A learned and very useful commentary on the whole epistle to the Hebrews wherein every word and particle in the original is explained ... : being the substance of thirty years Wednesdayes lectures at Black-fryers, London / by that holy and learned divine Wiliam Gouge ... : before which is prefixed a narrative of his life and death : whereunto is added two alphabeticall tables ...

§. 76. Of the Coherence of the seventh Verse.

Verse 7.

And of the Angels he saith, Who maketh his Angels spirits, and his Ministers a flame of fire.

TO amplifie the former Argument (whereby the Apostle proved the excellency of Christ above Angels) taken from the inferiority of Angels, manifested by their worshipping him; he addeth another evidence of their inferiority, manifested by their manner of serving him. And to shew that there is as good ground and reason for this, as for the former; and that Angels are as much bound to this, as to that; he premiseth, in this verse the like preface, as in the former: thus, And of the Angels he saith: even HE that said, Let all the Angels worship him, saith also, He maketh them spirits.

Thus may this verse have relation to that which goeth before, as a fit dependence thereon: and so this copulative a 1.1 AND, joyn two evidences of the inferiority of Angels together.

It may also have a fit reference to that which followeth in the 8^th verse; and that as an evidence of the infinite disparity betwixt Angels and Christ: which the Apo∣stle proveth by a third Argument, taken from the high soveraignty of Christ, in the verses following. In this verse there is one part of the dissimilitude or disparity be∣twixt Christ and Angels. The other parts are in the 8^th and 9^th verses. The dispa∣rity is this▪ Angels are minister; but Christ a Lord and King. The adversative particle b 1.2 BUT, in the beginning of the 8^th verse (which is a note of an assumption, or of opposition) importeth this latter reference.

In this preface (of the Angels he saith) there is some ambiguity in the particle translatedc 1.3 OF, For properly and usually it signifieth TO: But it apparent in the Text quoted that he speaketh not to Angels. For he useth not the second but the third person: The Apostle therefore imitateth the Hebrew, who put the * 1.4 particle

which signifieth TO, for that which signifieth OF or Concerning.* 1.5

He expresseth the Title Angels, to shew distinctly what kinde of Spirits and Mi∣nisters the Psalmist meaneth; and also how pertinent the Text which he quoteth is to the point in hand.

There is in the Greek an ordinary ^d note of asseveration, as is oft translated verily.* 1.6 See Cha. 3. v. 5. §. 50.

Notes

• a 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• b 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• c 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.5

  〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.6

  〈…〉〈…〉.