THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

CHAPTER I.

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets."-Ver. 1.

"AT sundry times;" that is, literally, by many gradual stages; and it refers, no doubt, to every kind of revelation, whether spoken or otherwise given, but especially to the prophecies concerning Christ and his kingdom, which shone brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. The Messiah, as foretold in the prophetic roll, is first represented in general terms, as the Seed of the woman. It is then predicted that he shall descend from Shem. From among the sons of Shem Abraham is selected; from the sons of Abraham Isaac is chosen; of the two sons of Isaac, Jacob, the younger, obtains the blessing; from the twelve sons of Jacob, Judah is announced as the ancestor of the Deliverer of man; and from all the numerous descendants of Judah it is at length predicted that the Messiah shall spring from the line of David. By these gradual revelations the Providence of God perpetually kept up attention, and preserved the faith of man in the expected Mediator; and the prophecy of Jacob was eminently useful to strengthen the faith of pious Israelites in those gloomy seasons of bondage and distress which began after the death of Joseph, and continued at intervals to the destruction of their state and polity.

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."-Ver. 3.

Professor Stuart says, "it God be represented to us under the image of splendour, or a luminary, the source of light; then is Christ the radiance of that splendour, or the light emitted from that luminary. That is, as a luminous body becomes perceptible in consequence of the light radiated from it, so God has manifested, or exhibited himself, to us, in the person of His Son. To the same purpose, John says, 'No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath revealed him (John i. 18). So again, 'He that hath seen me hath seen the Father' (ch. xiv. 9); and again, 'He that seeth me, seeth him that sent me' (ch. xii. 45). In Col. i. 15, Christ is called 'the image of the invisible God,' that is, he by whom the invisible God is, as it were, presented to our inspection. In him, God has exhibited to men the perfections of his character, that is, has exhibited the glory of himself, which is figuratively used to designate the divine perfections. So 2 Cor. iv. 6, the divine perfections as displayed in the face of Jesus Christ—a phrase of the like nature with that in the text. Again; if God be represented under the image of substance, or essence, then is Christ the development of that substance to our view; he is the image, representation or delineation of it. As an image upon a coin presents the exact lineaments of the stamp which made it, so does Christ present the likeness of the Father; that is, reveals to us, in his person and work, just and proper views of the perfections of the Father.

"That both expressions are to be understood figuratively, is beyond all doubt; for God is not, in a literal sense, splendour, or a luminous substance; nor is his substance, or being, in itself considered that is, physically or metaphysically considered-capable of being represented to our senses."*

"The right hand." This being mostly used in giving and receiving, the most honourable place near princes and other great personages has always been on that side. And, with reference, it would appear, to this custom, the exaltation of our Saviour is often spoken of as his being at the right-hand of God; in the text it is "the right-hand of the Majesty on high." No one can interpret this literally, as if the Majesty on high had parts— arms and hands-although these are metaphorically referred to in the Scriptures. But as God-who is, in his own nature, invisible-" whom no man hath seen, or can see -was said to appear, or to be seen, when there was a shechinah, or an illustrious display of his glory, so, in like manner, he is spoken of in heaven, as there making a more extraordinary display of His glory. This is here called the Majesty; and of that we may conceive of a right and left hand, or side (Acts vii. 55, 56). And on the right hand of this glory is our Redeemer. In Heb. viii. 1, the expression is varied,-“ Who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;" and by comparing that passage with this, we are led to interpret the words on high, as importing the same as in the heavens; that is, in the high or heavenly places; which might be rendered," among the high beings," that

*Stuart, in loco.

is, the angels, by whom the display of the divine glory used to be made on earth, and is probably made in the heavens. But our Saviour is exalted above the most glorious of these; as Peter says (1 Epis. iii. 22) "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him."

"Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."-Ver. 9.

The anointing with oil denotes the conferring of regal power and authority, as kings used to be anointed (Ps. ii. 6). And as the anointing of a king was a solemnity of great joy and triumph, so the vastness of the authority bestowed upon Christ, after his resurrection, when he was made both Lord and Christ (Acts ii. 36), must render the joy of it more abundant. Whence "the oil of gladness" is here mentioned, and the gladness of the solemnity is spoken of as extraordinary.

The words are quoted from Ps. xlv. 6, 7, the whole of which evidently relates to the Messiah, as mediatorial King. M'Lean has a good note here. He says "It was God in the person of the Father, who conferred this high reward [consecration to the kingly office] upon His incarnate Son, now begotten from the dead. He is called his God, not to point out the original superiority of the Father to the Son in the Godhead, but in relation to the economy of redemption, in which Christ is constituted the King and federal Head of the church. In this view, the Father is his God, and is frequently termed, 'The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,' and in him the God and Father of all his brethren, whom He represents.

(See John xx. 17; 2 Cor. xi. 31; Eph. i. 3, 17; 1 Pet. i. 3.)"

"But the chief design of the apostle," he adds, "in citing this passage, is to set forth Christ's preeminence, in his exalted state, above all that were ever employed in the service and rule of the church, whether angels or men, and who are here termed his fellows, associates, or partners: 'Thy God hath exalted thee above thy fellows.' By this term, the apostle must chiefly have understood angelic rulers; for he is proving Christ's superiority to these.

But

in what sense can they be termed his fellows or partners? Not in respect of his natural and original dignity; for they are creatures (Col. i. 16). Nor are they his partners in the power and dominion conferred upon him at his resurrection; for then He was anointed above them; angels, authorities, and powers being made subject to him (1 Pet. iii. 22). But as angels were formerly vested with power and authority as God's ministers, particularly in the affairs of the church and kingdom of Israel, so they may be termed Christ's fellows, not in point of equality, but in similarity of office; and in this sense, their prophets, priests, and kings, may also be so called."*

CHAPTER II.

"For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast," etc.Ver. 2.

A DIFFICULTY has been felt in comparing these words with Exod. xx. 1, 19, 22; Deut. v. 4; in which places God himself is said to have proclaimed the law to Israel. To dispose of this discrepancy, various methods have been adopted, at the expense

*M'Lean's Works, vol. v. p. 37.