the period, when Messiah shall declare the 66 "And again, I will be to him for a Father, and " he shall be to me for a Son.' CHAP. I. 5. Heb. i. 5. Second confirma The second confirmation of the same truth appears to extend to that period, when this decreed Sonship shall be in full and open manifestation; or when the Son shall enter into his inheritance; or when He, the Seed of David, shall be established in his kingdom; for the proposition to be proved is, that " God spake in a Son, whom he hath appointed heir;" so that these two testimonies are to the exaltation of humanity, in the Person of the Son, into that relation to God, of Son to Father, which raises him Testimonies to the above the most exalted creature. The former quotation touched upon his dignity, as reigning co-ordinately with God the Father: this refers rather to his own peculiar glory. It is taken from 2 Sam. vii. 11, &c. 2 Sam. VII. 11, &c. God-man. And this agrees with the Midrash Tillim, ut supra. &c. "The Lord telleth thee, that he will make thee a 2 Sam. vii. 11, "house." That is, raise up posterity; and David having sons at that time, the fulness of the promise must be, in the house being established for ever; as v. 13, latter clause. CHAP. I. 5. Ver. 12. "And when thy days be fulfilled, and "thou shall sleep with thy Fathers :" Comp. 1 Chron. xvi. 11. Christ's offices on a resurrection basis. Acts ii. 30. Acts ii. 30. Ps. xvi. This points out, that it must be some one raised up after David's death; but, as if purposely to exclude Solomon, he was crowned during David's life-time. "I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall "proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish "his kingdom." These expressions appear to me clearly to convey the idea of Messiah as the Son of David; and if (as I, in common with others, suppose,) Peter refers to this passage in his sermon, Acts ii. 30, we learn, that the expression" set up," or " raise up," denotes the resurrection of Messiah. The Apostle, explaining, that David, in consequence of God's promise, prophetically announced in Ps. xvi., that Messiah, after his resurrection, should sit upon his throne; therefore being a Prophet, and knowing, that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne: he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither did his flesh see corruption;" then, in v. 32, he asserts, that Jesus, having been "raised up," it was evident, that he was the one, whom God had made Messiah. Now it is important to observe, that the whole stress of Peter's argument to the Jews lies in the word raise up," denoting the "resur rection:' v. 30, he, seeing before, that God "would raise up the Messiah,” “ spake of the resurrection," or raising up of the Messiah; and of that "raising up," in v. 32, he affirms, that they were the witnesses. CHAP. I. 5. Acts ii. 30, 32. aud 18. Peter, in his next sermon, interprets the Actsiin. 22. same Hebrew word in a similar manner, with relation to Messiah's prophetical office.* “For Moses truly said unto the Fathers, a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren;" this refers to Deut. Dent. xviii. 15 xviii. 15 and 18, where the same Hebrew word is used. Now compare Acts iii. 26, where we have Peter's interpretation, "unto you first God (having raised up his Son Jesus,) sent him to bless you," &c. Lastly, St. Paul argues in the same manner, respect to Messiah's priestly office, Acts 23: "Of this man's (David's) seed hath God, according to promise, raised unto Israel with xiii. * Stephen also, when brought before the Sanhedrim, (Acts vi. 12,) does not deny having said, that Jesus should destroy the temple and change the rites, but proceeds to justify it, according to the promise, that the Lord should raise up a Prophet, whom they were to hear, although he did change the rites; because all the Lord's Prophets were to be heard, if they had the proof by fulfilment of prophecy, Deut. xviii. 22. But if the thing came to pass, and that was urged for a change of worship, Deut. xiii. 1-5, the prophet was to be stoned; the only sign to be given for that purpose, was "one raised from the dead." So when Jesus displayed the resurrection power, they said, (Luke vii. 16,) "That a great Prophet had been raised up," i. e. from the dead, upon which John Baptist, who had testified to Christ being the Lamb of God, (John i.) sent to ask him, whether he was "the coming one," v. 19. See the same Word, Ps xxiv. 3, stand;" 19 My dead body (Christ mys. tical.) shall they arise;" Isa. li. 17. CHAP. I. 5. : a Saviour;" this the Apostle re-affirms and proves v. 30, and 32, 33, " And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise, which was made unto the Fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children; in that he hath raised up Jesus again," &c. This the Apostle applies to the priestly office of Jesus, v. 38, 39, " Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this [Holy One] is preached unto you forgiveness of sins," &c. so that we have all Messiah's offices, Prophetical, Priestly, and Regal, established according to the promise of God, and the expectation of the Fathers, on a resurrection basis.* * I believe that the prophecy respecting the Priesthood, established upon the resurrection basis, is to be found in 1 Sam. ii. 35, which runs in our translation thus:-" And I will raise me up a faithful priest [that] shall do according to that which is in my heart, and in my mind; and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before mine Anointed for ever." We have the same Hebrew word for "raise up," here applied to the priestly office. This, moreover, connected with the expression for ever," I think, cannot relate to the Aaronic priesthood, but must to the order of Melchizedek. (Comp. Heb. vii. 15, where we have the same word as in Acts ii. 24, 30, 32, &c.) “ I will build him a sure house," or, as the Dutch has it, "Him will I build a faithful house." This appears clearly in opposition to the defection and destruction of Eli's sons. Ver. 31. Behold ... I will cut off thine arm (or thy seed,) and the arm (seed) of thy Father's house, &c. And as the sins of Eli's sons were the cause of the Priesthood departing from his house, the true opposition will require, that the faithfulness of the seed of this High Priest being secured, their permanently walking before God's anointed High Priest. will be attained. "Him will I build a faithful house, and it shall walk before the faces of my Messiah for ever,"—that is, the CHAP. I. 5. the Testimonies to This Sonship, therefore, does not signify the essential relation of Son, to God the Father, but the constituted relation; as words, I will be his Father," &c. also pear expressly to declare. 66 ap Ver. 13. "He shall build an house for my name. Solomon built a material and typical temple; but Christ is the builder of the mystical house, or the raiser of the spiritual seed to Jehovah. "And I will stablish the throne of his kingdom "for ever." Christ's resurrection Sonship. This promise appears reiterated, Luke i. Luke i 32. 32, He shall be great, (or the great [one] Deut. x. 17,) and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his Father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." Ver. 14. "I will be his Father, and he shall be my Son." It is evident, that Solomon was primarily and literally intended in this oracle; because it was the answer to David, that not he, but his seed, should build a literal temple to the Solomon pri marily intended. house or seed are to walk before Messiah, the Priest, for ever. Procopius Gazæus, in Gill, applies it to Christ. Boothroyd says, "I make 'Anointed' the nominative of the verb, and understand it to refer to the High Priest. .. so both Syr. and Arab. render." |