The Sufferings of Christ, Part 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. The Vindication of Heb. 5.7.
Heb. 5.7. Chriſt in the daies of his fleſh when he had offered up praiers and ſupplications with ſtrong crying and tears unto him that was able to ſave him from death, and he was heard in that which he feared.
Dialogu I Reverence your Authours who expound the word Fear to mean the Fear of Aſtoniſhment at the feeling of Gods wrath for our ſin, but I muſt tell you; that there are other Learned and Godly Divines that are contrary to them in their interpretation of the word Fear. K. James his Tranſlators do reade it thus in the margent, He was heard becauſe of his piety. M. Tyndal and M. Overdale tranſlate thus, He was heard for his reverence. And the Geneva in other places tranſlate the ſame Greek word Godly fear, as in Luke 2.25. Act. 8.2. Heb. 12.28. and in this very ſenſe muſt this Greek word be tranſlated in Heb. 5.7.
Anſw. It is ſufficient that Chriſts ſuffering of the wrath of God be taught in other Scriptures, though not in this, it may be taught in this verſe, though not in the word foreign tranſlated In that which he feared.
foreign being a word that ſignifieth both Fear of reverence, and a fear of evil impending, notwithſtanding the received rule of interpretation (which orders ſuch words to be expounded according to the nature and circumſtances of the place) many godly learned have taken it, ſome one way, ſome another, yet all generally acknowledging that Chriſt ſuffered the wrath of God, though ſome acknowledge not this word to afford an argument thereof. K. James Tranſlators, as they reade piety in the margent, which you mention, ſo they reade fear in the Text which you mention not. M. Tyndall and M. Overdale, though they tranſlate the Greek as you ſay, yet how far that tranſlation is from helping your cauſe, or prejudicing ours, will fully appear in the ſequel of this chapter.
If the Greek word be tranſlated Godly Fear, Heb. 5.7. it may only thence be inferred, that this word affords not an argument, but it no way weakens the cauſe, which hath Arguments enough beſide.
Dialogu. The Greek word doth properly ſignifie ſuch a fear as makes a man exceeding wary, and heedfull how he toucheth any thing that may hurt him.
Anſw. Cartwright in Rh. Teſt. Heb. 5.7.Your explication is too generall to give the property of the word, the word ſignifieth both Reverence and fear, but the proper ſignification of this word, being (ſaith Cartwright) never ſevered from fear, and yet ſometimes disjoyned from reverence; It followeth that the property of the Greek word ſerveth better for to note fear then reverence.
Dialogu. I come now to explain the very thing it ſelf from which Chriſt prayed to be ſaved, which was that he might be delivered from death, and this petition was the maſterpeece of all his prayers.
Anſw. He prayed that he might be delivered from death, Good, but this death was the death of the croſſe; for unto it his ſtrong cries refer, Mar. 14.37, the principall matter whereof was the curſe, viz. the wrath of God, wherefore alſo out of this verſe, from the word Death (if not from the word tranſlated Fear) it is truly argued, that Chriſt ſuffered the wrath of God. Not Chriſts ſalvation out of his ſufferings, but the glory of God in the ſalvation of the Elect was the maſter-piece of his prayers, Joh. 17.
Dialogu. But for the better understanding the very thing it ſelf that he did ſo often, and ſo earneſtly pray to be delivered from, we muſt conſider him with a twofold reſpect.
1. As he was true man, ſo he prayed to be ſaved from death conditionally, Mat. 26.39.
2. We muſt conſider him in this Text as he was our Mediatour, and ſo he prayed to be ſaved from death abſolutely, namely, to be ſaved from his natural fear of death when he came to make his oblation: for he knew well enough that if there had remained in him but the leaſt naturall unwillingneſſe to die, when he came to make his oblation, it would have spoiled the mediatorial efficacy of his oblation.
Anſw. To conſider Chriſt as man diſtinct from the conſideration of Chriſt as Mediatour, is to conſider the Mediatour without the conſideration of him as man, that is, to conſider the Mediatour as not a Mediatour: for it is eſſentiall to Chriſt as Mediatour to be Godman.
That praier of Chriſt Mat. 26.39. was as much the praier of the Mediatour as this Heb. 5.7. neither was the manhood more concerned in that then in this.
To underſtand by death Heb. 5.7. his naturall fear of death, and by that his fear of offending God by his naturall unwillingneſſe to die (for ſo you expound your ſelf) beſide the manifeſt and fearleſſe violence offered thereby unto the text, is (that you may wave the true cauſe of his fear, namely, the wrath of God, together with your ſilencing the wonted cauſe aſſerted by you, namely, the fear of bodily death) to deviſe a new cauſe of the fear of Chriſt, viz. leſt he ſhould offend God, i. e. leſt he ſhould ſin, chooſing rather to ſay, that Chriſt was afraid of the evil of ſin then of the evil of puniſhment for ſin.
That which it was impoſſible for Chriſt to be touched with, that Chriſt was not afraid of.
But to offend God by his unwillingneſſe to die, was impoſſible for Chriſt to be touched with.
Therefore Chriſt was not afraid of unwillingneſſe to die.
Unwillingneſſe to die in Chriſt had been a ſin, he having received a command to lay down his life,Damaſc. de fide orthod. l. 3. c. 23. Joh, 10.17. Heb. 4.15. Naturall fear is either pure, and without vice, this was in Chriſt; or impure, adverſe to reaſon, this was not in Chriſt. So Damaſcene long ſince.
This ſpoiling of the mediatorly efficacy of this oblation is a ſuppoſition of impoſſibility, therefore could not be an object of fear to him who was only ſubject to pure and reaſonable fear.Significat timorem rationabilem. Cham. de deſcen. l. 5. c. 5.
Dialogu. The word foreign is noted to ſignifie a reaſonable fear.
For he had from eternity covenanted with his father to give his ſoul (by his own active obedience) as a mediatoriall ſacrifice of atonement for our ſins, Joh. …0.17, 18. therefore he must not die a poſitive death by the power of man, but he muſt die as Mediator by the actuall and joynt concurrence of both divine and humane nature: no man could force his ſoul out of his body by all the torments they could deviſe, but he muſt ſeparate his own ſoul from his body by the joint concurrence of both his natures.
Anſw. If he covenanted only to ſuffer a bodily death, as you ſay, you muſt needs think very unworthily (to ſay no worſe) of him that was God, whileſt you put upon him ſo great fear of breaking covenant upon ſo ſmall temptation. Notwithſtanding he covenanted to ſuffer ſpirituall death, i. e. the wrath of God, yet becauſe he was God, it was impoſſible that he ſhould break his word, and conſequently impoſſible that he ſhould fear an impoſſibility. He laid down his life as a ſurety, whic… none could have taken away againſt his will, but he took not away his life as an executioner.
If he had covenanted to take away his own life as an executioner, neither then could he have broken his word, becauſe he was God; nor had ſo covenanting oppoſed, but engaged him to the ſuffering of the wrath of God, his death being the curſed death of the croſſe.
Dialogu. Christ made his oblation an exact obedience unto Gods will, both for matter, manner, and time, and this mediatorial action of his was the higheſt degree of obedience that the father required, or that the ſon could perform for mans atonement and redemption.
Anſw. True. But in our ſenſe, not yours: of which afterwards.
Dialog. His obedience in his death was not Legall but mediatoriall.
Anſw. It was both mediatorly and legall. It was the obedience of the Mediatour, as ſuch, unto the Law. Such a perſon obeying, and ſuch obedience from that perſon, were both requiſite for the meritorious procuring of our atonement and redemption.
Dialog 2. He prayed alſo to be delivered from the dominion of death after he had made his oblation, and God heard him and delivered him by his reſurrection on the third day, Act. 2.24, 27.
Anſw. By death then here we are not only to underſtand the fear of death which elſewhere you ſeem to ſay. He prayed to be delivered, and we delivered from the dominion of death, i. e. of the curſed death of the croſſe; therefore he ſuffered the curſe, i. e. the wrath of God.
Dialogu. Neither doth the word Fear in this Text ſignifie ſuch an amazed naturall fear of death as the other word Fear doth ſignifie, Mar. 14.33. which word I have expounded to ſignifie our Saviours troubled naturall fear of death, and no more.
Anſw. According to you Fear Mar. 14.33. ſignifieth naturall fear of death and no more: but Fear Heb. 5.7. ſignifieth a godly fear, leſt he ſhould offend God by his unwillingneſſe to die, that is, Mark ſpeaks of a naturall fear of a naturall evil, the Authour to the Hebrews of a morall fear of a morall evill; a diſtinction as vain as weak, without any warrant. The object of fear in both places is the ſame, why ſhould not the affection of fear at leaſt for the kinde of it be the ſame? He offered up prayers with ſtrong cries, Heb. 5.7. and Jeſus cried with a loud voice, Mar. 14.37.
Dialogu. And therefore it cauſed him in the daies of his fleſh to offer up many prayers and ſupplications with ſtrong cries and tears unto him that was able to ſave him from death, namely, from his natural fear of death, and he was heard becauſe of his godly fear.
Juſt now you interpreted the word Death in the Text properly, he prayed, ſay you, to be delivered from the dominion of death; now you interpret it figuratively, namely, for the naturall fear of death, one and the ſame word (eſpecially not being typicall) is capable but of one ſenſe in the ſame place.
As concerning the meaning of the place. There are no greater aſſerters of Chriſts ſuffering the wrath of God then thoſe who tranſlate the Greek word by Reverence, underſtanding it cauſally, viz. that Chriſt was heard for that humble reverence wherewith he was affected towards God in his prayers, yet thoſe who tranſlate it Fear, give many reaſons leading thereunto.
How terrible is eternall death, if naturall death be called the King of terrour! Job 18.4. foreign Beza in loc. Cham. de deſcen. Bellarm. enerv. t. 1. l. 2. c. 2.1. The proper ſignification of the word.
2. The frequent uſe of it in this ſenſe by Greek Authours both ſacred and ſecular, as alſo Philoſophers, Hiſtoriographers, and Poets.
3. Analogy of Scripture.
4. The mention of death that great object of fear, together with the affection of fear in the ſame verſe, And
Laſtly, Becauſe the Greek praepoſition annexed thereunto, doth not well agree with the tranſlation of it by reverence. For though the praepoſition according to Bellarmines inſtances is read with a genitive caſe, and noteth the internall cauſe of an action; yet it never is obſerved to ſignifie the externall moving cauſe of an action, which is the preſent caſe. Pareus (who diſalloweth neither of the interpretations, yet thinks the Syriack interpreter to have beſt underſtood the place, and cleared the text) rendreth it thus;Vid. Bezam & Paraeum in loc. who alſo in the daies of his fleſh offered prayers and ſupplications with ſtrong cries and tears unto him that was able to ſave him from death, and was heard. And though he were a ſon, yet learned he obedience from his fear, and the things which he ſuffered. Tremellius followeth him and Beza diſlikes him not herein, the ſenſe being the ſame.