granted and for a ground that Christ is the supreme God because all this testimony out of that Psalm is manifâ—stly spoken of the suprem God but that Christ should be that God is not intimated by any word in all that Psalm And therefore if the Author had taken this for graunted that Christ is the supreme God certainly the Author had discoursed very impertinently and ambiguously to furnish himselfe with such store of arguments and so many Testimonies of Scriptures and those much more obscure then the point to be proved thereby to evince that Christ was better then the angels the Creatour better then the creature This had been to bring proofs no way necessary for a point no way doubtfull seeing all might have been dispatched in one word We must therefore further observe that this Testimony out of Psalme 102. containes three clauses The first concerning the Creation of the world 2. Concerning the destruction of the world 3. Concerning the Duration of God for these three things are the subjects of three verities contained in that Testimonie and all three are spoken supremely and primarily of God the Father But the first can no way be referred to Christ because as is before noted it could not make for the Authors purpose The last referres both to God and Christ for the Duration of Christ is perpetuall and everlasting yet this clause makes nothing for the Authors purpose to prove Christ better then the Angels because for Duration the angels are equall to him seeing they also are immortall and incorruptible perpetuall and everlasting The second clause referres to God supremely and primarily and to Christ subordinately or secondarily for God by Christ will destroy the world God hath given to Christ a transcendent power to destroy and abolish heaven and earth And this makes fully to the Authors purpose and proves Christ clerely better then the angels who have not this power granted to them Now to the words of this Testimony in particular Thou Lord in the beginning God when first he began the world even in the first beginning of â—is visible workes Hast laid the foundation of the earth He alludes to buildings which are raised upon a foundation for the earth is as it were the foundation and ground-work of the world And hee mentions the earth in the first place because in the raising of all buildings men begin from the foundation Now the earth is termed the foundation because it seemes immoveable and fixed as all foundations ought to be And the heavens are the works of thine hands The heavens are all those vast bodies which doe circumvest the earth and one another And they are called heavens plurally because they are built and raised to the height of three regions or stories each above the other The first and lowest heaven is vulgarly called the aire wherein flie the fowles of heaven and therein are the supernall waters that are said to be above in the heavens as clouds raine haile and snow The second or middle heaven is vulgarly called the firmament wherein are all the fires that give light and heat to all the world as the Sunne Moone and Starres The third and highest heaven is called by St. Paul Paradise wherein God and Christ and the angels doe manifest themselves All these are the workes of Gods word and were wrought at his command For God said Let them be and they were so Gen. 1.6 God commanded and they were created Psal 148.5 Yet the Psalmist terms them the works of Gods hands alluding to the speech of the vulgar whose hands and not their words are the instruments of their works which therefore are called the works of their hands Hitherto of the first clause of this Testimony concerning the Creation of the world referred to God onely who only was the Author of it 11. They shall perish Now followes the second Clause of this Testimony concerning the destruction of the world referred to God supremely and primarily but to Christ subordinately and secondarily because the power to destroy the world is given to Christ and therefore principally serves to the Authors purpose to prove him better then the angels They shall perish The heavens and the earth shall perish or be utterly destroyed and abolished as this Author phraseth it afterward in this Epistle chap. 12.27 they shall be removed as things that are concussible and corruptible And as St. Peter saith more expresly 2. Epistle 3.10 The heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also shall be burnt up Now things that passe away and are no where must needs have no being and a thing burnt up must needs perish Here we have a clear testimony that this present world shall be destroyed and abolished For if as some have imagined it shall only be endued with perfecter qualities and be changed into a better state so to remaine under that state how is it said to perish Certainly things changed into a better state to be permanent under that state cannot be said to perish Shall the Saints be said to perish when they are changed from mortall and corruptible creatures to become immortall and incorruptible and be made partakers of a nature and state far more pure and perfect then they had before certainly no. Or if the world shall have a perpetuall permansion or abiding for ever how is it opposed to Gods and Christs permansion or abiding for ever which is the scope of this reasoning as appeares in the words immediatly following But thou remainest and thy yeers shall not fail And they shall wax old as doth a garment The heavens are compared to a garment because as hath been said before they doe circumvest envelop and enwrap the whole earth round about as a garment envolves the body and therefore the attribute of a garment which is to veterate and wax old is by a Metaphor fitly applyed to the heavens Not that the heavens doe insensibly wax old and wear out with length of time as garments usually doe but because at last they shall wholly be abolished therefore they are said to wax old as a garment because a garment waxen old and worn out is at last wholly abolished and cast away For veteration or waxing old is a motion or passage toward destruction and abolition Seeing that which decayeth and waxeth old drawes neere to vanishing away as this Author expresseth it afterward in this Epistle cap. 8. v. 13. But how shall the heavens wax old if they shall be renewed into a better state Is a garment said then to wax old when it is new drest by making it somwhat better and neater 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up When a garment is waxen so old that we have no minde to weare it any longer then wee usually fold it up and lay it aside for properly a garment is a loose vest which we use to weare outwardly over the rest of our clothing and therefore
might say that the Law was published with great terrour insomuch that the earth was shaken with the voice of God whence we may easily gather what a fearfull punishment remaines to the forsakers of the Law To this terrour of the Law he Author opposeth a far greater terror and shews that under the Gospell matters will be far more terrible for not only the earth but heaven it selfe shall be shaken From whence any man may easily perceive that there shall be no place of escape from Gods punishments for them who have been disobedient against the voice of the Gospell For whither shall they flye if the heavens themselves which doe encompasse the earth round about shall be shaken yea shall fall and perish as we are taught in the following verse Whose voice The thunder called the voice of God By the voice of God wee may understand those thunders by whose cracks the Mount quaked and trembled for in severall places of Scripture the thunder is called the voice of God See Job 37.4,5 and Psal 18.13 and Psal 29. per tot Shooke the earth Some part of the earth as Mount Sinai and the plaine adjoyning Whence it appears that under the times of the Gospel there will be another manner of earthquake when not only some one mountaine or some small territory but the whole universall earth shall be shaken and broken to the lowest foundations of it But now he hath promised saying The word now doth not expresse the time of the promise but the time of performance of the thing promised namely the time wherein God will shake both heaven and earth So that now must be referred to the times of the Gospell as the shaking of Mount Sinai was to the times of the Law Therefore the minde of the Author is to say Now under the times of the Gospel God will shake not only the earth but the heaven also as he promised by the Prophet saying Yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven This Prophesie is extant Hag. 2.6 But the Author would speake briefly and speedily expresse the thing in the words of God himselfe as in many passages St. Paul also doth In the Hebrew it is yet once it is a little while i. there yet remaines but a very small time for the fulfilling of that which God there promiseth for the moving of heaven and earth But in the Greek translation of the Septuagint whom hitherto our Author hath followed in the testimonies he hath cited out of Scripture we read it yet once It may be the Septuagint did not read the Hebrew word mead a little while but only achath once But we need not marvell why here the Author would rather follow the Greek translation seeing it suiteth better with the mysticall sense of the Prophets words For in the literall sense these words containe a Prophesie that it should come to passe that God would move heaven and earth by raising up divers countries and nations who should come to the Temple at Jerusalem and bring with them the desire of all Nations that is that which is desireable and precious among all Nations namely silver and gold to adorne the Temple of God as it is explicated in the words following But because these words of moving heaven and earth are more magnificent then only to contain so narrow a sense therefore we must needs conceive that they carry some other more proper sense namely that God shall really shake heaven and earth to which sense the Greeke translation as we said better agrees For it cannot be but in a qualified manner that the time should be called a little while which is extended from this Prophesie to the end of the world If any demand how it can be said that God will yet once more shake heaven and earth seeing hee never shooke heaven before Wee answer It is said because the earth is there mentioned which God did shake before namely at the publishing of the Law Not the earth only but also heaven The Hebrew text hath it simply the heaven and the earth but the Author would rather speake thus that he might more fitly and evidently oppose that shaking which shall come to passe in the times of the Gospel to that shaking which fell out at the publishing of the Law that now under the Gospell not the earth only as then it was but also the heaven it selfe shall be shaken 27. And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken From the words yet once more the Author gathers what manner of shaking shall come upon heaven and earth and saith that those words doe signifie or declare the removing of the things that are shaken By removing is signified the abolition or destruction of heaven and earth for those things that are wholly abolished and destroyed are extremely removed not only from their former place but from all place See chap. 7. ver 12. That are shaken is put for that shall be shaken the present tense for the future a forme of speech usuall among the Hebrews especially the Prophets But how doe the words yet once more signifie that heaven and earth shall bee so shaken that by their shaking they shall be removed or abolished They signifie it by this reason that if heaven and earth should remaine after this shaking it scarce seems possible but that they must be once shaken againe yea it must necessarily be so if as it appears from other words of the Prophets heaven and earth must one day be abolished for then at the least when they are abolished they must be shaken and so they shall be shaken not yet once more but twice It is therefore manifest that these words yet once more do signifie such a shaking of heaven and earth as shall be accompanied with their removing or abolishing And hence also it is plaine that this Epistle was written in Greek seeing this collection of the Author is grounded only upon the Greek translation for in the Hebrew text it cannot take place unlesse as we said the word Mead a little while be expunged which at this day is read in all copies and seems necessary to the literall sense As of things that are made He inserts the cause which argues and shews the removing or abolishing of heaven and earth that in due time it shall certainly come to passe namely because they are things made But the words things made in this place must needs bee taken somewhat strictly For even that heaven which shall not be shaken was made and our future glorious and heavenly bodies shall be made Therefore things made do in this place signifie those things that were made of some grosse and corporeall matter as are all things of this creation as the Author speaks before chap. 9.11 or else which were made of such matter which receives a forraine forme besides and beyond her naturall inclination for matter receiving such a forme suffers a kinde of violence and
thereupon naturally of her owne accord inclines to the removing and abolishing of it as are all things artificiall that are made by art from which the Author seems here to draw a tacit resemblance So the form and beauty of this whole world was by the power of God induced into that Chaos which is described by Moses in the beginning of Genesis seeing therefore that heaven and earth were made by inducing a forraine forme into a grosse matter that was before rude void and darke beside and above her naturall capacity therefore their forme shall bee shaken off and removed and consequently they shall bee abolished That those things which cannot be shaken may remaine That things immutable only may remaine alone by themselves Now they are not onely things immutable which cannot be shaken but also mutable which shall be shaken But after that all things mutable which are to be shaken shall be shaken and removed then shall remaine onely things immutable which are not to be shaken nor shall be shaken By these words is noted of things mutable not the proper end for which they had being but the event or end of their being whereby their being shall cease And the Author added this to shew that when heaven and earth shall be removed or abolished yet there shall be remaining a most ample and spacious mansion for the righteous as S. Peter also testifieth and calleth it a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse 2 Pet. 3.13 But by these words the Author makes way to a new argument whereby he excites and exhorts the Hebrewes to faith and constancy in the Christian Religion by subjoyning 28. Wherefore we receiving a kingdome which cannot be moved or shaken The kingdome here is both the place it selfe and also the blessed state or happinesse of them that inhabit it And this kingdome cannot be moved or shaken not in respect of Gods power for God who is Almighty hath might and power sufficient to move and shake even that new heaven and new earth as Peter calls it but because God hath no will ever to shake yea it is his will it should never be shaken and because of it owne nature it is no way propense or inclinable to be shaken but is finally immutable and what is so of that it may well be said that it cannot be shaken in which sence the Angels are immortall and so shall wee be one day We receiving i. accepting and embracing it with our soule and bearing a firme faith to the promises of it which are contained in the Christian Religion and so apprehending it as it were with our hand upon Gods offer of it unto us Let us have grace Have is here put for retaine or hold unlesse by grace here some man would understand a thankfull minde which sence notwithstanding doth not so well fit the place especially seeing in the holy Scriptures to have grace doth not signifie to have a thankfull minde but rather to give thanks See 1 Tim. 1.12 and 2 Tim. 1.3 which sence doth not so well agree with the words following Whereby wee may serve God Grace Grace therefore in this place as also elsewhere doth rather signifie either the doctrine of Christ full of Gods grace as when John saith that grace came by Iesus Christ John 1.17 where he opposeth grace to the Law and S. Peter writes that he testifies that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand 1 Pet. 5.12 where he meanes that the doctrine which they had received touching the grace of God was true Or it signifies the favour of God whereto God admitted us under the new Covenant promising us eternall life and his heavenly kingdome which divine favour is termed by Paul the grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men T it 2.11 which in the following Chapter ver 4. he calls the kindenesse and love of God So that to have grace is to retaine the doctrine of the Gospel which containes the grace and favour of God toward us Whereby wee may serve God acceptably That is according to his prescript if by grace we understand the doctrine of Christ or by his instinct if wee will have it signifie the favour of God May serve In the Originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may worship which word sometime in holy Scripture is taken largely and generally for all that honour which by holy offices we performe publiquely unto God whether by way of worship with holy reverences or by way of service with prayers praises or thanksgivings and such like yea sometime this word is further amplified and extended to all works of piety because under the new Covenant all pious works are accounted spirituall sacrifices But how the word worship is sometime taken more strictly and so opposed to service and what are the differences betweene them two we have formerly explicated chap. 9. ver 1. and see chap. 9.14 Acceptably Our worship and service of God and our workes of piety must not be done loosely after any manner but in such a manner onely as is acceptable and pleasing to God because all service must be pleasing to the person to whom it is done for otherwise it is disservice Therefore our worship and service of God must not now be legall by carnall sacrifices which while the Law was of force were not very pleasing unto him as hath beene shewed but spirituall and evangelicall by holy reverences prayers praises and thanksgivings neither must it be perfunctory lame or may med but entire serious and ardent With reverence and godly feare He shews the manner and way how to make our worship and service acceptable and pleasing unto God namely if we worship and serve him with modesty and reverence In the Greeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifie with modesty and reverence Modesty or bashfulnesse is an affection whereby we feare to displease a man and thereby to diminish his good esteeme of us and it extends it selfe to the least circumstances that seeme to containe any appearance of indecency even to those things which deserve neither punishment nor blame For modesty requires us to avoid all indecencies or if they cannot be avoyded but either are or have beene done to cover them that they may not appeare to others least thereby wee lessen our esteeme with them to whom they appeare But be case modesty though it be a very tender affection yet for the most part doth not incite and move us so vehemently therefore to modesty the Author adjoynes reverence which is a more potent affection for reverence is an intense or graduated feare when feare is in some degree augmented beyond his ordinary state as Charity is an intense love more then ordinary And this reverence doth properly respect a person that is superiour unto us and either hath power to benefit us or at least a right to punish us For feare as it respects a person is properly that affection whereby we beware of
thou art my son He confirms his former reason by a testimony from Scripture Psal 2.7 Why Christ hath a more excellent Name then Angels Because God gave Christ the Name or title of Sonne which is a title of honour above that of Angels whose name or title signifies them to be the Messengers or Legats of God The Angels in generall are some time in Scripture called the Sons of God as Iob 1.6 But God on his part never calls them so in generall much lesse doth he single out any one peculiar Angel apart from the rest to entitle him by the name or Son But God entitles Christ by that Name Thou art my Sonne thou and no other person properly For the Pronoune thou is here put exclusively to sequester all other persons beside from the participation of that name as a proper and personall title Indeed as the Angels in generall so all Christians are in common called the Sonnes of God but Christ onely is so called peculiarly personally and singularly This day have I begotten thee He confirms why Christ is singularly entituled and named the Sonne of God because God after a singular manner hath begotten him i. Raised him from the dead for in Davids Psalmes from whence this testimonie is taken extream dangers resemble death and made him most resemblant and like to God himselfe by giving him Immortality and universall Royalty to bee King over his people For this generating or begetting of Christ hath respect to his Resurrection and Ascension for so Saint Paul expresly refers it Acts 13.33 Not that Christ was not begotten or not called the Sonne of God before his Resurrection but because by his Resurrection he was most assimilated and made semblant unto God by being made an immortall and universall King whereby he had the highest degree under God therefore God is said to have then begotten him and then to call him his Sonne For God is called God by reason of his supream power and dominion whereof they also are called Gods and the sons of God that have power and dominion and the greater their power is or the nearer it resembles Gods power so much the rather and more neerly are they his sonnes And he is most of all his Sonne whose power and dominion is made either the same with Gods or equall to it Christ was the Sonne of God before his Resurrection for during his prophetick function he was a great Potentate and wrought powerfull miracles but after his Resurrection upon his Regall office he became most neerly and highly the Sonne of God because then God made him an immortall and universall Potentate for then all Power was given him in heaven and earth Mat. 28.18 This day It is an Hebraisme frequently added to speeches wherein some remarkable matter is either done or given or promised or commanded as in this place to the end that day might be kept in memory or as it were remaine for a day of Commemoration that the action of that day might be kept in perpetual remembrance See Gen. 4.14 Jer. 1.10 and many places in Deuteronomie And againe I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Sonne Hee confirmes that Christ is the Son of God from another testimony of Scripture 2. Sam. 7.14 which was literally spoken of by Solomon as the former testimony of David but both mystically of Christ Intimating the deare love and affection of God toward him whereupon it must needs follow that Christ must be exalted to a most excellent state and condition above all other persons And as these words were spoken of Solomon futurely before hee was borne and indeed the Sonne of God so also of Christ 6. And again when he bringeth in Another testimonie of Scripture to prove Christ better then the Angels because all the Angels are commanded to worship him which must needs follow upon the state and condition of his filiation For all servants must worship or reverence their masters sonne and heire especially then when his father had made over his inheritance or estate unto him This testimonie is taken out of 97. Psalme whereof the inscription in the Septuagint is A Psalme of David when the land was restored unto him namely when his kingdome was restored after his expulsion from it by Absolon but mystically meant of Christ And therefore againe may well be referred to his bringing in For after Christ was expelled the world by his death and buriall God brought him into the world againe by his Resurrection in raising him from the grave The first begotten Christ is the first begotten Sonne of God because God begot him before all his other sonnes who are called the brethren of Christ for God first begot Christ in that manner wherein God is said to beget sons for those he begets whom he assimilates and makes like unto himselfe and so Christ was the first that was assimilated or made like unto God in holinesse in such holinesse as he requires in the new Covenant Secondly Christ is the first begotten of God by his Resurrection because by the power of God hee was raised and brought in againe from death to an immortall life for which cause hee is called the first begotten from the dead and the first fruits of them that slept 1. Cor. 15.20 Lastly he is the first begotten in all things whatsoever whereby the faithfull of Christ become the sons of God for Christ hath preceded them all that as St. Paul speakes he in alâ— things might have the preeminence Col. 1.18 Into the world First to be upon the earth a while after his Resurrection from the grave but chiefly when he brought him into heaven which is the superiour and future world and seated him at his right hand for then Christ became the Lord and head over men and angels and till then the angels worshipped him not For in this sence the Apostle here takes the world as himselfe shewes in the next cap. ver 5. where he saith thaâ— the world to come is the world whereof he spake And let all the angels of God worship him The words are Imperative laying a Command upon all the angels of God none excepted to worship Christ and therefore it followes that Christ is made much better then the angels In the Hebrew of the Psalme it is Worship him all ye Gods where the word Gods is opposed to Idols which were the Heathen Gods whose woâ—shippers are there commanded to be ashamed and againe to those Idols Christ is opposed who not onely is not an Idol but so true a God that all other Gods who are not idols must worship him But because by Gods there we can understand none but the Angels therefore the Septuagint translâ—tes it the Angels of God whom this divine Author followes Worship him Vse divine reverence before him and unto him by standing up bowing downe and falling downe before him in â—he very same manner that is done or due to God himself Because Christ sustaines the
person of God and commands all things in the Name of God and therefore in Christ God himselfe is worshipped And the execution of this Command that the Angels doe really performe this worship appeares in the Revelation where they are said to stand round about the Throne and to fall downe before the Throne on their faces to worship Christ Revel 7.11 7. And of the Angels he saith A third argument from the testimony of Scripture Psal 104.4 to prove Christ made better then the angels Who maketh his angels spirits This is not spoken of their Creation but of their Emission that God employeth them as his Emissaries or Messengers to shew their state and condition to be servants unto God wherein they greatly differ from the state of Christ sitting at Gods right hand and is not sent forth any whether And his Ministers a flaming fire Herein the Author aimes at no more then what he saith at the last verse of this Chapter that they are all Ministring spirits saving that he alludes from the Psalme to the manner of their Ministery which is like a spirit or a winde very forcible and yet invisible and like a flaming fire or lightning very penetrable subtile and agile moving almost in an instant from one part of heaven to another 8. But unto the Sonne he saith Thy Throne O God! Herein hee opposeth Christ to the Angels and preferres him above them from a testimony of Scripture Psal 45.6 which is literally spoken of Solomon but mystically of Christ And therein Solomon is said to have a throne and called God for the royalty of his throne and sublimitie of his power over Gods people And therefore Christ of whom Solomon was but a shadow is by a farre greater right called God because the Throne of Christ is farre more royall in being seated at the right hand of God And consequently Christ is farre better and superiour to the Angels as the King sitting on his throne is greater then his servants that minister unto him Is for ever and ever Solomons throne or kingdome is said to be everlasting or perpetuall because hee was promised to reigne in his person and in his posteritie after him for many ages Namely so long as the carnall and earthly state of Gods people should require an earthly King See Psal 89.28,29 and verse 36 37. For that Solomons posteritie were deprived of the kingdom before the coming of Christ which notwithstanding was restored in Christ though after a more divine and spirituall manner that hapned through the soule sinnes of his posteritie which God neither would nor could any longer tolerate Seeing God put this Article or condition in the Covenant which he made with David and his posteritie that his posterity should observe his Law See 1. Chron. 28.7 But this perpetuity of throne or kingdome agrees farre more eminently unto Christ because Christ was made immortall to live for ever and to raigne in his owne person for ever without any posterity to succeed him and he is to raigne so long as the people of God shall need such a King which Throne must needs last to the end of the world till all his enemies be destroyed And consequently the Throne or Kingdome of Christ is most properly and truely everlasting for ever and ever A Scepter of righteousnes is the Scepter of thy Kingdome Scepter is figuratively put for government because it is the ensigne of Royall government and Scepter of righteousnes is by an Hebraisme put for a righteous government Literally Solomons government was very just righteous and mystically the government of Christ is most just and righteous over the faithfull who are Gods people 9. Thou hast loved righteousnes and hated iniquity These words doe but amplifie and illustrate the former Literally Solomon did not only governe righteously but loved to doe it and hated to doe the contrary And mystically Christ loved it much more for he committed no iniquity nor sinne at all he never did any man injury nor suffers it to be done unpunished Therefore God hath anointed thee with the oile of gladnesse He alludes to the anointing of Kings or rather to the anointing of guests at feasts which was an ancient custome because oyle doth exhilerate and refresh the spirits and cheer up the minde especially being perfumed with some sweet odour And therefore Oyle of gladnes is an Hebraisme put for exhilerating and cheering oile To this custome the Psalmist relates Psal 23.5 and our Saviour Matt. 6.17 and Luke 7.46 The literall sence is God did entertain Solomon more delicately then other men endowing him with extraordinary gifts and graces particularly with these three Wisedom Riches and Glory for he gave him his owne asking and that besides which hee asked not See 1. Kings 3.5 for his extraordinarie wisedome See 1. Kings 3.12 and 1. Kings 4.29 for his Riches and Glory See 1. Kings 3.13 and 1. Kings 10.21 to the end of the chapter The mysticall sence is That as God was the God of Solomon to endow him so he was the God of Christ also who endowed Christ anointing him with the holy Ghost and with spirituall graces in farre more extraordinary manner for spirituall wisedom whereby he knew the secrets of God and the thoughts of men with spirituall riches which is holinesse and righteousnsse with spirituall power and glory to have dominion over all men and angels See Luk. 1.15 and Luk. 4.1 and Luk 2.40 and Mat. 12.42 and Joh. 1.14 and Joh. 1.16 Above thy fellows The literall sence is Solomons brethren who were the rest of Davids children were cheerfully anointed or blessed of God with Wisedom Riches and Honours but Solomon was blessed above them all in a singular and eminent degree and advanced by God to the Kingdome of Israel before and above them so that all they were not onely rejected from the Crowne but made subject to him The Mysticall sence is All the faithfull like Solomons fellowes or brethren are begotten from the same Father that Christ is begotten and are anointed with the holy Ghost and have many things common with Christ yet notwithstanding Christ is anointed by God above all the faithful hath an immence measure power of the holy Ghost powred upon him especially after his resurrection from the dead when he was totally sanctified and advanced to be King and Lord over the faithful 10 And thou Lord c. A fourth Argument to prove Christ better then the Angels taken from a testimonie of Scripture Psal 102. vers 25 26 27. And here wee must note that this Testimony doth so farre onely belong to Christ as it conduceth to the scope of the Author which as appeares at the fourth verse of this chapter is to prove that Christ after that he was seated at the right hand of God was made better then the angels To which purpose the Creation of heaven and earth makes nothing at all For that cannot be referred to Christ unlesse the Author had taken it for
being laid aside is usually solded up Hence it appeares that at last the time shall come that the heavens shall no longer circumvest or enwrap the earth and therefore must needs be destroyed and abolished And they shall be changed What change must here be understood moe have shewed before namely a destruction abolition or perishing a change not for the better but for the worse a change from being to not being as a garment waxen old and thereupon folded up becomes changed for the worse till first it fall into clouts and ragges and at last rots quite away Hitherto of the second Clause of this testimony concerning the destruction of the world referred primarily by the Psalmist to God but secondarily and subordinatly by this Author to Christ by whose power under God this destruction shall be made and thereby is proved to be better then the angels But thou remainest Now follows the third Clause of this testimony referred both to God and Christ as the second Clause was yet we shall speak of it only in reference to Christ because the main purpose of the Author in this Clause is to prove not that Christ herein is better then the angels but to shew upon the by that the Duration of Christs person and Kingdom doth not only exceed the age of the world which shall be destroyed but shall be everlasting and perpetuall remaining for ever The world shall not remaine but shall cease to be But Christ shall remaine and never cease to bee but if the world be Innovated into a better state to remaine ever under that state wherein shall stand the opposition betweene the Duration of the world and Christ certainly in nothing Thou art the same The heavens and earth shall not be the same alwayes but at last shall be changed from being to not being But Christ once seated at the right hand of God continues alwayes the same and shall be the same everlastingly And thy yeares shall not fail The world had a beginning and then her years began but because she shall be destroyed and abolished therefore her yeares shall faile and come to an end Christ also had a beginning of his age and yeares but because hee is now immortall therefore his yeares shall never have an end but shall run forth in to eternity and last everlastingly 13. But to which of the angels said he at any time The fift and last Argument to prove Christ better and greater then the angels taken from a testimony of Scripture Psal 110.1 Shewing that God never vouchsafed them that high dignity and degree of honour as to sit at his right hand Sit on my right hand The meaning of this phrase see before in this chapter verse 3. For so great a dominion and power as to correigne with God over all things in heaven and earth was never granted to any of the angels Vntill I make thine enemies thy footstool Here is declared the expiration and terme of that spirituall Kingdome which Christ now administers upon earth and such a terme as therewithall shewes one of the greatest and most excellent effect of that Kingdome In so much as it is no marvell his Kingdome should determine after the production of that effect All which tends to the highest commendation of that Kingdome For if Christ had obtained that Kingdom for some short time or should relinquish it before he had destroyed and abolished all his enemies much would bee wanting to the dignitie of his Kingdome The terme therefore unto which the Kingdom of Christ must be produced which also is a most glorious effect of his Kingdome is expressed when God saith untill I make thine enemies thy footstoole By enemies here we must understand not onely the adversaries to the person of Christ who once reproached and crucified him or since to this day blaspheme and oppose him but also all things adverse and hurtfull to the people of Christ who are the faithfull Of which enemies the chiefest is death so far forth as it doth hurt or may hurt the faithfull who are the people of Christ as the Apostle teacheth 1. Cor. 15.26 For the death which domineers and remaines upon the ungodly and unbeleevers shall not be abolished because their death is no enemy unto Christ but militant and subservient unto him in doing the worke upon which he employes it And the enemies of Christ are then made his footstoole when they are so fully conquered that all power of doing hurt is taken from them or as St. Paul expounds it 1. Cor. 15.26 when they are destroyed and abolished And God is said to put Christs enemies downe not that Christ shall be no agent in that action but because God gives Christ the power to performe it and Christ shall execute it by vertue of that power that is given him As in the Scripture 1. Kings 5.3 God is said to have put Davids enemies under his feet yet David was not idle in the wars but very active Or as some King when his enemies were conquered should say that God had subdued them unto him because God had given him power and courage to performe it For that Christ also himselfe shall subdue his enemies it plainly appeares from the words of St. Paul 1. Cor. 15.24 and Phil. 3.21 14. Are they not all ministring spirits They i. the Angels In the former verse having shewed the Sublimity and Maiesty of Christ in his seat at Gods right hand and in the victory over his enemies he now on the other part opposeth the condition of the angels that the great dignity of him above them may evidently appeare Christ doth sit and he sits at the right hand of God i. he raignes as a King and the manner of Kings is to sit But all the angels none excepted are ministring spirits i. waiting spirits and the manner of waiters is to stand and appeare and be sent forth at his command upon whom they wait Sent forth to minister The angels are Gods messengers and ministers for they are sent forth and the end of their sending forth is to minister or doe service What ministery or service that is hee will presently shew and withall will intimate how long their ministery shall last namely till the persons for whose sake they minister shall attaine salvation For them who shall be heires of salvation The angels are properly ministers unto God and Christ for properly a man ministers unto him that hath a right to command him though his ministery or service be many times performed for the use and behoofe of another So the angels are ministers not unto the Saints and heires of salvation but for the Saints i. for the benefit and commodity of the Saints they minister unto Christ for the vse of the Saints and then they minister to the Saints when they are sent for the custody and guard of their bodies and soules to provide for their safety in both respects For seeing Satan and the other devils doe not only pursue and
hurt the bodies of men but their soules also so likewise wee beleeve it the office of the angels to protect not the bodies onely of the Saints but their soules also Satan hath power to inject evill thoughts into the mindes of men and to incite them to divers sinnes whom therefore the Scripture makes the Author and Parent of all sinne who workes effectually in the children of disobedience whom shee calls the Prince and god of this world who put it into the heart of Judas to betray Christ and into the heart of Ananias to lie unto the holy Ghost Now if Satan can doe this why cannot good angels inject good thoughts and by divers objects draw the minde to that which is acceptable unto God And when an angel is sent to deliver a man from danger he commonly delivers him no otherwise then by casting into his thoughts some advice or counsell whereby he may decline the danger or by putting some thought upon his adversary whereby to divert him from his entended enterprise Neither are wee to understand that the angels are sent forth only and soly for this end to minister to the Saints but that is the principall and chiefe end for many times the emissions redound to the benefit and profit of others both persons and kingdomes but especially concerning the affaires of the Church whereof Christ is Lord and Protector The Contents of this first Chapter 1. Doctrine Christ is greater then any of the Prophets Reason 1. Because God hath spoken by Christ in these last dayes verse 2. 2. Because Christ is appointed heire of all things eod 3. Because by him God made the new world eod 2. Doctrine Christ is greater then any of the high Priests verse 3. Reason 1. Because Christ is the brightnes of Gods glory and the expresse image of his person eod 2. Because Christ hath expiated our sinnes by himselfe even by his owne blood eod 3. Because Christ is now set downe at the right hand of Gods Majesty on high eod 3. Doctrine Christ is much greater then the Angels verse 4. Reason 1. Because Christ hath a greater name then they for he is called and is the true Son of God verse 4. 5. 2. Because the Angels are his subjects and servants for they must worship him and minister unto him verse 6. 7. 3. Because Christ hath a kingdome of righteousnes with a Throne and Scepter of righteousnes verse 8. 9. 4. Because Christ hath power finally to destroy and abolish this visible world and at the last day shall actually destroy it verse 11. 12. 5. Because Christ sitteth on Gods right hand on the Throne of God whereas the Angels minister and wait verse 13. 14. CHAPTER II. 1. THerefore Because wee have formerly proved that Christ is far more excellent then the Angels We ought to give the more earnest heed greater attention diligence and care To the things which we have heard to the doctrines precepts and promises of the Gospel the Author whereof who first published it upon earth was a person far more excellent then the Angels who published the Law upon Mount Sinai as the Author subjoynes it afterward at the third verse Least at any time we should let them slip He here expresseth the scope and end of their earnest attention and heed not to decline or revolt from the Gospel of Christ and he alludes to a leaking vessell that lets the liquor run out Now then we let the Gospel slip and run from us when either we forget it or give no further credit to it or neglect the precepts of it to conforme our lives to the holy rules therein delivered For when the Gospel hath not the force upon our soules to make us obedient to the rules of it then it may be said to leake or slip away from us 2. For if the word spoken by Angels He begins to bring a reason why we should take earnest heed that the Gospel slip not from us by an argument à mineri for if God punished the transgression of the Law which was lesse much more them of the Gospel which is greater The Law was the word or speech of God for God spake it to the people partly by himselfe and partly by Moses see Exod. 20.1 and in the same Chapter ver 22. Yet God spake not the Law either to Moses or the people immediately by himselfe but by the mediation and meanes of Angels who published and proclaimed it upon Mount Sinai see for confirmation hereof Acts 7.53 and Gal. 3.19 The Law therefore being published but by Angels is farre inferiour to the Gospel which was published by Christ a person greater then the Angels Hence we may collect two verities 1. That God truly and properly did not descend downe upon Mount Sinai and there publish the Law but an Angel susteining the Name and person of God published it in the Name of God For if God himselfe besides the Angels and accompanied with them had descended from heaven into the Mount to publish the Law then not onely the Authors argument had beene void but also the contrary must needs be concluded That the Law in this respect was more excellent then the Gospel because God himselfe who exalted Christ and made him head over the Angels came from heaven to earth and did publish the Law but the Gospel was published but by him who was exalted by God from earth to heaven 2. The second verity is That the Lord who published the Law upon the Mount was not the Sonne of God in the person of his deity For if the Law were given by the Son of God how can this Author affirme it was delivered by Angels and in that respect make it inferiour to the Gospel Or how is it at all inferiour to the Gospel in respect of the publishing if both it and the Gospel were published by one and the same person Was stedfast The Law was ratified and established made stedfast and firme when it was strengthened with power and force for obedience and supported with judgements and punishments against the transgressors of it For when a Law is but a bare precept and hath no penalty annexed to it then it is infirme and weake but when it is fortified with penalties then it is made stedfast and becomes a sanction for thereupon men dare not so easily violate and breake it And every transgression and disobedience The Law was made stedfast for this end that it might be fortified and supported against every transgression and disobedience whereby men would presume to breake it A transgression is a sin against an expresse and knowne Law for every transgression is a sin but every sin is not a transgression yet every sin may become a transgression namely if it be forbidden by an expresse and knowne Law Otherwise where there is no Law to be transgressed there can be no transgression A disobedience is a transgression done with malice and contumacy for as a transgression is one kinde of sin so
up in the Psalme But in the mysticall sence the particle all must be left wholly to his absolute universality and full amplitude for all things both in heaven and earth namely all creatures whatsoever are put in subjection under Christ because from the universality of Christs dominion God onely is excepted who did put all things besides in subjection under Christ 1 Cor. 15.27 For in that he put all be left nothing not put under him In these and the words immediately following the Author discovers and teacheth us that this place of the Psalme must be understood of some other man then an earthly man For the words being absolutely uttered are a cleere argument that the holy Ghost would have them taken in some other sence altogether universally in which latitude S. Paul also takes them 1 Cor. 15.27 In so much that in them the world to come is also comprehended And taking the words universally who sees not that during this mortall life they cannot be verified and fulfilled of a mortall man And therefore the Author immediatly addes But now we see not yet all things put under him Now while man lives this present and mortall life not yet not from the beginning of the world to this present time we see not all things universally made subject to any mortall man when notwithstanding man was made lesse or lower then the Angels but for a little time as wee shewed before And therefore the fulfilling of these words that all things universally even the world to come should be subject to man cannot be meant of any mortall man but of some man translated to immortality Yet who that immortall man should be the Author hath not hitherto declared But in the following verse he shews that it is Jesus Christ translated to immortality Whence it appeares that if we respect the mysticall sence of the words in this Psalme they must be taken principally and properly of Christ but of Christians onely respectively and as it were proportionably For no one of the faithfull shall solely and singly possesse all things but all joyntly as coheires shall possesse all things yet not all the faithfull joyntly shall possesse all things universally though ye sever them from Christ their head for they shall not have dominion over the Angels but Christ onely shall possesse all things universally for he only shall rule over the Angels that hath dominion over the faithfull And yet againe there is one person excepted from the dominion of Christ and that is God the Father who hath given to Christ his universall dominion 9. But we see Iesus who was made a little lower then the Angels Here he declares who that man was in whom the words of the Psalme were to be fulfilled namely that Jesus Christ was the man to whom all things universally and therefore the world to come was to be subject and therewithall makes way to handle the Priesthood of Christ And hence now it appeares that in this there is no absurdity or repugnancy to truth that he who in respect of his mortall nature was a little lower for a little time then the Angels should be exalted to become much higher then they for ever after Yea seeing the Scripture testifies that the man who was lesse then the Angels must become Lord of all who sees not that the exaltation of the man Christ far above all the orders of Angels doth excellently agree with Scripture And hereby the Author removes the absurdity that seemes in this That Christ a man should become far greater then the Angels and be said to be their Lord. For the suffering of death The Reason or cause why Christ for a little time was made a little lower then the Angels was this that he might suffer death And this was not the formall cause of his lownesse for he was not made lower then Angels in this respect by his suffering death an evill which they suffer not though it be true that he was also lower therein But the formall cause of his lownesse was his mortall nature in respect whereof he was made for a little while a little lower then the Angels And the finall cause of his lownesse in that mortall nature was actuall death for he was made in a mortall nature to this end that he might suffer death under it for unlesse his nature had beene dyable he could not have dyed Christ was made a mortall man whereby for a little while he was a little lower then the Angels but why to what end was he not at first made immortall but mortall It was to this end that he might be passive to suffer death for had he beene at first made immortall he could not have dyed We see him crowned with glory and honour Christ hath now an universall dominion over all not onely over this visible and present world and all the creatures here but also over the invisible and future world and all the creatures there which is a crowne or highest degree of glory and honour to him whereto he was exalted after his suffering of death And though it be most true that his suffering of death was the cause or occasion of his exaltation to glory for Paul expresly so affirmes it Phil. 2.8,9 Yet in this place the Author here intends not to speake of Christs death as the cause of his glory as appeares by the words here following For in what sence can it be said that Christ because he suffered death he was crowned with glory and honour that he should taste death for every man as if after his crowning with glory he suffered or were to suffer death But here his intent is to shew Christs death for the order of it that for time it was antecedent to his glory and his glory for time was consequent after his death We see him crowned We see him so by faith with the eyes of our soule and not by sence or the eyes of our body for we beleeve it from the pregnant testimonies of the holy Ghost in the Scriptures That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man To taste death is to dye for a little time as for a day or two as Christ did for when we take but a little of a thing then we are said to taste of it The final cause why Christ in nature was for a little while a little lower then the Angels was this That he might suffer death And the super-finall cause why he suffered death was this That his death might be propitious and salutiferous to men For the glory of God and the salvation of men required it that the Prince of salvation should taste of death to bring men to salvation yea God had so decreed Now that he might bring men to salvation by this meanes i. By suffering of death he must by nature be a mortall man and not an Angel because by nature Angels are immortall and naturally cannot dye And the efficient cause of both these subordinate finals
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
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
then offer for this end that he might be saved from death which as wee have cleared from the words of the Authour was indeed the end of his offering Besides being in heaven he offered himselfe immaculate and therefore had no need to offer for himselfe there Wherefore Christ offered one way for himselfe and another way for us for for himselfe hee offered prayers on earth for us he offered himselfe in heaven for himselfe when yet he was mortall or in the dayes of his flesh for us when he was made an immortall and eternall Spirit And was heard The effect and issue of these prayers offered was this that he was delivered and saved not from death for hee suffered it and dyed but out of death from whence he was raised For whom God heareth praying in that manner him he delivers and frees though not from his misery before he suffer it yet out of it after hee hath suffered So speakes David as a type of Christ Psal 22.21 Thou hast heard mee from the hornes of the Vnicornes i. as learned men have noted thou hast heard to save me from extreame dangers So that the word heard is taken here Metonymically to include the effect of his hearing hee was heard and saved In that he feared Hee was saved from or out of the thing hee feared namely out of death The originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some take for a passionate feare the object whereof here in Christ was death and so by a Metonymie feare is here put for death the act for the object or thing to be feared For of all terrours death is most terrible and fearfull and this feare was the cause of his prayers and supplications at least of the cryes and teares wherewith they were offered And then this example of Christ may teach us partly with what fervency of soule we must implore the help of God in the times of our distresses partly what things especially we must pray for partly wherein that opportune help chiefly consists whereof the Author spake in the end of the former chapter namely in this that Christ saveth us out of death into eternall life Others take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a reverentiall or religious feare for this sence is set in the margent of our last translation that he was heard for his pietie And then the object of his pietie reverence or fear was God to whom he prayed And so this feare of God was the proper motive to this offering of Christ and to all the circumstances of his offering His offering it selfe proceeded from his pietie or feare of God for every offering is an act of pietie His prayers and supplications proceeded from it for prayer also is an act of pietie his cryes and teares proceeded from it for they also are concurrents of pietie and fervent devotion His exaudition in being heard of God proceeded from it for Gods hearing of our prayers is the fruit of our pietie and devotion seeing God heareth not impious and sinfull persons but such as are pious to reverence and worship him and doe his will those hee heareth John 9.31 The prayers of Christ were supplications i. as before is noted petitions exhibited upon the knees with great worship and reverence given to God His prayers in the garden were such supplications performed with great worship and reverence bowing toward God for first hee fell upon his knees and afterward hee went more humbly and fell upon his face And his prayers on the crosse were supplications also as the Author termeth them and therefore performed with reverent bowing also such as was possible for Christ to use in that case being stretched and nailed upon the crosse where because he could not bow his knees therefore as the Sacred story relates it hee bowed his head when hee cryed and commended his spirit unto God Which bowing of his head was not a simple act of a dying man as some Interpreters slightly passe it over but an act of worship and reverence of a pious man that was making his offering unto God by prayers and supplications adding cryes and teares and all religious meanes for exaudition that God might heare him Wherefore it carries a very congruous sence to say that Christ was heard for his pietie i. for the feare and reverence he used toward God in his prayers and supplications for fear is the inward motion of the soule from which the outward worship and reverend bowings of the body do proceed And these outward reverences of bowing the head bowing the body and bowing the knees are acts of worship unto God which have beene used by Gods people in all ages of the world For bowing the head See Gen. 24.26.48 and Exod. 4.31 and Exod. 12.27 and Exod. 34.8 and 1. Chro. 29.20 and 2. Chro. 20.18 and 2. Chro. 29.30 and Nehem. 8.6 Hence it appeares also from this example of Christ that our prayers and supplications unto God should proceed from inward piety and fear of God and should be offered unto him with outward worship and reverence accompanyed with cryes and teares in times of extreme distresses if we mean to have exaudition that God should graciously heare us 8. Who though he were a son Christ by the evils which he suffered became such a one as to have compassion on those who labour to obey God through difficulties and sufferings Hee learned obedience He learned what it is to obey God what a difficult and harsh duty it is how bitter and unpleasing to flesh and blood For in this place hee takes obedience for that part of obedience which is seene in difficult and hard cases such as are these to be afflicted and suffer death for the justice and truth of God Yet I conceive the word obedience is here to be understood more literally and derivatively from audience for a giving of audience Christ who upon his prayers and supplications made to God with cryes and teares to save him from death had audience of God and was heard therein did therby learne to give audience and hearing to his people when in their distresses they offer up prayers and supplications with cryes and teares to him thereby to have compassion on them and deliver them from their distresses For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here fitly renderd obedience doth carry an elegant symploce of sence both of audience to heare another what he would have done and of obedience to doe the thing which he hath heard And that very act of compassion in Christ in hearing the distressed though it be his audience to them yet it is his obedience to God who ordained a high Priest for that function By the things that hee suffered In the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of or from the things that he suffered so it is rendred Mat. 24.32 Learne a parable of the figtree Christ by or from his owne evills and sufferings learned what bitternesse and trouble there lyes in suffering persecutions for righteousnesse
sake and therefore cannot but bee affected with like sense of trouble at the troubles and pains of the innocent that suffer for his sake and therefore when they pray and cry unto him hee will be ready in obedience to God to give them audience to heare and helpe them Though he were a Son He illustrates the matter ex adversis So great a conjunction of Christ with God such a fatherly love of God toward him as being his only Sonne might seeme to be against this way of exercising him upon the stage of afflictions yet it was not against it God might have taught his Sonne the lessons of obedience in some other schoole then that of afflictions yet it pleased God to choose this way and not spare him from the common condition of his brethren Hence it is manifest how greatly God loved mankinde who would handle his owne Son so hardly to this end that having triall of suffering in his owne person miseris succurrere discat he might thereby learne to succour those in misery Hence it appeares also that Gods fatherly love to the faithfull is no way impaired when he exerciseth their faith and patience to make trials of them in sufferings For whom he loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth chap. 12.6 9. And being made perfect In the last place he comes to the first property of an high Priest and applies it also to Christ namely that Christ procures the salvation of men and negotiates with God to be propitious to them and forgive them the punishments of their sinnes Which property in respect of Christ he expresseth in these words that he is become the Author of eternall salvation Made perfect This state of Christ in being made perfect or consummate is opposed to his state in the dayes of his flesh For then when Christ was infirme and himselfe wanted anothers help he could not perfectly and finally help others in all things But after that he was consummated or perfected i. after he had attained to immortality or a nature incorruptible and was invested with supreme power in heaven and earth so that nothing further was wanting to him or after hee was throughly consecrated of God and fully installed into his Priesthood as some think the word perfected to mean then he became the author of eternall salvation For then he was a most perfect cause of salvation In the dayes of his flesh he was indeed the cause of eternall salvation for then he was the great Legate or Apostle of God to preach it but being perfected he becomes the most perfect cause of it for now hee is our high Priest and heavenly King to give that which before he preached He is therefore the most perfect cause of eternall salvation because he gives it in a most perfect manner for he wants nothing neither for faculty or power nor for desire and will to perfect our eternall salvation For by his power he takes from us all punishment of our sins he gives us everlasting life he receives our spirits into his hands he speedily succours us in our afflictions lest our faith should fail and we thereby fall into punishments due to our sinnes The Author made choice of generall words to describe the power and efficacie of Christs Priesthood in the procuring of our salvation that he might expresse it with tearms more proper to it For Christ is not the cause of salvation in the very same manner with the legall high Priest who gave not salvation or pardon to the people himselfe of himselfe as Christ doth but only procured God to give it by propitiating him with offerings And there is a great difference betweene Christ and the legall high Priest in the salvation procured for hee procured only a temporary and transitory salvation but Christ gives an eternall salvation Furthermore this place affoords us an example of a rule in Scripture that some things are said to be simply done when they are more perfectly done We have an instance hereof in that passage of John 2.11 where the Disciples of Christ who did already believe in Christ are notwithstanding said to believe in Christ upon sight of the miracle of water turned into wine because then they believed in him much more stedfastly and perfectly then they did before or because then their faith received a great increase So Christ himselfe John 15.8 saith to his Disciples that if they did beare much fruit so they should bee his Disciples because by this meanes they should become his Disciples in a more perfect manner This we therefore notifie lest to any it should seeme strange that the Scripture notes divers times wherein Christ became the Sonne of God namely because he became so in a more perfect manner and higher degree although from the beginning of his conception he was truly the Son of God though not so perfectly as afterwards Vnto all them that obey him Here the persons are specified to whom Christ is the author of salvation namely to the obedient and to them universally to all that obey him For Christ is an high Priest properly to such and is ordained of God to expiate their sinnes Whence it appeares that all who will have their sins expiated by Christ and obtaine eternall salvation by him must obey him Christ indeed is the cause of salvation even to them who as yet obey him not in that he first makes them obedient and consequently saves them but to such he is but the remote cause but he is the immediate cause of it to them that actually obey him for therein his Priestly office is actually exercised Not unlike to this is that saying of Peter Act. 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to bee a Prince and a Saviour what else is this then to be the author or cause of salvation and by what means Christ doth worke and cause salvation Peter expresseth in the words following to give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sinnes This latter way of saving as being the perfecter is contained in this place 10. Called of God an high Priest Christ becomes the author or cause of eternall salvation by this meanes in being ordained an high Priest of God for when God calls him an high Priest thereby hee makes him so After the order of Melchisedeck Christ is such a high Priest unto us that withall he is also our heavenly Lord and King having supreme power to pardon all our sinnes and to free us from the punishment of them But of this point we shall speake more largely chap 7. 11. Of whom we have many things to say Hee passeth to another point wherein he reproves the slownesse and dulnesse of them to whom he writes to this end that he may excite and prepare them to receive those mysteries which he had in his minde to open concerning the Priesthood of Christ Of whom i. of Christ our high Priest either in reference to his Priesthood absolutely or respectively as it is
name signified so as it also signified King of righteousnesse But if this had beene onely an appellation of him the Author would not have said king of Salem but Melechsalem as he said not King of Sedec but Melchisedec For who in relating of a mans name will deliver it partly in a strange language and partly in the proper language Wherefore when Melchisedec is in Scripture called king of Salem it is apparent that the name of King doth note his royall office and dignity and Salem notes the place wherein he did reigne And many beeleeve that this City Salem was the same with Jerusalem which at the first was called onely Salem and afterward by the adjection of the word Jeru Jerusalem as a man would say the sight of peace Priest of the most high God For so the Scripture calls him Gen. 14.18 And though the word Cohen signifie also a Prince as the Sons of David are said to have beene Cohenim 2 Sam. 8.18 which our Translation there renders chiefe rulers yet being attributed to Melchisedec it notes him a Priest 1. Because of that addition here made of the most high God for this addition takes away all ambiguity of the word and declares him to be a Priest of God and not a Prince of God 2. Because this is brought as a reason why he blessed Abraham in an especiall manner as shall be shewed afterward 3. Because Abraham payed him tithes which were usually paid to Priests Whence it appeares that the same word Cohen which is given to Christ as he is compared with Melchisedec Psal 110.4 doth not simply signifie a Prince onely as the Jews contend but properly a Priest For it is manifest that those words of the Psalme have respect to the place in Genesis where Melchisedec is called Cohen And it is no strange thing that anciently Melchisedec was both a King and a Priest for anciently Kings were wont to performe Sacred rites which custome grew from hence that in every family the principall person or ruler of it did officate in holy functions Whence it came to passe that they who afterward became Princes or Rulers of a whole Citie became also the publike Priests of that Citie and executed the sacred Ceremonies for the safety of the people For it made most for the honour of God that the most honourable person should minister unto him Who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings The Author mentions not this meeting as if in that there were any Mysterie but because he would shew how Melchisedec blessed Abraham and reciprocally how Abraham gave tithes to Melchisedec In which two points as he shews afterward the chiefe dignitie of Melchisedec appeared And hee mentions this meeting onely to designe the occasion the time and circumstances of the action whereof the History is particularly related Gen. 14. And blessed him Him i. Abraham for so saith the Scripture He blessed him and said Blessed be Abraham of the most high God possessour of heaven and earth Gen. 14.19 that is Let the most high God blesse Abraham and heap his gifts upon him in great abundance And lest any man should think that this was but an ordinary blessing such as commonly is among friends when they mutually pray and wish all happinesse one to another therefore he prefixed these words before it that Melchisedec was a Priest of the most high God thereby to make us know that this was a singular blessing as proceeding from a person that was a peculiar Minister of God Whence it appears that when Melchisedec is said to be a Priest of the most high God thereby is not shewed the reason why he brought forth bread and wine as they would have it who say that Melchisedec offered bread and wine to God and was therefore called a Priest but in those words is shewed the reason why he blessed Abraham and why as it presently follows Abraham gave him tithes But the error of these men who thereby would strengthen their owne opinions may manifestly be convinced from hence that the Author who most diligently prosecutes the likenesse betweene the Priesthood of Melchisedec and Christ makes not any the least mention of offering bread and wine wherein notwithstanding they thinke the greatest likenesse betweene Christ and Melchisedec doth consist and certainly must consist if both offered bread and wine Either therefore the Author omitted that which was the maine point in so accurate a comparison of Christ with Melchisedec or else that Melchisedec or Christ or both of them offered bread and wine to God is but those mens dream Melchisedec brought forth bread and wine that hee might refresh Abraham and his company that were weary after their victory and journey but hee offered none to God for this is refuted by the very word of bringing forth which is never used of offerings and besides the place and time when this is said to have been done refutes it also For wee use not to meet men upon the way there to celebrate divine services or performe holy Ceremonies Also Christ is never read to have offered bread and wine to God but onely to have instituted a holy Ceremonie wherein bread is broken and eaten and wine is drunke out of a cup yet not to perform any offering but to celebrate the memory of Christ whose body was broken for us and his blood shed for us As for the expiatory offering of Christ for our sinnes that was not performed on earth but in heaven Hebrewes 8.4 Neither doth it consist in offering of bread and wine but in Christs offering of himselfe as this Authour testifies in sundry places neither was it to bee iterated often but once onely to bee performed as the Authour clearely delivers it afterwards in this Chapter verse 27. and Chap. 10 14. For that single oblation perfects all the Saints 2. To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all The fifth particular that the Author observes in Melchisedec was that Abraham gave him the tenth part as is related in his history whence a little after the Author collects how far Melchisedec exceeded the Leviticall Priests The gift that Abraham gave him was a part of the spoiles for so it is expressed at the 4. v. following and the portion hee gave was a tenth part of them and there were none of the spoils excepted and reserved for he gave him a tenth part of all By these words hee partly explicates some things related in Scripture of Melchisedec and partly observes other things whereby to make it appeare how great a person Melchisedec was and how properly he was a type of Christ First being by interpretation king of righteousnesse First he ponders the name of Melchisedec and teacheth that there was an omen in his name For the Hebrew name Melchisedec being interpreted or translated into another language doth signifie a king of righteousnesso There are some who tell us that this name signifies my righteous king but it is very usuall with the
the right hand of the throne of Majesty and that in heaven The throne of the Majesty is the Majesticke and stately Throne whereon he sits who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords who only is Almighty who only hath immortality and dwells in a light unapproachable 2. A minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle The Epethite or Attribute true must be added both to Sanctuary and Tabernacle that Christ is a Minister of the true Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle which is Gods heavenly habitation This is called the true Sanctuary and Tabernacle not in reference to false and fained Sanctuaries but in respect of umbratilous and terrene Sanctuaries which did but represent and signifie the true perfect solid and heavenly Sanctuary wherein God himselfe doth really and truely dwell and whereto the name of the true and right Sanctuary doth perfectly agree Of this true and heavenly Sanctuary Christ is the Minister as anciently the legall high Priest was the minster of the terrene Sanctuary For these words serve somewhat to declare the residence of Christ at the right hand of Gods throne Now to bee a Minister of the Sanctuary is nothing else but to Minister unto God in the Sanctuary to officiate and be busied about the Sanctuary to procure and order the things that pertaine to the worship of God in the Sanctuary And Christ recideing in heaven doth Minister there by executing Gods decrees by ordering heavenly things and whatsoever pertaines to Gods heavenly worship and service prescribed and commanded in the new Covenant The word Leiturgist or Minister doth not always signifie a simple officer waiter or hand-servant but many times such a one who with speciall authority and power doth execute some charge as the legall high Priests in the Tabernacle had the chief authority and presidency over all things pertaining to divine worship Which the Lord pitched and not man Either these words containe the cause why that heavenly Sanctuarie is called the true Tabernacle because it was erected not of man as that was under the Law but God himselfe who is our Soveraigne Lord. For that Sanctuary must needs bee the true and right one which the hand of man did not frame for God but which God raised for himself by his owne hand Or else these words are added to amplifie and illustrate the point to make it the more evidently appeare how much this heavenly Sanctuary differs from the earthly and exceeds it So also Paul to the earthen and fraile tabernacle of our mortall body opposeth that heavenly building of our glorious body made of God and not by the hand of men Ye have the same opposition afterward in this Author between the earthly Sanctuary and the heavenly chap. 9. verse 11.24 in like manner betweene cities made by the hand of men and that heavenly city prepared for the godly whose Architect and Builder is God himselfe Chapter 11.10 3. For every high Priests is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices He proves that Christ our high Priest is a Minister of the Sanctuary because he is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices for this function is naturall to the office of a Priest and he that offers gifts and sacrifices must needs be the Minister of a Sanctuary Wherefore it is of necessitie this man have somwhat also to offer The sence of these words is not so to be taken as to leave a scruple in us as if Christ had only somwhat that he might offer and yet wee might doubt whether hee would offer or must offer or doth indeed offer but that according to the nature of his office hee doth actually offer For in this sence wee often say I have somthing to give or to say unto you i. I will or must give or say somthing unto you From these words of the Author it is most manifest that Christ doth now offer in heaven for as the Author will shew afterward he offers himselfe to God For hee proves as we have said that Christ doth minister in the heavenly Sanctuary as appeares by the precedent and subsequent passages And this hee proves from hence because every Priest and therefore Christ is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices and therefore if he will performe his office hee must indeed offer which if hee doe then it followes that hee is a minister of the Sanctuary 4. For if be were on earth hee should not be a Priest Here hee confirmes the other part of the second verse that Christ is a Minister not of the umbratilous and terrene Sanctuary but of the true and heavenly because if he were on earth he should not be a Priest at all Hence it appears that Christ is a Minister of the heavenly Sanctuary and doth offer unto God there Whence it necessarily follows that Christ while he was upon earth did not finish his perfect expiatory offering whereof the Author treats in this Epistle For could hee performe and finish it being out of his proper Sanctuary which is heaven Seeing that there are Priests that offer gifts according to the Law Hee gives here a reason why Christ should not be a Priest if he ministed on earth because there are already other Priests ordained of God to Minister on earth and to offer gifts of whose number Christ is none nor can be as was shewed in the former Chapter These terrene Priests are said to offer according to the Law because the Law hath granted them only this right and priviledge that no other person beside themselves without breach of the Law should usurpe the office of offering upon earth or ministring in the earthly Sanctuary 5. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things In these words either the Author gives a reason why Christ if hee were on earth could not be a Priest namely because those Priests who offer here on earth serve but for a shadow of heavenly things but Christ our high Priest must not serve for such a shadow Or els he illustrates from the contrary that Christ is a Minister of the true Tabernacle but the legall Priests did only serve as paternes and shadows of the heavenly Sanctuary By heavenly things he means the Sanctuary and holy functions wherein Christ doth minister in heaven As Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the Tabernacle For see saith he that thou make all things according to the paterne shewed to thee in the mount He proves from a testimony of Scripture that the ancient legall high Priests served but as a paterne and shadow of the true and heavenly Sanctuary And he cites the words wherein Moses is commanded to make that ancient Tabernacle and all things pertaining to it according to the model or paterne shewed him in the Mount Exod. 25.40 Therefore the Tabernacle shewed him in the Mount was the type or modell and the Tabernacle made by Moses was but a sample or copy of that model Now that modell shewed by God in the Mount
they differ in beauty and glory as in the Courts of great Kings wee may distinguish the place where the Kings throne or chaire of State is seated by the foot-pace Canopy and furniture of it from the rest of the roome though it be not severed by any partition In the old Tabernacle the inmost and most holy place was at first continuous with the rest of the Tabernacle and not severed but by availe for without some such crosse materiall the one could not be severed from the other But in heaven the difference of brightnesse and glory serves for a vaile Christ therefore being to enter into the inmost and most holy place of heaven to sit at the right hand of Gods throne must needs passe through the large and common mansion of heaven as the Legall high Priest entered the second Tabernacle by passing through the first There are three things that seeme to favour this opinion 1. Because the Author did mention and describe a double Tabernacle before therefore the resemblance of the comparison doth require that to a double Tabernacle on earth there should be answerable a double place in heaven one a holy place and the other the most holy 2. Because these words doe indeed seeme to depend upon the verbe entered in the next verse as appeares by the particle neither at the beginning of that verse for that particle doth use to couple those things that are contained under one verbe which is here the verbe entered 3. Because the high Majesty of the Deity seemes to require that in his heavenly Mansion which no question is most ample and spacious there should be some most holy place sparkling and glittering with the brightnesse of unapproachable light where the most high God and supreme Lord of all things hath his throne and residence answerable to the most holy place in the Tabernacle wherein the throne of God was said to be seated This first Tabernacle of heaven through which Christ passed is said to be greater and more perfect i. then the terrene Tabernacle under the Law and it is greater and perfecter not only in quantity but in dignity Not made with hands that is to say not of this building Hee would give one instance at the least to declare the dignity of Christs Tabernacle to bee greater and more perfect then the legall because it is not made with hands or by art of man as the legall was Yet because the Author would shew that by these words hee comprehends something more then appeares at the first sight therefore he declares what he meanes thereby namely that Christs Tabernacle is not of this building It is not only not made by the hand or art of man but also it is not of the number of visible creatures which though they be not made by the hand and industry of men yet they are like to handy workes because they are visible and corruptible as handy-works are In which sense the Apostle opposing the house of our glorious body to this of our corruptible and fraile body saith of it that it is no handy-worke made with hands 2 Cor. 5.1 Or rather the Tabernacle of Christ is said not to be of this building or creating because it is not framed of visible materials or any other stuffe subject to the eye whereof all handy-works wrought by mans art are made Therefore these words not of the building must be extended more largely then the other not made with hands doe properly signifie For it doth not presently follow that if it be not made with hands therefore it is not of this building unlesse as we have said wee take a handy-worke made by hand to signifie metaphorically that also which is like to a handy-worke made by hand as are all things of this building or creating which have been made from the beginning of the world or else so which comes all to one as to comprehend all things which in respect of their matter are of the same kinde with handy-workes as are all things made of God from the beginning of the world for of these are all handy-workes framed Hence it appeares that there is another building or creature of God far more excellent then the building or frame of this world whose forme and matter is of another kinde far more faire pure sublime and stable then this which we see And to this building pertaines that heavenly Tabernacle of Christ our high Priest which is the Temple and residence of the most high God 12. Neither by the bloud of goats and calves Here he opposeth the sacrifice of Christ to the sacrifice of the old legall Priest The old high Priest entered the most holy place by the blood of goats and calves But Christ entered not by such base bloud but by most pretious bloud which could be no other besides his owne for as his person was most pretious so must needs his bloud be The bloud of man is more pretious then the bloud of a beast but the bloud of Christ is far more pretious then the bloud of all men besides Seeing Christ himself is far more excellent then all other men yea then all other ereatures for he is more deare and neare unto God then all as being his unigenit and only begotten Sonne But by his owne bloud Wee are to note that the Author to sute the elegancie of his comparison did in the first member of it use the particle by although the legall high Priest entered the holy place not only by the bloud of goats and calves i. having first shed the bloud of those beasts or after the shedding of their bloud but also with their bloud which he carryed into the holy place with him and offered it by sprinkling it upon and before the Mercy-seat But in the sacrifice of Christ the resemblance could not be extended so far seeing Christ shed not the bloud of an other creature but his owne bloud neither in his heavenly Tabernacle did he offer his bloud after his death but himselfe when hee was become immortall and had cast off the rags of flesh and bloud because they cannot possesse the Kingdome of God And therefore he entred the holy place of heaven not with his bloud but only after hee had shed his bloud Now because Christ entred thus therefore the Author said lesse of the legall high Priest then indeed the thing it selfe was and used the particle by to fit the comparison For in the sacrifice of Christ the matter was in part somewhat otherwise then in the old expiatory sacrifice In that old sacrifice as also in other sin-offerings the beast it selfe that was slaine was not offered unto God nor burnt as a sweet savour unto him as the Scripture termes it but the kidneyes and the fat of it only neither was the carkasse brought into the holy place but the bloud of it only But in the sacrifice of Christ not his bloud which he shed when he was slaine but he himselfe must be offered and hee must
common use For this sanctifying as the word following shewes consisteth onely in purifying of the flesh All the sanctifying that proceeded from the offerings of the bloud of calves and goates or from the sprinkling of the ashes of an heifer was but a carnall purifying to cleanse the flesh The Ceremoniall uncleannesses wherewith men by chance were defiled were expiated by these offerings and sprinklings and the partie predefiled became purified so that now it was lawfull for him to converse with other men to come to the Temple to be present at divine servivices and to partake of the Sacrifice from all which his former uncleannesse debarred him So that this Puritie or cleannesse of the flesh was both the end and effect of the offering of bloud and sprinkling of ashes 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ Some man may think that the Author should not have drawne his argument à mirori but rather à pari seeing there seemes an equalitie of reason on both sides that as well the legall sacrifice as that of Christ had a like force to produce their effects the blood of beasts to purifie the flesh and the blood of Christ to purifie the conscience But we must note that the blood of beasts and the offering of it is not altogether of like nature to purifie the flesh as the blood of Christ offered to God by the spirit is to the cleansing of the conscience For if we looke upon the nature of the thing what force hath the blood of beasts offered in the Sanctuary that thereby it should cleanse the flesh or be reputed to cleanse it Was not this effect of purifying the flesh tyed to the shedding and offering of that blood onely by the decree of God and that it might bee accounted to have this effect must they not have a knowledge of Gods decree by some other meanes But for the blood of Christ after the shedding of it there followed the offering of Christ himselfe in the heavenly Tabernacle or the shedding of Christs blood joyned with the offering of Christ himselfe as the Author considers the blood of Christ here seeing Christ therefore shed it that hee might offer himselfe in the Sanctuary of heaven both as a Priest and as a Sacrifice The blood of Christ I say if we respect the nature of the thing hath a potent force to purge our consciences or is the true and effectuall cause of their being purged For in the offering of Christ as wee have already said somwhat and more shall afterward is contained his singular and onely care of our salvation in heaven from whence the purifying of our consciences and the plenary remission of our sinnes doth flow and proceed as from the proper cause of it Furthermore that the blood of Christ may be knowne to have so great force looking on the nature of Christs death and the circumstances of it every man may easily be admonished of it For Christ by his blood did strongly maintain the truth of his doctrine having shed his blood he entred into heaven the habitacle of immortall life that what he had promised by his words hee might testifie to all men by his example having shed his blood and entered into his heavenly Sanctuary hee offered himselfe an immaculate sacrifice to God for us having shed his blood he obtained all power both in heaven and earth all judgement and arbitrement of our salvation Neither to obtaine this was the bloodshed of Christ a bare condition that of it owne nature and proper efficacy conferred nothing to it but seeing it conteineth so hard a worke of vertue and obedience a worke so acceptable to God and so advancing to his glory even of it own nature it had force and power to procure this power unto Christ and to produce in us the cleansing of our conscience Hee that ponders all this in his minde can he doubt but that by the blood of Christ he is expiated from all staine of sinne if he embrace the faith of Christ with all his heart and afterward as farre as the hope of eternall life can encourage him keep himselfe undefiled and pure from all staine of sinne Thus the nature and force of Christs death being considered the Authour with very good reason doth draw and conclude this his argument not from a parity of reason but from a disparity or from the lesse to the greater The blood of Christ There seemes an Emphasis in these words of the Author to make it yet more fully appeare how great force his blood hath in cleansing our consciences As if he had said The blood not of an ordinary man which yet is better then that of beasts but of Christ who is the unigenit son of God feated in heaven at the right hand of God and reigning over all creatures Shall not this blood have much more force to purge the conscience then the blood of beasts had to purifie the flesh Now that we may a little prevent the words of the Author the cleansing of our conscience is attributed to the blood of Christ both as it is the blood of the Covenant whereby the new Covenant is established and as it is the blood of the sacrifice which is offered for us in that heavenly Sanctuary both which the Authour hath conjoyned saving that he explicates the first last and the last first because it belongs to his Priesthood as the former is referred to his Mediatorship which two functions of Christ were fitly conjoyned in the mention of his blood for they are both coupled in the death of Christ for his Mediatorship ended in his death and his Priesthood began there But how the blood of Christ purgeth our consciences as it is the bloud of the Covenant wee shall see hereafter Yet now we shall adde thus much that the new Covenant was established by the bloud of Christ not onely as appointed so by God in manner as the bloud of calves and goates was of old appointed for the establishing of the old covenant but even the very nature and condition of his bloud was of great efficacy thereto For who can doubt of the truth of that covenant for confirmation whereof the bloud of Christ was shed who made this covenant in the name of God and afterward became our heavenly King Who through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without spot to God Here the Author clearly expresseth by what meanes the bloud of Christ as it was the bloud of the sacrifice had so much power force as to purge our consciences namely because Christ having shed his bloud did through the eternall Spirit offer himself without spot to God in the heavenly Sanctuary Hence it is manifest that the bloud of Christ had so far power to expiate our sins as the shedding of it was seconded by Christ his offering of himselfe in heaven which could not follow unlesse Christ had first shed his bloud For the bloud of Christ not onely as it is the bloud of
the Sacrifice takes efficacy and force to purge sin from the subsequent oblation of Christ in offering himselfe in heaven but also as it is the bloud of the Covenant it received great force from the subsequent resurrection and glory of Christ For the death of Christ is as it were animated and quickned by his Resurrection and glory and then are the mightie effects of it when he that suffered death to confirm the new covenant is thereupon acknowledged to be the Sonne of God and the Christ which certainly could not have been without his Resurrection and the subsequent glory of it For then wee plainely perceive the boundlesse love of God in delivering Christ to death for us and the boundlesse love of Christ in dying for us from both which wee may easily draw an undoubted hope of our salvation And then also wee see from his most shamefull death a passage open to immortall life and lastly then we esteem the Covenant most sacred that was confirmed by a death so precious But if Christ had not risen from the dead who therefore died that he might appear to be the Christ and the King over Gods people his death had thereby lost all the force of it yea it would have been of force to nullifie the faith of all his promises But he had promised us eternal life in the Name of his Father and that he himself would give it us by raising us from the dead yea hee openly said of himselfe that he would rise the third day thereby to confirm his doctine wherefore unles the event had been answerable his doctrine had been stripped of all authority But let us returne to the offering of Christ which the Author opposeth to the offering of the old high Priest for severall respects 1. In that Christ offered through the Spirit and the eternall Spirit but the high Priest under the Law did enter the Holy place and offer through his infirmitie a weake man compassed with the flesh But Christ was filled with the eternall Spirit i. with the power of God which clarified him from all mortalitie and made him eternall subject to no destruction Now this Spirit seemes to be called eternall not onely because it eternally resides in Christ but because it makes him to become eternall Of which Spirit if Christ had been destitute he could not have offered himselfe in that heavenly Sanctuary to have remained there for ever Therefore in these words about which Interpreters have diverse disputes as men must needs do when the genuine sence of any place is either not perceived or not allowed is expressed the cause how Christ being before not onely of a mortall nature and compassed with flesh but also slaine as a sacrifice could afterward enter the heavenly Sanctuary the palace of immortality and there as a Priest offer himselfe to God This he saith was effected by the benefit of the eternall Spirit who throughly consecrated Christ and devested him from all naturall and terrene infirmities That which hee had spoken before chap. 7. ver 16. that Christ was made a Priest after the power of an endlesse life now hee saith againe in other words that Christ offered through the eternall Spirit for if wee looke into the thing it selfe what is the power of an endlesse life other then this eternall Spirit In a like manner Paul treating of Christ as he is ordained and declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead i. as God after his resurrection made him the celestiall and eternall King of his people with supreme power mentions the Spirit of holinesse or sanctification Rom. 1.4 and he saith that Christ was declared the Sonne of God according to the Spirit of holinesse as he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh For seeing he opposeth this Spirit to the flesh of Christ i. to whatsoever was humane in his nature what can he else understand but the power of Gods Spirit powred upon Christ which abolishing from him all his mortall condition did throughly consecrate him unto God made him a person most divine and most like unto God in nature and power and rendered him fully capable of a celestiall and eternall kingdome Hither also must that of Peter be referred where he saith as it is in the Greek that Christ was mortified in the flesh but vivified by the Spirit 1 Pet. 3.18 where as the flesh of Christ is made the cause of his mortality and consequently of his death so is the Spirit namely of God in Christ made the spring and fountaine of his vivification or life 2. He opposeth the offering of Christ to that of the old high Priest in that Christ offered himselfe but the Legall Priest offered not himselfe but the bloud of slaine beasts but what force could that bloud have being offered and sprinkled before the Mercy-seate for the purifying of the flesh if we respect the nature of the thing But Christ himselfe being offered for us in the heavenly Tabernacle was he not a most acceptable sacrifice to God Is there any sin of those that are truly faithfull in Christ which by the offering of so holy a Sacrifice and by the authority and care of so great an high Priest with his heavenly Father could not be expiated 3. In that hee offered himselfe without spot or blemish For the old sacrifice must bee very pure and free from any spot wherefore seeing our high Priest himselfe was the sacrifice hee must needs bee void of all spot or blemish But the old high Priest when he entered the most holy place and offered was not without spot or blemish for even then he was to procure the expiation no lesse of his owne sins then of the peoples But Christ when he entered the heavenly Sanctuary and offered himselfe to God was then free from all spot not onely in respect of his most innocent life which he passed without the least spot of sinne but also which as wee said in the seventh Chapter the Author chiefly respecteth in respect of his immortall nature which he obtained free from all spot of infirmity when he was quickned with that eternall Spirit whereby he entered the heavenly Sanctuary But what is meant by this offering of Christ wee have declared before For these things are not properly spoken of Christ but onely comparatively and allusively to the ancient high Priest So that by this offering of Christ is signified his singular and onely care for the expiation of our sins and for our salvation Yet it is a care worthy and sutable to so great an high Priest who is not destitute of power in himselfe to conferre salvation upon us but is forced to obtaine it from another as the old high Priest was but is one that enjoyeth all command both in heaven and earth one that exerciseth all Judgement delivered over unto him from his Father and one that by his owne proper power doth release us from all guilt of our sins
and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord Behold to obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken then the fat of Rams For disobedience is as the sinne of witchcraft and stubbornesse is as wickednesse and Idolatary 1 Sam. 15.22,23 But in the mysticall sense Christ saith absolutely that God had no further will to them and tooke pleasure in them no longer but his will and pleasure was they should be antiquated and abrogated Of this mysticall sense this is a good argument that Christ is here brought in to mention not only sacrifices of thanksgiving which only were pertinent to Davids purpose but also expiatory offerings and sacrifices for sinne whereof if wee respect Davids intent there should here be made no mention For Davids intent was a testification of his thankfulnesse unto God and not an expiation of his sins at that time But because the Holy Ghost would wrap up a mysticke and deep sense in these words therefore the Author doth here specifie and reckon up all kindes of sacrifices and offerings whatsoever which are reduced to three sorts 1. By sacrifice and offering in the fifth verse he seems to understand all offerings eucharistical or of thanksgiving whereof a part went to God as the bloud and the fat part was a Fee to the Priest and the rest returned to him that offered it 2. By burnt offerings in this verse are understood those which were wholly burnt and went wholly to God which are sometime called sacrifices of praise because they were offered wholly in honour of God as he was the Lord Almighty and not by way of speciall thanksgiving for any particular benefit then received from God which was the proper consideration for a sacrifice of thanksgiving 3. By sacrifices for sinne are meant all expiations or offerings to put away the guilt and punishment of ignorances and infirmities for which kinde of sins only those sacrifices were allowed and in the Hebrew are oftentimes called simply sins 7. Then said I Loe I come This word of comming doth shew a mysticall sense For how did David come when hee spake this word in the literall sense Therefore in the literall sense it signifies only Loe I am at hand or I am ready I have prepared my self to do thy will But in the mysticall and proper sense it signifies the appearance of Christ in that future world to execute the will of God In the volume of the booke it is written of me In these words David shews the cause why he is ready to doe the will of God or if ye please the manner and way of his obeying God q. d. I am ready to doe as it is written of me in the volume of the booke or else for so it is written of me that I should doe thy will Therefore in these words we must understand either some particle of likenesse as according or some casuall particle for because or seeing for such particles are oftentimes concealed or silenced But here againe we meet with another difference betweene the Greek translation and the Hebrew text In the Hebrew it is in the volume of the booke which hath a plaine and an open sense for by the booke he eminently understands the booke of the Law which is called a volume because unciently the Law was wont to bee written in skinnes of parchment or velum one glued to another and so rolled up and unrolled in the forme of a Court-role which in Latine is properly called Volumen from the rolling of it and hence bookes are called Volumes A famous Expositor among the Romanists preferres the Greeke reading in this place before the Hebrew and writes that it is a vaine repetition to say in the volume of the booke for that is all one as to say in the booke of the booke This is a vame cavill for all volumes or rolles are not bookes but there are volumes and rolles of many other things besides So that the word booke is fitly added to volume to specifie the differences of volumes We meet with a like phrase Jer. 36.2 But why doth the Greeke translation read it in a Chapter of the Booke The reason may be because the Hebrew word Megillah doth not only signifie a whole booke consisting of many skinnes but also any one single skinne which may containe only some Chapter of the Booke And therefore the Greek Translator conceived that he should not go from the sense of the words if for the whole volume he should put only some part or certain Chapter of it especially because by this means the redundancie in words would seem the lesse or none at all yet some there would seeme to be if he had said the volume and that had been taken to signifie the whole booke Wherefore these words must bee taken as if he had said In a Chapter of the booke namely of the Law it is written of me By which meanes not onely all shew of redundancy is taken away but also a more speciall place is designed where the thing is written that is here spoken Now let us a little enquire what Chapter this might bee Certainly other Chapter it can be none but that wherein the very thing is handled which David said he came to doe i. that David should doe the will of God For wee have said that in these words is shewed the cause why David said hee came to doe Gods will or the manner how hee should doe it But where is it said that David must doe the will of God Namely there where the Kings of Gods people are commanded to doe so which is set downe in the last parcell of the 17. Chapter of Deuteronomy from the 13. verse to the end For David in a peculiar way was ordained of God himselfe to bee the first King over Gods people and the Kingdome was to remaine in his posterity for ever And therefore hee saith that there it is written of him not that it is there written of him by name as David but written of him as a King And here also the Holy Ghost seems to have left us some footstep of a mysticall sense For it might be said of Christ properly that there it is written of him by name for the Holy Ghost doth every where aim chiefly at Christ Hence it appears that they are in an errour who by a Chapter in the Booke understand the beginning of Genesis because as they thinke there it is written of Christ that he created heaven and earth But is there also any thing written of David or of Christ there that hee should doe the will of God But in the 17. Chapter of Deuteronomy before cited among other things which God willed to be observed by the future King of his people this is also delivered ver 18. And it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his Kingdome that he shall write him a copy of this Law in a booke out of that which is before the Priests his Levites And it shall be with
heaven and earth And againe the Lord shall judge his people Againe is in the same place which was cited before And in the word Lord lies the Emphasis and force of the argument For if the Lord himself who is the most high God shall judge his people who sees not but that the judgement must needs be most heavy and fearfull To judge here signifies to condemne and punish In Deuteronomie as we said is signified by these words that the Lord would avenge his people upon their enemies from the oppressions and wrongs done to his people But the Author following the more frequent use and sense of those words in other passages of the Scriptures hath applyed them to the punishment of Gods people falling from their faith and obedience For it is no lesse true that the Lord will punish his owne people if they bee refractory and rebellious against him then that he would judge and avenge their cause and vindicate them from injuries if they were wrongfully oppressed And the words his people doe also argue the fearfulnesse of the judgement For it is great reason that the people of God if they shall presume to be rebellious and obstinate against God should suffer a heavier punishment then other men And they are here called the people of God who are disobedient and obstinate because they have received the knowledge of God and of his truth and in that respect stand obliged to God in a peculiar manner Besides the appellations or names of things do often remaine when the true ground or cause of the name is altered and gone 31. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God This is as it were the major Proposition of the Authors Argument whereby he would make it appeare that the punishment of the persons forementioned will be very grievous and fearfull For he reasoneth thus To fall into the hands of the living God is a fearfull thing but these men fall into the hands of the living God seeing as we have heard already God himselfe will doe judgement and execution upon them And therefore their punishment must needs be fearfull But hee puts the conclusion in the first place then the assumption and now he addes the major proposition which is of a knowne verity For what man is he that will not acknowledge how fearfull a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God because the living God can punish far more fearfully then mortall men can doe Why God is called living wee have shewed before Chap. 9.14 But we must note that the Author speaks here of that punishment whereby God puts men to everlasting destruction and doth it in his wrath and not of that chastisement which God sometime inflicts for the good of his people For it is farre better to be chastised and corrected from God himselfe and from his owne hand then to be left to the pleasure of wicked men as David testifies 2 Sam. 24.14 32. But call to remembrance the former dayes Hee brings here a new argument whereby he perswades the Hebrewes to constancie and perseverance in the Christian Religion and he drawes it from their former constancie and vertue which they shewed at the beginning when first they received the Christian Faith In which after ye were illuminated Christ is severall times called the light and the true light because he brought into the world by the publishing of the Gospel that knowledge of God which doth truly illuminate and enlighten us not only in respect of that naturall ignorance that growes up with men concerning God but in respect of that revealed knowledge which under the first Covenant was but darke and shady for the Gospell doth reveale unto us those mysteries which did before lye hid for since the vaile of the old Sanctuary was rent we now have liberty to looke into the heavenly Sanctuary where by faith wee see and know many mysteries especially touching the expiation of our sinnes and salvation of our soules Of which truth when we receive the knowledge we are said to be illuminated And this illumination is the first act of our entrance into Covenant with God for thereby it is that we are made acquainted with the sacred contents of the Covenant So that Illuminated here is all one with receiving the knowledge of the truth before ver 26. Yee endured a great fight of afflictions To endure afflictions for Christ and not decline them but patiently and stoutly to goe through the triall of them is a great conflict or fight 33. Partly while ye were made a gazing stocke both by reproaches and afflections Reproaches and afflictions are put for all sorts of persecutions whereof these two are the chiefe kindes for reproaches are those persecutions whereby a mans reputation credit or good name is vexed and afflictions are those whereby men suffer in their bodies and goods as by sines imprisonments and punishments And reproaches and afflictions are the means whereby Gods people are made a gazing stocke or a spectacle for men to looke at Yet it is not necessary wee should take this word properly as if the Hebrews had been condemned by publicke decree of the Magistrate and in the sight of all men brought upon a Scaffold there to suffer punishment or to be branded with reproaches which notwithstanding did many times befall the Christians But it may be taken metaphorically for those reproaches and afflictions in generall which were publickly known to all or were in a manner in all mens mouths as for example when a Christian was openly reviled or beaten or dragged through the streets or had his house by publicke authority and open force plundered and rifled And partly when ye became companions of them that were so used This is done when we take care and make provision for them who are reproached and afflicted when wee harbour them helpe and cherish them make their case our owne and professe our selves their brethren and companions Men are used to reproaches and afflictions when they many times and often suffer them and by reason of them are agitated vexed and tossed too and fro from place to place for so much is here signified by the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 34. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds and tooke joyfully the spoyling of your goods Here he declares both those particulars which in the verse going before he had expressed and attributed to them saving that he puts the latter in the first place and the former in the latter For the compassion they had belong to their accompanying of those who were reproached and afflicted because true compassion as in this place is meant signifies not a bare griefe of minde proceeding from anothers misery but therewithall includes the effects and deeds of a minde truly compassionate And the spoiling of their goods is referred to the reproches and afflictions which they suffered Knowing in your selves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance He expresseth the cause why they tooke the spoiling of their goods joyfully namely because they had learned from the Religion of Christ and thereby knew for certaine that a farre better estate and more lasting possessions yea everlasting were reserved for them in heaven for which these earthly and transitory goods are very gainefully exchanged especially when they are made away for Christs sake And the place where this excellent and everlasting estate is reserved is in Heaven which doth further argue the excellency and eternity of it for though Christians are sometimes spoiled of their goods which they have upon earth yet of those they have in heaven they neither shall nor can ever be spoiled For that in heaven can be no spoile neither by moth rust nor thiefe Christ teacheth us Mat. 6.20 Lay up for your selves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where theeves doe not breake through nor steale And this everlasting estate though it be in heaven yet the faithfull even while they are upon earth have it already though not for the possession of it for flesh and bloud cannot possesse it but for the expectation of it by faith and hope as sonnes and heires unto it for now they have the same right that the heire under age hath to his inheritance whereby they know beleeve and hope with full assurance that they shall possesse it 35. Cast not away therefore your confidence From the words precedent he inferres an exhortation that seeing they have gotten such a good report for their courage and constancy therefore they should not now be overcome with miseries and distresses and so turne from the right course of godlinesse whereinto they were now entered By confidence here he meanes either an undaunted courage of constancy of minde in professing the Christian Religion or else a full trust in God whereby we so rely upon him and are so certaine of our heavenly inheritance that we refuse the suffering of no evill Which hath great recompence of reward He brings a motive whereby to perswade his former exhortation that they should not castaway their confidence namely because their confidence should have a great recompence of reward and therefore it must not be idle and vaine least it should lose the reward for to idlenesse and vanity no reward can in equity be due but their confidence must be effectuall and painefull in the exercises of holinesse and good works that thereby they hold and keepe their title to the reward For though faith and not good workes do create as the title whereby wee have the reward yet good workes doe preserve or maintaine that title which was created by faith and by good works we hold our right to the reward and without them wee shall certainly lose the reward And besides these words have reference to the former verse wherein he shewed what this recompence of reward is namely an excellent and enduring substance in heaven 36. For ye have need of patience Here is another motive to perswade the former exhortation why they should not cast away their confidence but be patient under reproaches and afflictions even to the spoyling of their goods namely because they have need of patience Which may be taken in a double sence either with a check as if they wanted patience or without a check for to have need of a thing doth sometime imply a simple necessity of that thing whereby to attaine somewhat whether we have that thing or have it not sometime it implies a necessity joyned with the want of that thing That after ye have done the will of God ye might receiue the promise Hee expresseth the use and end of patience that he might shew to what purpose they have need of it And the use of patience is two fold the one more neere the other more remote which in respect of us is the last The neerer or former use of our patience is To do the will of God seeing patience it selfe is not the least part of Gods will and without it the other parts of godlinesse and consequently the rest of Gods will cannot throughly be performed The other use and last end of patience which followes from the former and without which this cannot subsist is to receive the promise or rather the matter promised which is the inheritance of the ever-enduring substance For they onely do at last receive the promise of God who first performe the will of God Wherefore without patience and constancy in suffering evils it is impossible as to performe the will of God so to receive the ever-enduring substance which is the promise of God 37. For yet a little while Another motive to stirre them up to patience in suffering urged by way of preventing an objection Some man might say It is an hard case for a man to lye under afflictions so long a time and to expect the promise whereof you speake after many ages To this the Author answers that the time allotted for our patience is not long but short for after a little while we shall receive the recompence or reward of our patience promised unto us and seeing this promise though it be delayed yet the delay is but for a little while therefore the delay of it should discourage no man or dishearten him under afflictions And he that shall come will come and will not tarry The time remaining for the comming of Christ is but a little while but very certaine for very certaine it is because he shall and will come and but a little while because he will not tarry The reward promised cannot be farre off and therefore wee must not be wearied with the expectation and stay of it for there is but a little while yet remaining for the comming of Christ and at his comming is the comming of the promised reward for he will bring the reward with him and they shall receive it who have done the will of God That the time to the comming of Christ is but a little while is gathered from hence because that the time of each mans life is but a little while at the end of each mans life is the comming of Christ to him as we have shewed before verse 25. Hence Paul saith That the burden of our afflictions is but light and the time but for a moment compared with the eternitie of that glory which shall follow upon it 2. Cor. 4.17 And Peter to abate the force of our temptations and afflictions saith That wee are now for a season in heavines through manifold temptations 1. Pet. 1.6 And hee saith againe That after wee have suffered a while the God of all grace will exalt us by Christ into his eternall glory 1. Pet. 5.10 Yet when the Author saith yet a little while he tacitely grants that there shall be some space of time intervening as appeareth by the words of the Prophet to whom herein hee hath reference For the Prophet saith If it tarry wait for it
faith of it unto us And the Scriptures make faith unto us of the Creation not only for the act of it that such a worke was done but for the manner how it was done as Moses describes it even by the word and sole command of God and for the matter whereof it was made in that the things seene were made of things not seene That the worlds were framed Worlds for world the number plurall for the singular by a Grecisme where originally it is ages putting the adjuncts of the world for the subject By the word of God by the only fiat or command of God God used no other instrument for the framing of the world besides his bare word For God only said the word Let there be light and there was light Gen. 1.3 And by the word of the Lord even by the breath of his mouth were the heavens made and all the host of them Psal 33.6 And as the heavens so also the earth was framed and setled by his word For he spake and it was done he commanded and it stood fast Psal 33.9 So that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear The particle not seems to be transposed for it should affect the word appeare because the minde and sense of this clause is not negative but affirmative thus So that things which are seen were made of things which doe not appeare though for the matter it come all to one because a terme finite denyed of any subject is all one with the same terme infinited and affirmed yet this latter expression leaves in our mindes a cleare apprehension of the matter The Author seems as his manner is to follow and reflect upon the Greek Translation of the Old Testament wherein at the beginning of Genesis it is said that the Earth was invisible for that which we from the Hebrew translate that the Earth was without forme and void And the Author made choice rather to say things not appearing then things invisible when he would shew us the prime materialls whereof the world was made For that is properly invisible which naturally cannot be perceived by the sight and that is rightly tearmed not appearing which though it be naturally visible yet really it appears not especially then when it lyes hidden and covered with thicke darknesse Although in this place the word not-appearing seems to have yet a more ample sense and to comprise that want of forme and force noted by the Hebrew words for which the Greek Translation reads invisible Wherefore by things not appearing is meant that chaos or elements of the world which at the beginning were confused because partly that chaos wanted forme shape and outward beauty in regard the severall parts of it were not yet digested and disposed into that elegant order figure and proportion which afterward was given it by the Creation and therefore the Scripture saith it was without forme and partly because it wanted vertue and force to produce those creatures and adorne it selfe that afterward God by the Creation gave it power to produce but to any such purpose it was wholly feeble and barren and therefore the Scripture saith it was void and partly againe because it wanted light to manifest and make it visible to the sight that it might be seene for though in it selfe it were visible and appearable yet actually it appeared not and therefore the Scripture saith that darkenesse was upon the face of it Wherefore when God entered upon the worke of the world the first perfect creature that he made was the light and that being finished he framed all the other parts of the world in a most beautifull order And this chaos is in the Scripture called the Deepe because it was vast both for quantity and quality for it wanted the three beautifull qualities of forme force and light which afterward were induced into it Yet sometimes the Scriptures expresse it by names Synecdochicall which signifie onely a part of it calling it sometime the heaven sometime the earth and sometime the waters because it was a Deepe or chaos composed and confused of all these together or at least of those materials whereof all these were afterward produced and created as in the same tub of milke there lye confused together those three materials from which are afterward produced the distinct white meates of butter cheese and whey Hereby the Author plainely declares and it sufficiently also appeares from the history of the Creation described by Moses that God when he began the Creation or frame of the world as it is delivered in the beginning of Genesis did not produce it meerely from nothing but from that Chaos or Deepe which positively was confused of the three materials whereof afterward was made the three elements of heaven earth and water and privitively wanted the three qualities of forme force and light And this opinion was anciently received among the people of God as it appeares by the Author of the booke of Wisdome chap. 11.17 where speaking to God he saith For thy almighty hand that made the world of matter without forme for so it is in the Greek and the vulgar Latin hath it of matter unseene But of the creation of this matter there is no mention made in the Scriptures for to the holy Ghost it seemed good to conceale it By things which are seene are here meant all those creatures which we see in this world as this beautifull order and posture of all things whereby those things which before were confused and blended together are now digested into their severall ranks and places for the use and benefit of man and beast and all the rest of the Creatures both animate and inanimate both in heaven earth and waters were produced by the word or command of God For in these words of the Author is signified not onely that change whereby things not appearing became appearing by vertue of that light which God made and made to shine upon them which change God made first of all by his creation of light but also that change whereby the things which now appeare were made of things not-appearing as from the informed matter of the Chaos or Deepe which wanting forme force and light was so rude so weake and so darke that from it selfe of it selfe nothing would ever have beene produced but by the accesse of Gods almighty power 4. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice then Cain Now he begins to reckon up speciall and particular examples of persons endued with faith and withall he declares both what they performed by vertue of their faith and also what blessings they obtained from God by it that by so many illustrious examples he might winne the Hebrewes to an imitation of those persons First of all he mentions Abel as a person neerely approaching to the beginning of the world He mentions not our first Parents either because concerning them there is nothing read memorable in the Canonicall books of
he that shall consult the Sacred history and shall diligently both reade and relect it shall finde nothing either written or any way intimated concerning that matter But this divine Author relating examples from the holy Scriptures upon their authority and infallibility seemes not to say or affirme any particular concerning those holy Elders but what is grounded upon the holy Scriptures Yet that Abraham Isaac and Jacob had a hope not onely of some life and happinesse after death but also of a City which hath foundations that is of heaven it selfe and that heavenly happinesse which shall never determine or have end and upon that hope did undergoe all the travels and troubles of a continuall pilgrimage to leade alwayes an uncertaine and flitting life this the holy Scriptures have no where discovered Yea rather what hopes Abraham sometime had in this respect it may hence appeare in that while he was yet destitute of children when God spake to him and said Feare not Abraham I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward Abraham answered Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I go childlesse and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus and behold one borne in my house is mine heire Gen. 15.1,2 Doth it not hence appeare that the summe of all Abrahams desires came to this that hee might leave behinde him a sonne and heire of his owne body seeing he abounded already in all other goods and riches For if at that time he had with any firme hope conceived of heaven it selfe and the everlasting happinesse thereof when God promised him an exceeding great reward would he have answered Lord God what wilt thou give me For in these words he signified that God had already abundantly rewarded him and given him goods in a full measure and to promise him more was to no purpose seeing he had no childe of his owne to whom hee might leave his estate Whence it appeares that Abraham extended not that exceeding great reward which God promised him beyond the goods and happinesse of this life Wherefore it is more likely that in these words of Abrahams expectance the Author intended not to give a reason why Abraham indured with such constancie the toyles of a continuall pilgrimage and of a life alwayes unsetled but rather of the event as we said why God gave Abraham no possession in that land to inherit as his owne proper right granted him no City to dwell in nor seat where to settle himselfe but would have him dwell in tents with his sonne and grand-childe Namely because as afterward at the sixteenth verse the Author saith God had prepared for him a City infinitly greater and better then all the land of promise with all the Cities in it And the promises of God made to Abraham and his seed doe in the mysticall sense containe this spirituall happinesse and heavenly inheritance And in the same sense the seed of Abraham doth signifie the seed of all the faithfull who follow the faith of Abraham For both these senses are taught us by the Apostle Rom. 4.11,12,13 and Gal. 3.7 and Gal. 4 22. Therefore Abraham expected or looked for a City which hath foundations rather by reason of the event and purpose of God then from any intent and purpose of his owne whereby he might seem to fore know it For in this sense we many times attribute expectation to a thing so this Author Chap. 10. ver 27. saith that to them who sinne willingly there remaines a certaine fearfull expectation or looking for of judgement whereas if we referre this to their intent and purpose of minde sinners most times expect and looke for nothing lesse then the punishment of their sinnes Abraham then is therefore said to looke for this City because this City was by Gods decree reserved and appointed for him and because his faith was so constant in God neither broken nor shaken with any travels or troubles and his whole course of life was such as theirs is who relying upon Gods promise do really expect this heavenly City as a reward of their labours Whereof the first is spoken by way of Metonymie putting the effect for the cause and this latter is said by way of Metaphor This City the Author opposeth to Tabernacles and Tents and the matter is not great to live a while in a Tent that afterward we may live for ever in a City And it is a City that hath foundations By which attribute Heaven is opposed not only to Tabernacles or Tents which have no foundations but to all Cities which though they have foundations yet in comparison of Heaven they have none because they have none such And hereby is signified unto us the firmnesse and strength of our heavenly City which no force no tract of time no change of things can possibly shake or move which shall not be ruined by the ruine of that heaven and earth which to us is visible whereof see the Author afterward Chap. 12. ver 26 27 28. Whose builder and maker is God Certainly that City must needs be most stable ample most beautifull and plentifull of all happinesse which had such a builder and such a maker as God to found and raise it He opposeth God to men who are the founders and builders of all earthly Cities And therefore this City must needs be so divine and heavenly so firme and strong that no hand of man can prevaile against it Cities built by men by men may be destroyed and many times are so but the City whereof God is the builder and maker is secure and safe from all hazard 11. By faith also Sara her selfe received strength to receive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age It may here be doubted whether the Author doth speak here of the faith of Sarah or of Abraham as he first began and afterward goes on The former of these seems to be gathered first from the words of the Author when hee saith Sarah her selfe For it seems as much as if he had said Not only Abraham but also Sarah her selfe by faith received strength So that he joynes Sarah with Abraham in respect of her faith Secondly because the words She judged him faithfull which follow in the next clause of this verse seem to be referred to the next antecedent which is Sarah But the latter opinion seems perswasible First because the Author first began and afterward proceeds to speake of the faith of Abraham Secondly because the sacred History mentions not the faith of Sarah when Isaac was promised but rather the Scripture seems to mention something contrary to her faith for shee laughed within her selfe saying After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure my Lord being old also and the Angell questioned Abraham upon it to know the cause of it saying Wherefore did Sarah laugh Is any thing too hard for the Lord Gen. 18.12,13 Whence also Paul discoursing upon the same point mentions only the strength of Abrahams
seeke it with all their soules The particle but now is commonly adversative onely and all one with but as we have formerly noted but here in this place it carryeth also with it a sence and force conclusive as if he had said Seeing therefore they seeke and desire a countrey yet neither seeke nor desire the former whence Abraham departed it must needs therefore now follow that they seeke and desire a better countrey then that For if it were not better but onely as good or worse there could be no reason why they should desert the former and with so great labour and care seeke another Yet the Author used in this place the adversative particle but by reason of the opposition betweene these and the former words They desire the tense present for the preter tense they did desire as is commonly use in argumentations and many times in narrations especially when the history regards not the point of time but keepes close to the matter and that she may the better represent things to our view speakes of them rather as present then past That is an heavenly Here the Author expresseth in his owne judgement as well knowing the purpose of God in that point what better countrey it was which they desired For it is not necessary we should thinke that those Patriarchs did expect this heavenly countrey by intent and purpose of minde as hath beene already declared before ver 10. but it sufficeth that this should be the event of their expectation and desire from the Decree of God who in a mysterious and concealed way had promised them this heavenly countrey and that it should not thus farre come to passe without their desire in as much as they desired a better countrey then that which they had relinquished For a better countrey then this heavenly which by Gods appointment was reserved for them and should in time accrue unto them there could bee none Whence also if a thing befall a man sutable to his desires though it be or prove much better then hee hoped or imagined yet wee usually say hee sought and desired it especially if the course of his life and endeavours bee so composed that the issue and event might well be such which certainely was performed by those Patriarchs For their very pilgrimage upon earth this very thing that they had no proper and setled abode of their owne upon earth though they were most deare to God the supreme Lord of all things how fitly doth it suit with this issue and event that being pilgrims and strangers upon earth they should at last by Gods goodnesse be setled in heaven as in their countrey For why else did not God give them a setled countrey and a certaine abode upon earth Therefore even those words wherby they confessed themselves pilgrims and strangers upon earth were not uttered but by the Spirit of God because by them was signified that they were not citizens of earth but of heaven which was their countrey Because therefore this heavenly countrey was in the purpose of God to be better then that countrey which the Patriarchs desired therefore with good reason are they said to desire this heavenly countrey But if we looke into their intent and purpose the countrey which they desired was the possession of the land of Canaan ordained for their posteritie Of so great advantage it was to leave their petty dwellings in their owne countrey that they might settle their posteritie in possession of a whole kingdom and place them in the eternall and peculiar favour of God Wherefore God is not ashamed to bee called their God God therefore was not ashamed of them because after they were dead God both calls himselfe their God and suffers others to call him so yea hee would be called so Certainely it is a great matter that the most high God who is the maker of heaven and earth would be called the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and would not bee ashamed of that title For what is Abraham Isaac and Jacob men dead and rotten long since who while they lived were exiles fom their countrey and vagrants upon earth having no certaine abode all their whole life From these mens names the onely Lord and ruler of all things disdained not to take his sirname But to be the God of some person especially when God utters it himself of himself signifies that he is the chiefe Patron and Protectour of that person who will defend his client and worshipper from all evill and benefit him with his best blessings but when man utters it of God it often signifies that God is his supreme Lord whom he worships and obeyes in all his commands with all his soule And this inference of the Author from his former passages is an argument that he spake of the event of the desire and vote of those Patriarchs and not of any intent and purpose in their mind to seek and expect that heavenly countrey For it appeares not from Scripture that God was therefore not ashamed of them because they had an intent and purpose of minde to seeke and desire that heavenly countrey but because God had decreed to restore them to life and to put them in possession of that countrey as the Authour willing to explicate himselfe and to shew more clearly the consequence of what he inferres doth therefore subjoyne For hee hath prepared for them a Citie For he brings not here a new reason why God was not ashamed to be and be called the God of those Patriarchs but hee onely proposeth his former reason more openly and clearly For we use not when wee have concluded a truth and inferred it as firme and certaine from former principles to confirme it abruptly with an argument and reason as if it were not yet proved so as to leave no marke that we bring a new reason different from the former because then God had ordained that heavenly countrey and kingdom for Abraham Isaac and Jacob therefore with good right and reason doth hee call himselfe their Lord and Patron This the Author without doubt had learned from those words of Christ whereby he proves the Resurrection of the dead from hence because God calls himselfe the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob who then were long dead For hence Christ doth gather that seeing God cannot be the God of the dead namely if they never be restored to life for how can God benefit the dead unlesse he first raise them therefore it must needs follow that if he call himselfe the God of some dead as he did of those dead Patriarchs then some of the dead must at length be recalled to life that God may be their God in very deed by accumulating and furnishing them with his benefits and blessings But as in the same place Christ saith a little before They which shall be accounted worthy to obtaine that world and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage neither can they die
land of Canaan but are there wholly intercepted and stopped from all entrance into the land promised Jericho therefore must needs first be taken and because it cannot be conquered by force of armes therefore it shall be taken by force of faith after compassing about the walles of it seven dayes God who is so powerfull that hee could create the world in six dayes could have destroyed Jericho in lesse then seven yet God who is so mercifull that hee gave the great City of Ninivie fourtie dayes would give little Jericho seven dayes for God who sent Jonas to them of Ninivie had provided Rahab for them of Jericho as a Prophet and a Preacher of repentance unto them For she who for her selfe had such faith to beleeve in God would gladly have preached the like faith to the Citie that God who is the God in heaven above and in earth beneath had given that land to his owne people as shee her selfe had before acknowledged to the spies of Israel Josh 2.9 11. But because they of Jericho were so wicked that shee durst not preach this faith among them and so obstinate that if shee had preached it yet they would not beleeve it therefore by the faith of Gods people after seven dayes compassing the walles of Jericho shall fall downe Now the cause of this faith in the people of God was their evidence or sight of things unseen and the subsistence they had of a thing hoped for for God had promised them by the mouth of Joshua that upon this fact of compassing the Citie seven dayes once a day and the seventh day seven times the wall of it should fall downe flat Josh 6.4,5 The truth of this promise being yet unseen they saw and hoped for and thereby grew their faith to beleeve it 31. By faith the harlot Rahab There are that thinke that Rahab was not an harlot but an Inkeeper or Taverner which because they are wont sometimes to be harlots or to receive harlots that frequent their houses therefore among the Hebrews the name of harlot is applied to hostesses But this signification of the Hebrew word Hazzonah they prove not by examples Neither is it for nothing that the Scripture whensoever she mentions the example of Rahab to whom God shewed so much favour and mercy forgets not to give her this attribute of harlot For it seemes to doe this thereby to shew the great force of a true and lively faith because by vertue thereof many attaine to justification and impunity who otherwise by their life little deserve it Now if the Hebrew word Hazzonah signified onely a publike hostesse when it is uttered of Rahab and not an harlot properly so called this singular commendation of Rahabs faith were utterly lost-which notwithstanding James and this Author endeavour to expresse Perished not with them that beleeved not The inhabitants of Jericho are called unbeleevers because they would not beleeve that the God of heaven had granted to the Israelites the possession both of their city and of the whole land of Canaan or because beleeving this grant of God yet they would not obey it by giving way to it for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies as well unobedient as unbeleeving And they were disobedient because they would not admit but opposed the people of God whom they knew were approaching and had heard what strange works God had done for them and consequently would not submit to Gods way For if herein they had joyned with Rahab to have beleeved as she did they might with her have escaped the destruction of their City and their owne ruine For that Law of God which had appointed so many Nations to the slaughter was by collating it with another Law to be understood to take place with the exception of those that should freely submit to things commanded them and should renounce the worship of their Idols and false gods All which appeares by the example of Rahab and of Solomon who tooke the remnant of the Canaanites to his dominion under tribute 1 King 9.20,21 When she had received the spies with peace She abstained from all injury towards those spies her selfe and from all treachery in discovering them to others and defended them from the violence of those that made inquisition after them For these were the expressions of that peace wherewith she received them And this her faith was not idle and empty but testified with a notable action of triall For she did not onely receive those spies with the danger of her life but she hid them and afterward dismissed them with many difficulties Which fact of hers how availeable it was to her justification both the thing it selfe declares and S. James openly testifies Jam. 2.25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by workes when shee had received the messengers and had sent them out another way 32. And what shall I more say As if he had said Why should I stay longer in relating of single examples of those whose faith is testified in Scripture For the time would faile me to tell of Gedeon Barac Samson and of Jephte of David also and Samuel and of the Prophets Hee placeth David though latter in time before Samuel though elder not onely for the greater dignity of David but also because Samuel came neerer in quality to the Prophets with whom he closeth And David came neerer to those Heroes forenamed as Gedeon Barac and Samson for he was a middle person betweene the Heroes and the Prophets and was indeed both 33. Who through faith subdued kingdomes This is principally referred to David who subdued some kingdomes But this was done by faith because when God promised him victory over his enemies he beleeved it and upon his beliefe thereof did make warre upon them whereof we may reade severall Psalmes of David composed by him to that purpose and among others Psal 2.18.20 and 21. Wrought righteousnesse Such were also the same David Samuel and the Prophets Here in like manner it appeares that faith taken strictly and properly differs from the working of righteousnesse as the cause from the effect because righteousnesse is the effect of an effectuall faith Obtained promises These seeme rather to signifie that by faith they obtained new and extraordinary promises such as that promise made to David that the Kingdome should be setled upon his posterity for ever and that Christ should be borne from his line then that they obtained the effect of Gods solemne promises For if that effect be taken for immortall life it is false as it is taught afterward ver 39. But if we take it of the blessings of this life they scarce seem any other then victories and triumphs over their enemies But these are particularly related in the verse following unlesse we say that those promises which they obtained are specified and reckoned up in the verses following and so after he had said that by faith they wrought righteousnesse he rightly addes they also obtained the promises
spectacle or sight that appeared was so terrible and horrible that not onely the promiscuous multitude stroke with extreame terrour entreated they might not be constrained to stand and hear any more but even Moses also who was the Mediator and Messenger betweene God and the people said I exceedingly fear and quake That ever Moses said this wee no where read in the sacred History but without doubt the Author affirmed it as knowne to him by some other meanes See chap. 9.19 22. But yee are come Here follows the other part of the comparison which the Author had framed wherein hee shewes how far the things whereof we are made partakers by meanes of the Gospel exceed those which of old befell the Israelites at the promulgation of the Law This accesse or comming must be understood of a spirituall accesse or approach as unto things and persons spirituall for it is opposed to that carnall accesse or comming of the Israelites to the earthly Mount Yet this accesse must further be understood diversly according to divers things and persons which are here mentioned In generall it consisteth in a kinde of conjunction which wee have with those things and persons as in some measure thence forward pertaining to us although also this conjunction be divers according to the diversitie of those things and persons Vnto Mount Sion Hee opposeth Mount Sion unto Mount Sinai whereto the Israelites came when the Law was published But Mount Sion even taken properly was farre more beautifull and comely then Mount Sinai neither was it seated in the wildernes but in the land of Promise And there can be no doubt but by Mount Sion in this place that must be understood whereto the Mount was but a figure and a shadow For as the thing figured is sometime used for the figure as was shewed a little before so much more often is the figure taken for the thing figured And although sometime by Sion and the holy Mount the Church it self be shadowed yet because Jerusalem the Citie of the living God which the Author mentions in the second place may more fitly be referred to signifie the Church therefore by Mount Sion wee may better understand heaven it selfe or some spirituall Mount whose top is heaven the dwelling of everlasting blessednesse For we read more frequently that heaven is signified by mount Sion then the Church For as in one head of mount Sion which was called Morea the temple of God was built wherein God was said to dwell there was also in another head of it the palace of David who was a type or shadow of Christ the king of Gods people so in heaven truely is the temple of the most high God and there is also the palace of Christ our heavenly king Therefore we say that in this place may be signified some spirituall mount whose top is heaven because by the heavenly Jerusalem as wee shall shew afterward the Church may seeme to be understood as it is now existent upon earth But the allegory will be more full if by Mount Sion wee understand not onely heaven it selfe but conceive in our minde some spirituall mount whose top is in heaven and his foot reacheth unto earth that as of old Jerusalem was seated at the foot and forward upon the side of Mount Sion so also the Church as it is now on earth may be said to be built and so forward on the side of a Mount which hath his top in Heaven that is hath a great vicinity and contiguity with Heaven and is already in some degree raised up into Heaven as they who dwell at the foot and side of some Mountaine are nearest neighbours and borderers to that Mountaine and have not only liberty to ascend it but in regard they already possesse the sides of it are in some degree promoted toward the top We therefore are come to heaven it selfe or to that spirituall mount or state whose top is heave as we are made neighbours unto heaven and have a right and liberty to ascend it yea in some sense we may well be said inhabitants of it for from the Church there is a neare and open passage even to the top of heaven Hence it appears that not only this Mount whereto we Christians are come by the preaching of the Gospel and by our faith given unto it is by infinite degrees and without all comparison far surpassing Mount Sinai but that our accesse also or comming to it doth farre surpasse the accesse or comming of the Israelites who stood near that Mount but had no right to ascend it nor liberty to touch it unlesse they would presently be overwhelmed with stones or struck through with darts And unto the city of the living God What City this is he presently declares by saying the heavenly Ierusalem The attribute heavenly doth manifestly shew that here he treats of that Jerusalem whereof that earthly City the head of the Kingdome of Israel was but a type and a shadow Hence also it appears that this City whereof the Author treats is by far greater reason called both the City of God and Jerusalem that is the sight of peace by which word the Hebrewes use to understand happinesse But this heavenly Jerusalem may bee understood to be the City of the living God in a double sense First so as it signifies some stately place destined for the dwelling of the godly and so wholly different from the Church that is the City having foundations whose builder is God and which God hath prepared for Abraham Isaac and Jacob and for their spirituall posterity whereof we spake in the former Chapter And these buildings and palaces ordained for the habitation of the godly are situated as I may say in Heaven as the City Jerusalem possessed the spaces of Mount Sion This City he understands in the Chapter following ver 14. when he saith Here we have no continuing City but we seek one to come And this sense seems most proper to this place But secondly this City of the heavenly Jerusalem may be taken for the structure of the Church it selfe which consiseth not of any houses but of single persons joynted and composed one with another in a peculiar order and frame And that is in a manner twofold For one structure of the Church is upon earth though that Church be heavenly also the other shall be hereafter in heaven both of these are understood by the heavenly Jerusalem in the Revelation of St. John chap. 21.2 c. and ver 9.10 For that the Church or her structure is there meant it appeares by this in that she is called the Bride of the Lambe and the twelve foundations of her wall are said to be signed with the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lambe and many things there read of her declare that she is there considered both as she is for the present on earth and as she shall be for the time to come in heaven For the present in that she is said
to descend from heaven and that Kings and Nations are said to bring their glory into her and to walke in her light For the future in that they only who overcome and who are written in the Lambs booke of life have the promise of entrance into that City and possession there So that the great splendor and magnificence as it is there described is much more appliable to expresse the future state and happines of the Church then the present But yet notwithstanding that some men as inhabitants are seperate from this structure of the Church though the Church consist of men seasoned with certaine qualities and joyned one to another in a due order that is only in respect of single persons considered apart by themselves So Paul said that Timothy was in the house of God which is the Church and Peter when he had said that we must be built into a spirituall house he presently adds that we must be a holy Priesthood that is as it were a holy Colledge of Priests But Priests must remaine in the house of God and intend the service of God and so doe much differ from the house of God But the same persons considered in a diverse respect are both the house and the Priests yea and in a manner the sacrifices How ever therefore this Jerusalem be taken it is the City of the living God and heavenly This is manifest of that heavenly City built by God himselfe wherein we shall sometime dwell and of the Chuch as hereafter it shall bee in heaven and it is true of the Church as it now is on earth For it is a City because it is built or composed of single persons notably qualified and excellently ordered and by this City may be also understood the very society of men It is the City of the living God not only because the living God hath thus built it but also and much rather because God dwells in it in a far more peculiar and more divine manner then ever formerly in the City of Jerusalem For God inhabits it not only by his Angels but by his holy Spirit who is the maine bond between God and his Church And also because it is wholly proper and intirely consecrate unto God and no person hath right to dwell in it but such as belong to God such as feare and worship him It is heavenly because the Church hath her originall from heaven whence in the Revelation that new Jerusalem is said to descend from heaven and the forme or fashion of her is heavenly and not earthly She hath her originall from heaven because whatsoever is requisite for the constitution of her proceeds not from elsewhere but only from God himselfe out of heaven her forme is heavenly because her doctrine is heavenly her holinesse of life is heavenly and that charity whereby her frame is chiefly compacted is heavenly Lastly the order and ranke of her members whereby some stand before or after others either in respect of Ecclesiasticall offices or in respect of divine gifts is heavenly and not earthly And God is called the living God as he is opposed both to false gods and to true gods To the false gods because he lives whereas the false gods saving what mens opinion attributes to them are nothing but statues of wood stone or metall and so things wholly inanimate and void of life and he is opposed to the true gods because he hath life from himselfe and is the author of life to all that live so that he is eminently called the living God as hereof wee have spoken elsewhere And to an innumerable company of Angels He alludes to that multitude of Angels which in Mount Sinai were assistent to that Angel who sustained the name and person of God as it appeares Psal 6.68.17 where twenty thousand signifies a plurality of myriads for every ten thousand makes a myriade and thousands in the plurall number uttered indefinitly may signifie that innumerable company or the universall and infinite army of Gods Angels To the company of these Christians come as they are incorporated into one family and fellowship with them as the Angels become fellow-servants with them to worship and serve one common God and Lord with them So that the Angels carry themselves no longer as superiours unto men especially unto Christians neither when they are seen of men much lesse unseen doe they suffer any worship or divine homage to bee done unto them Also as the Angels are alwayes present with men as sent to minister for their sakes and lastly as men have a right to the same immortality which the Angels enjoy and shall in time so certainly attaine it that they shall become like unto the Angels 23. To the generall assembly and Church of the first borne So all the Greeke copies have it though the vulgar Latine Erasmus and the Syriack place the word assembly in the former verse and refer it to the innumerable company of Angels But whether this Assembly be taken relatively to the angels or collectively for that great corporation or society composed of Angels and Christians it comes all to one because these conjoyned make up a generall or rather an universall assembly of all the worshippers and servitors of God By the first borne we must understand the first-borne of God for of whom else should they bee the first-borne and there is no doubt but these signifie Christians and not those who lived before Christ for the men of those times are not wont to be called simply and absolutely the Sonnes of God in the plurall number much lesse the first-borne of God unlesse their rulers and such as have received some singular benefit of God are sometimes called Gods and the Sonnes of God But this appellation is in a manner proper to Christians who only are endued with that filiall spirit wherein so boldly and confidently they cry Abba Father Besides as afterward we shall see that company of the godly who lived before the times faith of Christ is signified by another name and called the just men made perfect Now if the first-borne signifie Christians and yet cannot signifie all them as the word and distinction of first-borne between them and those that are come in unto them declares whom by this name shall we better understand then those who first in every place received the Christan Religion and went before those that afterward followed them who also are sometimes called the first-fruits of that place wherein they lived among whom the Apostles and Prophets of the New Testament lead the first file being the first fruits of Judea it selfe and in a manner the first-borne of all the Sonnes of God or faithfull in Christ especially the Apostles But why we think that the Author spake not of these only we are perswaded by the word generall assembly for hither we conceive it should be referred following the common authority of the Greekes which signifies an universall concourse or huge company of people met together
which could not be made up only of the Apostles and Prophets of the New Testament Wherefore this generall assembly must be further extended which if it be then nothing is more probable but that by first-borne is understood in this place as we have said the first-fruits of the faithfull in every place For they were worthily of greatest esteem among the Christians they had the double portions as it were of the Holy Ghost or to speake in the words of the Apostle they had the first fruits of the Spirit and were endued with divine gifts above other men But some may demand whether the Author alludes in the word first-borne if he allude at all which if he doe it seems it is either unto the first-borne under the Law into whose place the Levites were chosen to minister in the Sanctuary or to the universall assembly of the Israelites when they stood at the foote of Mount Sinai to heare the Law For the former opinion it makes first from the word first-borne for first-borne are most fitly opposed to the first-borne Secondly in that these Hebrews to whom the Author writes being seasoned by the Apostles with the doctrine of Christ seeme answerable to that first assembly of the Israelites at Mount Sinai to heare the Law Which if it be so then the first borne can scarce signifie the universall multitude of the first Christians or the first common Church seeing there must be some who had accesse and other some to whom the accesse was had unlesse we say that these Hebrewes are considered as some part of the primitive assembly of Christians answering to that part of the Israelites assembly which first received the Law delivered from God himselfe For if by the heavenly Jerusalem the Church be signified these Hebrewes can be said to come unto it no otherwise then as the part to the whole Thirdly because by these first-borne some excellent and eminent men in the Church seeme to be understood as put in a meane betweene God and Angels for these very fitly answer the first-borne and to the Levites and Priests chosen into their roome as are the Apostles Prophets Evangelists and other excellent and eminent men who went before all that followed them not onely in time but in gifts And it is probable that the Author would make particular mention of them and then they were not expressed in other words then these The other opinion is favoured by the word generall assembly which signifies an universall meeting and likewise the word Church For that generall assembly of the Israelites who met at Mount Sinai to heare the Law was called the Church Acts 7.38 Hence it appeares of what great dignity they are who have received the Religion of Christ because they are incorporated as it were into one body and into one Church with that Church of the first-borne and who as S. Peter saith have obtained like precious faith with them 2 Pet. 1.1 and enjoy the same right with them of happinesse and salvation He calls them the generall assembly and Church of the first-borne because though all these first borne did never yet assemble in any one place upon earth for this shall be done hereafter onely in heaven yet because of the spirituall conjunction and likenesse of dignity and condition that is betweene them they are considered as one assembly and in a manner as one company Which are written in heaven He seemes to allude to the number-rolle or list of the names of the first-borne or of all the Israelites for God commanded Moses to taken the number of both these but both these were written on earth but the lift of Christians is written in heaven and written by God So that by these words their dignity and happinesse is notified But the Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies not simply written but recorded for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a list upon record for their names use to be lifted upon record who are the citizens or members of a common-wealth By these words therefore is signified that Christians are citizens of heaven and have the right of a heavenly common-wealth that their God is alwayes mindfull of them seeing he keeps their names as it were written in a booke and therefore it cannot be but in due time he will put them in possession of his heavenly kingdome Whence also they that come unto them or are aggregated to their number are reckoned with them for citizens of heaven and members of that heavenly common-wealth And to God the judge of all But some may here say that the Israelites came long since unto God and therefore here is nothing said that concernes Christians in particular I answer 1. That they when they came to Mount Sinai did not really and truly come to God himself but onely to an angel who sustained the person and Name of God 2. That they came not in that manner that Christians doe unto God who as S. John saith come into a communion and fellowship with God 1 John 1.3 and into such a communion that they are reckoned the sons of God and in time to come shall be his heires in witnesse whereof they have received the earnest of his holy Spirit Ephes 1.14 3. The Israelites came not unto God as unto him whom they knew to be the Judge of all or rather who then caried himselfe as the universall Judge of all men of all countries and nations both quick and dead Now the name of Judge may be here taken either largely for any Lord and governour or strictly for him who according to mens merits decrees and payes rewards and punishments Anciently God tooke the peculiar charge and governement over the people of Israel onely but now he hath a fatherly care equally over all men of what Nation soever so they be Christians yea he provides that they become Christians Also he ordaines rewards and punishments for all men not onely in this life but also after it which to those first Israelites was not knowne especially in regard of those transcendent rewards to be collated after this life upon the godly without any difference of Nation And to the spirits of just men made perfect He seemes now to mention these that he tacitly may shew what a great happinesse it is to come to the Judge of all men both the living and the dead By the Iust he understands those men deceased notable for their righteousnesse whereof he reckoned up no small number in the former Chapter treating of faith in God And he saith that Christians are come to the spirits of the just because there is now nothing left of them but their spirits which God hath received into his faith and custody as the Judge of all And the just or righteous deceased are said to be made perfect not that they now enjoy finall happinesse and really possesse the finall promise of God for otherwise Christians had not come to their spirits onely but rather to them
themselves in the former chapter he denied that they had already received the promise of God and were made perfect but that their state and condition is such that perfection and eternall happinesse is now remaining to them in a way immutable so that the certainty of attaining it is such as if they did already really enjoy it In this very sense Saint Paul useth the same word of himselfe when hee saith Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect Phil. 3.12 that is not that I am now in that state as if I could no way faile of that blessed resurrection for of this it was that he spake in the former verse for otherwise that he had not yet really attained eternall life no man could be ignorant and it were a fond thing to affirme it The Author therefore shews that those just ones though they had not attained eternall salvation in perfection in regard now nothing of them was extant but their spirits yet without all doubt should certainely enjoy it by the immutable decree of God Hence it appeares what it is for God to be Judge of all and what happinesse is therein contained if a man come both to the Judge and to the spirits of the just and be admitted into their society For thereby he is certain though his life here-faile him yet he shall not faile of the reward of eternall life 24. And to Iesus the Mediatour of the new Testament The Israelites heretofore came to Moses the Mediatour of the old Testament but Christians come to Jesus the Mediatour of the New But how much Jesus is better then Moses and the new Covenant better then the old we have shewed before chap. 3.8 and chap. 8.6 The word Mediatour is in a manner proper to the holy Scripture and peradventure no where used among profane Authors as others have noted Yet it is found out of the Sciptures in Philo who being a Jew used a forme of language that had some affinity with the sacred writers And what this word signifies being used of Christ we are easily taught by the example of Moses to whom that name was first attributed For although of it owne nature it may signifie any one who intervenes as a meane betweene two parties yet the example of Moses and the name of Covenant added that thereby is signified no other but an herald or hee who intervenes as a mean between God and men to make a Covenant for the joyning of them in a mutuall and firme peace and friendship For the effecting whereof it is not forthwith necessary to appease and mitigate the minde either of one or both parties when it may be either both parties as it was in the making of the old Covenant or one of them as it was under the new namely God doth freely incline to peace and friendship yea doth alone seeke offer and procure it And to the blood of sprinkling An Hebraisme for the blood which is sprinkled or wherewith aspersion is made Hee alludes to that blood of the old Covenant wherewith Moses after hee had rehearsed all the precepts of the Law sprinkled both the booke of the Law and the whole people whereof he said This is the bloud of the Testament which God hath enjoyned unto you as we had it before chap. 9. vers 19 20. We Christians are in like manner sprinkled with bloud and that with the most precious blood of Christ himselfe And wee are sprinkled with the bloud of Christ when in our hearts wee conceave and embrace the force of that bloudy death which he suffered to confirme the new Covenant in such manner that thereby wee have an infallible assurance made us of the promises comprehended in the Covenant whence it comes to passe that wee are made parties to the Covenant and obtaine a right of attaining to all the blessings promised therein That speaketh better things then that of Abel He commends this bloud wherewith Christians are sprinkled by mentioning the force and effect of it that they may joy the more for their aspersion with it and may moreover more carefully endeavour that they wash not the droppes of that bloud from their soules that is that they never fall away from the new Covenant nor cease to feel the force of the bloud of Christ and so deprive themselves of that great blessing which they gained by the shedding of it namely a right to eternall happinesse To the blood of Christ hee ascribes speech in a figurative sense as likewise to the bloud of Abel Both their blouds speake or as the Scripture saith of the bloud of Abel both cry unto God but Abels bloud cryes for vengeance upon his fratricide but Christs bloud cryes for remission and pardon even upon paricides for they may justly be called paricides who murdered Christ And unto these no lesse then unto all other sinners the bloud of Christ begs pardon from God of all their sinnes if they will repent and be converted from them And he begs it as hee engageth God to grant forgivenesse of sinnes to all penitent persons whatsoever their sinnes have been And he engageth God as hee was employed of God to confirme and establish the new Covenant which is so remarkable for that promise 25. See that yee refuse not him that speaketh To his former passages hee now subjoynes an Exhortation and fortifies it with new reasons And herein he seemes to allude to that fact of the Israelites whereof we spake before when they were stricken with such terrour of Gods Majesty that they entreated that God would speak no more unto them which fact of theirs was a kinde of presage or token that afterward they would not carry an ear and mind obedient to the voice of God He therefore admonisheth Christians that now after they have given their ear and mind to the voyce of God in the Gospel they would not againe turne their ear and mind from it which is done both by Apostacy and by disobedience See i. take diligent heed for they who take diligent heed cast about their eyes every way that they may escape the danger imminent For if they escaped not By an argument of comparison hee shewes that if they doe otherwise they shall not escape a grievous punishment for they the Israelites escaped not namely the punishment and avenging hand of God whereof wee treated chapters the 3. and 4. where wee saw that the Israelites for their unbeliefe and disobedience were debarred from entrance into that land of Promise wherein they should have rested after their grievous servitude in Egypt and perished in the wildernesse by divers destructions Who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turne away from him that speaketh from heaven He opposeth him who spake on earth to him who spake from heaven Now there can be no doubt but by him who spake from heaven hee understands God himselfe for presently after he addes verse 26. Whose voice then shooke the
earth but now hee hath promised saying yet once more I shake not the earth onely but also heaven For here it is manifest that the whole verse is meant of God But who shall wee say is understood by him who spake on earth By him may be understood both God himselfe and that single Angel who bare the name and person of God in Mount Sinai If by him wee understand God himselfe then here will be no opposition betweene divers persons but onely betweene divers places from whence God delivered the Law and from whence the Gospel Namely that the Law was published on earth from Mount Sinai but the Gospel was published by God from heaven You will say that God then no lesse published the Law from heaven then afterward he did the Gospell seeing God himselfe descends not from heaven but as he sent Christ from heaven to preach the Gospel so he sent an Angell from heaven in his name to deliver the Law To this I answer There is a great difference between the mission or sending of Christ from God and of that Angel For Christ being sent from God carried himselfe alwayes as a person diverse from God which the thing it selfe declares for he was the sonne of man and called himself Gods messenger sent from God did manifestly professe and testifie that his doctrine was not his owne but his who sent him that he spake nothing of himselfe but what he had received and heard from the Father But that Angell so descended from heaven that hee bare the person and name of God and therefore he alwayes speaks as if he had been God himselfe And this was the cause why Christ had not such Majesty and visible glory about him as had that Angel For Christ had but that Majesty and glory which became Gods legate or messenger and he a man and a mortall man But that Angell had that Majesty and glory which was sutable to God himselfe if God himselfe had descended from Heaven It may therefore be well said that God himselfe descended in that Angell and must be considered as if he himselfe had spoken upon earth Contrarily because God sent Christ to preach the Gospell as his Apostle or messenger and sent him from heaven as a person distinct from him not as of old he sent Moses from the earth that is but from Mount Sinai therefore now with good reason he is said to deliver his oracles and to publish his pleasure to us from heaven But it is a far greater matter to deliver oracles from heaven it selfe then from earth or from some earthly mountaine seeing heaven is far higher and worthier then any mountaine Therefore although the manner which God used in publishing and revealing his Gospel was not if we respect the outward shew and splendour of it so illustrious as that wherewith he published the Law yet indeed it was far more divine and perfect and in all respects most beseeming the perfect discipline of Evangelicall truth For what else did it signifie that God descended on earth to publish the Law but that the precepts of the Law were earthly and not heavenly For they that speake from a low place seem to speake but low matter and they earthly that speake from the earth as we read in the Gospell of John chap. 3.31 But contrarily that God remaining in heaven and not descending himselfe on earth either in his own person or in the person of another hath spoken to us by Christ sent from heaven as his Interpreter and messenger what else can this signifie but that he hath spoken heavenly things and that Christ is far greater then Moses For as it is written in the fore-cited place of John He that commeth from above is above all and he that commeth from heaven is above all In this sense therefore that Angell representing God must stand for God and Christ must not be compared with that Angell who represented the person and name of God but with Moses and the difference between Christ and Moses must stand in this that God spake to Moses on earth but to Christ in heaven and that God sent Moses from the mount to the Israelites but Christ from heaven to Christians If this be displeasing to any man which yet we beleeve to be most agreeable both to the truth and to the Scripture and to the Text we may say which is our other answer to the question proposed and another sense of the words that by him who spake on earth must be understood that Angell who in Gods name published the Law on Mount Sinai and by him who spake from Heaven must be understood the most high God himselfe For he that by himselfe delivers Laws on earth doth thereby shew that he is not the most high God For the Majesty of the most high God permits not that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords should depart from his inaccessible light and from his heavenly throne to descend downe upon earth But hee that offers himselfe as God to be heard from heaven he by far greater reason must be reckoned for God himselfe But you will say when did God himselfe publish the Gospell from heaven I answer This was done then when by his voice uttered from heaven he testified that Christ was his beloved Sonne and therefore his Ambassadour and withall commanded us to heare him For shall not God himselfe be thought to speak to us from heaven when we heare that doctrine which God himselfe authorised by his voice uttered from heaven For although by the wise determination of God the promiscuous multitude heard not this voice with their ears yet it was heard and published by them whose testimony is irrefragable But in the publishing of the Law was no such thing Whence it is manifest that even in this sense the Authors argument wants no force For it is a greater crime to turne away from God who spake from heaven then from an Angell who spake on earth though he sustained the name of God Hee turnes away from God and as it were turnes his backe upon him who refuseth either to beleeve or obey the voice of God 26. Whose voice then shooke the earth From these words it seems to be gathered that the Author by him who spake on earth understands God himselfe For here he mainifestly attributeth to God himself the shaking of the earth i. of Mount Sinai which happened at the publishing of the Law from thence But nothing hinders why this action may not be ascribed both to God and to the Angell who in publishing the Law sustained the person of God as likewise that speaking or uttering the oracles a little before mentioned For the Angell properly and immediatly did both shake the earth or mountaine and also spake and God did it mediatly by that very Angell But in these words there is a tacit answer to an objection and withall a strong reason why Christians must obey the voice of God published by Christ For some man
punishment and other evils eminent and Reverence is this fear redoubled or graduated as wee have said The manner therefore how to make our worship and service of God acceptable and pleasing unto him is by seasoning our souls with these two affections of Modesty and Reverence which are the true and firme foundations whereupon are framed those holy gestures of standing up bowing downe and kneeling downe to him which are the proper acts whereof Gods outward worship doth consist as we have formerly specified For if the use of reverend gestures be decent and due to any person upon earth much more is the use of them decent and due to the most high God of heaven Seeing of all other persons in the world we should most fear to displease God by any appearance of indecency in the least circumstance and seeing God above all others hath all power to benefit us and all right to punish us In which consideration the Author immediatly subjoynes 29. For our God is a consuming fire Here he adjoyns the reason why we must worship and serve God in this acceptable manner with modesty and reverence namely because God is a consuming fire God is a fire of anger So God is called by reason of his anger and wrath wherewith he is so provoked by finne that hee growes hot and burnes against it and as often as hee burnes with wrath he consumes and destroyes ungodly men as suddenly and as fiercely as doth a most vehement fire And it seems that Moses from whom the Authour tooke these words tooke occasion to call God by this name Deut. 4.24 because that God descended downe upon Mount Sinai in a great flame of fire the smoke whereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace Exod. 19.18 and because God spake out of the middest of the fire that they who heard his voyce saw no other similitude of him Deut. 4.11 and because a fire proceeding from God burnt up some who in his worship and service carried not themselves toward him with that modesty and reverence that was acceptable unto him So he burnt up the two Priests the sons of Aaron who durst burne incense unto him with strange fire that was not sacred and fallen from heaven Levit. 10.2 So hee burnt up those two hundred and fifty men who being not Priests durst approach to offer and burne incense unto him Numb 16.35,39 Hence also it is that God appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the middest of a bush Exod. 3.2 And in the Psalmes of David God is sometime introduced with a fire going before him and burning up his enemies round about Psal 97.3 And in that vision of Daniel the Ancient of dayes did sit whose throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels like burning fire and a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him Dan. 7.9,10 Yet we must not think that God doth burne with perpetuall flames of anger For God is rather charity as Saint John doth testifie And of love Therefore God is alwayes a fire of love and charity towards men especially Christians unlesse it be when mens sinnes doe quench this fire of love and charity in him and kindle that other fire of anger and wrath Seeing then our God is a fire to consume those who dare presume to worship or serve him immodestly or irreverently or in any manner not acceptable unto him it therefore concernes us to bee carefull that in all our approaches to his worship or service we carry our selves with all modesty and reverence lest our God bee also unto us as a consuming fire The Contents of this 12. Chapter are 1. Duty We must be constant in professing the faith and patient in bearing the the crosses of it ver 1. Motive 1. Because wee have a cloud of witnesses who eye us in our course of faith and piety ver 1. 2. Because we have Christ for an example and paterne who did endure the crosse and the contradiction of sinners and despised the shame of it for the glory set before him v. 2. 3. 3. Because the crosse is but Gods chastisement upon us which argues his fatherly love to us as his children ver 5 6 7. for chastisement is universall whereof all are partakers except bastards ver 8. Wee take it patiently from our carnall fathers v. 9. Jt lasteth but a few dayes ver 10. and it smarts but only for the present v. 11. 2. Duty We must follow peace and holinesse v. 14. Motive Because without them no man shall see the Lord ibid. 3. Duty We must be diligent to keep one another from falling away Motive Because Apostacy is a bitter root that will both trouble and defile many v. 15. 4. Duty We must take heed of profanesse v. 16. Motive 1. Because Esau who first despised his birth-right afterward lost his blessing finally and could not recover it though hee sought it with teares v. 16 17. 2. Because the Church whereto we come is not an earthly mount where a God on earth speakes all in terrour as it was with the Israelites v. 18 19 20 21. But an heavenly mount whereof the assembly is God in heaven and Christ the Mediator thousands of Angels the first-borne of the Church and the spirits of the Righteous v. 22 23 24. 3. Because the Doctrine we are to hear was not spoken on earth as was the law but from heaven v. 25. 4. Because the time shall once come under the Gospel wherein God shall bee more terrible then ever he was at Mount Sinai for hee shall shake both heaven and earth to pieces even to abolsh them v. 26.27 5. Because we receive from God an infinite benefit even a Kingdome that is immutable and inconcussible v. 28. 6. Because God is a fire to consume the profane v. ult CHAPTER XIII 1. LEt brotherly love continue In the former Chapter hee exhorted them to severall duties concerning God as to constancy in the Faith and patience under the Crosse and to Holinesse and also disswading from the maine contrary vices of Apostacy and profanenes Now in this Chapter hee proceeds to humane duties in certaine mutuall good offices of men one toward another beginning with brotherly love which is our first and chiefest degree of Charitie towards men particularly such men as are our brethren They are eminently called our brethren who have one common spirituall father with us and are begotten into Christ from our heavenly Father by that incorruptible seed which is the word of the Gospel For if the faithfull who are sanctified are all brethren unto Christ who doth sanctifie them as was shewed before chap. 2.11 with much more reason are they brethren one to another because their mutuall resemblances between themselves are much more manifold And this brotherly love consisteth in the inward affect of it and in divers outward effects of doing good for faith and love also are both dead if they be ineffectuall This love must continue and remaine
what a worme is man 7. Remember them that have the rule over you The sixth precept or duty whereto he excites them is to imitate and follow their leaders and rulers in the Christian Religion These leaders and rulers were such as had taught them by their doctrine and example of life going before them in the wayes of truth and godlinesse or as the Author here describes them Who have spoken unto you the word of God Namely Gods word of the Gospel such as first of all preached the Gospel unto them among whom without doubt were some of the Apostles and those who next succeeded the first Whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation Having designed out the persons who should be remembred namely their rulers who had preached the Gospel unto them here he expresseth and specifieth the matter wherein or for what their rulers should be remembred namely for their faith and for their conversation They must consider and follow the faith and doctrine which their rulers delivered unto them and they must consider and follow the conversation of their life and manners and they must consider the end of their faith and conversation what issue and event both these had How they were not onely constant to the end in the faith and doctrine which they delivered and in the conversation and holinesse of life which they practised but many of them fealed the verity of their holy Religion with their bloud by a bitter death These are the things that after due consideration had they must labour to follow by adhering to that faith and doctrine whereto they adhered with the same firmity and constancy that they did and by professing it so effectually that by vertue thereof we doe not onely abstaine from all manner of vice to live holily in the sight of God but also not decline to dye for the truth of it See the manner and way whereby we must preserve the memory of the Saints departed out of this life not by erecting Tombes and Temples unto them at vast charges not by consecrating statues and Images unto them not by powring out our prayers unto them or their Images For these wayes are either superfluous and superstitious or else unlawfull and impious But we must alwayes remember their holy ordinances and the course of their lives sutable to those ordinances diligently labouring to follow them by imitating and expressing their examples in our practice For this way will leade us unto holinesse and happinesse 8. Iesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever Because he had before said they must remember their rulers following their faith and considering their conversation wherein as we said was also included that they should alwayes preserve and retaine the doctrine which they had heard from them and not decline any thing from it Therefore now hee shews that the doctrine of Christ both for our knowledge and practise is unchangeable that in no tract of time or age any change must be made therein either by adding subtracting or altering any thing therein Jesus Christ namely considered both in respect of his office and in respect of his doctrine or rather the doctrine it selfe of Christ by way of Metonymy the efficient or Author for the act or effect as often elsewhere The same yesterday and to day and for ever Christ and his doctrine is the very same constant to it selfe and nothing either changed or changeable for it is the same alwayes in reference to all times whether past present or to come For as the word to day signifies the time present so yesterday notes the time past yet not long past but lately a while since as then was the first time of publishing the Gospel upon earth For among the people of God yesterday signifies the time indefinitely and lately past which vulgarly we expresse by the other day See Gen. 31.2 and Exod. 4.10 and Exod. 5.14 and 1 Sam. 20.27 and 2 Sam. 15.20 and 2 King 9.26 and Job 8.9 And the word for ever signifies the time to come not for some part of it but for all parts of it successively while any time shall be lasting So that nothing is hath beene or shall be changed in the doctrine of Christ as it was of late when it was first delivered and published to the world so it is now at this present so it shall be hereafter for all times to come throughout all ages for though the world should last never so long yet to the worlds end there shal be no change nor alteration in the doctrin of the Gospel not that there wil want men who shall labour to corrupt and change the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles or shall indeed corrupt and change it in divers particulars for that such men there shall be wee may gather by the words of the Author in the next verse following wherein he warnes them of declining from the purity of the Gospel and being carried about with diverse and strange doctrines but that the doctrine of Christ considered in it selfe and as it containes the truth and will of God is no way subject to any mutation or innovation Whence it appeares what we are to thinke of those doctrines and opinions which have risen since the first times of the Church of Christ and were never delivered by the Apostles themselves nor ever received in the primitive Church Of these we are to thinke as the Apostle hath left it written Though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you then that we have preached unto you let him be accursed As we said before so say I now againe if any man preach any other Gospel unto you then that yee have received let him be accursed Gal. 1.8,9 9. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines The seventh precept or duty whereto he exhorts them although it were in a manner comprehended in the former verse where a ground was laid that will necessarily inferre it And it is that they should not suffer them to be perswaded to diverse and new doctrines which were neither heretofore delivered unto them by their teachers and rulers in the Christian Religion nor were agreeable to the rule of the truth delivered Diverse doctrines in this place are they which are different and diverse from themselves and opposite one to another As if he had said In matters concerning Christian Religion for of these onely he speaketh see that ye receive not one while this opinion and another while that for to doe so is their fashion who are not yet exercised in the knowledge of the truth or not yet sufficiently confirmed in it He addes the word strange that by this meanes they might discerne those doctrines For strange doctrines are new doctrines neither delivered by the first publishers of the Christian verity nor consonant to those that were first delivered whose very countenance and habit as I may say doth easily discover them to be none of the Apostles