final ruin of that church, foretold by our Saviour himself, Mat. xxiv. by Peter, 2 epist. iii. by James also, ch. v. 6-9. and by our apostle in this epistle, ch. x. 37. ch. xii. 25-27. was accomplished.

Hence it is that our apostle calls the times of the gospel, the world to come, ch. ii. 5. vi. 5. the name whereby the Jews denoted the state of the church under the Messiah, proper unto it only whilst the legal administrations of worship did continue. Thus as de facto he had shewed respect unto the person of the high priest, as one yet in lawful office, Acts xxiii. 5; so doctrinally he takes it for granted, that that office was still continued, Heb. viii. 4, 5. with the whole worship instituted by Moses, ch. xiii. 11, 12. And this dispensation of God's patience being the last trial of that church, was continued in a proportion of time answerable to their abode in the wilderness upon its first erection; which our apostle minds them of, ch. iii. iv.

The law of Moses then was not actually abrogated by Christ, who observed the rules of it in the days of his flesh; nor by the apostles, who seldom used their liberty from it, leaving the use of it to the Jews still. But having done the work whereunto it was designed, and its obligation expiring, ending, and being removed, or taken away in the death and resurrection of Christ, and in the promulgation of the gospel that ensued thereupon, which doctrinally declared its apex or uselessness; God in his providence put an end unto it, as to its observance, in the utter and irrecoverable overthrow of the temple, the place designed for the solemn exercise of its worship; so did it decay, wax old, and vanish away, eh. viii. 13.

And this also God ordered in his infinite wisdom, that their temple, city and nation, and so consequently their whole churchstate, should be utterly wasted by the Pagan Romans, before the power of the empire came into the hands of men professing the name of Christ; who could neither well have suffered their temple to stand as by them abused, nor yet have destroyed it, without hardening them in their impenitence and unbelief.

Fifthly, That which is proposed unto confirmation in the whole epistle, and from whence all the inferences and exhortations insisted on do arise, and are drawn, is the excellency of the gospel, and the worship of God therein revealed and ap pointed, upon the account of its manifold relation to the person and offices of Christ the mediator, the Son of God. Now, because some of those to whom it is directed, did, as hath been declared, adhere to Mosaic ceremonies and worship, in conjunction with the gospel, others with a preference of them above the gospel, and some to a relinquishment of the gospel, espe cially when they once found its profession obnoxious to persecution; the apostle institutes, and at large prosecutes a compa

rison between the law of Moses and the gospel, as to their usefulness and excellency, in reference unto men's acceptance with God, by the one and the other; as also of the spirituality, order, and beauty of the worship severally required in them. And herein, though he derogates in no respect from the law that which was justly due unto it, yet on the accounts before mentioned, he preferreth the gospel before it; and not only so, but also manifests, that as Mosaic institutions were never of any other use, but to prefigure the real mediatory work of Christ, with the benefits thereof, so he being exhibited, and his work accomplished, their observance was become needless, and themselves, if embraced to a neglect or relinquishment of the gospel, pernicious.

This comparison, (wherein also the proof of the positive worth and excellency of the gospel is included), omitting for weighty reasons (intimated by James, Acts xxi. 21. and by himself, Acts ix. 25. ch. xxii. 19-21.) all prefatory salutations, he enters upon in the first verses of the epistle; and having thereby occasion to make mention of the Messiah, from whose person and office, the difference he was to insist upon did wholly arise, he spendeth the residue of the chapter in proving the divine excellency of his person, and the eminence of his office, as the only king, priest, and prophet of his church; on all which the dignity of the gospel, in the profession whereof he exhorts them to persevere, doth depend.

2.

He then that would come to a right understanding of this epistle must always bear in mind, 1. To whom it was written, namely, the Jews of the several sorts before mentioned. To what end it was written, even to prevail with them to embrace the gospel, and to persist in the profession of it, without any mixture of Mosaic observances. 3. On what principles the apostle deals with them in this argument, which are no other, for the most part, than what were granted by the Jews of all sorts. 4. What testimonies out of the Old Testament he insists on to prove his purpose, namely such as were commonly received in the Judaical church to belong to the Messiah and his office. 5. What he labours to instruct them in, as to the general use of all sorts amongst them, which is the nature and use of Mosaic rites. 6. The main argument he insists on for the ends before mentioned, which is the excellency of the gospel, the worship instituted therein, and the righteousness manifested thereby, upon the account of its author and subject, the principal efficient cause of its worship, and only procurer of the righteousness exhibited in it, even Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Mediator, the eternal Son of God. Unless these things are well borne in mind, and the case of the Jews particularly heeded, our Exposition will, it may be, seem oft times to go

out of the way, though it constantly pursue the design and scope of the apostle.

Sixthly, Though this epistle was written to the Hebrews, and immediately for their use, yet it is left on record in the canon of the Scripture by the Holy Ghost, for the same general end with the other parts of the Scripture, and the use of all believers therein to the end of the world.

This use in our Exposition is also to be regarded, and that principally in the parænetical or hortatory part of it. That then which is dogmatical, and the foundation of all the exhortations insisted on, may be two ways considered.

1. Properly, as to the special and peculiar tendency of the principles and doctrines handled, and so they specially intend the Jews, and must be opened with respect to them, their principles, traditions, opinions, objections; all which must therefore be considered, that the peculiar force and efficacy of the apostle's reasonings with respect to them, may be made manifest. And from the doctrinal part of this Epistle so opened, the exhortations that arise do chiefly respect the Jews, and are peculiarly suited unto them to their state and condition.

2. Again, the doctrines treated on by the apostle may be considered absolutely and abstractedly from the special case of the Jews, which he had in his eye, merely as to their own nature, and so they are many of them of the chief fundamental principles of the gospel. In this respect, they are grounds for the application of the exhortations in the Epistle, to all professors of the gospel to the end of the world. And this must guide us in our Exposition. Having to deal with the Jews, the doctrinal parts of the Epistle must be opened with special respect to them, or we utterly lose the apostle's aim and design; and dealing with Christians, the hortatory part shall be principally insisted on, as respecting all professors: yet not so, but that in handling the doctrinal part, we shall weigh the principles of it, as articles of our evangelical faith in general, and consider also the peculiar respect that the exhortations have to the Jews.

Now whereas, as was said, many principles of the Jews are partly supposed and taken for granted, and partly urged and insisted on to his own purpose by the apostle, we must in our passage make some stay in their discovery and declaration, and shall insert them under their proper heads where they occur, even as many of them as are not already handled in our prolegomena.

AN

EXPOSITION, &c.

Ꭲ

CHAPTER I.

HE general scope and design of the apostle in this whole Epistle, hath been before declared, and needs not here be repeated. In this first chapter, he fixeth and improveth the principal consideration that he intends to insist on throughout the Epistle, to prevail with the Hebrews unto constancy and perseverance in the doctrine of the gospel. And this is taken from the immediate Author of it, the promised Messiah, the Son of God. Him therefore in this chapter he at large describes; and that two ways. 1. Absolutely, declaring what he is in his person and offices, as also what he hath done for the church. And, 2. Comparatively, with respect unto other ministerial revealers of the mind and will of God, especially insisting on his excellency and pre-eminence above the angels; as we shall see in the explication of the several parts and verses of it.

Ver. 1, 2.—Πολυμερώς και πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς λαλήσας τοις πα τρασιν εν τοις προφηταις, επ' εσχάτων των ήμερων τότων ελάλησεν ήμιν εν υιώ, ὃν ἔθηκε κληρονόμον πάντων, δι' &ν και της αιωνας εποίησεν.

Many of these words being variously rendered, their true grammatical sense and importance is to be considered, before we open the meaning of the whole, and the aim of the apostle in them; in which way we shall also proceed throughout the whole Epistle.

Hoxμews. 1. Syr. In all parts, or by many parts. Multifariam, Vulg. Eras, A. Montan. diversely. Multis vicibus, Beza; which our's render, at sundry times. Mugoμai is sortior divido, to part, to take part, to divide; whence is magos, the part of any thing, and uses that which consisteth of many parts; and Tonuses, by many parts; which is also used as "T Mig, for alternis vicibus, sundry changes. The word properly is, by many parts; fully, by several parts at several times, as our