7. were heard to the full For so it is said He was heard in that which he feared So both our English translations read it The later with this variation in the margine Hee was heard for his pietie Neither expression is altogether untrueâ— yet neither of them full or both put together not much ad apposituÌ„ litle pertinent to our Apostles intent or meaning How then are they to be amended By a more full explication of the severall acceptions of the words in the originall 3 This latter word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred by feare or piety imports in its prime or proper signification as much as a wary or cautelous feare And if good Interpreters doe not faile us it is alway taken in the better sense that is as we say for a filiall or pious not for a base or servile feare Whence seeing he only is pious or godly who is wary or circumspect not to offend God nor to wound his owne conscience the same word in the secondary or consequentiall sense doth signifie piety or godlinesse But whether in one or both of these two compatible senses we take this word in this place the construction which either the vulgar Latine or our English makes of the whole originall clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exanditus est ob reverentiam hee was heard in that he feared or for his piety or reverence will be very harsh For the Greeke proposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot by analogy either to the Greeke or Hebrew be rendred by the Latine ob or propter or as our English doth in or for or in that he feared or for his pietie or reverent feare We are therefore to consider a twofold Hebraisme in this passage The one in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is a generall rule in the Hebrew Dialect that not only Participles but Noune Substanstives or abstract formes are aswell passive as active According to this analogy unto the Hebrew the word Hope aswell in the Greek as in the Latine and many other like are sometimes to be construed actively sometimes passively Spes quâ speramus spes quae speratur And so likewise promissio qua Deus promittit promissio quae promittitur This is the promise which he hath promised even eternall life And so is the word feare whether wee take it in the worse or better sense as for a naturall or servile fear or for a pious and religious fear there is timor quo timemus a feare by which we seeke to eschew evill and timor qui timetur which is no other then the evill feared Now the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must in this place of necessitie be taken in the passive signification not in the active that is for the evil which our Saviour so much or so piously feared Againe in asmuch as God alwaies delivered them from danger or dread whose prayers he heares hence it is that to be exauditus truly heard of God in prayers and supplications is as much as to be delivered from the dread or danger which we pray against So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in true English all one as if he had said And he was delivered from that which he so piously or mightily feared 4 The Apostles words containe a full expression of the Psalmists speech or rather a record of the fulfilling of his prophecy Psalm 22. 21. Save me from the Lyons mouth for thou hast heard that is thou hast delivered me from the hornes of the Vnicorne God had delivered his Sonne whose part in all his sufferings this Psalmist did respectively act or represent from the first temptation in the wildernesse and now he prayes he would deliver him from this farre greater temptation in the Garden when the whole hoast of darknesse had inviron'd him with strong cryes and teares Father if it be ' possible let this Cup passe from me And so S. Luke instructs us He was heard and delivered from that houre of temptation which hee did so much dread For in the second pang of that bitter agony an Angell was sent to comfort him and within the space of an ordinary houre this Cup which was ten thousand times more bitter then the death of the Crosse or any paines which he suffered upon it was â—ttely removed from him And after this houre was ended wee doe not read nor is there any circumstance in holy writ to enduce so much as a conjecture that he stood in fear of any evill that could befall him by the Iewes or Roman Souldiers but most patiently as our Apostle speaks endured the Crosse and despised the shame Of what kind soever the paines which hee suffered in the Garden were a point in the former Book discussed at large the suffering of them was neither necessary or requisite for making satisfaction to God the Father for the sinnes of the world For such satisfaction was abundantly made by the meere death of the Crosse Yet were these his unknowne or unexperienced sufferings in the Garden either necessary or most expedient for his Qualification and Consecration to his everlasting Priesthood that he might be a mercifull and faithfull high Priest able to compassionate and succour all such as are in any kind tempted Briefly seeing one speciall part of his Priesthood is to make intercession and supplication for us in all our distresses it was in the wisdome of God expedient that he should haue just occasion to offer up prayers and supplications with strong cryes for himselfe And in asmuch as these his supplications were heard of his Father we have assurance that he will not cease to make intercession for us untill God grant us deliverance from temptations so we pray unto him in such feare and reverence as he in his agony did unto his Father He will in this case doe for us as he desired his Father to doe for him 5 It seemeth the Consecration of legall high Priests so long as they accurately observed the rites and manner prescribed by Moses did one way or other cost them so deare that no man which duly weighed the charge laid upon them would be very ambitious of the office Hence saith our Apostle Heb. 5. 4. No man taketh this honour unto himselfe but he that is called of God as Aaron was So likewise Christ tooke not to himself this honour to be made an high Priest but he that said unto him Thou art my sonne this day have I begotten thee put this charge or honour upon him against his will questionlesse as man albeit hee most obediently submitted himselfe to his Fathers will because hee had taken the forme of a Servant upon him His Consecration we may safely avouch cost him dearer then the Consecration of all the legall Priests that had been before him or of all the Christian Bishops or Prelates which have lived since did or doth them whether severally or joyntly Never did any man utter those words
which word for word is neither more nor lesse then to be made perfect 2 But many words there are in all the learned tongues whose prime signification every ordinary Grammar Scholar may know whil'st hee reades them onely in Historians or Rhetoricians And yet the best Grammarian living so he be no more then a GraÌ„marian may be altogether ignorant of their true meaning oâ— importance whilest they are used in legall or solemne Instruments or as termes of some speciall art or faculty Every schooleboy knowes the ordinary signification of Possum whilest he reads it in his Grammar rules or in such Authors as he is acquainted with and yet his master how good a Grammarian soever unlesse hee bee a Philosopher withall shall hardly be able to render the true notion or expression of Potentia in naturall Philosophy And a naturall Philosopher may bee sometimes as sarre to seeke in the use of the same word Potentia or Potestas in the faculty of the Civill Law Lastly he that hath his senses exercised in all these Faculties or Sciences mentioned would be a meer stranger to the notion of the same word in the Mathematicks as unable to expresse what Posse or Aequiposse imports in the Science of Geometry as a meer rustick is to understand the terms of Law Such a word or terme is this first word in my text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For it is more then a word of art verbum Jolenne used by the LXX Interpreters to expresse the legall and formall consecration of Aaron his sonnes and their successors to their Priestly function And in this sense it is to be taken in this place and is so rendred in our former English And being consecrated he was made the Author of salvation And so is the very same word rendred by our later English Heb. 7. and the last The word of the oath which was since the law maketh the Son Priest who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consecrated for evermore The Authours of both Translations if so it had pleased them might have given better content and satisfaction to their readers if they had constantly so expressed the same word with it's allies in most places of this Epistle That in this place the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports as much as we have said that is the formall and solemne consecration of the Son of God unto his everlasting Priesthood needes no farther proofe or declaration then the matter or subject of his discourse from the 14 th v. of the 4 th Chap. unto the 11. v. of this 5. Now the onely subject of his discourse aswell in these places now cited as through the whole 7. Chap. is the Consecration of the Sonne of God to his everlasting Priesthood and the super-excellency of the Priesthood aswell as of the CoÌ„secration to it in respect of legall Priesthoods or consecrations 3. This is the profoundest mystery in Divinity or rather the main foundation of all Evangelicall mysteries treated off by our Apostle unto the end of this Epistle But this profound mystery it selfe hath the same hap which other deepe foundations have that is to be least seen or sought into by such as are otherwise exact surveyors of superstructures or buildings raised above ground The summe of my present search or survey after this great mistery is this How the everlasting Priesthood of the Sonne of God and his consecration to it were prefigured foreshadowed or foretold either in the law or before the law Of the eternity of this our high Priests person that is the person of the Sonne of God Melchizedech long before the law was the most illustrious type or picture So was his order or Sacerdotall function the most exact shadow of the Sonne of Gods everlasting Priesthood Of the qualification of the Sonne of God for this everlasting Priesthood and of the manner of his Consecration to it Aaron and other legall Priests his lawfull Successors and the legall rites or manner of their Consecration were the most lively pictures First of the parallel betweene Aaron and his Successors lawfully ordained and the high Priest of our soules for their qualifications required by the Law of God and by the Law of nature Secondly of the parallel betweene Melchisedech and the Sonne of God aswell for their persons as for sacerdotall functions or exercises of them The parallel betweene Aaron and other Priests of the Law and the Sonne of God for their qualification to their different Priesthoods is as was but now intimated the subject of our Apostles discourse from the beginning of the fifth Chapter unto the tenth verse Wee are then in the first place to search out the true sense and meaning of our Apostle by tracing his steps from the first verse unto the ninth verse Secondly to shew in what sense the Son of God by his Consecration became the Author of everlasting salvation to all that obey him and to them only For so our Apostle saith being consecrated he became the Author or cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of everlasting salvation to all that obey him CHAP. 2. Of the Separation of the high Priest from men and of the compassionate temper which was the speciall Qualification of every high Priest Heb 5. v. 2. EVery high Priest is taken from among men so that every high Priest must be a man so separate or set apart from ordinary men for offering gifts or sacrifices unto God as that which wee call consecrated or hallowed ground is from common soile or places of secular use or commerce But albeit the Priests of the Law were by Consecration separated from ordinary men yet could they not be separated from their owne sinnes so long as they carried this body of death about them But such an high Priest saith our Apostle Chap. 7. v. 27. it behoved us to have as is harmelesse holy and separated from sinners Hee was so separated from sinners that hee could take no infection from them or their sinnes whilst hee lived and conversed amongst them Another special Qualification required in such as were appointed to the legall Priesthood we have verse the second of this fiâ—ft Chapter And that was to be able sufficiently to have compassion on them that were ignorant and out of the way and for this reason though God be not the Author of sinne in any yet he made an especiall use of the sinnes whereunto legall Priests were subject to teach them thereby to be compassionate towards others more compassionate then they would or could have beene if they had not beene conscious of their owne infirmites and grievous offences against God for which they were to offer sacrifices aswell as for the sinnes of the people And the more deepely they were touched with the consciousnesse of their owne sinnes or with Gods displeasure which they had incurred by them the more devoutly they prayed for the people the more diligent and carefull they were in their office of Attonement for them Every godly or considerate high Priest
knowledge of it was improv'd or enlarg'd is most punctually and cleerely related by S. Iohn Chap. 20. This blessed Apostle and S. Peter did at the first believe Mary Magdalen's report more distinctly and expressely then they did the propheticall predictions The first day of the weeke commeth Mary Magdalen early when it was yet dark unto the Sepulchre and seeth the stone taken away from the Sepulchre Then shee runneth and commeth to Simon Peter and to the other Disciple whom Iesus loved and saith unto them they have taken away the Lord out of the Sepulcher and we know not where they have laid him Peter therefore went forth and that other Disciple and came to the Sepulcher So they runne both together and the other Disciple did out-runne Peter and came first to the Sepulcher And he stooping downe and looking in saw the linnen cloathes lying yet went he not in Then commeth Simon Peter following him and went into the Sepulcher and seeth the linnen cloathes lie And the Napkin that was about his head not lying with the linnen cloathes but wrapped together in a place by it selfe Then went in also that other Disciple which came first to the Sepulcher and he saw and believed for as yet they knew not the Scripture that he must rise againe from the dead Such knowledge or beliefe of the Scripture as for this time S. Iohn had was farther improved by Christ's apparition unto them upon the same day in the evening Then the same day at evening being the first day of the weeke when the doores were shut where the Disciples were assembled for feare of the Iewes came Iesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them Peace be unto you And when he had said so hee shewed unto them his hands and his side Then were the Disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Iesus unto them againe Peace be unto you As my Father hath sent me even so send I you And when hee had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them receive yee the holy Ghost Whosoever sinnes yee remit they are remitted and whosoever sinnes ye retaine they are retained But Thomas one of the twelve which was called Didymus was not with them when Iesus came The other Disciples therefore said unto him we have seene the Lord But he said unto them except I shall see in his hands the print of the nailes and put my finger into the print of the nailes and thrust my hand into his side I will not beleeve and after eight daies his Disciples were within and Thomas with them Then came Iesus the doores being shut and stood in the midst and said Peace be unto you Then saith he to Thomas Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithlesse but believing And Thomas answered and said unto him My Lord and my God Iesus saith unto him Thomas because thou hast seene me thou hast believed blessed are they that have not seene and yet have believed Vnto some it may seeme questionable in what sense or how farre that of S. Paul is true faith commeth by hearing seeing S. Thomas professeth that he would not and S. Iohn in this place of himselfe confesseth that hee did not believe one of the fundamentall Articles of Christian faith to wit Christ's Resurrection from the dead untill they had seene what they had to believe Yet if we could accurately sist the internall sense or kernell from the huske or shell of words wherein it is contained it will inferre no more then this that the sight of the eye or miracles seene may be an inducement or introduction unto true beliefe they cannot be the true ground or anchor-hold of Christian faith Such faith must be grounded and hope truly Christian must be pitched upon the testimony of Moses or the Prophets or other sacred and Canonicall writings The reason why S. Iohn did not believe our Saviour's Resurrection before he saw his empty tombe and the linnen cloathes wherein he had been wrapped was because before this sight he knew not the Scripture which hee had often heard read or avouched The sight then of this or of other miracles did but open an entrie or passage unto the true knowledge of that which hee had formerly heard But more strange it may seeme to all of us that two so great Apostles as S. Peter and S. Iohn which had been for three yeares and a halfe together perpetuall auditors of such a Master as spake as never man spake and often eye-witnesses of such workes done by him as no man besides him could doe should now be ignorant of that fundamentall Article of faith whereof at this day to doubt were heresie which now to deny were infidelity For if Christ be not risen from the dead then the dead shall not arise and if the dead doe not arise then were both preaching and hearing vaine our faith were vaine both Priest and people were in a worse case then infidels and we Christians should be of all men most miserable 6 Yet farre be it from us to say or think that either of these two Apostles were at this time in the state of Heretiques or that either of their cases were no better then the cases of Infidels rather it would be a branch of infidelity in us to think that at this time they had no faith The roote of their beliefe in Christ as in their Messias and Redeemer was intire and incorrupt the stemme of it was â—ound although untill this time it had not shut out into this particular branch of faith This was the time wherein the actuall and expresse beliefe of Christ's Resurrection from the dead was to blossome and beare fruit even in these two Apostles That it did now breake forth in them and bear fruit was the work of God that before this time it should keepe in and be in some sort snipt was the ordinance and dispensation of the same God for if the knowledge of our Saviour's Resurrection had beene as expresse as explicite and distinct before his death as it was after his rising from the dead neither had their love either been so hearty in it selfe or so manifest to themselves nor their faith so lively and cheerfull as in the issue both did prove The heartinesse of their love unto him whilst hee lived was manifested even unto themselves by their sorrow for his death which doubtlesse had beene much lesse if in the interim they had actually and expressely believed to have seene him againe within three dayes The strength the livelyhood or cheerfulnesse of their faith was truly manifested and experienced in their joyfull entertainment of the glad tidings which were brought unto them by Mary Magdalen and whereof their outward senses were in part witnesses Their joy could not have been so great nor their embracement of his Resurrection so cheerfull and hearty if it had been expressely and confidently expected by
of being granted prove only thus much that the only begotten Son of God or first born to Abraham and to David had a just title to the eternall Priesthood They doe not directly prove that Iesus whom the Iewes have crucified to be that Sonne of God and seed of David meant by the Psalmist in the Psalme fore-cited Or this being granted all put together doe not manifest his Consecration or actuall admission to the high Priesthood by whose erection the Priesthood of Aaron was changed which is the conclusion punctually intended by our Apostle 4 For a more satisfactory declaration of the strength of this argument we are to take the words of the Psalmist into a further and more punctuall consideration then hitherto wee had occasion to take them As first of what GENERATION these words ego hodie genuite are principally meant whether meant at all of David or how of him and how of Christ the Sonne of God and Sonne of David 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Many of the Ancients being seconded by more of the Schoolmen and middle ag'd allegorizing Commentators understand this Psalmist's Oracle of that GENERATION of the Sonne of God which is mentioned in the NICEN Creed or that Creed which is to be publiquely read in the second service of our Church Begotten of his Father before all worlds and in these mens construction by the word HODIE is meant HODIE AETERNITATIS the day of eternity or eternal day wherein there is no succession of parts of houres or minutes But this interpretation is dislik'd by Calvin who is alwaies zealous for the literall though sometimes with prejudice to the mysticall or principally intended sense Yet that sense in this place cannot be exprest by HODIE AETERNITATIS or by the eternall Generation of the Sonne of God That it cannot be the literall sense of this Psalmist is apparent because neither the Resurrection of the Son of God nor his Consecration to the everlasting Priesthood can with any colour of probability be inferred or pretended from it much lesse can it be the mysticall or true allegoricall sense of this Oracle for these alwaies must be grounded upon the literall and no Scripture can be said to be fulfil'd according to the mysticall or true allegoricall sense untill it hath been first verified according to the literall sense Now the eternall GENERATION of the Sonne of God cannot follow either his Resurrection from the dead or his Consecration to his everlasting Priesthood nor could ever any Periphrasis or notation of it be either fulfil'd or verified in time seeing it is before all times 5 May we say then with good Commentators as with Calvin for one that these words this day have I begotten thee have no manner of reference to the Son of God's Generation before all worlds Certaine it is that this Generation is no part of the object no part of the immediate subject whether according to the literall or mysticall sense of the Psalmist's words whether we consider them written or intended by him or as avouched by S. Paul and other Apostles for the further confirmation of Christ's Resurrection from the dead All that can be said on their parts whom Calvin censures is this that the eternall GENERATION of the Son of God might be taken as a common notion or presuppos'd truth both by the Psalmist when he writ and by the Apostle when hee avouched these words ego hodie genuite That the Word or Sonne of God was from Eternity this was a common prenotion to all the Ancient learned or faithfull Hebrewes And that he who was the only begotten Sonne of God before all worlds should be begotten by him from the dead that is prov'd at large by S. Paul Act. 13. And that the raising of that Iesus the Sonne of David whom the Iewes had crucified from the dead unto immortall endlesse life was an authentique declaration that this Sonne of David was likewise the Sonne of God their expected Lord and Messias is most sweetly deduced by our Apostle Rom. â— v. 1. 2. 3. 4. Paul a Servant of Iesus Christ called to be an Apostle separated unto the Gospel of God Which hee had promised before by the Prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning his Son Iesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holinesse by the Resurrection from the dead This passage rightly infers that Christ was the Son of God the uncreated Word by whomall things were created before hee was made the Son of David â—â—â— he was made so only according to the flesh or humane nature but this eternity of his uncreated Person or essence was no part of our Apostles divine discourse or most concludent argument Act â—3 Men and Brethren children of the stock of Abraham and whosoeuer among you feareth God to you is the word of this salvation sent For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their Rulers because they know â—â—â— not nor yet the voiceâ— of the Prophets which are â—â—â—â— every Sabbath day they have fulfilled them in condemning him And though they found no cause of death in him yet desired they Pilat that he should be â—â—â—ine And when they had fulfilled all that is written of him they tooke him downe from the tree and laid him in a Sepulchre But God raised him from the dead and he was seene many daies of them which came up with him from Galileo â—â— Ierusalem who are his witnesses â—â—to the people And we declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made unto the Fathers God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children in that he hath raised up Iesus againe as it is also written in the second Psalme Thou are my Sonne this day have I begotten theâ— And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead now no more to returne to corruption he said on this wise I will give you the sure mercies of David from v. 26. to 34. For the clearer fuller explication of this passage we are to enquire what manner of testimonies or predictions in which the Apostle instances were as whether propheticall only or typically propheticall 6 To begin with the former Ego hodie genui te this day have I begotten thee that with submission of my opinion to better judgments is a prediction typically propheticall which kind of prediction as hath been observed before is the most concludent and this one of the highest ranke in that kind that is an Oracle truly meant of David according to the literall sense and yet fulfil'd of Christ the Son of God by his Resurrection from the dead both according to the most exquisite literall and the mysticall or principally intended sense David without all question was the composer of the second Psalme and the joyfull occasions or extraordinary matter of exultation which raised his spirit to that high and majesticke straine of divine
the meate which perisheth but for that meate which endureth unto everlasting life which the Son of man shall give unto you For him hath God the Father sealed And againe ver 32. 33. Then Iesus said unto them Verily verily I say unto you Moses gave you not that bread from heaven but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven For the bread of God is hee which cometh downe from heaven and giveth life unto the world And ver 35. I am the bread of life Hee that cometh to me shall never hunger And he that beleeveth on me shall never thirst In all these and the like passages whether avouched by our Saviour himselfe or by his Apostles after him we are taught no other Doctrine then the Prophet in his name and by his spirit had taught the people verse 3. Incline your eare and come unto me heare and your soule shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Was this Covenant yet to make being made before first with Abraham then renewed with David The Apostle for conclusion tells us Heb. 11. v. 39. Neither Abraham nor any other of the Patriarchs or holy men though in their generations renowned for their faith did receive the promise and if not the promise then not the everlasting Covenant whereof the Prophet here speakes What was that The reall object of the Covenant or blessing promised But if it be demanded what this blessing promised was It was Christ Iesus not only as he was exhibited in the flesh but raised from the dead as is more largely declared in a treatise upon v. 40. Chap. 11. to the Heb. to be annexed unto this present Treatise 2 All this hath been implied or intimated before in that of our Apostle Heb. 5. And being made perfect he became the Author of eternall Salvation to all them that obey him v. 9. that is to reflect upon the Prophet Esay's expression of this mystery to all that incline their eares unto him and faithfully heare him THE EVERLASTING COVENANT taken in this sense that is for the everlasting blessednesse or that degree of blessednesse exprest in the Gospell is not actually made with any none are reall partakers of it but such as are true and lively members of Christ's body such members of it as Abraham and David were not before the Son of God the Son of David was consecrated to his everlasting Priesthood and Kingdome 3 According to the most strict and genuine sense of the Prophet and our Apostle's interpretation of it Christ Iesus being raised from the dead is the very Covenant it selfe For so the words of the Prophet and our Apostle's interpretation of them runne verbatim without any interruption or obliquitie in construction I will make an everlasting Covenant to wit the sure mercies of David or as the Latine more fully misericordias illas stabiles Davidis That these words directly signifie the Person of Christ and his benefits is most cleere from v. 4. Behold I have given him for a witnesse to the people a leader and commander to the people So that Christ is called the sare mercies of David because in him and through him all God's promises or mercies promised to David are Yea and Amen that is were actually perform'd and made everlasting not in promise only but in esse Betwixt the Hebrew Text and the seventy Interpreters whose translation S. Paul in the fore-cited place doth follow a meere Grammarian or curious critick might observe some variation in words yet no difference or diversity in sense worthy the notice of a true Linguist or rationall Divine The Apostle when hee avoucheth this propheticall Oracle Esay 55. 3. as a confirmation of the concludency of the former testimony out of Psal 2. Thou art my Son to day have I begotten thee omits the first part of it I will make an everlasting Covenant with you as being fully contained in the later part which is indeed an authentique exegeticall exposition of the former to wit God's promise or Oath to give this people and Nation in the time appointed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the holy and faithfull things of David saith our English But the full and punctual expression of our Apostles meaning will best appeare from the manner how he inferres that conclusion which he twise in this place avoucheth from the often mentioned place of the Prophet Isaiah For after that inference * v. 33. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee he addes for confirmation v. 34. 35. And as concerning that he raised him from the dead now no more to returne to corruption hee said on this wise I will give you the sure mercies of David Wherefore hee saith also in another Psalme ◠Thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption The briefe or extract of the Prophet Isaiah's meaning in S. Paul's construction is this THAT GOD BY RAISING VP CHRIST IESUS from the dead never to die againe did really exhibite or actually performe that Covenant made by Oath to David Psal 89. ver 28. My mercy will I keepe for him for evermore and my Covenant shall stand fast with him c. and v. 35. Once have I sworne by my holinesse that I will not faile David his seede shall endure for ever and his throne that is not the successive throne of David but the throne of David's SEED as the Sun before me 4 David in the dayes of his flesh did receive the the promise or Covenant if you take it in the active or formall signification as for promissio quâ Deus promitit or pactum quo Deus paciseitur but if wee take this promise or Covenant in the passive sense id est for the blessing promised or covenanted that was not perform'd till Christ was raised from the dead and glorified as it followes Esay 55. v. 5. In this sense Zacharias calls the exhibition of the promised seed though yet in the wombe the performance of the Oath which God had sworne to give unto Abraham and his offspring So that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the faithfull things of David is contradistinct not to dissimulation or any suspicion of faining in the promiser but to the reversible or mutable state of the blessing promised It implies the immortalitie of the Son of David according to the flesh or the immutability of his holy Priesthood and Kingdome Briefly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is equivalent and somewhat more then so unto the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 't is used by S. Peter Epist 2. Chap. 1. Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure or rather firme and strong v. 10. in which place the word election must of necessitie be taken not in the formall or active sense but in the passive materiall or reall sense not for electio quâ Deus nos eligit but for the irreversible state in grace which is the effect
by the Church for the feast of the Resurrection The institution or occasion of it you have set downe from ver 2. unto the 12. The meaning of the word or quid nominis we have in the 12. v. It is the Lord 's Passeover for I will passe through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the first borne in the land of Egypt both man and beast And against all the Princes of Egypt I will execute judgment I am the Lord. And the blood to wit of the paschal Lamb shall be to you for a token upon the houses where yee are and when I see the blood I will passe over you and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt So then it is called the Passeover because the Lord when he passed through Egypt and visited every house with a fearfull visitation he passed over all the houses of the Israelites which lived amongst them upon whose door-poast the blood of the paschal Lambe was shed Whether this visitation of the Egyptians were held by some good Angell or by that spirit or Angell whom S. Iohn calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as Moses Exod. 12. 23. entitles this visitor the destroyer I will not dispute seeing it is certaine the visitation or judgment it selfe was the Lords And by his appointment the visitor or executioner whosoever hee were good Angell or bad one or more was to passe over the houses of the Israelites as being exempted from his commission whil'st he smote the first borne of man and beast that pertained to any house of the Egyptians But at this present Passeover wherein the Saviour of the world became a sacrifice hell as we say was broken up and let loose the powers of darknesse were become as a raging Sea or swelling tyde overflowing her bankes and had wrought a more ruefull desolation upon all mankind upon the face of the whole earth then the flood of Noah had done unlesse by God's providence they had been restrained The flood in the time of Noah was a flood of waters only this was a streame of fire and brimstone which the breath of the Lord had kindled unlesse his wrath had been appeased and the flame quenched by the blood of the paschall Lambe The commission of the destroying Angell throughout Egypt did extend no further then to the first borne of man and beast and was to endure but for one night the powers of darknesse did aime at all and lye in waite till the worlds end to devour all whose hearts are not sprinkled with the blood of this paschall Lamb which was shed not for a few houses but for all Every house in Israel was to have their severall Lambe or two houses at the most could be priviledged by the blood of one Lambe but our paschall Lambe as he was slaine by the whole congregation of Israel cryed down to death by the Priests the Scribes and Pharisees and the whole multitude so his blood was sufficient to redeeme all the Israel of God from the Destroyer even as many throughout all ages and Kingdomes as will submit themselves unto his Lawes and acknowledge him for their Redeemer And for this reason he was slaine without the City as a publique sactifice in the open aire The Crosse whereto he was nailed was as the doore-posts of that house of which hee is the Builder and Maker that is of the whole world it selfe Now it is to be presumed that the blood of that sacrifice which was to redeeme and sanctifie all unto the worlds end which seek Redemption and Sanctification by him should not be as blood spilt upon the earth which cannot be gathered up As hee was to give life to others by his blood so he was to give life to himselfe againe 3 But is it imported in the institution of the Passeover or in any solemnitie belonging unto it that the Lambe of God which was to take away the sinnes of the world by his Death should himselfe be restored unto life againe Yes This word Passeover besides the former signification of passing over the houses of the Israelites hath another fignification or importance to wit That all those families which were priviledged from the power of the destroying Angel which smote the Egyptians should passe out of the land of Egypt or house of bondage through the red sea into the land of their rest and liberty under the conduct of Moses who had the great Angell of the Covenant for his guide in this passage For the Reader 's better apprehension how the mysteries of the Gospell concerning our Saviour's Passion and Resurrection were fore-shadowed in the solemnitie of the Passeover we are to consider that there is a two-fold sense of Scripture the one literall the other mysticall The literall sense consists in the immediate or grammaticall sense or signification of the words The mysticall sense is that which the Facts or Persons immediately signified by the literall or grammaticall sense of the words doe fore-shadow Thus by Israel in the sacred story sometimes Iacob the Father of the twelve Tribes sometimes the twelve Tribes themselves are literally meant And Israel taken in this sense is literally called the Son of God but by this name Israel Christ Iesus is mystically meant He it is alone qui tanti mensuram nominis implet Hee it is which prevailed with God and is more properly called the Son of God then either Iacob or his posterity were And that which according to the literall sense was meant of Iacob's posteritie When Israel was a child then I loved him and called my Son out of Egypt Hos 11. 1. was literally fulfilled of Christin a more full and exquisite sense as the Evangelist instructs us Math. 2. 15. For God called this his only Son out of Egypt literally taken that is out of the same land or Kingdome wherein Iacob's seed had been sojourners into the selfe-same land of Canaan into which he had brought them so that every word in this prophecy is in the literall sense truly verified as well of Christ as of Iacob's seed But Egypt and Canaan besides this literall sense and signification have a further mysticall sense or importance The state of Israel or the Sons of Iacob in Egypt was a map or shadow of our slavery and bondage unto the powers of darknesse Their passage out of Egypt into the land of Canaan through the red sea was a type of our passage from the bondage of sinne into the Kingdome of light through the region of death it selfe Thus the paschall Lambe literally taken was a picture of Christ's sacrifice upon the Crosse and so was Moses which instituted the sacrifice and conducted God's people out of Egypt but a shadow of Christ Ioshuah or Iesus the Son of Nun which brought them into the land of Canaan was no more The great Angell of the Covenant which was with Moses and with Ioshuah as their guide and protector
but as full Conquerors as it followeth ver 2. For I will gather all Nations against Ierusalem to battaile and the City shall be taken and the house rifled and the women ravished c. The contexture of this Chapter as the most learned Commentators upon it doe confesse is very perplext and yet in my opinion made so partly by the somnolency of translators and incogitancy of Interpreters or paraphrasticall Expositors of it Leaving the discussion of most particulars in it unto the learned Criticks of sacred Philologers I shall endeavour to unfold one perplexity or knot which hath been rather drawne closer or cast harder by most moderne Interpreters then Eusebius or the ancient Greek Writers did leave it The knot or rub is in v. 3. Then shall the Lord goe forth and fight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amongst or in the mid'st of the Nations ariseth from the ambiguous or various importance of the Hebrew particle or preposition beth which in composition admits as great a multiplicity of opposite or contrary senses as the Latine preposition in or the Greek particle alpha doth both which are sometimes privative or purely negative sometimes vehemently affirmative as in that or other like speech quod dixi indictum volo the word indictum is a meere negative and equivalent to non dictum and implies a revoking or repealing of what was said otherwhiles the same indictum implies a peremptory declaration or denunciation be it of warre or controversie c. The Greek alpha admits more variety sometimes it is 〈…〉 a privative or pure negative as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gifts no gifts sometime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an augmentative as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very thick wood or a wood full of trees sometimes againe more then so an augmentative or intensive implication of the contrary or that which it seemes to deny◠as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not only a Lawlesse man or one that knowes not the Law but one extremely opposite to all good Lawes the epitheton or synonymum to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the greatest enemy of Christ or of his Lawes The Hebrew particle or preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes equivalent to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contrary or against sometimes no more then cum in intra or infra with in or amongst as in that speech of Balaam Numb 23. v. 23. There is no enchantment bejacob most now render it against Israel though some heretofore have rendred it There is no enchantment to be found in Israel The sense in the vulgar Latine is ambiguous because it is uncertaine whether Israel be the accusative or ablative case if the accusative as some expresse it in Israelem it may be as much according to the Author of the vulgar Latines meaning as adversus Israelem against Israel which is the most probable sense of that place However the most usuall signisication of the same particle is no more then the Latine in or intra or other variations of it according to the nature of the subject wherein it is used The like variation of the Hebrew beth especially when it is prefixed to the infinitive mood ariseth from the different parts of time unto which it referres as in the title of the third Psalm intitled unto David 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is verbatim in ipso fugere vel fagiendo or dum fugeret in his flying or in his flight or as our English renders it when he fled from his son Absolon But in that petition of Naaman the Syrian for absolution from the Lord unto whose service he tyed himselfe by vow by the mouth of his Prophet the same particle though a prefixe to the infinitive mood hath another aspect neither to the time present or future but to the time past In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant bebea Adoni not when my Master goeth but in that when my Master hath gone into the house of Rimmon he hath leaned on my hand and I have bowed my selfe in the house of Rimmon that is I worshipped in the house of Rimmon the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing That this was a supplication for sinnes past not a dispensation for doing the like is apparent from the Prophets answer unto it goe in peace which was the solemne forme of absolution used by the Ancient Hebrewes and by our Saviour himselfe When the same particle beth denotes a place or person it is equivalent to the Latine Adverbe intus or in as bemidber is no more then in or within the wildernesse And so to trust baihovah or Laihovah is no more nor lesse then to trust in the Lord. The same particle beth in many other places is equivalent to the the particle le and in this sense it must both from the necessity of the matter from circumstances precedent and consequent be taken in this 3. v. I will fight in or amongst not against these Nations 2 As in the place of the Psalmist Psal 74. v. 14. Thou hast broken the head of Leviathan in pieces and gavest him to be meat to the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the wildernesse The same particle le is as much as in or within for by the people in the wildernesse the Psalmist meanes such ravenous land-creatures as wolves foxes and the like or amphibious as use to prey upon the earkeises or bodies forsaken by the sea wherein they were drowned or cast upon the shoare as Pharaoh and his mighty host were whose death besides the strangenesse or suddennesse of it was disgracefull and terrible to all spectators For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is aequipollent to bemidber in its formall signification only the word denotes a more solitary and dry place then the wildernsse doth which perhaps was the reason why the septuagint translate this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Aethiopian people whether by that they understood men or crocodiles or other like monsters of Aethiop or Africk is uncertain Arias Montanus renders it populis solitudinicolis which for ought I know may signifie men somewhat more monstrous then the Cannibals which fed upon mens flesh but whether on men cast upon the shore or no I cannot tell To omit other importances or significations of this Hebrew particle beth it must be taken in a sense equivalent to the particle le or to the Latine cum in or pro in this place of Zachary Chap. 14. v. 3. 3 And I cannot but wonder at the incogitancy or oversight of that most learned and ingenious Writer Ribera who having so faire hints and good directions as Eusebius and other Ancients alleaged by him for leavelling this passage made rugged by Latine Interpreters or Translators forsakes the dexter sense which the Greeks had given and embraceth the sinister sense of the Latines The seventy Interpreters had rendred the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee to wit the Lord will command in chiefe and order the battaile of the Nations which he had gathered against
cases because they are commanded to be holy as he is holy But can there be any case or businesse betwixt God and man of so great consequence that his sole word or meere promise might not suffice to determine it His word in it selfe no doubt is more firme and sure then all the oaths of men and Angels It is therefore in the second place presumed or granted by all good Writers that our Gracious God confirmed this promise by oath ex abundanti for the support of mens infirmities which too often measure the goodnesse of God and the fidelitie of his promises by their owne notions of goodnesse or by their experience of such fidelitie as is found in promises amongst good men But albeit wee may take surer hold of any mans word or promise then of his indefinite overtures or inclinations to doe us good yet a very honest mans word is no sheateanchor for a wise man to rely upon in a violent storme The fest sometimes may be sure and firme when the cable is slender and weak Or the cable very strong when the fest or Anchor-hold is slippery Hence ordinary promises or professions of reall kindnesses by a tacite or implicite consent of most men admit diverse exceptions or dispensations whereof solemne oaths are uncapable In what termes soever ordinary promises or professions of kindnesses be expressed their tenour is to be understood or construed with this Proviso Rebus sic stantibus Vnexpected disaster or rare mischance is in common equitie a sufficient release for non performance of that which was sincerely promised upon probable hopes of better meanes or abilities or at least of the continuances of such meanes as the party had when hee made promise Many men who will hardly straine their oaths for their life will dispense with their honest words or good intentions rather then subject themselves to any incompensable worldly mischiefe or remedilesse inconvenience which may certainely follow upon the performances of what they promised For this reason every wise man must be more wary to what he swears then to what he promiseth For matter of promise concernes things temporall only whereas hee that takes a solemne oath doth sequester his immortall soule and estate in the life to come into the hands of the Almighty Iudge and Revenger of perjury Hence was it that the noble Romane Regulus did chuse rather to returne to the Carthaginians resolving to endure all the tortures and paines that they could inflict upon him then to violate the solemne oath which they administred unto him And albeit the Carthaginians knew him to be a man for his fidelitie and due observances of his promises as just and righteous as Rome had any a man more faithfull and true if wee believe ancient histories then the Carthaginians ordinarily were yet out of discretion and politick obseruance they held it more safe to trust to Regulus upon his oath then upon his meere promise No wise man or prudent Statist unto this day will trust the best man living over whose person or estate hee hath no command or jurisdiction in matter of greater consequence without a solemne oath A grave * Civilian observes absque iureiur ando alicui in foederibus contrahendis confidere est piscari in aere venari in mediâ— maris CHAP. 16. God's oath to Abraham was an oath for Confirmation of the league betwixt them Of the severall manner of leagues NOw God's oath to Abraham was an oath of league a solemne confirmation of that Covenant which God had entred with Abraham at the Circumcision of his Son Isaac Wee may observe in the sacred story that Abraham had first God 's meere promise and on that he faithfully relyed Gen. 12. 13. 14. c. Afterwards this promise grew into a solemne everlasting Covenant signed on Abraham's part by the Circumcision of himselfe and his sonne Isaac and afterwards confirmed on God's part by solemne oath and lastly signed and sealed by the bloody death of the only Sonne of God For the Readers better conduct in the passages which follow it will be requisite first to entreate briefly of the nature of Covenants and Leagues Secondly to display the Evangelicall importances of the oath by which this League was first confirmed and afterwards renewed The word Covenant in our English is sometimes equivalent to that which the Latines call pactum or conventum to wit any contract or bargaine wherein there is quid pro quo somewhat given and somewhat taken And in this sense every Covenant or bargaine is an act of commutative Iustice wherein there is ratio dati accepti a mutual bond betweene the parties contracting upon some valuable considerations A Covenant of this ranke there cannot any be properly said or imagined betwixt God and meere man as Abraham was for who can give any thing unto God which was not his owne before by a more soveraigne right and more peculiar title then it is or can be his that would take upon him to make God his Debtor by deede of gift And for this very reason the acutest Schoolemen resolve us that commutative Iustice cannot be formally in God But when wee read that Iustice is one of God's essentiall Attributes or when we say that God is truly and formally Iust this must be meant of distributive Iustice the ballance of whose scales are poena and praemium matter of punishment and matter of reward For God as a just Iudge doth truly and accurately render unto every man according unto all his wayes without any respect of any advantage gaine or profit that can redound unto him by mans doing good but meerely out of his unspeakable love unto mercy it selfe unto bounty it selfe or unto Iustice it selfe But though there cannot be such a Pactum or Covenant betweene God and man betweene God and Abraham himselfe as is a proper act of commutative Iustice wherein there is ratio dati accepti For Abraham had nothing to give unto God from whom hee had received all that hee had and from whom hee did expect to receive his sonne Isaac in whom the very Covenant was to be establed yet there may be betweene God and man and there was betweene God and Abraham a true and proper Covenant in another sense that is asmuch as the Latines call foedus a true or proper league of amitie or association And thus the word in the originall especially in Genesis 17. 7. is to be taken 2 This kind of League or Covenant may be of two sorts foedera iniqua quae victores victis dabant Such as the Conquerors would give unto the Conquered which was alwayes upon unequall termes or conditions and yet better for the conquered and weaker part to admit of then to be altogether without league or securitie for their safety or protection Or they were foedera aequa leagues entred upon equall termes or condition such as usually are the leagues betweene neighbour-Kingdomes free-States or Soveraignties independent each on other
him a name which is above every name that at the name of Iesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confesse that Iesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father Philip. 2. verses 9. 10. 11. Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Iesus whom yee have crucified both Lord and Christ Act. 2. 36. CHAP. 31. Shewing the concludency of the allegations used by the Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul to prove the truth of Christ's Resurrection and in particular of the Testimony Psal 2. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee NOt to repeat other Types or propheticall testimonies of Christ's entrance into immortall glory by the sufferings of death of which the Reader may find plenty as well in Postillers as Commentators nor to dilate upon such generall testimonies whether meerly typical or propheticall or typically propheticall as have been heretofore handled in the seventh and eighth Booke of these Comments upon the Creed as that of Psal 82. c. I make no question but those testimonies out of the Psalmes or Prophets which are avouch'd to this purpose by the Apostles themselves specially by S. Peter and S. Paul were expounded by our Saviour himselfe unto the two fore-mentioned Disciples which did accompany him unto Emmaus 2 Now the testimonies most insisted upon by the Apostles as well for convincing the Gentiles as the Iewes are specially three that of Psal the 2. Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee and Psal the 6. Thou wilt not leave my soule in hell nor suffer thine holy one to see corruption the third The Lord hath sworne and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech or which is much what the same The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy footstoole The extraordinary successe of all these allegations abundantly testifies that they were most concludent for many thousand soules at two severall times besides others were converted by them The testimony out of Psal 2. is prest home by S. Peter Act. 2. v. 6. to the 37. to the Iewes specially and by S. Paul both upon Iews and Gentiles Act. 13. Though with better successe upon the Gentiles The force and strength of this testimonie and likewise how farre it was meant of David and fulfilled in Christ hath been at large discust before The point at which these present endeavours aime is to declare how these two testimonies 1. Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee and 2. Thou art a Priest after the order of Melchisedech doe concludently and irrefragably inferre the Resurrection of Christ that Iesus whom the Iewes had crucified being both the Sonne of God and sonne of David and his Consecration to his everlasting Priesthood for unto this later point both testimonies are drawne by our Apostle Heb. 5. v. 5. and 6. But how close they reach this point whether jointly or severally is not so cleerly set forth by most interpreters as that the Reader unlesse his understanding farre surpasse mine will easily collect The generall meaning of our Apostle hath been declared in the first Section and in the close of the fourth of this Booke it is punctually thus Seeing Aaron's calling to the dignity of Priesthood was publiquely manifested to be from God no man after might take upon him to erect a new Priesthood no not to the temporall prejudice of Aaron and his successors much lesse to abolish this Priesthood which God had erected unlesse he could manifest to man and Angels that his Commission for thus doing was immediately from God and authentique being sealed by oath and solemnely executed And seeing no man might therefore Christ though God and man did not glorifie himselfe as the Apostle addes to be made an high Priest but he that said unto him Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee did put this dignity upon him Many Interpreters have stretcht their wits to make the literall sense of this Psalmist's words reach home to our Apostle's purpose Others so slight it as if they would give us to understand or cause to suspect our Apostle himselfe did not much stand upon it but only passe by it unto the second testimony Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech Albeit in my opinion the later testimony proves his fiat or Commission the former his ordination or execution of his Commission I will not wrong the judicious Reader 's patience with profering variety of such expositors unto his choise as his wisdome cannot approve Cajetan hath Ribera's approbation and of all the expositors which went before him drawes the Psalmist's Oracle Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee neerest to the point in question So farre I am from carping at any thing which those two expositors have said to the point now in question that I will endeavour to explicate and extend their meaning in the best sort I can The Priesthood saith Cajetan as Ribera expounds him before the Law given was annexed as a prerogative to the first borne and descended from Abraham to Isaac and by speciall dispensation to Iacob Now the whole dignity of the first borne being lost by Ruben was divided amongst three of his Brethren The Soveraignty or Principallity fell to Iudah the Priesthood to Levi and the double Portion to Ephraim And in Aaron the sonne of Levi was the Priesthood established long before the Kingdome was established in David the sonne of Iudah and to the Priesthood so established David's sons had as litle right as Aaron's sonnes had to the Crowne or Diadem God's peremptory decree for thus dividing these two prerogatives Azariah is not afraid to plead unto King Vzziah's face Chron. 2. 26. And his speech did take impression for hee had no sooner made an end of speaking but the leprosie begunne to appeare in King Vzziah's face and for his usurpation of the Priest's office and intrusion into the house of God he is utterly excluded from his pallace and enforced to resigne the government unto his Sonne But inasmuch as he of whom the Psalmist speakes is solemnely registred and by him declared to be the first borne and Sonne of God it is not lawfull only but expedient but very necessary that all the branches of the first borne's prerogative which Ruben had scattered should be reunited in his Person Againe in that he is the promised seed hee is the compleat heire of all the blessings bequeathed to Abraham and out of whatsoever tribe this promised seed was to spring the honour of Priesthood was as due unto him as the Kingdome Levi and Aaron were but as foefes in trust for conveying the Priesthood as Iudah and David were for making over the Kingdome unto him 3 All those suppositions and others perhaps more then Cajetan or Ribera though
poesie whereof this and the eighteenth Psalme with some others beare lively characters were partly the triumphant victories which he had already gotten over the enemies of Israel's peace and the confederators or conspirators against his Crowne and dignity partly the glorious promises which through patient expectation of deliverance hee had obtain'd for the further establishment and advancement of his throne and the enlargement of his hereditary Kingdome Before the composition of the second Psalme hee had the glorious and gracious promise of which Ethan the Esrait so curiously descants Psalm 89. I will make him my first borne higher then the Kings of the earth c. Now it can be no solecisme to say that hee who in sacred language is instil'd the first borne should have the title of the first begotten among the Princes of the earth Seeing the title of begetting is oftimes in sacred language to be measured not by the scale of Philophes'â— or naturalist's dialect â—ut of morall or civill language or interpretation For they that are sonnes by adoption only or next heires in reversion to a Crowne or dignity are said to be begotten of those which adopt thâ—â— or of whom they be the immediate heares or successors and in this sense in the sacred genealogy Ieconiah is said to have begotten Salathiel So that David upon his owne occasions whether upon his anointing to the Crowne of Iudah in Hâ—â—ron or of Israel in Sion might in the literall sense avouch these words Psalme 2. of himselfe I will preach the Law whereof the Lord said unto mee thâ—â— art my Sâ—â—t his day have I begotten thee 7 For David to call the day of his Coronation or of his designâ—ment unto the Crowne of Iudah or of all Israel his birth-day or begetting by God by whose speciall power and providence hee was crowned is not so harsh a phrase as some haply would deeme it that either know not or consider not that it was usuall in other states or Kingdomes beside Iudah to celebrate two nâ—tales dies two solemne 〈◊〉 or birth-dayes in honour of their Kings and Emperours the one they called diem natalem imperatoris the other diem natalem imperij The one the birth-day of the Emperour whereon he was borne of his naturall Mother the other the birth-day of him as he was Emperour which wee call the Coronation day The reason might hold more peculiar in David then many other Princes because he was the first of all the seed of Abraham that tooke possession of the hill of Sion and setled the Kingdome of Iudah fore-phophecied of by his Father Iacob upon himselfe and his posterity 8 But whatsoever may be thought of David or of his sonne the day of our Saviour's Resurrection may be as truly and properly called the day of his nativity as the day wherein he was borne of the blessed Virgin Mary This was his birth-day or nativity to his mortall life as he was the son of man that was the day of his nativity or begetting to immortality the birth-day of his Kingdome and royall Priesthood The most concludent testimony though least observed by most Interpreters is that of the Apostle before mentioned Heb. 5. v. 4. No man taketh this honour to wit of Priesthood but hee that is called of God as was Aaron So also Christ glorified not himselfe to be made an high Priest but hee that said unto him Thou art my Son to day have I begotten thee It was hee that did glorifie him with this title as he also saith in another place thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchisedech The Apostles drift and meaning is that our Saviour did not intrude himselfe into the Priesthood but had as solemne a calling and Consecration â—o it by God his Father as Aaron had to the legall Priesthood by Moses And he did deprecate his calling or Consecration to this Priesthood more earnestly and fervently then any high Priest or Bishop did their Consecration Although they say Episcopari nolâ— they have no desire to be consecrated But sure our Saviour spake as hee meant when hee prayed unto his Father Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me Now thus he prayed after God had begun to anoint and bath him in his owne blood unto the Priesthood after the order of Melchisedech as Moses had anointed Aaron with the blood of beasts unto his legall Priesthood And this place of our Apostle concludes the point before handled to wit that our Saviour did begin his Priesthood after the order of Melchisedech from the day of his Resurrection for upon that day was the Psalmist's prophecy fulfilled Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee 9 The fulfilling of this Oracle meant of David according to the literall according to the mysticall sense in Christ Iesu the Son of David is most divinely exprest by S. Luke Acts 3. 4. in which two Chapters many passages above all others in this sacred history are worthy of serious and frequent mediations specially in respect of the circumstances of time and some other occurrences The holy Ghost as it is at large related Chap. 2. had been first powred out upon Christ's Disciples a litle before the ordinary time of the morning's service or devotions at this solemne feast of Pentecost And upon the same day as 't is very probable from the first verse of the third Chapter Peter and Iohn went together unto the Temple at the houre of praiers being the ninth houre and bestowed a better almes upon a poore creeple then after many yeares profession of that poore trade he durst presume to begge at their hands or pray to God for 10 The ungainsayable truth of the miracle wrought upon this creeple by Peter and Iohn who had they been as ambitiously minded as their examiners might have challenged the glory of it to themselves did not so much grieve the Priests and captaines of the Temple with the Sadduces as that upon this occasion they taught the people and preached the Resurrection of the dead through Iesus Christ Chap. 4. ver 2. 3. Vpon this griefe conceived at first by some few there present the next morning the high Priest with the whole host of his assistants and kndred did injoyne these two Apostles not to teach at all or speake in the name of Iesus but upon that magnanimous reply whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more then unto God judge yee ver 19. made joyntly by Peter and Iohn to the high Priest's and Elders peremptory injunction being let goe they made report of the whole businesse with the successe unto their owne company who when they heard it lift up their voice to God with one accord and said Lord thou art God which hast made heaven and earth and the Sea and all that in them is who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said why did the heathen rage and the people imagine a vaine
glory of Mount Sion not so much for its native situation though that were glorious as for that it was now become the pedestall to the Arke wherein Iehovah or Iah kept his residence The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan an high hill as the hill of Bashan Why leape yee yee high hills This is the hill which God desireth to dwell in yea the Lord will dwell in it for ever ver 15. 16. Yet all these glorious hopes or hoped promises prophesied of in this Psalme are to be interpreted according to the rules before observed upon Psal 89. Many of the blessings hoped for and fore-prophesied were meant according to the literall sense of David himselfe and his posterity yet but conditionally true of them absolutely irreversibly and everlastingly true only of David's son or seede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of that God and Lord who in the fulnesse of time was to be enclosed in the Virgines wombe and to have his everlasting habitation in the fruit of her body after a more admirable and peculiar manner then he resided in the Ark when David brought it unto the hill of Sion Hee is often said indeed to dwell in the Arke and in the Temple but never so did dwell in them in such a sense as our Apostle describes his habitation in the man Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodily or as Chemnitius renders it by personall residence 4 For the encomiasticall part of the 68. Psal sofarre as it concernes mount Sion Ierusalem or Iudah the Reader may find a paraphrasticall exposition to it Psal 48. which was composed after this and as it is most probable in the dayes of Iehosaphat For any paraphrase or Comment upon that Psalme I leave the learned Reader to his owne choice I would only commend one passage of Calvin's Comments upon it which an ingenuous censurer of this great Dr when hee treads awry or speakes harshly but a more friendly encomiast of him when he goes aright hath commended to me upon the close of that Psalme Walke about Sionand goâ— round about her tell the towers thereof ver 12. c. Argutum simul soliduÌ„ est diligenter notâ—ndum quod hic â—alvinus auguratur interpretatur de excidio urbis Templi ut splendoreÌ„ Templi narrent posteritati Non opus erat auditu narratione â—i visibus humanis semper pâ—tuisset Narrantur posteritati quâ— non exhibentur veluti quotidiâ—â—â—â—â—â—cula spectacula â—op in v. 14. This commendable observation upon the 48. Ps makes a speech of this same Calviâ— upon the principall passages of the 68. Psalm more harsh and distastful to this ingeâ—â—oâ—s censurer and to others which have their senses exercised in the interpretation of prophecies especialy such as are alleaged by the Apostles or Evangelists So was the 19 v. of this Psalme urged by S. Paul to prove our Saviours Ascension Ephes 4. Calvinus ait Paulus locum hunc subtilius ad Christum deflectit mallem dicere divinius ad Christum transfert accommodat 5 But this ingenious Writer and accurate Latinist useth this word accommodat in another sense then Iansenius Suarez or Maldonat or other literalists doe which oftentimes though not alwaies oppose the word accommodation or allusion to concludent proofe for of all the prophesies which point directly to the Article of Christ's Ascension this 19. ver alleaged by S. Paul to this purpose is most concludent if we could rightly parallel the literall or historicall passages which are well deciphered by Calvin with the mysticall or principally intended sense or actuall accomplishment of David's words The historicall occasion from which the spirit of prophecy in David tooke its rise to proclaime this grand mystery of the Gospell was the often mentioned triumphant introduction of the Arke of God or in equivalent sense the God of Israel which dwelt in the Arke into the hill of Sion which from this time and occasion was instiled the place of God's rest because the Arke of God as was presumed was there to reside without wandring as in the place which God had chosen for it To this purpose Psal 78. He smote his enemies in the hinder parts hee put them to a perpetuall repreach Moreover he refused the Tabernacle of Ioseph and chose not the Tribe of Ephraim but chose the Tribe of Iudah the Mount Sian which he loved And he built his Sanctuary like high pallaces like the earth which he hath est ablished for ever ver 66. 67. 68. 69. From this designation of the Arke to reside in Ierusalem David haply who knew best the tenour of God's promise concerning this businesse would not suffer it to goe along with him when he fled from Ierusalem as being in danger of suprisall by his son Absolon CHAP. 37. Of the concludency of the Apostle's Allegation Ephes 4. 7. 8. Out of the 18. ver of the 68. Psal BVt to set forth the parallel betwixt the Prophet and our Apostle The custome among the Romans and other Nations was to bestow congiaries or largesses upon their friends or natives when they led their enemies captive in solemne triumph Whether David led any enemies of which hee had conquered many in such triumph or whether he did meerly as a Prophet or sacred Poet display his former victories gotten over the enemies of God and his Church by the manner of the Nations triumphs over their enemies is not in my observation evident This is certaine hee dispersed not painted or poeticall but reall largesses unto the people in gratefull memory of the former victories which God had given to him his Predecessors the former Champions for the people of Israel And more then probable it is that David in this hymne had speciall reference to the victories and triumphs of Barach and his associates over Sisera most divinely expressed by Deborah in her song Iudg. 5. My heart is toward the Governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people Blesse yee the Lord. ver 9. Awake awake Deborah awake awake utter a song Arise Barach and lead captivity captive thou son of Abinoam Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the Nobles among the people The Lord made mee have dominion over the mighty v. 12. 13. Whether David when hee composed the 68. Psalm did imitate the triumph of Barach and Deborah over Sisera Generall of Iabin's host by matter of fact as by leading his captives in triumph which is most probable or only seeke to exceed Deborah in his song by more full expressions of his thankfulnesse towards God who had given him greater victories over greater enemies is not manifest But it is more then matter of opinion or pious credulity that both the victories of Barach and David over the visible enemies of God's people or whatsoever other historicall occasions Deborah or Barach or David had to utter their songs were but types or ominous or lucky prenotions of that great victory
which the Seed of David the Son of God was to obtaine over the old Serpent and his seed over death it selfe and all the powers of darknesse The triumph of the one or other David I mean or Barach was but a picture or painted shadow of that triumphant conquest described by our Apostle Colass 2. And you being dead in your sinnes and the uncircumcision of your flesh 〈…〉 he 〈…〉 together with him having forgiven you all 〈…〉 blotting out the hand writing of ordinances that was against us and tooke it out of the way and having spoiled principalicies and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it ver 13. 14. 15. 2. The harmony betweene the literall or historicall sense of David's words though we weigh them only according to Calvin's Comments upon them Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captivity captive thou hast received gifts for men and the mysticall interpretations of them given by S. Paul is as sweet as plaine such as need no descant besides the bare proposall of the Psalmist's Text and Apostle's interpretation of it or conlsiderations of the occasions which David had to speake as in the fore-cited place he doth David and Barach with other Conquerors when they led captivity captive gave gifts unto their friends gifts of diverse sorts to severall persons silver and gold of other guerdons to their well-deserving captaines or souldiers rayments of needle-worke unto women of better ranke wiâ—e and cakes or other like junkets to poore women and children Assoone as David had made an end of burnt offerings and peace-offerings hee blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts and hee deaâ—t among all the people even among the whole multitude of Israel as well to the women as 〈…〉 to everâ— one a cake of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon of wine so all the people departed every one to his house 2. Sam. 6. ver 28. 29. And this was the time when hee brought the Aâ—ke of God in solemne procession into the hill of Sion But unto every one of us saith the the Apostle in the fore cited place which containes the Evangelicall mystery parallel to this historicall relation is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Wherefore he saith when be ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men Now that he ascended what is it but that he descended first into the lower parts of the earth Hee that descended is the same also that ascended up farre above all heavens that he might fill all things And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the Body of Christ Till wee all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Ephes 4. v. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 3 From this improvement of the Psalmist's literall sense and mysticall interpretation of his practice which no good Christian will deny to be authentique as being made by the Apostle the diligent Reader may easily find out the mysticall or propheticall sense of the verses following in the 68. Psal so farre as they concerne the Article of our Saviour's Ascension or the propagation of the Kingdome of God which followed upon it To take the cleareview of the mysticall sense of the verses mentioned the Reader with me must take his rise from the literall sense which is two-fold the one containing an historicall expression of what was to be acted for the present by David and his attendants when he brought the Arke into Mount Sion the other a relation or retro-aspect unto the solemnities used by Barach and his attendants in their triumph over Sisera So it followeth They have seene thy goings O God even the goings of my God my King in the Sanctuary These words are characters or notes of the solemne procession of the Arke for whilst the Arke or Sanctuary did goe or march unto Mount Sion the God and King of Israel did goe with it and in it and in this procession the singers went before the players on instruments followed after amongst them were the Damosels playing with Timbrels v. 25 The solemnity of singing in God's service was more compleat in David's time then it had been in the daies of Moses or of the Iudges yet songs and musick they had then in their solemn processions or gratulations and Damosels playing upon Timbrels as it is evident out of Exodus 15. Iudges 5. and other ancient sacred histories Though such processions at this day such is the alteration of times and seasons would be as unsightly to us moderne Christians whether Protestants or Papists as it would be to an English Protestant to see the consecrated hoast or Body of our Lord whilst caried about in solemn processioÌ„ attended with a maâ—risk-dance or other like gamboles But the burthen of the song used by David was that v. 26. Blesse ye God in the Congregation even the Lord from or ye that are of the fountaine of Israel For not Iudah only but the rest had their portion in the son of Iesse for there is litle Benjamin with their Ruler the Princes of Iudah and their councell the Princes of Zebulun and the Princes of Nepthali ver 27. These Tribes with their governors in all probability did give David best attendance in this great service done to the Arke or rather to the God of Israel that dwelt in it as some of them likewise had been principall assistants unto Barak highly commended for their service by Deborah Out of Ephraim was their a roote of them against Amaleck after thee Beniamin among thy people Iudg. 5. ver 14. After a sharpe taxe of some other Tribes for their great backwardnesse in the service of God she addes Zebulun and Nepthali were a people that ieoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field ver 18. In the first procession of the Arke Numb 10. All the Tribes with their Rulers did attend it so did they not Barak in the battel of the Lord against Iabin and Sisera The excellent services of these Tribes mentioned by David in this pocession with the Arke to Mount Sion did prognosticate or portend that when the true Arke was exhibited that is when the God of their Fathers should come and dwell and walke among them in the midst of them as Moses had promised his chiefe attendants should be these Tribes commended by Deborah and David Christ Iesus himselfe the God of Israel whom David and his Fathers worshipped was of the Tribe of Iudah Paul of the Tribe of Beniamin Peter and Andrew and most of the other Apostles or prime Disciples were of the Tribe of Zebulum and Nepthali and made more then Princes of their families his witnesses
fore-shadowed by David concerning the manner of our Saviour's Ascension or propagation of his Kingdome was more clearly fore-seen by Daniel and as punctually foreshadowed by matter of fact in Mosaicall histories To begin with the testimony of Daniel which was meerly propheticall a pure vision And I beheld invisions by night behold one like the son of man came in the clouds of heaven and approached unto the ancient of daies and they brought him before him And he gave him dominion and honour and a Kingdome that all people Nations and languages should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall never be taken away and his Kingdome shall never be destroyed In that he saith he was like unto the Son of man this doth not import that hee was not truly man or only like to man but that more glory was due unto him then to any meere sonne of man and that he was the true sonne of that ancient of dayes unto whom hee was brought And as our Apostle saith that being in the forme of God and equall unto God yet he was found in the liknesse and shape of man that is as essentially like to man as like to God The Prophet describes his presentation to his Father by the Angels and coelestiall powers attending him which our Evangelist relateth not because haply this could not be seen by waking and mortall eyes but only by vision or rapture of spirit The same Prophet likewise describes the manner of his Ascension as exactly as if he had been a waking spectator of it with the Apostles and Disciples 2 But to resume the Prophets words Behold saith the Prophet one like the sonne of man came in the clouds of heaven and approached unto the ancient of daies hee doth not say hee was brought up in the clouds of heaven for the motion was his owne Hee was the agent or mover as well as the party moved in this Ascension So the Evangelist saith Act. 1. 9. And when hee had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken up for a cloud tooke him out of their sight and whilst they looked stedfastly towards heaven as he went Behold two men stood by them in white apparrell which also said yee men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven Emphasim habent verba hee videntibus illis It was remarkably said that hee was taken up his Disciples looking on for this imports as some of the ancients observe that Christ did ascend by litle and litle as it were by certaine steps that hee might feed the eyes and refresh the soules of his Disciples He was not raught up as Elias was who had but one witnesse nor as S. Paul who had no witnesse besides himselfe scarce himselfe a witnesse of his rapture for whether hee were taken up in the body or out of the body God knowes saith he I cannot tell But our Saviour went by the power of his omnipotency he descended when hee would and when he would ascended appointing what spectators or witnesses it pleased him with the place the time the very day and houre 3 As S. Luke's description of our Saviour's Ascension is a compleat explanation of Daniel's vision so is that vision of the mysticall sense of Mosaicall or other histories concerning the Arke or Tabernacle For the unfolding of this point we are to take the fore-mentioned prenotion for our rule to wit that the Arke of the Covenant wherein God was said to dwell was but a Type or shadow of the humane nature of Christ in which the God-head dwelleth bodily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The other branch of this prenotion is as cleare that the Tabernacle which Moses erected in the wildernesse in which he placed the Arke was but a petty modle of that celestiall Tabernacle into which Christ is entred of which the Temple built by Salomon was somewhat a fairer draught yet no more then a litle mappe Now immediately after Moses had finished the worke of the Tabernacle A cloud covered the Tent of the congregation and the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle Exod. 40. ver 34. c. More expressly Numb 9. v. 15. And on the day that the Tabernacle was reared up a cloud covered the Tabernacle namely the tent of the testimony and at even there was upon the Tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire untill the morning The most memorable history to this purpose is 1. King 1. v. When Salomon had assembled all the Elders of Israel and heads of the Tribes to bring up the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord out of the City of David to the Temple ver 1. And it came to passe when the Priests were gone out of the holy place that the cloud filled the house of the Lord so that the Priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud for the Glory of the Lord had filled the House of the Lord. v. 11. The Son of God in whose breast as he is the Son of David the Covenant made with mankind is registred most exactly and kept safer then the Tables of the first Covenant were in the Arke when it was brought into the Temple had his Throne and Sanctuary prepared of old or to use our Apostle's dialect non erat hujus structurae they were not thrones or Sanctuaries made with hands yet to be consecrated by the blood of our high Priest and being thus prepared a cloud did cover this living Arke of God and high Priest upon the day that hee was to enter into the holy place After the cloud tooke him from his Disciples sight hee filled the everlasting Tabernacle with his Glory being more reverently adored by all the host of heaven then he had been either by Salomon or the Elders of Israel when they brought the Arke of his Covenant into the Temple or by his Apostles after his Resurrection 4 At the same time wherein the Arke was brought by the Priest into the most holy place Salomon kneeling before the Altar of the Lord first blessed God and consecrated the Temple by that divine prayer never to be forgotten by good Christians And as soone as he had ended his prayer he rose up and blessed the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he promised there hath not failed one word of all his good promises which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant 1. King 8. v. 56. c. His praiers to God and blessing of the people are more then parallel'd by our Saviour's prayers for his owne Consecration and the spirituall blessings thence to be derived upon his Apostles Ioh. 4. 14. c. One part of Salomons praier when he blessed the people was this Let these my words wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night that he maintaine the cause of his servant and the cause of his people
Israel at all times as the matter shall require v. 49. That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is none else ver 60. This part is rather accomplished then parallel'd by our Saviour Ioh. 17. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine ver 9. And for their sakes I sanctify my selfe that they also might be sanctified through the truth Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve on mee through their word that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us That the world may believe that thou hast sent me v. 19. 20. 21. CHAP. 39. Into what place or part of heaven our Saviour did ascend or in what manner he sitteth at the right hand of God are points not so fit to be particularly inquired after nor so apt to be proved or determined by Scripture as the other Articles of our Creed BVt however Hee whose prayers were alwaies heard did thus pray for his followers a litle before his agony and bloody Passion and bestow his solemn blessing upon them immediately after his Resurrection and before his Ascension Yet the extraordinary blessings which hee prayed for and promised in his Fathers name were not really conferred untill he was actually enthronized but shortly after showred downe in abundance upon his Apostles and those that beleeved through their report So he fore-told them when he was ready to ascend Behold I send the promise of my Father upon you But tarry ye in the City of Ierusalem untill yee be endued with power from on high Luk. 24. 49. The exhibition of the blessings here promised was Act. 2. ver 32. 33. 34. This Iesus hath God raised up whereof we are all witnesses Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which ye now see and heare For David is not ascended into the heavens but hee saith himselfe the Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou on my right hand untill I make thy foes thy footstoole When he saith David is not ascended into heaven this must be understood of his Ascension thither in body and this negative he had strongproved before But whether David's soule had ascended or was carried into heaven before this time this place doth neither warrant us to affirme or deny David's soule before this was in a place of blisse in heaven it selfe not in limbe But whether in that heaven or that part of heaven into which our Saviour did now in body ascend is more questionable then determinable Some good Writers with great probabilitie and equall modesty affirme that Christ did now ascend in body farre higher then the mansions of blisse appointed for the Saints Prophets Apostles c. or for Angels of the highest ranke And to this purpose is that of our Apostle alleaged by them Ephes 4. 10. Hee that descended is the same also that ascended up farre above all heavens that hee might fill all things other like places wherein he is said to be exalted above all powers and principalities Some grave Postillers or discreet Preachers would perswade us that Christ's Throne of Majesty was pitched in luce inaccessâ in that region of light and blisse which is inaccessable to any meere creature man or Angell as being reserved for the peculiar mansion of the invisible God and Father of lights and for his Son both God and man enthronized as as King and Priest on his right hand But whether the exaltation of the Son of God unto the right hand of his Father farre above all Powers Dominions and Principalities doe include a superiority not of soveraignty or dominion only but withall of place according to locall distance or a supereminent Throne of Majesty if the Lutherane will not be too cholerick or Maldonat's associates too censorious may be in fitter place soberly debated 2 But however the one or other of these may be affected the best is we need not be too curious in these points especially with men apt to quarrell about phrases or expressions Other Articles concerning Christ we are bound to beleeve distinctly and explicitely according to the plaine literall or grammaticall sense of the words wherin the Evangelists and Apostles have expressed them without the vail of any rhetoricall trope or allegory And strange it is not if our beliefe of other Articles or knowledge of them be literally required seeing the matter contained in them is sensible and comprehensible to reason sanctified by grace As his conception although it were wrought immediately by a supernaturall cause albeit the manner of it were miraculous yet for substance it was univocally the same with our conception He was as truly and properly conceived as wee are conceived Hee was as truly made of the substance of his Mother as we are made of the substance of our Parents or as Adam was made of the earth Hee was as truly and as properly borne as we are borne He was really and as properly circumcised as any other child of Abraham was He suffered truly and as properly as any man can suffer Hee was as truly and as properly crucified dead and buried and rose againe as any man ever was crucified dead and buried or can rise againe But for the place whither he ascended or for the manner of his sitting at the right hand of God these cannot be so distinctly conceived by us because they are not in such proper termes exprest by the holy Ghost but are wrapt up in a vaile of legall shadowes or representations Concerning the place whither he ascended wee know in generall that it was a place of joy of blisse and glory but which place the Apostle himselfe could not better represent unto us then by the sanctum sanctorum or the most holy place in the Tabernacle or Temple This hope wee have Heb. 6. 19. as an anchor of the soule both sure and stedfast and which entreth within the vaile whither the forerunner is for us entred made an high Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech So S. Iohn emblazons the glory of Christ by the Pontificall attire and robes of Aaron as likewise he doth the beauty of Christ's Kingdome by the feast of Tabernacles 3 The best and safest meanes for conceiving aright at least for not conceiving amisse of these two heavenly mysteries is not by criticall scanning the literall sense or importance of the Prophet's words in their descriptions of them but by sincere practise of those knowne duties whereto our beliefe of these unknowne mysteries bind us The most generall and necessary duty wherto wee are bound by beliefe of our Saviour's Resurection and Ascension into heaven is that of our Apostle Goll 3. ver 1. 2. 3. 4. If yee then be risen with Christ seeke those
the first day of that weeke wherein our Redemption was wrought our Saviour came in triumphant manner into Ierusalem not only to fulfill the prophecy of Zachary before expounded at large for that might have been fulfilled at any other time or day for its substance but to testifie withall that hee was the true paschall Lambe appointed pointed for the sacrifice of that great Feast that Lambe of God which â—ame too take away the sinnes of the world For upon that very day of the month Abib were it the tenth or ninth in which our Saviour came to Ierusalem saluted with ecchoing cries of Hosanna the Son of David was the legall paschall Lambe according to first institution of the Passeover brought out of the fields unto the place appointed for the publique assembly with greater pompe perhaps and solemnity prescribed by custome than was expressely required in the Law Vpon the fifth day day of this â—acred weeke being as I take it the fourteenth of the month Abib our Saviour being to be offered in sacrifice at the time wherein the paschall Lambe was eaten by seterall families did eate the Passeover with his Disciples and preoccupated the usuall day for eating the paschall Lambe upon necessity In the night following which was the evening of the sixth day hee was apprehended and arraigned in the morning of the same day condemned by the Iewes â— and upon their solicitation adjudged by Pilate to be crucified and executed by the Roman Souldiers In the sixth day or which is all one the sixth evening and morning of the first weeke of times succession God is said to have finished the workes of Creation by making the first man In the sixth day or in the sixth evening and morning of the weeke of our Saviour's Consecration Hee by whom the world was made did solemnely declare the worke of our Redemption to be accomplished in respect of any labour worke or paines to be further undertaken by him For so farie his solemne proclamation upon the Crosse extends consummatum est And so he went into his rest upon the same day about the same houre wherein God was said to rest from all his workes of Creation that is in the close of that day a litle before the evening of the seventh day or Sabbath CHAP. 41. A Parallel betweene the day wherein Adam is thought to have been cast out of Paradise with the day wherein our Saviour was Crucified And betweene the first day of the world's Creation and our Saviour's Resurrection THere is a a tradition or rather a received opinion avouched by many good Authors in their severall writings that Adam the first man should fall and forfeit his estate in Paradise upon the same day wherein he was created The opinion it selfe we cannot disprove nor justly suspect to be a meere conjecture because we know not what warrant the first or immediate Authors of this Doctrine had to commend it to posterity But their language I take it is much mistaken by some later school-men the first Authors meaning or expression of it must be limited or rather extended to the same sense or construction as hath been before observed in the like words of Daniel Chap. 7. That Belshazer was slaine in the same night wherein after his carousing in the boules of the Sanctuary the hand-writing was seen upon the wall or that other 2. of Kings that Senacherib's mighty army was discomfitted upon the night immediately following that day wherein he sent that blasphemous message unto Hezekiah or the day wherein Isaiah returned his message to the good King In both places the same night cannot be understood of the selfe same naturall day and night but of the same night or day after the revolution of one yeare or more In like manner the first man according to the tenor of the former received opinion did fall upon the same day wherein he was created yet not upon the same day numerically individually or identically taken but upon the same day after the revolution of a weeke at least or more that is upon the sixth day and thrust out of Paradise before the Sabbath ensuing for his stealth or presumptuous usurpation of the forbidden fruit Vpon the same day after revolution of many yeares the Son of God or second Adam now consecrated to be a quickning spirit did restore the sons of the first Adam to their inheritance which their Father had lost by giving a true naturall son of the first Adam a thiefe by practise liverie de sezin or actuall possession of the coelestiall Paradise The bequest or legacy was punctuall and solemne Amen dico tibi hodie mecum eris in Paradiso Verily I say unto thee this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Vpon the sixth day of the first week or week of Creation or vicissitude of times Adam's body was taken out of the substance of the earth Vpon the same sixth day was the body of the second Adam the Son of God shut up into the bowels of the earth after he had commended his spirit into his Father's hands which had given it him That temporall curse denounced against the first Adam In the day wherein thou eatest thou shalt die the death was exactly now fulfilled in the second Adam For in the sixth day of the weeke of his Consecration he died the death of the Crosse and was delivered to the earth whence the first man was taken only he was not to be resolved to dust but rested there without corruption For as God had rested the Seventh day from his works of Creation though not of Preservation so the Son of God was to rest from all his labour or toile upon the seventh day of the week of his Consecration not only to blesse and sanctify that day and make it his own but withall to hallow the grave or the wombe of the earth whence all flesh was taken and by the course of nature must returne by his sweet rest and presence in it So saith S. Iohn I heard a voice from heaven saying Blessed are the dead which hereafter die in the Lord even so saith the spirit for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them Rev. 14 ver 13. Their sleepe or quiet rest in the grave thus hollowed by our Saviour's Death and rest in it becomes the evenings or vespers of their everlasting Sabbath 2 The night immediately following the legall Sabbath wherein our Saviour did rest from all his Labours was part of the first evening and morning or of the first naturall day of the weeke His Resurrection upon that day and at that time of the day and at that season implieth a two-fold mystery or the accomplishment of two remarkable divine Oracles First that of Gen. Chap. 1. ver 1. 2. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without forme and void and darknesse was upon the deepe The darknesse made the evening and the separation of the light from
were two The first the solemne memorial the commeration or reiteration of God's Covenant made with Abraham and with his seede or the continuall acceptance of it by performing the obedience which God required at their hands in all their sacrifices The second was a perpetuall representation of the accomplishment of this Covenant on God's part in and by the promised Seede or Messias God had promised by oath to Abraham that in his seede not only Abraham's seede after the flesh but all the Nations of the earth that follow the steps of Abraham should be blessed And in this promise confirmed by oath it was implied as hath beene often mentioned before that the Sonne of God should become Abraham's seede and that the seede of Abraham thus made the Sonne of God should be offered up to God in such a manner as God required Abraham to offer up his sonne Isaac that is in a true and bloody sacrifice Isaac's approach to death was a type a figure or representation of our Saviour's bloody death Isaac's strange deliverance from this bloody death menaced by his Fathers outstretehed hand armed with a bloody knife was a type or shadow of our Saviour's Resurrection from death which God his Father had not only threatned but inflicted upon him Now as that which Abraham intended to have done to his sonne Isaac was accomplished by God upon his only sonne so Abraham's words to Isaack when hee intended to offer him up in bloody sacrifice became a true prophecy of our Saviour's bloody sacrifice Isaac bearing the wood of the burnt offering upon his back and observing his Father to cary fire in the one hand and a knife in the other no creature in the world besides themselves being present moved this question Behold the fire the wood but where is the Lamb for the burnt offring And Abraham answers God will provide himselfe a Lambe for a burnt offering my Sonne Gen. 22. 7. 8. Whatsoever the naturall construction of Abraham's answer in these words might import Abraham at this time had no other intention then to offer up his son Isaack for a burnt offering Howbeit his words without wrong to their grammaticall construction in the originall might imply as much and as the Hebrewes conceive they did to Isaac's apprehension imply as much as if hee had said God will provide himselfe a Lambe for a burnt offering even thee my Sonne or God will provide theâ— my Sonne for a burnt offering And from this apprehension or construction of Abraham's words Isaac as the Hebrewes have a tradition forthwith became willing to be offered up in sacrifice for a burnt offering suffering himselfe to be bound upon the Altar by his Father being able if he had been so disposed to make resistance as being now at least 25 years of age 2 However it were Isaac was as willing to be offered as Abraham was to offer him And yet Abraham's former words are more exactly fulfilled even for the present then if Isaac had been then offered upon the Altar For though God had commanded Abraham to offer his only begotten sonne Isaac for a burnt offering yet hee had been a burnt offering of Abraham's providing but the Ramme which was caught by the hornes in the thicket was a burnt offering of God's provision meerly It was no part of Abraham's store of Abraham's provision fore-cast or fore-sight The Ramme questionlesse came not thither from any neighbour place by chance God did provide it for a burnt offering by a manner extraordinary and miraculous For if David would not offer a sacrifice to God of that which cost him nothing or of that which was another mans by former possession untill he had made it his owne by a better title then by free donation or his owne by a just price or valuable consideration Abraham doubtlesse would not have offered a sacrifice unto the Lord of that which he might justly suspect to be the goods of another man untill he had bought it of the known owner But knowing this Ramme to have been of God's own or meere provision by meanes miraculous or extraordinary hee forthwith offered it for a burnt offring instead of his son So then the League or Covenant betwixt God and Abraham is concluded and subscribed unto on Abraham's part with the sacrifice of a Ramme and was to be continued or accepted of by Abraham's posterity with continuation of like sacrifices The high Priests themselves who were in their ranke and order mediators or intercessors for continuing and establishing this Covenant between God and Abraham's seede were to be solemnely consecrated by the sacrifice of Rammes And in memoriall or commemoration of Isaac's deliverance from death the Iewes did celebrate that day wherein God provided this sacrifice instead of Isaac that was according to their Kalendar the first of September or feast of Trumpets with the sacrifice of Rammes But they considered not that in the words of God's oath to Abraham it was implyed that God would give his Sonne his only Sonne for such a bloody sacrifice or burnt offering as Abraham intended to have made of his sonne Isaac They considered not that in Abraham's answer to Isaac The Lord would provide himselfe of a burnt offering and in the miraculous provision of the Ramme for a burnt offering instead of Isaac it was implyed or fore-signified as well by matter of fact as by expresse word of prophecy that God would provide matter of sacrifice when he should offer his only Sonne after a more excellent miraculous manner then he had now done the Ramme instead of Isaack For seeing the Sonne of God as God could not dye he therefore provides him a mortall body taken from the seede of Abraham the substance of the blessed Virgin and so unites it to his divine person that whilst this seede of Abraham was offered in sacrifice the Sonne of God was likewise offered that whilst Abraham's seede was thus consecrated by bloody sacrifice the Sonne of God was likewise consecrated to be the high Priest after the order of Melchisedech that is to be the Author Donour and Dispenser of that blessing which Melchisedech in the name of the most high God whose Priest he was bestowed on Abraham and which God upon Abraham's readinesse to offer Isaac did by solemn oath bind himselfe to perform and to performe it in Abraham's seede The necessary consequence or abstract of which oath as it is before manifested was this that Abraham's seede should be that most high God in whose name Melchisedech had blessed Abraham 3 The unusuall and unexpected fulfilling of Abraham's words to Isaac Gen. 22. 8. Iehovah lireh the Lord will see or the Lord will provide himselfe a Lambe for a burnt offering gave Abraham occasion to name that place Iehovah â—ireh as also to a common Proverbe taken up from the name of this place and from the event In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seene Gen. 22. 14. or as the originall without straining will more
naturally beare In the mountain the Lord or Iehovah will be seene And this Proverbe taken up upon these occasions in whether sence or construction you list to take it was more then a Proverbe a true mystery or mysticall prophecy exactly fulfilled in the crucifying of our Saviour The Lord in the Mount did see and was seene by his speciall providence when hee provided the Ramme for a sacrifice instead of Isaac The mountaine whereon Abraham purposed to have offered Isaac as he was commanded by God for a burnt offering was one of the mountaines in the land of Moriah and that as all interpreters agree was about the place wherein Ierusalem was afterwards built most are of opinion that it was that part of mount Sion wherein the Temple was afterwards built wherein the threshing-floore of Arauna stood which David consecrated for the Altar of God But whether it were this mountaine or mount Calvary I will not dispute Mount Calvary likewise was in the land of Moriah and in this mountaine Iehovah did see and was seene he did in this mountain provide himselfe of a Lambe for a burnt offering he himselfe became a Lambe or visible sacrifice for our sinnes by whose blood he himselfe and wee in him were consecrated Priests to God the Father The other circumstances whether concerning Isaac or the Lambe were visibly and remarkably accomplished in the sacrifice of the Sonne of God Isaac did beare wood for the sacrifice up into the mountaine where Abraham intended to sacrifice him The Sonne of God did bear the wood of the Crosse whereon he was sacrificed at least part of it up to mount Calvary The Ramme which God provided instead of Isaac was caught by the hornes in the thicket of brambles or thornes and the Lambe of God the Sonne of God marched to his Crosse with a Crowne of thornes and brambles upon his head as most of the Fathers and best moderne interpreters collect from the Evangelists story For where it is said that they tooke off the purple robe and other royall ensignes wherewith they had in mockery invested him it is not mentioned that they tooke off this Crown of thornes this was the thicket wherein the murtherers caught him For as yee know he was condemned upon pretence that he affected the Crowne of David and suffered himselfe to be entitled and saluted the King of the Iewes and in derision of this great mystery which they understood not they put a Crowne of thornes upon his head and crucify him in it 4 But whilst the Princes of the earth and the Rulers take counsell against him while the heathen-Souldiers and Iewish pepole doe rage and make a mock of him hec that sate in the heavens laught them to scorne what they did act in jest or scorne here on earth he turnes into earnest and ratifies by an everlasting decree in heaven They cloath the Sonne of God with a purple or royall robe and bowing their knees thus they salute him Haile King of the Iewes unwittingly fore-prophecying as Caiphas did as well by matter of fact as by word that God would now annoint the Sonne of David to be that King over Sion to whom all knees should bow of things in heaven of things on the earth of things under the earth They in despite and bitter scoffes wreath a Crown of thornes or brambles about his head and fastened it on with a reede or mock-scepter which they had put into his hand litle considering that hee which sate in the heavens did consecrate him here by this part of his afflictions to the wearing of that everlasting Crowne of glory which David Psal 132. had fore-told should flourish upon him whilst his enemies were cloathed with shame ver 18. And of this Crowne of Glory as well the royall Diadem or Crowne of David wherein his Successors were enthronized as the Crowne of holinesse wherein Aaron and his Successors the high Priests were consecrated were but the shadowes or models and so no question was the Crowne upon the Arke or Mercy-seat And it is a point which I will commend unto the serious reader's observation specially in the reading of the apocalyps or the Revelation that in all or most part of the visions made to S. Iohn the Disciple whom hee loved of Christ in his glory he still appeares and his appearance is still emblazoned by this Disciple in some one or other of the robes which Aaron used at his Consecration Sometimes he appeares with a garment downe to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle Such were the robes and girdle of Aaron the high Priest and to shew that his Saints were consecrated likewise in his Consecration his Saints or Angels appeared thus cloathed unto Iohn Rev. 15. ver 5. 6. And after that I looked and behold the Temple of the Tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened and the seven Angels came out of the Temple having the seven plagues cloathed in pure and white linnen and having their brests girded with golden girdleâ— Sometimes he appears with a Crown upon his head 5 His Pallace or Kingdome likewise his walke or verge is emblazoned or set forth by the materiall Temple the ministerie likewise of his glorified Saints and Angels But of this hereafter 6 Those temporary flashes of Royall salutations and greetings which the multitude tendred unto him when hee came into Ierusalem to be consecrated were ratified by an everlasting decree in heaven So 't is said Revel 7. 9. 10. And after this I beheld and loe a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lambe cloathed with white robes and palmes in their hands and cried with a loud voice saying Salvation unto our God which sitteh upon the throne and unto the Lambe This was the accomplishment of the multitude's crying Hosanna to the sonne of David with palme branches in their hands and those which thus cryed in heaven are they as the Angell instructs S. Iohn which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lambe therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and hee that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them Revel 7. 14. 15. c. This washing of their garments in the blood of the Lambe was likewise prefigured in the Consecration of Aaron Exod. 29. 21. Thou shalt also take of the blood that is on the Altar and of the anointing oile and sprinkle it upon Aaron and upon his garments and upon his sonnes and upon the garments of his sonnes with him and hee shall be hallowed and his garments and his sonnes and his sonnes garments with him This blood wherewith their garments were sprinkled was the blood of the Ramme of the Consecration whose blood likewise Moses as it is in the 20 th verse was commanded to take and put it