gave

them me, is

him?" John x. 29, "My Father, who

greater than all."

6. John xviii. 37. "To this end was I born, and for this came I into the world:"

"From another and much better abode," says Dr. Doddridge.

But how will this interpretation apply to John xvii. 18, "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." To be sent into the world' is to be invested with a divine commission: to come into the world' is to appear in public under a prophetic character. Chap. iii. 17. 19; ix. 39; xi. 27.

7. Rom. x. 6. "The righteousness (or justifica. tion) which is by faith speaketh thus: Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above.)"

q. d. The language of faith in the Gospel is not, Who shall teach us divine truths? as though Christ had not revealed all that was needful, and it would be necessary for him to visit this world again. See John iii. 13.4

8. 1 Cor. x. 9. "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them" (the Israelites in the wilderness) "also tempted him, and were destroyed by serpents."

For Christ,' the Vatican and Ephrem manuscripts, and the Syriac and Coptic versions, read Kupov, 'Lord,' and the Alex. Ms. Osov, God.' Epiphanius charges Marcion the heretic with substituting Xporov, Christ,' for Kugiov, Lord.'

If we retain the received text, archbishop Newcome

"Solent qui rem perquam difficilem volunt significare, uti similitudine ascensus in cœlum, &c. Intellige, nihil opus de eo nos laboremus." Grotius.

Christ] Xporov. Irenæus certainly read Kupiov, Lord. See Wetstein in loc. Griesbach retains XpicToy (Christ); but he marks Kupiov (Lord) as the preferable reading.

says,

says, "the sense is, Nor let us tempt, try, prove, provoke Christ now, as some of them did God at that time." See the Improved Version in loc.

9. 1 Cor. x. 4. "They drank of the spiritual rock which followed them: and that rock was Christ." i. e. A type or similitude of Christ, from whom flow all the refreshing blessings of the Gospel.

10. Gal. i. 1. "Paul an apostle, not of man nor by men, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father who raised him from the dead.",

q. d. "Not of, nor by, ordinary men,” see Phil. ii. 7: but by Jesus Christ, the sole head and governor of the church, from whom alone an apostolic mission could be derived.

11. Heb. ii. 14. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same 6."

The expression took part' seems to indicate a voluntary assumption of human nature, and so it is translated by Dr. Harwood, and expounded by Dr. Doddridge. It ought to have been rendered 'he participated of the same.' And it no more implies that to become a man was a voluntary act in Christ, than the other expression, translated are partakers,' implies that it is a voluntary act in other human beings." The word aрaλnows," says Mr. παραπλησίως, Peirce," does not here import a faint likeness or resemblance, but a proper and exact conformity. For he as properly partook of flesh and blood as any of the children do." The sense therefore is, that Christ was in every respect really and truly a man, as much so as any of the children of God whom he came to save. And this

6 Took part of the same.] μετεσχε, 1. ε. εκοινωνησε, μεταλαβεν." Cyrill. Phavorinus. See Schleusner. The word, therefore, which our translators render took part, is equivalent to that which they translate are partakers; and by no means necessarily implies a voluntary act.

certainly

certainly is the scope of the writer's argument, as will be evident to every unprejudiced person who reads the paragraph with attention.

12. Heb. vii. 3. "For this Melchisedec-without father, without mother, without descent (or pedigree), having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, and made like to the Son of God; abideth a priest continually." The writer of this epistle having found in Psalm cx. the priesthood of the Messiah compared with that of Melchisedec, strains the similitude to as many points of resemblance as possible.

As Melchisedec was a priest, without any mention having been made in the Old Testament of his pedigree, either by the father's or the mother's side; so Christ, being of the tribe of Judah, ver. 14, is also a priest, without priestly pedigree.

And as the history contains no account either of the birth or the death of Melchisedec, but only exhibits him as a living man; so Christ, since his ascension, is become a living priest, and is no more subject to change or death 7.

13. Heb. xi. 26. "He (Moses) esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt."

"Such reproach as Christ endured." Newcome."Oios o Xpιotos εTab." Photius.-So Lindsey: and others. See chap. xiii. 13.-" Typical of the sufferings

--

7" Hæc non sunt nimium nunc urgenda cum obsoleverit prorsus ea ratio sic explicandæ Scripturæ." Le Clerc in Hammond, with his usual good sense. If this be the true interpretation, which to me seems unquestionable, it puts an end to all the curious speculations concerning the person of Melchisedec: some supposing that he was the Logos, some, an angel, and some, Shem the son of Noah; and likewise, concerning the person of Christ, as being in his divine nature without mother, and in his human nature without father, and the like, with which divines have puzzled themselves to little purpose. See Peirce, and Improved Version, note.

of

of Christ."

Grotius.

expectants of the Messiah."

Grotius." Which the Israelites suffered as Beza and Hallet.-" The reproach which he incurred by the worship of the visible Jehovah, whom Paul considers in his future character of the Christ." H. Taylor in Ben Mordecai's Lett. p. 297.

The best interpretation of this text is that of Dr. Whitby, Dr. Sykes, Le Clerc, and others. The word Christ signifies anointed,' i. e. separated, consecrated. Hence it is applied to the Israelite nation, Ps. cv. 15; "Touch not my anointed" (LXX. ' my christs,' Twv potwv) i. e. my chosen and consecrated people. Habakkuk iii. 13, "Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for thine anointed," Tov Xplotov σe, thy christ,' thy τον χριστον chosen people.'

'Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ,' that is, of the chosen and holy people of God, ' greater riches than the treasures of Egypt,' q. d. He preferred the state of a despised Israelite to the opulence and grandeur of an Egyptian prince.

Dr. Clarke, with great judgement, takes no notice of this text.

14. Heb. xii. 25, 26. "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him who speaketh from heaven,' &c. See Haggai ii. 6.8

The speaker here alluded to is God himself, who, at the giving out of the Law, spake from mount Sinai, but who now by his spirit speaks from heaven. 1 Pet. i. 12. "The stress of the argument," says Peirce, "lies in the different manner of his speaking, his speaking on earth

8 Archbishop Newcome strangely conceives of this passage as "favouring the supposition that our Lord was the angel of the covenant who presided at giving the Law." Dr. Clarke takes no notice of this text.

and

and his speaking from heaven." See also Grotius and Whitby.

15. Heb. xiii. 8. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."

"In the tenor of his declarations, as well as in the glories of his divine nature." Dr. Doddridge.

"The meaning of this place, as appears from the context, is, that the doctrine of Christ once taught by the apostles ought to be preserved unchanged." Dr. Clarke, No. 662 and with him agree Calvin9, Whitby, Le Clerc, Newcome, and the majority of expositors. This interpretation is confirmed by ver. 9: "Be not carried away with divers and strange doctrine." The word Christ often stands for the doctrine of Christ. Eph. iv. 20, " We have not so learned Christ," i. e. his doctrine. See also Phil. iv. 13. Acts v. 42. 2 Cor. iv. 5. 1 Cor. i. 24.

16. 1 Pet. i. 11. "Searching what-the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."

The spirit of Christ' is that prophetic spirit which revealed the advent and the sufferings of Christ, as, John xiv. 17, the spirit of truth' is that inspiration from God which would reveal and attest the doctrine of the Gospel. See Grotius in loc.; Clarke, No. 1209; and Lindsey's Seq. p. 283.

17. 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20. "By which also he (Christ) went and preached unto the spirits in prison. Who some time were disobedient, when (once) the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing."

9" Apparet non de æterna Christi essentia apostolum disputare, sed de ejus notitiâ, quæ omnibus seculis viguit inter pios, ac perpetuum ecclesiæ fundamentum fuit." Calvin.

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