An expositon of all St. Pauls epistles together with an explanation of those other epistles of the apostles St. James, Peter, John & Jude : wherein the sense of every chapter and verse is analytically unfolded and the text enlightened. / David Dickson ...

CHAP. II.

A Double Use follows of the former Doctrine, touch∣ing the Excellency of Christs Person and Prophetical Office.

The first, That they depart not from the truth of the Do∣ctrine it self, to vers. 6.

The other is, That they detract not from the reputation of Christ, because of his sufferings in the flesh, to the end.

Vers. 1. Therefore wee ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which wee have heard, le••t at any time wee should let them slip.

The Proposition of the first Use is this, It behoves us to hearken more attentively i. e. to beleeve and obey the Doctrine of Christ, or his Gospel.

The Arguments for the proof of this Proposition are eight.

The first Argument is contained in the word, There∣fore, Because already the excellency of Christs Pro∣phetical Office was shewn in the former Chapter: Therefore ought we the more attentively to hearken to his Doctrine.

Le••t at any time] Arg. 2. Unless wee attend diligently to his Doctrine, there is danger that wee let it slip, that the truth of it get from us, and that wee falling from it, bee undone: Therefore, &c.

Vers. 2. For if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience,

received a just recompence of reward.

This hee confirms by a comparison of Law and Gos∣pel, wherein many other Arguments are comprehended.

Argum. 3. If the Law promulgated by the Ministry of Angels, or Messengers (whose service God made use of) was accounted firm, stable, authentick, divine and inviolable, much more the Gospel published by Christ the Son, ought to bee accounted such: Therefore ought yee to obey the Doctrine of Christ the Son of God.

And every] Argum. 4. If every transgression against the Law (which is the Doctrine of deserved death) received a just reward, or the recompence of a capital punishment, wee cannot escape destruction, if wee neglect the Gospel of free salvation: Therefore ought wee to give the more attention to the Gospel of Christ.

Vers. 3. How shall wee escape if wee neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to bee spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him,

4. God also bearing them witness, both with signs, and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Argum. 5. Confirming the former, The Gospel was immediately published by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, while hee was upon earth, and was preached to the Church with authority by the Apostles, who were eye and ear-witnesses of his Doctrine; And moreover it was confirmed, with all kinds of gifts of the Spirit, and seve∣ral miracles accompanying the preaching of the Apostles, the testimony of the divine Seal being added, as it were, from Heaven: Therefore except wee attend the more carefully to his Doctrine, wee cannot escape un∣punished for the neglect of so great salvation thus confir∣med unto us.

Vers. 5. For unto the Angels hath hee not put into sub∣jection, the world to come, whereof wee speak.

The new condition of the world under Messias, or the restoring of the world into the Grace of the Messias, (whereof wee spake from the sixt verse of the former Chapter) is not put in subjection unto Angels, but to Christ the Son of God: Therefore if it was a wickedness not to hearken attentively to Angels (which are servants) how much more hainous will it bee to despise the most powerful King of the restored world? The Church (as it were a new world, to bee gathered by the Gospel) or the new condition of the Creature under Messias, is cal∣led the World, Because all the glory which now appears in the Ornament of the Universe, shines more gloriously, when it is converted into our use by Christ: It is called the World to come, for the perfection of its renovation, yet not to bee perfectly so, but in the world to come; Christ indeed hath now begun to make all things new in his own, and for their sake, but what hee hath begun, hee will not compleatly perfect till the last day, when the Creature shall bee delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the liberty of the Glory of the Sons of God.

The Second Part.

Vers. 6. But one in a certain place testified, saying, what is man that thou art mindful of him; or the Son of man that thou visitest him?

Confirming this Argument hee passes to the second part of the Chapter, that hee may prove that the incar∣nation of Christ, or his sufferings in the flesh (which was an offence to the Hebrews) derogate nothing from the ex∣cellency of him: The Arguments produced to this end are fourteen, whence hee infers the conclusion to bee proved, in the first verse of the following Chapter, by an admonition to consider, what an one Christ is, i. e. how excellent hee is in the offices of his Apostleship, or of his Prophetical and Priestly office, wherein hee humbled himself and suffered.

Argum. 1. From Psal. 8.5. to this purpose, The man Christ is highly accounted of with God, and other men are subjected because of him, if the Majesty of God, and the Magnificence of his works, bee compared with the meanness of humane nature, or if it bee considered, how great God is, and how eminent his other works, and how mean and low man is: Therefore the excellency of Christ as man, ought not to bee lessened with us, because of the infirmities and sufferings of the humane nature which hee took.

Vers. 7. Thou madest him a little lower than the An∣gels, thou crownedst him with glory, and honour, and didst set him ruler over the works of thy hands.

Argum. 2. From Psal. 8.6. Although Christ in the time of his humiliation, was made lower than the An∣gels, in respect to his sufferings in the flesh, yet that hu∣miliation was not perpetual, but for a short time, and onely in part, in respect to the humane nature that suf∣fered: Because the price of Redemption being paid, hee was raised from the dead, exalted to the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and honour, declared Lord and King over all the works of God: Therefore wee ought not to detract from him because of his suffe∣rings in the flesh.

Vers. 8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that hee put all in subjection under him, hee left nothing that is not put under him. But now wee see not yet all things put under him.

9. But wee see Iesus, who was made a little lower than the Angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that hee by the Grace of God should taste death for every man.

Argum. 3. From Psal. 8.7. Christ is the Lord of An∣gels, even as hee is man; For God hath put all the works of his hands without exception, in subjection to him, and so amongst the rest, Angels: Therefore, &c.

But now] Argum. 4. Propounded by way of Solu∣tion to an Objection; Although yet wee see not all things subjected unto Christ, in respect to his members, which are daily opposed by very many enemies; Yet wee see, (not with the eyes of Faith onely, but even the light of reason by many tokens, and are convinced by the multi∣tude of miracles) Christ after his humiliation below the condition of Angels, now crowned with glory and honour, in his own person in Heaven, and sitting at the right hand of his Father, till all his enemies bee made his foot-stool, and thus wee see the victory of Christ be∣gun: Therefore wee must not detract any thing from the excellency of Christ, because of his sufferings, either in his own person, or in his members.

A little] Argum. 5. From the fore-telling of his hu∣miliation, Psal. 8.6. From the decree of God, and to the fulfilling the Prophecies of Christ, it behoved him to bee humbled, and suffer death, and to this end, in a sort to bee made lower than the Angels, that hee might suffer death: Therefore, &c.

Taste] Argum. 6. Not unadvisedly, or compelled by necessity did Christ suffer, but freely, or out of the gra∣cious good will of God towards us, hee tasted death for a short time, not for himself, but for all us, his Sons, that hee might bring us to salvation▪ as it is expounded in the following verse: Therefore his estimation is not to bee lessened, because of his sufferings in his assu∣med flesh.

Vers. 10. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many Sons unto Glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Argum. 7. It was agreeable to the Glory of God, who is the Author and End of all things, seeing that his ju∣stice, mercy, wisdome, power, and the rest of his Attri∣butes, might bee manifested chiefly by the sufferings of Christ, that hee might consecrate, inaugurate, consum∣mate, and every waies make him meet to bee Cap∣tain

of our salvation, the more conveniently by affli∣ctions to bring many Sons, his Elect, to life and glory, not by his Doctrine onely, nor onely by the example of his life, but also by the merit of his death, undergone for the redeeming of them: Therefore his excellency ought not to bee abated because of his sufferings in the flesh.

Vers. 11. For both hee that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all of one: For which cause hee is not ashamed to call them Brethren,

Argum. 8. The Redeemer and the Redeemed, Hee that sanctifies, and they that are sanctified, not onely by the decree of God, and the predictions of Scripture, but also from Justice it self, are of one and the same Nature, of the same Natural lump, derived from the same Adam: For the Justice and Wisdome of God required, that in the humane Nature, which had sinned, sin should bee punished: And therefore required that the Redeemer of men, should bee truly man: Therefore the reputation of Christ the Son of God, because of his assuming the in∣firmities of humane Nature, is not to bee diminished.

For which] Argum. 9. Confirming the former, The Messias would bee incarnate, that wee might bee his Brethren, and that hee might shew forth himself a Bro∣ther unto us; And although hee is the Son of God, yet hee is not ashamed to call the Redeemed, or Elect, his Brethren: Therefore the reputation of Christ is not to bee lessened because of his sufferings in humane flesh, but rather ought wee to boast in his relation to us, and to glorifie him so much the more, because of his sufferings for us.

Ver••. 12. Saying, I will declare thy name unto my Brethren, in the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto thee.

This Argument hee proves by three Testimonies of Scripture: The first is taken from Psal. 22.22. wherein Christ undertakes to pay the price of our Redemption, and promiseth to preach the Righteousness purchased by his Obedience to his Brethren the Elect, or the Church of the faithful, in whose Congregations, hee is present by his Spirit, even after his ascension, stirring up joy and thanksgiving in the hearts of the faithful, by the preaching of Righteousness.

Vers. 13. And again, I will put my trust in him: and again, Behold I, and the children which God hath given mee.

The second Testimony is taken from Psal. 18.3. whence Christ is proved to bee man, because put in the number of the Covenanters, depending upon God by Faith.

Again] Testimony the third, From Isa. 8.18. where Christ is brought in by the Prophet, associating himself with Children, as his Brethren; whom God had chosen, and given to him to bee redeemed and saved, whom hee presents with himself to the Father, to bee glori∣fied.

Vers. 14. Forasmuch then as the Children are parta∣kers of flesh and blood; hee also himself took part of the same, that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil.

Argum. 10. Christ out of his love to the Elect, the Children of God, would partake of the same humane Nature with them, that hee might by his death satisfie for them, and so abolish the power of the Devil, which hee (as an exe••utioner) hath by the Law against all sin∣ners: Therefore the reputation of Christ is not to bee diminished because of his sufferings in the flesh.

Vers. 15. And deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their life time subject to bondage.

Argum. 11. Amongst the fruits and ends of Christs death this is one, that hee might deliver his from the fear of death, both temporal and eternal: under which fear all sinners are held all their life long, till they see themselves freed from sin and death, upon the merit of Christ dying for them: Therefore, &c.

Vers. 16. For verily hee took not on him the nature of Angels: but hee took on him the seed of Abra∣ham.

Argum. 12. Christ by assuming the seed of Abra∣ham, or humane nature into the unity of his person, wherein from eternity hee subsisted, he•• advanced the humane nature, in respect to priviledges▪ dignity and ho∣nour, above the Nature of Angels, which hee took not: Therefore the reputation of Christ is no•• to bee lessened because of his sufferings in the flesh.

Vers. 17. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to bee made like unto his Brethren, that hee might bee a merciful High Priest, in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Argum. 13. Christ ought to bee made like his Bre∣thren the Elect, in Nature, Properties, Affections, and all infirmities, except sin, that his Brethren might bee the more certain and assured of his faithfulness and mer∣cy, in the exercise of his Priestly Office, and perpetual intercession with God for them: Therefore the excellen∣cy of Christ ought not to bee diminished because of his sufferings in the flesh.

Vers. 18. For in that hee himself hath suffered, being tempted, hee is able to succour them that are temp∣ted.

Argum. 14. Confirming the former, Christ by his suffering afflictions and temptations in the humane Na∣ture, was fitted by his experience of sufferings (in whom wee may trust) to bee able and willing to succour us un∣der the like trials: Therefore his reputation is not to bee diminished because of his sufferings in the flesh. And thus, as in the former Chapter, it was demonstrated that Christ is the true Son of God, so in this Chapter hee hath demonstrated him to bee the son of man; The one, true God-man; and hath removed the scandal of infir∣mities and sufferings of Christ in the flesh, which all the beleeving Hebrews did dash against.