2. The design of God is expressed in this whole matter, and that was, to “ bring many sons unto glory.” And herein the apostle de- clares the nature of the salvation which was to be wrought by the Messiah, about which the Jews were so greatly mistaken, and con- sequently in and about the way whereby it was to be wrought. His purpose herein was not now to carry his children into a new Canaan, to bring them into a wealthy country, an earthly kingdom; which must or might have been done by might, and power, and arms, as of old: but his design towards his sons, in and by the Messiah, was of another nature; it was to bring them unto glory, eternal glory with himself in heaven. And so it isno wonder if the way whereby this is to be accomplished be quite of another nature than that whereby their temporal deliverance was wrought, namely, by the death and sufferings of the Messiah himself. And here, in reference unto this design of God, it is supposed,—First, That some who were created for the glory of God had by sin come short of it; so that without a new way of bringing them unto it, it was impossible that they should ever be made partakers of it. This is here supposed by the apostle, and is the foundation of all his doctrine concerning the
means literally to bring to the appointed accomplishment, to develop the full idea of the character, to consummate. ‘The last word, they state, would be the best translation, if it were not so unusual as applied to persons.
TraNsLaTion.—*It became him, for whom and through whom all things sub- sist, to make perfect through suffering the captain of their salvation, as one who should bring many sons unto glory.” —Lbrard.—Ep.
VER. 10.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 379
Messiah, Secondly, That the way whereby God will at length bring them who are designed unto glory thereunto, is by taking of them first into a state of sonship and reconciliation with himself; they must be sons before they are brought to glory. There is a double act of God’s predestination : the first is his designation of some unto grace, to be sons, Eph. i. 5; the other, his appointment of those sons unto glory; both to be wrought and accomplished by Christ, the captain of their salvation. The latter, and the execution of it,—namely, the bringing of those unto glory who by grace are made sons,—is that which the apostle here expresseth. He dealeth not with the He- brews in this epistle about the conversion of the elect, the traduc- tion of them into a state of grace and sonship, but of the government of them being made sons, and their guidance unto glory. And therefore the sufferings of Christ, which absolutely and in them- selves are the cause of our sonship and reconciliation with God, are mentioned here only as the means whereby Christ entered into a condition of leading sons unto glory, or of saving them who, upon the account of his sufferings, are made sons by grace. But yet this is not so precisely respected neither, but that the apostle withal inti- mates the necessity of the suffering of Christ, as to the whole effect of it towards the elect. Now these sons, thus to be brought unto glory, are said to be “ many;’—not all absolutely, not a few, or of the Jews only, which they looked for, but all the elect of God, who are many, Rev. vi. 9. And this work, of bringing many sons unto glory, is here signally assigned by the apostle unto God the Father; whose love, wisdom, and grace, believers are principally to eye in the whole work of their salvation, wrought out and accomplished by Jesus Christ. This, therefore, we shall a little insist upon, to de- clare the grounds and reasons on the account whereof it is to be ascribed unto him, or what acts are peculiarly assigned unto the Father in this work of bringing many sons unto glory ; ; which will secure the ascription of it unto him, and therein our interpretation of the place.
(1.) The eternal designation of them unto that glory whereunto they are to be brought is peculiarly assigned unto him. He “ pre- destinates them to be conformed to the image of his Son,” Rom. vii. 28-30. The “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ chooseth us before the foundation of the world,” and “ predestinateth us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself,” Eph. i. 3-5; and “he hath from the beginning chosen us unto salvation,” 2 Thess. ii, 13, 14. And this electing love of God, this eternal purpose of his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself, is the fountain and spring of all other immediate causes of our salvation. rom hence faith, Acts xiii. 45, sanctification, 2 Thess. ii. 13, holiness, Eph. i. 4, preservation in grace, 2 Tim. ii. 19, the death of Christ for them, John iii. 16, and final glory itself, 2 Tim. ii. 10, do all ensue and
380 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IL
proceed: so that on the account hereof he may be justly said to be the bringer of many sons to glory.
(2.) He was the spring and fountain of that covenant (as in all other operations of the Deity) that was of old between himself and his Son about the salvation and glory of the elect. See Zech. vi. 13; Isa. xlii. 1; Prov. viii. 22~31; Isa, 1. 4-9, lui. 10-12; Ps. xvi. 10, ex. He, in his love and grace, is still declared as the proposer both of the duty and of the reward of the mediator, the Son incarnate, as the Son accepts of his terms and proposals, Heb. x. 5-9. And hence the intenseness of his love, the immutability of his counsel, the holiness of his nature, his righteousness and faithfulness, his infinite wisdom, do all shine forth in the mediation and sufferings of Christ, Rom. iii. 25, 26, v.8; 1 Johniv.9; Heb. vi.17, 18; Tit.i.2. Rather than his love should not be satisfied and his counsel accomplished, he spared not his own Son, but gave him unto death for us.