1. The effect of his faith — He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.
2. The ground of it — For he had respect iinto the recompense of re- ward.
First, Let us begin with the effect and fruit of his faith ; that is set down comparatively. Where take notice (1.) Of the things compared ; (2.) The esteem and preference of the one above the other.
1. The things compared are ' the reproach of Christ, and the trea- sures of Egypt.' The latter needs no explication, for Egypt was known to be a fruitful and an opulent kingdom, and Moses might have had a large share of the riches of it in Pharaoh's court, being adopted to be his daughter's son ; these are the treasures of Egypt. _ Only the other branch, ' the reproach of Christ,' needs a little opening. How could Moses delight in the reproach of Christ, who was not now in being, I mean as to the flesh ? Let me open that a little. _ The word ' re- proach ' is not taken here for reproach in word, but in deed ; not for reviling, but for oppression, poverty, bondage, persecutions ; the jieople believing in the Messiah were most reproachfully afflicted and oppressed in Egypt, that is the meaning of the word rejiroach. But how was this ' the reproach of Christ ? ' It must be so called either —
VeU. 26.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 461
[1.] Because it was such another thing as the repvoach of Christ, or somewhat like the shameful suffering which he afterwards endured ; or else —
[2.] Because it was a type of Christ's reproach ; or —
[3.] Because Christ was the occasion of it, and it was endured for his sake ; or else —
[4.] It must be for this reason, because Christ had relation to that people, and communion with them as their head ; for he was always head of the church, whether of Jews or Gentiles. Now let us see which of these reasons is to be preferred.
1. The first cannot be said that it is called the reproach of Christ, because it was like the shameful death Christ endured. It is not the manner of scripture to express things by the name of everything they are like unto ; then why not the reproach of David, Isaiah, or some other of the prophets, or the reproach of Paul himself, as well as the reproach of Christ, if there were no more special reason for it but only the likeness ? The indignities they suffered in Egypt were as like the sufferings of Paul or Isaiah, as the sufferings of Christ.
2. Nor is it as if this reproach were a type of Christ's sufferings ; for the type is not called by the name of the antitype ; that cannot well be. The brazen serpent is not called Christ, nor manna Christ, nor Samson Christ, nor David Christ. Indeed the antitype may be called by the name of the type ; Christ may be called the brazen serpent, and David, and the propitiation, and the sacrifice, to show the accommodation of those things to him. The antitype, the substance, may take the name of the type ; but it is no way convenient to imagine that the type should have the name of the antitype and sub- stance.
3. Neither was it for Christ's sake, or for their faith in the Messiah, that the Egyptians thus disgracefully oppressed the Israelites ; for neither did the Israelites incur those afflictions for Christ's sake, nor did the Egyptians inflict them upon that account. There was no thought of any such matter on the one side nor on the other. That that moved them to oppress Israel was their envy at their increasing multitude, as you may see, Exod. i. 9, 10. And therefore they cannot be called the reproaches of Christ, as if they were endui-ed for his sake.
4. Well then, nothing remains but the last reason, that they are the reproaches of Christ, because Christ then had communion with that people, though he were not yet born according to the flesh. And so the phrase teacheth us a double truth.
1. That Christ had a being before he was born of the virgin. He tells us so, John viii. 58, * Before Abraham was I am.' And we read of tempting of Christ in the wilderness : 1 Cor. x. 9, ' Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted him.' Christ was per- petual head of the Church, and in his own person did lead his people, and was present in the midst of them under the notion of the angel of the covenant : Exod. xxiii. 20-22, * Behold I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared : beware of him, and obey his voice ; provoke himnotj for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him. For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites,' &c.
462 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. LXI.
This angel can be no other than Christ ; it is his office to keep us in the way, and to bring us into the place which God hath prepared for us ; it is he that must be obej'ed by the people of God ; it is he that must pardon our transgressions ; upon him is God's name, for he will not give his glory to another, nor communicate his name to any other that is not of the same substance with himself. Well then, whatever this people suffered, it was the reproach of Christ, who had taken them into his protection. As their tempting of God was a tempting of Christ, who led them in the wilderness, so their sufferings was the reproach of Clu-ist.