But now hath he obtained a more excellent
ministry
Christ has a ministry, he is the minister of the sanctuary, (
Hebrews 8:2 )
he has "obtained" this ministry of his Father; he was called unto
it and engaged in it by him; and he has "now" obtained it; for
though he was called to it from eternity, it was in time he came
an high priest of good things, to come; and his ministry is
a more excellent
one than that of the priests, who offered gifts according to the
law and served to the example and shadow of heavenly things; as
abundantly appears from the preceding chapter, and from this, as
well, as from what follows:
by how much also he is the Mediator of a better
covenant;
the covenant of grace, as administered under the Gospel
dispensation; which is not only better than the covenant of
works, that being conditional, this absolute; that stood on the
foot of works, this on the foot of grace, and is established in
Christ; that being broken and made void, this continues; and not
only better than the covenant of the Levitical priesthood, which
was but a typical one, and is now ceased, but also than the
covenant of grace, as administered under the legal dispensation;
being better than that, as to the manner of its manifestation,
which is more full and clear; and as to the extent of its
administration, reaching to Gentiles as well as Jews; and as to
the ratification of it by the blood of Christ, called from thence
the blood of the everlasting covenant; and as to the promises of
it, here said to be better:
which was established upon better promises;
which are not now delivered out as before, under the figure of
earthly and temporal things; nor under a condition to be
performed nor confined to a particular people and nation; and
which are attended with a greater measure of the Spirit, to open
and apply them; and are all secured in Christ Jesus, and
confirmed by his blood: and now of this covenant Christ is the
"Mediator"; a mediator is of more persons than one, and of these
at variance; and he is a middle person between both; and his
business is to bring both parties together, and make peace
between them: the two parties in this case are God and man, set
at a distance from each other by the sin of man, whereby man is
become enmity to God; Christ is the Mediator between God and man,
a middle person between both, being both God and man, the
daysman, who lays his hands on both; who brings men to God that
were afar off, and makes peace for them by the blood of his
cross, and satisfies the justice of God, which he has done by the
sacrifice of himself; and now appears in the presence of God for
them, and intercedes for them, and applies the blessings of the
covenant to them by his Spirit, and keeps and preserves them safe
to his everlasting kingdom; and for this office he is every way
fit, and in this he excels the Levitical priests, and has a
ministry superior to theirs, since he is such a Mediator, and a
Mediator of such a covenant,
