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by its union therewithal. This it was necessary he should be like the brethren in; and not have a fantastical body, or a body animated by the deity, as some fancied of old. But that he should take this nature upon him by natural generation, after the manner of the brethren, this was not necessary; yea, so to have done, would not have farthered the end of his priesthood, but have enervated the efficacy of it, and have rendered him incapable of being such a priest as he was to be. For whereas the original contagion of sin is derived by natural procreation, had he been by that means made partaker of human nature, how could he have been holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners; as it became our high priest to be, ch. vii. 26. Again, it was not necessary that this human nature should have its individuation from itself, and a particular subsistence in and by itself; yea, this also would have overthrown his priesthood. For whereas the efficacy thereof depends on the excellency of the divine nature, this could not have given its influence thereunto, had not the human nature been taken into the same personal subsistence with itself. Only, as we said, that he should have a human nature, truly and really as the brethren, and therein be like unto them, this was necessary, that he might be an offering priest, and have of his own to offer unto God.

Secondly, It was also necessary, that in and with his human nature, he should take upon him all the properties and affections of it, that so he might be made like unto the brethren. He was not to have an ubiquatarian body, a body commensurate to the deity, that is immense, and consequently no true body at all; nor was his soul to be freed from the affections which are connatural to a human rational soul, as love, joy, fear, sorrow, shame, and the like; nor was his body to be free from being obnoxious unto hunger, thirst, cold, pain, death itself. But now, whereas these things in the brethren are attended with irregular perturbations for the most part, and whereas all the individuals of them have their proper infirmities in their own persons, partly by inordinate inclinations from their tempers. and complexions, partly in weaknesses and sicknesses, proceeding either from their original constitutions, or other following inordinacies; it was no way needful, that in any of these he should be made like unto the brethren, yea, a conformity unto them therein would have absolutely impeded the work he had to do.

Thirdly, He was also like unto us in temptations, for the reason which the apostle gives in the last verse; but herein also some difference may be observed between him and us. For the most of our temptations arise from within us, from our own unbelief and lusts. Again, in those that are from without, there is somewhat in us to take part with them, which always makes

us fail in our duty of resistance, and oft-times leads to farther miscarriages. But from these things he was absolutely free. For as he had no inward disposition or inclination unto the least evil, being perfect in all graces, and all their operations, at all times; so when the prince of this world came unto him, he had no part in him, nothing to close with his suggestions, or to entertain his terrors.

Fourthly, His sufferings were of the same kind, with them that the brethren underwent, or ought so to have done; yet they had far different effects on him, from what they would have had on them. For whereas he was perfectly innocent, and perfectly righteous, no way deserving them in his own person, he was free from all impressions of those sinful consequents, which attend the utmost sufferings under the curse of the law by sinners themselves.

Thus the ὁμοιωσις κατα παντα, the likeness in all things here asserted, is capable of a double limitation; the first concerning some things themselves, as sin; the other, the mode or manner of the things wherein the conformity doth really consist.

Now thus to be made like unto them," it became him;" it was meet, just and necessary, that God should make him so, because of the office, duty and employment, that he had assigned him unto; which, as the end hereof, is next to be inquired

after.

Fourthly, The general end of his conformity unto the brethren is, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest.— Two things are comprised herein: First, The office that he was designed unto: he was to be a high priest. Secondly, His qualifications for that office: he was to be merciful and faithful. His conformity unto the brethren, as we have seen, consisted in two things: Ist, His participation of their nature; 2dly, His copartnership with them in their condition of suffering and temptation. The first of these was necessary unto his office; the latter unto his qualifications. He was made man, that he might be a high priest; he suffered being tempted, that he might be merciful and faithful. There was no more required that he might be a high priest, but that he should partake of our nature; but that he might be merciful and faithful, with that kind of mercy and faithfulness which the brethren stood in need of; it was moreover required, that he should suffer and be tempted, which things must be distinctly considered.

First, That he might be a high priest, it was necessary that he should be partaker of the nature of them, for whom he was to administer in the things of God. So the apostle informs us, ch. v. 1. "Every high priest for men, must be taken from among men." This is not work for an angel, nor for God himself as such. And therefore, although the benefits of the priest

hood of Christ were communicated unto all believers from the foundation of the world, by virtue of the compact and agreement between the Father and him, for the undertaking and execution of that office at the time appointed; yet he was not actually, nor could be a high priest, until he was clothed with flesh, and made partaker of the nature of the children. The duty which, as a high priest, he had to perform, namely, to offer gifts and sacrifices unto God, ch. viii. 3. with the special nature of that great sacrifice that he was to offer, which was himself, his body and soul prepared and given him for that purpose, ch. x. 10. require and make necessary this conformity. For this cause then was he made like unto the brethren in a participation of human nature.

Secondly, That in this nature he should be perfectly holy, and exactly discharge his duty according unto the mind and will of God, was all that was required of him as to his being a high priest. But this was not all that the estate and condition of the brethren required. Their sorrows, tenderness, weakness, miseries, disconsolations are such, that if there be not a contemporation of his sublime holiness, and absolute perfection in fulfilling of all righteousness, with some qualifications inclining him to condescension, pity, compassion, and tender sense of their condition, whatever might be the issue of their safety in the life to come, their comforts in this life would be in continual hazard. For this cause therefore was he made like unto them in the infirmities of their nature, their temptations and sufferings, from whence all their disconsolations and sorrows do arise. Hence was the necessity of the qualifications for his oflice, which by his sufferings and temptations he was furnished withal; and they are two:

ελεημων,

First, Mercifulness. He was then, merciful, tenderly compassionate,' as the Syriac version renders the word: misericors, one that lays all the miseries of his people to heart, so caring for them, to relieve them.' Mercy in God is but a naked simple apprehension of misery, made effective by an act of his holy will to relieve. Mercy in Christ is a compassion, a condolency, and hath a moving of pity and sorrow joined with it. And this was, in the human nature of Christ, a grace of the Spirit in all perfection. Now, it being such a virtue, as in the operation of it deeply affects the whole soul and body also, and being incomparably more excellent in Christ, than in all the sons of men, it must needs produce the same effects in him, wherewith in others in lesser degrees it is attended. Thus we find him at all times full of this compassion and pity towards all the sons of men, yea, the worst of his enemies, expressing itself by sighs and tears, intimating the deep compassion of his heart. And this made him, as it were, even forget his own mi

series in his greatest distress, when seeing the daughters of Jerusalem mourn for him, as he was going to his cross, he minds them of that which his compassionate heart was fixed on, even their approaching misery and ruin, Luke xxiii. 28. But yet neither is this mercifulness in general that which the apostle intends; but he considers it as excited, provoked, and drawn forth by his own temptations and sufferings. He suffered and was tempted, that he might be merciful, not absolutely, but a merciful high priest. The relation of the sufferings and temptations of Christ unto his mercifulness, is not as unto the grace or habit of it, but as unto its especial exercise as our high priest. And this mercifulness of Christ is, the gracious condolence and compassion of his whole soul with his people in all their temptations, sufferings, dangers, fears and sorrows, with a continual propensity of will and affections unto their relief, implanted in him by the Holy Ghost, as one of those graces which were to dwell in his nature in all fulness, excited and provoked, as to its continual exercise in his office of high priest, by the sense and experience which he himself had of those miseries which they undergo; whereof more on the last verse.

Secondly, The other qualification mentioned is, that he should be

Tos, faithful.' Some understand by wires, verus, legitimus, true and rightful,' made so in a due manner, whereof the apostle treats expressly, ch. v. 5. Others, his general faithfulness, integrity, and righteousness in the discharge of his office, being faithful unto him that appointed him, as ch. iii. 2. But neither of these senses answer the especial design of the apostle, nor his referring of this qualification unto his conformity with the brethren in sufferings and temptations. It must also answer that mercifulness which we have before described. It consists therefore in his exact, constant, careful consideration of all the concernments of the brethren under their temptations and sufferings. This he is excited unto by his own experience of what it is to serve God in such a condition. It is described, Isa. xl. 11. Not his faithfulness then in general, whereby he discharged his whole office, and accomplished the work committed unto him, mentioned John xvii. 4. but his constant care and condescension unto the wants and sorrows of his suffering and tempted brethren, is here intended,

Before we proceed unto the explication of the remaining passages of these verses, what offers itself from what hath been already discoursed unto our instruction, may be observed: As,

I. The promised Messiah was to be the great high priest of the people of God. This the apostle here presumes and proves elsewhere. And this we have elsewhere confirmed. The especial office of priesthood, for one to perform it in the behalf of others, came in after sin, upon the first promise. In the state

of innocence, every one was to be priest for himself, or perform in his own name the things which with God he had to do, according unto the law of his creation. This privilege failing by sin, which cut off all gracious intercourse between God and man, a new way was provided and included in the first promise, for the transaction of things between God and sinners. This was by Christ alone, the promised seed. But because he was not to be immediately exhibited in the flesh, and it was the will of God that sundry sacrifices should be offered unto him, partly for his honour and glory in the world, and to testify the subjection of his people unto him, partly to teach and instruct them in the nature and benefits of the priesthood which he had designed for them, and to exemplify it in such representations as they were capable of; he did at several seasons institute various sorts of temporary fading typical priests: this he did both before and after the law. Not that ever there was amongst them a priest properly and absolutely so called, by whom the things of men might be completely and ultimately transacted with God. Only those who were appointed to administer before the Lord in the behalf of others, were called priests, as rulers are called gods; because they represented the true priest, and outwardly expressed his actings unto the people. The true, proper, and absolute high priest, is Jesus Christ alone, the Son of God; for he alone had all the solemnities that were necessary for the constitution and confirmation of such a priest. As in particular, the oath of God was necessary hereunto, that his priesthood might be stable and unchangeable. Now none was ever appointed a priest by the oath of God, but Christ alone, as the apostle declares, ch. vii. 20, 21. And how this differences his office from that of others, shall on that place be made manifest. 2. He alone had somewhat of his own to offer unto God; other priests had somewhat to offer, but nothing of their own, only they offered up the beasts that were brought unto them by the people. But the Lord Christ had a body and soul of his own prepared for him to offer, which was properly his own, and at his own disposal, ch. x. 5. 3. He alone was set over the whole spiritual house of God, the whole family of God in heaven and earth. This belongs unto the office of a high priest, to preside in and over the house of God, to look to the rule and disposal of all things therein. Now, the priests of old were, as unto this part of their office, confined unto the material house or temple of God; but Jesus Christ was set over the whole spiritual house of God, to rule and dispose of it, ch. iii, 6. 4. He alone abides for ever. The true and real high priest was not to minister for one age or generation only, but for the whole people of God unto the end of the world. And this prerogative of the priesthood of Christ the apostle insists upon,

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