(1.) He was made like unto them in the essence of human nature, a rational spiritual soul, and a mortal body, quickened by its union therewithal. This it was necessary he should be like the brethren in, and not have a fantastical body, or a body animated by the Deity, as some have fancied of old. But that he should take this nature upon him by natural generation, after the manner of the brethren, this was not necessary;—yea, so to have done would not have furthered the end of his priesthood, but have enervated the efficacy of it, and have rendered him incapable of being such a priest as he was to be; for whereas the original contagion of sin is derived by natural procreation, had he been by that means made partaker of human nature, how could he have been “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,” as it became our high priest to be? chap. vii. 26. Again, it was not necessary that this human nature should have its individuation from itself, and a particular subsistence in and by itself ;—yea, this also would have overthrown his priesthood; for whereas the efficacy thereof depends on the excellency of the divine nature, this could not have given its influence thereunto, had not the human nature been taken into the same personal subsistence with itself. Only, as we said, that he should have a human nature, truly and really as the brethren, and therein be like unto them, this was necessary, that he might be an offering priest, and have of his own to offer unto God.
(2.) It was also necessary, that in and with his human nature he should take upon him all the properties and affections of it, that so he might be made like unto the brethren. He was not to have an ubiquitarian body, a body commensurate to the Deity,—that is, im- mense, and consequently no true body at all; nor was his soul to be freed from the affections which are connatural to a human rational soul, as love, joy, fear, sorrow, shame, and the like; nor was his body to be free from being obnoxious unto hunger, thirst, cold, pain, death itself, But now, whereas these things in the brethren are attended with irregular perturbations for the most part; and whereas all the
468 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [ CHAP. II.
individuals of them have their proper infirmities in their own per- sons, partly by inordinate inclinations from their tempers and com- plexions, partly in weaknesses and sicknesses, proceeding either from their original constitutions or other following inordinacies ; it was no way needful that in any of these he should be made like unto the brethren ;—yea, a conformity unto them therein would have abso- lutely impeded the work he had to do.
(3.) He was also like unto us in temptations, for the reason which the apostle gives in the last verse. But herein also some difference may be observed between him and us; for the most of our temptations arise from within us, from our own unbelief and lusts. Again, in those that are from without, there is somewhat in us to take part with them, which always makes us fail in our duty of resistance, and ofttimes leads to further miscarriages. But from these things he was absolutely free; for as he had no inward disposition or inclina- tion unto the least evil, being perfect in all graces and all their ope- rations at all times, so when the prince of this world came unto him, he had no part in him,—nothing to close with his suggestions or to entertain his terrors.
(4.) His sufferings were of the same kind with them that the brethren underwent, or ought so to have done; yet they had far dif- ferent effects on him from what they would have had on them. For whereas he was perfectly innocent and perfectly righteous, no way deserving them in his own person, he was free from all impressions of those sinful consequents which attend the utmost sufferings under the curse of the law by sinners themselves.
Thus the éwofwors xard reévea, the “likeness in all things,” here asserted, is capable of a double limitation;—the first concerning some things themselves, as sin; the other, the mode or manner of the things wherein the conformity doth really consist.
Now, thus to be made like unto them it “became him.” It was meet, just, and necessary that God should make him so, because of the office, duty, and employment that he had assigned him unto; which, as the end hereof, is nextly to be inquired after.
4. The general end of his conformity unto the brethren is, that he “might be a merciful and faithful high priest.” Two things are comprised herein: first, The office that he was designed unto,—he was to be a “high priest ;” secondly, His qualzfications for that office, —he was to be “merciful and faithful.” His conformity unto the brethren, as we have seen, consisted in two things: first, His partici- pation of their nature; secondly, His copartnership with them in their condition of suffering and temptation. The first of these was necessary unto his office; the latter unto his qualifications. He was made man, that he might be a high priest; he suffered being tempted, that he might be merciful and faithful. There was no ~