Upon the creation of man, God gave unto him a dominion over all things in this lower world, Gen. i. 28, 29. He made him his heir, vicegerent, and substitute in the earth. And as for those other creatures to which his power and authority did not immediately ex- tend, as the sun, moon, and stars, the whole inanimate host of the superior world, they were ordered by Him that made them to serve for his good and behoof, Gen. i. 14; Deut. iv. 19; so that even they
also in a sort belonged unto his. inheritance, being made to serve
him in his subjection unto God.
Further, besides this lower part of his dominion, God had for his glory created angels in heaven above; of whom we shall have occa- sion hereafter to treat. These made up another branch of God’s providential kingdom, the whole administered in the upper and lower world, being of each other independent, and meeting in nothing but their dependence upon and subjection unto God him-
ie _ self, _ Hence they did not so stand in the condition of their creation,
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44 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
but that one kind or race of them might fail and perish without any impeachment of the other. So also it came to pass. Man might have persisted in his honour and dignity notwithstanding the fall and apostasy of some of the angels. When he fell from his heirship and dominion, the whole subordination of all things unto him, and by him unto God, was lost, and all creatures returned to an imme- diate absolute dependence on the government of God, without any respect to the authority and sovereignty delegated unto man. But as the fall of angels did not in its own nature prejudice mankind, no more did this fall of man the angels that persisted in their obedience, they being no part of his inheritance.. However, by the sin, apostasy, and punishment, of that portion of the angels which kept not their first station, it was manifested: how possible it was that the remainder of them might sin after the similitude of their transgression. Things being brought into this condition,—one branch of the kingdom of God, under the administration of man, or allotted to his service, being cast out of that order wherein he had placed it, and the other in an open possibility of being so:also,—it seemed good to the Lord, in his infinite wisdom, to erect one kingdom out of these two disordered members of his first dominion, and to appoint one commen heir, head, ruler, and lord to them both. And this was the Son, as the apostle tells us, Eph. i. 10: “He gathered together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” He designed dvaxegurcimoucdas, “to bring all into one head” and rule in him. It is not a similitude taken from casting up accounts, wherein lesser sums are in the close brought into one head, as some have imagined; nor yet an allusion to orators, who in the close of their long orations sum up the matter they have at large treated of, that the apostle makes use of; both which are beneath the majesty of, and no way suited to illustrate, the matter he hath in hand. But as Chrysostom well intimates on the place, it is as if he had said, Miav xepurqy craw. éx€nue,—“ He appointed one head to them all,” angels and men, with whatsoever in the first constitution of the divine government was subordinate unto them. So we have found the object and extent of the heir- ship of Christ expressed in this word sdévrwy, which I shall further explain in that brief scheme of the whole kingdom of Christ which to the exposition of these words shall be subjoined.
4, "Edqxe. The way whereby Christ the Son came to his inheritance is in this word expressed. God “ ap- pointed” or “ placed” him therein. The word may denote either those special acts whereby he came into the full possession of his heirship, or it may be extended to other preparatory acts that long preceded them, especially if we shall take it to be of the same importance with zero in the second aoristus. In the former sense, the glorious
"Ednxs.
VER, 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 45
investiture of the Lord Christ in the full actual possession of his kingdom after his resurrection, with the manifestation of it in his ascension, and token of its stability in his sitting at the right hand of God, is designed. By all these God ¢éyxe, “made him,” placed him with solemn investiture, heir of all. The grant was made to him upon his resurrection, Matt. xxviii. 18, and therein fully de- clared unto others, Rom. i. 4; Acts xiii. 33: as there was of Solo- mon’s being king, when he was proclaimed by Benaiah, Zadok, and Nathan, 1 Kings i. 31-34. The solemnization of it was in his ascension, Ps. Ixviil. 17, 18, Eph. iv. 8-10; and typed by Solo- mon’s riding on David's mule unto his throne, all the people crying, 7200 ™, 1 Kings. i. 39, “Let the king live.” All was sealed and ratified when he took possession of his throne at the right hand of the Father; by all which he was made and declared to be Lord and Christ, Acts 1, 36, iv. 11, v. 30, 31. And such weight doth the Seripture lay upon this glorious investiture of Christ in his inherit- ance, that it speaks of his whole power as then first granted unto him, Rom. xiv. 9; Phil. ii. 7-10; and the reason of it is, because he had then actually performed that work and duty upon the considera- tion whereof that power and authority were eternally designed and originally granted unto him. God’s actual committing all power over all things and persons in heaven and earth, to be exerted and managed for the ends of his mediation, declaring this act, grant, and delegation by his resurrection, ascension, and sitting at his right hand, is that which this word denotes,