IV. God the Father is perpetually present with the Lord Christ, in love, care, and power, in the administration of his office as he is mediator, head, and king of the church. He hath taken upon him- self to stand by him, to own him, to effect every thing that is need- ful unto the establishment of his throne, the enlargement of his kingdom, and the ruin and destruction of his enemies. And this he will assuredly do to the end of the world,—
1. Because he hath promised so to do. Innumerable are the promises on record that are made unto Jesus Christ unto this pur- pose. God hath engaged to hold him in his hand, and to hide him as a polished shaft in his quiver, to give him a throne, a glorious kingdom, an everlasting rule and government, and the like. Now, what he hath promised in love and grace, he will make good with. care and power. See Isa. xlix. 5-9, 1. 7-9.
2. All these promises have respect unto the obedience of the Lord Christ in the work of mediation; which, being performed by him rightly and to the utmost, gives him a peculiar right unto them, and makes that just and righteous in the performance which was mere sovereign grace in the promise. The condition being absolutely performed on the part of Christ, the promise shall be certainly accomplished on the part of the Father. By this is the covenant of the Redeemer completed, ratified, and established. The condition of it on his part being performed unto the uttermost, there shall be no failure in the promises, Isa. liii, 10-12.
3. The Lord Christ makes it his request that he may enjoy the presence and power of his Father with him in his work and the administration of his mediation; and the Father always hears him. Part of his covenant with his Father was like that of Barak (who was a type of him) with Deborah the prophetess, who spake in the name of the Lord, Judges iv. 8: “If thou wilt go with me, I will go,” against all the enemies of the church, Isa. 1. 8, 9. And accordingly, upon his engagement to go with him, he requests his presence; and in the assurance of it professeth that he is not alone, but that his Father is with him, John viii. 16. To this purpose see his requests, John xvii.
4, The nature of his work and kingdom requires it. God hath appointed him to reign in the midst of his enemies, and mighty opposition is made on all hands to his whole design, and every par-
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 149
ticular act of it. The whole work of Satan, sin, and the world, is both to obstruct in general the progress of his kingdom, and to ruin and destroy every particular subject of it; and this is carried on continually with unspeakable violence and unsearchable stratagems. This makes the presence of the authority and power of the Father necessary to him in his work. This he asserts as a great ground of consolation to his disciples, John x. 28, 29. There will be a great plucking, a great contending to take believers out of the hand of Christ, one way or other, to make them come short of eternal life; and though his own power be such as is able to preserve them, yet he lets them know also, for their greater assurance and consolation, that his Father,—who is over all, is greater, more powerful than all, greater than he himself, in the work of mediation, John xiv. 28,—is also en- gaged with him in their defence and preservation. So also is he as to the destruction of his adversaries, all opposing power whatever, Ps. ex. 5,6. The Lord stands by him, on his right hand, to smite and tread down his enemies,—all that arise against his design, interest, and kingdom. Be they never so many, never so great, he will ruin them, and make them his footstool every one. See Mic. v. 4
VERSE 6.
The apostle proceeds to the confirmation of the same important truth by another testimony, wherein we shall meet with some diffi- culty, both in the manner of the citation and the importance of the testimony itself.
Ver. 6.— Oray 0: radw siouydyn thy rpurdronov eis rhv olnouwéevny, Reyer Kal rpoonvincdrwouy aire wdvres dyyehor Ox0d.
V.L., “Et cum introducit primogenitum in orbem terre, dicit, Ht adorent eum “omnes angeli Dei;” omitting réaw, “ again.”
Syr., 2227 "NES P72; “Rursum autem cum inducit;’—“ And again when he bringeth in. »” Big ray oixovyeevyy, S222, into the world.”
Tleaw, “again,” is omitted in the Arabic, as in the Vulgar Latin.
Beza, “ Rursum autem cum inducit primogenitum in orbem terrarum, dicit, Kt adorent” (Eras., “ adorabunt”) “eum omnes angeli Dei;” which is exactly ex- pressed by ours, “ And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”
There is not much of difficulty in the words themselves,
"Oray 0, “cum autem,” “ quando autem;”’—“ but when.”
Tidaw, “rursum” “again,” as in the former verse. What sense it is here used in, and what word it is to be joined withal, shall be afterwards declared.
Eicayeyn, “inducit,’ or “inducet,” or “ introducit,”—* he bringeth in,” or “ Jeadeth in,” or “shall bring in ;” of which difference also afterward.