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Who being the brightness; the same gospel minister, God’s Son, was, as to his person, apaugasma, a brightness shining out: which word sets forth the natural eternal generation of God the Son, discovering both the rise and flux of his being, and the beauteous and glorious excellency of it. It is the same in the sight of it with the Father’s, the brightness of glory, light of light, glory of glory to perfection, streaming from his Father incessantly; as beams issue from the sun, or the mental word is the invisible brightness of that spiritual light the intellect.
Of his glory; essential glory. Light is a faint, visible resemblance of God’s essence, his manifestation of himself in glory hath been by light; to Moses, Exo_33:18-23 34:5,29-31; to Isaiah, Isa_6:1-4; to Ezekiel, Eze_1:4-28, and Eze_10:1-22; to Daniel, Dan_10:5,6,8,16-19; to John, Rev_1:1-20,4:1-11, and Rev_5:1-14. And so Christ represented that of his person at his transfiguration, Mat_17:1-7. If created light be glorious in the sun, in angels; how much more God’s essential glory! Purity, beauty, light, how pleasant! But what are these to God? However the being of God be conceived, as wisdom, holiness, goodness, justice, power, the excellency of these above all created beings is this glory. No being is glory but God’s; this fundamental excellency shines no where as in this Son, Joh_1:14. By this are Father and Son declared distinct relations, subsisting together and co-eternal.
And the express image; as the beams are with the sun the same in time, yet are weaker, therefore the Holy Ghost adds, he is his very image; carakthr is an engraven image of the Father, every way like him; the word signifieth a sculpture, print, engraving, or seal; intimating its distinction from what impressed it, and its likeness or parity to it: so is the Son’s a distinct relation, yet naturally and integrally having all that might liken him to his Father, Col_1:15.
Of his person; thv upostasewv autou, of his subsistence. He is not the character of the Godhead, or of the Divine essence, but of the Father, the personal subsistence in the Deity. He is one and the same God with the Father, but his character as God is a Father, so that who seeth him seeth his Father, Joh_14:9; he is the visible representation of him, Col_2:9.
And upholding; the whole work of Providence is set out by upholding; ferwn imports sustaining, feeding, preserving, governing, throwing down, raising up, comforting, and punishing, &c. All would have fallen in pieces on man’s sin, had not he interposed, and stopped the world when it was reeling back into nothing, Col_1:17; and to this instant he preserveth and ruleth all, Isa_9:6 Joh_5:22.
All things; ta panta, a full, universal, comprehensive all, persons and things, angels, men, creatures good and bad, small and great, with all events, Act_17:24-31.
By the word of his power; not by an articulate voice, but his beck, will, or powerful command, whereby he doth whatsoever he pleaseth; his absolute, powerful, irresistible word; he acts as easily as others speak; there is no distinguishing between this word and power, they went together in the creation, Gen_1:3,6,7, and do so in his providence, Psa_33:9 148:8.
When he had by himself; when this God-man, as the great gospel High Priest, so styled, Heb_2:17, had by himself alone, being altar and sacrifice, as well as Priest, the sole efficient of this work without any assistance. He, by his eternal Spirit, offered up a sacrifice propitiatory to God, his human nature hypostatically united to his Divine, and expiring his soul, he immediately entered with the blood of the covenant the holy of holiest in heaven, and presenting it before the eternal Judge, made full satisfaction and expiation for sins, Heb_7:17 9:11,12,14,24,26 10:10,12,14.
Purged; by his satisfaction and merit, removing both the guilt and stain of sin; so as God, the injured Lawgiver, could be just as well as merciful in pardoning it; and justifying those who believe and plead it from the condemnation they were liable to for it, Rom_3:24-26 1Jo_1:7,9; and mortifying and killing sin in them by his purchased Spirit, Rom_10:10,12,14,18; compare 1Co_6:11 Eph_5:25-27.
Our sins; the sins of men, and not of angels; and the consequents of them, removing guilt, stain, and punishment, which they would fasten on us by his self-sacrifice, Heb_2:16.
Sat down; after his atoning for sinners, at the forty days’ end he ascended in his human nature, immortal in body and soul, and entered the second time the holy of holiest in heaven; and then ekayisen, made himself to sit as High Priest in the most honourable and immovable state and condition. He did not stand, as the typical high priest before God’s ark, but sat; and in this co-operated with his Father, and obeyed him, Psa_110:1; angels, and men, and creatures, all subjected to him, Eph_1:20-22. He doth sit quietly, Act_3:21, and surely; there is no shaking him from his ever-interceding for his, Heb_7:25.
On the right hand; a similitude expressing the height of glory that this God-man is advanced to; alluding to the state of the greatest king on his throne in his majesty, Eze_1:4,26-28 Da 7:9-14 1Ti_1:17. He is exalted by the royal Father as his eldest Son, invested with Godlike power, majesty, and glory, as Heb_8:1 Heb_10:12 12:2; there enjoying all that happiness, blessedness, all those dignities and pleasures, Psa_16:11; fulness of honour and glory, Heb_2:7; of government, rule, and dominion, Mat_28:18; of all royal and glorious abilities and endowments for the managing all things; he enjoyeth all these as the Father himself doth, who ordereth all by him, so as no creature is capable of it, Heb_1:13. All the power of doing all things in all worlds is lodged in his hands.
Of the Majesty on high; in the highest heaven is this possessed by him, and there is he to display his glory in ordering all, Heb_7:26 Heb_8:1 Eph_4:10: as in the happiest, so in the highest place is he to rule for ever; our advantage is by it, Eph_2:6, as to best of places and states.