1. It issome relief to be pitied in distress. The want hereof Job com- plained of, and cried out pathetically about it: chap. xix. 21, “ Have pityupon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.” It went unto his heart, to find that his triends were not affected with a sense of his sufferings; and it added exceedingly to the weight of them. And such was the complaint of David, as a type of Christ: Ps. lxix. 20, “ Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” It isa representation of the state of our Saviour when all his disciples fled and left him, and he was encompassed with fierce and reproaching enemies. This is a high aggravation of the sorrows and sufferings of any that are in distress. And there is relief in compassion. Some going to the stake have been much refreshed with a compassionate word whispered unto them. And it cannot but be a cause of great refreshment unto believers, in all the hardships that befall them, and their weakness under them, that they have the compassion of their high priest accompanying of them. He is in himself exceedingly great and glorious, nearly allied unto us, able to relieve us, being far
426 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
above all those persons and things that occasion our troubles, for they are all under his feet; all which considerations render his com- passion, as before described, refreshing and relieving.
2. Herein lies a great encouragement to make our addresses unto him in all our straits and weaknesses. For if he be so concerned in us and our troubles, if he be so affected in himself with a sense of them, and have in his holy nature, and upon the account of his office, such a propensity to relieve us, which also he is so able for, as hath been declared,—what should hinder us from making our ad- dresses unto him continually for help and supplies of his assisting grace, according as our necessities do require? But this being the peculiar use that the apostle makes of this doctrine in the next verse, it must be there considered.
3. There lies no small warning herein, how heedfully we should take care that we miscarry not, that we faint not in our trials.) He looks on us with a great concernment, and his glory and honour are engaged in our acquitting of ourselves. If we have a due regard to him and his love, it will excite us unto all care and diligence in the discharge of every duty we are called unto, notwithstanding the difficulties that it may be attended withal.
In the next words an especial reason is assigned of this merciful ability of our high priest to. be “affected with a sense of our infirmi- ties:” “ But was in all things tempted as we are, yet without sin.” The assertion which is the ground of the reason assigned, is that he was “ tempted ;’—expressed with the extent of it; it was xara xdévro, “in all things;” and an appropriation unto our concernment, “like as we are;” with a limitation of the extent and appropriation, “yet without sin.”
The whole substance of what is here intended hath been largely treated on, chap. ii. 17, whither I refer the reader, that we may not repeat the same things again. Some very few words may be added, in the explication of what is peculiar to this place.
Tlereipawévov 62. The particle 42, “ but,’ is contradictory to what
; was before denied: ‘He is not such a one as cannot be
affected, but one who was himself tempted.’ And this
plainly shows that what is now introduced is the principal proof of
the former assertion: ‘It is evident that he can be “ affected with a sense of our infirmities,” because he was “ tempted.”
Tlersipaévoy, “ tempted ;” that is, “tried,” “ exercised,” for no more doth the word originally import. Whatever is the moral evil in temptation, it is from the depraved inten- tion of the tempter, or from the weakness and sin of the tempted. In itself, and materially considered, it is but a trial, which may have a good or a bad effect. How, whereby, or wherein our high priest was thus tried and tempted, see the place before mentioned.
Thewsipapeevo Y
VER. 15.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 427
Kara aévra, “every way,” “in all things;” that is, from all means and instruments of temptation, by all ways of it, and in all things, wherein as a man, or as our high priest, he was concerned.
Kal’ éuodrnra, “secundum similitudinem,” “in like manner.” There is a plain allusion or relation unto the tempta- tion of others. For whatever is “like,” is of necessity like to somewhat else; and what is done in “like manner,” or “according to similitude,” hath something that answers unto it. Now this is the trials and temptations of them that do believe, the things that press on them by reason of their weakness. See as above.
Xwpis &mupriac, “ without sin.” Sin with respect unto temptation may be considered two ways;—1. As the principle of it; 2. Asits effect. 1. Sin sometimes is the principle of temptation. Men are tempted to sin by sin, to actual sin by habitual sin, to outward sin by indwelling sin, James i. 14, 15. And this is the greatest spring and source of temptations in us who are sinners. 2. It respects temptation as the effect of it, that which it tends and leads unto, which it designs, which it bringeth forth or pro- duceth. And it may be inquired with respect unto which of these considerations it is that the exception is here put in on the behalf of our high priest, that he was “tempted without sin.” If the former, then the meaning is, that he was tried and tempted by all ways and means, from all principles and causes, in like manner even as we are, excepting only that he was not tempted by sin, which had no place in him, no part, no interest, so that it had no ground to make suggestions unto him upon. And hereby the apostle pre- serves in us due apprehensions of the purity and holiness of Christ, that we may not imagine that he was liable unto any such tempta- tions unto sin from within as we find ourselves liable unto, and which are never free from guilt and defilement. If the latter be intended, then all success of temptation upon our high priest is denied. We are tried and tempted by Satan, and the world, and by our own lusts. The aim of all these temptations is sin, to bring us more or less, in one degree or other, to contract the guilt of it. Ofttimes in this condition sin actually ensues, temptation hath its effect in us and upon us; yea, when any temptation is vigorous and pressing, it is seldom but that more or less we are sinfully affected with it. It was quite otherwise with our high priest. Whatever temptation he was exposed unto or exercised withal, as he was with all of all sorts that can come from without, they had none of them in the least degree any effect in him or upon him; he was still in all things absolutely “ without sin.” Now, the exception being absolute, I see no reason why it should not be applied unto sin with both the re-