3. How he offered himself is also expressed; it was “by the eternal Spirit.” “By,” dé It denotes a concurrent te operation, when one works with another. Nor doth it a always denote a subservient, instrumental cause, but sometimes that which is principally efficient, John i. 3; Rom. xi 36; Heb. i. 2. So it doth here; the eternal Spirit was not an inferior instrument whereby Christ offered himself, but he was the principal efficient cause in the work.
The variety that is in the reading of this place is taken notice of by all. Some copies read, “by the eternal Spirit ;” some, “ by the Holy Spirit;” the latter is the reading of the Vulgar translation, and countenanced by sundry ancient copies of the original. The Syriac retains “the eternal Spirit;” which also is the reading of most ancient copies of the Greek. Hence follows a double interpretation of the words. Some say that the Lord Christ offered himself unto God in and by the acting of the Holy Ghost in his human nature; for by him were wrought in him that fervent zeal unto the glory of God, that love and compassion unto the souls of men, which both carried him
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through his sufferings and rendered his obedience therein accept- able unto God as a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour: which work of the Holy Spirit in the human nature of Christ I have elsewhere declared.* Others say that his own eternal Deity, which supported him 1n his sufferings and rendered the sacrifice of himself effectual, is intended. But this will not absolutely follow to be the sense of the place upon the common reading, “by the eternal Spirit;” for the Holy Spirit is no less an eternal Spirit than is the Deity of Christ himself.
The truth is, both these concurred in, and were absolutely neces- sary unto the offering of Christ. The acting of his own eternal Spirit was so, as unto the efficacy and effect; and the acting of the Holy Ghost in him was so, as unto the manner of it. Without the first, his offering of himself could not have “purged our con- sciences from dead works.” No sacrifice of any mere creature could have produced that effect. It would not have had in itself a worth and dignity whereby we might have been discharged of sin unto the glory of God. Nor without the subsistence of the human nature in the divine person of the Son of God, could it have under- gone and passed through unto victory what it was to suffer in this offering of it.
Wherefore this sense of the words is true: Christ offered himself unto God, through or by his own eternal Spirit, the divine nature acting in the person of the Son. For,—
(1.) It was an act of his entire person, wherein he discharged the office of a priest. And as his human nature was the sacrifice, so his person was the priest that offered it; which is the only distinction that was between the priest and sacrifice herein. As in all other acts of his mediation, the taking our nature upon him, and what he did therein, the divine person of the Son, the eternal Spirit in him, acted in love and condescension, so did it in this also of his offering himself,
(2.) As we observed before, hereby he gave dignity, worth, and efficacy unto the sacrifice of himself; for herein “God was to pur- chase his church with his own blood.” And this seems to be prin- cipally respected by the apostle; for he intends to declare herein the dignity and efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ, in opposition, unto those under the law. For it was in the will of man, and by mate- rial fire, that they were all offered; but he offered himself by the eternal Spirit, voluntarily giving up his human nature to be a sacri- fice, in an act of his divine power. .
(3.) The eternal Spirit is here opposed unto the material altar, as well as unto the fire. The altar was that whereon the sacrifice
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* See vol. iii. p. 168, of the author’s miscellaneous works.—ED.
VER. 13, 14.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 305
was laid, which bore it up in its oblation and ascension. But the eternal Spirit of Christ was the altar whereon he offered himself. This supported and bore it up under its sufferings, whereon it was presented unto God as an acceptable sacrifice. Wherefore this reading of the words gives a sense that is true and proper unto the matter treated of.
But on the other side, it is no less certain that he offered himself in his human nature by the Holy Ghost. All the gracious actings of his mind and will were required hereunto. The “man Christ Jesus,” in the gracious, voluntary acting of all the faculties of his soul, offered himself unto God. His human nature was not only the matter of the sacrifice, but therein and thereby, in the gracious actings of the faculties and powers of it, he offered himself unto God. Now all these things were wrought in him by the Holy Spirit, wherewith he was filled, which he received not by measure. By him was he filled with that love and compassion unto the church which acted him in his whole mediation, and which the Seripture so frequently proposeth unto our faith herein: “ He loved me, and gave himself for me.” “ He loved the church, and gave himself for it.” “ He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” By him there was wrought in him that zeal unto the glory of God the fire whereof kindled his sacrifice in an eminent manner. For he designed, with ardency of love to God above his own life and present state of his soul, to declare his righteousness, to repair the diminution of his glory, and to make such way for the communication of his.love and grace to sinners, as that he might be eternally glorified. He gave him such holy submission unto the will of God, under a prospect of the bitterness of that cup which he was to drink, as enabled him to say in the height of his conflict, “ Not my will, but thine! be done.” He filled him with that faith and trust in God, as unto his supportment, deliverance, and success, which carried him steadily and safely unto the issue of his trial, Isa. 1. 7-9. Through the actings of these graces of the Holy Spirit in the human nature, his offering of himself was a free, voluntary oblation and sacrifice.