universal nature has been at war with its Maker and itself. The deterioration of moral intelligences, as well as the principle of decomposition, which incessantly destroys the forms, that diversely clothe the matter of the universe, are by him alone withheld from producing Chaos, as by him also the matter of the universe is prevented from falling into annihilation. 66 By the Word of his Power;" not simply ' by his powerful Word,' but by the voice of Omnipotence. "This Word is called the Word of the Power of God, because there is another Word, which is not always obeyed; a Word of his Justice and Holiness, which proclaims itself in the doctrine of his law, and in the precepts of his Gospel." The voice, which spake, and creation was, commands, and it stands fast; * this Word, CHAP. I. 3. "The Word of his Power." Church, by his word, to which every thing in both is obedient, the power of which bends, applies, moves all things in nature, according to his pleasure; and the efficacy of which, accompanied by the Spirit of God in his Church, arms, converts, renews hearts and wills, without experiencing resistance." This is a very beautiful allusion, but I am not sure, that it is the right interpretation. "The Prophet, in Ps. xxxiii., to shew how wonderful is the power of God, says, He spake, and the things were made, he commanded, and that, which he said, took its existence.' Now this Word, spoken at the beginning, has a perpetual efficacy; for when God said, Let light be,' he did not mean, that it should exist at that moment only, or last for a little while, and afterwards be extinct; no, he willed its continued existence, to enlighten the universe; and when, by that same Word, he formed all other things, it was in the intention, that CHAP. I. 3. pronounced at the beginning, has a perpetual Deering's 66 efficacy; that power emanates from it incessantly, and by a continual flow, which preserves and maintains all the parts of the universe, to which Christ, by it, at first gave being.* The mighty power of Christ maketh the feather to move, and his strong arm leadeth the fly in her way; the same force, which now shaketh a leaf, if he sent it against a mountain, would have turned it from its base; the same strength, that bloweth up the dust, if it came against the earth, would shake its foundations." they should be maintained in their proper being, until the consummation of the ages. . . . .There is then a certain power which, if we may so say, emanates incessantly, and by a continual flow from this word, which God uttered at the beginning, and which preserves and maintains all the parts of the universe, to which it first gave being, it is that, to which the Apostle here makes the allusion; for, as he said, in the verse immediately preceding, that it was our Lord Jesus Christ, who made the worlds, in these words he teaches, that he maintains them, as this Word, which was pronounced at the beginning, is not only the Word of the Father, but also the Word of the Son."-Amyraud. *No acting force remains in the effect, where the action of the agent has ceased, unless that force be converted into the very nature of the effect, so as to be inherent in it as its own property. If it be a property peculiar to the agent alone, and transcending the nature of the effect, then it must cease, when the action ceases. Since, therefore, self-existence is peculiar to God alone, it can be the property of no created body. Creation exhibits the acting power of God in producing, preservation shews the same action in not deserting the creature, when produced; preservation is not by a new act, but by the continuance of that act, which originally gave existence; hence, by whom all things were framed, by him they are preserved, &c. Bp. Davenant, vol. i. p. 204. CHAP. I. 3. His God-.16 ; viii. 3; 5. Denoting the union of the two natures, He, the Priest, offered up himself the sacrifice,* vii. 27. Himself also being the altar, xiii. 10. vii. 27. His human nature, that which suffered, and rendered him fit to be substituted in our stead, ii. 16; viii. 3; and x. 5. His Godhead, the Altar, which sanctified the gift, and rendered the suffering proportionable to the nature and atrocity of the crime, ix. 14; ix. 14.; xii. 10. xiii. 10. For though his human nature alone suffered, yet so, that his passion was that of the whole person, for for therefore it is said that he offered himself," because these words "he offered himself," design his action: Now actions are reputed to be of persons altogether, and not one of the natures only, of which they are composed; and this pression," himself," similarly denotes complete person. "And forasmuch as bodily substance is, by virtue of true conjunction, made the body of the Son of God, by whom also it was made a sacrifice for the ex Take for example what Solomon study is a weari says, "Much ness to the flesh;" but study is an effort of the formally attribute mind, so that we actions to either one nature or other, they must, in timacy between the attributed to the his Amyraud. the natures, be * As in the eternal nature of his divinity he had not that which he could offer, he took from us that, which he might offer for us, i.e. human flesh. What so fit for immolation, as mortal flesh for mortals? And what so pure for fleshly vices of mortals, as flesh without any contagion of carnal concupiscence, born from the womb of a virgin? What could be so acceptably offered, as the flesh of our sacrifice, become the body, of our Priest? And since four things are considered in every sacrifice, To whom it is offered; By whom it is offered; That which is offered; For whom it is offered, (and sacrifice is due to no one but to God alone,) therefore our High Priest offered himself to God for us, being himself the Priest and the Sacrifice. Ambrosc. person. CHAP. I. 3. Hooker, Eccl. sins of the whole world, this giveth it a pre- a general intent, true and sincere, doth not annul or impeach a particular and more reserved purpose: hence we read of people of acquisition, of appropriation, of approximation, taken from the total lump and mass of mankind; such was Israel in the days of old; such are now the called by grace to participation of God in Christ;" and such and Monuments, appears implied by the limitation, "purged our sins," &c. Montagn's Acts p. 4. Amy raud. Moreover, we may consider, in this mystery, not only the person of Christ as constituted of the two natures, but also his office, by virtue of which he made his oblation. As his person is of glory ineffable, so the dignity of his office is proportioned to the glory of his person. Considering him then as the appointed victim for expiation, person makes his passion inestimable. So, in like manner, if you consider Christ the agent in offering himself to God, neither can his action be estimated, because of the dignity of his office. But though the office of Messiah must pre-suppose his person, for no one but a person so constituted could his perform his office; and though, with respect to effecting the purgation of our sins, his person must be contemplated in connexion with his office, yet I think it might with propriety be said, that he," considered officially," by himself" personally "effected the purgation of our sins;" for the propriety of his actions consisted in being called of God to his office; but the sufficiency of his passion depended on the constitution of his person. CHAP. I. 3. Thele's Bible renders the pas first edition sage, "He in his own person, &c." The purgation of our sins embraces a period from its commencement on earth, when a body was prepared instead of the offerings appointed by the Law, until its con- Heb. x, 5 and 8. summation in heaven, when Christ, after his resurrection, offered up himself in the holy place, so that here is intimated the fulfilment Heb.ix 12 and 24. of the types of the Aaronic Priesthood, as also his installation into the Melchisedec Priesthood, which commenced at the resur- Heb. v. 5 and 6. rection. "Sat down on the Right Hand, &c." "This term, The right hand,' sometimes Amyrand. signifies the power, by which God acts, as when David says, the right hand of the P. xviii. Lord has supported him, and elsewhere, 66 The right hand of the Lord has done won derful things;" but, when employed conjointly with that of sitting, it signifies, not that power of God, by which he executes his will, but the participation in his dignity and |