Secondly, It may not be amiss to remark, that the Jews have always had a tradition of the glorious name of the Messiah, which even since their utter rejection they retain some obscure remem- brance of. The name which they principally magnify is puny, “Metatron.” Ben Uzziel, in his Targum on Gen. v., ascribes this name to Enoch when he was translated: “He ascended into heaven in the word of the Lord, x37 SBD PYYY Ww Npi,’—“and his name was called Metatron the great scribe.” But this opinion of Enoch being Metatron is rejected and confuted in the Talmud. There they tell us that Metatron is nyynw, “the prince of the world;” or, as Elias calls him in Thisbi, ban Ww, “the prince of God’s presence.” And in the first mention of this name, which is Talmud. Tract. Sanhed. cap. iv. fol. 38, they plainly intimate that they intend an uncreated angel by this expression. And such, indeed, must he be unto whom may be assigned what they ascribe unto Metatron; for as Reuchlin, from the Cabbalists, informs us, they say, MHD nw» Sy 97,--“The teacher of Moses himself was Me- tatron.” He it is, saith Elias, that is the angel always appearing in the presence of God, of whom it is said, “My name is in him:” and the Talmudists, that he hath power to blot out the sins of Israel, whence they call him the chancellor of heaven. And Bechai, on Exod. xxii, affirms that this name signifies both a lord, a messenger, and a keeper ;—a lord, because he ruleth all; a messenger, because he stands always before God to do his will; and a keeper, because he keepeth Israel. I confess the etymology that he gives of this
VER 5] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 129
name to that purpose is weak and foolish; as is also that of Elias, who tells us that Metatron is » pw52,—in the Greek tongue, “one sent.” But yet it is evident what is intended by all these obscure intimations. The increated Prince of glory, and his exaltation over all, with the excellency of his name, is aimed at. As for the word itself, it is either a mere corruption of the Latin word, “mediator,” such as is usual amongst them; or a gematrical fiction to answer "Ww, “the Almighty,” there being a coincidence in their numeral letters.
The doctrine of the preference and pre-eminence of Christ is insisted on by the apostle unto the end of this chapter, and there- fore I shall not treat of it until we have gone through all the proofs of it produced; nor then but briefly, having already in part spoken of 1t, in our consideration of his sovereignty and lordship over all.
That which we are peculiarly instructed in by these words is that,—
All pre-eminence and exaltation of one above others depends on the supreme counsel and will of God.
The instance he gives of him who is exalted over all sufficiently confirms our general rule. He had his “name,” denoting his glory and excellency, by “inheritance,”—a heritage designed for him and given unto him in the counsel, will, and good pleasure of God. He gave him that “name above every name,” Phil.ii. 9, and that of his own will and pleasure: “It pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell,” that so “in all things he might have the pre-emi- nence,” Col. 116-19. He foreordained him unto it trom eternity, 1 Pet. i 20; and actually exalted him according to his eternal counsel in the fulness of time, Acts ii. 36, v. 31.
This prelation, then, of Christ above all depends on the counsel and pleasure of God; and he is herein a pattern of all privilege and pre-eminence in others.
Grace, mercy, and glory, spiritual things and eternal, are those wherein really there is any difference among the sons of men. Now, that any one in these things is preferred before another, it depends merely on the sole good pleasure of God. No man in these things makes himselt to differ from another, neither hath he any thing that he hath not received. “God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy.” And this discrimination of all things by the supreme will of God, especially spiritual and eternal, 1s the spring, fountain, and rule of all that glory which he will manifest and be exalted in unto eternity.
VERSE 5.
The apostle proceedeth to the confirmation of his proposition concerning the pre-eminence of the Lord Christ above the angels, and of his proof of it from the excellency of the name given unto
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him; and this he doth by sundry testimonies produced out of the Old Testament, two whereof are conjoined in this verse, as the verses are divided in our Bibles.
Ver. 5.— Tin yup sint wore rav dyyérwvr Yidg wou ef od, eye o7nnepov yeyevnnd oF;
Eizxé rors. Vulg., “dixit aliquando,’—“said he sometime;” for “at any time.” Syr., S728 “2S BAN? 72, “from at any time said God.” “ Hloah,” “God,” is sup-
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plied needlessly, though better than those who would render siz impersonally, “was it said at any time;” for it is express in the psalm from whence the words are taken, “28 77°,—“The Lorp said.” “The Lorp said unto me, 577 3S THN 22 7,” —“Thou my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” The ellipsis of the verb substantive in the original, which is perpetual, is supplied by the apostle with <i, “Thou art my Son.” Further difficulty in the grammatical sense of the words there is not. And here we shall close this verse, or at least consider