From the adjunct of this unction,—he is “ anointed with the oil of gladness ;” which denotes triumph and exaltation, freedom from trouble and distress: whereas, after those antecedent communications of the Spirit unto the Lord Christ, he was a man of sorrows, ac- quainted with grief, and exposed to innumerable evils and troubles.
(3.) The relation of this privilege granted unto the Lord Christ unto what went before, “ He loved righteousness, and hated iniquity,” expressed by i2°-Y and d:& rotro (the third thing considerable in this last clause of the testimony), doth plainly declare it. The Lord Christ’s love to righteousness and hatred to iniquity proceeded from his unction with the graces and gifts of the Spirit; and yet they are plainly intimated here to go before this anointing with the oil of gladness; which is therefore mentioned as the consequent of his dis- charge of his office in this world, in like manner as his exaltation everywhere is, Phil. i 9-11; Rom. xiv. 9. And if this anointing denote the first unction of Christ, then must he be supposed to have the love to righteousness mentioned from elsewhere, as antecedent
VER. 8, 9. EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 187 e
thereunto; which is not so. Wherefore these words, ID-Y and sd rodro, do declare at least a relation of congruency and conveniency unto an antecedent discharge of office in the Lord Christ, and are of the same importance with 6, Phil. ii. 9; and so can respect nothing but his glorious exaltation, which is thus expressed.
The last thing considerable in the words is the prerogative of the Lord Christ in this privilege,—he is “anointed above his fellows.” Now, these “ fellows,” “ companions,” or “ associates,” of the Lord Christ, may be considered either generally for all those that partake with him in this unction, which are all believers, who are co-heirs with him, and thereby “heirs of God,” Rom. viii. 17; or more espe- cially for those who were employed by God in the service, building, and rule of his church, in their subordination unto him,—such as were the prophets of old, and afterwards the apostles, Eph. 11.20. In respect unto both sorts, the Lord Christ is anointed with the oil of gladness above them; but the former sort are especially intended, concerning whom the apostle gives an especial instance in Moses, chap. iii., affirming the Lord Christ in his work about the church to be made partaker of more glory than he. In a word, he is incom- parably exalted above angels and men.
And this is the first testimony whereby the apostle confirms his assertion of the pre-eminence of the Lord Christ above angels, in that comparison which he makes between them; which also will afford the ensuing observations :—
I. The conferring and comparing of scriptures is an excellent means of coming to an acquaintance with the mind and will of God in them. | Thus dealeth the apostle in this place. He compareth what is spoken of angels in one place, and what of the Son in another, and from thence manifesteth what is the mind of God concerning them. This duty lies in the command we have to “search the Scriptures,” John v. 39, épevvtire res ypapds: make a diligent investigation of the mind of God in them, “ comparing spiritual things with spiritual,” —what the Spirit hath declared of the mind of God in one place, with what in like manner he hath manifested in another. God, to try our obedience, and to exercise our diligence unto a study in his word day and night, Ps. i 2, and our continual meditation thereon, 1 Tim. iv.15, (Tatra weréra, ev robrosg 4o61,— Meditate on these things, be wholly in them,”) hath planted his truths with great variety up and down his word; yea, here one part, and there another of the same truth; which cannot be throughly learned unless we gather them together into one view. For instance, in one place God com~ mands us to circumcise our hearts, and to make unto ourselves new hearts, that we may fear him; which at first consideration seems so to represent it, not only as our duty, but also within our power, as-
188 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
though we had no need of any help from grace for its accomplish- ment. Jn another he promiseth absolutely to cireumcise our hearts, and to give us new hearts to fear him; as though it were so his work as not to be our concernment to attempt it. But now these several places being spiritually compared together, make it evident that as it is our duty to have new and circumcised hearts, so it is the effectual grace of God that must work and create them in us. And the like may be observed in all the important truths that are of divine revelation. And this,—
1. Discovers the root of almost all the errors and heresies that are in the world. Men whose hearts are not subdued by faith and humility unto the obedience of the truth, lighting on some expres- sions in the Scripture, that, singly considered, seem to give coun- tenance to some such opinion as they are willing to embrace, without further search they fix it on their minds and imaginations, until it is too late to oppose any thing unto it; for when they are once fixed in their persuasions, those other places of Scripture which they should with humility have compared with that whose seeming sense they cleave unto, and from thence have learned the mind of the Holy Ghost in them all, are considered by them to no other end but only how they may pervert them, and free themselves from the authority of them. This, I say, seems to be the way of the most of them who pertinaciously cleave unto false and foolish opinions. They rashly take up a seeming sense of some particular places, and then obsti- nately make that sense the rule of interpreting all other scriptures whatever. Thus in our own days we have many who, from the outward sound of these words, John i. 9, “ He is the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,’ having taken up a rash, foolish, and false imagination that Christ is that light which is remaining in all men, and therein their guide and rule, do from thence either wrest the whole Scripture to make it suit and answer that supposal, or else utterly slight and despise it; when, if they had compared it with other scriptures, which clearly explain and declare the mind of God in the things which concern the person and mediation of the Lord Christ, with the nature and works of natural and saving spiritual light, and submitted to the authority and wisdom of God in them, they might have been pre- served from their delusion. It shows also,—