his being Mediator. Nothing indeed can be added unto him as God; but there may be to him who is God, in respect of his condescension to discharge an office in another nature which he did assume. And this salves the paralogism of Felbinger on this place, which is that wherewith the Jews and Socinians perpetually entangle themselves. Deus altissimus non potest salva majestate sua ab aliquo hæres constitutus esse. Filius Dei a Deo est hæres omnium constitutus, ergo Filius Dei non est Deus altissi mus. God is called, by, the high, or most high God, with reference to his sovereign and supreme exaltation over all his creatures, as the next words in the place where that title is given unto him do declare, pw Top, Possessor of heaven and earth, Gen. xiv. 19. He is not termed, Deus altissimus, the most high God, as though there were another Deus altus, a high God that is not the Altissimus, which is the sense of the Socinians. This one Deus altissimus, most high God, absolutely in respect of his divine nature, cannot be appointed an heir by any other. But he who is so this high God, as to be the eternal Son of the Father, and made man, may in respect of the office, which in the nature of man he undertook to discharge, be made heir of all by his Father.

ρονόμον,

II. Kangaroor, the heir: xλngos is a lot, and a peculiar portion received by lot: thence an inheritance, which is a man's lot and portion. Kangos vidixes, is an inheritance under controversy; zangorous, is an heir to goods divided by lot, or he that distributeth an inheritance to others by lot; absolutely an heir. So the poet of the covetous Hermocrates, εν διαθήκαις αυτών των ίδιων έγραψε κλε garouor, he appointed himself his own heir in his last will and testament. It hath also a more large signification in Plato: he whose turn it was to speak next, is, à re λoys xangorques. Strictly, it is the same with hæres, an heir. And an heir is he, qui subentrat jus, locum, et dominium rerum defuncti, ac si eadem persona esset, who entereth into the right, place, and title of him that is deceased, as if he were the same person.' But yet the name of an heir is not restrained in the law to him that so succeeds a deceased person, in which sense it can have no place here. Hæredis nomen, latiore significatione, possessorem et fidei commissarium et legatarium com prehendit it comprehends a possessor, a trustee, and a legalary; so Spigelius. This sense of the word takes off the catachresis which must be supposed in the application of it unto the Son, if it only denoted such an heir as Abraham thought Eliezer would be to him, Gen. xv. 3, 4. one that succeeds to the right and goods of the deceased. For the Father dieth not, nor doth ever forego his own title or dominion. Neither is the title and right given to the Son as Mediator, the same with that of God absolutely considered. This is eternal, natural, co-existent with the being of all things; that new, created by grant and

donation, by whose erection and establishment the other is not at all impeached. For whereas it is affirmed, that "the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son," John v. 22. 27. 30. it respects not title and rule, but actual administration.

In the latter sense of the word, as it denotes any rightful possessor by grant from another, it is properly ascribed unto the Son; and there are three things intended in this word.

1. Title, dominion, lordship: Hæres est qui herus; for thence is the word, and not from are, as Isidore supposeth. The heir is the lord of that which he is heir unto. So the apostle, Gal. iv. 1. xλngovouos, is xvgies wartar, the heir is lord of all. And in this sense is Christ called 15, the first-born, Psal. lxxxix. 27. "I will give him to be my first-born, higher than" (or, and high above) "the kings of the earth." Princeps, Dominus, Caput familia; the Prince, Lord, and Head of the family, that hath right to the inheritance, and distributes portions to others. Hence is used for every thing that excelleth, and hath the pre-eminence in its own kind, Job xviii. 10. Isa. xiv. 30. Ezek. xlvii. 12. So Col. i. 15.

2. Possession. Christ is made actual possessor of that which he hath title unto. As he is 1, so he is wr, such a possessor as comes to his possession by the surrender or grant of another. God, in respect of his dominion, is called p, the absolute possessor of heaven and earth, Gen. xiv. 22. Christ, as a Mediator, is, a possessor by grant. And there was a suitableness, that he that was the Son, should thus be heir. Whence Chrysostome and Theophylact affirm, that the words denote, και το της υιότητος γνησίον, και το της κυριότητας αναποστατον, « The propriety of his sonship, and the immutability of his lordship.' Not that he was thus made heir of all, as he was povoysins, "the only begotten Son of the Father," John i. 14. ; but it was agreeable and consonant, that he who was eternally μovoyens, and had on that account an absolute dominion over all with his Father, becoming #gwToToxes & Toλλois «dixpois, Rom. viii. 29. "the first born amongst many brethren," should have a delegated heirship of all, and be given to be the head over all unto the church, Eph. i. 22.

3. That he hath both this title and possession by grant from the Father, of which afterwards. Christ then, by virtue of a grant from the Father, is made Lord by a new title, and hath possession given him according to his title: he is xangorous, the heir.

III. Harry, of all. This is the object of the heirship of Christ, his inheritance. The word may be taken in the masculine gender, and denote all persons; all those of whom he had spoken before, all the revealers of the will of God under the

Old Testament. The Son was the Lord over them all, which is true; but the word in the neuter gender denotes all things absolutely, and so it is in this place to be understood. For,

1. It is so used elsewhere to the same purpose, 1 Cor. xv. 27. ̋avta vmitaži," he hath subjected all things unto him." So Rom. ix. 5. WY STI TUYTWY OEos, "who is God over all."

2. This sense suits the apostle's argument, and adds a double force to his intention and design. For, 1. The author of the gospel being Heir and Lord of all things whatever, the sovereign disposal of all those rites and ordinances of worship about which the Jews contended, must needs be in his hand, to change and alter them as he saw good. 2. He being the Heir and Lord of all things, it was easy for them to conclude, that if they intended to be made partakers of any good in heaven or earth, in a way of love and mercy, it must be by an interest in him, which, without a constant abode in obedience to his gospel, cannot be attained.

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By whom also he reason of the equiHe made all,

Son.

However, the force

3. The next words evince this sense, made the worlds." Probably they render tableness of this great trust made to the and it was meet he should be Lord of all. of the connexion of the words, di & xai tous alwvas, also he made the worlds," equals the to the alavas, or the worlds following.

by whom array, the all foregoing,

4. The inheritance given, answers the promise of it to Abraham, which was, that he should be heir of the world, Rom. iv. 13. namely, in his seed, Gal. iii. 16. as also the request made by Christ on that promise, Psal. ii. S. both which extend it to the whole world, the ends of the earth.

5. The original and rise of this inheritance of Christ, will give us its true extent, which must therefore more especially be considered.

Upon the creation of man, God gave unto him a dominion over all things in this lower world, Gen. i. 28, 29. He made him his heir, vicegerent, and substitute in the earth.

for those other creatures, to which his power and authority did not immediately extend, as the sun, moon and stars, the whole inanimate host of the superior world, they were ordered by him that made them, to serve for his good and behoof, Gen. i. 14. Deut. iv. 19. So that even they also in a sort belonged unto his inheritance, being made to serve him in his subjection unto God.

Further, besides this lower part of his dominion, God had for his glory created angels in heaven above, of whom we shall have occasion hereafter to treat. These made up another branch of God's providential kingdom, the whole administered in the upper and lower world, being independent of each other, VOL. III.

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and meeting in nothing but their dependence upon, and subjection unto God himself. Hence they did not so stand in the condition of their creation, but that one kind or race of then might fail and perish without any impeachment of the other. So also it came to pass. Man might have persisted in his honour and dignity, notwithstanding the fall and apostasy of some of the angels. When he fell from his heirship and dominion, the whole subordination of all things unto him, and by him unto God, was lost; and all creatures returned to an immediate absolute dependance on the government of God, without any respect to the authority and sovereignty delegated unto man. But as the fall of angels did not in its own nature prejudice mankind, no more did this fall of man the angels that persisted in their obedience, they being no part of his inheritance. However, by the sin, apostasy, and punishment of that portion of the angels which kept not their first station, it was manifested how possible it was, that the remainder of them might sin after the similitude of their transgression. Things being brought into this condition, one branch of the kingdom of God under the administration of man, or allotted to his service, being cast out of that order wherein he had placed it, and the other in an open possibility of being so also, it seemed good to the Lord in his infinite wisdom to erect one kingdom out of these two disordered members of his first dominion, and to appoint one common Heir, Head, Ruler and Lord to them both. And this was the Son, as the apostle tells us, Eph. i. 10. "He gathered together in one all things in Christ, both which are in the heavens, and which are in earth, even in him." He designed, vaxsQuλaiwoaodai, to bring all into one head, and rule in him. It is not a similitude taken from casting up accounts, wherein lesser sums are in the close brought into one head, as some have imagined; nor yet an allusion to orators, who in the close of their Jong orations, sum up the matter they have at large treated of, that the apostle makes use of; both which are beneath the majesty of, and no way suited to illustrate the matter he hath in hand. But as Chrysostom well intimates on the place, it is as if he had said, μιαν κεφαλην άπασιν επέθηκε, he appointed one head to them all, angels and men, with whatsoever in the first constitution of the divine government was subordinate unto them. So we have found the object and extent of the heirship of Christ, expressed in this word "T", which I shall further explain in that brief scheme of the whole kingdom of Christ, which to the exposition of these words shall be subjoined.

IV. Enxe, the way whereby Christ the Son came to his inheritance is in this word expressed. God appointed or placed him therein. The word may denote either those special acts whereby he came into the full possession of his heirship, or it may be

extended to other preparatory acts that long preceded them; especially if we shall take it to be of the same import with ere, in the second aorist. In the former sense, the glorious investiture of the Lord Christ, in the full actual possession of his kingdom after his resurrection, with the manifestation of it in his ascension, and the token of its stability in his sitting at the right hand of God, is designed. By all these God, zx, made him, placed him with solemn investiture, heir of all. The grant was made to him upon his resurrection, Matt. xxviii. 18. and therein fully declared unto others, Rom. i. 3. Acts xiii. 33. As there was a declaration of Solomon's being king, when he was proclaimed by Benaiah, Zadok and Nathan, 1 Kings i. 31-34. The solemnization of it was in his ascension, Psal. lxviii. 17, 18. Eph. iv. 8-10. typified by Solomon's riding on David's mule unto his throne, all the people crying, 7, 1 Kings i. 39. "Let the king live." All was sealed and ratified when he took possession of his throne at the right hand of the Father, by all which he was made and declared to be Lord and Christ, Acts ii. 36. ch. iv. 11. ch. v. 30, 31. And such weight doth the Scripture lay upon this glorious investiture of Christ in his inheritance, that it speaks of his whole power as then first granted unto him, Rom. xiv. 9. Phil. ii. 7-10. And the reason of it is, because he had then actually performed that work and duty, upon the consideration whereof that power and authority were eternally designed, and originally granted unto him. God's actual committing to him all power over all things and persons in heaven and earth, to be exerted and managed for the ends of his mediation; and declaring this act, grant, and delegation by his resurrection, ascension, and sitting at his right hand, is that which this word denotes.

I will not deny but it may have respect unto sundry things preceding these, and preparatory unto them; as,

1. The eternal purpose of God ordaining him before the foundation of the world, unto his work and inheritance, 1 Pet. i. 20.

2. The covenant that was of old between the Father and Son for the accomplishment of the great work of redemption; this inheritance being included in the contract, Prov. viii. 30, 31. Isa. liii. 10, 11.

3. The promises made unto him in his types, Abraham, David, and Solomon, Gen. xv. Psal. lxxii.

4. The promises left upon record in the Old Testament for his support and assurance of success, Psal. ii. Isa. xlix. &c.

5. The solemn proclamation of him to be the great heir and Lord of all, at his first coming into the world, Luke ii. 11. 30 -32.

But it is the consummation of all these, whatever was intendE 2