3. It must therefore be the time of his resurrection, ascension, and exaltation at the right hand of God, which ensued thereon, that is designed as the season wherein he was made more excellent than the angels, as evidently appears from the text and context.

For, 1. That was the time, as we have shewed before, when he was gloriously vested with that all power in heaven and earth, which was of old designed unto him, and prepared for him. 2. The order also of the apostle's discourse leads us to fix on this season. After he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down, &c. being made so much more excellent; that is, therein, and then he was so made. 3. The testimony in the first place produced by the apostle in the confirmation of his assertion, is elsewhere, as we shall see, applied by himself unto his resurrection and the glory that ensued, and consequently they are also in this place intended. 4. This preference of the Lord Christ above the angels, is plainly included in that grant of all power made unto him, Matt. xxviii. 18. expounded Eph. i. 21, 22. 5. The testimony used by the apostle in the first place, is the word that God spake unto his King, when he set him upon his holy hill of Sion, Psal. ii. 6—S. which typically expresseth his glorious instalment in his heavenly kingdom.

The Lord Christ then, who in respect of his divine nature was always infinitely and incomparably more excellent than all the angels, after his humiliation in the assumption of the human nature, with the sufferings and temptations that he underwent, upon his resurrection was exalted into a condition of glory, power, authority, and excellency, and intrusted with power over them, as our apostle here informs us.

3d, In this preference and exaltation of the Lord Christ, there is a degree intimated; being made so much more, &c. Now our conceptions hereabout, as to this place, are wholly to be regulated by the name given unto him. Look, saith the apostle, as the name given to the Messiah exceis the name given to angels, so much doth he himself excel them in glory, authority and power; for these names are severally given them of God, to signify their state and condition. What, and how great this difference is, we shall afterwards see, in the consideration of the instances given of it by the apostle in the verses ensuing.

4th, The proof of this assertion which the apostle first fixeth on, is taken from the name of Christ. His name, not given him by man, not assumed by himself, but ascribed unto him by God himself. Neither doth he here by the name of Christ, or the name of the angels, intend any individual proper names of the one or the other; but such descriptions as are made of them, and titles given unto them by God, as whereby their state and condition may be known. Observe, saith he, how they are called of

God, by what names and titles he owns them, and you may learn the difference between them. This name he declares in the next verse: God said unto him, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." It is not absolutely his being the Son of God that is intended, but that by the testimony of the Holy Ghost, God said these words unto him, "Thou art my Son," and thereby declared his state and condition to be far above that of the angels, to none of whom he ever said any such thing, but speaks of them in a far distinct manner, as we shall But hereof in the next verse.

see.

Some by this excellent name understand his power, and dignity, and glory, called his "name above every name," Phil. ii. 8. but then this can no way prove that which the apostle produceth it for, it being directly the same with that which is asserted, in whose confirmation it is produced.

5th, The last thing considerable is, how the Lord Christ came by this name, or obtained it. Kexλngovoμnxt, he obtained it by inheritance, as his peculiar lot and portion for ever. In what sense he is said to be xangorcos, the heir, was before declared. As he was made the heir of all, so he inherited a more excellent name than the angels. Now he was made heir of all, in that all things being made and formed by him, the Father committed unto him, as Mediator, a peculiar power over all things, to be disposed of by him unto all the ends of his mediation. So also, being the natural and eternal Son of God, in and upon the discharge of his work, the Father declared and pronounced that to be his name; see Luke i. 35. Isa. vii. 14. ch. ix. 6. His being the Son of God, is the proper foundation of his being called so; and his discharge of his office the occasion of its declaration. So he came unto it by right of inheritance, when he was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead, Rom. i. 3.

This then is the sum of the apostle's proposition, and the confirmation of it. A name given by God to that end and purpose, doth truly declare the nature, state and condition of him or them to whom it is given. But unto Christ the Mediator, there is a name given of God himself, exceedingly more excellent than any that by him is given unto the angels; which undeniably evinceth, that he is placed in a state and condition of glory far above them, or preferred before them.

I shall only observe one or two things, concerning the Hebrews to whom the apostle wrote, and so put an end to our exposition of this verse.

First, then, This discourse of the apostle, proving the preeminence of the Messiah above the angels, was very necessary unto the Hebrews, although it was very suitable unto their own principles, and in general acknowledged by them. It is to

this day a tradition amongst them, that the Messiah shall be exalted above Abraham, and Moses, and the ministering angels. Besides, they acknowledged the Scriptures of the Old Testament, wherein the apostle shews them that this truth was taught and confirmed. But they were dull and slow in making application of these principles unto the confirmation of their faith in the gospel, as the apostle chargeth them, ch. v. 11, 12. And they had at that time great speculations about the glory, dignity and excellency of angels, and were fallen into some kind of worshipping of them. And it may be this curiosity, vanity and superstition, was heightened in them by the heat of the controversy between the Pharisees and Sadducees about the angels; the one denying their existence and being, the other, whom the body of the people followed, exalting them above measure, and inclining to the worship of them. This the apostle declares, Col. ii. 18. Treating of those judaizing teachers who then troubled the churches, he chargeth them with fruitless and curious speculations about angels, and the worshipping of them. And of their ministry in the giving of the law they still boasted. It was necessary therefore to take them off from this confidence of that privilege, and the superstition that ensued thereon, to instruct them in the pre-eminence of the Lord Christ above them all, that so their thoughts might be directed unto him, and their trust placed in him alone. And this exaltation of the Messiah, some of their later doctors assert on Dan. vii. 9. 7 nun nim 1707 1707 17, "I beheld until the thrones were set," placed, exalted, as in the original Chaldee; and as all old translations, Greek, Latin, Syriac and Arabic, render the words, (although our translation renders them, until the thrones were cast down), affirming that one of those thrones was for the Messiah, before whom all the angels ministered in obedience.

Secondly, It may not be amiss to remark, that the Jews have always had a tradition of the glorious name of the Messiah; of which even since their utter rejection, they retain some obscure remembrance. The name which they principally magnify is 1, Metatron. Ben Uzziel in his Targum on Gen. v. ascribes this name to Enoch when he was translated, "he ascended into heaven in the word of the Lord," p

827 8750 11700, and his name was called Metatron the great Scribe. But this opinion of Enoch being Metatron is rejected and confuted in the Talmud. There they tell us that Metatron is hyn, the prince of the world: or, as Elias calls him in Thisbi, DW, the prince of God's presence. And in the first mention of this name which is Talmud. Tract. Saned. cap. iv. fol. 38. they plainly intimate, that they intended an uncreated angel by this expression. And such indeed must he be, unto whom may be assigned what they ascribe unto Me

tatron. For as Reuchlin from the Cabbalists informs us, they

the teacher of Moses himself was ;רבי של משה מטטרון ,say

Metatron. He it is, saith Elias, that is the angel always appearing in the presence of God, of whom it is said, "My name is in him." And the Talmudists, that he hath power to blot out the sins of Israel: whence they call him the chancellor of heaven. And Bechai on Exod. xxiii. affirms, that this name signifies both a Lord, a messenger, and a keeper. A Lord, because he ruleth all; a messenger, because he stands always before God to do his will; and a keeper, because he keepeth Israel. I confess the etymology that he gives of this name to that purpose, is weak and foolish; as is also that of Elias, who tells us that Metatron is 2, in the Greek tongue; one sent. But yet what is intended by all these obscure intimations is evident; the uncreated prince of glory, and his exaltation over all, with the excellency of his name, is aimed at. For the word itself, it is either a mere corruption of the Latin word Mediator, such as is usual amongst them, or a Gematrical fiction to answer TW, the Almighty, there being a coincidence in their numeral letters.

The doctrine of the preference and pre-eminence of Christ, is insisted on by the apostle unto the end of this chapter; and therefore I shall not treat of it, until we have gone through all the proofs of it produced; and even then but briefly; having already in part spoken of it, in our consideration of his sovereignty and lordship over all.

That which we are peculiarly instructed in by these words is, that,

All pre-eminence and exaltation of one above others, depends on the supreme counsel and will of God.

The instance he gives of him who is exalted over all, sufficiently confirms our general rule. He had his name, denoting his glory and excellency, by inheritance; an heritage designed for him, and given unto him in the counsel, will and good pleasure of God: he gave him that name above every name, Phil. ii. 9. And that of his own will and pleasure; "it pleased the Father, that in him all fulness should dwell." That so in all things he might have the pre-eminence, Col. i. 16, 17. He fore-ordained him unto it from eternity, 1 Pet. i. 20. and actually exalted him according to his eternal counsel in the fulness of time, Acts ii. 36. v. 31.

This prelation then of Christ above all, depends on the counsel and pleasure of God; and he is herein a pattern of all privilege and pre-eminence in others.

Grace, mercy and glory, spiritual things and eternal, are those wherein really there is any difference among the sons of men. Now that any one in these things is preferred before

another, depends merely on the sole good pleasure of God. No man in these things makes himself to differ from another, neither hath he any thing that he hath not received. God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy. And this discrimination of all things by the supreme will of God, especially spiritual and eternal, is the spring, fountain and rule of all that glory which he will manifest, and be exalted in unto eternity.

VER. 5.-THE apostle proceedeth to the confirmation of his proposition concerning the pre-eminence of the Lord Christ above the angels, and of his proof of it from the excellency of the name given unto him. And this he doth by sundry testimonies produced out of the Old Testament; two whereof are conjoined in this verse, as the verses are divided in our Bibles.

Τίνι γαρ ειπε ποτε των αγγέλων υιος με ει συ, εγώ σήμερον γεγέννηκα σε. EITE TOTE, Vulg. dixit aliquando, said he sometimes; for, at any time. Syr. bx dx wind 1, from at any time sail God. Eloah, God, is supplied; needlessly, though better than those who would render, s, impersonally; was it said at any time. For it is express in the Psalm from whence the words are taken, min, the Lord said. The Lord said unto me,

-thou may Son, this day have I begot בני אתה אני היום ילדתיך

ten thee. The ellipsis of the verb substantive in the original which is perpetual, is supplied by the apostle, with, thou art my Son. Further difficulty in the grammatical sense of the words there is not. And here we shall close this verse, or at least consider this testimony by itself.

Ver. 5.-Unto which of the angels did he at any time (or ever) say, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

Two things are considerable in these words.

1. The manner of the apostle's producing the testimony which he intended to make use of."Unto which of the angels said he at any time."

2. The testimony itself; "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee."

In the former, three things may be observed.

First, That the testimony which in a matter of faith he insisted on, is that of the Scripture. He refers the Jews unto that common principle which was acknowledged between them. Men had not as yet learned in such contests to make that cavilling return, which we are now used unto; how do you know those Scriptures to be the word of God? Nor indeed is it suitable unto common honesty, for men to question the credit, and prostitute the authority of their own most sacred principles, for no other end, but to prejudice their adversaries, But our apo