(1.) On the part of them for whom he did discharge it. And these were all the elect of God. He himself looked on this as a part of the glory set before him, that he should be a captain of salvation unto them, and bring them unto the eternal enjoyment of God in immortal glory. And a double honour ariseth hence unto Jesus Christ: ~[1.] Initial, the love, thankfulness, and worship of the church in all ages, in this world. See Rev. i. 5, 6. This is a glory wherein he is delighted, that all his saints, in all parts of the world, do severally, and in their assemblies, with all humility, love, and thankfulness, worship, adore, bless, praise, and glorify him, as the author and finisher of their recovery unto God, and eternal salvation. Every day do they come about his throne, cleave unto him, and live in the admiration of his love and power. [2.] This glory will be full at the latter day, and so hold unto all eternity, when all his saints, from the beginning of the world unto the end thereof, shall be gathered unto him, and abide with him, adoring him as their head, and shouting for joy when they behold his glory. (2.) On his own part. There is a peculiar honour and glory given him of God, as a consequent of his discharge of this office, and on the account thereof, 1 Pet. i. 21; Phil. ii. 9, 10; Eph. i. 20-23: whereof see our exposition on chap. i. 2. (3.) That glory wherein God will be exalted unto all eternity in the praise of his grace,-the end of all his holy purposes towards his church, Eph. i. 6,-doth ensue and depend hereon. For these and the like reasons it was that our blessed Saviour, knowing how unable we are in this world to comprehend his glory, as also how great a part of our blessedness doth consist in the knowledge of it, makes that great request for us, that, after we are preserved in, delivered from, and carried through our course in this world, as a principal part of our rest and reward, we may be with him where he is, to behold his glory which is given him of his Father, John xvii. 24. And our present delight in this glory and honour of Christ, is a great evidence of our love of him and faith in him.

Obs. II. Relation and love are the fountain and cause of God's committing all authority in and over the church to Jesus Christ.

By this expression of relation and love, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee," doth the apostle prove that God called him to be the high priest of the church. To the same purpose himself1 speaketh, John iii. 35, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand." In his constitution and declaration to be the great and only prophet of the church, God did it by an expression of his relation and love to him: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him,” Matt. xvii. 5. And this also was the foundation of his kingly office. Heb. i. 2, "He hath spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of

Or rather, John the Baptist.-ED.

all things;"-he who was his Son, and because he was his Son. God would give this glory and honour unto none but unto his only Son; which to prove is the design of our apostle in the first chapter of this epistle. And this his relation unto God manifested itself in all that he did in the discharge of his office; for saith the evangelist, "We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," John i. 14. Now, first, the relation intended is that one single eternal relation of his being the "Son of God," the "only-begotten of the Father," through the divine ineffable communication of his nature with him, or unto him. And hence the faith hereof is the foundation of the church; for when Peter made that confession of it, in opposition unto all false conceptions of others concerning his person, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," he answers, "Upon this rock I will build my church," Matt. xvi. 16, 18. And why doth the Lord Christ build his church on the profession of this article of our faith concerning his person? It is because we declare our faith therein that God would not commit all power in and over the church, and the work of mediation in its behalf, unto any but him who stood in that relation to him, of his only-begotten Son. And hereby, as God declares the greatness of this work, which none could effect but his Son, he who is God with himself, and that none other should partake with him in this glory; so he directs us to the worship and honour of him as his Son: for it is the will of God that "all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father," John v. 23. And those who put in themselves, their wills and authorities, as the pope; or bring in others into the honour of this work, as saints and angels; do rise up in direct opposition to the design of the will and wisdom of God. They must first give some one the relation of an only Son to God, before they ought to ascribe any thing of this great work or the honour of it unto him. Secondly, The love intended is twofold: 1. The natural and eternal love of the Father unto the Son, and his delight in him, as participant of the same nature with himself. This is expressed, Prov. viii. 30, 31; which place hath been explained and vindicated before. 2. His actual love towards him on the account of his infinite condescension and grace in undertaking this work, wherein his glory was so deeply concerned. See Phil. ii. 6-11. And this love hath a peculiar influence into the collation of that glory and honour on Christ which God bestowed on him. And in these things, which must not be here enlarged on, doth lie the blessed, sure, stable foundation of the church, and of our salvation, by the mediation of Christ.

VERSE 6.

The next verse gives us a further confirmation of the call of Christ unto his office, by another testimony, taken from Ps. cx. 4. And

much time, with diligence, would be needful to the explanation hereof, but that this is not its proper place. For that the whole psalm was prophetical of Jesus Christ I have proved before, and vindicated it from the exceptions of the Jews, both in our Exercitations and expositions on the first chapter. The subject-matter also spoken of, or the priesthood of Melchisedec, with the order thereof, the apostle expressly resumes and handles at large, chap. vii., where it must be considered. There is, therefore, only one concernment of these words here to be inquired into; and this is, how far or wherein they do give testimony unto the assertion of the apostle, that Christ did not glorify himself to be made a high priest, but that he was designed thereunto of God, even the Father.

Ver. 6.— Καθὼς καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει· Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ.

Ver. 6.-As he saith in another [psalm], Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

There are two things in these words:-First, The manner of the introduction of a new testimony; Secondly, The testimony itself.

The first, "As he saith in another." And therein we may consider,-1. The connection unto and compliance with that foregoing: Kalas naí, 'In the same manner as he had said in Ps. ii., "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee," so he speaks

Καθὼς καί. "in another place" to the same purpose.' So great and important a truth had need of solid confirmation. 2. The author of the testimony, or he that spake the words of it: Ayu, “He saith." And this may be taken two ways;-(1.) With respect Λέγει. unto the delivery of the words; (2.) With respect unto the subject-matter of them, or the thing signified in them. (1.) In the first way, he that speaks may be [1.] David. He who was the penman of the second psalm was so also of this hundred and tenth. As, therefore, the words foregoing, as to the declaration of them, were his, so were these also. As he said in that place, so he saith in this. Or, [2.] The Holy Spirit himself, who in both places spake in and by David: "Saying in David," chap. iv. 7. (2.) But the thing spoken and signified is principally here intended. And λiyu, "he saith," referreth immediately to God the Father himself. Thas which the apostle designed to prove, is that Christ was called and constituted a high priest by the authority of God the Father. And this was done by his immediate speaking unto him. The Holy Ghost, by the mouth of David, speaks these things to us. But he doth only therein declare what the Father said unto the Son; and that was it whereby the apostle's intention was proved and confirmed.

Ἐν ἑτέρῳ.

"He saith." This was that which God said unto him. And this is recorded virip, "in another;" that is, rów, "place," or rather au, "in another psalm," that is, Ps. cx. 4. Secondly, The testimony itself is expressed, or the words of the Father unto the Son, whereby the apostle's assertion is confirmed: "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." It was sufficient for the apostle at present to produce these words only; but he will elsewhere make use of the manner how they were uttered, namely, by and with the oath of God, as it is declared in the psalm, "The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, thou art a priest," etc. And these words of verse 4 do indissolubly depend on the first verse: “The LORD said unto my Lord;" that is, God the Father said unto the Son, with respect unto his incarnation and mediation, as I have proved elsewhere. And this word, "Thou art," is "verbum constitutivum," a "constituting word," wherein the priesthood of Christ was founded. And it may be considered,-1. As declarative of God's eternal decree, with the covenant between the Father and Son, whereby he was designed unto this office; whereof we have treated expressly and at large in the previous Exercitations. 2. As demonstrative of his mission, or his actual sending to the discharge of his office. These words are the symbol and solemn sign of God's conferring that honour upon him, which gave him his instalment. There is included in them a supposition that God would prepare a body for him, wherein he might exercise his priesthood, and which he might offer up unto him. On the whole, it is undeniable from this testimony, that God called and appointed him to be a priest; which was to be proved.

3.

Thus Christ was "called of God, as was Aaron;"-that is, immediately, and in an extraordinary manner; which was necessary in the first erection of that office in his person. But yet, as to the especial manner of his call, it was every way more excellent and glorious than that of Aaron. What his call was, and what were the weaknesses and imperfections of it, were before declared. But the call of Christ,-1. Had no need of any outward ceremony to express it, yea, it had a glory in it which no ceremony could express. 2. It consisted in the words of God spoken immediately to himself, and not to any others concerning him; only they are reported unto the church in the two psalms mentioned. 3. The words spoken are present, effective, constituting, authoritative words, and not merely declarative of what God would have done. By these words was he called and made a priest. 4. They are expressive of infinite love to and acquiescency in the person of Christ as a high priest. “THOU art my Son; THOU art a priest for ever." 5. They were spoken and pronounced with the solemnity of an oath,-"The LORD hath sworn;" whereof elsewhere. He was not, therefore, only called of God, as

was Aaron, but also in a peculiar way, far more eminently and gloriously. We may hence observe,

Obs. That in all things wherein God hath to do with mankind Jesus Christ should have an absolute pre-eminence.

It was necessary that of old some things should be made use of to represent and prefigure him. And it is necessary now that some things should be made use of to reveal and exhibit him unto us. And these things must, as they are appointments of God, effects of his wisdom, and out of their respect unto him, be precious and excellent. But yet in and through them all it is his own person, and what he doth therein, that hath the pre-eminence. And this is so on a twofold account:-1. Because in the representation which they made of him there was an imperfection, by reason of their own nature, so that they could not perfectly represent him. So Aaron was called in an extraordinary manner, to prefigure his call unto his priesthood; but that call of his was accompanied with much weakness and imperfection, as hath been declared. It belonged unto the pre-eminence of Christ, that there should be something, yea, very much, in his call absolutely peculiar. 2. The principal dignity of all these things depended on their respect and relation unto him; which exalts him infinitely above them. And so also is it with all the means of grace, whereby at present he is exhibited, and the benefits of his mediation communicated unto us.

VERSE 7.

In this verse two instances of the qualifications of a high priest are accommodated unto our Lord Jesus Christ, and that in the retrograde order before proposed. For the last thing expressed concerning a high priest according to the law was, that he was "compassed with infirmity," verse 3. And this, in the first place, is applied unto Christ; for it was so with him when he entered upon the discharge of his office. And therein the apostle gives a double demonstration:-1. From the time and season wherein he did execute his office; it was "in the days of his flesh." So openly do they contradict the Scripture who contend that he entered not directly on his priestly office until these days of his flesh were finished and ended. Now, in the days of his flesh he was compassed with infirmities, and that because he was in the flesh. 2. From the manner of his deportment in this discharge of his office, he did it with "cries and tears." And these also are from the infirmity of our nature.

Secondly, The acting of the high priest, as so qualified, in the discharge of his office, is accommodated unto him. For a high priest was appointed ἵνα προσφέρῃ δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν, verse 1;"that he might offer gifts and sacrifices for sins." So it is here