and wisdom of God, than this Epistle doth. Such, I say, is the subject-matter of this Epistle,—so divine, so excellent, so singular. And in the handling hereof have we not the least occasional mia- twre of any matter, words, sentences, stories, arguments, or doctrines, so unsuited to the whole as to argue the interposure of a fallible spirit. Thus we know it hath fallen out in all the writings of the Christians of the first ages after the sealing of the canon of the Scriptures. Many things in them appear to proceed from a holy and heavenly spirit breathing in their authors, and most of what they contain to be consonant unto the mind of God; yet have they all of them evident footsteps that the authors were subject unto errors and mistakes, even in and about the things written by them. _ And the continuance of their failings in their writings, capable of
48 CANONICAL AUTHORITY OF THE [EXERC. I.
an easy conviction, is no small fruit of the holy, wise providence of God, and his care over his church, that it might not in after ages be imposed upon with the great and weighty pretence of antiquity, to admit them into a competition with those which himself gave out to be its infallible, and therefore only rule. That nothing of this nature, nothing humanitus, merely after the manner of men, befell the writer of this Epistle in his work, we hope, through the assist- ance of its principal Author, to manifest in our exposition of the several parts of it. And the subject-matter of th Epistle, thus handled, further secures us of its original.
25. The design, aim, and end of the Epistle, with the purpose and intention of its writer, which belong to the spoufpeors, which the ancients made a characterism of risings given by divine in- spiration, are consonant unto the general argument and peculiar subject-matter of it. That the whole Scripture hath an especial end, which is peculiar unto it, and wherein no other writing hath any share, but only so far as it is taken from thence and composed in obedience thereunto, is evident unto all that do seriously consider it.
This end, supremely and absolutely, is the glory of that God who is the author of it. This is the centre where all the lines of it do meet, the scope and mark towards which all things in it are directed. It is the revelation of himself that is intended, of his mind and will, that he may be glorified; wherein, also, because he is the principal fountain and last end of all, consist the order and perfection of all other things. Particularly, the demonstration of this glory of God in and by Jesus Christ is aimed at. The works of God’s power and providence do all of them declare his glory, the glory of his eternal perfections and excellencies, absolutely and in themselves. But the end of the Scripture is the glory of God in Christ, as he hath re- vealed himself and gathered all things to a head vm him, unto the manifestation of his glory: for “ this is life eternal, that we know him, the only true God; and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent.” The means whereby God is thus glorified in Christ, is by the salvation of them that do believe; which is therefore also an wntermediate end of the Scripture: “ These things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, ye might have life through his name,” John xx. 831; 1 Tim. iv. 16. Moreover, whereas this eternal life unto the glory of God cannot be obtained — without faith and obedience according to his will, the Scripture is — given for this purpose, also, that it may instruct us in the mind of God, and “make us wise unto salvation,” 2 Tim, iii. 15, 16; Rom. i. 16; 2 Pet. i. 3. These, in their mutual subserviency and dependence, complete the characteristical end of the Scripture. I confess Plato, in his Timeus, makes it. the end of philosophy, that we may thereby be “made like unto God.” But that philosophy of his, having its .
SECT. 25, 26.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. » 49
rise and spring in inbred notions of nature, and the contemplation of the works of God’s providence, could have no other end but con- formity unto him as his perfections were revealed absolutely ; where- unto the Scripture adds this revelation in Christ Jesus, John i. 18, which gives them, as I said, their special and peculiar end. Tt makes God known as all in all; and man to be nothing, as to goodness or blessedness, but what he is pleased to do for him and communicate unto him; and Jesus Christ to be the great and only way and means whereby he will communicate of himself, and bring us unto himself. The more clearly any portion of Scripture dis- covers and makes conspicuous this end,—the more parts of the series and order of things whereby the last and utmost end of the glory of God is produced, in their mutual connection, dependence, and subserviency, it manifesteth,—the more fully doth it express this general end of the whole, and thereby evince its own interest therein.
Now, herein doth this Epistle come behind no other portion of Scripture whatever; for as the exaltation of the glory of God, as he is the first cause and last end of all things, is expressly proposed in it, so the relation of the glory of God and of our obedience and blessedness, whereby and wherein it is declared, unto the person, offices, and mediation, of Jesus Christ, is in an eminent manner insisted on and unfolded in it. And whereas some parts of Scrip- ture do exhibit unto us most clearly some one part of this general end of the whole, and other portions or books of it some other parts, this expresseth the whole and all the parts of it distinctly, from the very foundation of calling men to the knowledge of God and obedience, unto the utmost end of his glorifying himself in their salvation by Jesus Christ. Neither is there herewithal the least alloy or mixture of any by, particular, or proper [personal], end of the writer,—nothing of his honour, reputation, advantage, self-pleasing, in any thing; but all runs evenly and smoothly to the general end before proposed. And this also hath deservedly a place among the rexujpro. of writings by divine inspiration.