5. For to which of the highest angels did he (God) at any time say what he said to Christ, with reference to his resurrection and exaltation, chap. v. 5; Acts xiii. 33. "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee," Psal. ii. 7. And again he says, "I will be to him a Father, and

vii. 14.

he shall be to me a Son," 2 Sam.

6. Never did he address any of the angels in this manner; but on the contrary, when he bringeth again the First-born into the world, by raising him from the dead, and exalting him above the angels, 1 Pet. iii. 22, he saith, "And let all the angels of God worship him," Psal. xcvii. 7.

7. And of the angels indeed, by David, he saith, "Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire," Psal. civ. 4.

8. But to the Son he speaks very differently, saying, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."

9. "Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore, O God, thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy associates," namely, the angelic rulers, Psal. xlv. 6, 7.

10. And, which fully proves the natural and original greatness of the Son above all the angels, he is thus addressed, "Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands: 11. "They shall perish, but thou the Creator remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment.

12. “And as a mantle shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail," Psal. cii. 25, 26, 27.

13. Moreover, as to the government of the world, and

particularly as it relates to the gospel economy, to which of the angels said he (God) at any time, as he said to his Son, "Sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet"? Psal. cx. 1.

14. Instead of the angels being thus vested with sovereign dominion, are they not all represented as ministering spirits, subject to the Son (ver. 6, 7), and by him sent forth to minister for them who shall inherit salvation?

COMMENTARY AND NOTES ON CHAP. I.

Ver 1. God, who at sundry times and-] This shews the manner in which God formerly revealed his will: it was at sundry times. The original, polumeros, signifies, in several parts or parcels, which must also imply at sundry times. He did not formerly reveal his purpose fully, nor all at once, but partially and by degrees-part of it by one prophet and part of it by another, and that at different and distant periods; so that there was still room left for new and farther discoveries of his mind. difference implied is, that God hath now given a complete revelation, and, as it were, at once. Farther, God formerly spake

The

-in divers manners-] He revealed his mind to the prophets by dreams, visions, voices, impulses, angels, &c. But the apostle chiefly intends the manner in which God spoke by the prophets, which was frequently in dark speeches, similitudes, typical representations, and significant actions; but seldom without a figure, or some degree of obscurity. And though he spake to Moses in a more familiar and apparent manner than ever he did to any of the ancient prophets (Num. xii. 6-9, Deut. xxxiv. 10), yet the Mosaic revelation respecting good things to come was veiled by types and shadows, 2 Cor. iii. 13; Heb. x. 1. So that what is opposed to this, must

be the superior plainness of the gospel revelation, see 2

God in this manner

Cor. iii. 12, to the end. -spake in time past-] The word palai signifies of old, or in ancient time. It includes all that space of time which began with the calling of Abraham, and ended near four hundred years before Christ, when the spirit of prophecy ceased in the Jewish church: for it is that space of time during which God spake -unto the fathers—]

That is, the ancestors of the Hebrews. It was to them that God spake of old in the promises, in the giving of the law, and in the succeeding revelations; and to them he committed his oracles, Rom. iii. 2, chap. ix. 4. And he thus communicated his mind to

them

-by the prophets.] The prophets were men divinely inspired, whom God raised up in successive generations, and commissioned to reveal his will: "For the prophecy came not of old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit," 2 Pet. i. 21. They were also the penmen of the Old Testament Scriptures, all of which are given by inspiration of God, 2 Tim. iii. 16. And the Spirit by which they testified before hand the sufferings of Messiah and the glory that should follow, is expressly declared to be the Spirit of Christ, 1 Peter i. 11. Yet the revelation given by their ministry was but like a lamp shining in a dark place, when compared with the clearer light of the gospel, 2 Peter i, 19. Thus we see how and by whom God revealed his will to his church of old: But now he

Ver. 2. Hath in these last days spoken to us-] The last or latter days, is an expression frequently used by the prophets, to signify the age of Messiah, or some remarkable period of it, as distinguished from the age of the law; but here, if it means any thing more than lately, it may signify the last days, or close of the Jewish age, as distinguished from the time past of it. It was before the end of the Jewish Church and State that God spake to

VOL. II.

the Hebrews by his Son, whom he sent last of all to them, Mat. xxi. 37; and his personal ministry, and, for some time, that of his apostles, was restricted to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Mat. x. 5, 6, chap. xv. 24. And though by his death he virtually abrogated the Mosaic establishment, yet it was not actually set aside till about forty years after, when the Romans destroyed their city and temple. But the main thing to be attended to here, is the person by whom he spake to them, namely, -by his Son.] As the arguments throughout this epistle are chiefly founded on the superior dignity and authority of Christ to all God's former messengers, by whom he revealed his will, it was necessary, in the first place, to establish that important point; and here the apostle intimates his superiority, by terming him the Son. Angels and men are indeed sometimes called sons of God, in a certain sense; but the person here spoken of is termed the Son, in such a peculiar and exalted sense, as will apply to none but himself. All God's former messengers were only his creatures and servants; but Christ is distinguished from them all, by being called his Son. By this name, the apostle evidently means to express his divine dignity, and as being infinitely superior, not only to the most distinguished prophets and rulers, but to the highest order of angels, as we shall afterwards see.

Of this person, who is emphatically termed the Son, it is elsewhere declared, that he is the Word, who in the beginning was with God, and was God, by whom all things were made, John i. 1, 2, 3; that he possessed glory with the Father before the world was, chap. xvii. 5; that he was before all things, Col. i. 17; that he existed in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, Phil. ii. 6. And, in his incarnate state, he is declared to be the Word made flesh, John i. 14; to be God manifest in the flesh, 1 Tim. iii. 16; and to be over all, God blessed for ever, Rom. ix. 5. There are other passages which ascribe to him the titles, attributes, works,

and worship, which belong exclusively to the only true God, who will not give his glory to another. Therefore, whatever else is imported in his name, Son of God, by which he is distinguished to us from the Father, it always supposes and implies the divine dignity of his person, in which he is infinitely superior to all created beings, and is truly God.

It has been objected that his being called the Son of God, seems to imply that his original existence was derived from God by generation, and so depended on the divine will, which appears inconsistent with his proper Deity. To this it may be answered—

1. That though the doctrine of his being originally begotten of the Father by an act of generation, seems liable to this objection yet; if he existed eternally and necessarily in and of the Father, it cannot be shown that this is inconsistent with his true Deity.

insist on this inexplicable mystery, I observe

But not to

2. That though the Sonship of Christ always supposes and includes his Godhead, in which the natural, original, and essential dignity of his person consists, yet it does not appear from Scripture that he is called the Son of God merely as God, or to teach us the origin and manner of his personal existence in the Godhead, but seems applicable to him only as Emmanuel, or God manifest in the flesh. The name of Son is indeed used when speaking of him previous to his having assumed human nature; but so are the names Jesus and the Christ, which yet we know properly belong to him only as united to humanity.

66

Let it be farther observed, That in the covenant which God made with David respecting his Seed, it is promised, "I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son," 2 Sam. vii. 14. This promise our apostle applies directly to Christ, verse 5; and it implies-1st, His incarnation; for otherwise he could not be of the seed of David according to the flesh. The angel, foretelling his birth, says to the Virgin, "The Holy Spirit shall come