But the matter of the psalm itself makes it manifest that the Holy Ghost treateth in it about God’s bringing in the first-born into the world, and the setting up of his kingdom in him. <A kingdom is described wherein God would reign, which should destroy idolatry and false worship; a kingdom wherein the isles of the Gentiles should rejoice, being called to an interest therein; a kingdom that was to be preached, proclaimed, declared, unto the increase of light and holiness in the world, with the manifestation of the glory of God unto the ends of the earth: every part whereof declareth the king- dom of Christ to be intended in the psalm, and consequently that it is a prophecy of the bringing in of the first-begotten into the world.
2. Our second inquiry is, whether the angels be intended in these words. They are, as was before observed, O°)°8"?3, “omnes dii;” and are so rendered by Jerome, “ Adorate eum omnes dii;” and by ours, “ Worship him, all ye gods.” The preceding words are, “ Con- founded be all they that serve graven images,” prdroa pySbanton,
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 163
“that boast themselves in” (or “of”) “idols, ”—“ vanities, nothings,” as the word signifies; whereon ensues this apostrophe, “ Worship him, D°7997°3,” “all ye gods.” And who they are is our present inquiry.
Some, as all the modern Jews, say that it is the gods of the Gentiles, those whom they worship, that are intended; so making DON and dD”. nN “ gods,” and “vain idols,” to be the same in this place. But,—
(1.) It cannot be that the psalmist should exhort the zdols of the heathen, some whereof were devils, some dead men, some inanimate parts of the creation, unto a reverential worshipping of God reign- ing over all. Hence the Targumist, seeing the vanity of that inter- pretation, perverts the words, and renders them, “ Worship before him, all ye nations which serve idols.”
(2.) ONS, “ Hlohim,” isso far in this place from being exegetical of O°"28, “gods,” or “vain idols,” that it is put in direct opposition to it, as is evident from the words themselves.
(3.) The word Elohim, which most frequently denoteth the true God, doth never alone, and absolutely taken, signify false gods or idols, but only when it is joined with some other word discovering its application, as his god, or their gods, or the gods of this or that people: in which case it is rendered by the LXX. sometimes ¢dwdov, an “idol;” sometimes yerporo/nrov, an “idol made with hands;” some- times 6dérvywa, an “ abomination.” But here it hath no such limita- tion or restriction.
Whereas, therefore, there are some creatures who, by reason of some peculiar excellency and likeness unto God, or subordination unto him in their work, are called gods, it must be those or some of
_them that are intended in the expression. Now these are either ‘magistrates or angels:
(1.) Magistrates are somewhere called elohim, because of the representation they make of God in his power, and their peculiar subordination unto him in their working. The Jews, indeed, con- tend that no other magistrates but only those of the great Sanhedrin are anywhere called gods; but that concerns not our present in- quiry. Some magistrates are so called, but none of them are here intended by the psalmist, there being no occasion administered unto him of any such apostrophe unto them.
(2.) Angels also are called elohim: Acyéjevor Seo/, 1 Cor. viit 5. They have the name of god attributed unto them, as we have showed before in some instances. And these alone are they whom the psalmist speaks unto. Having called on the whole crea- tion to rejoice in the bringing forth of the kingdom of God, and pressed his exhortation upon things on the earth, he turns unto the ministering angels, and calls on them to the discharge of their duty unto the King of that kingdom. Hence the Targumist, in the be-
164 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
ginning of Psalm xcvi., which is indeed the beginning of this, ex- pressly mentioneth nop ‘ux, “his high angels,” joining in his praise and worship, using the Greek word éyyedog, for distinction’s sake, as on the same account it often occurs in the Targum.
We have thus evinced that the psalm treats about the bringing in of the first-born into the world; as also that they are the minis- tering angels who are here commanded to worship him.
For the command itself, and the nature of it, it consisted in these two things:—(1.) A declaration of the state and condition of the Messiah; which is such as that he is a meet object of religious adora- tion unto the angels, and attended with peculiar motives unto the discharge of their duty. The former he hath from his divine nature, the latter from his work, with his state and dignity that ensued thereon. (2.) An intimation of the pleasure of God unto the angels. Not that divine worship was absolutely due unto the Son of God, which they knew from the first instant of their creation, but that all honour and glory were due unto him on the account of his work and office as mediator and king of his church.
3. It remaineth only that we show that this testimony thus ex- plained was suitable unto the apostle’s design and purpose, and did prove the assertion in the confirmation whereof it was produced. Now, this is a matter of so full and clear an evidence that it will not at all detain us; for it is impossible that there should be any more clear or full demonstration of this truth, that the Lord Christ hath an unspeakable pre-eminence above the angels, than this, that they are all appointed and commanded by God himself to adore him with divine and religious worship. We may now, therefore, con- sider what observations the words will afford us for our own instruc- tion. It appears, then, from hence,—