(1) Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (2) Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. (3) For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. (4) For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. (5) And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; (6) But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Who, but must admire, the very beautiful method in which the Apostle opens this Chapter! Having in those two which are preceding, drawn out, in the most animated manner, to view, the Person of the Son of God; both in his divine nature, and in his human, and in the mysterious union of both; he now stands and calls upon the Church to behold and consider him! And what a glorious sight would it be, had we our spiritual senses, and the organs of vision so quickened and enlarged, as to form suitable apprehensions of his infinite dignity and greatness? I would beg the Reader's attention, to the very great beauty, contained in these few verses on this subject, both as it relates to the persons called upon to behold Christ; and Christ himself.
And first, let him remark of the persons called upon. They are said to be, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. By which, as I have uniformly all the way along observed, in all the Apostle's writings, is meant, the church, as distinguished from the carnal world. Holy brethren: by virtue of their oneness with Christ, being holy in Christ. Originally, and eternally, chosen by God the Father in Christ, to be holy and without blame before him is love. And predestinated, to the adoption of children for this purpose. And willed by the same Lord, to this holiness, as the final end of their creation in Christ. Be ye holy, for I am holy. And hence, by regeneration, made so, in Christ. And brethren; not only of each other, but of Christ their elder brother; being chosen in the same eternal purpose of God; and formed in the same Womb of eternity. Hence, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brethren.
And they are all partakers of the heavenly calling. For they are alike said to be a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, 1 Peter 2:9. Hence, from everlasting having been set apart in the grace union, with their glorious Head and Husband, they partake, in all the communicable grace, which flows from Jesus, to his members here; and in all that is communicable of glory from him, in the life to come. Now, it is to such, Paul calls to the contemplation of their adorable Lord Jesus Christ. And indeed it is such, and such only, that can take pleasure and find interest in the view. For to a carnal mind, there is no beauty to desire him: while to the faithful, and believing, regenerated by grace, he is the altogether lovely, and the fairest among ten thousand!
Let the Reader next look to Christ, and consider, while obeying the Apostle's call to behold Christ, the very gracious characters which Paul here particularly holds forth for the contemplation of his redeemed to view him under. First, the Apostle; and next with it, the high Priest of our profession. These he singles out, amongst numberless other most lovely, and engaging characters, as being more immediately suited to the subject, he had them before him. Reader! do not fail to mark them. If Jesus be dear to you, as your high Priest: (and how would a throne of grace be accessible or blessed without him), surely to behold Christ in this office, as sent and authorized, as the Almighty Apostle from God, must endear him, and make him so. Here indeed lies the vast stress, of the whole blessedness of the gospel. Christ is the great high Priest, Altar, and Sacrifice; in whom alone, and by whom alone, all our approaches to the throne are made. But it is Jehovah's authority, which gives efficacy to all. Christ is the great Apostle come from God and faith's great warrant to come to God by him. And the child of God, taught of God the Spirit, these precious, distinct, and at the same time, united views; finds all the encouragement to give him an holy boldness. For the poor sinner, that thus comes to God, in, and by Christ; comes to God, in God's own way. This is the remedy of God's own providing. And therefore it can never fail. It is, as if a child of God should say; how can I fear, how can I doubt of acceptance with God as long as I come to God, in this new and living way of God's Apostle and high Priest? Christ's blood and righteousness my offering; and God's own appointment for my pleading? Oh! that all the holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, may daily hear, the command of God the Holy Ghost, by his servant the Apostle, in this sweet scripture; and feel the blessed influence of the Spirit, at the same time in their hearts; and consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession Christ Jesus!
I beg the Reader next to notice, the beautiful method, which God the Holy Ghost adopts, in order to glorify the Lord Jesus. Indeed, it is a grand feature this, in the Spirit's teaching. He began this Epistle, with shewing the vast superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ to Angels; declaring that he was not only Him, by whom Jehovah made the worlds; but that when Jehovah brought him in, as the first begotten into the world, he commanded all the.Angels of God to worship him, Hebrews 1:2-6. And here, while writing again to the Hebrews, and knowing their attachment to their great minister Moses, the Apostle introduceth Moses to their view, by way of manifesting, that Moses, though such a Prophet as never before arose in Israel, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders, which the Lord sent him to do; yet, compared to Christ, was no more than a servant to a Son, Deuteronomy 34:10-11. And to confirm it, if possible, yet more, under the similitude of an house, and builder, the Apostle states that Moses, as a creature, or as an house which could not make or build itself, was but as both in the Lord's hand. Now he that built all things (and all things were made by Christ, and without Him, was not anything made, that was made: John 1:3) is, and must be, God: and consequently Christ is God. Reader! what can be more decisive, in confirmation of the true, and proper Godhead of or Lord Jesus Christ.
Neither, according to my apprehension of things, was it without an eye to the firm establishment of this glorious truth, of the Godhead of Christ, in the mind of the Church at this place; that the Holy Ghost, thus guided Paul to write, because the Lord was about to speak so much, as he hath done, of the true and proper manhood of Christ also. For the Lord the Spirit is here opening to the Church's view, Christ's faithfulness in his office, of the priesthood. For this man, (saith the Lord), was faithful to him that appointed him, and consequently counted worthy of more glory than Moses. Certainly, when the S on of God stood up at the call of his Father, as the Head and Husband, and Sponsor, and Surety of his Church; he became in her law-room and stead, the servant of Jehovah, and as such, faithfulness became him and his house forever! And what can be more blessed to the Church, than the consciousness and assurance of Christ, as God-Man Mediator, being a faithful High Priest to God and Man; and acting in that high capacity, in all he did, for his Church, his house, whose house are we? I detain the Reader, over what is here said, (and repeated with some little variation in verse 14), to observe, that when it is added, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope, firm unto the end: this is not said, as if our being Christ's house, was made, in the least, conditional, or in any way depended upon somewhat to be done, or held fast by us. If it were, indeed, it would reduce the house of Christ itself to a peradventure and make the whole of God's grace to rest upon the will of man. If the Reader will notice the words a little more closely, he will discover, through divine teaching, that it is our confidence, and our rejoicing which we are said to hold fast, and not our interest in Christ, if we would know for our joy, that we are Christ's house. My happiness, and my enjoyment of my interest in Christ, will indeed be more or less, as, through grace, I find strength, to hold fast my confidence in Christ. But my safety in Christ is in the Lord's holding me fast; and not I him. Men, who read their Bibles, untaught of God the Spirit, may fancy that such ifs and buts as they meet with here and there, are put for conditions and causes. But certainly not so. Here are no such things. Christ's house is of God the Father's laying in Christ himself, the sure foundation in Zion. And all his members are living stones, built up by God himself in this house, for an holy temple to the Lord, and an habitation of God through the Spirit, Isa 28:16; 1 Peter 2:5; Ephesians 2:20-22
Reader! I beseech you, as you value your privileges, and high calling in Christ; learn of God the Spirit how to estimate your safety in Christ. So wretchedly low at present is the tide of things, in the spiritual life of God in the soul, according to modern profession, of what some men call the Gospel; that in this land, where once it stood at high water mark, it is now nearly gone out, and left our shore at the lowest ebb. They do not live upon Christ, but upon their own self attainments. And while anything in self, can be found to satisfy their minds, they are at ease; though they have no communication, from the ocean of Christ, in those streams, which alone can truly make glad the city of God, Psalms 46:4.