ten observed, makes a transition towards somewhat else which he had in design, namely, the prophetical office of Christ, as we shall see afterwards.

"For which cause;" that is, because they are of one, partakers of one common nature," he calls them brethren." This gives a rightful foundation unto that appellation. Hereon is built that relation which is between him and them. It is true, there is more required to perfect the relation of brotherhood between him and them, than merely their being of one; but it is so far established from hence, that he was meet to suffer for them, to sanctify and save them. And without this, there could have been no such relation. Now his calling of them brethren, doth both declare that they are so, and also that he owns them, and avouches them as such. But whereas it may be said, that although they are thus of one in respect of their common nature, yet upon sundry other accounts he is so glorious, and they are so vile and miserable, that he might justly disavow this cognation, and reject them as strangers; the apostle tells us it is otherwise, and that passing by all other distances between them, and setting aside the consideration of their unworthiness, for which he might justly disavow them, and remembering wherefore he was of one with them, he is not ashamed to call them brethren. There may be a pesos in the words, and the contrary asserted to that which is denied: "He is not ashamed," that is, willingly, cheerfully, and readily he doth it. But I rather look upon it as an expression of condescension and love; and herein doth the apostle shew the use of what he taught before, that they were of one, namely that thereby they became brethren, he meet to suffer for them, and they meet to be saved by him. What in all this the apostle confirms by the ensuing testimonies, we shall see in the explication of them; in the mean time we may learn for our own instruction,

IV. That notwithstanding the union of nature which is between the Son of God incarnate, the Sanctifier, and the children that are to be sanctified, there is in respect of their persons an inconceivable distance between them, so that it is a marvellous condescension in him to call them brethren.

He is not ashamed to call them so, though considering what himself is, and what they are, it should seem that he might justly be so. The same expression, for the like reasons, is used concerning God's owning his people in covenant, ch. xi. 16. "Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God." And this distance between Christ and us, which makes his condescension so marvellous, relates unto a fourfold head.

First, The immunity of the nature wherein he was of one with us in his person, from all sin. "He was made like unto us in all things, sin excepted." The nature of man in every

other individual person, is defiled with, and debased by sin. We are every one gone astray, and are become altogether filthy or abominable. This sets us at no small distance from him. Human nature defiled with sin, is farther distanced from the same nature as pure and holy, in worth and excellency, than the mncanest worm is from the most glorious angel. Nothing but sin casts the creature out of its own place, and puts it into another distance from God, than it hath by being a creature. This is a debasement unto hell, as the prophet speaks, "Thou didst debase thyself even unto hell," Isa. Îvii. 9. And therefore the condescension of God unto us in Christ, is set out by his regarding of us, when we were enemies unto him, Rom. v. 10. that is, whilst we were sinners, as ver. 8. This had cast us into hell itself, at the most inconceivable distance from him. Yet this hindered not him, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, to own us as his brethren. He says not with those proud hypocrites in the prophet, "Stand farther off, I am holier than you;" but he comes unto us, and takes us by the hand in his love, to deliver us from this condition.

Secondly, We are in this nature obnoxious unto all miseries in this world, and that which is to come. Man now is born to trouble, all the trouble that sin can deserve, or a provoked God inflict his misery is great upon him, and that growing and endless. He, justly in himself, free from all, obnoxious to nothing that was grievous or irksome, no more than the angels in heaven, or Adam in paradise. Pana noxam sequitur: Punishment and trouble follow guilt only naturally.' He did ho sin, nor was there guile found in his mouth; so that God was always well pleased with him. Whatever of hardship or difficulty he underwent, it was for us, and not for himself. Might not he have left us to perish in our condition, and freely enjoyed his own? We see how unapt those who are in prosperity, full and rich, are to take notice of their nearest relations in poverty, misery and distress; and who among them would do so, if it would cast them into the state of those who are already miserable? Yet so it did the Lord Christ. His calling us brethren, and owning of us, made him instantly obnoxious unto all the miseries, the guilt whereof we had contracted upon ourselves. The owning of his alliance unto us, cost him, as it were, all he was worth; for being rich, for our sakes he became poor. He came into the prison, and into the furnace to own us. And this also renders his condescension marvellous.

Thirdly, He is inconceivably distanced from us, in respect of that place and dignity which he was designed unto. This, as we have shewed at large, was to be Lord of all, with absolute sovereign authority over the whole creation of God. We are poor abjects, who either have not bread to eat, or have no good

right to eat that which we meet withal. Sin hath set the whole creation against us. And if Mephibosheth thought it a great condescension in David on his throne to take notice of him being poor, who was yet the son of Jonathan, what is it in this King of kings to own us for brethren in our vile and low condition. Thoughts of his glorious exaltation will put a lustre on his condescension in this matter.

Fourthly, He is infinitely distanced from us in his person, in respect of his divine nature, wherein he is and was God over all, blessed for ever. He did not so become man, as to cease to be God. Though he drew a veil over his infinite glory, yet he parted not with it. He who calls us brethren, who suffered for us, who died for us, was God still in all these things. The condescension of Christ in this respect, the apostle in an especial manner insists upon and improves, Phil. ii. 5-11. That he who in himself is thus over all, eternally blessed, holy, powerful, should take us poor worms of the earth into this relation with himself, and avow us for his brethren, as it is not easy to be believed, so it is for ever to be admired. And these are some of the heads of that distance, which is between Christ and us. Notwithstanding his participation of the same nature with us, yet such was his love unto us, such his constancy in the pursuit of the design and purpose of his Father, in bringing many sons unto glory, that he overlooks as it were them all, and is not ashamed to call us brethren. And if he will do this, because he is of one with us, because a foundation of this relation is laid in his participation of our nature, how much more will he continue so to do, when he hath perfected this relation by the communication of his Spirit.

And this is a ground of unspeakable consolation unto believers, with support in every condition. No unworthiness in them, no misery upon them, shall ever hinder the Lord Christ from owning them, and openly avowing them to be his brethren. He is a brother born for the day of trouble, a Redeemer for the friendless and fatherless. Let their miseries be what they will, he will be ashamed of none but of them who are ashamed of him and his ways, when persecuted and reproached. A little while will clear up great mistakes: all the world shall see at the last day whom Christ will own; and it will be a great surprisal when men shall hear him call them brethren, whom they hate, and esteem as the off-scouring of all things. He doth it indeed already by his word, but they will not attend thereunto. But at the last day, they shall both see and hear, whether they will or not. And herein, I say, lies the great consolation of believers. The world rejects them, it may be their own relations despise them, they are persecuted, hated, reproached; but the Lord Christ is not ashamed of them. He will not pass by them be

cause they are poor, and in rags, it may be reckoned as he himself was for them, among malefactors. They may see also the wisdom, grace, and love of God in this matter. His great design in the incarnation of his Son, was to bring him into that condition, wherein he might naturally care for them as their brother, that he might not be ashamed of them, but be sensible of their wants, their state and condition in all things, and so be always ready and meet to relieve them. Let the world now take its course, and the men thereof do their worst: let Satan rage, and the powers of hell be stirred up against them: let them load them with reproaches and scorn, and cover them all over with the filth and dirt of their false imputations; let them bring them into rags, into dungeons, unto death; Christ comes in the midst of all this confusion, and says, surely these are my brethren, the children of my Father, and he becomes, their Saviour. And this is a stable foundation of comfort and supportment in every condition. And are we not taught our duty also herein, namely, not to be ashamed of him or his gospel, or of any one that bears his image? The Lord Christ is now himself in that condition, that even the worst of men esteem it an honour to own him, when indeed they are no less ashamed of him, than they would have been when he was carrying his cross upon his shoulders, or hanging upon the tree. For of every thing that he hath in this world they are ashamed; his gospel, his ways, his worship, his Spirit, his saints, they are all of them the objects of their scorn; and in these things it is, that the Lord Christ may be truly honoured or be despised. For those thoughts which men have of his present glory, abstracting from these things, he is not concerned in them; they are all exercised about an imaginary Christ, that is unconcerned in the Word and Spirit of the Lord Jesus. These are the things, when we are not to be ashamed of him; see Rom. i. 16. 2 Tim. i. 16. ch. iv. 16.

That which remaineth of these verses, consisteth in the testimonies which the apostle produceth out of the Old Testament in the confirmation of what he had taught and asserted. And two things are to be considered concerning them; the end for which they are produced, and the special importance of the words contained in them. The first he mentions is from Psal. xxii. 22. “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the congregation will I sing praise unto thee." The end why the apostle produceth this testimony, is to confirm what he had said immediately before, namely, that with respect unto his being one with the children, Christ owns them for his brethren, for this he doth expressly in this place. And we are to take notice, that the apostle in the use of these testimonies, doth not observe any order, so that one of them should confirm one part, and another, another part of his assertion, in the order wherein he had laid them down; it sufficeth him,

that his whole intendment in all the parts of it, is confirmed in and by them all, one having a more especial respect unto one part than another. In this first it is clear, that he proves what he had immediately before affirmed, namely, that the Lord Christ owns the children for his brethren, because of their common interest in the same nature. And there needs nothing to evince the pertinency of this testimony, but only to shew that it is the Messiah which speaketh in that Psalm, and whose words these are, which we have done fully already in our Prolegomena.

For the explication of the words themselves, we may consider the two-fold act or duty that the Lord Christ takes upon himself in them; first, that he will declare the name of God unto his brethren; and secondly, that he would celebrate him with praise in the congregation. In the former we must inquire what is meant by the name of God, and then how it is or was declared by Jesus Christ.

This expression, the name of God, is variously used. Sometimes it denotes the being of God, God himself; sometimes his attributes, his excellencies or divine perfections, some one or more of them. As it is proposed unto sinners as an object for their faith, trust and love, it denotes in an especial manner his love, grace and goodness, that in himself he is good, gracious and merciful, Isa. 1. 10. And withal it intimates what God requires of them towards whom he is so good and gracious. This name of God is unknown to men by nature, so is the way and means whereby he will communicate his goodness and grace unto them. And this is the name of God here intended, which the Lord Jesus manifested unto the men given him out of the world, John xvii. 5. which is the same with his declaring the Father, whom no man hath seen at any time, John i. 18. This is that name of God which the Lord Jesus Christ had experience of in his sufferings, and the manifestation whereof unto his brethren he had procured thereby.

Hereof he says in the Psalm, DN, I will declare it,' recount it in order, number the particulars that belong unto it, and so distinctly and evidently make it known. Awayyora, 'I will make it known as a messenger,' sent from thee and by thee. And there are two ways whereby the Lord Christ declared this name of God. 1. In his own person, and that both before and after his sufferings; for although it be mentioned here, as a work that ensued his death, yet is it not exclusive of his teachings before his suffering: because they also were built upon the supposition thereof. Thus in the days of his flesh, he instructed his disciples, and preached the gospel in the synagogues of the Jews, and in the temple, declaring the name of God unto them. So also after his resurrection, he conferred with his apostles concerning the kingdom of God, Acts i.