Obs. II. All our interest in the gospel inheritance depends on our receiving the promise by faith—Though it be prepared in the counsel of God, though it be proposed unto us in the dispensation of the gospel, yet, unless we receive the promise of it by faith, we have no right or title unto it.
Obs. III. The conveyance and actual communication of the eter- nal inheritance by promise, to be received by faith alone, tends exceedingly unto the exaltation of the glory of God, and the security of the salvation of them that do believe.—For, as unto the latter, it depends absolutely on the veracity of God, confirmed by his, oath. And faith, on the ‘other hand, is the only way and means of ascrib- ing unto God the glory of all the holy properties of his nature, which he designs to exalt in this dispensation of himself.
8. The persons unto whom this inheritance is designed, and who Sek ne do receive the promise of it, are “those that are called.”
" It is to no purpose to discourse here about outward and inward calling, effectual and ineffectual, complied with or not: no others are intended but those that actually receive the promise. It was the design of God, in this whole dispensation, that all the called should receive the promise; and if they do not so, his counsel, and that in the greatest work of his wisdom, power, and grace, is frustrated. They are the “called according to his purpose,” Rom. vill. 28;—those who obtain the inheritance “being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
i]
VER. 15.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 327
counsel of his own will,” Eph. i. 11. God here puts forth his almighty power, that his purpose, or the counsel of his will, may be established, in giving the inheritance unto all that are called: “Whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified,” or gave them the whole eternal inheritance, Rom. viii. 30. Hence Estius, an expositor of the Roman church, chargeth the contrary opinion in Catharinus as unorthodox. It is not a general call, wherein those who are so called may or may not re- ceive the inheritance; but what God designs unto them that are intended, they are so called as that they shall assuredly be made partakers of it, This is the end that God designed in the dispensa- tion of himself by Jesus Christ here declared, and therefore respect is had thereunto in the whole of it.
Some think that by “the called” here, those only are intended who were so under the old testament: for mention is made only of the redemption of transgressions under that covenant; in what sense shall be immediately declared. But this is contrary both unto the design of the apostle and the use of the word. For on that supposition, he says no more but that Christ was the mediator of the new testament, that those might be saved who lived and died under the old. But his principal design is to prove the advan- tage that we now have, even above the elect themselves under the old testament; yet so as not to exclude them from the same benefit with us by the mediation of Christ, as unto the substance of it.
~ And “the called,” in the language of this apostle, doth principally
signify the “called in Christ Jesus.”
Obs. IV. Effectual vocation is the only way of entrance into the eternal inheritance; for it is accompanied with adoption, which gives us right and title thereunto, John i. 12, In vain do they expect it who are not so called.
4, Things being thus prepared in the counsel and grace of God, yet there was an obstacle in the way of actually receiv- ,. ,_, a ing the promise; namely, the “transgressions that were xpdrn dating
eee the first testament.” God designed unto the 7psdcsuy.
elect an eternal inheritance; yet can they not be made partakers of it, but in such a way as was suited unto his glory. It was unjust and unreasonable that it should be otherwise. Whereas, therefore, they were all of them guilty of sin, their sins must be expiated and taken out of the way, or they cannot receive the promise of the in- heritance.
Hapatdéoss, ONY, OYE, Our word “transgressions” doth pro- perly express the original word, And in the distribution of sins by their names into DY, DYWB, and O'NON, Ley. xvi. 21, we render DYWE by it. But it compriseth all sorts of sins whereby the law is
328 AN EXPOSITION OF THE (CHAP. Ix.
transgressed, be they great or small. Every thing that hath the na- ture of sin must be expiated, or the inheritance cannot be enjoyed.
Obs. V. Though God will give grace and glory unto his elect, yet he will do it in such a way as wherein and whereby he may be elorified also himself.—Satisfaction must be made for transgression, unto the honour of his righteousness, holiness, and law.
There are yet sundry difficulties in this expression, which must be inquired into. For,—
(1.) “The redemption” or expiation “of sins” is confined unto those under the old testament; whence it should seem that there is none made for those under the new.