VE RAO. Fpfile ró the H ti B RR Vir S. of it. Andthenoly Gha& hereby alfo intimates, that the way WherebyGod wits bring theSons untoGlory+, is full ofDifficulties, Perplexities and Oppolitions, As that of the 1fraelites into Canaan wasalfo ; fo that they have need of a Captain, Leader and Guide to carrythem through it. But yet all is rendered fafe and fecure unto them, through the Power, Grace and Faithfulnefs of their Leader. They only peril a in theWile/erneß and dye in their fins, who either out of love unto the Alb-pots of 1kgypt, the pleafures of this world, or being terrified with the hardships of the warfare which hecalls them unto, refute to goupunder his command. Fourthly, There is expreffed in the words, the efßecial way, whereby God fitted or defigned the LordChrift unto this Office of being a Captain of falvationunto theSous to bebrought unto Glory. To underhand this aright,we mutt òbferve,that the Apostle fpeaksnot here of the Redemption of the Elea abfolutely ; but of the bringing them to Glory,when they are made Sons in an efpecial manner. And therefore he treats not abfoluteyofthe Defignation,Confecration, or fittingof the Lord Chrift unto his Office ofMediator ingeneral, butas unto that part, and the Execution of it, which efpeci- ally concerns the leading of the Sons unto glory, as Jofhuab lead the Ifráelites intoCa- naan. This will give us light into what Al ofGod towards the Lord Chrift is in- tended in this expreflion, 7E20.00at rierav Jot waer natant. And fundry are here plead- ed byEeepofrtors, not without Tome probability. As ( r. ) Some think, that his bringing him to glory is intended ; it became him 7Ennr3sat, to bring him to Glory by apd through fufferings, fo to perfecht him. But beftdes, that the word is no where fo ufed, nor hath any fuch fignificationi the Apoltle doth not declare what God intend- ed to bring him unto, but bywhat in and about him, he intended to bring many Sons toglory. (z.)Some would have it to denote the ftnifhing of Gods workabout him ; whence in his sufferings on the Crofs he faid 7ilimlar, it is ffnilhed, John 19. 3o. This anfwers indeed the fenfe of the word waste, ofd in that place by our Saviour, but not of ten«w, the word here ufed by the Apòfrle, whichnever lignifies to end orftnifh, or toperfeaby bringing unto an end. (3. )Some think God made the Lord Chriftper. fea by fufferings , in that he gave him thereby a full fenfe and Experience of the condition of his people; whence he is faid to learn obedience by the thingsthat hefrfred, Chap. 5.8. And this is true, God did fo ; but it is not formally and direchtly expreffed by this word,which is never ufedunto that purpofe. This is rather a eon/quoinof the Ad here intended, than the AP it Golf. 7Eaa,boay then in this place lignifies toconfe_ crate, dedicate, tofaneHfie unto an Office, or fume efpecial Part or Ad of an Office This is the proper meaning of the word ;Tim, are Wirier ; and Tamaai, facred .417: andOffices ; 7e1E2,61gi,04, are thofe who are initiated and confecrated unto facred Of- fices or employments. See Exàd.29, 33, 35. in the LXX. Hence the Antients cal- led Baptifm rn,Lnns, or Confecration unto the facred Service of Chrift: and rigid;n, the word next infilled on by our Apoltle, is fo ufed by Chrift himfelf john17. 09. ezir áv7®v iya] dytega inaviìe; for theirfakes, I fanllifle, that is dedicate, confecrate, feparate my fell to be a Sacrifice. And his blood is faid to be that, is ,i dyrdsn, Heb. 10.29. wherewith be was fo confecrated. Not is this word ufed in any other fenfe in this whole Epiftle, wherein it isoften ufed, when applyed unto Chrift, See Chap. g. 9. Chap. 7, 28. And this was the oft of the word among the Heathen,fignifying the Initiationand Confecration of a man into the Mysteries of their Religion, to be a Leader untoothers. And among fome of them it was performed through the Miti- gation of the Devil by great fufferings. 'one áv .ir Nsepav dvtnvai10 Toe 7FMkiVal .1 r<) Pia Taiwan gedfaX, areetsa,he eTJ 0 aaebec,v, le4Eit indie seise ss el rata, faith Gregory Nazi- anzen.Orat, cont. Jul. 1. No man could be confecrated unto the myfferies of Mithra ( the Sun) unlefi heproved himfelf holy , and as it were inviolable, by pat ing through many degrees ofpunifhments and trials. Thus it became God to dedicate and confcrate the LordChrift unto this Part of his Office by his ownfuffirings. He confecrated Aaron to be Prieft of old, but bythe handsofMotes ; and hewas let apart to his Officeby the Sacrificeof other things. But the LordChrift muffbe confecrated byhis own fufferings, and the Sacrificed- himfelf. And thence it is, thatthofe very fufrings,which as ante- cedaneous unto 'his being a Captain offalvation,to this End that he might least the Sons unto Glory, are the means of his dedication or confecration, are in themfefves a great part of that means whereby he procures falvation for them. By all thefufrings then of the Lord Chrift in his life and death, by which fufferings he wrought our the fal- vation of the eiecht, did God confecrate and dedicate him to be a Prince, a Leader and Captainoffalvation unto his people; as Peter deelares the whole matter, AM-5.30,3t. and' 31 TtiAEro`rsar
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