and render powerleſs without any Recovery,not by taking away the immortal Life and Being, but the zeg76,, the Strength and Power to kill, For the .*Zvoza, the Authority, Right, and Command, the Keys of Deathare in Chriſt's Hand only, and he uſeth the Strength of this EXecutioner in it, as to his Enemies ; when Sinners become penirent Believers, then his Death ſatisfying God's Juſtice for their
Sin, hath evacuated the Power as to Death, which the Devil had by Law againſt them, 1 Cor. 15. 56, 57. The Sting of Death is Sin, that gives him Power ; and the Strength of Sin is the Law, that unleſs ſatisfied for, takes part with Sin 3 but Chriſt by dying takes away the Laws Enmity, removes 9S1n, as to Guilt, Stain and Power, and ſo brings to nought this Power. þ The Prince himſelf ſet here colle- Qively tor all the reſt of his evil Spirits, Marth, 25, 41, whoby his Lies drew Man into Sin, and by Sin Stings him to Death ; having therefore ſuch Power to ſeduce to Sin, he powerfully renders Men |. obnoxivus to Death ; and then, as Executioner, having them by the
Law delivered into his Hands,putteth forth his Strength to torment and deftroy them, Chriſt by his Death doth with Price and Power
redeem them out of his Hand, and deſtroys all his Works, takes
Poſſeſſion of them, and brings them through Death to Eternal Life
* Rom. 8, Is,
15 And deliver them 7, who * through fear k of
death were all their life time ſubje& to bondage 1.
7 The Effet of the former DefiruRion of the Devil is laid down
in this Verſe,viz. the Childrens Freedom from the Fear of Death, to
* which, being Slaves to the Devil, they were once in Bendage, He
by breaking and diſanulling the Devils Power, doth really, fully, and juſtly exempt them from the concomitant Evil.
k A painful and waſting Horror, working the ſaddeft Apprehenſions, and tu- muſtuous workings of Soul from its apprehended Danger of Death
ſpiritual, temporal, and eternal, when the Wrath of God doth not only diffolve the natural Frame,btit makes an everlaſting Separation
trom himſelf, ſhutting them up with the worſt Company, in the worſt Place ang State that is poſſibly for the Human Mind 'to imagine, and that for ever, Fob 18. 11, 14. and 24. 17, Pſal, 55. 4, 5. and 73.19, and 88. 14,to 18, } When they come to the Ex-
erciſe of the reaſonable Life ot Man, and under Conyidtions of fin, tacntheſe Terrors arile, and ever leave-affrighting,or tormenting
HEBREWS.
them, but makes them paſs as many Deaths as Moments, as is evi. dent in Cain and Fudas ; for they are inſlaved, and in ſuch a State of Drudgery and Vaſſalage to the Devil the moſt cruel Tyrant by their own Guilt,and ſo are juſtly, invincibly, and miſerably held in it. Chriftby his Death reſcueth them from this woful, intolerable Vaſialage to the Devil, and Hell, and brings them into the aloriof Liberty of the Children of God, Kom. 8. 21, 25. Coloſ, 1, 12, 12, :
oam 1.
T4 is read by tome,to take hold of, and ſo make this Work denied of God the Son, that he did nor rake bold of the falling Angels, to ſays or recover them ; but the Spirit ſpeaks not one word of lapſed Ange1s in either this, or the foregoing Chapter, and ſo it cannot refer to them ; and for good Angels they never departed or fell,that he ſhould ſtretch out his Hand to ſave them. And it cannot be underſtood otherwiſe than affirmatively here, which muſt needs have another Senſe, becauſe the ſame AF is denied and aftirmed. The Word therefore ſignifieth to aſſume, or to rake 10 one, ro aſſume or take intg Unzon, He United not to his Perſon the Angelical Nature,the indi- vidual Subſtance of an Angel, ſo as to redeem thoſe finning lapſed Spirits. » But he aſſumed into Union with bis Perſon the Seed of Abra- ham ; which Seed is not to be underftood here colle#ively, for either his carnal or believing Seed ; but it is the one ſingular eminent ſeed of Abraham, in and by whom himſelf, Seed, and all Nations were to be bleſſed, Gen, 22.18. compare Gal. 3. 16. th? Man Chriſt Feſus, This Man, God the Son, took of the Virgin Mary the Off-ſpring of Abraham, and united him to his Perſon, and of God and this Seed united into one Perſon, became our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, ſo as he might bring the bleſſing of Salvation to the choſen of God in all
his own Perſon, is here aſſerted by the Spirit, and denied concern-
By his incarnation he is of
ing any Angels, there being no promiſe ever made to them tor it, Zech. 13. 7. Luke 1.31,35. Gal. 4. 4. 1 Tim, 2.5, If the Verb ſignifie 20 ſuch Aſſumption in Human Authors, as ſome cavil, it is be- cauſe the matter to which it is here applied, was never treated on among them ; and it is common with the Spirit ro make Words which are ordinary with Men, tranſcendent, when he applieth them co the great Myſteries of God, as Trinity, Son, Adoption, &c.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved o him to be
merciful q and faithful yr high-prieſt 5, in things pertatning to God, to make reconciliation for the fins
of the people tr.
0 The laft Reaſon why God the Son aſſumed and united the Hir- man Nature in the Seed of Abraham, to his Perſon, and was by it made like his Brethren, and for a little while lower than the Aygels was, that he might hecapable to receive and execute the Office ot Prieſthood, by w hich Reconcilation of Sinners to God was to be effetted z for he could neither be a Sacrifice, nor Prieft without it? "Qgwas lignifies not only its being neceſſary, but becoming,meer,con- venient and right both on the account of his Mediatorſhip, Suret:- ſhip, Priefthood, and of his very Work, conſidering the two Parties whoſe Cauſe he was to manage, It was fit this Perſon ſhould be God,that he might be juft ro God,and ſatisfie him ; Adam had betray-
? fed God's intereſt before,he would not therefore rely on a meer Mar: