Exercitation on Hebrews, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 1 · Exposition of verse 19
Verse X, XI, XII.
IN the following Verses, the Apostle by another illustrious Testimony taken out of Psal. 102. confirms his principal Assertion in the words ensuing.
Vers. 10, 11, 12.
Vers. 10.
foreign.
Vers. 11.
foreign;
Vers. 12.
foreign.
In the last verse for foreign one copy hath foreign, to answer unto foreign. And M.S.T. foreign.
The words are the same in the Greek Bibles as in this place of the Apostle, nor is there any foot-step of any other old Translation of them in the Psalm. The Syriack differs little,foreign. foreign it renders foreign, and again, to shew that foreign is no part of the testimony cited, but serves only to the introduction of another. v. 11. For foreign, they shall perish; foreign, they shall pass away; alluding to that of 2 Pet. 3.10. foreign, the heavens shall pass away with a noise: foreign, but thou abidest, thou continuest, foreign, & tu stans es, & tu stas, & tu stabilis es; and Thou standest, thou art standing; answering the Hebrew, foreign in the Psalm. foreign, thou shalt roll them up. foreign, which words Interpreters render variously, though to the same purpose; involves, Boderianus, roll them; complicabis, Tremelius, fold them, Duplicabis; D' Dieu, double them up. And it is manifest, that the Translator reads foreign, and not foreign; and I doubt not but the same word was inserted into the Translation of the Psalm from this place of the Apostle, foreign, thou art the same, or thou art, I am. foreign; Boderia: Et tu sicut existens es; and thou art as thou existest. Tremel. Tu autem sicut es, cris; But th…u shalt be as thou art. Properly, And thou, as thou art, art; that is, art the same.
foreign.The Translation of the Apostle in all things material answereth the Original in the Psalm;foreign. v. 26, 27. foreign, thou, O Lord, is supplied out of the verse fore-going, I said, O my God. foreign, of old, before it was; that is, foreign, or foreign, in the beginning. foreignAnd our Translation needed not to have used any difference of expression in the Psalm and this place of the Apostle, as they do; there, of old; here, in the beginning. Thou hast founded (not laid the foundation of) the earth. And the heavens are the works: foreign, the work, which the Greek renders works, because of their variety; of thy hands.
foreign.They shall perish, foreign; but thou shalt stand, or dost abide. The word used in our Translation of the Psalm, (endure) doth ill answer the Original, but the margin gives relief. Psal. Yea all of them shall wax old like a garment; here, And they shall all wax old as doth a garment. A little variety without difference, and that needless; the Greek Text exactly expressing the Hebrew. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, foreign;foreign. shalt thou change them. The change of a vesture, whereunto the change of the Heavens is compared, being by folding up, and laying aside, at least from former use;foreign. the Apostle instead of foreign, thou shalt change, renders the word by foreign, thou shall fold, or roll them up: foreign, & tu ipse, and thou art he; foreign; and thy years shall have no end; shall not fail, foreign, shall not consume.
There is no question but that these words do sufficiently prove the Preheminence of him of whom they are spoken, incomparably above all Creatures what ever. Two things therefore are questioned by the Enemies of the Truth contained in them: 1. Whether they were originally spoken at all of Christ, which the present Jews deny. 2. Whether they are spoken all of Christ, which is questioned by the Socinians. These Enquiries being first satisfied, the words shall be opened, and the force of the Apostles Argument from thence declared.
1. That what is spoken in this Psalm doth properly respect the Messiah is denied by the present Jews. That it was owned by the antient Hebrews is sufficiently evident from hence, that the Apostle dealing with them on their own Principles, urgeth them with the testimony of it. The Psalm also it self-gives us light enough into the same instruction. It is partly Euctical, partly Prophetical; both parts suited unto the condition of the Church when the Temple was wasted, and Sion lay in the dust during the Babylonish Captivity. In the Prophetical part there are three things signal.
1. The Redemption of the people, with the Re-edification of the Temple, as a Type of that Spiritual Temple and Worship which was afterwards to be erected. As v. 13. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Sion, for the time to favour her, yea the set time is come. And v. 16. When the Lord shall build Sion, he shall appear in his glory.
2. The Calling of the Gentiles to the Church and Worship of God, v. 15. The Heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the Kings of the earth thy glory. V. 21, 22. To declare the name of the Lord in Sion, and his praise in Jerusalem, when the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms to serve the Lord.
3. Hereby the creation of a new people, a new world, is brought in: v. 18. This shall be written for the generation to come, (the world to come) and the people that shall be created (the new creation of Jews and Gentiles) shall praise the Lord. These are the heads of the Prophetical part of the Psalm, and they all respect things every where peculiarly assigned unto the Son who was to be incarnate; or the days of the Messiah, which is all one. For,
1. The Redemption and deliverance of the Church out of trouble is his proper work. Where ever it is mentioned, it is he who is intended. Psal. 98.18. so signally, Zech. 2.8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. and other places innumerable.
2. The bringing in of the Gentiles is acknowledged by all the Jews to respect the time of the Messiah, it being he who was to be a light unto the Gentiles; and the salvation of God unto the ends of the earth.
3. Also the Generation to come, and people to be created, the Jews themselves interpret of the foreign, world to come, or the new state of the Church under the Messiah. These two last put together, the gathering of the people, and the world to come, created for the praise of God, makes it evident that it is the Son whom the Psalmist hath respect unto.
Grotius in this place affirms, that the Apostle accommodates unto the Messiah what was spoken of God. And he thinks it a sufficient argument to prove, the words were not spoken of the Messiah, because they were spoken of God: whereas they are produced by the Apostle to prove his Excellency from the properties and works of his Divine Nature. And he addes, as the sense of the words, as accommodated unto Christ, Thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, that is, the world was made for thy sake. But this Interpretation, or violent detortion of the words destroys it self. For if they are spoken of God absolutely, and not of the Messiah to whom they are accommodated, how can it be said that the world was made for his sake, and not by him? both senses of the words cannot be true. But this is indeed plainly to deny the Authority of the Apostle.
It appeareth then, that many things in this Psalm are spoken directly and immediately of the Son; though it be probable also that sundry things in it are affirmed distinctly of the Person of the Father. And hence it may be are those frequent variations of speech from the Second to the Third Person, that occur in this Psalm.
2. As to the second Enquiry, the Socinians, who grant the Divine Authority of this Epistle, and therefore cannot deny but that these words some way or other belong unto the Lord Christ, yet plainly perceiving that if they are wholly understood of him, that there is an end of all their Religion; (the creation, not of a new, but of that world which was made of old, and which shall perish at the last day, being here ascribed unto him) fix here upon a new and peculiar Evasion. Some words, they say, of this testimony belong unto Christ, (so much they will yield to the authority of the Apostle) but not all of them; whereby they hope to secure their own errour. Now because if this pretence hold not, this testimony is fatal to their perswasion, I hope it will not be unacceptable, if in our passage we do consider the distribution they make of the words according to their supposition, and the Arguments they produce for the confirmation of their Exposition, as they are managed by Crellius or Schlictingius in their Comment on this place.
1. He says, that this testimony doth so far belong unto Christ, as it pertaineth unto the scope of the Writer of the Epistle. This Scripture, saith he, as appears from v. 4. is to prove, that after Christ sate down at the right hand of God, he was made more excellent than the Angels; whereto the affirming that he made heaven and earth, doth no way conduce.
Answ. 1. Suppose that to be the scope of the Apostle which is intimated; how doth this Author know that it suits not his purpose to shew that the Lord Christ is God, by whom Heaven and Earth were made, seeing it is manifest that himself thought otherwise, or he had not produced this testimony thereof. 2. The Testimony is not unsuited unto the scope pretended. For whereas in the Administration of his Office the Son was apparently for a while made lower than the Angels, he may in these words discover the equity of his after Exaltation above them, in that in his Divine Nature and Works he was so much more excellent than they. 3. The true and proper design of the Apostle we have before evinced, which is to prove the Excellency of the Person by whom the Gospel was revealed, and his Preheminence above Men and Angels, which nothing doth more unquestionably demonstrate than this, that by him the world was created; whence the Assignation of a Divine Nature unto him doth undeniably ensue.
2. To promote this Observation, he addes a large discourse about the use and application of testimonies out of the Old Testament in the New, and says, That they are made use of by the writers of it, either because of some agreement and likeness between the things intended in the one and the other, or because of some subordination. In the former way, that which is spoken of the Type, is applied unto the Anti-type; and sometimes for likeness sake, that which was spoken of one thing is applied unto another, as Matth. 15.7, 8. our Saviour applies those words of Isaiah to the present Jews, which were spoken of their fore-fathers.
Answ. That which is spoken in the first place of an instituted Type, is also spoken of the Anti-type or things pre-figured by it, so far as it is represented by the Type; so that one thing teaches another, and thereon the words have a double application; first to the Type; ultimately to the Anti-type. But herein such testimonies as this have no concernment. 2. The Scripture sometimes makes use of Allegories, illustrating one thing by another, as Gal. 4.21, 22, 23, 24. Neither hath this any place here. 3. That what is spoken of one, should because of some similitude be affirmed to be spoken of another, and nothing agree properly unto him, is untrue, and not to be exemplified with any seeming instance. 4. The words of Isaiah, chap. 29.13. which our Saviour makes use of, Matth. 15.7, 8, 9. were a Prophesie of the Jews who then lived, as both our Saviour expresly affirms, and the Context in the Prophet doth plainly declare.
Some things he addes, Are applied unto others than they are spoken of, because of their subordination to him or them of whom they are spoken. Thus things that are spoken of God are applied unto Christ, because of his subordination to him; and of this, saith he, we have an instance in Acts 13.47. where the words spoken of the Lord Christ, Isa. 49.6. I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the ends of the earth; are applied unto the Apostles because of their subordination unto Christ. And in this case the words have but one sense, and belong primarily unto him of whom they are first spoken, and are secondarily applied unto the other.
Answ. According to this Rule, there is nothing that ever was spoken of God, but it may be spoken of and applied unto any of his Creatures: All things being in subordination unto him. At least it may be so in that wherein they act under him, and are in a peculiar subordination to him. And yet neither can such a subordination, according to this mans Opinion, be applied unto Christ, who in the Creation of Heaven and Earth was in no other subordination to God, than any other things not yet made or existing; so that this Rule, that what is spoken of God is applied unto them who are in subordination unto him, as it is false in it self, so it is no way suited to the present business; Christ being in this man's judgment in no subordination to God when the world was made, being absolutely in all respects in the condition of things that were not. Nor doth the instance given at all prove or illustrate what is pretended. The Apostle in the citing of those words to the Jews, doth not in the least apply them to himself, but only declares the ground of his going to preach the Gospel unto the Gentiles; which was, that God had promised to make Him whom he preached to be a Light, and to bring salvation unto them also.
Wherefore he addes, 3. what is direct to his pretension, That all the words, or things signified by them in any testimony, which are firstly spoken of one, and then are for some of the causes mentioned, (that is, conveniency, similitude or subordination) applied unto another, are not to be looked on as proper to him to whom they are so applied; but so much of them is to be admitted as agrees to the scope of him by whom the testimony is used: as in the testimony produced, v. 7. I will be unto him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son; the words immediately following are, If he shall offend against me, I will chastise him with the rod of men; which words being spoken of Solomon, can no way be applied unto Christ.
Answ. What is spoken of any Type and of Christ jointly, is not so spoken for any natural conveniency, similitude or subordination, but because of Gods institution, appointing the Type so to represent and shadow out the Lord Christ, that what he would teach concerning him should be spoken of the Type whereby he was represented. Now no person that was appointed to be a Type of that, being in all things a Type, it is not necessary that what ever was spoken of him was also spoken of Christ, but only what was spoken of him under that formal consideration of an instituted Type. This we shewed the case to have been with Solomon, of whom the words mentioned were spoken, as he bare the Person of Christ: Other things being added in the same place, that belonged unto him in his own personally moral capacity. And therefore those things (as that, if he offend against me) are not at all mentioned by the Apostle, as not being spoken of him as a Type. And this plainly over-throws the pretension of our Commentator. For if the Apostle would not produce the very next words to the testimony by by him brought, because they did not belong unto him of whom he spake, it proves undeniably that all those which he doth so urge and produce were properly spoken of him. And I cannot reach the strength of this inference, because in a place where all that was spoken was not spoken of Christ, the Apostle makes use of what was so spoken of him, and omits that which was not; therefore of that which he doth produce in the next place, somewhat does belong to him, and somewhat does not. If any thing be offered to this purpose, it must be in an instance of a testimony produced, in the words whereof, which are produced, and not in what may follow in the same Chapter and Psalm, there is that affirmed, which doth now no more belong unto Christ, than the making of heaven or earth belongeth to this Writer, which is the case in hand.
Having premised these general considerations, he makes Application of them in particular to his Interpretation of this Testimony used by the Apostle.
These words, saith he, being first expresly spoken of God, and here by this Writer referred unto Christ, we must consider what in them makes to his scope and purpose, what is agreeable to the nature and condition of Christ, who certainly was a man; and such certainly is not He which the Psalm speaks of, about the Creation of heaven and earth. And this was well known to them with whom the Apostle had to do.
But any one may perceive that these things are spoken gratis, and upon the supposition that Christ was a meer Man, and not God by Nature. When the words themselves ascribing a prae-existence to the World, and Omnipotency unto him, do prove the contrary. What is the scope of the Apostle in the whole discourse under consideration, hath been shewed; as also how directly this whole Testimony tends to the proof of what he had proposed. It is true, that the words are spoken of him who is God, but no less true, the Apostle being judge, that it is the Son of God who is that God. It is true, that he also was Man, and nothing is ascribed unto him but what belongs unto him, who was Man, but not as he was man. And such was the Creation of Heaven and Earth.
The opinion of these men is, that whereas two things are mentioned in the words, the Creation of the world, which was past; and the dissolution or destruction of it, which was to come, that the latter is assigned unto Christ, but not the former: and for this division of the words, which confessedly is not in the least intimated by the Apostle, he gives these reasons.
1. All the words of the Psalm being manifestly spoken of the high God, and no word in the Psalm declaring Christ to be that God, yet of necessity if these words be applied unto Christ, he must be supposed to be the high God there spoken of. But if this Divine Writer had taken this for granted, he had been eminently foolish to go about to prove by Arguments and Testimonies, that the Creator does excel all creatures. He should use in a matter no way doubtful witnesses no way necessary.
This is the first Reason whereby he would prove that the Apostle did not apply the words to Christ, though himself say plainly that he does; for his Preface to them is, But to the Son he said: Or that if he doth so, he doth it wondrous foolishly; for such liberty do poor worms take to themselves. That the Psalm so speaketh of the high God, that it directly and peculiarly intends Christ the Son of God, hath been in part declared, and shall farther afterwards be evinced. And the Elogium in these words given unto him proves him to be so. And though he affirm that it was a foolish thing in the Apostle to prove from the works of him that is God, that he is above the Angels, the most glorious of made creatures, yet God himself most frequently from these his works, his Omniscience, Omnipresence, and other Attributes declared in them, proves his excellency in comparison of Idols, which have no existence but in the imagination of men. See Isa. 41.20, 21, &c.
By this testimony then, the Holy Ghost with infinite Wisdom proves, that he who was made less for a little while than the Angels, in one respect, was absolutely and in his own person infinitely above them, as being the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
He addes, Secondly, Those Hebrews to whom he wrote were either perswaded that Christ was God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, or they were not; if they were, what need of all these Arguments and Testimonies? one word might have dispatched this whole controversie, by affirming that Christ was the Creator, Angels creatures, between whom there could be no comparison; nor any reason to fear that the Law given by the Administration of Angels should be preferred to the Gospel whereof he was the Author: if we shall say the latter, that they did not yet believe it; how do we suppose that he takes a great deal of pains to little purpose? for he assures and takes for granted, that that was true which was alone in question. What need He then to prove by so many Arguments that Christ was more excellent than the Angels, and to take that for granted which would have put it out of question, namely that he was God who made heaven and earth.
Answ. This Dilemma hath as much force against the other testimonies produced in this Chapter or else-where by the Apostle, as it hath against this; so that the using of it doth scarce argue that Reverence to the Holy Word of God which is required of us. But the truth is, grant whether of the suppositions you please, nothing of inconveniency as unto the Apostles argumentation will ensue. Let it be granted that they did believe, and that expresly Christ to be God; Have Believers no need to have their faith confirmed by testimonies out of the Word, that may not so readily occur to themselves? Have they no need to be strengthned in the faith, especially in such points as were in those days greatly opposed, as was this of the Eternal Glory of the Messiah, concerning which the believing Hebrews had to do with learned and stubborn Adversaries continually. And if the Apostle might have ended the whole controversie, by plainly affirming that he was the Creator of all things, and the Angels creatures; might he not as well have ended the dispute about his Preheminence above Angels with one word, without citing so many testimonies to prove it? But had he then unfolded the mysteries of the Old Testament to the Hebrews, which was his design? Had he manifested that he taught nothing but what was before revealed (though obscurely) to Moses and the Prophets, which he aimed to do, thereby to strengthen and confirm in the faith those that did believe, and convince gain-sayers? Again, suppose some of them to whom he wrote did not yet expresly believe the Deity of Christ, as the Apostles themselves did not for a while believe his Resurrection; could any more convincing way be fixed on to perswade them thereunto, than by minding them of those testimonies of the Old Testament, wherein the Attributes and Works of God are ascribed unto him? Nor was it now in question whether Christ was God or no; but whether he were more Excellent than the Angels that gave the Law: And what more effectual course could be taken to put an end to that Enquiry, than by proving that he made the Heaven and Earth; that is, producing a testimony, wherein the creation of all things is assigned unto him, is beyond the wisdom of man to invent.
3. He addes, That Christ might be spoken of in this place, either in respect of his Human… Nature, or of his Divine; if of the former, to what end should he make mention of the creation of Heaven and Earth; Christ as a man, and as made above the Angels, made not Heaven and Earth. If as God, how could he be said to be made above the Angels?
But the answer is easie; Christ is said to be made above, and more excellent than the Angels, neither absolutely as God, nor absolutely as man, but as he was God-Man, the Mediator between God and man; in which respect as Mediator for the discharge of one part of his Office, he was a little while made lower than they; and so the Creation of Heaven and earth does demonstrate the Dignity of his Person, and the Equity of his being made more excellent than the Angels in his Office. And this fully removes his following exceptions, that the remembring of his Deity could be no argument to prove that the Humanity was exalted above the Angels: for it is not an argument of the Exaltation of his Humanity, but the demonstration of the Excellency of his Person that the Apostle hath in hand.
4. He alledgeth, That it is contrary to the perpetual use of the Scripture, to affirm absolutely of Christ that he created any thing. When any creation is ascribed unto him, it is still applied to him as the immediate cause, and said to be made by him, or in him; he is no where absolutely said to create. And if he created the world, why did not Moses as plainly attribute that unto him, as the Writers of the New Testament do the new Creation?
Answ. Were it affirmed in this only place that Christ made all things, yet the words being plain and evident, and the thing it self agreeable to the Scripture in other places, and not repugnant to any testimony therein contained, there is no pretence for them who truly reverence the Wisdom and Authority of the Holy Ghost in the Word, to deny the words to be spoken properly and directly: Nor if we may take that course will there be any thing left sacred and foreign in the Scripture. Besides, we have shewed already the vanity of that distinction, of God's making things by Christ, as though it denoted any subordination in causality; nor will the Socinians themselves admit of any such thing, but confute that notion in the Arians. But this is not the only place wherein it is affirmed that Christ made all things that are in the Heaven and the Earth, Joh. 1.1, 2. Col. 1.16. v. 3. of this Chapter, with sundry other places affirm the same. For what they exact of Moses, did we not believe that God knew what Revelation of himself became that dark dispensation better than they, we might consider it. But yet there are even in Moses himself many, and his Expositors the Prophets more Testimonies of the Creation of the world by the Word, that is, the Son of God, which have elsewhere been opened and vindicated.
5. He concludes; That the Order and Method of the Apostles procedure do evince, that this Creation of Heaven and Earth is not attributed unto him. For we see that he proves the excellency of Christ above Angels from his name that he is by the way of eminency called the Son of God; and then he proceeds to his adoration by Angels; and in the third place, he goes on to the Kingly Honour and Throne of Christ; after which he produceth the testimony we insist upon, and then adds the end of that Kingdom which Christ now administreth in the Earth; to what end in this discourse should he mention the Creation of Heaven and Earth; when if that be omitted all the series of the discourse agrees and hangs well together? For having declared the Kingdom of Christ, with the continuance of his person for ever, he asserts an eminent effect of the Kingdom in the abolition of Heaven and Earth, and then the end of that Kingdom it self.
But this Analysis of the Apostles discourse, agreeth not to the mind of the Apostle, or his Design in the place; nor to the Principles of the men that formed it, nor is indeed any thing but vain words, to perswade us that the Apostle did not say that which he did say, and which is written for our instruction: It is not first agreeable to their own Principles; For it placeth the naming of Christ, the Son of God, and his Adoration by the Angels, as antecedent to his being raised to his Kingly Throne, both which, especially the latter, they constantly make consequent unto it, and effects of it. Nor is it at all agreeable to the Apostles design, which is not to prove by these Testimonies directly that Christ was exalted above Angels; but to shew the Dignity and Excellency of his person who was so exalted, and how reasonable it is that it should be so; which is eminently proved by the Testimonie under consideration. For the proof of this Excellency, the Apostle produceth those Testimonies that are given unto him in the Old Testament; and that as to his Name, his Honour and Glory, and his Works in this place. Neither is there any Reason of ascribing the Destruction of Heaven and Earth unto the Kingly Power of Christ, excluding his Divine Power in their Creation; for the Abolition of the world, (if such it is to be) or the change of it, is no less an effect of Infinite Power than the Creation of it; nor doth it directly appertain to the Kingdom of Christ, but by accident, as do other works of the Providence of God.
These Exceptions then being removed, before we proceed to the Interpretation of the words, we shall see what Evidence may be added unto what we have already offered from the Psalm, to evince and prove, that this whole Testimony doth belong unto him, which were there no other, (as there are very many) Testimonies to this purpose, were abundantly sufficient to determine this Controversie.
1. We have the Authority of the Apostle for it, ascribing it unto him; the word And, in the beginning of the Verse relates confessedly unto; but unto the Son he saith, v. 8. as if he had said: but unto the Son he saith, thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever; and to the Son he said, Thou O God, in the beginning hast founded the earth. Again, the whole Testimony speaks of the same person: there being no colour of thrusting another person into the Text not intended in the beginning: so that if any part of what is spoken do belong to Christ, the whole of necessity must do so. To suppose that in this sentence, thou hast laid the Foundation of the earth, and thou shalt fold them up as a garment, that one person is understood in the first place, another in the latter, no such thing being intimated by the Psalmist or the Apostle, is to suppose what we please, that we may attain what we have a mind unto. One person is here certainly and only spoken unto; if this be the Father, the words concern not Christ at all, and the Apostle was deceived in his Allegation of them; if the Son, the whole is spoken of him, as the Apostle affirms. Nor 3. Can any Reason be assigned why the latter words should be attributed to Christ, and not the former. They say it is because God by him shall destroy the world, which is the thing in the last words spoken of; but where is it written that God shall destroy the world by Christ? If they say in this place; I say then Christ is spoken to, and of in this place; and if so, he is spoken of in the first words and thou Lord, or not at all; Besides, to whom do those closing words belong, but thou a… the same, and thy years fail not? If these words are spoken of Christ, it is evident that all the foregoing must be so also; for his enduring the same, and the not failing of his years; that is, his Eternity is opposed to the Creation and temporary duration of the world. If they say, that they belong unto the Father primarily, but are attributed unto Christ, as that of changing or abolishing the world, because the Father doth it by him, I desire to know what is the meaning of these words, thou art the same by Christ? and thy years fail not by Christ? Is not the Father Eternal but in the man Christ Jesus? If they say, that they belong not at all to Christ; then this is the summ of what they say; the beginning of the words, and the close of them, if spoken of Christ would prove his Infinite Power, Eternity and Divine Nature; One passage there is in the words which we suppose will not do so, therefore we will grant, that that passage concerneth him, but not the beginning, nor end of the testimony, though spoken undeniably of the same person; which whether it becomes men professing a Reverence of the Word of God is left to themselves to judge. Besides, should we grant all these suggestions to be true, the Apostle by his citing of this Testimony would prove nothing at all to his purpose, no not any thing toward that which they affirm him to aim at; namely, that he was made more excellent than the Angels: For whence out of these words shall any such matter be made to appear? they say in that by him God will fold up the Heavens as a Vesture; but First, No such thing is mentioned nor intimated. He who made them, is said to fold them; and if they say that from other places it may be made to appear, that it shall be done by Christ; then as this place must be laid aside as of no use to the Apostle, so indeed there is nothing ascribed to Christ, but what the Angels shall have a share in, and that probably the most principal; namely in folding up the Creation as a garment, which is a work that servants are employed in, and not the King, or Lord himself. Indeed he that shall without prejudice consider the Apostles Discourse, will find little need of Arguments to manif…st whom he applyes this Testimony unto. He calls him foreign, in the beginning, using that word which perpetually in the New Testament denotes the Lord Christ, as plainly expounding the Text so far, as to declare of whom it speaks. Nor doth this Testimony ascribe any thing to him, but what in general he had before affirmed of him; namely, that by him the worlds were made; nor was it ever heard of, that any man in his right wits should cite a Testimony to confirm his purpose, containing words that were never spoken of him to whom he applyes them; nor is there scarce any thing in them, that can tolerably be applyed unto him; and the most of it would declare him to be that which he is not at all: so that the words as used to his Purpose must needs be both false and ambiguous. Who then can but believe on this Testimony of the Apostle, that Christ the Lord made Heaven and Earth; and if the Apostle intended not to assert it, what is there in the Text or near it, as a buoy to warn men from running on a shelf, there where so fair an harbour appears unto them? From all that hath been said it is evident, that this whole Testimony belongs to Christ, and is by the Apostle asserted so to do.
Proceed we now to the Interpretation of the Words; The Person spoken of, and spoken unto in them;foreign. is the Lord; foreign, thou Lord. The words are not in the Psalm in this Verse, but what is spoken is referred unto foreign, my God, I said, O my God; take me not away in the midst of my dayes; comforting himself under the consideration of the frailty and misery of his Life, with the thoughts and faith of the Eternity and Power of Christ. For be our Lives never so frail, yet as to life eternal, because he liveth we shall live also; and he is of Power to raise us up at the last day, John 14.19. 1 Cor. 15. and that is the ground of all our consolation against the brevity and misery of our lives. Whereby it also further appears, that it is the Lord Christ whom the Psalmist addresses himself unto; for from the absolute consideration of the Omnipotency and Eternity of God, no consolation can be drawn. And indeed, the people of the Jews having openly affirmed that they could not deal immediately with God, but by a Mediator, which God eminently approved in them, wishing that such an heart would alwayes abide in them, Deut. 5.25, 26, 27, 28, 29. So as he suffered them not to approach his typical presence between the Cherubims, but by a typical Mediator, their High Priest; so also were they instructed in their real approach unto God, that it was not to be made immediately to the Father, but by the Son, whom in particular the Apostle declares the Psalmist in this place to intend.
Concerning thi… Person or the Lord he affirms two things; or attributes two things unto him; 1. The Creation of Heaven and Earth: 2. The Abolition or change of them: from that Attribution he proceeds to a comparison between him and the most glorious of his creatures; and that as to Duration or Eternity: Frailty and Change in and of himself, one of the creatures, being that which in particular be addresseth himself to the Lord about.
2. The Time or season of the Creation is first intimated; foreign, for foreign,foreign that is, foreign, in the beginning, or as the word is here, foreign, of old; before they were, or existed. They had their being and beginning from thee; of old they were not; but in thy season thou gavest Existence or being unto them.