who kept hie tomb, and that lifeless body I Think of the Lord of angels needing angelic minieti·y J • Hie earnest prayer, hie deepening groans, Wero heard before angelic thrones ; Amazement wrapped the sky ! 'Go, strengthen Christ,' the Father said: Th' ast.onieh-!d seraph bowed his head, And left the rea!ms on high." 2. (Jhrist Aas lifted that nature far higher than the angels. "We bchol,l him crowneJ with glory and honour." When Christ returned to his native position, he retained his human nature for evermore; as when he trod the streets of Jerusalem and hills oi Galilee-" this same Jesus." Exalted to the right hand of the Father, he is still" the Man," the man wearing his human body, that body spiritual in the like of which Moses and Elias appeared at the Transfiguration, and the saints will bo cnwrappccl at the resurrection. It is thus, as man, he is exalted King over all. To him, as man, every knee doth bow in heaven, and shall bow on earth ; on his head, as man, are many crowns; in his human hand rests the sceptre which rules the universe; and before him, as man, the hosts of heaven continually do cry," 'l'hou art the King of glory, 0 Christ." 3. Christ's ability for this was due to the suffering of death. Christ inherits the throne of heaven as man, as the meritorious reward of his sufferings. So Isaiah (liii. 11, 12); so Paul (Phil. ii. 6-11). What Christ is in his mediatorial capacity he is because he died; apart from his death, he would have no power to be or do anything for man. 1\lan ba.:i failed to be what God meant him to be; Christ h&a become it all; and through the suffering of death retains it all for evermore. III. 'J.'HE PERFECTION OF HUMAN NATURE IN CHRIST IS THE PLEDGE OF ITS PEn- FEOTION IN ms PEOPLE. 'fhat is evidently the idea here: "We see not yot all thinp:s subjected to [mnn], but we behold Jesus . . . crowned with glory andhouour." The truth is that whereas we are groaning in our failure to reach the eighth-psalm ideal, Ghrist has attained that sublimity which human nature ought to reach ; and through him we shall one day attain it too. 'fhe littleness under which we labour we shall shake off, and rise to that grand summit in which there will be only One above us, GoJ over all; the pledge of this being that that summit is already reached by Christ os man. I. The perfection of human nature in Christ is the tol,en of the complete rem01Jal of man's disabilities. God was unable to fulfil his ideal for man, because sin forfeited exaltation and incurred abasement. Christ undertook, as man's Representative, to remove tho sin by an atoning death. The exaltation of Jesus from the sepulchre to the throne was the proof that the atonement was sufficient. Now the hindranco to God fulfilling his purpose for man is removed : the eighth-psalm ideal is that purpose ; that ideal will, therefore, be attained. 2. The perfection of human nature in Christ is the assurance ~I all power in the hands of the Mediator. Christ raised to supreme authority as Gotl- Man, means that all the authority he possesses is to be used in his redemptive work. 'l'hen, depend upon it, he will redeem perfectly; he will save up to the highest poiut of salvation of which man is capable, and which even God desires. There can bo no fc:i.r of his people reaching the eighth-psalm ideal when they know that on purpose to raise them to it, Christ, in the nature and character of Saviour, has been placed on the hight!st throne. 3. The perfection of human nature in 0/1rist is the promise of perfec- tion to all who are to be made like him. Bis people are to bo "glorified together" with him, sit with him on hie throne, become like him when they seo him. Seo here what Christ is; learn thel'eby what man in him shall be; for Christ in glory ie but the Firtit- fruits of perfected humonity.-C. N.
Ver. 10.-The Incarnation, being the only means of securing perfect salvation for men, was becoming to God. Thie is the second argument by which the writer justifies the Incarnation. In the previous five verses he has shown that it was not degrading to the Godhead. From that he advances to affirm here that it was actually becoming ; for tho etrese of this text ie in the words, "It became him." Note that the expression," Author of their salvation," ie simply equivalent to their Saviour. Also that the word" perfect" }lO(]I not refer to the perfection of Christ's character; that was eternally perfect; no ~ Jerings could make Christ better than he was. You must apply the term to hia 72 THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [oa. u. 1-18.