Hebrews 2:11-13

The great reason and ground of the necessity of the sufferings of Christ bath been declared. It became God that he should suffer. But it doth not yet appear on what grounds this suffering of his could be profitable or beneficial unto the sons to be brought unto glory. It was the sinner himself against whom the law denounced the judgment of death; and although the Lord Christ, undertaking to be a captain of salvation unto the sons of God, might be willing to suffer for them, yet what reason is there that the punishment of one should be accepted for the sin of another? Let it be granted that the Lord Christ had an absolute and sovereign power over his own life and all the concernments of it, in the nature which he assumed, as also that he was willing to undergo any sufferings that God should call him unto; this, indeed, will acquit the justice of God in giving him up unto death, but whence is it that sinners should come to be so interested in these things as thereon to be acquitted from sin and brought unto glory? In these verses the apostle enters upon a discovery of the reasons hereof also. He supposeth, indeed, that there was a compact and agreement between the Father and Son in this matter; which he afterwards expressly treateth on, chapter 10. He supposeth, also, that in his sovereign authority, God had made a relaxation of the law as to the person suffering, though not as to the penalty to be suffered; which God abundantly declared unto the church of the Jews in all their sacrifices, as we shall manifest. These things being supposed, the apostle proceeds to declare the grounds of the equity of this substitution of Christ in the room of the sons, and of their advantage by his suffering, the proposition whereof he lays down in these verses, and the especial application in those that ensue.

Hebrews 2:11. ῞Ο τε γὰρ ἀγιάζων καὶ οἱ ἀγιαζόμενοι ἐξ ενὸς πάντες· δι᾿ ἥν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐπαισχύςεται ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοὺς καλεῖν, λέγων· ᾿Απαγγελῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε . Καὶ πάλινv ῾Εγώ ἔσομαι πεποιθὼς ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ· καὶ τάλιν· ᾿Ιδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός.

There is no variety in the reading of these words in any copies, nor do translators differ in rendering, the sense of them. The Syriac renders the last testimony as if the words were spoken unto God, “Behold I and the children לִי אַלָהָא דְּיַהֵבְתְּ, whom thou hast given unto me, O God.” The Ethiopic, “Wherefore they who sanctify and they who are sanctified are altogether;” to what purpose I cannot guess.

῾Αγιάζω is used in this epistle both in the legal sense of it, “to separate,” “consecrate,” “dedicate;” and in the evangelical, “to purify,” “sanctify,” to make internally and really holy. It seems in this place to be used in the latter sense, though it includes the former also, κατ᾿ ἀκολούθησιν, “by just consequence,” for they who are sanctified are separated unto God. The word, then, expresseth what the Lord Christ doth unto and for the sons as he is the captain of their salvation. He consecrates them unto God, through the sanctification of the Spirit, and washing in his own blood.

᾿Εξἑνός. It may be of the masculine gender, and so denote one person; or of the neuter, and so one thing, one mass, one common principle; whereof afterwards.

The first testimony is taken from Psalms 22:23, אֲסַפְרָה שִׁמְךָ לְאֶחָי בְּתיִךְ קָהָל אֲהַלְלֶדָּ; which the LXX. render Διηγήσομαι τὸ ὀνομά σου τοῖς ἀὸελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε. The first word, אֲסַפְרָה, “narrabo,” “annunciabo,” the apostle renders by ἀπαγγελῶ, more properly than they by διηγήσομαι. In the rest of the words there is a coincidence, the original being expressly rendered in them. For though חִלֵּל, be rendered simply “to praise,” yet its most frequent use, when respecting God as its object, is “to praise by hymns or psalms;” as the apostle here, Υμνήσω σε, “Tibi hymnos canam,” or, “Te hymnis celebrabo,” “ I will sing hymns unto thee,” or “praise thee with hymns:” which was the principal way of setting forth God's praise under the old testament.

It is not certain whence the second testimony is taken. Some suppose it to be from Isaiah 8:17, from whence the last also is cited. The words of the prophet there, וְקִיֵּיתִי לוֹ, are rendered by the LXX. Καὶ πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ, the words here used by the apostle. But there are sundry things that will not allow us to close with this supposal: First, the original is not rightly rendered by the LXX., and, as we shall see, the apostle's words do exactly express the original in another place. Besides, קָיָה is never but in this place and once more turned into πείθω by the LXX., but is constantly rendered by them μένω, or ὑπομένω : so that it is not improbable but that these words might be inserted into the Greek text out of this place of the apostle, there being some presumptions and likelihoods that it was the place intended by him, especially because the next testimony used by the apostle consists in the words immediately ensuing these in the prophet. But yet that yields another reason against this supposition; for if the apostle continued on the words of the prophet, to what end should he insert in the midst of them that constant note of proceeding unto another testimony, καὶ πάλιν, “and again,” especially considering that the whole testimony speaks to the same purpose?

We shall, then, refer these words unto Psalms 18:3, אֶחֶסֶהאּבּוֹ; which the LXX. render, “ ᾿Ελπιῶ ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν, “I will hope in him;” the apostle more properly, ῎Εσομαι πεποιθὼς ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ, “I will put my trust in him.” And that that psalm had respect unto the Lord Christ and his kingdom our apostle showeth elsewhere, by citing another testimony out of it concerning the calling of the Gentiles, Romans 15:9; nor was the latter part of the psalm properly fulfilled in David at all.

The last testimony is, unquestionably taken out of Isaiah 8:18, where the words are, הִנֵּח אָנֹכִי וְהַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לִי יְהָֹוה; and rendered by the LXX., as here by the apostle, ᾿Ιδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔὸωκεν ὁ Θεός. יִלָדִים is properly “nati,” γεννητοί, or ἕκγονοι, those that are begotten or born of any one, whilst they are in their tender age. But it may be rendered by παιδία, as it is by the LXX., Genesis 30:26; Genesis 32:23; Genesis 33:1-2, which is “children” in a larger sense. [5]

[5] EXPOSITION. ῾Αγιάξ, according to Ebrard, refers neither to sanctification nor to justification, as such, but to the total change in their relation to God whichtakes place in the members of the new covenant, in opposition to the relation of the natural man to God. ᾿Εξ ἑνός, “of one;” that is, Father. Macknight, De Wette, Conybeare and Howson, Tholuck, Ebrard, etc. TRANSLATIONS. ῞Ο τε γὰρ ἀγιάζ. Both the purifier and the purified. Scholefield. He that atoneth, and they that are atoned for. Turner. He who maketh expiation, and they for whom expiation is made. Stuart. ῾Αγιαζόμενοι, literally, who are in the process of sanctification. Conybeare and Howson. ED.

Hebrews 2:11. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

The words contain,

First, A further description of the captain of salvation, and the sons to be brought unto glory by him, mentioned in the verse foregoing, taken from his office and work towards them, and the effect thereof upon them, “He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified;” which is the subject of the first proposition in these words.

Secondly, An assertion concerning them, “They are all of one.”

Thirdly, A natural consequence of that assertion, which includes also the scope and design of it, “He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” Fourthly, The confirmation hereof by a triple testimony from the Old Testament

First, He describes the captain of salvation and the sons to be brought unto glory by their mutual relation to one another in sanctification. He is ὁ ἁγιάζων, “he that sanctifieth;” and they are οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι, “they that are sanctified.” That it is the Son, the captain of salvation, that is intended by the sanctifier, both what the apostle affirms immediately of him and them, and the ensuing testimonies whereby he confirms it, do make evident. And as in the verse foregoing, giving an account why God would have Christ to suffer, he describes him by that property of his nature which includes a necessity of his so doing; so here, setting forth the causes on our part of that suffering, and the grounds of our advantage thereby, he expresseth him and the children by those terms which manifest their relation unto one another, and which they could not have stood in had they not been of the same nature, as he afterwards declares. Now, the same word being here used actively and passively, it must in both places be understood in the same sense, the one expressing the effect of the other. As Christ sanctifies, so are the children sanctified. And the act of Christ which is here intended is that which he did for the sons, when he suffered for them according to God's appointment, as Hebrews 2:10. Now, as was said before, to sanctify is either to separate and to dedicate unto sacred use, or to purify and make really holy; which latter sense is here principally intended. Thus, when the apostle speaks of the effects of the offering of Christ for the elect, he distinguisheth between their τελείωσις, or “consummation,” and their ἀγιασμός , or “sanctification:” Hebrews 10:14, Μιᾷ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν τοῦς ἀγιαζομένους·. “By one offering he consummated''(or “perfected”) “the sanctified.” First, he sanctifieth them, and then dedicates them unto God, so that they shall never more need any initiation into his favor and service. This work was the captain of salvation designed unto. The children that were to be brought unto glory being in themselves unclean and unholy, and on that account, separated from God, he was to purge their natures and to make them holy, that they might be admitted into the favor of and find acceptance with God. And for the nature of this work, two things must be considered: first, The impetration of it, or the way and means whereby he obtained this sanctification for them; and, secondly, The application of that means, or real effecting of it. The first consisteth in the sufferings of Christ and the merit thereof. Hence we are so often said to be sanctified and washed in his blood, Ephesians 5:25; Acts 20:32; Revelation 1:5; and his blood is said to cleanse us from all our sins, 1 John 1:7. As it was shed for us, he procured, by the merit of his obedience therein, that those for whom it was shed should be purged and purified, Titus 2:14. The other consists in the effectual working of the Spirit of grace, communicated unto us by virtue of the blood-shedding and sufferings of Christ, as the apostle declares, Titus 3:4-6. And they who place this sanctification merely on the doctrine and example of Christ (as Grotius on this place), besides that they consider not at all the design and scope of the place, so they reject the principal end and the most blessed effect of the death and blood-shedding of the Lord Jesus. Now, in this description of the captain of salvation and of the sons, the apostle intimates a further necessity of his sufferings, because they were to be sanctified by him, which could no otherwise be done but by his death and blood- shedding. Having many things to observe from these verses, we shall take them up as they offer themselves unto us in our procedure; as here,

I. That all the children which are to be brought unto glory, antecedently unto their relation unto the Lord Christ, are polluted, defiled, separate from God.

They are all to be sanctified by him, both as to their real purification and their consecration to be God's hallowed portion. This, for many blessed ends, the Scripture abundantly instructs us in: Titus 3:3, “We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.” A most wretched, defiled, and loathsome condition, that which justly might be an abhorrency to God and all his holy angels! and such, indeed, God describes it to be by his prophet: Ezekiel 16:5-6,

“Thou wast polluted in thy blood; and cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person.”

Thus we were, saith the apostle; even we, who are now sanctified and cleansed by the means which he afterwards relates. The like description he gives of this estate, 1 Corinthians 6:11, with an assertion of the same delivery from it. We are naturally very proud, apt to please ourselves in ourselves; to think of nothing less than of being polluted or defiled, or at least not so far but that we can wash ourselves. What a hard thing is it to persuade the great men of the world, in the midst of their ornaments, paintings, and perfumes, that they are all over vile, leprous, loathsome, and defiled! Are they not ready to wash themselves in the blood of them who intimate any such thing unto them? But whether men will hear or forbear, this is the condition of all men, even of the sons of God themselves, before they are washed and sanctified by Christ Jesus. And as this sets out the infinite love of God in taking notice of such vile creatures as we are, and the unspeakable condescension of the Lord Christ, with the efficacy of his grace in cleansing us by his blood, so it is sufficient to keep us humble in ourselves, and thankful unto God all our days.

II. That the Lord Christ is the great sanctifier of the church. His title is ὁ ἁγιάζων, “the sanctifier;” of which more afterwards. The Lord Christ, the captain of our salvation, sanctifies every son whom he brings unto glory.

He will never glorify an unsanctified person. The world, indeed, is full of an expectation of glory by Christ; but of that which is indispensably previous thereunto they have no regard. But this the Scripture gives us as a principal effect of the whole mediation of Christ; of his death, Ephesians 5:26; Titus 2:14; of his communication of his word and Spirit, John 17:19; Titus 3:5-6; of his blood-shedding in an especial manner, 1 John 1:7; Romans 6:5-6; Revelation 1:5; of his life in heaven and intercession for us, Colossians 3:1-3. This he creates his people unto by his grace, Ephesians 2:8, excites them unto by his promises and commands, 2 Corinthians 7:1; John 15:16-17. So that no end of the mediation of Christ is accomplished in them who are not sanctified and made holy. And this was necessary for him to do, on the part,

1. Of God;

2. Of himself;

3. Of themselves.

1. Of God, unto whom they are to be brought in glory. He is holy, “of purer eyes than to behold evil,” no unclean thing can stand in his presence; holy in his nature, “glorious in holiness;” holy in his commands, and “will be sanctified in all that draw nigh unto him.” And this Peter urgeth as that which requires holiness in us, 1 Peter 1:15-16,

“As he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.”

And thence it is said that “holiness becometh his house,” that is, all that draw nigh unto him; and the apostle sets it down as an uncontrollable maxim, that “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” If the Lord Christ, then, will bring the children unto God, he must make them holy, or they can have no admittance into his presence, no acceptance with him; for no unclean thing, nothing that defileth, can enter into the new Jerusalem, the place where his holiness dwelleth. It is utterly impossible that any soul not washed with the blood of Christ, not sanctified by his Spirit and grace, should stand in the sight of God. And this was expressed in all the typical institutions about cleansing which God appointed unto his people of old. He did it to teach them that unless they were sanctified, washed, and cleansed from their sins, they could be admitted unto no communion with him nor enjoyment of him. Neither can any serve him here unless their consciences be purged by the blood of Christ from dead works; nor can they come to him hereafter, unless they are washed from all their defilements. Their services here he rejects as an unclean and polluted thing; and their confidences for the future he despiseth as a presumptuous abomination. God will not divest himself of his holiness, that he may receive or be enjoyed by unholy creatures. And the day is coming wherein poor unsanctified creatures, who think they may miss holiness in the way to glory, shall cry out, “Who amongst us shall inhabit with those everlasting burnings?” for so will he appear unto all unsanctified persons.

2. Of himself, and the relation whereinto he takes these sons with himself. He is their head, and they are to be members of his body. Now, he is holy, and so must they be also, or this relation will be very unsuitable and uncomely. A living head and dead members, a beautiful head and rotten members, how uncomely would it be! Such a monstrous body Christ will never own. Nay, it would overthrow the whole nature of that relation, and take away the life and power of that union that Christ and his are brought into as head and members; for whereas it consists in this, that the whole head and members are animated, quickened, and acted by one and the self-same Spirit of life, nor doth any thing else give union between head and members, if they be not sanctified by that Spirit, there can be no such relation between them. Again, he takes them unto himself to be his bride and spouse. Now, you know that it was appointed of old, that if any one would take up a captive maid to be his wife, she was to shave her head, and pare her nails, and wash herself, that she might be meet for him. And the Lord Christ taking this bride unto himself, by the conquest he hath made of her, must by sanctification make them meet for this relation with himself. And therefore he doth it: Ephesians 5:25-27,

“Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

This it became him to do, this was the end why he did it: he sanctifieth his church that he may present it a meet bride or spouse unto himself. The like may be said of all other relations wherein the Lord Christ stands unto his people; there is no one of them but makes their sanctification absolutely necessary.

3. On the part of the children themselves; for unless they are regenerate, or born again, wherein the foundation of their sanctification is laid, they can by no means enter into the kingdom of God. It is this that makes them “meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.” As without it they are not meet for their duty, so are they not capable of their reward. Yea, heaven itself, in the true light and notion of it, is undesirable unto an unsanctified person. Such a one neither can nor would enjoy God if he might. In a word, there is no one thing required of the sons of God that an unsanctified person can do, no one thing promised unto them that he can enjoy.

There is surely, then, a woeful mistake in the world. If Christ sanctifies all whom he saves, many will appear to have been mistaken in their expectations another day. It is grown amongst us almost an abhorrency unto all flesh, to say that the church of God is to be holy. What though God hath promised that it should be so, and Christ hath undertaken to make it so? what if it be required to be so? what if all the duties of it be rejected of God if it be not so? it is all one. If men be baptized whether they will or no, and outwardly profess the name of Christ, though not one of them be truly sanctified, yet they are, as it is said, the church of Christ. Why, then, let them be so; but what are they the better for it? Are their persons or their services therefore accepted with God? are they related or. united unto Christ? are they under his conduct unto glory? are they meet for the inheritance of the saints in light? Not at all; not all, not any of these things do they obtain thereby. What is it, then, that they get by the furious contest which they make for the reputation of this privilege? Only this, that satisfying their minds by it, resting if not priding themselves in it, they obtain many advantages to stifle all convictions of their condition, and so perish unavoidably. A sad success, and for ever to be bewailed! Yet is there nothing at this day more contended for in this world than that Christ might be thought to be a captain of salvation unto them unto whom he is not a sanctifier, that he may have an unholy church, a dead body. These things tend neither to the glory of Christ, nor to the good of the souls of men. Let none, then, deceive themselves: sanctification is a qualification indispensably necessary unto them who will be under the conduct of the Lord Christ unto salvation, he will lead none to heaven but whom he sanctities on the earth. The holy God will not receive unholy persons; this living head will not admit of dead members, nor bring men into the possession of a glory which they neither love nor like.

Secondly, Having given this description of the captain of salvation and of the sons to be brought unto glory, the apostle affirms of them that they are ἐξ ἐνός, “of one ;” which made it meet for him to suffer and for them to be made partakers of his sufferings. The equity hereof lies in the agreement, that he and they are of one; which what it is we must now inquire.

1. The word hath this ambiguity in it, that it may be of the masculine gender, and denote one person, or of the neuter, and signify one thing. If it relate unto the person, it may have a double interpretation:

(1.) That it is God who is intended. They are “all of one;” that is, God. And this may be spoken in several respects, The Son was of him by eternal generation; the many sons, by temporal creation, they were made by him. Or, they are all of him: he ordained him to be the sanctifier, them to be sanctified; him to be the captain of salvation, and them to be brought unto glory. And this sense the last testimony produced by the apostle seems to give countenance unto: “Behold I and the children which God hath given unto me;” ‘me to be their father, captain, leader; they to be the children to be cared for and conducted by me.'And this way went most of the ancients in their exposition of this place. In this sense, the reason yielded by the apostle in these words why the captain of salvation should be made perfect by sufferings is, because the sons to be brought unto glory were also to suffer, and they were all of one, both he and they, even of God. But though these things are true, yet they contain not a full reason of what the apostle intends to prove by this assertion: for this interpretation allows no other relation to be expressed between Christ and the sons than what is between him and angels; they are also, with him, of one God. And yet the apostle afterwards showeth that there was another union and relation between Christ and the elect needful, that they might be saved by him, than any that was between him and angels. And if nothing be intimated but the good pleasure of God appointing him to be a Savior and them to be saved, because they were all of himself, of one God, which was sufficient to make that appointment just and righteous, then is here nothing asserted to prove the meetness of Christ to be a Savior unto men and not to angels, which yet the apostle in the following verses expressly deduceth from hence.

(2.) If it respect a person, it may be “ex uno homine,” “of one man;” that is, of Adam. They are all of one common root and stock, he and they came all of one, Adam. Unto him is the genealogy of Christ referred by Luke. And as a common stock of our nature he is often called the “one,” the “one man,” Romans 5. And this, for the substance of it, falls in with what will be next considered.

2. It may be taken in the neuter sense, and denote one thing. And so also it may receive a double interpretation:

(1.) It may denote the same mass of human nature. ᾿Εξ ἑνός φυράματος, of one and the same mass of human nature; or, ἐξ ἑνὸς αἵματος. So it is said of all mankind that God made them ἐξ ἑνὸς αἵματος, “of one blood,”

Acts 17:26, of one common principle; which gives an alliance, cognation, and brotherhood, unto the whole race of mankind. As the making of all mankind by one God gives them all a relation unto him, as saith the apostle, “We are also his offspring;” so their being made of “one blood” gives them a brotherhood among themselves, See Acts 14:15. And this interpretation differs not, in the substance of it, from that last preceding, inasmuch as the whole mass of human nature had its existence in the person of Adam; only it refers not the oneness mentioned formally unto his person, but unto the nature itself whereof he was made partaker. And this sense the apostle further explains, Acts 14:14; as he also observes it, Romans 9:5. (2.) By “one,” some understand the same spiritual nature, the principle of spiritual life which is in Christ the head, and the children his members. And this, they say, is that which is their peculiar oneness, or being of one, seeing all wicked men, even reprobates, are of the same common mass of human nature as well as the children. But yet this is not satisfactory. It is true, indeed, that after the children are really sanctified, they are of one and the same spiritual nature with their head, 1 Corinthians 12:12, and hereby are they differenced from all others: but the apostle here treats of their being so of one that he might be meet to suffer for them; which is antecedent unto their being sanctified, as the cause is unto the effect. Neither is it of any weight that the reprobates are partakers of the same common nature with the children, seeing the Lord Christ partook of it only on the children's account, as 1 Corinthians 12:14; and of their nature he could not be partaker without being partaker of that which was common to them all, seeing that of one blood God made all nations under heaven. But the bond of nature itself is, in the covenant, reckoned only unto them that shall be sanctified.

It is, then, one common nature that is here intended. He and they are of the same nature, of one mass, of one blood. And hereby he came to be meet to suffer for them, and they to be in a capacity of enjoying the benefit of his sufferings; which how it answers the whole design of the apostle in this place doth evidently appear. First, he intends to show that the Lord Christ was meet to suffer for the children; and this arose from hence, that he was of the same nature with them, as he afterwards at large declares. And he was meet to sanctify them by his sufferings, as in this verse he intimates. For as in an offering made unto the Lord of the first-fruits, of meat or of meal, a parcel of the same nature with the whole was taken and offered, whereby the whole was sanctified, Leviticus 2; so the Lord Jesus Christ being taken as the first-fruits of the nature of the children, and offered unto God, the whole lump, or the whole nature of man in the children, that is, all the elect, is separated unto God, and effectually sanctified in their season. And this gives the ground unto all the testimonies which the apostle produceth unto his purpose out of the Old Testament; for being thus of one nature with them, “he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” as he proves from Psalms 22. For although it be true, that, as brethren is a term of spiritual cognation and love, he calls them not so until they are made partakers of his Spirit, and of the same spiritual nature that is in him, yet the first foundation of this appellation lies in his participation of the same nature with them; without which, however he might love them, he could not properly call them brethren. Also, his participation of their nature was that which brought him into such a condition as wherein it was needful for him to put his trust in God, and to look for deliverance from him in a time of danger; which the apostle proves in the second place by a testimony out of Psalms 18: which could not in any sense have been said of Christ had he not been partaker of that nature, which is exposed unto all kinds of wants and troubles, with outward straits and oppositions, which the nature of angels is not. And as his being thus of one with us made him our brother, and placed him in that condition with us wherein it was necessary for him to put his trust in God for deliverance; so being the principal head and first- fruits of our nature, and therein the author and finisher of our salvation, he is a father unto us, and we are his children: which the apostle proveth by his last testimony from Isaiah 8, “Behold I and the children which the Lord hath given unto me.” And further, upon the close of these testimonies, the apostle assumes again his proposition, and asserts it unto the same purpose, Isaiah 8:14, showing in what sense he and the children were of one, namely, in their mutual participation of “flesh and blood.”

And thus this interpretation of the word will sufficiently bear the whole weight of the apostle's argument and inferences. But if any one list to extend the word further, and to comprise in it the manifold relation that is between Christ and his members, I shall not contend about it. There may be in it,

1. Their being of one God, designing him and them to be one m ystical body, one church, he the head, they the members;

2. Their taking into one covenant, made originally with him, and exemplified in them;

3. Their being of one common principle of human nature;

4. Designed unto a manifold spiritual union in respect of that new nature which the children receive from him; with every other thing that concurs to serve the union and relation between them. But that which we have insisted on is principally intended, and to be so considered by us. And we might teach from hence, that,

III. The agreement of Christ and the elect in one common nature is the foundation of his fitness to be an undertaker on their behalf, and of the equity of their being made partakers of the benefits of his mediation, but that this will occur unto us again more fully, Isaiah 8:14.

And by all this doth the apostle discover unto the Hebrews the unreasonableness of their offense at the afflicted condition and sufferings of the Messiah. He had minded them of the work that he had to do; which was, to save his elect by a spiritual and eternal salvation: he had also intimated what was their condition by nature; wherein they were unclean, unsanctified, separate from God: and withal had made known what the justice of God, as the supreme governor and judge of all, required that sinners might be saved. He now minds them of the union that was between him and them, whereby he became fit to suffer for them, as that they might enjoy the blessed effects thereof in deliverance and salvation.

Thirdly, The apostle lays down an inference from his preceding assertion, in these words, “For which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.” In which words we have,

1. The respect of that which is here affirmed unto the assertion foregoing: “For which cause.”

2. The thing itself affirmed; which is, that the Lord Christ calls the sons to be brought unto glory his “brethren.”

3. The manner of his so doing: “He is not ashamed to call them so.” And herein also the apostle, according to his wonted way of proceeding, which we have often observed, makes a transition towards somewhat else which he had in design, namely, the prophetical office of Christ, as we shall see afterwards.

“For which cause,” that is, because they are of one, partakers of one common nature, “he calls them brethren.” This gives a rightful foundation unto that appellation. Hereon is built that relation which is between him and them. It is true, there is more required to perfect the relation of brotherhood between him and them than merely their being of one; but it is so far established from hence that he was meet to suffer for them, to sanctify and save them. And without this there could have been no such relation. Now, his calling of them “brethren” doth both declare that they are so, and also that he owns them and avouches them as such. But whereas it may be said, that although they are thus of one in respect of their common nature, yet upon sundry other accounts he is so glorious, and they are so vile and miserable, that he might justly disavow this cognation, and reject them as strangers, the apostle tells us it is otherwise, and that, passing by all other distances between them, and setting aside the consideration of their unworthiness, for which he might justly disavow them, and remembering wherefore he was of one with them, “he is not ashamed to call them brethren.” There may be μείωσις; in the words, and the contrary asserted to that which is denied: “He is not ashamed;” that is, willingly, cheerfully, and readily he doth it. But I rather look upon it as an expression of condescension and love. And herein doth the apostle show the use of what he taught before, that they were of one, namely, that thereby they became brethren, he meet to suffer for them, and they meet to be saved by him. What in all this the apostle confirms by the ensuing testimonies, we shall see in the explication of them; in the meantime we may learn for our own instruction,

IV. That notwithstanding the union of nature ßwhich is between the Son of God incarnate, the sanctifier, and the children that are to be sanctified, there is in respect of their persons an inconceivable distance between them; so that it is a marvellous condescension in him to call them brethren.

He is not ashamed to call them so, though, considering what himself is and what they are, it should seem that he might justly be so. The same expression, for the like reasons, is used concerning God's owning his people in covenant, Hebrews 11:16, “Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.” And this distance between Christ and us, which makes his condescension so marvellous, relates unto a fourfold head;

1. The immunity of the nature wherein he was of one with us in his person from all sin. He was made like unto us in all things, sin excepted. The nature of man in every other individual person is defiled with and debased by sin. We are every one “gone astray, and are become all together filthy” or abominable. This sets us at no small distance from him. Human nature defiled with sin is farther distanced from the same nature as pure and holy, in worth and excellency, than the meanest worm is from the most glorious angel. Nothing but sin casts the creature out of its own place, and puts it into another distance from God than it hath by being a creature. This is a debasement unto hell, as the prophet speaks: “Thou didst debase thyself even unto hell,” Isaiah 57:9. And therefore the condescension of God unto us in Christ is set out by his regarding of us “when we were enemies” unto him, Romans 5:10; that is, whilst we were “sinners,” as Romans 5:8. This had cast us into hell itself, at the most inconceivable distance from him. Yet this hindered not him who was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,” to own us as his brethren. He says not, with those proud hypocrites in the prophet, “Stand farther off, I am holier than you;” but he comes unto us, and takes us by the hand in his love, to deliver us from this condition.

2. We are in this nature obnoxious unto all miseries, in this world and that which is to come. Man now is “born to trouble,” all the trouble that sin can deserve or a provoked God inflict. His misery is great upon him, and that growing and endless. He, just in himself, free from all, obnoxious to nothing that was grievous or irksome, no more than the angels in heaven or Adam in paradise. “Poena noxam sequitur;” “Punishment and trouble follow guilt only naturally.” He “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth;” so that God was always well pleased with him. Whatever of hardship or difficulty he underwent, it was for us, and not for himself. Might not he have left us to perish in our condition, and freely enjoyed his own? We see how unapt those who are in prosperity, full and rich, are to take notice of their nearest relations in poverty, misery, and distress; and who among them would do so if it would cast them into the state of those who are already miserable? Yet so it did the Lord Christ. His calling us brethren, and owning of us, made him instantly obnoxious unto all the miseries the guilt whereof we had contracted upon ourselves. The owning of his alliance unto us cost him, as it were, all he was worth; for being rich, “for our sakes he became poor.” He came into the prison and into the furnace to own us. And this also renders his condescension marvellous.

3. He is inconceivably distanced from us in reject of that place and dignity which he was destined unto. This, as we have showed at large, was to be “Lord of all,” with absolute sovereign authority over the whole creation of God. We are poor abjects, who either have not bread to eat, or have no good right to eat that which we meet withal. Sin hath set the whole creation against us. And if Mephibosheth thought it a great condescension in David on his throne to take notice of him, being poor, who was yet the son of Jonathan, what is it in this King of kings to own us for brethren in our vile and low condition? Thoughts of his glorious exaltation will put a lustre on his condescension in this matter.

4. He is infinitely distanced from us in his person, in respect of his divine nature, wherein he is and was “God over all, blessed for ever.” He did not so become man as to cease to be God. Though he drew a veil over his infinite glory, yet he parted not with it. He who calls us brethren, who suffered for us, who died for us, was God still in all these things. The condescension of Christ in this respect the apostle in an especial manner insists upon and improves, Philippians 2:5-11. That he who in himself is thus over all, eternally blessed, holy, powerful, should take us poor worms of the earth into this relation with himself, and avow us for his brethren, as it is not easy to be believed, so it is for ever to be admired.

And these are some of the heads of that distance which is between Christ and us, notwithstanding his participation of the same nature with us. Yet such was his love unto us, such his constancy in the pursuit of the design and purpose of his Father in bringing many sons unto glory, that he overlooks as it were them all, and “is not ashamed to call us brethren.” And if he will do this because he is of one with us, because a foundation of this relation is laid in his participation of our nature, how much more will he continue so to do when he hath perfected this relation by the communication of his Spirit!

And this is a ground of unspeakable consolation unto believers, with supportment in every condition. No unworthiness in them, no misery upon them, shall ever hinder the Lord Christ from owning them, and openly avowing them to be his brethren. He is a brother born for the day of trouble, a Redeemer for the friendless and fatherless. Let their miseries be what they will, he will be ashamed of none but of them who are ashamed of him and his ways when persecuted and reproached. A little while will clear up great mistakes All the world shall see at the last day whom Christ will own; and it will be a great surprisal, when men shall hear him call them brethren whom they hated, and esteemed as the offscouring of all things. He doth it, indeed, already by his word; but they will not attend thereunto. But at the last day they shall both see and hear, whether they will or no. And herein, I say, lies the great consolation of believers. The world rejects them, it may be their own relations despise them, they are persecuted, hated, reproached; but the Lord Christ is not ashamed of them. He will not pass by them because they are poor and in rags, it may be, reckoned (as he himself was for them) among malefactors. They may see also the wisdom, grace, and love of God in this matter. His great design in the incarnation of his Son was to bring him into that condition wherein he might naturally care for them, as their brother; that he might not be ashamed of them, but be sensible of their wants, their state and condition in all things, and so be always ready and meet to relieve them. Let the world now take its course, and the men thereof do their worst; let Satan rage, and the powers of hell be stirred up against them; let them load them with reproaches and scorn, and cover them all over with the filth and dirt of their false imputations; let them bring them into rags, into dungeons, unto death; Christ comes in the midst of all this confusion and says, ‘Surely these are my brethren, the children of my Father,'and he becomes their Savior. And this is a stable foundation of comfort and supportment in every condition. And are we not taught our duty also herein, namely, not to be ashamed of him or his gospel, or of any one that bears his image? The Lord Christ is now himself in that condition that even the worst of men esteem it an honor to own him: but indeed they are no less ashamed of him than they would have been when he was carrying his cross upon his shoulders or hanging upon the tree; for of every thing that he hath in this world they are ashamed. His gospel, his ways, his worship, his Spirit, his saints, they are all of them the objects of their scorn; and in these things it is that the Lord Christ may be truly honored or be despised. For those thoughts which men have of his present glory, abstracting from these things, he is not concerned in them; they are all exercised about an imaginary Christ, that is unconcerned in the word and Spirit of the Lord Jesus. These are the things wherein we are not to be ashamed of him. See Romans 1:16; 2Ti 1:16; 2 Timothy 4:16.

Fourthly, That which remaineth of these verses consisteth in the testimonies which the apostle produceth out of the Old Testament in the confirmation of what he had taught and asserted. And two things are to be considered concerning them, the end for which they are produced, and the especial importance of the words contained in them. The first he mentions is from Psalms 22:22,

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.”

The end why the apostle produceth this testimony, is to confirm what he had said immediately before, namely, that with respect unto his being one with the children, Christ owns them for his brethren; for this he doth expressly in this place. And we are to take notice that the apostle in the use of these testimonies doth not observe any order, so that one of them should confirm one part, and another, another part of his assertion, in the order wherein he had laid them down. It sufficeth him that his whole intendment, in all the parts of it, is confirmed in and by them all, one having a more especial respect unto one part than another. In this first it is clear that he proves what he had immediately before affirmed, namely, that the Lord Christ owns the children for his brethren, because of their common interest in the same nature. And there needs nothing to evince the pertinency of this testimony but only to show that it is the Messiah which speaketh in that psalm, and whose words these are; which we have done fully already in our Prolegomena.

For the explication of the words themselves, we may consider the twofold act or duty that the Lord Christ takes upon himself in them; first, that he will declare the name of God unto his brethren; and, secondly, that he would celebrate him with praises in the congregation. In the former we must inquire what is meant by the “name” of God, and then how it is or was “declared” by Jesus Christ.

This expression, the “name of God,” is variously used. Sometimes it denotes the being of God, God himself; sometimes his attributes, his excellencies or divine perfections, some one or more of them. As it is proposed unto sinners as an object for their faith, trust, and love, it denotes in an especial manner his love, grace, and goodness, that in himself he is good, gracious, and merciful, Isaiah 50:10. And withal itintimates what God requires of them towards whom he is so good and gracious. This name of God is unknown to men by nature; so is the way and means whereby he will communicate his goodness and grace unto them. And this is the name of God here intended, which the Lord Jesus “manifested unto the men given him out of the world,” John 17:6; which is the same with his declaring the Father, whom “no man hath seen at any time,” John 1:18. This is that name of God which the Lord Jesus Christ had experience of in his sufferings, and the manifestation whereof unto his brethren he had procured thereby.

Hereof he says in the psalm, אֲסַפְרָה, “I will declare it,” recount it in order, number the particulars that belong unto it, and so distinctly and evidently make it known. ᾿Απαλλελῶ, ‘I will make it known as a messenger, sent from thee and by thee.'And there are two ways whereby the Lord Christ declared this name of God:

1. In his own person; and that both before and after his sufferings: for although it be mentioned here as a work that ensued his death, yet is it not exclusive of his teachings before his suffering, because they also were built upon the supposition thereof. Thus in the days of his flesh, he instructed his disciples and preached the gospel in the synagogues of the Jews and in the temple, declaring the name of God unto them. So also after his resurrection he conferred with his apostles about the kingdom of God, Acts 1.

2. By his Spirit; and that both in the effusion of it upon his disciples, enabling them personally to preach the gospel unto the men of their own generation, and in the inspiration of some of them, enabling them to commit the truth unto writing for the instruction of the elect unto the end of the world. And herein doth the apostle, according unto his wonted manner, not only confirm what he had before delivered, but make way for what he had further to instruct the Hebrews in, namely, the prophetical office of Christ, as he is the great revealer of the will of God and teacher of the church; which he professedly insists upon in the beginning of the next chapter.

In the second part of this first testimony is declared further:

1. What Christ will moreover do: He will “sing praises unto God;' and,

2. Where he will do it: “In the midst of the congregation.”

The expression of both these is accommodated unto the declaration of God's name and of praising him in the temple.

1. The singing of hymns of praise unto God in the great congregation was then a principal part of his worship. And in the first expression two things are observable:

(1.) What Christ undertakes to do; and that is, to praise God. Now this is only exegetical of what went before. He would praise God by declaring his name. There is no way whereby the praise of God may be celebrated like that of declaring his grace, goodness, and love unto men; whereby they may be won to believe and trust in him, whence glory redounds unto him.

(2.) The cheerfulness and alacrity of the spirit of Christ in this work. He would do it as with joy and singing, with such a frame of heart as was required in them who were to sing the praises of God in the great assemblies in the temple.

2. Where would he do this? בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל, “in the midst of the congregation,” “the great congregation,” as he calls it, Acts 1:23; that is, the great assembly of the people in the temple. And this was a type of the whole church of the elect under the new testament. The Lord Christ, in his own person, by his Spirit in his apostles, by his word, and by all his messengers unto the end of the world, setting forth the love, grace, goodness, and mercy of God in him the mediator, sets forth the praise of God in the midst of the congregation. I shall only add, that whereas singing of hymns unto God was an especial part of the instituted worship under the old testament, to whose use these expressions are accommodated, it is evident that the Lord Christ hath eminently set forth this praise of God in his institution of worship under the new testament, wherein God will ever be glorified and praised. This was that which the Lord Christ engaged to do upon the issue of his sufferings; and we may propose it unto our example and instruction, namely,

V. That which was principally in the heart of Christ upon his sufferings, was to declare and manifest the love, grace, and good-will of God unto men, that they might come to an acquaintance with him and to acceptance before him.

There are two things in the psalm and the words that manifest how much this was upon the heart of Christ The most part of the psalm containeth the great conflict that he had with his sufferings, and the displeasure of God against sin declared therein. He is no sooner delivered from thence, but instantly he engageth in this work. As he lands upon the shore from that tempest wherein he was tossed in his passion, he cries out, “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” And thus we find, that upon his resurrection he did not immediately ascend into glory, but first declared the name of God unto his apostles and disciples, and then took order that by them it should be declared and published to all the world. This was upon his spirit, and he entered not into his glorious rest until he had performed it. The words themselves also do evidence it, in that expression of celebrating God's name with hymns, with singing. It was a joy of heart unto him to be engaged in this work. Singing is the frame (εὐθυμοῦντων, James 5:13) of them that are in a glad, free, rejoicing condition. So was the Lord Christ in this work. He rejoiced of old with the very thoughts of this work, Proverbs 8:30-31; Isaiah 61:1-3; and it was one of the glorious promises that were made unto him upon his undertaking the work of our salvation, that he should declare or preach the gospel, and the name of God therein, unto the conversion of Jews and Gentiles, Isaiah 49:1-10. He rejoiced, therefore, greatly to do it; and that,

1. Because herein consisted the manifestation and exaltation of the glory of God, which he principally in his whole work aimed at. He came to do the will, and thereby to set forth the glory, of the Father. By and in him God designed to make his glory known; the glory of his love and grace in sending him; the glory of his justice and faithfulness in his sufferings; the glory of his mercy in the reconciliation and pardon of sinners; the glory of his wisdom in the whole mystery of his mediation; and the glory together of all his external excellencies in bringing his sons unto the everlasting enjoyment of him. Now nothing of all this could have been made known, unless the Lord Christ had taken upon him to preach the gospel and declare the name of God. Without this, whatever else he had done or suffered had been lost, as unto the interest of the glory of God. This, then, being that which he principally aimed at, this design must needs be greatly in his mind. He took care that so great glory, built on so great a foundation as his incarnation and mediation, should not be lost. His other work was necessary, but this was a joy of heart and soul unto him.

2. The salvation of the sons to be brought unto glory, with all their interest in the benefit of his sufferings, depended on this work of his. How much he sought that, his whole work declares. For their sakes it was that he came down from heaven, and “was made flesh, and dwelt among them;” for their sakes did he undergo all the miseries that the world could cast upon him; for their sakes did he undergo the curse of the law, and wrestle with the displeasure and wrath of God against sin. And all this seemed as it were little unto him, for the love he bare them; as Jacob's hard service did to him for his love unto Rachel. Now, after he had done all this for them, unless he had declared the name of God unto them in the gospel, they could have had no benefit by it; for if they believe not, they cannot be saved. And how should they believe without the word? and how or whence could they hear the word unless it had been preached unto them? They could not of themselves have known any thing of that name of God, which is their life and salvation. Some men talk of I know not what declaration of God's name, nature, and glory, by the works of nature and providence; but if the Lord Christ had not indeed revealed, declared, and preached these things, these disputers themselves would not have been in any other condition than all mankind are who are left unto those teachers, which is most dark and miserable. The Lord Christ knew that without his performance of this work, not one of the sons, the conduct of whom to glory he had undertaken, could ever have been brought unto the knowledge of the name of God, or unto faith in him, or obedience unto him; which made him earnestly and heartily engage into it.

3. Hereon depended his own glory also. His elect were to be gathered unto him; and in, among, and over them, was his glorious kingdom to be erected. Without their conversion unto God this could not be done. In the state of nature they also are “children of wrath,” and belong to the kingdom of Satan. And this declaration of the name of God is the great way and means of their calling, conversion, and translation from the power of Satan into his kingdom. The gospel is “the rod of his strength,” whereby “his people are made willing in the day of his power.” In brief, the gathering of his church, the setting up of his kingdom, the establishment of his throne, the setting of the crown upon his head, depend wholly on his declaring the name of God in the preaching of the gospel. Seeing, therefore, that the glory of God which he aimed at, the salvation of the sons which he sought for, and the honor of his kingdom which was promised unto him, do all depend on this work, it is no wonder if his heart were full of it, and that he rejoiced to be engaged in it.

And this frame of heart ought to be in them who under him are called unto this work. The work itself, we see, is noble and excellent, such as the Lord Christ carried in his eye through all his sufferings, as that whereby they were to be rendered useful unto the glory of God and the salvation of the souls of men. And, by his rejoicing to be engaged in it, he hath set a pattern unto them whom he calls to the same employment. Where men undertake it for “filthy lucre,” for self ends and carnal respects, this is not to follow the example of Christ, nor to serve him, but their own bellies. Zeal for the glory of God, compassion for the souls of men, love to the honor and exaltation of Christ, ought to be the principles of men in this undertaking.

Moreover, the Lord Christ, by declaring that he will set forth the praise of God in the church, manifests what is the duty of the church itself, namely, to praise God for the work of his love and grace in our redemption by Christ Jesus. This he promiseth to go before them in; and what he leads them unto is by them to be persisted in. This is indeed the very end of gathering the church, and of all the duties that are performed therein and thereby. The church is called unto the glory of the grace of God, Ephesians 1:6, that it may be set forth in them and by them. This is the end of the institution of all the ordinances of worship in the church, Ephesians 3:8-10; and in them do they set forth the praises of God unto men and angels. This is the tendency of prayer, the work of faith, the fruit of obedience. It is a fond imagination which some have fallen upon, that God is not praised in the church for the work of redemption, unless it be done by words and hymns particularly expressing it. All praying, all preaching, all administration of ordinances, all our faith, all our obedience, if ordered aright, are nothing but giving glory to God for his love and grace in Christ Jesus in a due and acceptable manner. And this is that which ought to be in our design in all our worship of God, especially in what we perform in the church. To set forth his praise, to declare his name, to give glory unto him by believing, and the profession of our faith, is the end of all we do. And this is the first testimony produced by our apostle.

His next is taken from Psalms 18:2, “I will put my trust in him.” The whole psalm literally respects David, with his straits and deliverances; not absolutely, but as he was a type of Christ. That he was so the Jews cannot deny, seeing the Messiah is promised on that account under the name of David. And the close of the psalm, treating of the calling of the Gentiles, as a fruit of his deliverance from sufferings, manifests him principally to be intended. And that which the apostle intends to prove by this testimony is, that he was really and truly of one with the sons to be brought unto glory: and that he doth from hence, inasmuch as he was made and brought into that condition wherein it was necessary for him to trust in God, and act in that dependence upon him which the nature of man whilst exposed unto troubles doth indispensably require. Had he been only God, this could not have been spoken of him. Neither is the nature of angels exposed to such dangers and troubles as to make it necessary for them to betake themselves unto God's protection with respect thereunto. And this the word חָסָה, used by the psalmist, properly signifies, to ‘betake a man's self unto the care and protection of another,'as Psalms 2 ult. This, then, the condition of the Lord Christ required, and this he did perform. In all the troubles and difficulties that he had to contend withal, he put his trust in God; as Isaiah 50:7-9; Psalms 22:19. And this evinceth him to have been truly and really of one with the children, his brethren, seeing it was his duty no less than it is theirs to depend on God in troubles and distresses. And in vain doth Schlichtingius hence endeavor to prove that Christ was the son of God by grace only, because he is said to depend on him, which if he had been God by nature he could not do. True, if he had been God only; but the apostle is now proving that he was man also, like unto us in all things, sin only excepted. And as such his duty it was, in all straits, to betake himself by faith unto the care and protection of God. And some things may hence also be briefly observed; as,

I. That the Lord Christ, the captain of our salvation, was exposed in the days of his flash unto great difficulties, anxiety of mind, dangers, and troubles This is included in what he here affirms about putting his trust in God. And they were all typified out by the great sufferings of David before he came unto his kingdom. In the consideration of the sufferings of Christ, men commonly fix their thoughts solely unto his death. And indeed therein was a recapitulation of all that he had before undergone, with an addition of the wrath of God. But yet neither are the sufferings of his life to be disregarded. Such they were as made his whole pilgrimage on the earth dangerous and dolorous. There was upon him a confluence of every thing that is evil or troublesome unto human nature. And herein is he principally our example, at least so far that we should think no kind of sufferings strange unto us.

II. The Lord Christ, in all his perplexities and troubles, betook himself unto the protection of God, trusting in him. See Isaiah 50:7-9. And he always made an open profession of this trust, insomuch that his enemies reproached him with it in his greatest distress, Matthew 27:43. But this was his course, this was his refuge, wherein at length he had blessed and glorious success.

III. He both suffered and trusted as our head and precedent. What he did in both these kinds he calls us unto. As he did, so must we undergo perplexities and dangers in the course of our pilgrimage. The Scripture abounds with instructions unto this purpose, and experience confirms it; and professors of the gospel do but indulge unto pleasing dreams when they fancy any other condition in this world unto themselves. They would not be willing, I suppose, to purchase it at the price of inconformity unto Jesus Christ. And he is a precedent unto us in trusting as well as in suffering. As he betook himself unto the protection of God, so should we do also; and we shall have the same blessed success with him. There remains yet one testimony more, which we shall briefly pass through the consideration of: “Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” It is taken from Isaiah 8:18. That it is a prophecy of Christ which is there insisted on we have proved at large in our Prolegomena, so that we need not here again further to discourse that matter. That which the apostle aims at in the citation of this testimony, is further to confirm the union in nature, and the relation that ensues thereupon, between the captain of salvation and the sons to be brought unto glory. Now, as this is such that thereon he calls them brethren, and came into the same condition of trouble with them, so they are, by the grant and appointment of God, his children. Being of the same nature with them, and so meet to become a common parent unto them all, God, by an act of sovereign grace, gives them unto him for his children. This is the aim of the apostle in the use of this testimony unto his present purpose. In the words themselves we may consider,

1. That God gives all the sons that are to be brought unto glory to Jesus Christ: ‘The Lord hath given them unto me.' “Thine they were,” saith he, “and thou gavest them me,” John 17:6. God having separated them as his peculiar portion, in the eternal counsel of his will, gives them unto the Son to take care of them, that they may be preserved and brought unto the glory that he had designed for them. And this work he testifies that he undertook; so that none of them shall be lost, but that, whatever difficulties they may pass through, he will raise them up at the last day, and give them an entrance into life and immortality.

2. He gives them to him as his children, to be provided for, and to have an inheritance purchased for them, that they may become heirs of God and co- heirs with himself. Adam was their first parent by nature; and in him they lost that inheritance which they might have expected by the law of their creation. They are therefore given to “the second Adam,” as their parent by grace, to have an inheritance provided for them; which accordingly he hath purchased with the price of his blood.

3. That the Lord Christ is satisfied with and rejoiceth in the portion given him of his Father, his children, his redeemed ones. This the manner of the expression informs us in, “Behold I and the children;” though he considers himself and them at that time as “signs and wonders to be spoken against.” He rejoiceth in his portion, and doth not call it Cabul, as Hiram did the cities given him of Solomon, because they displeased him. He is not only satisfied upon the sight of “the travail of his soul,” Isaiah 53:11, but glorieth also that “the lines are fallen unto him in pleasantnesses, that he hath a goodly heritage,” Psalms 16:6. Such was his love, such was his grace; for we in ourselves are “a people not to be desired.”

4. That the Lord Jesus assumes the children given him of his Father into the same condition with himself, both as to time and eternity: “I and the children.” As he is, so are they; his lot is their lot, his God is their God, his Father their Father, and his glory shall be theirs.

5. From the context of the words in the prophet, expressing the separation of Christ and the children from the world and all the hypocrites therein, combined together in the pursuit of their sinful courses, we are taught that Christ and believers are in the same covenant, confederate to trust in God in difficulties and troubles, in opposition unto all the confederacies of the men of the world for their carnal security.

And thus by this triple testimony hath the apostle both confirmed his foregoing assertion, and further manifested the relation that is between the children to be brought unto glory and the captain of their salvation, whereby it became righteous that he should suffer for them, and meet that they should enjoy the benefit of his sufferings; which he more fully expresseth in the following verses.