94 Reflections on the glory of Christ as superior to angels. IMPROVEMENT. SECT. i. Ver. LET us learn from this wonderful and delightful portion of scripture, how we are to conceive of our blessed Redeemer. Admirable contrast of characters! which might appear to our feeble reason, inconsistent, if faith did not teach us to reconcile them. Strange, that the brightness of his father's glory, and the express image of his person by whom he made the worlds, should condes5 cend by himself to purge our sins! That he, to whom God 3 saith, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee; that he, whom 6 the angels are commanded to worship; that he, whose Divine throne 8 is for ever and ever; that he, whom the church hath for succes10 sive ages adored as having founded the earth, and formed the hea vens, as in his original perfections and glories far more immuta11 ble than they, changing them as a vesture at his sovereign pleasure; that this great, this illustrious, this Divine person, should have laid aside these robes of celestial light to array himself in mortal flesh; not only that he might reveal his father's will, and speak to us in his name, but that he might redeem us to God by his blood? What shall we say? We will receive the message he brings us with all humble thankfulness; we will seek his favour with more earnest solicitude; we will congratulate his exaltation with loyal joy. O triumphant, transporting thought, that Jesus is enthroned above all heavens, that he is anointed with an unequalled effusion of the oil of gladness: with angels we will fall 9 down and worship him as our Lord and our God. Our Hosan3 nahs shall proclaim it, that he is set down at the right-hand of the Majesty on high, and that God hath engaged to make his ene13 mies his footstool. Angels minister before him with unwearied vigour, with inconceivable speed do they fly like flames of lightning from one end of the heaven to the other, from world to world, to execute his sacred commands. With delight do they minister to those whom he hath appointed heirs of salvation, nor do they neglect the youngest or meanest. Let us thankfully acknowledge the great Redeemer's goodness and care, in every kind office we receive from them. And as our obligations to him are infinitely superior to theirs, let us emulate their fidelity, vigour and zeal, in the steadiness and chearfulness of our obedience: till we join them in services like their own, in that world where they dwell, and to which, if we approve ourselves his faithful servants, he will ere long give them a charge safely and joyfully to convey us. SECT. We should therefore attend to the gospel of Christ, 95 SECT. II. From what has been before said, the Apostle infers the danger of despising Christ on account of his humiliation; which in perfect consistence with his dominion over the world to come, was voluntarily submitted to by him, for wise and important reasons; particularly to deliver us from the fear of death, and encourage the freedom of our access to God. Heb. II. 1, to the end. HEBREWS II. 1. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the time we should let them slip. stedfast, and every SOME a HEBREWS II. 1. SECT ii. II.1. OMETHING we have said in the former section concerning the supreme dignity of our things which we have blessed Redeemer. And now give me leave, heard, least at any before I proceed to other arguments which will Heb. naturally occur, to draw this obvious consequence from what I have already said: If he be so far superior to angels, we ought therefore to yield extraordinary attention to the things which we have heard by his authority; lest by any means we let [them] flow out of our minds, and lose the impression they once made upon us. 2 For if the word For if the Mosaic law, which was the word spo- a spoken by angels was ken by angels, proclaiming it in the name and transgression and dis- presence of Jehovah from mount Sinai, was obedience received a stedfast, and confirmed by such awful sanctions, just recompence of re- that every instance of wilful transgression and disobedience received, as its reward, a corres3 How shall we es- pondent and severe vengeance; How shall 3 cape if we neglect so we have any room to hope that we shall escape at the first began to be neglecting so great and glorious a salvation as spoken by the Lord, that which the gospel sets before us? A salvaand was confirmed un- tion, which having at its beginning been spoken to us by them that by the Lord of angels himself, was confirmed to us by the certain report of them that heard [him] 4 God also bearing preach it with his own lips; The blessed them witness, both God himself joining his own Divine and sacred and with divers mira- testimony with theirs, both by enabling them to cles perform the most amazing signs and wonders, ward. great salvation, which heard him ; with signs and wonders a We have heard.] Nothing can be more evidently weak than the argument drawn from hence, to prove that St. Paul was not the author of this epistle, because it was not by hearing only that he received the gospel. It is to be considered, that he speaks in the name of all to whom he was writing, as well as his own, to render the and instruction the more unexceptionable and bAngels.] See Dr. Whitby's admirable c Signs and wonders.] I think it is very needless to inquire curiously into the dif ference 96 ii. Heb. Which was proclaimed not by angels, but by the Lord; ing to his own will SECT. and various incontestible miracles, and endow- cles, and gifts of the ing them in a rich abundance, with distribu- Holy Ghost, accordtions of the Holy Spirit in its extraordinary opeII. 4. rations,imparted in different degrees to different persons, according to his own sovereign will and pleasure. d 5 For unto the an gels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. And by these wonderful operations the superiority of Christ to angels is farther illustrated; for to angels, even the most exalted of them, he, that is, God hath not subjected the world to come nor everintended that they should preside in the latest and best dispensation, the kingdom of the Messiah, which extends not only to earth, but to heaven, concerning which we now speak, as it is the great business of the Author's life to pro6 mote its interests. But a certain [writer e] 6 But one in a cerwell known I am persuaded to you Hebrews, tain place testified, saying, What is man, that somewhere bears his testimony, saying, Psal. viii. thou art mindful of 4. O Lord, what is man that thou rememberest him? or the son of ference of each of these words, when it is usual by a Hebraism to express a great degree and variety of things of any kind, by heaping together a great many synonimous words. d To angels he hath not subjected, &c.] Archbishop Tillotson thinks the meaning of this scripture is, that God did not empower the angels who delivered the law, to enforce it with clear and express promises of a future state, as Christ had enforced the gospel. See his Works, Vol. III. p. 136. Dr. Barrow explains it of the Messiah making so great an alteration in the constitution of things, that it is represented by a new heaven and a new earth, (Isa. Ixv. 17. & sim.) on which account it was called by the Jews, the world to come; a phrase which it is observable St. Paul only uses in this epistle to the Hebrews as being familiar to them. Barrow's Works, Vol. II. p. 202. Others have argued from this text, that angels were possessed of certain authority and power in the world before Christ came, of which they were divested upon his appearance; and of those who have agree in this general explication, some, (as Mr. Pierce,) have referred the presidence of angels to their having the guardianship of particular countries, and others, to some particular influences of their counsels in projecting the schemes which preceded the display of the gospel. But it seems to me, that the simplest, plainest, and most unexceptionable sense is this, "That God had appointed his Son to preside in the last great dispensation; which he elsewhere expresses, by saying, He has united all things him man under him, as their common Head, Eph. i. 10." and this certainly is an honour to which no angel can pretend. Dr. Burnet's explication of this as referring to the new heavens and earth, which he supposes shall succeed the conflagration in which Christ is to reign, (which he also thinks referred to Isa. ix. 6.) is so very precarious and improbable an interpretation, that I think it is hardly worth mentioning. Burnet's Theory of the Earth, Vol. II. p. 392. e A certain writer [bears] his testimony.] It has been matter of much debate among critics, whether these words are to be considered as in their original intent, a prophecy of the Messiah, or a description of the dignity and glory of human nature, to which the apostle alludes; making use of David's language to clothe his own ideas, though by an application very different from his design. It seems evident to me, that there is nothing in the viiith Psalm by which, independent upon the apostle's authority, it could be known to belong to the Messiah. On the whole therefore I prefer the latter opinion, though I readily confess, that if the former could be proved, it would establish a direct argument in words, which must otherwise be only understood as an allusion, but the grand truth to which they refer, the exaltation of Christ to supreme dignity, was so expressly asserted by himself, Mat. xxviii, 18, and was so fundamental a doctrine, and so universally received in the Christian church, that it did not seem to stand in need of such an additional proof. him? And to him all things are put in subjection : 7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and ho nour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands. 8 Thou hast put all under his feet. For in now we see not yet all things put under him. ii. 97 Heb. man that thou visitest him, or the son of man that thou regardest him! SECT. After which he goes on in words that have a most remarkable correspondence to the character and circumstances of the Lord Jesus Christ, II.7. both in his humbled and in his exalted state; for he adds, speaking of the Son of Man, Thou hast made him but a little lower than the angels; with glory and honour hast thou crowned him, and hast constituted him [lord] over all the visible works of thine hands. Thou hast put all things under g things in subjection his feet. This may be interpreted in the widest that he put all in sub- extent; for in putting all things under him, nojection under him, he thing was left out, [which was not represented left nothing that is not as reduced to subjection to him. But now we do put under him. But not as yet see, that all things are put under him, to whom we refer these words; but on the contrary, a great part of the world is as yet unac9 But we see Jesus, quainted with him and his authority. Never-9 lower than the angels, theless, we see what we may well look upon as for the suffering of an earnest and security of it; for we see Jesus, death, crowned with who, for the few years he dwelt upon earth, was glory and honour; that he hy the grace of made in human form and state a little lower than God should taste death the angels of God, over whom he had an origi for every map. nal right, as their Maker, to preside, exalted to the most conspicuous dignity in the celestial world we see him, who was thus humbled for the suffering of death, that he might be capable of it, and that by the grace of God to sinful creatures, he might taste the bitterness of death for every man, who would obediently accept of life through him, now crowned with a glory and honour far superior to what Adam had in the day in which he was created. who was made a little 10 For it became him, for whom are all Such hath been the conduct of God in this 10 things, and by whom great affair of our redemption. And the beauty are all things, in bring and harmony of it will be apparent, in proporing many sons unto tion to the degree in which it is examined. glory, For though the Jews dream of a temporal Mes siah, as a scheme conducive to the Divine glory, For the suffering of death] These words may seem ambiguous, and capable of being referred either to the preceding or following clause. It is indeed true, that Christ was crowned as a reward for suffering death, as the Apostle expressly teach es, Phil. ii. 8, 9. But the concluding words of the verse, which have plainly a connection with these, determine them g It became him.] This seems to signify, Depose 98 Yet it became him to be made perfect through sufferings: SECT. pursuit of the great and important design he glory, to make the ii. had formed, of conducting many whom he is Captain of their salvation perfect through Heb. pleased to adopt as his sons, to the possession of sufferings. II. 10. that inheritance of glory he has intended for them, to make and constitute Jesus his first-begotten and best-beloved Son, the Leader and Prince of their salvation; and to make him perfect or completely fit for the full execution of his office, by a long train of various and extreme sufferings, whereby he was, as it were, solemnly consecrated to it. 11 11 For both he that who are sanctified, are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamthren, ed to call them bre, 12 Saying, I will de thee. 13 And again, I will put my trust in him. Now in consequence of this appointment, Je- sanctifieth, and they sus, the great Sanctifier, who engages and consecrates men to the service of God, and they who are sanctified, that is, consecrated and introduced to God with such acceptance [are] all of one family; all the descendants of Adam, and in a sense, the seed of Abraham: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them whom he thus redeems and presents to Divine favour, his bre12 thren; Saying (Psal. xxii. 22, 26.) in the person of David, when representing the Messiah in clare thy name unto my brethren, in the his sufferings and exaltation, I will declare thy midst of the church name to my brethren; in the midst of the as- will I sing praise unto sembly of thy people, the great assembly, which by way of eminence shall be called the church, will I praise thee for thy gracious interposition 13 in my favour. And again, speaking as a mortal man, exposed to such exercises of faith in trials and difficulties as others were, he says in a psalm which represents his triumph over his enemies, I will trust in him as other good men have in all ages done; and again, elsewhere in the person of Isaiah, (Isa. viii. 18.) Behold I and the children which my God hath given me, are 14 for signs and for wonders. Seeing then those whom he represents in one place and another as the children of the same family with himself, are partakers of human flesh and blood, he himself in like manner participated of them, and assumed all their sinless infirmities, that thereby becoming capable of those sufferings to which without such a union with flesh he could not have been obnoxious, he might by his own voluntary and meritorious death, abolish and depose him, h Depose him.] The original word xaJagynon, properly signifies to deprive of all power, Rom. vi. 6. When applied to the law, it signifies abolition, To suppose who And again, Behold, I and the children which God hath given me. 14 Forasmuch then as the children are blood, he also himself partakers of flesh and likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him with Archbishop Tillotson, that it chiefly means, that Christ might give mankind the hope of immortality, when they actu ally saw one risen from the dead and ascend ing |