This the law of their creation in general directed them unto, but in particular required not of them. It enjoined the worship of the Son of God in every condition, but that condition was not expressed. This God supplies by a new command; that is, such an intimation of his mind and will unto them as answers unto a vocal command given unto men, who by that means only may come to know the will of God. Thus, in one way or other, command is the ground and cause of all worship: for,—
1. All worship is obedience. Obedience respects authority; and authority exerts itself in commands. And if this authority be not the authority of God, the worship performed in obedience unto it is not the worship of God, but of him or them whose commands and authority are the reason and cause of it. It is the authority of God alone that can make any worship to be religious, or the performance of it to be am act of obedience unto him.
2. God would never allow that the will and wisdom of any of his creatures should be the rise, rule, or measure of his worship, or any part of it, or any thing that belongs unto it. This honour he hath reserved unto himself, neither will he part with it unto any other, He alone knows what becomes his own greatness and holiness, and what tends to the advancement of his glory. Hence the Seripture
VER. 7.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 169
abounds with severe interdictions and comminations against them who shall presume to do or appoint any thing in his worship beside or beyond his own institution.
3. All prescriptions of worship are vain, when men have not strength to perform it in a due manner, nor assurance of acceptance when it is performed. Now, both these are and must be from God alone, nor doth he give strength and ability for any thing in his worship but what himself commands, nor doth he promise to accept any thing but what is of his own appointment; so that it is the greatest folly imaginable to undertake any thing in his worship and service but what his appointment gives warrant for.
And this should teach us, in all that we have to do in the worship of God, carefully to look after his word of command and institution. Without this all that we do is lost, as being no obedience unto God ; yea, it is an open setting up of our own wills and wisdom against him, and that in things of his own especial concernment; which is intolerable boldness and presumption. Let us deal thus with our rulers amongst men, and obey them not according to their laws, but - our own fancies, and see whether they will accept our persons? And is the great and holy God less to be regarded? Besides, when we have our inventions, or the commands of other men, as the ground and reason of our doing it, we have nothing but our own or their warranty for its acceptance with God; and how far this will * secure us it is easy to judge.
We might hence also further observe,—
VY. That the Mediator of the new covenant is in his own person
God blessed for ever, to whom divine or religious worship is due from the angels themselves. As also that,— _ YI. The Father, upon the account of the work of Christ in the world, and his kingdom that ensued it, gives a new commandment unto the angels to worship him, his glory being greatly concerned therein. And that,—
VII. Great is the church’s security and honour, when the head of it is worshipped by all the angels in heaven. As also that,—
VIII. It can be no duty of the saints of the new testament to worship angels, who are their fellow-servants in the worship of Jesus Christ. sy VERSE 7.
Having in one testimony from the Scripture, expressing the sub- jection of angels unto the Lord Christ, signally proved his main design, the apostle proceedeth to the further confirmation of it in the same way, and that by balancing single testimonies concerning the nature and offices of the angels with some others concerning the same things in the Lord Christ, of whom he treats. And the first of these, relating unto angels, he lays down in the next verse :—
170 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. L
Ver. 7.—Kai xpis piv rods ayytroug Abyer ‘O moran rods ayyedous abrod rvedwara, nal rods AEiroupyods airod ups prdyee.
There is not much of difficulty inthe words. Tpds eéyygaous, unto the angels.” Syr., NDNDID >2, “of” (or “concerning”) “the angels.” x is often used for >», and on the contrary, and xpos for wep/3 so that mxpds rods ayyéaovs, “to the angels,” is as much as wepi rav dyytrwy, “of” (or “ concerning”) “ the angels:” “ But as concerning the angels,” (or, “ and of the angels,”) “ he saith;” for these words are not spoken unto the angels, as the following words are directly spoken unto the Son. He is the person as well spoken to as spoken of; but so are not the angels in the place from whence this testimony is taken, wherein the Holy Ghost only declareth the providence of God concerning them.