3. He adds, “That Christ might be spoken of in this place either in respect of his human nature or of his divine. If of the former, to what end should he make mention of the creation of heaven and earth? Obrist as man, and as made above the angels, made not
er);
204 AN EXPOSITION OF THE _ [cmar. i
heaven and earth. If as God, how could he be said to be made
above the angels 7”
But the answer is easy. Christ is said to be made hiee and more excellent than the angels, neither absolutely as God, nor absolutely a¢ man, but as he was God-man, the mediator between God and man; in which respect, a8 mediator, for the discharge of one part of his office, he was a little while made lower than they, and so the creation of heaven and earth does demonstrate the dig- nity of his person, and the equity of his being made more excellent than the angels in his office. And this fully removes his following exception, that the remembering of his deity could be no argument to prove that the humanity was exalted above the angels; for it is not an argument of the exaltation of his humanity, but the demon-
stration of the excellency of his person, that the apostle hath in |
hand.
4, He allegeth, “That it is contrary to the perpetual use of the Scripture, to affirm absolutely of Christ that he created any thing, When any creation is ascribed unto him, it is still applied to him a6 the immediate cause, and is said to be made by him or in him; he is nowhere said absolutely to create. And if he created the world, why did not Moses as plainly attribute that unto him as the writers of the New Testament do the new creation 7”
Ans, Were it affirmed in this place only that Christ made all things, yt the words being plain and evident, and the thing iteelf agreeable to the Scripture in other places, and not repugnant to any testimony therein contained, there is no pretence, for them who truly reverence the wisdom and authority of the Holy Ghost in the word, to deny the words to be spoken properly and direetlys nor, if we may take that course, will there be any thing left sacred and dxivyrw in the Scripture. Besides, we have showed already the vanity of that distinction, of God’s making things by Christ, as though it denoted any subordination in causality; nor will the Soci- nians themselves admit of any such thing, but confute that notion in the Arians, But this is not the only place wherein it is affirmed that Christ made all things that are in the heaven and the earth. John i. 1-8, Col. i. 16, verse 8 of this chapter, with sundry other places, affirm the same. Vor what they exact of Moses, did we not believe that God knew what revelation of himself became that dark dispensation better than they, we might consider it. But yet there are even in Moses himself, and his expositors the prophets, many more testimonies of the creation of the world by the Word, that is the Son of God; which have elsewhere been opened and vindicated,
5. He concludes, “That the order and method of the apostle’s procedure doth evince that this creation of heaven and earth is not attributed unto him. For we see that he proves the excellency of
VER. 10-12. ] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 205
Christ above angels from his name,—that he is by the way of emi- nency called the Son of God; and then he proceeds to his adoration by angels; and in the third place he goes on to the kingly honour and throne of Christ; after which he produceth the testimony we insist upon; and then adds the end of that kingdom which Christ now administereth in the earth. To what end in this discourse should he mention the creation of heaven and earth, when, if that be omitted, all the series of the discourse agrees and hangs well together? For having declared the kingdom of Christ, with the continuance of his throne for ever, he asserts an eminent effect of the kingdom in the abolition of heaven and earth, and then the end of that kingdom itself.”
But this analysis of the apostle’s discourse agreeth not to the mind of the apostle or his design in the place, nor to the principles of the men that formed it, nor is indeed any thing but vain words, to persuade us that the apostle did not say that which he did say, and which is written for our instruction. It is not, first, agreeable to their own principles; for it placeth the naming of Christ the Son of God, and his adoration by the angels, as antecedent to his being raised to his kingly throne; both which, especially the latter, they constantly make consequent unto it and eftects of it. Nor is it at all agreeable to the apostle’s design, which is not to prove by these testimonies directly that Christ was exalted above angels, but to show the dignity and excellency of his person who was so exalted, and how reasonable it is that it should be so; which is eminently proved by the testimony under consideration. For the proof of this excellency, the apostle produceth those testimonies that are given unto him in the Old Testament, and that as to his name, his honour and glory, and ‘his works in this place. Neither is there any reason of ascribing the destruction of heaven and earth unto the kingly power of Christ, excluding his divine power in their creation: for the abolition of the world (if such it is to be), or the change of it, is no less an effect of infinite power than the creation of it; nor doth it directly appertain to the kingdom of Christ, but by accident, as do other works of the providence of God.