VER. 13.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 229
And, 4thly. So likewise the world, John xvi. 33; Gal. i. 4. And against, 5thly. Death, Heb. ii, 14, 15; 1 Cor. xv. 55, 56; with, 6thly. The grave; and, 7thly. Hell, or the wrath to come, 1 Thess. i. 10. They are all meritoriously conquered in his death and resurrection. And all this hath he done for his church.
[2.] Haemplarily. All these adversaries peculiarly exercised their enmity against and tried their strength and power upon his own person, The law brought its curse upon him, Gal. iii. 13; sin its « guilt, 2 Cor, v. 21; Rom, viii. 2,3; Satan put forth all his power against him, Col. ii. 15; as also did the world, in all sorts of things and persons, in all kinds of oppositions and persecutions; death also he tasted of, Heb. ii. 9; and lay in the grave, descending into the lower parts of the earth, Eph. iv. 9; and he was not unassaulted by the pains of hell when he bare our iniquities, Isa. lili, 4-6, 10. Now all of them did he absolutely conquer in his own person: for he satisfied the law, removed the curse, and took it away, Rom. viii. 3; made an end of sin, Dan. ix. 24; destroyed the devil, Heb. ii. 14, and triumphed over him, Col. ii, 15; subdued the world, John xvi. 33; conquered death, Acts ii. 24, and the grave, verse 27, and hell also, And in his own person hath he set an example of what shall be done in and for the whole church.
[3.] It is done efficiently in, by, and for his whole church; and this in three instances :—Ist. Initially, in their union with himself When and as he unites any of them unto himself, he begins the conquest of all enemies in them and for them, giving them a right to the complete, total, and final victory over,them all. 2dly. Gra- dually he carries them on in their several seasons towards perfec-
tion, treading down their enemies by degrees under them. And 3dly. Perfectly at the last day, when, having freed them from the law and sin, trodden down Satan, prevailed against the world, reco- vered them from death, rescued them from the grave, and delivered them from hell, he shall be himself perfectly victorious in them, and they made completely sharers in his victory; wherein the making of all his enemies his footstool consisteth.
Secondly, The kingdom of Christ respects his administration of it visibly in this world, in the profession and obedience of his sub- jects unto him; and this also, with the opposition made unto it, is respected in this expression, God the Father, in the exaltation of Jesus Christ, hath given unto him all nations for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession, Ps. ii, 8. Upon this grant a twofold right ensued:—[1.] A right to call, gather, and erect his church, in any nation, in any part of the world, and to give unto it his laws and ordinances of worship, to be owned and ob- served by them in a visible and peaceable manner, Matt. xxviii. 18-20. [2.] A right, power, and authority to dispose of and order
230 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
all nations and persons for the good, benefit, and advantage of his kingdom. In pursuit of this grant and right, erecting his church, and therein his visible kingdom, in the world, great opposition is made unto him by all sorts of persons, stirred, excited, and insti- gated thereunto by Satan. And as this enmity was. first acted against himself in his own person, Ps. il. 1-3, so it hath continued against him in his church in all ages and places, and will do so unto the end of the world. The world understands not his right, hates his government, and would not have him to reign. Hence hath been all that rage which hath been executed upon the profes- sors of his name. Kings, rulers, potentates, counsellors, the multi- tude, have set themselves against him. They are and have been, many of them, his enemies. Great havoc and destruction have they made of his subjects all the world over, and continue to do so in most places unto this very day. specially, in these later ages, after other means failed him, Satan hath stirred up a fierce, cruel, subtle adversary unto him, whom he hath foretold his disciples of under the name of antichrist, the beast, and false prophet. After the ruin of many others, this enemy by various subtleties and pre- tences hath drawn the world into a new combination against him, and is at this day become the greatest and most pernicious adver- sary that he hath in this world. Now, the aim and design of all these is to dethrone him, by the ruin of his kingdom which he hath set up in the world. And this in every age they have hoped to accomplish, and continue to do so unto this day, but in vain; for as hitherto his kingdom and interest in the world have been main- tained against all their enmity and opposition, themselves been frustrated and brought to destruction one after another, so by virtue of this promise he shall reign in security and glory until all their heads be broken, their strength ruined, their opposition finished, and themselves brought under his feet unto all eternity, as our apostle declares, 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25. And this may suffice to declare the meaning of these words.