1. 1. in ~ .CO CJ o IS! ! co
2. 2. TUB WORKS OF JOHN OWEN, D.D. EDITED BY THE REV, WILLIAM H. GOOLD, D.D., EDINBURGH. VOL. XXIII. EDINBURGH: T. & T. CLARK, 38, GEORGE STREET. LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO. DUBLIN: JOHN ROBERTSON. MDCCCLXTf.
3. 3. EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. WITH PKELIMINAEY EXERCITATIONS. BY JOHN OWEN, D.D. EDITED BY W. H. GOOLD, D.D. VOL. VI. EDINBURGH: T. & T. CLARK, 38, GEORGE STREET. LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO. DUBLIN: JOHN EOBERTSON. MDCCCLXII.
4. 4. MURRAY AXD GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.
5. 5. AN EXPOSITION EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. CHAPTER VIII. THERE are two general parts of this chapter : 1. A further explica tion of the excellency of the priesthood of Christ, or of Christ him self as vested with that office, that is, both in his personal glory and in the usefulness oJ his office unto the church, above those of the order of Aaron. 2. A further confirmation hereof ; wherein is intro duced the consideration of the two covenants, the old and the new. For unto the former was the whole administration of the Levitical priests confined ; of the latter, Christ, as our high priest, was the mediator and surety. And therefore the apostle fully proves the excellency of this new covenant above the old ; which redounds unto the glory of its mediator. The first part is contained in the first five verses; the latter ex tends from thence to the end of the chapter. In the first part two things are designed : 1. A recapitulation of some things before delivered. 2. The addition of some further arguments in the confirmation of the same truth, so long before insisted on. Both of them he compriseth in three instances of the excellency of Christ in his priesthood, or in the discharge of his office : 1. In his exaltation and the place of his present residence, verse 1. 2. In the sanctuary whereof he is a minister, and the tabernacle wherein at present he doth administer, verse 2. 3. In the sacrifice he had to offer, or which he offered before his entrance into that sanctuary, verse 3 ; which he illustrates by two especial considera tions, verses 4, 5. VERSE 1. fe sirl roTg cyofisvoig, roiourov e%ofj,ev ap^ispsa, og ev 8s%itp roD Spovou rris /AiyaXuffuvrii iv ro?$ oupavoif. Syr., *??" ?, " caput." Vulg., " capitulum," " summa." Beza, * cfeterum eorum quae diximus haec summa est," " moreover this is the sum of
6. 6. 4 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIIL what we speak;" " summatim autem dicendo," " to speak briefly." ETTJ TO?? Kiyofiivois. Syr., V!??.^j "of all these things;" the head, chief, or principal of all these things. Vulg., " super ea quae dicuntur." Rhem., " the sum concern ing these things which he said." TOIOVTOV f%oftiv. Syr., " We have an high priest, him who sitteth ;" omitting this word, or including it in s *, " is," " ille." Tij? ft,fyx^ufft>vif!S. Vulg., " magnitudinis;" which the Rhemists render by "majesty;" and they retain "sedis" for Spovov. Beza, " majestatis illius;" or, "throni virtutis magnificandi." 1 Ver. 1. Now of the things that are spoken this is the sura: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. This first verse contains two things: 1. A preface unto that part of the ensuing discourse which immediately concerns the priest hood of Christ, unto the end of verse 5. 2. A declaration of the first pre-eminence of our high priest; which the apostle would have us in an especial manner to consider. First, The preface is in these words, KupdXaiov & siri rolg Xsyo- (4*1/01$: which maybe considered either as unto its design in general, or as unto the sense of the words: 1. The design of the apostle in this interlocution (which is not unusual with him), is to stir up the Hebrews unto a diligent con sideration of what he insisted on, and to leave an impression of it on their minds. And this he doth for two reasons: (1.) Lest the length and difficulty of his preceding discourse should have any way discomposed their minds, or wearied them in their attention, so as that they could not well retain the substance of what he pleaded. In such cases it was always usual with them who pleaded important causes before the wisest judges, to recapitulate what had been spoken at length before, and to show what hath been evinced by the arguments they had used in their plea. To this purpose speaks Quintilian, lib. vi. cap. i. : " Perorationis duplex ratio est posita, aut in rebus, aut in affectibus. Rerum repetitio et congregatio, qua? Greece dicitur uvaxttpahaiuais, a quibusdam Latinorum enumeratio, et memoriam judicis reficit, et totam simul causam ante oculos ponit; et etiam si per singula minus moverat, turba valet. In hac, quae repetemus quam brevissime dicenda sunt, et (quod Grseco verbo patet) decurrendum per capita." How this 1 TRANSLATIONS. Ez-l rolf fay. Literally, "of the things which are being spoken." Conybeare and Howson. " Of which we are speaking." Craik. " In the course of being spoken." Turner. " To what has been hitherto said." Ebrard. Kecpxh. "The prominent point." Turner. " The crowning point." Craik. " Sum will do here, if understood not of a recapitulation, but as a product resulting from all that goes before." Ebrard. " The most important thing in regard to what we are now treating of." Stuart. ED.
7. 7. VER. 1.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBEEThs. 5 whole course is steered by the apostle in this place is easy for any one to observe. (2.) Because of the importance of the matter in hand. He is treating of the very head of all the differences between the law and the gospel, between those who adhered unto Mosaical institutions and those who embraced the faith. Hence he calleth them unto a renewed attention unto what he delivered. For herein he set life and death before them, and was zealous for them, and earnest with them, that they would choose life, and not die in their unbelief. .2. The sense of the words is to be considered. Ks

   r^> " who ministered," (as in a sacred office); properly. TTO- "biiyp.ot.Tt, "exemplari." Rhem., "that serve the exemplar and shadow;" every way imperfectly. Syr., s ~?, "unto the similitude." Tui> tirovpeiviuv. Eras., "coelestium." Others, "rerum ccelestium ;" "of heavenly things." Syr., V.??? ^" fr^. "of the things which are in heaven." ~K.ot.6ug xexpyftiiTioToti, "sicut respon- sum est Mosi." Rhem., "as it was answered Moses." JLpriftetrtffftof is not an "answer," but an "oracle," given out upon inquiry, and so "any divine instruc tion." " Quemadmoduua divinitus dictum est." "Admonished of God," say we. Syr., r^r srs !I, "it was spoken," simply; which expresseth not the original. Ver. 5. Who serve [in sacred worship] unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, even as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle : for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. 1. "We must first consider the reading of these words, by reason of the testimony which the apostle quotes out of the law, and his ren dering thereof. The words in the original, Exod. xxv. 40, are, | " | N"^ nna n&o nns-i^K DTMana ng^ij "And look" (or "take heed") " and make after their pattern which was showed thee in the mount." The apostle adds vdvra, "all things;" which is not in the original, nor in the version of the LXX. But, (1.) He might take it from verse 9 of the chapter, where the word is expressed, ^K. "isp S ?b3 ^nis ns-ip ; _ according unto all that I shall show thee." (2.) Things indefinitely expressed are to be expounded universally : 1 Kings viii. 39, "And to give to every man according to his ways;" that is, 2 Chron. vi. 30, "and render to every man according to all his ways." Deut. xix. 15, "At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established;" that is, 2 Cor. xiii. 1, " shall every word be established." Ps. ex. 1, " Until I make thine enemies thy footstool ;" that is, 1 Cor. xv. 25, " all