in what anguish of soule Christ was and what pangs of paine he felt when he was driven to such earnest prayers and devout supplications But what prayers and supplications the Author means will appeare from the words following wherein the person to whom he prayed is described in such manner that thence wee may easily understand what he prayed although the adjunct of his prayer doth partly also declare it Vnto him that was able to save him from death In these words he shews not only the person to whom Christ offered but also the cause why he offered him prayers and what the thing was for which he so earnestly prayed And this is the cause why he would describe God after this manner rather then simply name him for therefore he so devoutly supplicated to God because God onely is hee that can save from death which Christ by his prayers chiefly requested He indeed requested some other things besides for in the garden hee petitioned that the cup might passe from him i. he there was an humble supplicant prostrate upon his knees and afterward on his face praying againe and againe with great ardour of minde that hee might be delivered from the great anguish and heavinesse which hee felt in his soule And hanging upon the crosse he poured forth this lamentation unto God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Wherein hee prayed that God would put an ease and an end to his extreme paines But the summe and breviate or at least the head of all those prayers was this for his delivery from death For hee that is delivered from death in that sence that Christ here desired hee hath found an end of all paines both of soule and body and hath obtained supreme happinesse This delivery Christ prayed for in commending his Spirit to God when he was ready to expire For to commend the spirit to God or to pray that God would receive it into his hands what is it else but to pray that he would preserve it and afterward restore it and consequently to recal him from death to life whose spirit it is That the Author had respect to these prayers of Christ it may appeare by their adjunct which he also mentions in saying That his prayers were offered up With strong crying and teares The holy History of the Evangelists doe testifie that Christ hanging upon the Crosse complained in the words of the Psalme with a great cry that God had forsaken him and afterward being ready to expire he commended his Spirit to God But the Sacred History mentions not any teares of Christ shed at that time yet notwithstanding it appeares that it was so and was knowne to the Authour to bee so Now this cry and teares doe further shew how deepely the sence of paine was impressed into him when it forced him to expresse such cryes and teares Hence it appeares further that Christ thus exercised with so great a sence of paines himselfe cannot but be moved at the miseries and paines of his people cannot but willingly hear the dolefull cryes and complaines and affoord his opportune succour and help in their afflictions and distresses From these words of the Authour it appeares how Christ offered for himselfe namely that hee offered not himselfe but his prayers for himselfe and then he offered them not when he became immortall in his heavenly Tabernacle but in the dayes of his flesh or infirmity For when he became immortall he could not
Priest not onely in respect of the faithfull who are but a kinde of lesse Priests compared to Christ as of old under the Law among the Priests one was great and head over the rest but in respect of the high and great Priests under the Law who as we have heard compared with Christ were not onely little but in a manner very small and dimme shadowes Over the house of God By this house of God we may understand both that heavenly Sanctuary wherein our high Priest performes his holy offices answerable to the Legall Tabernacle and also the Church or people of God who are the spirituall house of God For Christ is president over both these houses both that heavenly and this spirituall on earth 22. Let us draw neere Here begins the other part of the Chapter containing an admonition drawne from the former doctrines They were said to come or draw neere as we heard at the first verse who while the Priest was officiating were intentive to the divine service for which they approached to the Tabernacle whereby they also came neere or drew neere to God The Author doth call upon us That seeing we have a high Priest truly great resident in the Sanctuary of heaven who there performes holy offices offerings for us therefore we also should approach and draw neere in soule and spirit unto that heavenly Sanctuary intentively minding the worship of God Which is nothing else but to apply our selves to the worship of God and never make doubt to draw neere unto him in confidence of Christ our high Priest With a true heart He shews what manner of persons they must be who will exercise this spirituall worship of God and apply themselves unto it They must have a true heart And a true heart is opposed to a seined deceitfull and dissembling heart which makes onely an outward shew of holinesse and thereby endeavours to deceive In full assurance of faith A full assurance of faith is opposed to a wavering and doubting faith for looke how much doubt is mingled with faith so much is wanting to the perfection and fulnesse of it Therefore then we have a full faith when wee doubt nothing of the truth of the Christian Religion and discipline Having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience He alludes to a Ceremony ordained under the Law whereby they who had touched any uncleane thing must be sprinkled with the holy water of seperation before they might enter into the assembly of Gods people at the Sanctuary to performe the worship of God for if they did otherwise they must dye for it This purging or cleansing of the flesh by sprinkling the Author transferres spiritually to the spirit and soule whereby the soule is cleansed from the guilt and staine of conscience and the body from the filth of sinne Now the sprinkling or purging of the heart from an evill conscience may be taken two wayes either to signifie that cleansing whereby we get a full remission of our sinnes by the bloud and sacrifice of Christ and are freed from an evill conscience and from feare of Gods punishment in which manner he said before that our conscience is purged from dead works or to signifie the cleansing of our soule from inward and secret sinnes For by an evill conscience in this place by a metony my of the effect he seemes to understand the hidden and secret vices of the soule as opposed to the filth of the body which as in the words immediatly subsequent he teacheth must be washed away For what else can the filth of the body signifie then those outward sinnes which are committed by the body it self not as if these did not also defile the conscience but because open sinnes are exposed to the eyes and censures of other men but the secret and inward sinnes of the soule though they make no man else conscious to them yet they agitate and burden the conscience Therefore by the former sence of these words is signified the great benefit of God which we attaine by the bloud and sacrifice of Christ and by the latter is intimated our duty whereto wee are excited and oblieged by so great a benefit And our bodies washed We have already said that this washing of the body must be referred to the washing away of that filth whereby our body stands defiled before God therefore if we receive the last sence of the former words then the Author here puts us in minde of the same thing whereof Paul remembers us 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearely beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God And the Author shewes that it is a most fit and convenient thing to wash the body in this sence because anciently under the Law they who approached to the Sanctuary for the performance of Gods worship must wash their bodies all the difference is that there men understood the carnall staines of sinne but here the spirituall With pure water There is no necessity we should by this allegory thinke any thing answering by name to this water seeing the Author seemes to speake in allusion to the custome used under the Law of washing the body with pure water For comparisons as we have often intimated are subject to many abusions Yet if any man desire a full resemblance we may say that hereby is meant the spirit and doctrine of Christ or that spirituall water wherewith Christ sprinkleth his people not excluding his bloud For this is the pure water for the soule and by it only the filth of sin is washed away They that here understand the water of Baptisme are mistaken For the water of Baptisme is but onely an outward signe and shadow of this washing which here the Author understands wherewith neither can our hearts be sprinkled nor the filth of our vices really washed away Therefore that spirituall Baptisme which doth truly save us must be here understood even that Baptisme which as Peter saith is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh or the outward washing of the body but the answer of a good conscience toward God 1. Pet. 3.21 Which is not effected by any elementary water but only the heavenly and spiritual which washeth the conscience 23. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith He exhorts them to constancy in the profession of the Christian religion because it is not sufficient for us to serve God in heart and other workes unlesse wee also confesse him with the mouth In the Greeke it is the profession of our hope and by the word hope the Author seemes to comprise the whole Christian religion for the Christian religion consisteth chiefly in hope and in a hope most excellent even the hope of immortall life and eternall happines and all the parts and heads are directed and concurre to breed in mens mindes this hope and a holinesse of life sutable to it Hence Peter under the same
accounted as his and be adopted into the number of the twelve Patriarchs to give name and be heads to two of the Tribes And worshipped Here is mentioned another argument or proofe of Jacobs faith in that he worshipped God after that he had bound Joseph to carry his body after his death into the land of Canaan as we reade it Gen 47. For by this worshipping he declared that he wholly confided in God who had promised that land to his posterity and would in due time give them the possession of it Vpon the top of his staffe The vulgar Latin renders this perversly that he worshipped the top of his staffe As if Jacob had worshipped the Scepter of his son Joseph that is Joseph himselfe by reason of the high office and power that Joseph had in Egypt Which interpretation neither agrees to the words of the text in leaving out the particle upon nor to the scope of the Author For what makes this to the declaration of Jacobs faith nay the thing it selfe scemes no way probable The end is the extreme part of a thing but if one end of a thing be the highest and the other the lowest the highest end is the top Which sence must be here understood as partly appeares by the thing it selfe and partly by the Hebrew word Gen. 47. In the Hebrew for top we reade head which by a metaphor signifies the top because the head is the end and highest part of man and consequently of any thing else And for staffe we now reade in the Hebrew bed which fell out because the word Mittah there extant pricked with other vowels signifies a staffe for in the Hebrew Matteh is a staffe and Mittch a bed The Septuagint whom our Author followes reade it Matteh and so translated it staffe otherwise then we now reade it in the Hebrew text Both these readings have a commodious sence For if wee give way to the authority of the Septuagint the sence will be that Jacob when by reason of his age and weakenesse he could not lift up him self by his owne strength stayed and raised himselfe by the top of his staffe the common ayde of old men that he might worship God by bowing his body before him But if we follow the Hebrew text as it is now extant the sence will be That Jacob because he could not raise his body out of his bed therefore he bowed his head forward upon his beds head and so worshipped God For among the people of God it hath beene alwayes the manner of worshipping God by bowing the body or at least the head unto him 22. By faith Ioseph when he dyed made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandement concerning his bones Now he mentions the particular faith of Joseph who when he was dying mentioned the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt and to testifie his beliefe and assurance thereof gave commandement concerning his bones that when they departed out of Egypt toward the promised land they should carry his bones with them He gives commandement concerning his bones and not concerning his body because he knew for certaine either by the spirit of Prophesie or else by the Oracle of God as Abraham his great grandfather did that the Israelites should not very soone after his death depart out of Egypt to take possession of the land of Canaan which God had promised but betweene his death and their departure there would passe such a distance of time that nothing of his body would remaine besides his bones Which thing doth greatly commend the faith of Joseph because though he saw the performance of Gods promises deferred for a long time yet to come yet he neither despised them nor doubted any thing of their verity 23. By faith Moses when he was borne was hid three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper childe The Author being about to bring an example of the faith of Moses doth begin it with the mention of his parents faith which appeared in their hiding of Moses when he was new borne For hence it is manifest that they confided in God that by his helpe the childe should be preserved And their motive to this faith was because they saw the childe was comely or proper that is such a one in whose countenance there appeared an extraordinary and excellent towardnesse and whose very aspect seemed to presage and promise some great matter In the seventh chapter of the Acts ver 20. it is said that he was exceeding faire to God which some Translations render by God that is his beauty came from God or God in a singular manner had made him very faire and beautifull When therefore his parents saw him so they imagined that God would not have it be in vaine that an Infant should be borne of so beautifull and comely countenance And therefore they doubted not but he should be preserved by the singular providence of God so as they also provided as much as lay in their power And the event was answerable to their faith And they were not afraid of the Kings commandement King Pharoah by an Edict had commanded the Egyptians to kill the male children borne of the Israelites after that the Midwives who feared God had refused to execute the like command This command of the King the parents of Moses feared not because they feared not but trusted upon God and his providence that the child which they had hidden should not be discovered and produced to be slaine by the Kings command 24. By faith Moses when he was come to yeares Here he begins to treat of Moses his owne faith and to mention the effects of it whereof the first is that when he was come to yeares he refused to be called the son of Pharoahs daughter Which fact of Moses he further illustrates and amplifies in the following verses In the Greek for come to yeares it is when Moses was become great Which greatnesse may be understood of that dignity which Moses attained in Egypt where he was bred up in the quality of the sonne of Pharoahs daughter For he was learned in all the wisdome of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds as we reade it Acts 7.22 But this greatnesse seemes rather to be referred to the stature of Moses and consequently to his age of mans estate partly because Moses come to yeares is here opposed to Moses when he was borne and pâ—…ly because the Scripture relating the same fact of Moses saith that when he was growne up he went out unto his brethren Exod. 2.11 Or as Stephen 〈…〉 When he was full forty yeares old it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel Acts 7.23 This fact of Moses in refusing to be called the son of the Kings daughter was a hardy attempt not onely to despise and reject so great a dignity such riches and pleasures but also thereby freely to cast himselfe into that