voluntary. (2.) He had an intimate sense of the wrath and displeasure of
508 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. V.
God against the sin that was then imputed unto him. All our sins were then caused, by an act of divine and supreme authority, “to meet on him,” or “the Lorp laid on him the iniquity of us all,’ Isa. liii. 6. Even all our guilt was imputed unto him, or none of the punish- ment due unto our sins could have been justly inflicted on him. In this state of things, in that great hour, and wonderful transaction of divine wisdom, grace, and righteousness, whereon the glory of God, the recovery of fallen man, with the utter condemnation of Satan, depended, God was pleased for a while, as it were, to hold the scales of justice in equilibrio, that the turning of them might be more conspicuous, eminent, and glorious. In the one scale, as it were, there was the weight of the first sin and apostasy from God, with all the consequents of it, covered with the sentence and curse of the law, with the exigence of vindictive justice,—a weight that all the angels of heaven could not stand under one moment. In the other were the obedience, holiness, righteousness, and penal sufferings, of the Son of God,—all having weight and worth given unto them by the dignity and worth of his divine person. Infinite justice kept these things for a season, as it were, at a poise, until the Son of God, by his prayers, tears, and supplications, prevailed unto a glorious success, in the delivery of himself and us.
3. Wherefore, as to the limitation of the effects of Christ’s suffer- ings in and upon himself, we may conclude, in general,—(1.) That they were such only as are consistent with absolute purity, holiness, and freedom from the least appearance of sin; (2.) Not such as did in the least impeach the glorious union of his, natures in the same person; (3.) Nor such as took off from the dignity of his obedience and merit of his suffering, but were all necessary thereunto: but then, (4.) As he underwent whatever is or can be grievous, dolorous, afflictive, and penal, in the wrath of God, and sentence of the law executed; so these things really wrought in him sorrow, amazement, anguish, fear, dread, with the like penal effects of the pains of hell; from whence it was that he “offered up prayers and supplications, with strong cries and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death,”—the event whereof is described in the last clause of the verse.
Kai elounovobels card rHs evAwEsias, “and was heard in that which he
Ke) ten. feared.” To be heard in Scripture signifies two things: xovebels ax —1. To be accepted in our request, though the thing ris sirabsins- requested be not granted unto us. “God will hear me,” is as much as, ‘ God will accept of me, is pleased with my supplica- tion,’ Ps. lv. 17, xxii. 21. 2. To be answered in our request. To be heard, is to be delivered. So is this expressed, Ps. xxii. 24. In the first way there is no doubt but that the Father always heard the Son, John xi. 42,—always in all things accepted him, and was
VER. 7.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 509
well pleased in him; but our inquiry is here, how far the Lord Christ was heard in the latter way, so heard as to be delivered from what he prayed against. Concerning this observe, that the prayers of Christ in this matter were of two sorts:—
1. Hypothetical or conditional; such was that prayer for the pass- ing of the cup from him, Luke xxii, 42, “ Father, if thou wilt, re- move this cup from me.” And this prayer was nothing but what was absolutely necessary unto the verity of human nature in that state and condition. Christ could not have been a man and not have had an extreme aversation to the things that were coming upon him. Nor had it been otherwise with him, could he properly have been said to suffer; for nothing is suffering, nor can be penal unto us, but what is grievous unto our nature, and what it is ab- horrent of. This acting of the inclination of nature, both in his mind, will, and affections, which in him were purely holy, our Saviour expresseth in that conditional prayer. And in this prayer he was thus answered,—his mind was fortified against the dread and terror of nature, so as to come unto a perfect composure in the will of God: “ Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” He was heard herein so far as he desired to be heard; for although he could not but desire deliverance from the whole, as he was a man, yet he desired it not absolutely, as he was wholly subjected to the will of God.
2. Absolute. The chief and principal supplications which he offered up to him who was able to save him from death were absolute; and in them he was absolutely heard and delivered. For upon the pre- sentation of death unto him, as attended with the wrath and curse of God, he had deep and dreadful apprehensions of it; and how un- able the human nature was to undergo it, and prevail against it, if not mightily supported and carried through by the power of God. In this condition it was part of his obedience, it was his duty, to pray that he might be delivered from the absolute prevalency of it, that he might not be cast in his trial, that he might not be con- founded nor condemned. This he hoped, trusted, and believed; and therefore prayed absolutely for it, Isa. 1. 7, 8. And herein he was heard absolutely; for so it is said, “He was heard dad rig ebaaeiac.”