that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory;" (Ephes. i. 3-15;) if we "walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." For Christ loves his church, "and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (v. 2. 25—27.) Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Phil. i. 11.) Therefore "let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, (because as man He could not evince perfection, had He not sustained every trial incidental to humanity.) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (the whole creation of God being interested in the universal propitiation;) and that every tongue should con

fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (ii. 5-11.)

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: Let us then abound in thanks unto our heavenly 'Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature: for by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible or invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him." He is the everlasting Father of the visible creation in the three several districts of the glorious universe. By him God made the world, and with his almighty coadjutor, the glorious Holy Ghost, all things were fitly framed to the glory of God the Father. "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled, (even our nature, as depraved a nature as could be selected from the vast infinitude of worlds, hath

He made partaker of the benefit,) in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven:" if all are to be saved by the same gospel whereof the apostle Paul is made a chief minister to us: revealing mysteries which have been hid from ages and from generations, but which He now makes manifest to the saints. All who are partakers have the gospel preached to them. (Col. i. 12-23. 26.) For God" will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (for it is in the degraded nature which the Son of God restored unto perfection that He mediates for sin,) who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time." (1 Tim. ii. 4-6.) For "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds: who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right-hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my

son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son? And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." (That is, his fellow probationaries-for in this sense Christ is fellow with every intelligent throughout the universe of God.) (Heb. i. 1-10.) But though in this sense Christ is their fellow, yet in the wonderful revelation contained in this epistle, especial care had been taken, previous to stating the just inserted information, to impress the mind with a due sense and knowledge of the transcendent dignity and highly exalted greatness of the Almighty Son of God over all created beings, and the same in continuation is zealously inculcated. "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right-hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be "Therefore heirs of salvation?" (verses 13, 14.) we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of re

ward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands. (Man in his innocent estate was a glorious and honourable being, and was invested with authority over the animal creation.) Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, be left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him," (that is, under the man Christ Jesus, who took part with flesh and blood," and unto whom we refer these words: for on the contrary, a great part of the world is as yet unacquainted with him and his authority.) Nevertheless, we see what we may well look upon as an earnest and security of it."* For "we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the sufferings of death"-(Jesus, as we have frequent occasion to observe, could not delineate an infinite perfection-a perfection that could atone for all imperfection, without enduring every trial to * Doddridge's Exposition.