istical notes of the Messiah. He is one sent of God upon his great errand unto the children of men, his apostle, Speaking of himself by his Spirit, Isa. xlviii. 16, he saith, iN) any myn}, ‘II, —“ The Lord Gop, and his Spirit, hath sent me;” and again, chap. Ixi, 1, ynw-nim ——“ The Lorp hath sent me,” namely, according unto the promise that God would send him unto the church to be a sa~ viour, Isa, xix. 20. And this he tells the church, that theymay gather and know from his love and care, namely, that the Lord God had sent him, Zech. 11. 8, 9,—that he was his legate, his apostle. And. because God had promised from the foundation of the world thus to send him, this became a periphrasis or principal notation of him, “ He whom God would send;” that is, his great legate. Hereunto Moses seems to have had respect in these words, Exod iv. 13, no-no nowin-a3 ;—“Send now, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send,” namely, ‘to be the deliverer and saviour of thy people.’ Hence in the old church he came to be called emphatically 6 épxé- uevog,— he that was to come,” “that was to be sent.” So when John sent his disciples to Jesus to inquire whether he was the Christ, he doth it in these words, 30 «6 épyéuevog;—“ Art thou he that was to come?” that is, to be sent of God, Matt. xi. 3, John xi. 27, And thence the ancient Latin translation renders 7, “ Shilo,” Gen. xlix. 10, “ qui mittendus est,” “he that is to be sent,” —it may be deriving the word, by a mistake, from [2¥, “to send,” But it well expresseth the common notion of him in the church after the giving of the first promise, “He that was to be sent.” And in the Gospel he doth not himself more frequently make men- tion of any thing than of his being sent of God, or of being his apostle. “He whom God hath sent,” is his description of himself, John iii. 34; and him he calls riy &roors/Aavra, “ him that sent him,” or made him his apostle, Matt. x. 40. And this is most frequently repeated in the Gospel by John, that we may know of what im- portance the consideration of it is: see chap. iii, 17, 34, iv. 34, vy. 23, 24, 30, 36-88, vi. 29, 38-40, 44, 57, vii. 16, 28, 29, viii. 16, 18, 29, 42, ix. 4, x. 36, xi. 42, xii. 44, 45, 49, xiii. 20, xiv. 24, xv. 21, xvi. 5, xvii. 8, 18, 21, 23, 25, xx. 21. Two things, then, are includ- ed in this expression or title:—(1.) The authority he had for his work. He came not of himself, but was sent of God, even the Father; and therefore spake in his name, and fed the church “in the strength of the Lorp, in the majesty of the name of the Lorp his God,” Micah v. 4, And as he became the apostle of the Father by his being sent of him, so by his sending of others in his name he made them his apostles, John xx. 21. As the love, therefore, so the authority of the Father is much to be considered in this mat- ter. (2.) His work itself, which is here included, and elsewhere largely declared. It was to reveal and declare the will of the Father
502 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [ CHAP. IIL
unto the children of men, to declare the Father himself, John i. 18, and his name, chap. xvii. 6, 26; that is, the mystery of his grace, covenant, and whole will concerning our obedience and salvation, Heb.i. 1,2. For this end was he the apostle and ambassador of the Father, sent into the world by him, Mal. iii, 1. In brief, the pro- phetical office of Christ, with respect unto his immediate authorita- tive gission by the Father, is intended in this title. And it isa title of honour as well as of office that is here given him. Hence the impious Mohammedans, when they would persuade or com- pel any one to their sect, require no more of him but that he acknowledge Mohammed to be “ Resul Ellahi,” “The apostle of God.” In this sense, then, is the Lord Christ called “ The apostle of our profession,” in that he was sent of God to declare his mind and will, in his name and with his authority, as ambassadors are wont to do in reference unto them that send them.
But whereas our Lord Jesus Christ was in an especial manner, as to the time of his conversation in the flesh, and his personal reveal- ing the will of God, sent unto the Jews, and therefore says, Matt. xv. 24, that “he was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Tsrael,”—that is, as unto his personal ministry on the earth; and our apostle affirms that he was “a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers,” Rom. xv. 8; and being only in this place unto the Hebrews called an apostle,—I leave it unto consideration whether there may not be some especial respect unto his peculiar mission, in his person and ministry unto them, intended in his name and title, here only given him.