cheerfully, as makes it evident that they aim at nothing, and act from no principle, but merely that they dare not go against their convictions. But the mind that was in Christ will lead us unto it, out of love unto him, with freedom and enlargedness of heart, which is required of us. III. The blessed issue of the abasement of Jesus Christ in his exaltation unto honour and glory, is an assured pledge of the final glory and blessedness of all that believe in hin, whatever dangers and difficulties they may be exercised withal in the way. His humiliation and exaltation, as we have seen, proceeded out of God's condescension and love to mankind. His electing love, the eternal gracious purpose of his will to recover lost sinners, and to bring them unto the enjoyment of himself, was the ground of this dispensation. And therefore what he hath done in Christ, is a certain pledge of what he will do in and for them also. He is not crowned with honour and glory merely for himself, but that he may be a captain of salvation, and bring others unto a participation of his glory. IV. Jesus Christ as the mediator of the new covenant, hath absolute and supreme authority given unto him over all the works of God in heaven and earth. This we have so fully manifested and insisted on, upon the foregoing chapter, that we shall not here farther pursue it, but only mind by the way, that blessed is the state and condition, great is the spiritual and eternal security of the church, seeing all things are under the very feet of its Head and Saviour. V. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Lord of the gospel state of the church, called under the Old Testament the world to come, and therefore he only hath power to dispose of all things in it, relating unto that worship of God which it is to perform and celebrate. It is not put in subjection unto any other, angels or men. This privilege was reserved for Christ, this honour is bestowed on the church. He is the only Head, King and Lawgiver of it, and nothing is it to be taught to observe or do, but what he hath commanded. But this will fall more directly under our consideration in the beginning of the next chapter. VI. The Lord Jesus Christ in his death did undergo the peLal sentence of the law, in the room and stead of them for whom he died. Death was that which by the sentence of the law was due unto sin and sinners. For them did Christ die, and therein tasted of the bitterness of that death which they were to have undergone, or else the fruit of it could not have redounded unto them; for what was it towards their discharge, if that which they had deserved was not suffered, but somewhat else wherein the least part of their concernment did lie. But this being done, certain deliverance and salvation will be the lot and portion of them, of all them for whom he died, and that upon the rules of justice and righteousness on the part of Christ, though on theirs, of mere mercy and grace. VER. 10. THE apostle, in the verses foregoing, made mention of that, which of all other things the Jews generally were most offended at, and which was of the greatest importance to be believed, namely, the sufferings of the Messiah, wherein a great part of the discharge of his sacerdotal office, whereunto he here makes a transition, did consist. This his own disciples were slow in the belief of, Matt. xvi. 22. chap. xvii. 22, 23. Luke xxiv. 25, 26. and the Jews generally stumbled at. They thought it strange that the Messiah, the Son of God, the Saviour of his people, and Captain of their salvation, concerning whom so great and glorious things were promised and foretold, should be brought into a low despised condition, and therein to suffer and die. Hence they cried to him on the cross, "If thou be the Christ, come down and save thyself;" intimating that by his suffering he was assuredly proved not to be so, for why any one should suffer that could deliver himself, they saw no rea son. Besides, they had inveterate prejudices about the salvation promised by the Messiah, and the way whereby it was to be wrought, arising from their love and over-valuation of temporal or carnal things, with their contempt of things spiritual and eternal. They expected a deliverance outward, glorious and kingly, in this world, and that to be wrought with arms, power, and a mighty hand. And what should they expect from a Messiah that suffered and died? Wherefore the apostle, having asserted the sufferings of Christ, saw it necessary to proceed unto a full confirmation of it, with a declaration of the reasons, causes and ends of it: partly to avert that false persuasion which prevailed amongst them, about the nature of the salvation to be wrought by Christ; partly to shew, that nothing would thence ensue derogatory to what he had before delivered about his pre-eminence above angels; but principally to instruct them in the sacerdotal office of the Messiah, the redemption which he wrought, and the means whereby he accomplished it, which was the great business that he had designed to treat with them about. For the salvation itself, he declares that it was not to be of the same kind with that which they had of old, when they were brought out of Egypt, and settled in the land of Canaan, under the conduct of Joshua; but spiritual and heavenly, in a deliverance from sin, Satan, death and hell, with a manuduction into life and blessedness eternal. He informs them that the way whereby this was to be wrought, was by the sufferings and death of the Messiah, and that in no other way it could be ac complished; on which account they were indispensably necessary. And the first reason hereof he expresseth in this tenth verse. ' × VER. 10.—Επρεπε γαρ αυτω, δι ̓ ὃν τα παντα και δι ̓ ὁ τα παντα, πολύ λας υιός εις δόξαν αγαγοντα, τον αρχηγον της σωτηρίας αυτων δια παθημάτων τελείωσαι, One or two copies read δια παθηματος αυτον τελειεσθαι, against the sense and design of the place. AUTO is needlessly repeated, unless put for iavrov, and then it disturbs the whole meaning of the verse, and is inconsistent with the passive verb following in this reading. Пanuaros, in the singular number, relates only unto death, expressed in the verse foregoing by due Jarare; but here all the sufferings of Christ, as well those antecedent unto death, as death itself, are intended. Trauses, in the passive, is followed by some copies of the Vulgar translation, reading consummari; both inconsistent with the sense of the place, as we shall see. Translations differ but little about these words. Eng yug avra, most, Decebat enim eum, for it became him.' Beza, Decebat enim ut iste, for it was meet that he,' to make the following words flow regularly. Ai in Tu Tavτa, propter quem omnia; Syr. 27 m, cui omnia, for whom are all things.' Beza, Propter quem sunt hæc omnia, expressing the article as restrictive to the things spoken of, for whom are all these things. One Syriac copy auds, 7782, in his hand,' which somewhat corrupts the sense. Kai di' s τa karta, et per quem omnia. Beza, hæc omnia, as before, without cause; for the article is frequently prefixed unto xara, where all things absolutely are intended; as Eph. i. 11. “ By whom are all things." Hoaxes is do ayayorta. Vulg. Qui multos filios ad gloriam adduxerat; Who had brought many sons unto glory.' Arias. Multos filios ad Beza, Adducendo, bringing many sons gloriam adducentom. unto glory.' Syr. Adduxerat in gloriam suam; had bron, ht many sons into his glory. To agxnyor. Vulg. Auctorem, Author.' Beza, Principem. Syr. 27, the Head or Prince of their salvation.' Δια παθηματων τελείωσαι, per passionem consummare, to consummate or complete by suffering.' Beza, per perpessiones, by sufferings.' Syr. perficere, perfectum reddere, to perfect, to make perfect.' the The proper signification of the words in this verse is much to be heeded, as that which will give us much light into the sense of the whole. Ig is decet, convenit, dignum est,' it becometh, it is meet, convenient, or just.' gov Qis, in Plato, is rendered by Cicero, Deo decorum, that which becometh God;' and, saith he, gior, appellant hoc Greci, nos dicamus sane decorum; that which becometh any one in his state and condition, 6 in a moral sense, as holiness becometh the house,' that is the as a rule of virtue, Matt. iii. 15. Eph. v. 3. παντα, Av. A, with an accusative case, constantly denotes the final cause, propter quem, for whom.' Rev. iv. 11. OU EXTIONS TA avra, Thou hast created all things,' (all things universally, with the article prefixed, as in this place), xa dix To Dinue os $151 xei extintay, and for thy will (thy pleasure, thy glory) they are and were created,' Rom. xi. 36. so ta avta, 'to whom, to him, or for him, or his glory, are all things. Prov. xvi. 4. 6 08 -The Lord hath made all things ior him » כל פעל יהוה למענהו self;" his glory is the final cause of them all. Kai di' & Ta karta, and by whom are all things.' A, with a genitive, denotes the efficient cause. Some, from this expression, would have the Son to be the person here spoken of, because concerning him it is frequently said, that all things are di' avis, John i. 3. 1 Cor. viii. 6. Heb. i. 3.; but it is used also with reference unto the Father, Rom. xi. 36. Gal. i. 1. Schlictingius here gives it for a rule, that when dia relates unto the Father, it denotes the principal efficient cause; when unto the Son, the instrumental. But it is a rule of his own coining, a groundless efflux of his newro audos, that the Son is not God, on which kind of presumptions men may found what rules they please. The principal efficiency, or supreme production of all things by God, is intended in this expression. 6 Hence Ayayovra, bringing,' a word of common use and known signification, but in this place attended with a double difficulty, from a double enallage in the use of it. First, in the case; for whereas it seems to relate unto avτw, it became him in bringing,' it should then regularly be ayayorri, not avα. some, by supposing a guys in the words, refer it unto yo, the Author;' as if the apostle had said, Tev agxayor THE ENTRgies αυτών πολλους ύιους αγαγοντα, 6 to make perfect the Captain of their salvation, who brought many sons unto glory.' But this transposition of the words, neither the context, nor the addition of MUTNY, their,' unto wings, their salvation,' relating unto he sons before mentioned, will by any means allow. Wheref re an enallage of the case is necessarily to be allowed; ayayoría 10P σωτηρίας, xo, unless we suppose a repetition of gin, which frequently admits of the accusative case; but the principal author is unquestionably intended. Again, ayayora is a participle of the second Aoristus, which usually denotes the time past; and thence is it translated by many, adduxit, adduxerat, and filiis adductis; ' after he had brought many sons to glory.' And this some refer to the saints who died under the Old Testament, unto whom the Lord Christ was no less a Captain of salvation than to us. And so the apostle shews, that after they were saved on his account, it was meet that he should answer for them according to his undertaking. But neither doth this restraining of the word answer the apostle's intention. For it is evident, that he principally minded them, unto whom the Lord Jesus became eminently a Captain of salvation, after he was perfected by sufferings, though not exclusively unto them that went before. Ayayora then is put for ayora, unless we shall suppose that the act of God here intended was on purpose thus expressed to comprehend all the sons, both those that lived before, and those that lived after the sufferings of Christ; bringing, leading, bearing.' It concerns the whole execution of the design of God, for the Πολλους ὑιους, salvation and glorification of believers. Пoxλeus vous, many sons,' Jews and Gentiles, all that were by faith to become his sons, 'unto glory.' 6 6 Tor aexyor, the Author.' Wherever this word is used in the New Testament, it is applied unto Christ, Acts iii. 15. he is called gayos ons ons, the Prince of life.' And chap. v. 31. God is said to make him αρχηγον και σωτήρα, a Prince and a Saviour; that is, agxnyov ons swingias, as here, the Prince of our salvation,' Heb. xii. 2. the apostle calls him, TOY TAS TITTING ufKiyov Xaι TEXEIWT, as we render it, the author and finisher of faith.' As here God is said, theiNomi toy aexyyor, to finish or perfect this Author of our salvation.' No where else is this word used in the New Testament. It answers justly the Hebrew 722, which the LXX. render agxo and youevos, the signification of both which words are included in agxnyos, Princeps, Dux, Præses, • Author; a Prince, Captain, Ruler, Author.' And it is used in writers, with respect to works good and bad. Αρχηγός και διδασκαλος των έργων τοιούτων, Isocrat. The author and teacher of such works." And ægxayos τ8 xanovgymaros, artifex malefici, the principal contriver of mischief.' It is also used for the author of a stock, race, or kindred of men. In this place it is limited by wragas: it denotes the chief or principal operator, or worker of that salvation, with especial reference unto the kingly or princely power, whereunto he was advanced after his sufferings. As he is also absolutely a prince, a ruler, and the author or spring of the whole race and kind of believers, according unto the other senses of the words. 6 |