Exposition of Hebrews 6-10, Exegesis of chapter 9 · Exegesis of verse 17
VER. XVII.
For a Testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all, whilest the Testator liveth.
IT is not of the making and constitution of a Testament, but of the force and execution of it, that he speaks. And in these words he gives a Reason of the necessity of the death of the Testator thereunto. And this is because the validity and efficacy of the Testament depends solely thereon. And this reason he introduceth by the Conjunction foreign, For.foreign.
A Testament, foreign, is of force, say we; that is, firm, stable, not to be disannull'd. For if it be but a mans Testament, yet if it be confirmed, foreign.no man disannulleth or addeth thereunto, Gal. 3. 15. It is ratified, made unalterable, so as that it must be executed according unto the mind of the Testator. And it is so foreign, among them that are dead; after men are foreign.dead; that is those who make the Testament. For it is opposed unto foreign, whil'st the Testator liveth. For Testaments are the Wills foreign.of dead men.
Living men have no Heirs. And this sense is declared in those words, foreign, quandoquidem, quoniam, seeing that; otherwise, say we; foreign.without this accession unto the making of a Testament. As yet it prevaileth not, it is not of force for the actual distribution of the Inheritance or the Goods of the Testator.
Two things must yet farther be declared. (1) What are the Grounds or general Reasons of this Assertion. (2) Where lies the force of the Argument from it.
1. The force of a Testament depends on the death of the Testator; or the death of the Testator is required to make it effectual for these two Reasons.
(1) Because a Testament is no Act or Deed of a man, whereby he presently and in the making of it, conveys, gives or grants, any part of his possession unto another, or others; so as that it should immediately thereon, cease to be his own, and become the propriety of those others; all such Instruments of Contract, Bargain, Sale, or Deeds of Gift, are of another nature, they are not Testaments. A Testament is only the signification of the Will of a man, as unto what he will have done with his Goods after his death. Wherefore unto the force and execution of it his death is necessary.
(2) A Testament, that is only so, is alterable at the pleasure of him that makes it whil'st he is alive. Wherefore it can be of no force whil'st he is so; for that he may change it or disannul it when he pleaseth. The foundation therefore of the Apostles Argument from this usage amongst men, is firm and stable.
2. Whereas the Apostle argueth from the Proportion and Similitude that is between this New Testament or Covenant, and the Testaments of men, we may consider what are the things wherein that Similitude doth consist, and shew also wherein there is a dissimilitude whereunto his Reasonings are not to be extended. For so it is in all comparisons; the Comparates are not alike in all things, especially where things spiritual and temporal are compared together. So was it also in all the Types of old. Every person or every thing that was a Type of Christ, were not so in all things, in all that they were. And therefore it requires both wisdom and diligence to distinguish in what they were so, and in what they were not, that no false Inferences or Conclusions be made from them. So is it in all Comparisons; and therefore in the present instance, we must consider, wherein the things compared do agree, and wherein they differ.
1. They agree principally in the death of the Testator. This alone makes a Testament among men, effectual and irrevocable. So is it in this New Testament. It was confirmed and ratified by the death of the Testator, Jesus Christ, and otherwise could not have been of force. This is the fundamental agreement between them, which therefore alone the Apostle expresly insisteth on, although there are other things which necessarily accompany it, as essential unto every Testament; as,
2. In every Testament amongst men, there are Goods disposed and bequeathed, unto Heirs or Legatees, which were the Property of the Testator. Where a man hath nothing to give or bequeath, he can make no Testament. For that is nothing but his Will concerning the disposal of his own Goods after his decease. So is it in this New Testament. All the Goods of Grace and Glory, were the Property, the Inheritance of Christ, firmly instated in him alone. For he was appointed Heir of all things. But in his death, as a Testator, he made a Bequeathment of them all unto the Elect, appointing them to be Heirs of God, Coheirs with himself. And this also is required unto the nature and essence of a Testament.
3. In a Testament there is always an absolute Grant made of the Goods bequeathed, without condition or limitation. So is it here also; the Goods and Inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven are bequeathed absolutely unto all the Elect, so as that no intervenience can defeat them of it. And what there is in the Gospel which is the Instrument of this Testament, that prescribes Conditions unto them, that exacts terms of Obedience from them, it belongs unto it, as it is a Covenant, and not as a Testament. Yet,
4. It is in the Will and Power of the Testator, in and by his Testament, to assign and determine both the time, season and way, whereby those to whom he hath bequeathed his Goods, shall be admitted unto the actual possession of them. So is it in this case also. The Lord Christ, the great Testator, hath determined the way whereby the Elect shall come to be actually possest of their Legacies, namely, by Faith that is in him, Acts 26. 18. So also he hath reserved the time and season of their Conversion in this world, and entrance into future glory in his own hand and power. And these things belong unto the Illustration of the Comparison insisted on, although it be only one thing that the Apostle argues from it, touching the necessity of the death of the Testator. But notwithstanding these instances of agreement, between the New Covenant and the Testaments of men, whereby it appears to have in it in sundry respects the nature of a Testament, yet in many things there is also a disagreement between them, evidencing that it is also a Covenant, and abideth so, notwithstanding what it hath of the nature of a Testament, from the death of the Testator. As,
1. A Testator amongst men ceaseth to have any right in, or use of the Goods bequeathed by him, when once his Testament is of force. And this is by reason of death, which destroys all title and use of them. But our Testator devests himself neither of Right nor Possession, nor of the use of any of his Goods. And this follows on a twofold difference, the one in the Persons, the other in the Goods, or things bequeathed.
(1) In the Persons: For a Testator, amongst men, dyeth absolutely; he liveth not again in this world, but lieth down and riseth not, until the Heavens be no more. Hereon all Right unto, and all use of the Goods of this life, ceaseth for ever. Our Testator dyed actually and really to confirm his Testament; but (1) He dyed not in his whole Person; (2) In that Nature wherein he dyed, he lived again, and is alive for evermore. Hence all his Goods are still in his own power.
(2) In the things themselves. For the Goods bequeathed in the Testaments of men, are of that nature, as that the Propriety of them cannot be vested in many, so as that every one should have a right unto and the enjoyment of all, but in one onelyonly. But the spiritual good things of the New Testament are such, as that in all the riches and fulness of them, they may be in the possession of the Testator; and of those also unto whom they are bequeathed. Christ parts with no Grace from himself, he diminisheth not his own Riches, nor exhausts any thing from his own Fulness, by his communication of it unto others. Hence also,
2. In the Wills of men, if there be a Bequeathment of Goods made unto many, no one can enjoy the whole Inheritance, but every one is to have his own share and Portion only. But in and by the New Testament, every one is made Heir to the whole Inheritance. All have the same, and every one hath the whole. For God himself thence becomes their Portion, who is All unto All, and All unto every one.
3. In Humane Testaments, the Goods bequeathed are such only as either descended unto the Testators from their Progenitors, or were acquired during their lives by their own industry. By their death they obtained no new Right or Title unto any thing, only what they had before, is now disposed of according unto their Wills. But our Testator, according unto an antecedent Contract between God the Father and him, purchased the whole Inheritance by his own blood, obtaining for us eternal Redemption.
4. They differ principally in this, That a Testament amongst men, is no more but meerly so; it is not moreover a Solemn Covenant that needs a confirmation suited thereunto. The bare signification of the Will of the Testator witnessed unto, is sufficient unto its constitution and confirmation. But in this Mystery the Testament is not meerly so, but a Covenant also. Hence it was not sufficient unto its force and establishment, that the Testator should dye only; but it was also required that he should offer himself in Sacrifice by the shedding of his blood, unto its confirmation. These things I have observed, because as, we shall see, the Apostle in the progress of his discourse, doth not confine himself unto this Notion of a Testament, but treats of it principally as it had the Nature of a Covenant. And we may here observe,
1. It is a great and gracious Condescension in the Holy Spirit, to give Encouragement and Confirmation unto our Faith, by a Representation of the Truth and reality of spiritual things, in those which are temporal and agreeing with them in their general nature, whereby they are presented unto the common understandings of Men. This way of proceeding the Apostle calls a speaking, foreign, Gal. 3. 15. After the manner of men. Of the same kind were all the Parables used by our Saviour; For it is all one whether these Representations be taken from things real, or from those which according unto the same Rule of Reason and Right, are framed on purpose for that end.
2. There is an irrevocable Grant of the whole Inheritance of Grace and Glory, made unto the Elect in the New Covenant. Without this it could not in any sense have the Nature of a Testament, nor that Name given unto it. For a Testament is such a free Grant, and nothing else. And our best Plea for them, for an interest in them, for a participation of them, before God, is from the free Grant and Donation of them, in the Testament of Jesus Christ.
3. As the Grant of these things is free and absolute, so the Enjoyment of them is secured from all interveniences by the death of the Testator.