to Moses and the prophets that ensued, that they came all short in the ©
light of that mystery to John the Baptist, who did not rise up in a
_—
VER. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 33
clear and distinct apprehension of it unto the least of the true dis- ciples of Christ, Matt. xi. 11; whence the giving of the law by Moses, to instruct the church in that mystery by its types and shadows, is opposed to that grace and truth which were brought by Jesus Christ, Johni. 17,18. See Eph. iii. 8-11; Col. i, 26, 27; Tit. 1, 11; 2 Tim. 15 9Ad,
In these, and sundry other things of the like importance, had the Father's speaking in the Son the pre-eminence above his speaking in Moses and the prophets. For which cause the apostle placeth this consideration in the head of his reasonings and arguments, for attendance unto and observation of the things revealed by him: for even all these things have influence into his present argument, though the main stress of it be laid on the excellency of his person; of which at large afterwards.
9. We must yet further observe, that the Jews, with whom the apostle had to do, had all of them an expectation of a new signal and final revelation of the will of God, to be made by the Messiah in the last days; that is, of their church-state, and not, as they now fondly imagine, of the world. Some of them, indeed, imagined that great prophet promised, Deut. xviii, to have been one distinct from the Messiah, John i. 20, 21; but the general expectation of the church for the full revelation of the will of God was upon the Messiah, John iv. 25. Of the same mind were their more ancient doctors,
that retained any thing of the tradition of their fathers, asserting that the law of Moses was alterable, by the Messiah, and that in some things it should be so, Maimonides is the leader in the opinion of the eternity of the law; whose arguments are answered by the author of Sepher Ikharim, lib. iii. cap. xii, and some of them by Nach- manides. Hence it is laid down as a principle in Neve Shalom, mn csxdop nan awed xwN OoOmMaNo on mw 7d9;—“ Messiah the king shall be exalted above Abraham, be high above Moses, yea, and the ministering angels” And it is for the excellency of the reve- lation to be made by him that he is so exalted above Moses. Whence Maimonides himself acknowledgeth, Tractat. de Regibus, that at the ‘coming of the Messiah, >2> oy>) DYpipym oypn|AN DMI y,— “hidden and deep things” (that is, of the counsel of God) “ shall be revealed” (or “laid open”) “unto all,’ And this persuasion they built on the promise of a new covenant to be made with them, not lke the covenant made with their fathers, Jer. xxxi. 31-34. Whence the author before mentioned concludes that it was the judgment of the ancient doctors that they should receive a new covenant from the mouth of God himself; and all their worship being annexed and subservient unto the covenant that was made with them in Horeb, upon the removal of that covenant, there was of necessity a new kind of worship, subservient thereunto, to ensue. VOL, XX. 3
34 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [ CHAP. I.
From all these observations we may evidently perceive wherein the force of the apostle’s argument doth lie, which he insists upon in this very entrance of his discourse, rather insinuating it from their own principles than openly pressing them with its reason, which he doth afterwards. They acknowledged that the Messiah was to come; that he was to be in a special manner the Son of God (as we shall show); that in him God would ultimately reveal his mind and will unto them; and that this revelation, on many accounts, would be far more excellent than that of old made to and by Moses;—which that it was all accomplished in the ministry of Jesus Christ, and that unto themselves in the latter days of their church, according to what was long before foretold, he asserts and proves; whence it was easy for them to gather what a necessity of adhering to his doctrine and institutions, notwithstanding any con- trary pleas or arguings, was incumbent on them.
But, moreover, the apostle in these words hath opened the spring from whence all his ensuing arguments do flow, in fixing on him who brought life and immortality to light by the gospel; and from thence takes occasion to enter upon the dogmatical part of the epistle, in the description of the person of Christ, the Son of God, and his excellency, in whom God spake unto them, that they might consider with whom they had to do; wherein he proceeds to the end of this chapter.
But before we proceed we shall stay here a little, to. consider some things that may be a refreshment to believers in their passage, in the consideration of those spiritual truths which, for the use of the church in general, are exhibited unto us in the words we have con- sidered.
And the first is this,—
I. The revelation of the will of God, as to all things concerning his worship, our faith and obedience, is peculiarly and in a way of eminency from the Father.