,libraries7 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,this e-text is intended for users whose text readers cannot display the ,unicode 7utf-#h7 version of the file4 ,greek words have been transliterated and enclosed in equals signs1 e4g4 ho logos4 ,italic and 99bold99 words have been similarly enclosed in underscores and asterisks respectively4 ,a few minor typographical errors and incorrect verse numbers have been silently corrected4 ,the ,table of ,contents and ,index refer to page numbers in the original text4 ,all advertising material has been placed at the end of the text4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4 ,editor of ,the ,expositor1 etc4 ,,the ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,hebrews ,,by ,,thomas ,,charles ,,edwards1 ,d4,d4 ,london ,,hodder ,,and ,,stoughton #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row ,,mcmiv ,,the ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,hebrews ,,by ,,thomas ,,charles ,,edwards1 ,d4,d4 ,,principal ,,of ,,the ,,university ,,college ,,of ,,wales1 ,,aberystwyth ,,ninth ,,edition ,london ,,hodder ,,and ,,stoughton #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row ,,mcmiv ,printed by ,hazell1 ,watson ,viney1 ,ld41 ,london and ,aylesbury4 ,,preface4 ,in this volume the sole aim of the writer has been to trace the unity of thought in one of the greatest and most difficult books of the ,new ,testament4 ,he has endeavoured to picture his reader as a member of what is known in the ,sunday-schools of ,wales as the teachers' class1 a thoughtful ,christian layman1 who has no ,greek1 and desires only to be assisted in his efforts to come at the real bearing and force of words and to understand the connection of the sacred author's ideas4 ,it may not be unnecessary to add that this design by no means implies less labour or thought on the part of the writer4 ,but it does imply that the labour is veiled4 ,criticism is rigidly excluded4 ,the writer has purposely refrained from discussing the question of the authorship of the ,epistle1 simply because he has no new light to throw on this standing enigma of the ,church4 ,he is convinced that ,st4 ,paul is neither the actual author nor the originator of the treatise4 ,in case theological students may wish to consult the volume when they study the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 they will find the ,greek given at the foot of the page1 to serve as a catch-word1 whenever any point of criticism or of interpretation seems to the writer to deserve their attention4 ,t4 ,c4 ,e4 ,,aberystwyth1 ,april #abth1 #ahhh4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,revelation ,,in ,a ,,son #c ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,son ,,and ,,the ,,angels #ba ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,fundamental ,,oneness ,,of ,,the ,,dispensations #ea ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,great ,,high-,,priest #fi ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,impossibility ,,of ,,renewal #hc ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,impossibility ,,of ,,failure #ii ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,allegory ,,of ,,melchizedek #aac ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,new ,,covenant #acc ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,an ,,advance ,,in ,,the ,,exhortation #ahc ,,chapter ,x4 ,,faith ,,an ,,assurance ,,and ,a ,,proof #aii ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,abraham #bac ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,moses #bcc ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,a ,,cloud ,,of ,,witnesses #bei ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,conflict #bgc ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,mount ,,zion #bic ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,sundry ,,exhortations #cae ,,index #cca ,,summary4 ,i4 ,,the ,,revelation ,,in ,a ,,son3 i4 #a-c4 #a4 ,the previous revelation was in portions2 this is a ,son1 ,who is the ,heir and the ,creator4 #b4 ,the previous revelation was in divers manners2 this in a ,son1 ,who is 7#a7 the effulgence of ,god's glory2 7#b7 the image of ,his substance2 7#c7 the ,sustainer of all things2 7#d7 the eternal ,priest-,king4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,son ,,and ,,the ,,angels3 i4 #d-;ii4 #ah4 #a4 ,the ,revealer of ,god ,son of ,god3 i4 #d-;ii4 #d4 #b4 ,the ,son the ,representative of man3 ii4 #e-ah4 7#a7 ,he is crowned with glory as ,son1 that ,his propitiation may prove effectual1 and ,his humiliation involves a propitiatory death4 7#b7 ,his glory consists in being ,leader of ,his people1 and ,his humiliation fitted ,him for leadership4 7#c7 ,his glory consists in power to consecrate men to ,god1 and ,his humiliation endowed ,him with this power4 7#d7 ,his glory consists in the destruction of ,satan1 and ,satan is destroyed through the ,son's humiliation4 ,,iii4 ,,fundamental ,,oneness ,,of ,,the ,,dispensations3 iii4 i-iv4 #ac4 #a4 ,moses and ,christ are equally ,god's stewards4 #b4 ,the threatenings of ,god under the ,old ,testament are in force in reference to apostasy from ,christ4 #c4 ,the promises of ,god are still in force4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,great ,,high-,,priest3 iv4 #d-v4 #aj4 #a4 ,his sympathy4 #b4 ,his authority4 ,v4 7,a ,,digression7 ,,the ,,impossibility ,,of ,,renewal ,,in ,,the ,,case ,,of ,,scoffers3 v4 #aa-vi4 #h4 ,their renewal is impossible 7#a7 because the doctrine of ,christianity is practical1 and 7#b7 because ,god's punishment of cynicism is the destruction of the spiritual faculty4 ,,vi4 7,,continuation ,,of ,,the ,,digression47 ,,the ,,impossibility ,,of ,,failure3 vi4 #i-bj4 ,,vii4 ,,the ,,allegory ,,of ,,melchizedek3 vii4 #a-bh4 #a4 ,melchizedek foreshadows the kingship of ,christ4 #b4 ,melchizedek foreshadows the personal greatness of ,christ4 #c4 ,the allegory teaches the existence of a priesthood other than that of ,aaron1 viz41 the priesthood founded on an oath4 #d4 ,the allegory sets forth the eternal duration of ,christ's priesthood4 ,,viii4 ,,the ,,new ,,covenant3 viii4 #a4 #a4 ,a new covenant promised through ,jeremiah3 viii4 #a-ac4 ,the new covenant would excel 7#a7 in respect of the moral law2 7#b7 in respect of knowledge of ,god2 7#c7 in respect of forgiveness of sins4 #b4 ,a new covenant symbolized in the tabernacle3 ix4 #a-ad4 #c4 ,a new covenant ratified in the death of ,christ3 ix4 #ae-x4 #ah4 ,,ix4 ,,an ,,advance ,,in ,,the ,,exhortation3 x4 #ai-ci4 ,x4 ,,faith ,,an ,,assurance ,,and ,a ,,proof3 xi4 #a-c4 ,,xi4 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,abraham3 xi4 #h-ai4 #a4 ,his faith compared with the faith of ,noah4 #b4 ,his faith compared with the faith of ,enoch4 #c4 ,his faith compared with the faith of ,abel4 ,,xii4 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,moses3 xi4 #bc-bh4 #a4 ,faith groping for the work of life4 #b4 ,faith chooses the work of life4 #c4 ,faith a discipline for the work of life4 #d4 ,faith renders the man's life and work sacramental4 ,,xiii4 ,a ,,cloud ,,of ,,witnesses3 xi4 #bj-xii4 #a4 ,,xiv4 ,,conflict3 xii4 #b-ag4 ,faith as a hope of the future endures the present conflict against men4 #a4 ,the preparatory training for the conflict consists in putting away 7#a7 our own grossness2 7#b7 the sin that besets us4 #b4 ,the contest is successfully maintained if we look unto ,jesus 7#a7 as ,leader and ,perfecter of our faith2 7#b7 as an example of faith4 #c4 ,the contest is necessary as a discipline in dealing with 7#a7 the weaker brethren1 7#b7 the enemy at the gate1 and 7#c7 the secular spirit4 ,,xv4 ,,mount ,,zion3 xii4 #ah-bi4 ,the revelation on ,sinai preceded the sacrifices of the tabernacle2 the revelation on ,zion follows the sacrifice of the ,cross4 ,hence-- #a4 ,sinai revealed the terrible side of ,god's character1 ,zion the peaceful tenderness of ,his love4 #b4 ,the revelation on ,sinai was earthly2 that on ,zion is spiritual4 ,,xvi4 ,,sundry ,,exhortations3 xiii4 #a-be4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,revelation ,,in ,a ,,son4 ,god1 having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners1 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in ,his ,son1 ,whom ,he appointed ,heir of all things1 through ,whom also ,he made the worlds2 ,who being the effulgence of ,his glory1 and the very image of ,his substance1 and upholding all things by the word of ,his power1 when ,he had made purification of sins1 sat down on the right hand of the ,majesty on high4--,,heb4 i4 #a-c 7,r4,v474 ,god hath spoken4 ,the eternal silence has been broken4 ,we have a revelation4 ,that ,god has spoken unto men is the ground of all religion4 ,theologians often distinguish between natural religion and revealed4 ,we may fairly question if all worship is not based on some revelation of ,god4 ,prayer is the echo in man's spirit of ,god's own voice4 ,men learn to speak to the ,father ,who is in heaven as children come to utter words3 by hearing their parent speak4 ,it is the deaf who are also dumb4 ,god speaks first1 and prayer answers as well as asks4 ,men reveal themselves to the ,god ,who has revealed ,himself to them4 ,the ,apostle is1 however1 silent about the revelations of ,god in nature and in conscience4 ,he passes them by because we1 sinful men1 have lost the key to the language of creation and of our own moral nature4 ,we know that ,he speaks through them1 but we do not know what ,he says4 ,if we were holy1 it would be otherwise4 ,all nature would be vocal1 like some sweet beguiling melody4 ,but to us the universe is a hieroglyphic which we cannot decipher1 until we discover in another revelation the key that will make all plain4 ,more strange than this is the ,apostle's omission to speak of the ,mosaic dispensation as a revelation of ,god4 ,we should have expected the verse to run on this wise3 ,god1 having spoken unto the fathers in the sacrifices and in the prophets1 institutions1 and inspired words1 etc4 ,but the author says nothing about rites1 institutions1 dispensations1 and laws4 ,the reason apparently is that he wishes to compare with the revelation in ,christ the highest1 purest1 and fullest revelation given before2 and the most complete revelation vouchsafed to men1 before the ,son came to declare the ,father1 is to be found1 not in sacrifices1 but in the words of promise1 not in the institutions1 but in holy men1 who were sent1 time after time1 to quicken the institutions into new life or to preach new truths4 ,the prophets were seers and poets4 ,nature's highest gift is imagination1 whether it makes a world that transcends nature or sees what in nature is hidden from the eyes of ordinary men4 ,this faculty of the true poet1 elevated1 purified1 taken possession of by ,god's ,holy ,spirit1 became the best instrument of revelation1 until the word of prophecy was made more sure through the still better gift of the ,son4 ,but it would appear from the ,apostle's language that even the lamp of prophecy1 shining in a dark place1 was in two respects defective4 ,god spake in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners4 ,he spake in divers portions2 that is1 the revelation was broken1 as the light was scattered before it was gathered into one source4 ,again1 ,he spake in divers manners4 ,not only the revelation was fragmentary1 but the separate portions were not of the same kind4 ,the two defects were that the revelation lacked unity and was not homogeneous4 ,in contrast to the fragmentary character of the revelation1 the ,apostle speaks of the ,son1 in the second verse1 as the centre of unity4 ,he is the ,heir and the ,creator of all things4 ,with the heterogeneous revelation in the prophets he contrasts1 in the third verse1 the revelation that takes its form from the peculiar nature of ,christ's ,sonship4 ,he is the effulgence of ,god's glory1 the very image of ,his substance2 ,he upholds all things by the word of ,his power2 and1 having made purification of sins1 ,he took ,his seat on the right hand of the ,majesty on high4 ,let us examine a little more closely the double comparison made by the ,apostle between the revelation given to the fathers and that which we have received4 ,first1 the previous revelation was in portions4 ,the ,old ,testament has no centre1 from which all its wonderful and varied lights radiate1 till we find its unity in the ,new ,testament and read ,jesus ,christ into it4 ,god scattered the revelations over many centuries1 line upon line1 precept after precept1 here a little and there a little4 ,he spread the knowledge of ,himself over the ages of a nation's history1 and made the development of one people the medium whereby to communicate truth4 ,this of itself1 if nothing more had been told us1 is a magnificent conception4 ,a nation's early struggles1 bitter failures1 ultimate triumph1 the appearance within it of warriors1 prophets1 poets1 saints1 used by the ,spirit of ,god to reveal the invisible6 ,sometimes revelation would make but one advance in an age4 ,we might almost imagine that ,god's truth from the lips of ,his prophets was found at times too overpowering4 ,it was crushing frail humanity4 ,the ,revealer must withdraw into silence behind the thick veil1 to give human nature time to breathe and recover self-possession4 ,the occasional message of prophecy resembles the suddenness of ,elijah's appearances and departures1 and forms a strange contrast to the ceaseless stream of preaching in the ,christian ,church4 ,still more strikingly does it contrast with the ,new ,testament1 the greater book1 yea the greatest of all books4 ,only two classes of men deny its supremacy4 ,they are those who do not know what real greatness is1 and those who disparage it as a literature that they may be the better able to seduce foolish and shallow youths to reject it as a revelation4 ,but honest and profound thinkers1 even when they do not admit that it is the word of ,god1 acknowledge it to be the greatest among the books of men4 ,yet the ,new ,testament was all produced--if we are forbidden to say given--in one age1 not fifteen centuries4 ,neither was this one of the great ages of history1 when genius seems to be almost contagious4 ,even ,greece had at this time no original thinkers4 ,its two centuries of intellectual supremacy had passed away4 ,it was the age of literary imitations and counterfeits4 ,yet it is in this age that the book which has most profoundly influenced the thought of all subsequent times made its appearance4 ,how shall we account for the fact8 ,the explanation is not that its writers were great men4 ,however insignificant the writers1 the mysterious greatness of the book pervades it all1 and their lips are touched as with a live coal from the altar4 ,nothing will account for the ,new ,testament but the other fact that ,jesus of ,nazareth had appeared among men1 and that ,he was so great1 so universal1 so human1 so ,divine1 that ,he contained in ,his own person all the truth that will ever be discovered in the book4 ,deny the incarnation of the ,son of ,god1 and you make the ,new ,testament an insoluble enigma4 ,admit that ,jesus is the ,word1 and that the ,word is ,god1 and the book becomes nothing more1 nothing less1 than the natural and befitting outcome of what ,he said and did and suffered4 ,the mystery of the book is lost in the greater mystery of ,his person4 ,here the second verse comes in1 to tell us of this great ,person1 and how ,he unites in ,himself the whole of ,god's revelation4 ,he is appointed ,heir of all things1 and through ,him ,god made the ages4 ,he is the ,alpha and the ,omega1 the first and the last1 ,he which is1 and which was1 and which is to come1--the spring from which all the streams of time have risen and the sea into which they flow4 ,but these are the two sides of all real knowledge2 and revelation is nothing else than knowledge given by ,god4 ,all the infinite variety of questions with which men interrogate nature may be reduced to two3 ,whence8 and whither8 ,as to the latter question1 the investigation has not been in vain4 ,we do know that1 whatever the end will be1 the whole universe rises from lower to higher forms4 ,if one life perishes1 it reappears in a higher life4 ,it is the ultimate purpose of all which still remains unknown4 ,but the ,apostles declare that this interrogation is answered in ,jesus ,christ4 ,only that they speak1 not of ultimate purpose1 but of the appointed ,heir4 ,he is more than the goal of a development4 ,he is the ,son of the living ,god1 and therefore the ,heir of all the works and purposes of ,his ,father4 ,he holds ,his position by right of sonship1 and has it confirmed to ,him as the reward of filial service4 ,the word ,heir is an allusion to the promise made to ,abraham4 ,the reference1 therefore1 is not to the eternal relation between the ,son and ,god1 not to any lordship which the ,son acquires apart from ,his assumption of humanity and atoning death4 ,the idea conveyed by the word ,heir will come again to the surface1 more than once1 in the ,epistle4 ,but everywhere the reference is to the ,son's final glory as ,redeemer4 ,at the same time1 the act of appointing ,him ,heir may have taken place before the world was4 ,we must1 accordingly1 understand the revelation here spoken of to mean more especially the manifestation of ,god in the work of redemption4 ,of this work also ,christ is the ultimate purpose4 ,he is the ,heir1 to ,whom the promised inheritance originally and ultimately belongs4 ,it is this that befits ,him to become the full and complete ,revealer of ,god4 ,he is the answer to the question1 ,whither8 in reference to the entire range of redemptive thought and action4 ,again1 ,he1 too1 is the ,creator4 ,many seek to discover the origin of all things by analysis4 ,they trace the more complex to the less complex1 the compound to its elements1 and the higher developments of life to lower types4 ,but to the theologian the real difficulty does not lie here4 ,what matter whence1 if we are still the same8 ,we know what we are4 ,we are men4 ,we are capable of thinking1 of sinning1 of hating or loving ,god4 ,the problem is to account for these facts of our spirit4 ,what is the evolution of holiness8 ,whence came prayer1 repentance1 and faith8 ,but even these questions ,christianity professes to answer4 ,it answers them by solving still harder problems than these4 ,do we ask who created the human spirit8 ,the ,gospel tells us who can sanctify man's inmost being4 ,do we seek to know who made conscience8 ,the ,new ,testament proclaims ,one ,who can purify conscience and forgive the sin4 ,to create is but a small matter to ,him ,who can save4 ,jesus ,christ is that ,saviour4 ,he1 therefore1 is that ,creator4 ,in being these things1 ,he is the complete and final revelation of ,god4 ,second1 previous revelations were given in divers manners4 ,god used many different means to reveal ,himself1 as if ,he found them one after another inadequate4 ,and how can a visible1 material creation sufficiently reveal the spiritual8 ,how can institutions and systems reveal the personal1 living ,god8 ,how can human language even express spiritual ideas8 ,sometimes the means adopted appear utterly incongruous4 ,will the great ,spirit1 the holy and good ,god1 speak to a prophet in the dreams of night8 ,shall we say that the man of ,god sees real visions when he dreams an unreal dream8 ,or will an apparition of the day more befittingly reveal ,god8 ,has every substance been possessed by the spirit of falsehood1 so that the ,being of beings can only reveal ,his presence in unsubstantial phantoms8 ,has the waking life of intellect become so entirely false to its glorious mission of discovering truth that the ,god of truth cannot reveal ,himself to man1 except in dreams and spectres8 ,yet there was a time when it might be well for us to recall our dreams1 and wise to believe in spiritualism4 ,for a dream might bring a real message from ,god1 and ecstasy might be the birth-throes of a new revelation4 ,some of the good words of ,scripture were at first a dream4 ,in the midst of the confused fancies of the brain1 when reason is for a time dethroned1 a truth descends from heaven upon the prophet's spirit4 ,this has been1 but will never again take place4 ,the oracles are dumb1 and we shall not regret them4 ,we consult no interpreter of dreams4 ,we seek not the seances of necromancers4 ,let the peaceful spirits of the dead rest in ,god6 ,they had their trials and sorrows on earth4 ,rest1 hallowed souls6 ,we do not ask you to break the deep silence of heaven4 ,for ,god has spoken unto us in a ,son1 ,who has been made higher than the heavens1 and is as great as ,god4 ,even the ,son need not1 must not1 come to earth a second time to reveal the ,father in mighty deeds and a mightier self-sacrifice4 ,the revelation given is enough4 ,we will not say in our hearts1 ,who shall ascend into heaven8 7that is1 to bring ,christ down37 or1 ,who shall descend into the abyss8 7that is1 to bring ,christ up from the dead47 ,the word is nigh us1 in our mouth1 and in our heart3 that is1 the word of faith1 which we preach4#a ,the final form of ,god's revelation of ,himself is1 therefore1 perfectly homogeneous4 ,the third verse explains that it is a revelation1 not only in a ,son1 but in ,his ,sonship4 ,we learn what kind of ,sonship is ,his1 and how its glorious attributes qualify ,him to be the perfect ,revealer of ,god4 ,nevermore will a message be sent to men except in ,jesus ,christ4 ,god1 ,who spake unto the fathers in divers manners1 speaks to us in ,him1 ,whose ,sonship constitutes ,him the effulgence of ,god's glory1 the image of ,his substance1 the ,upholder of the universe1 and1 lastly1 the eternal ,redeemer and ,king4 #a4 ,he is the effulgence of ,god's glory4 ,many expositors prefer another rendering3 the reflection of ,his glory4 ,this would mean that ,god's self-manifestation1 shining on an external substance1 is reflected1 as from a mirror1 and that this reflection is the ,son of ,god4 ,but such an expression does not convey a consistent idea4 ,for the ,son must be the substance from which the light is reflected4 ,what truth there is in this rendering is more correctly expressed in the next clause3 the image of ,his substance4 ,it is1 therefore1 much better to accept the rendering adopted in the ,revised ,version3 the effulgence of ,his glory4 ,god's glory is the self-manifestation of ,his attributes1 or1 in other words1 the consciousness which ,god has of ,his own infinite perfections4 ,this implies the triune personality of ,god4 ,but it does not imply a revelation of ,god to ,his creatures4 ,the ,son participates in that consciousness of the ,divine perfections4 ,but ,he also reveals ,god to men1 not merely in deeds and in words1 but in ,his person4 ,he is the revelation4 ,to declare this seems to be the ,apostle's purpose in using the word effulgence4 ,it expresses the essentially ministrative character of the person of the ,son4#b ,if a revelation will be given at all1 ,his ,sonship points ,him out as the ,interpreter of ,god's nature and purposes1 inasmuch as ,he is essentially1 because ,he is ,son1 the emanation or radiance of ,his glory4 #b4 ,he is the image of ,his substance4 ,a solar ray reveals the light1 but not completely1 unless indeed it guides the eye back along its pencilled line to the orb of day4 ,if the ,son of ,god were only an effulgence1 ,christ could still say that ,he ,himself is the way to the ,father1 but ,he could not add1 ,he that hath seen ,me hath seen the ,father4#c ,that the revelation may be complete1 the ,son must be1 in one sense1 distinct from ,god1 as well as one with ,him4 ,apparently this is the notion conveyed in the metaphor of the image4 ,both truths are stated together in the words of ,christ3 ,as the ,father hath life in ,himself1 so hath ,he given to the ,son to have life in ,himself4#d ,if the ,son is more than an effulgence1 if ,he is the very image of ,god's essence1 nothing in ,god will remain unrevealed4 ,every feature of ,his moral nature will be delineated in the ,son4 ,if the ,son is the exact likeness of ,god and has a distinct mode of subsisting ,he is capable of all the modifications in ,his form of subsisting which may be necessary1 in order to make a complete revelation of ,god intelligible to men4 ,it is possible for ,him to become man ,himself4 ,he is capable of obedience1 even of learning obedience by suffering1 and of acquiring power to succour by being tempted4 ,he can taste death4 ,we might add1 if we were studying one of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles 7which we are not at present doing71 that this distinction from ,god1 involved in ,his very ,sonship1 made ,him capable of emptying ,himself of the ,divine form of subsisting and taking upon ,him instead of it the form of a servant4 ,this power of meeting man's actual condition confers upon the ,son the prerogative of being the complete and final revelation of ,god4 #c4 ,he upholds all things by the word of ,his power4 ,this must be closely connected with the previous statement4 ,if the ,son is the effulgence of ,god's glory and the express image of ,his essence1 ,he is not a creature1 but is the ,creator4 ,the ,son is so from ,god that ,he is ,god4 ,he so emanates from ,him that ,he is a perfect and complete representation of ,his being4 ,he is not in such a manner an effulgence as to be only a manifestation of ,god1 nor in such a manner an image as to be a creature of ,god4 ,but1 in fellowship of nature1 the essence of ,god is communicated to the ,son in the distinctness of ,his mode of subsisting4 ,the ,apostle's words fully justify--perhaps they suggested--the expressions in the ,nicene and still earlier creeds1 ,god of ,god1 ,light of ,light1 very ,god of very ,god4 ,if this is ,his relation to ,god1 it determines ,his relation to the universe1 and the relation of the universe to ,god4 ,philo had described the ,word as an effulgence1 and spoken also of ,him as distinct from ,god4 ,but in ,philo these two statements are inconsistent4 ,for the former means that the ,word is an attribute of ,god1 and the latter means that ,he is a creature4 ,the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews says that the ,word is not an attribute1 but a perfect representation of ,god's essence4 ,he says also that ,he is not a creature1 but the ,sustainer of all things4 ,these statements are consistent4 ,the one1 in fact1 implies the other2 and both together express the same conception which we find in ,st4 ,john's ,gospel3 ,in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 and the ,word was ,god4 ,all things were made by ,him2 and without ,him was not anything made that hath been made4#e ,it is also the teaching of ,st4 ,paul3 ,in ,him were all things created1 in the heavens and upon the earth1 things visible and things invisible1 whether thrones1 or dominions1 or principalities1 or powers3 all things have been created through ,him1 and unto ,him2 and in ,him all things consist4#f ,but the ,apostle has a further motive in referring to the ,son as ,upholder of all things4 ,as ,creator and ,sustainer ,he reveals ,god4 ,he upholds all things by the word of ,his power4 ,the invisible things of ,god are perceived through the things which are made1 even ,his everlasting power and ,divinity4#g ,there is a revelation of ,god prior even to that given in the prophets4 #d4 ,having made purification of sins1 ,he took ,his seat on the right hand of the ,majesty on high4 ,we come now1 at last1 to the special revelation of ,god which forms the subject of the ,epistle4 ,the ,apostle here states his central truth on its two sides4 ,the one side is ,christ's priestly offering2 the other is ,his kingly exaltation4 ,we shall see as we proceed that the entire structure of the ,epistle rests on this great conception1--the ,son of ,god1 the eternal ,priest-,king4 ,by introducing it at this early stage1 the author gives his readers the clue to what will very soon prove a labyrinth4 ,we must hold the thread firmly1 if we wish not to be lost in the maze4 ,the subject of the treatise is here given us4 ,it is ,the ,son as ,priest-,king the ,revealer of ,god4 ,the revelation is not in words only1 nor in external acts only1 but in love1 in redemption1 in opening heaven to all believers4 ,it is well termed a revelation4 ,for the ,priest-,king has rent the thick veil and opened the way to men to enter into the true holiest place1 so that they know ,god by prayer and communion4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,rom4 x4 #f-h4 #b ,newman1 ,arians1 p4 #ahb 7ed4 #ahcc74 #c ,john xiv4 #f1 #i4 #d ,john v4 #bf4 #e ,john i4 #a1 #c4 #f ,col4 i4 #af1 #ag4 #g ,rom4 i4 #bj4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,son ,,and ,,the ,,angels4 ,,hebrews i4 #d-;ii4 #ah4 ,the most dangerous and persistent error against which the theologians of the ,new ,testament had to contend was the doctrine of emanations4 ,the persistence of this error lay in its affinity with the ,christian conception of mediation between ,god and men2 its danger sprang from its complete inconsistency with the ,christian idea of the person and work of the ,mediator4 ,for the ,hebrew conception of ,god1 as the ,i ,,am1 tended more and more in the lapse of ages to sever ,him from all immediate contact with created beings4 ,it would be the natural boast of the ,jews that ,jehovah dwelt in unapproachable light4 ,they would point to the contrast between ,him and the human gods of the ,greeks4 ,an ever-deepening consciousness of sin and spiritual gloom would strengthen the conviction that the ,lord abode behind the veil1 and their conception of ,god would of necessity react on their consciousness of sin4 ,if1 therefore1 ,god is the absolute ,being--so argued the ,gnostics of the day--,he cannot be the actual ,creator of the world4 ,we must suppose the existence of an emanation or a series of emanations from ,god1 every additional link in the chain being less ,divine1 until we arrive at the material universe1 where the element of ,divinity is entirely lost4 ,these emanations are the angels1 the only possible mediators between ,god and men4 ,some theories came to a stand at this point2 others took a further step1 and worshipped the angels1 as the mediators also between men and ,god4 ,thus the angels were regarded as messengers or apostles from ,god and reconcilers or priests for men4 ,st4 ,paul has already rejected these notions in his ,epistle to the ,colossians4 ,he teaches that the ,son of ,god's love is the visible image of the invisible ,god1 prior to all creation and by right of primogeniture ,heir of all1 ,creator of the highest angels1 ,himself being before they came into existence4 ,such ,he is before ,his assumption of humanity4 ,but it pleased ,god that in ,him1 also as ,god-,man1 all the plenitude of the ,divine attributes should dwell2 so that the ,mediator is not an emanation1 neither human nor ,divine1 but is ,himself ,god and ,man4#h ,recent expositors have sufficiently proved that there was a ,judaic element in the ,colossian heresy4 ,we need not1 therefore1 hesitate to admit that the ,epistle to the ,hebrews contains references to the same error4 ,our author acknowledges the existence of angels4 ,he declares that the ,law was given through angels1 which is a point not touched upon more than once in the ,old ,testament1 but seemingly taken for granted1 rather than expressly announced1 in the ,new4 ,stephen reproaches the ,jews1 who had received the ,law as the ordinances of angels1 with having betrayed and murdered the ,righteous ,one1 of ,whom the ,law and the prophets spake4#i ,st4 ,paul1 like the author of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 argues that the ,law differs from the promise in having been ordained through angels1 as mediators between the ,lord and ,his people ,israel1 whereas the promise was given by ,god1 not as a compact between two parties1 but as the free act of ,him ,who is one4#aj ,the main purpose of the first and second chapters of our ,epistle is to maintain the superiority of the ,son to the angels1 of ,him in ,whom ,god has spoken unto us to the mediators through whom ,he gave the ,law4 ,the defect of the doctrine of emanations was twofold4 ,they are supposed to consist of a long chain of intermediate beings4 ,but the chain does not connect at either end4 ,god is still absolutely unapproachable by man2 man is still inaccessible to ,god4 ,it is in vain new links are forged4 ,the chain does not1 and never will1 bring man and ,god together4 ,the only solution of the problem must be found in ,one ,who is ,god and ,man2 and this is precisely the doctrine of our author1 on the one hand1 that the ,revealer of ,god is ,son of ,god2 and1 on the other hand1 that the ,son of ,god is our brother-man4 ,the former statement is proved1 and a practical warning based upon it1 in the section that extends from chap4 i4 #d to chap4 ii4 #d4 ,the latter is the subject of the section from chap4 ii4 #e to chap4 ii4 #ah4 ,i4 ,,the ,,revealer ,,of ,,god ,,son ,,of ,,god4 ,having become by so much better than the angels1 as ,he hath inherited a more excellent name than they4 ,for unto which of the angels said ,he at any time1 ,thou art my ,son1 ,this day have ,i begotten ,thee8 and again1 ,i will be to ,him a ,father1 ,and ,he shall be to ,me a ,son8 ,and when ,he again bringeth in the ,firstborn into the world ,he saith1 ,and let all the angels of ,god worship ,him4 ,and of the angels ,he saith1 ,who maketh ,his angels winds1 ,and ,his ministers a flame of fire3 but of the ,son ,he saith1 ,thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and ever2 ,and the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of ,thy kingdom4 ,thou hast loved righteousness1 and hated iniquity2 ,therefore ,god1 ,thy ,god1 hath anointed ,thee ,with the oil of gladness about ,thy fellows4 ,and1 ,thou1 ,lord1 in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth1 ,and the heavens are the works of ,thy hands3 ,they shall perish2 but ,thou continuest3 ,and they all shall wax old as doth a garment2 ,and as a mantle shall ,thou roll them up1 ,as a garment1 and they shall be changed3 ,but ,thou art the same1 ,and ,thy years shall not fail4 ,but of which of the angels hath ,he said at any time1 ,sit ,thou on ,my right hand1 ,till ,i make ,thine enemies the footstool of ,thy feet8 ,are they not all ministering spirits1 sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation8 ,therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard1 lest haply we drift away from them4 ,for if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast1 and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward2 how shall we escape1 if we neglect so great salvation8 which having at the first been spoken through the ,lord1 was confirmed unto us by them that heard2 ,god also bearing witness with them1 both by signs and wonders1 and by manifold powers1 and by gifts of the ,holy ,ghost according to ,his own will 7,heb4 i4 #d-;ii4 #d1 ,r4,v474 ,christ is ,son of ,god1 not in the sense in which angels1 as a class of beings1 are designated by this name1 but as ,he ,who has taken ,his seat on the right hand of the ,majesty on high4 ,the greatness of ,his position is proportionate to the excellency of the name of ,son4 ,this name ,he has not obtained by favour nor attained by effort1 but inherited by indefeasible right4 ,josephus says that the ,essenes forbade their disciples to divulge the names of the angels4 ,but ,he ,who has revealed ,god has been revealed ,himself4 ,he is ,son4 ,which of the angels was ever so addressed8 ,to speak of the angels as sons and yet say that not one of them individually is a son may be self-contradictory in words1 but the thought is consistent and true4 ,from the pre-existent ,son1 regarded as the idealised theocratic ,king1 the ,apostle passes to the incarnate ,christ1 returning to the world which ,he has redeemed1 and out of which ,he brings#aa many sons of ,god unto glory4 ,god brings ,him also in as the ,first-begotten among these many brethren4 ,but our ,lord ,himself describes ,his coming4 ,the ,son of man shall come in ,his glory1 and all the angels with ,him4#ab ,in allusion to this saying of ,christ1 the ,apostle applies to ,his second advent the words which in the ,septuagint ,version of the ,old ,testament are a summons to all the angels to worship ,jehovah4 ,they are the ,son's ministers4 ,like swift winds1 they convey ,his messages2 or they carry destruction at ,his bidding1 like a flame of fire4 ,but the ,son is enthroned ,god for ever4 ,the sceptre of righteousness1 by whomsoever borne1 is the sceptre of ,his kingdom2 all thrones and powers1 human and angelic1 hold sway under ,him4 ,they are ,his fellows1 and participate only in ,his royal gladness1 ,whose joy surpasses theirs4 ,the author reverts to the ,son's pre-incarnate existence4 ,the ,son created earth and heaven1 and1 for that reason1 ,he remains when the works of ,his hand wax old1 as a garment4 ,creation is the vesture of the ,son4 ,in all the changes of nature the ,son puts off a garment1 while ,he remains unchanged ,himself4 ,finally1 our author glances at the triumphant consummation1 when ,god will do for ,his ,son what ,he will not do for the angels4 ,for ,he will make ,his enemies the footstool of ,his feet1 as the reward of ,his redemptive work4 ,the angels have no enemy to conquer4 ,neither are they the authors of our redemption4 ,yea1 they are not even the redeemed4 ,the ,son is the ,heir of the throne4 ,men are the heirs of salvation4 ,must we1 then1 quite exclude the angels from all present activity in the kingdom of the ,son8 ,do they altogether belong to a past epoch in the development of ,god's revelation8 ,must we say of them1 as astronomers speak of the moon1 that they are dead worlds8 ,shall we not rather find a place for them in the spirit-world corresponding to the office filled in the sphere of nature by the works of ,god's hands8 ,god has ,his earthly ministers4 ,are not the angels ministering spirits8 ,the ,apostle puts the question tentatively4 ,but the pious instinct of the ,church and of good men has answered1 ,yes4 ,for salvation has created a new form of service for which nature is not fitted4 ,the narrative of the ,son's own life on earth suggests the same reply4 ,for an angel appeared unto ,him in ,gethsemane and strengthened ,him4#ac ,it is true that the ,son ,himself is the ,minister of the sanctuary4 ,he alone serves in the holiest place4 ,but may not the angels be sent forth to minister8 ,salvation is the work of the ,son4 ,but shall we not say that the angels perform a service for the ,son1 which is possible only because of men who are now on the eve of inheriting that salvation8 ,we must beware of minimising the significance of the ,apostle's words4 ,if he means by ,son merely an official designation1 where is the difference between the ,son and the angels8 ,the only definition of ,son that will satisfy the argument is ,god the ,revealer of ,god4 ,sabellius said1 ,the ,word is not the ,son4 ,the contrary doctrine is necessary to give any value to the reasoning of our ,epistle4 ,the ,revealer is ,son2 and the ,son1 in order to be the full ,revealer1 must be of the essence of the ,father1 inasmuch as ,god only can perfectly reveal ,god4 ,this is so vital to the ,apostle's argument that he need not hesitate to use a term in reference to the ,son which in another connection might be liable to be misunderstood1 as if it expressed the theory of emanation4 ,the ,son is the effulgence of the ,father's glory1 or1 in the words of the ,nicene ,creed1 ,he is ,light out of ,light4 ,it is safe to use such words when our very argument demands that ,he should also be the distinct impress of ,his substance1--very ,god out of very ,god4 ,the ,apostle has now laid the foundation of his great argument4 ,he has shown us the ,son as the ,revealer of ,god4 ,this done1 he at once introduces his first practical warning4 ,it is his manner4 ,he does not1 like ,st4 ,paul1 first conclude the argumentative portion of his ,epistle1 and afterwards heap precept on precept in words of warning1 sympathy1 or encouragement4 ,our author alternates argument with exhortation4 ,the ,epistle wears to a superficial reader the appearance of a mosaic4 ,the truth is that no book in the ,new ,testament is more thoroughly or more skilfully welded into one piece from beginning to end4 ,but the danger was imminent1 and urgent warning was needed at every step4 ,one truth was better fitted to drive home one lesson1 and another argument to enforce another4 ,the first danger of the ,hebrew ,christians would arise from indifference4 ,the first warning of the ,apostle is1 ,take care that you do not drift4#ad ,in the ,son as the ,revealer of ,god we have a sure anchorage4 ,let us fasten the vessel to its moorings4 ,that the ,son has revealed ,god is beyond question4 ,the fact is well assured4 ,for the message of salvation has been proclaimed by the ,lord ,jesus ,himself4 ,it has run its course down to the writer of the ,epistle and his readers through the testimony of eye-witnesses and ear-witnesses4 ,god ,himself has borne witness with these faithful men by signs and wonders and divers manifestations of power1 yea by giving the ,holy ,ghost to each one severally according to ,his own will4 ,the last words are not to be neglected4 ,the apparent arbitrariness of ,his sovereign will in the distribution of the ,spirit lends force to the proof1 by pointing to the direct1 personal action of ,god in this great concern4 ,but the warning is based1 not simply on the fact of a revelation1 but on the greatness of the ,revealer4 ,the ,law was given through angels1 and the ,law was not transgressed with impunity4 ,how1 then1 shall we escape ,god's anger if we contemptuously neglect a salvation so great that no one less than the ,son could have wrought or revealed it8 ,observe the emphatic notions4 ,salvation is contrasted with law4 ,it is a greater sin to despise ,god's free1 merciful offer of eternal life than to transgress the commandments of ,his justice4 ,there may be emphasis also on the certainty of the proof4 ,the word spoken by angels was firmly assured1 and1 because no man could shelter under the plea that the heavenly authority of the message was doubtful1 disobedience met with unsparing retribution4 ,but the ,gospel is proved to be of ,god by still more abundant evidence1--the personal testimony of the ,lord ,jesus1 the witness of those who heard ,him1 and the cumulative argument of gifts and miracles4 ,while these truths are emphatic1 more important than all is the fact that the ,son is the ,giver of this salvation4 ,the thought seems to be that ,god is jealous for the honour of ,his ,son4 ,our ,lord ,himself teaches this1 and the form which it assumes in ,his parable implies that ,he speaks1 not as a speculative moralist1 but as ,one ,who knows ,god's heart3 ,last of all he sent unto them his son1 saying1 ,they will reverence my son4 ,but when ,christ asks ,his hearers what the lord of the vineyard will do unto those wicked husbandmen1 the manner of their reply shows that they only half understand ,his meaning or else pretend not to see the point of ,his question4 ,they acknowledge the husbandmen's wickedness1 but profess that it consists largely in not rendering to the owner the fruits in their season1 as if1 forsooth1 their wickedness in killing their master's son had not thrust their dishonesty quite out of sight4#ae ,the ,apostle1 too1 appeals to his readers1#af evidently in the belief that they would at once feel the force of his argument1 whether trampling under foot the ,son of ,god did not deserve sorer punishment than despising the law of ,moses4 ,christ and the ,apostle speak in the spirit of the second ,psalm3 ,thou art ,my ,son4 ,ask of ,me1 and ,i shall give ,thee the heathen for ,thine inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for ,thy possession4444 ,kiss the ,son6 ,now1 if ,christ adopts this language1 it is not mere metaphor1 but is a truth concerning ,god's moral nature4 ,resentment must1 in some sense or other1 belong to ,god's ,fatherhood4 ,the doctrine of the ,trinity implies the necessary and eternal altruism of the ,divine nature4 ,it would not be true to say that the ,god of the ,christians was less jealous than the ,god of the ,hebrews4 ,he is still the living ,god4 ,it is a fearful thing to fall into ,his hands4 ,he will still vindicate the majesty of ,his law4 ,but now ,he has spoken unto us in ,one ,who is ,son4 ,the ,judge of all is not a mere official ,administrator1 but a ,father4 ,the place occupied in the ,old ,testament by the ,law is now filled by the ,son4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,son ,,the ,,representative ,,of ,,man4 ,for not unto angels did ,he subject the world to come1 whereof we speak4 ,but one hath somewhere testified1 saying1 ,what is man1 that ,thou art mindful of him8 ,or the son of man1 that ,thou visitest him8 ,thou madest him a little lower than the angels2 ,thou crownedst him with glory and honour1 ,and didst set him over the works of ,thy hands3 ,thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet4 ,for in that ,he subjected all things unto him1 ,he left nothing that is not subject to him4 ,but now we see not yet all things subjected to him4 ,but we behold ,him ,who hath been made a little lower than the angels1 even ,jesus1 because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour1 that by the grace of ,god ,he should taste death for every man4 ,for it became ,him1 for ,whom are all things1 and through ,whom are all things1 in bringing many sons unto glory1 to make the ,author of their salvation perfect through sufferings4 ,for both ,he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one3 for which cause ,he is not ashamed to call them brethren1 saying1 ,i will declare ,thy name unto ,my brethren1 ,in the midst of the congregation will ,i sing ,thy praise4 ,and again1 ,i will put ,my trust in ,him4 ,and again1 ,behold1 ,i and the children which ,god hath given ,me4 ,since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood1 ,he also ,himself in like manner partook of the same2 that through death ,he might bring to nought him that had the power of death1 that is1 the devil2 and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage4 ,for verily not of angels doth ,he take hold1 but ,he taketh hold of the seed of ,abraham4 ,wherefore it behoved ,him in all things to be made like unto ,his brethren1 that ,he might be a merciful and faithful ,high-priest in things pertaining to ,god1 to make propitiation for the sins of the people4 ,for in that ,he ,himself hath suffered being tempted1 ,he is able to succour them that are tempted 7,,heb4 ii4 #e-ah1 ,r4,v474 ,the ,son is better than the angels1 not only because ,he is the ,revealer of ,god1 but also because ,he represents man4 ,we have to do with more than spoken promises4 ,the salvation through ,christ raises man to a new dignity1 and bestows upon him a new authority4 ,god calls into existence a world to come1 and puts that world in subjection1 not to angels1 but to man4 ,the passage on the consideration of which we now enter is difficult1 because the interpretation offered by some of the best expositors1 though at first sight it has the appearance of simplicity1 really introduces confusion into the argument4 ,they think the words of the ,psalmist1#ag as applied by the ,apostle1 refer to ,christ only4 ,but the ,psalmist evidently contrasts the frailty of man with the authority bestowed upon him by ,jehovah4 ,mortal man has been set over the works of ,god's hand4 ,man is for a little inferior to the angels2 yet he is crowned with glory and honour4 ,the very contrast between his frailty and his dignity exalts the name of his ,creator1 ,who judges not as we judge4 ,for ,he confronts ,his blasphemers with the lisping of children1 and weak man ,he crowns king of creation1 in order to put to shame the wisdom of the world4#ah ,we cannot suppose that this is said of ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,but there are two expressions in the ,psalm that suggested to ,st4 ,paul#ai and the author of this ,epistle a ,messianic reference4 ,the one is the name ,son of man2 the other is the action ascribed to ,god3 ,thou hast made him lower than the angels4 ,the word#bj used by the ,seventy1 whose translation the ,apostle here and elsewhere adopts1 means1 not1 as the ,hebrew1 to create lower1 but to bring from a more exalted to a humbler condition4 ,christ appropriated to ,himself the title of ,son of man2 and to lower from a higher to a less exalted position applies only to the ,son of ,god1 ,whose pre-existence is taught by the ,apostle in chap4 i4 ,the point of the ,apostle's application of the ,psalm must1 therefore1 be that in ,christ alone have the ,psalmist's words been fulfilled4 ,the ,psalmist was a prophet1 and testified4#ba ,in addition to the witnesses previously mentioned1#bb the ,apostle cites the evidence from prophecy4 ,an inspired seer1 seeing this beforehand1 spake of ,christ1 not primarily1 but in a mystery now explained in the ,new ,testament4 ,the distinction also between crowning with glory and putting all things under his feet holds true only of ,christ4 ,the ,psalmist1 we admit1 appears to identify them4 ,but the relevancy of the ,apostle's use of the ,psalm lies in the distinction between these two things4 ,the creature man may be said to be crowned with glory and honour by receiving universal dominion and by the subjection of all things under his feet4 ,but we see not yet all things put under him2 and1 consequently1 we see not man crowned with glory and honour4 ,the words of the ,psalmist have apparently failed of fulfilment or were at best only poetical exaggeration4 ,but ,him ,who was actually translated from a higher to a lower place than that of angels1 from heaven to earth--that is to say1 ,jesus1 the meek and lowly ,man of ,nazareth--we see crowned with glory and honour4 ,he has ascended to heaven and sat down on the right hand of the ,majesty on high4 ,so far the prophecy has come true1 but only so far4 ,all things have not yet been put under ,him4 ,he is still waiting till ,he has put all enemies1 even the last enemy1 which is death1 under ,his feet4 ,as1 then1 the glory and honour are bestowed on man through his ,representative1 ,jesus1 so also dominion is given him only through ,jesus2 and the glory comes only with the dominion4 ,every honour that falls to man's share is won for him by the victory of ,christ over an enemy4 ,this is the nearest approach in our ,epistle to the ,pauline conception of ,christ as the second ,adam4 ,but is there any connection between ,christ's victory and ,his being made lower than the angels8 ,when the ,psalmist describes the great dignity conferred on frail man1 he sees only the contrast between the dignity and the frailty4 ,he can only wonder and worship in observing the incomprehensible paradox of ,god's dealings with man4 ,the ,apostle1 on the other hand1 fathoms this mystery4 ,he gives the reasons for the strange connection of power and feebleness1 not indeed in reference to man as a creature1 but in reference to the ,man ,christ ,jesus4 ,apart from ,christ the problem that struck the ,psalmist with awe remains unsolved4 ,but in ,christ's incarnation we see why man's glory and dominion rest on humiliation4 #a4 ,christ's humiliation involved a propitiatory death for every man1 and ,he is crowned with glory and honour that ,his propitiation may prove effectual3 that ,he may have tasted#bc death for every man4 ,by ,his glory we must mean the self-manifestation of ,his person4 ,honour is the authority bestowed upon ,him by ,god4 ,both are the result of ,his suffering death1 or rather the suffering of ,his death4 ,he is glorified1 not simply because ,he suffered1 but because ,his suffering was of a certain kind and quality4 ,it was a propitiatory suffering4 ,christ ,himself prayed ,his ,father to glorify ,him with ,his own self with the glory ,he had with the ,father before the world was4#bd ,this glory was ,his by right of ,sonship4 ,but ,he receives from ,his ,father another glory1 not by right1 but by ,god's grace4#be ,it consists in having ,his death accepted and acknowledged as an adequate propitiation for the sins of men4 ,in this verse the great conception of atonement1 which hereafter will fill so large a place in the ,epistle1 is introduced1 not at present for its own sake1 but in order to show the superiority of ,christ to the angels4 ,he is greater than they because ,he is the representative ,man1 to ,whom1 and not to the angels1 the world to come has been put in subjection4 ,but the ,psalmist has taught us that man's greatness is connected with humiliation4 ,this connection is realised in ,christ1 ,whose exaltation is the ,divine acceptance of the propitiation wrought in the days of ,his humiliation1 and the means of giving it effect4 #b4 ,christ's glory consists in being ,leader#bf of ,his people1 and for such leadership ,he was fitted by the discipline of humiliation4 ,there is no incongruity in the works of ,god because ,he is ,himself the ground of their being#bg and the instrument of ,his own action4#bh ,every adaptation of means to an end would not become ,god1 though it might befit man4 ,but this became ,him for ,whom and through ,whom are all things4 ,when ,he crowns man with glory and honour1 ,he does this1 not by an external ordinance merely1 but by an inward fitness4 ,he deals1 not with an abstraction1 but with individual men1 whom ,he makes ,his sons and prepares for their glory and honour by the discipline of sons4 ,for what son is there whom his father does not discipline8#bi ,thus it is more true to say that ,god leads ,his sons to glory than to say that ,he bestows glory upon them4 ,it follows that the representative ,man1 through ,whom these many sons are glorified1 must ,himself pass through like discipline1 that1 on behalf of ,god1 ,he may become their ,leader and the ,captain of their salvation4 ,it became ,god to endow the ,son1 in ,whose ,sonship men are adopted as sons of ,god1 with inward fitness1 through sufferings1 to lead them on to their destined glory4 ,perhaps the verse contains an allusion to ,moses or ,joshua1 the leaders of the ,lord's redeemed to the rich land and large4 ,if so1 the author is preparing his readers for what he has yet to say4 #c4 ,christ's glory consists in power to consecrate#cj men to ,god1 and this power springs from ,his consciousness of brotherhood with them4 ,but1 first of all1 the author thinks it necessary to prove that ,christ has a deep consciousness of brotherhood with men4 ,he cites ,christ's own words from prophetic ,scripture4#ca ,for ,christ has vowed unto the ,lord1 ,who has delivered ,him1 that ,he will declare ,god's name unto ,his brethren4 ,here the pith of the argument is quite as much in the vow to reveal ,god to them as in ,his giving them the name of brethren4 ,he is so drawn in love to them that ,he is impelled to speak to them about the ,father4 ,yea1 in the midst of the ,church1 as if ,he were one of the congregation1 ,he will praise ,god4 ,they praise ,god for ,his ,son2 the ,son joins in the praise1 as being thankful for the privilege of being their ,saviour1 while they offer their thanks for the joy of being saved4 ,that is not all4 ,christ puts ,his trust in ,god4 ,so human is ,he that1 conscious of utter weakness1 ,he leans on ,god1 as the feeblest of ,his brethren4 ,finally1 ,his triumphant joy at the safety of ,his redeemed ones arises from this consciousness of brotherhood4 ,behold1 ,i and the children 7of ,god7 which ,god hath given ,me4#cb ,the ,apostle does not fear to apply to ,christ what ,isaiah#cc spoke in reference to himself and his disciples1 the children of the prophet4 ,christ's brotherhood with men assumes the form of identifying ,himself with ,his prophetic servants4 ,evidently ,he is not ashamed of ,his brethren1 though1 like ,joseph1 ,he has reason to be ashamed of them for their sin4 ,the expression means that ,he glories in them1 because ,his assumption of humanity has consecrated them4 ,for this consecration springs from union4 ,we do not1 for our part1 understand this as a general proposition1 of which the sanctifying power of ,christ is an illustration4 ,no other instance of such a thing exists4 ,yet the ,apostle does not prove the statement4 ,he appeals to the intelligence and conscience of his readers to acknowledge its truth4 ,whether we understand the word sanctification in the sense of moral consecration through an atonement or in the sense of holy character1 it springs from union4 ,christ cannot sanctify by a creative word or by an act of power4 ,neither can ,his power to sanctify be transmitted by ,god to the ,son externally1 in the same way in which the ,creator bestows on nature its vital1 fertilising energy4 ,christ must derive ,his power to sanctify through ,his ,sonship1 and men must become sons of ,god that they may be sanctified through the ,son4 ,our passage adds ,christ's brotherhood4 ,he that consecrates1 therefore1 and they that are consecrated are united together1 first1 by being born of the same ,divine ,father1 and1 second1 by having the same human nature4 ,here1 again1 the chain connects at both ends3 on the side of ,god and on the side of man4 ,now to have dwelling in ,him the power of consecrating men to ,god is so great an endowment that ,christ may dare even to glory in the brotherhood that brings with it such a gift4 #d4 ,christ's glory manifests itself in the destruction of ,satan1 who had the power of death1 and his destruction is accomplished through death4#cd ,the children of ,god have every one his share of blood and flesh1 which means vital1 mortal humanity4 ,blood signifies life1 and flesh the mortality of that life4 ,they are1 therefore1 subject to disease and death4 ,but to the ,hebrews disease and death involved vastly more than physical suffering and the termination of man's earthly existence4 ,they had their angel1 by which is meant that they had a moral significance4 ,they were spiritual forces1 wielded by a messenger of ,god4 ,this angel was ,satan4 ,but1 following the lead of the later ,jewish theology1 our author explains who ,satan really is4 ,he identifies him with the evil spirit1 who from envy1 says the ,book of ,wisdom1 brought death into the world4 ,to make clear this identification1 he adds the words1 that is1 the devil4 ,the reference to ,satan is sufficient to show that the writer of the ,epistle means by the power of death power to inflict it and keep men in its terrible grasp4 ,but the difficulty is to understand how the devil is destroyed through death4 ,evidently the death of ,christ is meant2 we may paraphrase the ,apostle's expression by rendering1 through ,his death4 ,at first glance1 the words1 taken in connection with the reference to ,christ's humanity1 seem to favour the doctrine1 propounded by many writers in the early ages of the ,church1 that ,god delivered ,his ,son to ,satan as the price of man's release from his rightful possession4 ,such a notion is utterly inconsistent with the dominant idea of the ,epistle3 the priestly character of ,christ's death4 ,a ,hebrew ,christian could not conceive the high-priest entering the holiest place to offer a redemptive sacrifice to the spirit of evil4 ,indeed1 the advocates of this strange theory of the ,atonement admitted as much when they described ,christ as outwitting the devil or escaping from his hands by persuasion4 ,but the doctrine is quite as inconsistent with the passage before us1 which represents the death of ,christ as the destruction of the ,evil ,one4 ,power faces power4 ,christ is the ,captain of salvation4 ,his leadership of men implies conflict with their enemy and ultimate victory4 ,death was a spiritual conception4 ,here lay its power4 ,deliverance from the crushing bondage of its fear could come only through the great ,high-priest4 ,priesthood was the basis of ,christ's power4 ,we shall soon see that ,christ is the ,priest-,king4 ,the ,apostle even now anticipates what he has hereafter to say on the relation of the priesthood to the kingly power4 ,for as ,priest ,christ delivers men from guilt of conscience and1 by so doing1 delivers them from their fear of death2 as ,king ,he destroys him who had the power to destroy4 ,he is death of death and hell's destruction4 ,it has been well said that the two terrors from which none but ,christ can deliver men are guilt of sin and fear of death4 ,the latter is the offspring of the former4 ,when the conscience of sin is no more1 dread of death yields to peace and joy4 ,in these four ways is the glory of ,christ connected with humiliation1 and thus will the prophecy of the ,psalmist find its fulfilment in the representative ,man1 ,jesus4 ,his humiliation implied propitiation1 moral discipline1 conscious brotherhood1 and subjection to him who had the power of death4 ,his glory consisted in the effectiveness of the propitiation1 in leadership of ,his people1 in consecration of ,his brethren1 in the destruction of the devil4 ,but an interesting view of the passage has been proposed by ,hofmann1 and accepted by at least one thoughtful theologian of our country4 ,they consider that the ,apostle identifies the humiliation and the glory4 ,in the words of ,dr4 ,bruce1#ce ,christ's whole state of exinanition was not only worthy to be rewarded by a subsequent state of exaltation1 but was in itself invested with moral sublimity and dignity4 ,the idea has considerable fascination4 ,we cannot set it aside by saying that it is modern1 seeing that the ,apostle himself speaks of the office of high-priest as an honour and a glory4#cf ,yet we are compelled to reject it as an explanation of the passage4 ,the ,apostle is showing that the ,psalmist's statement respecting man is realised only in the ,man ,christ ,jesus4 ,the difficulty was to connect man's low estate and man's glory and dominion4 ,but if the ,apostle means that voluntary humiliation for the sake of others is the glory1 some men besides ,jesus ,christ might have been mentioned in whom the words of the ,psalm find their accomplishment4 ,the difference between ,jesus and other good men would only be a difference of degree4 ,such a conclusion would very seriously weaken the force of the ,apostle's reasoning4 ,in bringing his most skilful and original argument to a close1 the ,apostle recapitulates4 ,he has said that the world to come1--the world of conscience and of spirit1--has been put in subjection to man1 not to angels1 and that this implies the incarnation of the ,son of ,god4 ,this thought the ,apostle repeats in another1 but very striking1 form3 ,for verily ,he taketh not hold of angels1 but ,he taketh hold of the seed of ,abraham4 ,though the old versions were incorrect in so rendering the words as to make them express the fact of the ,incarnation1 the verse is a reference to the ,incarnation1 described1 however1 as ,christ's strong grasp#cg of man4 ,by becoming man ,he takes hold of humanity1 as with a mighty hand1 and that part by which ,he grasps humanity is the seed of ,abraham1 to whom the promise was made4 ,four points of connection between the glory of ,christ and ,his humiliation have been mentioned4 ,in his recapitulation1 the ,apostle sums all up in two4 ,the one is that ,christ is ,priest2 the other is that ,he succours them that are tempted4 ,his propitiatory death and ,his bringing to nought the power of ,satan are included in the notion of priesthood4 ,the moral discipline that made ,him our ,leader and the sense of brotherhood that made ,him ,sanctifier render ,him able to succour the tempted4 ,even this also1 as will be fully shown by the ,apostle in a subsequent chapter1 is contained in ,his priesthood4 ,for ,he only can make propitiation1 ,whose heart is full of tender pity and steeled only against pity for ,himself by reason of ,his dauntless fidelity to others4 ,thus is the ,son better than the angels4 ,,footnotes3 #h ,col4 i4 #ae1 #ai4 #i ,acts vii4 #ec4 #aj ,gal4 iii4 #ai4 #aa agagonta4 #ab ,matt4 xxv4 #ca4 #ac ,luke xxii4 #dc4 ,the genuineness of the verse is somewhat doubtful4 #ad m pararymen 7ii4 #a74 #ae ,matt4 xxi4 #cc1 sqq4 #af ,heb4 x4 #bi4 #ag ,ps4 viii4 #d4 #ah ,ps4 viii4 #b4 #ai #a ,cor4 xv4 #bg4 #bj lattsas4 #ba ,cf4 ,acts ii4 #cj4 #bb ,chap4 ii4 #d4 #bc geustai 7ii4 #i74 #bd ,john xvii4 #e4 #be chariti4 #bf archgon 7ii4 #aj74 #bg di' hon4 #bh di' hou4 #bi ,chap4 xii4 #g4 #cj ho hagiazn 7ii4 #aa74 #ca ,ps4 xxii4 #bb4 #cb ,chap4 ii4 #ac4 #cc ,isa4 viii4 #ah #cd ,chap4 ii4 #ad4 #ce ,humiliation of ,christ1 p4 #df4 #cf ,chap4 v4 #d1 #e4 #cg epilambanetai 7ii4 #af74 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,fundamental ,,oneness ,,of ,,the ,,dispensations4 ,hebrews iii4 i-iv4 #ac 7,r4,v474 ,wherefore1 holy brethren1 partakers of a heavenly calling1 consider the ,apostle and ,high-priest of our confession1 even ,jesus2 who was faithful to ,him that appointed ,him as also was ,moses in all his house4 ,for ,he hath been counted worthy of more glory than ,moses1 by so much as he that built the house hath more honour than the house4 ,for every house is builded by some one2 but ,he that built all things is ,god4 ,and ,moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant1 for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken2 but ,christ as a ,son1 over ,his house2 ,whose house are we1 if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end4 ,wherefore1 even as the ,holy ,ghost saith1 ,to-day if ye shall hear ,his voice1 ,harden not your hearts1 as in the provocation1 ,like as in the day of the temptation in the wilderness1 ,wherewith your fathers tempted ,me by proving ,me1 ,and saw ,my works forty years4 ,wherefore ,i was displeased with this generation1 ,and said1 ,they do always err in their heart3 ,but they did not know ,my ways2 ,as ,i sware in ,my wrath1 ,they shall not enter into ,my rest4 ,take heed1 brethren1 lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief1 in falling away from the living ,god3 but exhort one another day by day1 so long as it is called to-day2 lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin3 for we are become partakers of ,christ1 if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end3 while it is said1 ,to-day if ye shall hear ,his voice1 ,harden not your hearts1 as in the provocation4 ,for who1 when they heard1 did provoke8 nay1 did not all they that came out of ,egypt by ,moses8 ,and with whom was ,he displeased forty years8 was it not with them that sinned1 whose carcases fell in the wilderness8 ,and to whom sware ,he that they should not enter into ,his rest1 but to them that were disobedient8 ,and we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief4 ,let us fear therefore1 lest haply1 a promise being left of entering into ,his rest1 any one of you should seem to have come short of it4 ,for indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us1 even as also they3 but the word of hearing did not profit them1 because they were not united by faith with them that heard4 ,for we which have believed do enter into that rest2 even as ,he hath said1 ,as ,i sware in ,my wrath1 ,they shall not enter into ,my rest3 although the works were finished from the foundation of the world4 ,for ,he hath said somewhere of the seventh day on this wise1 ,and ,god rested on the seventh day from all ,his works2 and in this place again1 ,they shall not enter into ,my rest4 ,seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto1 and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience1 ,he again defineth a certain day1 saying in ,david1 after so long a time1 ,to-day1 as it hath been before said1 ,to-day if ye shall hear ,his voice1 ,harden not your hearts4 ,for if ,joshua had given them rest1 he would not have spoken afterward of another day4 ,there remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of ,god4 ,for he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works1 as ,god did from ,his4 ,let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest1 that no man fall after the same example of disobedience4 ,for the word of ,god is living1 and active1 and sharper than any two-edged sword1 and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit1 of both joints and marrow1 and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart4 ,and there is no creature that is not manifest in ,his sight3 but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of ,him with ,whom we have to do4 ,the broad foundation of ,christianity has now been laid in the person of the ,son1 ,god-,man4 ,in the subsequent chapters of the ,epistle this doctrine is made to throw light on the mutual relations of the two dispensations4 ,the first deduction is that the ,mosaic dispensation was itself created by ,christ2 that the threats and promises of the ,old ,testament live on into the ,new2 that the central idea of the ,hebrew religion1 the idea of the ,sabbath rest1 is realised in its inmost meaning in ,christ only2 that the word of ,god is ever full of living energy4 ,hereafter the ,apostle will not be slow to expose the wide difference between the two dispensations4 ,but it is equally true and not less important that the old covenant was the vesture of truths which remain when the garment has been changed4 ,at the outset the writer's tone is influenced by this doctrine4 ,he turns his treatise unconsciously into an epistle4 ,he addresses his readers as brethren1 holy indeed1 but not holy after the pattern of their former exclusiveness2 for their holiness is inseparably linked with their common brotherhood4 ,they are partakers with the ,gentile ,churches in a heavenly call4 ,startling words6 ,hebrews holy in virtue of their sharing with ,greeks and barbarians1 bond and free1 in a common call from high ,heaven1 which sees all earth as a level plain beneath6 ,the middle wall of partition has been broken down to the ground4 ,yet soothing words1 and full of encouragement6 ,the ,apostle and his leaders were standing near the end of the ,apostolic age1 when the ,hebrew ,christians were despondent1 weak1 and despised1 both by reason of national calamities and because of their inferiority to their sister ,churches among the ,gentiles4 ,the ,apostle does not bluntly assure them of their equality1 but gently addresses them as partakers of a heavenly call4 ,his words are the reverse of ,st4 ,paul's language to the ,ephesians1 who are reminded that the ,gentiles are partakers in the privileges of ,israel4 ,those who sometimes were far off have been made nigh2 the strangers and sojourners are henceforth fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of ,god4 ,here1 on the contrary1 ,hebrew ,christians are encouraged with the assurance that they partake in the privileges of all believers4 ,if the wild olive tree has been grafted in among the branches and made partaker of the root1 the branches1 broken off that the wild olive might be grafted in1 are themselves in consequence grafted into their own olive tree4 ,through ,god's mercy to the ,gentiles1 ,israel also has obtained mercy4 ,the ,apostle addresses them with affection4 ,but his behest is sharp and urgent3 ,consider the ,apostle and ,high-priest of our profession1 ,jesus4 ,consider intently1 or1 to borrow a modern word that has sometimes been abused1 ,realise ,jesus4 ,dwell not with abstractions and theories4 ,fear not imaginary dangers4 ,make ,jesus ,christ a reality before the eyes of your mind4 ,to do this well will be more convincing than external evidences4 ,to behold the glory of the temple1 linger not to admire the strong buttresses without1 but enter4 ,realisation of ,christ may be said to be the gist of the whole ,epistle4 ,this spiritual vision is not ecstasy4 ,we realise ,christ as ,apostle and as ,high-priest4 ,we behold ,him when ,his words are a message to us from ,god1 and when ,he carries our supplications to ,god4 ,revelation and prayer are the two opposite poles of communion with the ,father4 ,the dispensation of ,moses rested on these two pillars1--apostleship and priesthood4 ,but the fundamental conceptions of the ,old ,testament centre in ,jesus4 ,though our author has distinguished between ,god's revelation in the prophets and ,his revelation in a ,son1 he teaches also that even the prophets received their message through the ,son4 ,though he contrasts in what follows of the ,epistle the high-priesthood of ,aaron with ,christ's1 still he regards ,aaron's office as utterly meaningless apart from ,christ4 ,the words ,apostle and ,high-priest pave the way1 therefore1 to the most prominent truth in this section of the ,epistle3 that whatever is best in the ,old ,testament has been assimilated and inspired with new energy by the ,gospel4 #a4 ,to begin1 we must understand the actual position of the founders of the two dispensations4 ,neither ,moses nor ,christ set about originating1 designing1 constructing1 from his own impulse and for his own purposes4 ,both acted for ,god1 and were consciously under ,his directing eye4#ch ,it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful4#ci ,they have but to obey1 and leave the unity and harmony of the plan to another4 ,to use an illustration1 every house is built by some one or other4#dj ,the design has been conceived in the brain of the architect4 ,he is the real builder1 though he employs masons and joiners to put the materials together according to his plan4 ,this applies to the subject in hand2 for ,god is the ,architect of all things4 ,he realises ,his own ideas as well through the seeming originality of thinkers as through the willing obedience of workers4 ,now1 the dispensation of the old covenant was one part of ,god's design4 ,to build this portion of the house ,he found a faithful servant in ,moses4 ,the dispensation of the new covenant is but another1 though more excellent1 part of the same design2 and ,jesus was not less faithful to finish the structure4 ,the unity of the design was in the mind of ,god4 ,moses was faithful when he refused the treasures of ,egypt1 and chose affliction with the people of ,god and the reproach of ,his ,christ4 ,he was faithful when he chid the people in the wilderness for their unbelief1 and when he interceded for them again with ,god4 ,christ also was faithful to ,his ,god when ,he despised the shame and endured the ,cross4 ,yet we must acknowledge a difference4 ,god has accounted ,jesus worthy of greater honour than ,moses1 inasmuch as ,moses was part of the house1 and that part the pre-existent ,christ erected4 ,moses was made all that he became by ,christ1 but ,christ was made#da all that ,he became--,god-,man--by ,god4 ,moreover1 though ,moses was greater than all the other servants of ,god before ,christ1 because they were placed in subordinate positions1 while he was faithful in the whole house1 yet even he was but a servant1 whereas ,christ was ,son4 ,moses was in the house1 it is true2 but the ,son was placed over the house4 ,the work which ,moses had to do was to uphold the authority of the ,son1 to witness1 that is1 to the things which would afterwards be spoken unto us by ,god in ,his ,son1 ,jesus ,christ4#db ,the ,apostle seems to delight in his illustration of the house1 and continues to use it with a fresh meaning4 ,this house1 or1 if you please1 this household1 are we ,christians4 ,we are the house in which ,moses showed the utmost faithfulness as servant4 ,we are the circumcision1 we the true ,israel of ,god4 ,if1 then1 we turn away from ,christ to ,moses1 that faithful servant himself will have none of us4 ,that we may be ,god's house1 we must lay fast hold of our ,christian confidence and the boasting of our hope out-and-out to the end4 #b4 ,again1 the threatenings of the ,old ,testament for disobedience to ,god apply with full force to apostasy from ,christ4 ,they are the authoritative voice of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the ,apostle is reminded by the words which he has just used1 ,we are ,god's house1 of the ,psalmist's joyful exclamation1 ,he is our ,god1 and we are the people of ,his pasture1 and the sheep of ,his hand4#dc ,then follows in the ,psalm a warning1 which the ,apostle considers it equally necessary to address to the ,hebrew ,christians3 ,to-day1 if indeed you still hear ,his voice 7for it is possible ,he may no longer speak71 harden not your hearts1 as you did in ,meribah1 rightly called1--the place of contention4 ,your fathers1 far from trusting ,me when ,i put them to the test1 turned upon ,me and put ,me to the test1 and that although they saw ,my works during forty years4 ,forty years1--ominous number6 ,the readers would at once call to mind that forty years within a little had now passed since their ,lord had gone through the heavens to the right hand of the ,father4 ,what if1 after all1 the old belief proves true that ,he returns to judgment after waiting for precisely the same period for which ,he had patiently endured their fathers' unbelief in the wilderness6 ,god is still living1 and ,he is the same ,god4 ,he ,who sware in ,his wrath that the fathers should not enter into the rest of ,canaan is the same in ,his anger1 the same in ,his mercy4 ,exhort one another4 ,in the wilderness ,god dealt with individuals4 ,he does so still4 ,see that there be no evil heart1 which is unbelief1 in any one of you at any time while the call1 ,to-day6 is sounded in your ears4 ,for sin weakens the sense of individual guilt1 and thus deceives men by hardening their hearts4#dd ,all that came out of ,egypt provoked ,god to anger4 ,but they provoked ,him1 not in the mass1 but one by one1 and one by one1 with palsied limbs1#de they fell in the wilderness1 as men fall exhausted on the march4 ,thus1 for their persistent unbelief1 ,god sware they should not enter into ,his rest--,his1 for ,he kept the key still in ,his own hand4 ,but persistent unbelief made them incapable of entering4 ,if ,god were still willing to cut off for them the waters of ,jordan1 they could not#df enter in because of unbelief4 #c4 ,similarly1 the promises of ,god are still in force4 ,indeed1 the steadfastness of the threatenings involves the continuance of the promises1 and the rejection of the promises ensures the fulfilment of every threatening4 ,as much as this is expressed in the opening words of chap4 iv43 ,a promise being left to us1 let us therefore fear4 ,to prove the identity of the promises under the two dispensations1 the ,apostle singles out one promise1 which may be considered most significant of the national no less than the religious life of ,israel4 ,the ,greek mind was ever on the alert for something new4 ,its character was movement4 ,but the ideal of the ,old ,testament is rest4 ,christ came into touch with the people at once when ,he began ,his public ministry with an invitation to the weary and heavy-laden to come unto ,him1 and with the promise that ,he would give them rest4 ,near the close of ,his ministry ,he explained and fulfilled the promise by giving to ,his disciples peace4 ,the object of our author1 in the difficult chapter now under consideration1 is to show that the idea most characteristic of the old covenant finds its true and highest realisation in ,christ4 ,after the manner of ,st4 ,paul1 who1 in more than one passage1 teaches that through the fall of ,israel salvation is come unto the ,gentiles1 the writer of this ,epistle also argues that the promise of rest still remains1 because it was not fulfilled under the ,old ,testament in consequence of ,israel's unbelief4 ,the word of promise was a gospel#dg to them1 as it is to us4 ,but it did not profit them1 because they did not assimilate#dh the promise by faith4 ,their history from the beginning consists of continued renewals of the promise on the part of ,god and persistent rejections on the part of ,israel1 ending in the hardening of their hearts4 ,every time the promise is renewed1 it is presented in a higher and more spiritual form4 ,every rejection inevitably leads to grosser views and more hopeless unbelief4 ,so entirely false is the fable of the ,sibyl6 ,god does not burn some of the leaves when ,his promises have been rejected1 and come back with fewer offers at a higher price4 ,his method is to offer more and better on the same conditions4 ,but it is the nature of unbelief to cause the heart to wax gross1 to blind the spiritual vision1 until in the end the rich1 spiritual promises of ,god and the earthly1 dark unbelief of the sinner stand in extremest contrast4 ,at first the promise is presented in the negative form of rest from labour4 ,even the ,creator condescended thus to rest4 ,but what such rest can be to ,god it were vain for man to try to conceive4 ,we know that1 as soon as the foundations of the world were laid and the work of creation was ended1 ,god ceased from this form of activity4 ,but when this negative rest had been attained1 it was far from realising ,god's idea of rest either for ,himself or for man4 ,for1 though these works of ,god1 the material universe1 were finished from the laying of the world's foundations to the crowning of the edifice1#di ,god still speaks of another rest1 and threatens to shut some men out for their unbelief4 ,our ,lord told the ,pharisees1 whose notion of the ,sabbath was the negative one1 that ,he desired ,his ,sabbath rest to be like that of ,his ,father1 ,who worketh hitherto4 ,the ,jewish ,sabbath1 it appears1 therefore1 is the most crude and elementary form of ,god's promised rest4 ,the promise is next presented as the rest of ,canaan4#ej ,this is a stage in advance in the development of the idea4 ,it is not mere abstention from secular labour1 and the consecration of inactivity4 ,the rest now consists in the enjoyment of material prosperity1 the proud consciousness of national power1 the growth of a peculiar civilization1 the rise of great men and eminent saints1 and all this won by ,israel under the leadership of their ,jesus1 who was in this respect a type of ours4 ,but even in this second garden of ,eden ,israel did not attain unto ,god's rest4 ,worldliness became their snare4 ,but ,god still called to them by the mouth of the ,psalmist1 long after they had entered on the possession of ,canaan4 ,this only proves that the true rest was still unattained1 and ,god's promise not yet fulfilled4 ,the form which the rest of ,god now assumed is not expressly stated in our passage4 ,but we have not far to go in search of it4 ,the first ,psalm1 which is the introduction to all the ,psalms1 declares the blessedness of contemplation4 ,the ,sabbath is seldom mentioned by the ,psalmist4 ,its place is taken by the sanctuary1 in which rest of soul is found in meditating on ,god's law and beholding the ,lord's beauty4#ea ,the call is at last urgent4 ,to-day6 ,it is the last invitation4 ,it lingers in the ears in ever fainter voice of prophet after prophet1 until the prophet's face turns towards the east to announce the break of dawn and the coming of the perfect rest in ,jesus ,christ4 ,god's promise was never fulfilled to ,israel1 because of their unbelief4 ,but shall their unbelief make the faithfulness of ,god of none effect8 ,god forbid4 ,the gifts and calling of ,god are without repentance4 ,the promise that has failed of fulfilment in the lower form must find its accomplishment in the higher4 ,even a prayer is the more heard for every delay4 ,god's mill grinds slowly1 but for that reason grinds small4 ,what is the inference8 ,surely it is that the ,sabbath rest still remains for the true people of ,god4 ,this ,sabbath rest ,st4 ,paul prayed that the true ,israel1 who glory1 not in their circumcision1 but in the ,cross of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 might receive3 ,peace be upon them1 and mercy1 and upon the ,israel of ,god4#eb ,the faithfulness of ,god to fulfil ,his promise in its higher form is proved by ,his having accomplished it in its more elementary forms to every one that believed4 ,for he that entered into ,god's rest did actually rest from his works#ec--that is to say1 received the blessings of the ,sabbath--as truly as ,god rested from the work of creation4 ,the ,apostle's practical inference is couched in language almost paradoxical3 ,let us strive to enter into ,god's rest--not indeed into the rest of the ,old ,testament1 but into the better rest which ,god now offers in ,his ,son4 ,the oneness of the dispensations has been proved4 ,they are one in their design1 in their threatenings1 in their promises4 ,if we seek the fundamental ground of this threefold unity1 we shall find it in the fact that both dispensations are parts of a ,divine revelation4 ,god has spoken1 and the word of ,god does not pass away4 ,think not1 said our ,lord1 that ,i came to destroy the ,law or the prophets2 ,i came not to destroy1 but to fulfil4 ,for verily ,i say unto you1 ,till heaven and earth pass away1 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the ,law till all things be accomplished4#ed ,on another occasion ,he says1 ,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but ,my words shall not pass away4#ee ,these passages teach us that the words of ,god through ,moses and in the ,son are equally immutable4 ,many features of the old covenant may be transient2 but1 if it is a word of ,god1 it abides in its essential nature through all changes4 ,for the word of ,god is living1#ef because ,he ,who speaks the word is the living ,god4 ,it acts with mighty energy1#eg like the silent laws of nature1 which destroy or save alive according as men obey or disobey them4 ,it cuts like a sword whetted on each side of the blade1 piercing through to the place where the natural life of the soul divides#eh from1 or passes into1 the supernatural life of the spirit4 ,for it is revelation that has made known to man his possession of the spiritual faculty4 ,the word spirit is used by heathen writers4 ,but in their books it means only the air we breathe4 ,the very conception of the spiritual is enshrined in the bosom of ,god's word4 ,revelation has separated between the life of heathenism and the life of the ,church1 between the natural man and the spiritual1 between the darkness that comprehended it not and the children of the light who received it and thus became children of ,god4 ,further1 the word of ,god pierces to the joints that connect the natural and the supernatural4#ei ,it does not ignore the former4 ,on the contrary1 it addresses itself to man's reason and conscience1 in order to erect the supernatural upon nature4 ,where reason stops short1 the word of ,god appeals to the supernatural faculty of faith2 and when conscience grows blunt1 the word makes conscience1 like itself1 sharper than any two-edged sword4 ,once more1 the word of ,god pierces to the marrow4#fj ,it reveals to man the innermost meaning of his own nature and of the supernatural planted within him4 ,the truest morality and the highest spirituality are both the direct product of ,god's revelation4 ,but all this is true in its practical application to every man individually4 ,the power of the word of ,god to create distinct dispensations and yet maintain their fundamental unity1 to distinguish between masses of men and yet cause all the separate threads of human history to converge and at last meet1 is the same power which judges the inmost thoughts and inmost purposes of the heart4 ,these it surveys with critical judgment4#fa ,if its eye is keen1 its range of vision is also wide4 ,no created thing but is seen and manifest4 ,the surface is bared1 and the depth within is opened up before it4 ,as the upturned neck of the sacrificial beast lay bare to the eye of ,god1#fb so are we exposed to the eye of ,him to ,whom we have to give our account4#fc ,,footnotes3 #ch ,chap4 iii4 #b4 #ci #a ,cor4 iv4 #b4 #dj ,chap4 iii4 #d4 #da poisanti4 #db ,chap4 iii4 #e4 #dc ,ps4 xcv4 #g1 sqq4 #dd ,chap4 ii4 #ac4 #de ta kla4 ,cf4 chap4 xii4 #ab4 #df ouk dynthsan 7iii4 #ai74 #dg eungelismenoi 7iv4 #b74 #dh ,reading synkekerasmenos4 #di ,chap4 iv4 #c4 #ej ,chap4 iv4 #h4 #ea ,ps4 xxvii4 #d4 #eb ,gal4 vi4 #af4 #ec ,chap4 iv4 #aj4 #ed ,matt4 v4 #ag1 #ah4 #ee ,matt4 xxiv4 #ce4 #ef ,chap4 iv4 #ab4 #eg energs4 #eh merismou4 #ei harmn4 #fj myeln4 #fa kritikos4 #fb tetrachlismena 7iv4 #ac74 #fc ho logos4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,great ,,high-,,priest4 ,having then a great ,high-priest1 ,who hath passed through the heavens1 ,jesus the ,son of ,god1 let us hold fast our confession4 ,for we have not a high-priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities2 but ,one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are1 yet without sin4 ,let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace1 that we may receive mercy1 and may find grace to help us in time of need4 ,for every high-priest1 being taken from among men1 is appointed for men in things pertaining to ,god1 that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins3 who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring1 for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity2 and by reason thereof is bound1 as for the people1 so also for himself1 to offer for sins4 ,and no man taketh the honour unto himself1 but when he is called of ,god1 even as was ,aaron4 ,so ,christ also glorified not ,himself to be made a ,high-priest1 but ,he that spake unto ,him1 ,thou art ,my ,son1 ,this day have ,i begotten ,thee3 as ,he saith also in another place1 ,thou art a ,priest for ever ,after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,who in the days of ,his flesh1 having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto ,him that was able to save ,him from death1 and having been heard for ,his godly fear1 though ,he was a ,son1 yet learned obedience by the things which ,he suffered2 and having been made perfect1 ,he became unto all them that obey ,him the ,author of eternal salvation2 named of ,god a ,high-priest after the order of ,melchizedek4--,,heb4 iv4 #ad-v4 #aj 7,r4,v47 ,the results already gained are such as these3 that the ,son1 through ,whom ,god has spoken unto us1 is a greater ,person than the angels2 that ,jesus1 ,whom the ,apostle and the ,hebrew ,christians acknowledge to be ,son of ,god1 is the representative ,man1 endowed1 as such1 with kingly authority2 that the ,son of ,god became man in order that ,he might be constituted ,high-priest to make reconciliation for sin2 and1 finally1 that all the purposes of ,god revealed in the ,old ,testament1 though they have hitherto been accomplished but partially1 will not fall to the ground1 and will remain in higher forms under the ,gospel4 ,the writer gathers these threads to a head in chap4 iv4 #ad4 ,the high-priest still remains4 ,if we have the high-priest1 we have all that is of lasting worth in the old covenant4 ,for the idea of the covenant is reconciliation with ,god1 and this is embodied and symbolised in the high-priest1 inasmuch as he alone entered within the veil on the day of atonement4 ,having the high-priest in a greater ,person1 we have all the blessings of the covenant restored to us in a better form4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews is intended to encourage and comfort men who have lost their all4 ,judaism was in its death-throes4 ,national independence had already ceased4 ,when the ,apostle was writing1 the eagles were gathering around the carcase4 ,but when all is lost1 all is regained if we have the ,high-priest4 ,the secret of ,his abiding for ever is ,his own greatness4 ,he is a great ,high-priest2 for ,he has entered into the immediate presence of ,god1 not through the ,temple veil1 but through the very heavens4 ,in chap4 viii4 #a the ,apostle declares this to be the head and front of all he has said3 ,we have such an ,high-priest as ,he must be ,who is set on the right hand of the throne of the ,majesty in the heavens4 ,he is a great ,high-priest because ,he is a ,priest on a throne4 ,as the representative ,man1 ,jesus is crowned4 ,his glory is kingly4 ,but the glory bestowed on the ,man as ,king has brought ,him into the audience-chamber of ,god as ,high-priest4 ,the kingship of ,jesus1 to ,whom all creation is subjected1 and ,who sits above all creation1 has made ,his priestly service effectual4 ,his exaltation is much more than a reward for ,his redemptive sufferings4 ,he entered the heaven of ,god as the sanctuary of which ,he is ,minister4 ,for if ,he were on earth1 ,he would not be a ,priest at all1 seeing that ,he is not of the order of ,aaron1 to which the earthly priesthood belongs according to the ,law4#fd ,but ,christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands1 but into the very heaven1 now to be manifested before the face of ,god for us4#fe ,the ,apostle has said that ,christ is ,son over the house of ,god4 ,he is also ,high-priest over the house of ,god1 having authority over it in virtue of ,his priesthood for it1 and administering ,his priestly functions effectually through ,his kingship4#ff ,the entire structure of the ,apostle's inferences rests on the twofold argument of the first two chapters4 ,jesus ,christ is a great ,high-priest2 that is1 ,king and ,high-priest in one1 because ,he unites in ,his own person ,son of ,god and ,son of man4 ,one is tempted to find an intentional antithesis between the awe-inspiring description of the word of ,god in the previous verse and the tender language of the verse that follows4 ,is the word a living1 energising power8 ,the ,high-priest too is living and powerful1 great and dwelling above the heavens4 ,does the word pierce to our innermost being8 ,the ,high-priest sympathises with our weaknesses1 or1 in the beautiful paraphrase of the ,english ,version1 is touched with a feeling of our infirmities4 ,does the word judge8 ,the ,high-priest can be equitable1 inasmuch as ,he has been tempted like as we are tempted1 and that without sin4#fg ,on the last-mentioned point much might be said4 ,he was tempted to sin1 but withstood the temptation4 ,he had true and complete humanity1 and human nature1 as such and alone1 is capable of sin4 ,shall we1 therefore1 admit that ,jesus was capable of sin8 ,but ,he was ,son of ,god4 ,christ was ,man1 but not a human ,person4 ,he was a ,divine ,person1 and therefore absolutely and eternally incapable of sin2 for sin is the act and property of a person1 not of a mere nature apart from the persons who have that nature4 ,having assumed humanity1 the ,divine person of the ,son of ,god was truly tempted1 like as we are4 ,he felt the power of the temptation1 which appealed in every case1 not to a sinful lust1 but to a sinless want and natural desire4 ,but to have yielded to ,satan and satisfied a sinless appetite at his suggestion would have been a sin4 ,it would argue want of faith in ,god4 ,moreover1 ,he strove against the tempter with the weapons of prayer and the word of ,god4 ,he conquered by ,his faith4 ,far from lessening the force of the trial1 ,his being ,son of ,god rendered ,his humanity capable of being tempted to the very utmost limit of all temptation4 ,we dare not say that mere man would certainly have yielded to the sore trials that beset ,jesus4 ,but we do say that mere man would never have felt the temptation so keenly4 ,neither did ,his ,divine greatness lessen ,his sympathy4 ,holy men have a wellspring of pity in their hearts1 to which ordinary men are total strangers4 ,the infinitely holy ,son of ,god had infinite pity4 ,these are the sources of ,his power to succour the tempted1--the reality of ,his temptations as ,he was ,son of man1 the intensity of them as ,he was ,son of ,god1 and the compassion of ,one ,who was both ,son of ,god and ,son of man4 ,our author is wont to break off suddenly and intersperse his arguments with affectionate words of exhortation4 ,he does so here4 ,it is still the same urgent command3 ,do not let go the anchor4 ,hold fast your profession of ,christ as ,son of ,god and ,son of man1 as ,priest and ,king4 ,let us draw nearer1 and that boldly1 unto this great ,high-priest1 ,who is enthroned on the mercy-seat1 that we may obtain the pity which1 in our sense of utter helplessness1 we seek1 and find more than we seek or hope for1 even ,his grace to help us4 ,only linger not till it be too late4 ,his aid must be sought in time4#fh ,to-day is still the call4 ,pity and helping grace1 sympathy and authority--in these two excellences all the qualifications of a high-priest are comprised4 ,it was so under the old covenant4 ,every high-priest was taken from among men that he might sympathise1 and was appointed by ,god that he might have authority to act on behalf of men4 #a4 ,the high-priest under the ,law is himself beset by the infirmities of sinful human nature1 the infirmities at least for which alone the ,law provides a sacrifice1 sins of ignorance and inadvertence4#fi ,thus only can he form a fair and equitable judgment#gj when men go astray4 ,the thought wears the appearance of novelty4 ,no use is apparently made of it in the ,old ,testament4 ,the notion of the high-priest's ,divine appointment overshadowed that of his human sympathy4 ,his sinfulness is acknowledged1 and ,aaron is commanded to offer sacrifice for himself and for the sins of the people4#ga ,but the author of this ,epistle states the reason why a sinful man was made high-priest4 ,he has told us that the ,law was given through angels4 ,but no angel interposed as high-priest between the sinner and ,god4 ,sympathy would be wanting to the angel4 ,but the very infirmity that gave the high-priest his power of sympathy made sacrifice necessary for the high-priest himself4 ,this was the fatal defect4 ,how can he bestow forgiveness who must seek the like forgiveness8 ,in the case of the great ,high-priest1 ,jesus the ,son of ,god1 the end must be sought in another way4 ,he is not so taken from the stock of humanity as to be stained with sin4 ,he is not one of many men1 any one of whom might have been chosen4 ,on the contrary1 ,he is holy1 innocent1 stainless1 separated in character and position before ,god from the sinners around ,him4#gb ,he has no need to offer sacrifice for any sin of ,his own1 but only for the sins of the people2 and this ,he did once for all when ,he offered up ,himself4 ,for the ,law makes mere men1 beset with sinful infirmity1 priests2 but the word of the oath makes the ,son ,priest1 ,who has been perfected for ,his office for ever4#gc ,in this respect ,he bears no resemblance to ,aaron4 ,yet ,god did not leave ,his people without a type of ,jesus in this complete separateness4 ,the ,psalmist speaks of ,him as a ,priest after the order of ,melchizedek1 and concerning ,christ as the ,melchizedek ,priest the ,apostle has more to say hereafter4#gd ,the question returns1 ,how1 then1 can the ,son of ,god sympathise with sinful man8 ,he can sympathise with our sinless infirmities because ,he is true ,man4 ,but that ,he1 the sinless ,one1 may be able to sympathise with sinful infirmities1 ,he must be made sin for us and face death as a sin-offering4 ,the ,high-priest ,himself becomes the sacrifice which ,he offers4 ,special trials beset ,him4 ,his life on earth is pre-eminently days of the flesh1#ge so despised is ,he1 a very ,man of sorrows4 ,when ,he could not acquire the power of sympathy by offering atonement for ,himself1 because ,he needed it not1 ,he offered prayers and supplications with a strong cry and tears to ,him ,who was able to save ,him out of death4 ,but why the strong cries and bitter weeping8 ,can we suppose for a moment that ,he was only afraid of physical pain8 ,or did ,he dread the shame of the ,cross8 ,our author elsewhere says that ,he despised it4 ,shall we say that ,jesus ,christ had less moral courage than ,socrates or ,his own martyr-servant1 ,st4 ,ignatius8 ,at the same time1 let us confine ourselves strictly to the words of ,scripture1 lest by any gloss of our own we ascribe to ,christ's death what is required by the exigencies of a ready-made theory4 ,being in an agony1 ,he prayed more earnestly2 and ,his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground4#gf ,is this the attitude of a martyr8 ,the ,apostle himself explains it4 ,though ,he was a ,son1 to ,whom obedience to ,his ,father's command that ,he should lay down ,his life was natural and joyful1 yet ,he learned ,his obedience1 special and peculiar as it was1 by the things which ,he suffered4#gg ,he was perfecting ,himself to be our ,high-priest4 ,by these acts of priestly offering ,he was rendering ,himself fit to be the sacrifice offered4 ,because there was in ,his prayers and supplications1 in ,his crying and weeping1 this element of entire self-surrender to ,his ,father's will1 which is the truest piety1#gh ,his prayers were heard4 ,he prayed to be delivered out of ,his death4 ,he prayed for the glory which ,he had with ,his ,father before the world was4 ,at the same time ,he piously resigned ,himself to die as a sacrifice1 and left it to ,god to decide whether ,he would raise ,him from death or leave ,his soul in ,hades4 ,because of this perfect self-abnegation1 ,his sacrifice was complete2 and1 on the other hand1 because of the same entire self-denial1 ,god did deliver ,him out of death and made ,him an eternal ,priest4 ,his prayers were not only heard1 but became the foundation and beginning of ,his priestly intercession on behalf of others4 #b4 ,the second essential qualification of a high-priest was authority to act for men in things pertaining to ,god1 and in ,his name to absolve the penitent sinner4 ,prayer was free to all ,god's people and even to the stranger that came out of a far country for the sake of the ,god of ,israel's name4 ,but guilt1 by its very nature1 involves the need1 not merely of reconciling the sinner1 but primarily of reconciling ,god4 ,hence the necessity of a ,divine appointment4 ,for how can man bring his sacrifice to ,god or know that ,god has accepted it unless ,god ,himself appoints the mediator and through him pronounces the sinner absolved8 ,it is true1 if man only is to be reconciled1 a ,divinely appointed prophet will be enough1 who will declare ,god's fatherly love and so remove the sinner's unbelief and slay his enmity4 ,but the ,epistle to the ,hebrews teaches that ,god appoints a high-priest4 ,this of itself is fatal to the theory that ,god needs not to be reconciled4 ,in the sense of having this ,divine authorization1 the priestly office is here said to be an honour1 which no man takes upon himself1 but accepts when called thereunto by ,god4#gi ,how does this apply to the great ,high-priest ,who has passed through the heavens8 ,he also glorified not ,himself to become ,high-priest4 ,the ,apostle has changed the word4#hj ,to ,aaron it was an honour to be high-priest4 ,he was authorized to act for ,god and for men4 ,but to ,christ it was more than an honour1 more than an external authority conferred upon ,him4 ,it was part of the glory inseparable from ,his ,sonship4 ,he ,who said to ,him1 ,thou art ,my ,son1 made ,him thereby potentially ,high-priest4 ,his office springs from ,his personality1 and is not1 as in the case of ,aaron1 a prerogative superadded4 ,the author has cited the second ,psalm in a previous passage#ha to prove the kingly greatness of the ,son1 and here again he cites the same words to describe ,his priestly character4 ,his priesthood is not from men1 and1 therefore1 does not pass away from ,him to others2 and this eternal1 independent priesthood of ,christ is typified in the king-priest ,melchizedek4 ,before ,he began to act in ,his priestly office ,god said to ,him1 ,thou art a ,priest for ever after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,when ,he has been perfected and learned ,his obedience#hb by the things which ,he suffered1 ,god still addresses ,him as a ,high-priest according to the order of ,melchizedek4 ,,footnotes3 #fd ,chap4 viii4 #d4 #fe ,chap4 ix4 #bd4 #ff ,cf4 chap4 x4 #ba4 #fg ,chap4 iv4 #ae4 #fh eukairon 7iv4 #af74 #fi ,chap4 v4 #a1 #b4 #gj metriopathein4 #ga ,lev4 xvi4 #f4 #gb ,chap4 vii4 #bf4 #gc ,chap4 vii4 #bh4 #gd ,chap4 v4 #aj1 #aa4 #ge ,chap4 v4 #g4 #gf ,luke xxii4 #dd4 ,the genuineness of the verse is not quite certain4 #gg ,cf4 ,john x4 #ah4 #gh apo ts eulabeias 7v4 #g74 #gi ,chap4 v4 #d4 #hj timn 7v4 #d72 edoxasen 7v4 #e74 #ha ,chap4 i4 #e4 #hb tn hypakon 7v4 #h74 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,impossibility ,,of ,,renewal4 ,of ,whom we have many things to say1 and hard of interpretation1 seeing ye are become dull of hearing4 ,for when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers1 ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of ,god2 and are become such as have need of milk1 and not of solid food4 ,for every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness2 for he is a babe4 ,but solid food is for full-grown men1 even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil4 ,wherefore let us cease to speak of the first principles of ,christ1 and press on unto perfection2 not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works1 and of faith toward ,god1 of the teaching of baptisms1 and of laying on of hands1 and of resurrection of the dead1 and of eternal judgment4 ,and this will we do1 if ,god permit4 ,for as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift1 and were made partakers of the ,holy ,ghost1 and tasted the good word of ,god1 and the powers of the age to come1 and then fell away1 it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance2 seeing they crucify to themselves the ,son of ,god afresh1 and put ,him to an open shame4 ,for the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it1 and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled1 receiveth blessing from ,god3 but if it beareth thorns and thistles1 it is rejected and nigh unto a curse2 whose end is to be burned4--,,heb4 v4 #aa-vi4 #h 7,r4,v474 ,in one of the greatest and most strange of human books the argument is sometimes said to veil itself1 and the sustained image of a man battling with the waves betrays the writer's hesitancy4 ,when he has surmounted the first wave1 he dreads the second4 ,when he has escaped out of the second1 he fears to take another step1 lest the third wave may overwhelm him4 ,the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews has proved that ,christ is ,priest-,king4 ,but before he starts anew1 he warns his readers that whoever will venture on must be prepared to hear a hard saying1 which he himself will find difficult to interpret and few will receive4 ,hitherto he has only shown that whatever of lasting worth was contained in the old covenant remains and is exalted in ,christ4 ,even this truth is an advance on the mere rudiments of ,christian doctrine4 ,but what if he attempts to prove that the covenant which ,god made with their fathers has waxed old and must vanish away to make room for a new and better one8 ,for his part1 he is eager to ascend to these higher truths4 ,he has yet much to teach about ,christ in the power of ,his heavenly life4#hc ,but his readers are dull of hearing and inexperienced in the word of righteousness4 ,the commentators are much divided and exercised on the question whether the ,apostle means that the argument should advance or that his readers ought to make progress in spiritual character4#hd ,in a way he surely means both4 ,what gives point to the whole section now to be considered is the connection between development of doctrine and a corresponding development of the moral nature4 ,for the time ye ought to be teachers4#he ,they ought to have been teachers of the elementary truths1 in consequence of having discovered the higher truths for themselves1 under the guidance of ,god's ,spirit4 ,it ought to have been unnecessary for the ,apostle to explain them4 ,at this time the teachers in the ,church had probably consolidated into a class formally set apart1 but had not yet fallen to the second place1 as compared with the prophets1 which they occupy in the ,teaching of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,a long time had elapsed since the ,church of ,jerusalem1 with the ,apostles and elders1 had sat in judgment on the question submitted to their decision by such men as ,peter1 ,barnabas1 ,paul1 and ,james4#hf ,since then the ,hebrew ,christians had degenerated1 and now needed somebody--it mattered little who it might be1#hg--to teach them the alphabet#hh of ,christian doctrine4 ,philo had already emphasised the distinction between the child in knowledge and the man of full age and mature judgment4 ,st4 ,paul had said more than once that such a distinction holds among ,christians4 ,many are carnal2 some are spiritual4 ,in his writings the difference is not an external one1 nor is the line between the two classes broad and clear4 ,the one shades into the other4 ,but1 though we may not be able to determine where the one begins and the other ends1 both are tendencies1 and move in opposite directions4 ,in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews the distinction resembles the old doctrine of habit taught by ,aristotle4 ,our organs of sense are trained by use to distinguish forms and colours4 ,in like manner1 there are inner organs of the spirit1#hi which distinguish good from evil1 not by mathematical demonstration1 but by long-continued exercise#ij in hating evil and in loving holiness4 ,the growth of this spiritual sense is connected by our author with the power to understand the higher doctrine4 ,he only who discerns1 by force of spirited insight1 what is good and what is evil1 can also understand spiritual truths4 ,the difference between good and evil is not identical with the word of righteousness4 ,but the moral elevation of character that clearly discerns the former is the condition of understanding also the latter4 ,wherefore--that is1 inasmuch as solid food is for full-grown men--let us have done#ia with the elementary doctrines1 and permit ourselves to be borne strongly onwards#ib towards full growth of spiritual character4#ic ,the ,apostle has just said that his readers needed some one to teach them the rudiments4 ,we should have expected him1 therefore1 to take it in hand4 ,but he reminds them that the defect lies deeper than intellectual error4 ,the remedy is not mere teaching1 but spiritual growth4 ,apart from moral progress there can be no revelation of new truths4 ,ever-recurring efforts to lay the foundation of individual piety will result only in an apprehension of what we may designate personal and subjective doctrines4 ,the ,apostle particularises4 ,repentance towards ,god and faith in ,god are the initial graces4#id ,for without sorrow for sin and trust in ,god's mercy ,god's revelation of ,himself in ,his ,son will not be deemed worthy of all acceptation4 ,if this is so1 the doctrines suitable to the initial stage of the ,christian life will be--7#a7 the doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands1 and 7#b7 the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment4 ,repentance and faith accept the gospel of forgiveness1 which is symbolised in baptism1 and of absolution1 symbolised in the laying on of hands4 ,again1 repentance and faith realise the future life and the final award2 the beginning of piety reaching forth a hand1 as runners do1 as if to grasp the furthest goal before it touches the intermediate points4 ,yet every intermediate truth1 when apprehended1 throws new light on the soul's eschatology4 ,in like manner civilization began with contemplation of the stars1 long before it descended to chemical analysis1 but at last it applies its chemistry to make discoveries in the stars4 ,this1 then1 is the initial stage in the ,christian character1--repentance and faith2 and these are the initial doctrines1 baptism1 absolution1 resurrection1 and judgment4 ,how may they be described8 ,they all centre in the individual believer4 ,they have all to do with the fact of his sin4 ,one question1 and one only1 presses for an answer4 ,it is1 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 ,one result1 and one only1 flows from the salvation obtained4 ,it is the final acquittal of the sinner at the last day4 ,god is known only as the merciful ,saviour and the holy ,judge4 ,the whole of the believer's personal existence hovers in mid-air between two points3 repentance at some moment in the past and judgment at the end of the world4 ,works are dead1 and the reason why is that they have no saving power4 ,there is here no thought of life as a complete thing or as a series of possibilities that ever spring into actuality1 no thought of the individual as being part of a greater whole4 ,the ,church exists for the sake of the believer1 not the believer for the sake of the ,church4 ,even ,christ ,himself is nothing more to him than his ,saviour1 ,who by an atoning death paid his debt4 ,the ,apostle would rise to higher truths concerning ,christ in the power of ,his heavenly life4 ,this is the truth which the story of ,melchizedek will teach to such as are sufficiently advanced in spirituality to understand its meaning4 ,but1 before he faces the rolling wave1 the ,apostle tells his readers why it is that1 in reference to ,christian doctrine1 character is the necessary condition of intelligence4 ,it is so for two reasons4 ,first1 the word spoken by ,god in ,his ,son has for its primary object1 not speculation1 but righteousness4#ie ,theology is essentially a practical1 not a merely theoretical1 science4 ,its purpose is to create righteous men2 that is1 to produce a certain character4 ,when produced1 this lofty character is sustained by the truths of the ,gospel as by a spiritual food1 milk or strong meat4 ,christianity is the art of holy living1 and the art is mastered only as every other art is learned3 by practice or experience4 ,but experience will suggest rules1 and rules will lead to principles4 ,the art itself creates a faculty to transform it into a science4 ,religion will produce a theology4 ,the doctrine will be understood only by the possessor of that goodness to which it has itself given birth4 ,second1 the ,apostle introduces the personal action of ,god into the question4 ,understanding of the higher truths is ,god's blessing on goodness1#if and destruction of the faculty of spiritual discernment is ,his way of punishing moral depravity4#ig ,this is the general sense and purport of an extremely difficult passage4 ,the threatened billow is still far away4 ,but before it rolls over us1 we seem to be already submerged under the waves4 ,our only hope lies in the ,apostle's illustration of the earth that bears here thorns and there good grain4 ,expositors go quite astray when they explain the simile as if it were intended to describe the effect on moral character of rightly or wrongly using our faculty of knowledge4 ,the meaning is the reverse4 ,the ,apostle is showing the effect of character on our power to understand truth4 ,neither soil is barren4 ,both lands drink in the rain that often comes upon them4 ,but the fatness of the one field brings forth thorns and thistles1 and this can only mean that the man's vigour of soul is itself an occasion of moral evil4 ,the richness of the other land produces plants fit for use by men1 who are the sole reason for its tillage4#ih ,this1 again1 must mean that1 in the case of some men1 ,god blesses that natural strength which itself is neither good nor evil1 and it becomes a source of goodness4 ,we come now to the result in each case4 ,the soil that brings forth useful herbs has its share of the ,creator's first blessing4 ,what the blessing consists in we are not here told1 and it is not necessary to pursue this side of the illustration further4 ,but the other soil1 which gives its natural strength to the production of noxious weeds1 falls under the ,creator's primal curse and is nigh unto burning4 ,the point of the parable evidently is that ,god blesses the one1 that ,god destroys the other4 ,in both cases the ,apostle recognises the ,divine action1 carrying into effect a ,divine threat and a ,divine promise4 ,let us see how the simile is applied4 ,the terrible word impossible might indeed have been pronounced1 with some qualification1 over a man who had fallen under the power of evil habits4 ,for ,god sets ,his seal to the verdict of our moral nature4 ,to such a man the only escape is through the strait gate of repentance4 ,but here we have much more than the ordinary evil habits of men1 such as covetousness1 hypocrisy1 carnal imaginations1 cruelty4 ,the ,apostle is thinking throughout of ,god's revelation in ,his ,son4 ,he refers to the righteous anger of ,god against those who persistently despise the ,son4 ,in the second chapter#ii he has asked how men who neglect the salvation spoken through the ,lord can hope to shun ,god's anger4 ,here1 he declares the same truth in a stronger form4 ,how shall they escape ,his wrath who crucify afresh the ,son and put ,him to an open shame8 ,such men ,god will punish by hardening their hearts1 so that they cannot even repent4 ,the initial grace becomes impossible4 ,the four parts of the simile and of the application correspond4 ,first1 drinking in the rain that often comes upon the land corresponds to being once enlightened1 tasting of the heavenly gift1 being made partakers of the ,holy ,ghost1 and tasting the good word of ,god and the powers of the world to come4 ,the rain descends on all the land and gives it its natural richness4 ,the question whether the ,apostle speaks of converted or unconverted men is entirely beside the purpose1 and may safely be relegated to the limbo of misapplied interpretations4 ,no doubt the controversy between ,calvinists and ,arminians concerning final perseverance and the possibility of a fall from a state of grace is itself vastly important4 ,but the question whether the gifts mentioned are bestowed on an unconverted man is of no importance to the right apprehension of the ,apostle's meaning4 ,we must be forgiven for thinking he had it not in his mind4 ,it is more to the purpose to remind ourselves that all these excellences are regarded by the ,apostle as gifts of ,god1 like the oft-descending rain1 not as moral qualities in men4 ,he mentions the one enlightenment produced by the one revelation of ,god in ,his ,son4 ,it may be compared to the opening of blind eyes or the startled waking of the soul by a great idea4 ,to taste the heavenly gift is to make trial of the new truth4 ,to be made partakers of the ,holy ,ghost is to be moved by a supernatural enlightening influence4 ,to taste the good word of ,god is to discern the moral beauty of the revelation4 ,to taste the powers of the world to come is to participate in the gifts of power which the ,spirit divides to each one severally even as ,he will4 ,all these things have an intellectual quality4 ,faith in ,christ and love to ,god are purposely excluded4 ,the ,apostle brings together various phases of our spiritual intelligence1 the gift of illumination1 which we sometimes call genius1 sometimes culture1 sometimes insight1 the faculty that ought to apprehend ,christ and welcome the revelation in the ,son4 ,if these high gifts are used to scoff at the ,son of ,god1 and that with the persistence that can spring only from the pride and self-righteousness of unbelief1 renewal is impossible4 ,second1 the negative result of not bringing forth any useful herbs corresponds to falling away4#ajj ,god has bestowed ,his gift of enlightenment1 but there is no response of heart and will4 ,the soul does not lay hold1 but drifts away4 ,third1 the positive result of bearing thorns and thistles corresponds to crucifying to themselves the ,son of ,god afresh and putting ,him to an open shame4 ,the gifts of ,god have been abused1 and the contrary of what ,he1 in ,his care for men1 intended the earth to produce1 is the result4 ,the ,divine gift of spiritual enlightenment has been itself turned into a very genius of cynical mockery4 ,the ,son of ,god has already been once crucified amid the awful scenes of ,gethsemane and ,calvary4 ,the agony and bloody sweat1 the cry of infinite loneliness on the ,cross1 the tender compassion of the dying ,jesus1 the power of ,his resurrection--all this is past4 ,one bitterness yet remains4 ,men use ,god's own gift of spiritual illumination to crucify the ,son afresh4 ,but they crucify ,him only for themselves4#aja ,when the sneer has died away on the scoffer's lips1 nothing is left4 ,no result has been achieved in the moral world4 ,when ,christ was crucified on ,calvary1 ,his death changed for ever the relations of ,god and men4 ,when ,he is crucified in the reproach of ,his enemies1 nothing has been accomplished outside the scoffer's little world of vanity and pride4 ,fourth1 to be nigh unto a curse and to be given in the end to be burned corresponds to the impossibility of renewal4 ,the illustration requires us to distinguish between falling away and crucifying the ,son of ,god afresh and putting ,him to an open shame4#ajb ,the land is doomed to be burned because it bears thorns and thistles4 ,god renders men incapable of repentance1 not because they have fallen away once or more than once1 but because they scoff at the ,son1 through ,whom ,god has spoken unto us4 ,the terrible impossibility of renewal here threatened applies1 not to apostasy 7as the early ,church maintained7 nor to the lapsed 7as the ,novatianists held71#ajc but to apostasy combined with a cynical1 scoffing temper that persists in treading the ,son of ,god under foot4 ,apostasy resembles the sin against the ,son of man2 cynicism in reference to the ,son of man comes very near the sin against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this sin is not forgiven1 because it hardens the heart and makes repentance impossible4 ,it hardens the heart1 because ,god is jealous of ,his ,son's honour1 and punishes the scoffer with the utter destruction of the spiritual faculty and with absolute inability to recover it4 ,this is not the mere force of habit4 ,it is ,god's retribution1 and the ,apostle mentions it here because the text of the whole ,epistle is that ,god has spoken unto us in ,his ,son4 ,but the ,hebrew ,christians have not come to this4#ajd ,the ,apostle is persuaded better things of them1 and things that are nigh1 not unto a curse1 but unto ultimate salvation4 ,yet they are not free from the danger4 ,if we may appropriate the language of an eminent historian1 the worship of wealth1 grandeur1 and dominion blinded the ,jews to the form of spiritual godliness2 the rejection of the ,saviour and the deification of ,herod were parallel manifestations of the same engrossing delusion4#aje ,that the ,christian ,hebrews may not fall under the curse impending over their race1 the ,apostle urges them to press on unto full growth of character4 ,and this he and they will do--he ranks himself among them1 and ventures to make reply in their name4 ,but ,he must add an if ,god permit4 ,for there are men whom ,god will not permit to advance a jot higher4 ,because they have abused ,his great gift of illumination to scoff at the greater gift of the ,son1 they are doomed to forfeit possession of both4 ,the only doomed man is the cynic4 ,,footnotes3 #hc ,chap4 v4 #aa4 #hd ,chap4 vi4 #a4 #he ,chap4 v4 #ab4 #hf ,acts xv4 #hg tina 7v4 #ab74 #hh stoicheia4 #hi aisthtria4 #ij gegymnasmena4 #ia aphentes 7vi4 #a74 #ib phermetha4 #ic teleiotta4 #id themelion4 #ie ,chap4 v4 #ac4 #if ,chap4 vi4 #g4 #ig ,chap4 vi4 #h4 #ih di' hous4 #ii ,chap4 ii4 #c4 #ajj parapesontas 7vi4 #f74 ,cf4 pararymen 7ii4 #a74 #aja heautois4 #ajb ,apart from the exigencies of the illustration1 the change from the aorist participle to the present participles tells in the same way4 ,it is extremely harsh to consider anastaurauntas and paradeigmatizontas to be explanatory of parapesontas4 ,the former must be rendered hypothetically3 ,they cannot be renewed after falling away if they persist in crucifying1 etc4 #ajc ,the apostates1 or deserters1 were not identical with the lapsed1 who fell away from fear of martyrdom4 ,novatian refused to restore either to ,church privileges4 ,the ,church restored the latter1 but not the former4 ,cf4 ,cyprian1 ,ep4 lv4 ad fin4 #ajd ,chap4 vi4 #i4 #aje ,dean ,merivale1 ,romans under the ,empire1 chap4 lix4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,impossibility ,,of ,,failure4 ,but1 beloved1 we are persuaded better things of you1 and things that accompany salvation1 though we thus speak3 for ,god is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed toward ,his name1 in that ye ministered unto the saints1 and still do minister4 ,and we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fulness of hope even to the end3 that ye be not sluggish1 but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises4 ,for when ,god made promise to ,abraham1 since ,he could swear by none greater1 ,he sware by ,himself1 saying1 ,surely blessing ,i will bless thee1 and multiplying ,i will multiply thee4 ,and thus1 having patiently endured1 he obtained the promise4 ,for men swear by the greater3 and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation4 ,wherein ,god1 being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of ,his counsel1 interposed with an oath3 that by two immutable things1 in which it is impossible for ,god to lie1 we may have a strong encouragement1 who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us2 which we have as an anchor of the soul1 a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil2 whither as a ,forerunner ,jesus entered for us1 having become a ,high-priest for ever after the order of ,melchizedek4--,,heb1 vi4 #i-bj 7,r4,v474 ,solemn warning is followed by words of affectionate encouragement4 ,impossibility of renewal is not the only impossibility within the compass of the ,gospel4#ajf ,over against the descent to perdition1 hope of the better things grasps salvation with the one hand and the climbing pilgrim with the other1 and makes his failure to reach the summit impossible4 ,both impossibilities have their source in ,god's justice4 ,he is not unjust to forget the deed of love shown towards ,his name1 when the only-begotten ,son ministered to men and still ministers4 ,contempt of this love ,god will punish4 ,neither is ,he unjust to forget the love that ministered to ,his poor saints in days of persecution1 when the ,hebrew ,christians became partakers with their fellow-believers in their reproaches and tribulations1 showed pity towards their brethren in prisons1 and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods4#ajg ,the stream of brotherly kindness was still flowing4 ,this love ,god rewards4 ,but the ,apostle desires them to show1 not only faithfulness in ministering to the saints1 but also ,christian earnestness generally1#ajh until they attain the full assurance of hope4 ,the older expositors understand the words to express the ,apostle's wish that his readers should continue to minister to the saints4 ,but ,calvin's view has1 especially since the time of ,bengel1 been generally accepted3 that the ,apostle urges his readers to be as diligent in seeking the full assurance of hope as they are in ministering to the poor4 ,this is most probably the meaning1 but with the addition that he speaks of earnestness generally1 not merely of active diligence4 ,their religion was too narrow in range4 ,care for the poor has sometimes been the piety of sluggish despondency and bigotry4 ,but spiritual earnestness is the moral discipline that works hope1 a hope that makes not ashamed1 but leads men on to an assured confidence that the promise of ,god will be fulfilled1 though now black clouds overspread their sky4 ,an incentive to faith and endurance will be found in the example of all inheritors of ,god's promise4#aji ,the ,apostle is on the verge of anticipating the splendid record of the eleventh chapter4 ,but he arrests himself1 partly because1 at the present stage of his argument1 he can speak of faith only as the deep fountain of endurance4 ,he cannot now describe it as the realisation and the proof of things unseen4#aaj ,he wishes1 moreover1 to dwell on the oath made by ,god to ,abraham4 ,even this1 if not an anticipation of what is still to come1 is at least a preparation of the reader for the distinction hereafter effectively handled between the high-priest made without an oath and the ,high-priest made with an oath4 ,but1 in the present section1 the emphatic notion is that the promise made to ,abraham is the same promise which the ,apostle and his brethren wait to see fulfilled1 and that the confirmation of the promise by oath to ,abraham is still in force for their strong encouragement4 ,it is true that ,abraham received the fulfilment of the promise in his lifetime1 but only in a lower form4 ,the promise1 like the ,sabbath rest1 has become more and still more elevated1 profound1 spiritual1 with the long delay of ,god to make it good4 ,it is equally true that the saints under the ,old ,testament received not the fulfilment of the promise in its highest meaning1 and were not perfected apart from believers of after-ages1#aaa ,god's words never grow obsolete4 ,they are never left behind by the ,church4 ,if they seem to pass away1 they return laden with still choicer fruit4 ,the coursing moon in the high heavens is never outstripped by the belated traveller4 ,the hope of the ,gospel is ever set before us4 ,god swears to ,abraham in the spring-time of the world that we1 on whom the ends of the ages have come1 may have a strong incentive to press onwards4 ,but1 if the oath of ,god to ,abraham is to inspire us with new courage1 we must resemble ,abraham in the eager earnestness and calm endurance of his faith4 ,the passage has often been treated as if the oath had been intended to meet the weakness of faith4 ,but unbelief is logician enough to argue that ,god's word is as good as ,his bond2 yea1 that we have no knowledge of ,his oath except from ,his word4 ,the ,apostle refers to the greatest instance of faith ever shown even by ,abraham1 when he withheld not his son1 his beloved son1 on ,moriah4 ,the oath was made to him by ,god1 not before he gave up ,isaac1 in order to encourage his weakness1 but when he had done it1 as a reward of his strength4 ,philo's fine sentence1 which indeed the sacred writer partly borrows1 is intended to teach the same lesson3 that1 while disappointments are heaped on sense1 an endless abundance of good things has been given to the earnest soul and the perfect man4#aab ,it is to ,abraham when he has achieved his supreme victory of faith that ,god vouchsafes to make oath that ,he will fulfil ,his promise4 ,this gives us the clue to the purport of the words4 ,up to this final test of ,abraham's faith ,god's promise is1 so to speak1 conditional4 ,it will be fulfilled if ,abraham will believe4 ,now at length the promise is given unconditionally4 ,abraham has gone triumphantly through every trial4 ,he has not withheld his son4 ,so great is his faith that ,god can now confirm ,his promise with a positive declaration1 which transforms a promise made to a man into a prediction that binds ,himself4 ,or shall we retract the expression that the promise is now given unconditionally8 ,the condition is transferred from the faith of ,abraham to the faithfulness of ,god4 ,in this lies the oath4 ,god pledges ,his own existence on the fulfilment of ,his promise4 ,he says no longer1 ,if thou canst believe1 but ,as true as ,i live4 ,speaking humanly1 unbelief on the part of ,abraham would have made the promise of ,god of none effect2 for it was conditional on ,abraham's faith4 ,but the oath has raised the promise above being affected by the unbelief of some1 and itself includes the faith of some4 ,st4 ,paul can now ask1 ,what if some did not believe8 ,shall their unbelief make the faith 7no longer merely the promise7 of ,god without effect8#aac ,our author also can speak of two immutable things1 in which it was impossible for ,god to lie4 ,the one is the promise1 the immutability of which means only that ,god1 on ,his part1 does not retract1 but casts on men the blame if the promise is not fulfilled4 ,the other is the oath1 in which ,god takes the matter into ,his own hands and puts the certainty of ,his fulfilling the promise to rest on ,his own eternal being4 ,the ,apostle is careful to point out the wide and essential difference between the oath of ,god and the oaths of men4 ,for men swear by the greater2 that is1 they call upon ,god1 as the ,almighty1 to destroy them if they are uttering what is false4 ,they imprecate a curse upon themselves4 ,if they have sworn to a falsehood1 and if the imprecation falls on their heads1 they perish1 and the matter ends4 ,and yet an oath decides all disputes between man and man4#aad ,though they appeal to an ,omnipotence that often turns a deaf ear to their prayer against themselves2 though1 if the ,almighty were to fling retribution on them1 the wheels of nature would whirl as merrily as before2 though1 if their false swearing were to cause the heavens to fall1 the men would still exist and continue to be men2--yet1 for all this1 they accept an oath as final settlement4 ,they are compelled to come to terms2 for they are at their wits' end4 ,but it is very different with the oath of ,god4 ,when ,he swears by ,himself1 ,he appeals1 not to ,his omnipotence1 but to ,his truthfulness4 ,if any jot or tittle of ,god's promise fails to the feeblest child that trusts ,him1 ,god ceases to be4 ,he has been annihilated1 not by an act of power1 but by a lie4 ,we have said that the oath met1 not the weakness1 but the strength1 of ,abraham's faith4 ,if so1 why was it given him8 ,first1 it simplified his faith4 ,it removed all tendency to morbid introspection and filled his spirit with a peaceful reliance on ,god's faithfulness4 ,he had no more need to try himself whether he was in the faith4 ,anxious effort and painful struggle were over4 ,faith was now the very life of his soul4 ,he could leave his concerns to ,god1 and wait4 ,this is the thought expressed in the word enduring4 ,second1 it was a new revelation of ,god to him1 and thus elevated his spiritual nature4 ,the moral character of the ,most ,high1 rather than ,his natural attribute of omnipotence1 became the resting-place of his spirit4 ,even the joy of ,god's heart was made known and communicated to his4 ,god was pleased with ,abraham's final victory over unbelief1 and wished to show him more abundantly#aae ,his counsel and the immutability of it4 ,the secret of the ,lord is with them that fear ,him1 and ,he will show them ,his covenant4#aaf ,third1 it was intended also for our encouragement4 ,it is strange1 but true1 that the promises of ,god are confirmed to us by the victorious faith of a nomad chief from ,ur of the ,chaldees1 who1 in the morning of the world's history1 withheld not his son4 ,after all1 we are not disconnected units4 ,god only can trace the countless threads of influence4 ,abraham's strong faith evoked the oath that now sustains the weakness of ours4 ,because he believed so well1 the promise comes to us with all the sanction of ,god's own truth and unchangeableness4 ,the oath made to ,abraham was linked with a still more ancient1 even an eternal1 oath1 made to the ,son1 constituting ,him ,priest for ever after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,the priesthood of ,melchizedek is said by the ,apostle to be a type of the priesthood founded on an oath4 ,it was becoming that the man who acknowledged the priesthood of ,melchizedek and received its blessing should have that blessing fulfilled to him in the confirmation by oath of ,god's promise4 ,thus the promises that have been fulfilled through the eternal priesthood of the true ,melchizedek are confirmed to us by an oath made to him who acknowledged that priesthood in the typical ,melchizedek4 ,yet1 notwithstanding these vital points of contact1 ,abraham and the ,hebrew ,christians are in some respects very unlike4 ,they have left his serene and contemplative life far behind4 ,the souls of men are stirred with dread of the threatened end of all things4 ,abraham had no need to flee for refuge from an impending wrath4 ,his religion even was not a fleeing from any wrath to come1 but a yearning for a better fatherland4 ,he never heard the midnight cry of ,maranatha1 but longed to be gathered to his fathers4 ,if any similitude to the ,christian's fleeing from the wrath to come must be sought in ancient days1 it will be found in the history of ,lot1 not of ,abraham4 ,whether the ,apostle's thoughts rested for a moment on ,lot's flight from ,sodom1 it is impossible to say4 ,his mind is moving so rapidly that one illustration after another flits before his eye4 ,the notion of ,abraham's strong faith1 reaching out a hand to the strong grasp of ,god's oath1 reminds him of men fleeing for refuge1 perhaps into a sanctuary1 and laying hold of the horns of the altar1 with a reminiscence of the ,baptist's taunting question1 ,who warned you to flee from the wrath to come8 and a side glance at the approaching destruction of the holy city1 if indeed the catastrophe had not already befallen the doomed people4 ,the thought suggests another illustration4 ,our hope is an anchor cast into the deep sea4 ,the anchor is sure and steadfast--sure1 for1 like ,abraham's faith1 it will neither break nor bend2 steadfast1 for1 like ,abraham's faith again1 it bites the eternal rock of the oath4 ,still another metaphor lends itself4 ,the deep sea is above all heavens in the sanctuary within the veil1 and the rock is ,jesus1 ,who has entered into the holiest place as our ,high-priest4 ,yet another thought4 ,jesus is not only ,high-priest1 but also ,captain1 of the redeemed host1 leading us on1 and opening the way for us to enter after ,him into the sanctuary of the promised land4 ,thus1 with the help of metaphor heaped on metaphor in the fearless confusion delightful to conscious strength and gladness1 the ,apostle has at last come to the great conception of ,christ in the sanctuary of heaven4 ,he has hesitated long to plunge into the wave2 and even now he will not at once lift the veil from the argument4 ,the allegory of ,melchizedek must prepare us for it4 ,,footnotes3 #ajf ,compare chap4 vi4 #d and chap4 vi4 #ah4 #ajg ,chap4 x4 #cd4 #ajh spoudn 7vi4 #aa74 #aji ,chap4 vi4 #ac4 #aaj ,chap4 xi4 #a4 #aaa ,chap4 xi4 #dj4 #aab ,,ss4 ,legg4 ,alleg41 iii41 p4 #ih 7vol4 i41 p4 #abg4 ,mang474 ,with ,philo's t spoudaia psych compare the ,apostle's spoudn 7chap4 v4 #aa74 #aac ,rom4 iii4 #c4 #aad ,chap4 vi4 #af4 #aae perissoteron4 #aaf ,ps4 xxiv4 #ad4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,allegory ,,of ,,melchizedek4 ,,hebrews vii4 #a-bh 7,r4,v474 ,for this ,melchizedek1 ,king of ,salem1 priest of ,god ,most ,high1 who met ,abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings1 and blessed him1 to whom also ,abraham divided a tenth part of all 7being first1 by interpretation1 ,king of righteousness1 and then also ,king of ,salem1 which is1 ,king of peace2 without father1 without mother1 without genealogy1 having neither beginning of days nor end of life1 but made like unto the ,son of ,god71 abideth a priest continually4 ,now consider how great this man was1 unto whom ,abraham1 the patriarch1 gave a tenth out of the chief spoils4 ,and they indeed of the sons of ,levi that receive the priest's office have commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law1 that is1 of their brethren1 though these have come out of the loins of ,abraham3 but he whose genealogy is not counted from them hath taken tithes of ,abraham1 and hath blessed him that hath the promises4 ,but without any dispute the less is blessed of the better4 ,and here men that die receive tithes2 but there one1 of whom it is witnessed that he liveth4 ,and1 so to say1 through ,abraham even ,levi1 who receiveth tithes1 hath paid tithes2 for he was yet in the loins of his father1 when ,melchizedek met him4 ,now if there was perfection through the ,levitical priesthood 7for under it hath the people received the ,law71 what further need was there that another ,priest should arise after the order of ,melchizedek1 and not be reckoned after the order of ,aaron8 ,for the priesthood being changed1 there is made of necessity a change also of the law4 ,for ,he of ,whom these things are said belongeth to another tribe1 from which no man hath given attendance at the altar4 ,for it is evident that our ,lord hath sprung out of ,judah2 as to which tribe ,moses spake nothing concerning priests4 ,and what we say is yet more abundantly evident1 if after the likeness of ,melchizedek there ariseth another ,priest1 ,who hath been made1 not after the law of a carnal commandment1 but after the power of an endless life3 for it is witnessed of ,him1 ,thou art a ,priest for ever ,after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,for there is a disannulling of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness 7for the ,law made nothing perfect71 and a bringing in thereupon of a better hope1 through which we draw nigh unto ,god4 ,and inasmuch as it is not without the taking of an oath 7for they indeed have been made priests without an oath2 but ,he with an oath by ,him that saith of ,him1 ,the ,lord sware and will not repent ,himself1 ,thou art a ,priest for ever72 by so much also hath ,jesus become the ,surety of a better covenant4 ,and they indeed have been made priests many in number1 because that by death they are hindered from continuing3 but ,he1 because ,he abideth for ever1 hath ,his priesthood unchangeable4 ,wherefore also ,he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto ,god through ,him1 seeing ,he ever liveth to make intercession for them4 ,for such a ,high-priest became us1 holy1 guileless1 undefiled1 separated from sinners1 and made higher than the heavens2 ,who needeth not daily1 like those high-priests1 to offer up sacrifices1 first for ,his own sins1 and then for the sins of the people3 for this ,he did once for all1 when ,he offered up ,himself4 ,for the ,law appointeth men high-priests1 having infirmity2 but the word of the oath1 which was after the ,law1 appointeth a ,son1 perfected for evermore4 ,jesus has entered heaven as our ,forerunner1 in virtue of ,his eternal priesthood4 ,the endless duration and heavenly power of ,his priesthood is the hard saying which the ,hebrew ,christians would not easily receive1 inasmuch as it involves the setting aside of the old covenant4 ,but it rests on the words of the inspired ,psalmist4 ,once already an inference has been drawn from the ,psalmist's prophecy4 ,the meaning of the ,sabbath rest has not been exhausted in the ,sabbath of ,judaism2 for ,david1 so long after the time of ,moses1 speaks of another and better day4 ,similarly in the seventh chapter the ,apostle finds an argument in the mysterious words of the ,psalm1 ,the ,lord hath sworn1 and will not repent1 ,thou art a ,priest for ever after the order of ,melchizedek4#aag ,the words are remarkable because they imply that in the heart of ,judaism there lurked a yearning for another and different kind of priesthood from that of ,aaron's order4 ,it may be compared to the strange intrusion now and again of other gods than the deities of ,olympus into the religion of the ,greeks1 either by the introduction of a new deity or by way of return to a condition of things that existed before the young gods of the court of ,zeus began to hold sway4 ,but1 to add to the mysterious character of the ,psalm1 it gives utterance to a desire for another ,king also1 ,who should be greater than a mere son of ,david3 ,the ,lord said unto my ,lord1 ,sit ,thou at ,my right hand1 until ,i make ,thine enemies ,thy footstool4 ,yet the ,psalmist is ,david himself1 and ,christ silenced the ,pharisees by asking them to explain the paradox3 ,if ,david then call ,him ,lord1 how is ,he his ,son8#aah ,delitzsch observes that in no other psalm does ,david distinguish between himself and ,messiah2 that is1 in all his other predictions ,messiah is ,david himself idealised1 but in this ,psalm ,he is ,david's ,lord as well as his ,son4 ,the ,psalmist desires a better priesthood and a better kingship4 ,these aspirations are alien to the nature of ,judaism4 ,the ,mosaic dispensation pointed indeed to a coming priest1 and the ,jews might expect ,messiah to be a ,king4 ,but the ,priest would be the antitype of ,aaron1 and the ,king would be only the ,son of ,david4 ,the ,psalm speaks of a ,priest after the order1 not of ,aaron1 but of ,melchizedek1 and of a ,king ,who would be ,david's ,lord4 ,to increase the difficulty1 the ,priest and the ,king would be one and the same ,person4 ,yet the ,psalmist's mysterious conception comes to the surface now and again4 ,in the ,book of ,zechariah the ,lord commands the prophet to set crowns upon the head of ,joshua the high-priest1 and proclamation is made that he shall be a priest upon his throne4#aai ,the ,maccaban princes are invested with priestly garments4 ,philo#abj has actually anticipated the ,apostle in his reference to the union of the priesthood and kingship in the person of ,melchizedek4 ,we need not hesitate to say that the ,apostle borrows his allegory from ,philo1 and finds his conception of the ,priest-,king in the religious insight of the profounder men1 or at least in their earnest groping for better things4 ,all this notwithstanding1 his use of the allegory is original and most felicitous4 ,he adds an idea1 fraught with consequences to his argument4 ,for the central thought of the passage is the endless duration of the priesthood of ,melchizedek4 ,the ,priest-,king is ,priest for ever4 ,we have spoken of ,melchizedek's story as an allegory1 not to insinuate doubt of its historical truth1 but because it cannot be intended by the ,apostle to have direct inferential force4 ,it is an instance of the allegorical interpretation of ,old ,testament events1 similar to what we constantly find in ,philo1 and once at least in ,st4 ,paul4 ,allegorical use of history has just as much force as a parable drawn from nature1 and comes just as near a demonstration as the types1 if it is so used by an inspired prophet in the ,scriptures of the ,old ,testament4 ,this is precisely the difference between our author and ,philo4 ,the latter invents allegories and lets his fancy run wild in weaving new coincidences1 which ,scripture does not even suggest4 ,but the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews keeps strictly within the lines of the ,psalm4 ,we must also bear in mind that the story of ,melchizedek sets forth a feature of ,christ's priesthood which cannot be figured by a type of the ordinary form4 ,philo infers from the history of ,melchizedek the sovereignty of ,god4 ,the ,psalmist and the ,apostle teach from it the eternal duration of ,christ's priesthood4 ,but how can any type represent such a truth8 ,how can the fleeting shadow symbolise the notion of abiding substance8 ,the type by its very nature is transitory4 ,that ,christ is ,priest for ever can be symbolically taught only by negations1 by the absence of a beginning and of an end1 in some such way as the hieroglyphics represent eternity by a line turning back upon itself4 ,in this negative fashion1 ,melchizedek has been assimilated to the ,son of ,god4 ,his history was intentionally so related by ,god's ,spirit that the sacred writer's silence even is significant4 ,for ,melchizedek suddenly appears on the scene1 and as suddenly vanishes1 never to return4 ,hitherto in the ,bible story every man's descent is carefully noted1 from the sons of ,adam to ,noah1 from ,noah down to ,abraham4 ,now1 however1 for the first time1 a man stands before us of whose genealogy and birth nothing is said4 ,even his death is not mentioned4 ,what is known of him wonderfully helps the allegorical significance of the intentional silence of ,scripture4 ,he is king and priest1 and the one act of his life is to bestow his priestly benediction on the heir of the promises4 ,no more appropriate or more striking symbol of ,christ's priesthood can be imagined4 ,his name even is symbolical4 ,he is ,king of righteousness4 ,by a happy coincidence1 the name of his city is no less expressive of the truth to be represented4 ,he is ,king of ,salem1 which means ,king of peace4 ,the two notions of righteousness and peace combined make up the idea of priesthood4 ,righteousness without peace punishes the transgressor4 ,peace without righteousness condones the transgression4 ,the kingship of ,melchizedek1 it appears1 involves that he is priest4 ,this king-priest is a monotheist1 though he is not of the family of ,abraham4 ,he is even priest of the ,most ,high ,god1 though he is outside the pale of the priesthood afterwards founded in the line of ,aaron4 ,judaism1 therefore1 enjoys no monopoly of truth4 ,as ,st4 ,paul argues that the promise is independent of the ,law1 because it was given four hundred years before1 so our author hints at the existence of a priesthood distinct from the ,levitical4 ,what existed before ,aaron may also survive him4 ,further1 these two men1 ,melchizedek and ,abraham1 were mutually drawn each to the other by the force of their common piety4 ,melchizedek went out to meet ,abraham on his return from the slaughter of the kings1 apparently not because he was indebted to him for his life and the safety of his city 7for the kings had gone their way as far as ,dan after pillaging the ,cities of the ,plain71 but because he felt a strong impulse to bestow his blessing on the man of faith4 ,he met him1 not as king1 but as priest4 ,would it be too fanciful to conjecture that ,abraham had that mysterious power1 which some men possess and some do not1 of attracting to himself and becoming a centre1 around which others almost unconsciously gather8 ,it is suggested by his entire history4 ,whether it was so or not1 ,melchizedek blessed him1 and ,abraham accepted the blessing1 and acknowledged its priestly character by giving him the priest's portion1 the tenth of the best spoils4 ,how great must this man have been1 who blessed even ,abraham1 and to whom ,abraham1 the patriarch1 paid even the tenth6 ,but the less is blessed of the greater4 ,in ,abraham the ,levitical priesthood itself may be said to acknowledge the superiority of ,melchizedek4#aba ,wherein lay his greatness8 ,he was not in the priestly line4 ,neither do we read that he was appointed of ,god4 ,yet no man taketh this honour unto himself4 ,god had made him king and priest by conferring upon him the gift of innate spiritual greatness4 ,he was one of nature's kings1 born to rule1 not because he was his father's son1 but because he had a great soul4 ,it is not in record that he bequeathed to his race a great idea4 ,he created no school1 and had no following4 ,so seldom is mention made of him in the ,old ,testament1 that the ,psalmist's passing reference to his name attracts the ,apostle's special notice4 ,he became a priest in virtue of what he was as man4 ,his authority as king sprang from character4 ,such men appear on earth now and again4 ,but they are never accounted for4 ,all we can say of them is that they have neither father nor mother nor genealogy4 ,they resemble those who are born of the ,spirit1 of whom we know neither whence they come nor whither they go4 ,it is only from the greatest one among these kings and priests of men that the veil is lifted4 ,in ,him we see the ,son of ,god4 ,in ,christ we recognise the ideal greatness of sheer personality1 and we at once say of all the others1 as the ,apostle says of ,melchizedek1 that they have been made like1 not unto ancestors or predecessors1 but unto ,him ,who is ,himself like ,his ,divine ,father4 ,such priests remain priests for ever4 ,they live on by the vitality of their priesthood4 ,they have no beginning of days or end of life4 ,they have never been set apart with outward ritual to an official distinction1 marked by days and years4 ,their acts are not ceremonial1 and wait not on the calendar4 ,they bless men1 and the blessing abides4 ,they pray1 and the prayer dies not4 ,if their prayer lives for ever1 can we suppose that they themselves pass away8 ,the king-priest is heir of immortality1 whoever else may perish4 ,he at least has the power of an endless life4 ,if he dies in the flesh1 he lives on in the spirit4 ,an eternal heaven must be found or made for such men with ,god4 ,now this is the gist and kernel of the ,apostle's beautiful allegory4 ,the argument points to the ,son of ,god1 and leads up to the conception of ,his eternal priesthood in the sanctuary of heaven4 ,let us see how the parable is interpreted and applied4 ,that ,jesus is a great ,high-priest has been proved by argument after argument from the beginning of the ,epistle4 ,but this is not enough to show that the priesthood after the order of ,aaron has passed away4 ,the ,hebrew ,christians may still maintain that the ,messiah perfected the ,aaronic priesthood and added to it the glory of kingship4 ,transference of the priesthood must be proved2 and it is symbolised in the history of ,melchizedek4 ,but transference of the priesthood involves much more than what has hitherto been mentioned4 ,it implies1 not merely that the priesthood after the order of ,aaron has come to an end1 but that the entire dispensation of law1 the old covenant1 is replaced by a new covenant and a better one1 inasmuch as the ,law was erected on the foundation#abb of the priesthood4 ,it was a religious economy4 ,the fundamental conceptions of the religion were guilt and forgiveness4#abc ,the essential fact of the dispensation was sacrifice offered for the sinner to ,god by a priest4 ,the priesthood was the article of a standing or a falling ,church under the ,old ,testament4 ,change of the priesthood of itself abrogates the covenant4 ,what1 then1 is the truth in this matter8 ,has the priesthood been transferred8 ,let the story of ,melchizedek1 interpreted by the inspired ,psalmist1 supply the answer4 ,first1 ,jesus sprang from the royal tribe of ,judah1 not from the sacerdotal tribe of ,levi4 ,the ,apostle intentionally uses a term#abd that glances at the prophet ,zechariah's prediction concerning ,him ,who shall arise as the dawn1 and be a ,priest upon ,his throne4 ,we shall1 therefore1 entitle ,him ,lord1 and say that our ,lord has risen out of ,judah4#abe ,he is ,lord and ,king by right of birth4 ,but this circumstance1 that ,he belongs to the tribe of ,judah1 hints1 to say the least1 at a transference of the priesthood4 ,for ,moses said nothing of this tribe in reference to priests1 however great it became in its kings4 ,the kingship of our ,lord is foreshadowed in ,melchizedek4 ,second1 it is still more evident that the ,aaronic priesthood has been set aside if we recall another feature in the allegory of ,melchizedek4 ,for ,jesus is like ,melchizedek as ,priest1 not as ,king only4 ,the priesthood of ,melchizedek sprang from the man's inherent greatness4 ,how much more is it true of ,jesus ,christ that ,his greatness is personal6 ,he became what ,he is1 not by force of law1 which could create only an external1 carnal commandment1 but by innate power1 in virtue of which ,he will live on and ,his life will be indestructible4#abf ,the commandment that constituted ,aaron priest has not indeed been violently abrogated2 but it has been thrust aside in consequence of its own inner feebleness and uselessness4#abg ,that it has been weak and unprofitable to men is evident from the inability of the ,law1 as a system erected upon that priesthood1 to satisfy conscience4#abh ,yet this carnal1 decayed priesthood was permitted to linger on and work itself out4 ,the better hope1 through which we do actually come near unto ,god1 did not forcibly put an end to it1 but was super-added4#abi ,christ never formally abolished the old covenant4 ,we cannot date its extinction4 ,we must not say that it ceased to exist when the ,supper was instituted1 or when the true ,passover was slain1 or when the ,spirit descended4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews is intended to awaken men to the fact that it is gone4 ,they can hardly realise that it is dead4 ,it has been lost1 like the light of a star1 in the spreading dawn of day4 ,the sun of that eternal day is the infinitely great personality of ,jesus ,christ1 born a crownless ,king2 crowned at ,his death1 but with thorns4 ,yet what mighty power ,he has wielded6 ,the ,galilan has conquered4 ,since ,he has passed through the heavens from the eyes of men1 thousands in every age have been ready to die for ,him4 ,even to-day the ,christianity of the greatest part of ,his followers consists more in profound loyalty to a personal ,king than in any intellectual comprehension of the ,teacher's dogmatic system4 ,such kingly power cannot perish4 ,untouched by the downfall of kingdoms and the revolutions of thought1 such a ,king will sit upon ,his moral throne from age to age1 yesterday and to-day the same1 and for ever4 ,third1 the entire system or covenant based on the ,aaronic priesthood has passed away and given place to a better covenant1--better in proportion to the firmer foundation on which the priesthood of ,jesus rests4#acj ,beyond question1 the promises of ,god were steadfast4 ,but men could not realise the glorious hope of their fulfilment1 and that for two reasons4 ,first1 difficult conditions were imposed on fallible men4 ,the worshipper might transgress in many points of ritual4 ,his mediator1 the priest1 might err where error would be fatal to the result4 ,worshipper and priest1 if they were thoughtful and pious men1 would be haunted with the dread of having done wrong they knew not how or where1 and be filled with dark forebodings4 ,confidence1 especially full assurance1 was not to be thought of4 ,second1 ,christ found it necessary to urge ,his disciples to believe in ,god4 ,the misery of distrusting ,god ,himself exists4 ,men think that ,he is such as they are2 and1 as they do not believe in themselves1 their faith in ,god is a reed shaken by the wind4 ,these wants were not adequately met by the old covenant4 ,the conditions imposed perplexed men1 and the revelation of ,god's moral character and ,fatherhood was not sufficiently clear to remove distrust4 ,the ,apostle directs attention to the strange absence of any swearing of an oath on the part of ,god when ,he instituted the ,aaronic priesthood1 or on the part of the priest at his consecration4 ,yet the kingship was confirmed by oath to ,david4 ,in the new covenant1 on the other hand1 all such fears may be dismissed4 ,for the only condition imposed is faith4 ,in order to make faith easy and inspire men with courage1 ,god appoints a ,surety#aca for ,himself4 ,he offers ,his ,son as ,hostage1 and thus guarantees the fulfilment of ,his promise4 ,as the ,man ,jesus1 the ,son of ,god was delivered into the hands of men4 ,of the better covenant ,jesus is the ,surety4 ,this will explain a word in the sixth chapter1 which we were compelled at the time to put aside4 ,for it is there said that ,god mediated with an oath4#acb ,we now understand that this means the appointment of ,christ to be ,surety of the fulfilment of ,god's promises4 ,the old covenant could offer no guarantee4 ,it is true that it was ordained in the hands of a mediator4 ,but it is also true that the mediator was no surety1 inasmuch as those priests were made without an oath4 ,christ has been made ,priest with an oath4 ,therefore ,he is1 as ,jesus1 the ,surety of a better covenant4 ,in what respects the covenant is better1 the ,apostle will soon tell us4 ,for the present1 we only know that the foundation is stronger in proportion as the oath of ,god reveals more fully ,his sincerity and love1 and renders it an easier thing for men laden with guilt to trust the promise4 ,before we dismiss the subject1 it may be well to remind the reader that this mention of a ,surety by our author is the locus classicus of the ,federalist school of divines4 ,cocceius and his followers present the whole range of theological doctrines under the form of covenant4 ,they explain the words ,surety of a better covenant to mean that ,christ is appointed by ,god to be a ,surety on behalf of men1 not on behalf of ,god4 ,the course of thought in the passage is1 we think1 decisive against this interpretation4 ,at the same time1 we readily admit that their doctrine is a just theological inference from the passage4 ,if ,god swears that ,his gracious purposes will be fulfilled and ordains ,jesus to be ,his ,surety to men1 and if also the fulfilment of the ,divine promise depends on the fulfilment of certain conditions on the part of men1 the oath of ,god will involve ,his enabling men to fulfil those conditions1 and the ,surety will become in eventual fact a ,surety on behalf of men4 ,but this is only an inference4 ,it is not the meaning of the ,apostle's words1 who only speaks of the ,surety on the part of ,god4 ,the validity of the inference now mentioned depends on other considerations extraneous to this passage4 ,with those considerations1 therefore1 we have at present nothing to do4 ,fourth1 the climax of the argument is reached when the ,apostle infers the endless duration of ,christ's one priesthood4#acc ,the number of men who had been successively high-priests of the old covenant increased from age to age4 ,dying one after another1 they were prevented from continuing as high-priests4 ,but ,melchizedek had no successor2 and the ,jews themselves admitted that the ,christ would abide for ever4 ,the ascending argument of the ,apostle proves that ,he ever liveth1 and has1 therefore1 an immutable priesthood4 ,for1 first1 ,he is of the royal tribe1 and the oath of ,god to ,david guarantees that of his kingdom there shall be no end4 ,again1 in the greatness of ,his personality1 ,he is endowed with the power of an endless life4 ,moreover1 as ,priest ,he has been established in ,his office by oath4 ,he is1 therefore1 ,priest for ever4 ,a question suggests itself4 ,why is the endless life of one high-priest more effective than a succession1 conceivably an endless succession1 of high-priests8 ,the eternal priesthood involves two distinct1 but mutually dependent1 conceptions1--power to save and intercession4 ,in the case of any man1 to live for ever means power4 ,even the body of our humiliation will be raised in power4 ,can the spirit1 therefore1 in the risen life1 its own native home1 be subject to weakness8 ,what1 then1 shall we say of the risen and glorified ,christ8 ,the difference between ,him and the high-priests of earth is like the difference between the body that is raised and the body that dies4 ,in ,aaron priesthood is sown in corruption1 dishonour1 weakness2 in ,christ priesthood is raised in incorruption1 in glory1 in power4 ,in ,aaron it is sown a natural priesthood2 in ,christ it is raised a spiritual priesthood4 ,it must be that the ,high-priest in heaven has power to save continually and completely4 ,whenever help is needed1 ,he is living4 ,but ,he ever lives that ,he may intercede4#acd ,apart from intercession on behalf of men1 ,his power is not moral4 ,it has no greatness or joy1 or meaning4 ,intercession is the moral content of ,his powerful existence4 ,whenever help is needed1 ,he is living1 and is mighty#ace to save from sin1 to rescue from death1 to deliver from its fear4 ,to prove that ,christ's eternal priesthood involves power and intercession is the purpose of the next verses4#acf ,such a ,high-priest1 powerful to save and ever living to intercede1 is the only ,one befitting us1 who are at once helpless and guilty4 ,the ,apostle triumphantly unfolds the glory of this conception of a high-priest4 ,he means ,christ4 ,but he is too triumphant to name ,him4 ,such a high-priest befits us4 ,the power of ,his heavenly life implies the highest development of moral condition4 ,he will address ,god with holy reverence4#acg ,he will succour men without a tinge of malice1#ach which is but another way of saying that ,he wishes them well from the depth of ,his heart4 ,he must not be sullied by a spot of moral defilement#aci 7for purity only can face ,god or love men74 ,he must be set apart for ,his lofty function from the sinners for whom ,he intercedes4 ,he must enter the true holiest place and stand in awful solitariness above the heavens of worlds and angels in the immediate presence of ,god4 ,further1 ,he must not be under the necessity of leaving the holiest place to renew ,his sacrifice1 as the high-priests of the old covenant had need to offer1 through the priests1 new sacrifices every day through the year for themselves and for the people--yea1 for themselves first1 then for the people--before they dared re-enter within the veil4#adj ,for ,christ offered ,himself4 ,such a sacrifice1 once offered1 was sufficient for ever4 ,to sum up4#ada ,the ,law appoints men high-priests2 the word1 which ,god has spoken unto us in ,his ,son1 appoints the ,son ,himself ,high-priest4 ,the ,law appoints men high-priests in their weakness2 the word appoints the ,son in ,his final and complete attainment of all perfection4 ,but the ,law will yield to the word4 ,for the word1 which had gone before the ,law in the promise made to ,abraham1 was not superseded by the ,law1 but came also after it in the stronger form of an oath1 of which the old covenant knew nothing4 ,,footnotes3 #aag ,ps4 cx4 #d4 #aah ,matt4 xxii4 #de4 #aai ,zech4 vi4 #aa1 #ac4 #abj ,,ss4 ,legg4 ,alleg41 iii4 7vol4 i41 p4 #ajc4 ,mang474 #aba ,chap4 vii4 #f-aj4 #abb ep' auts 7vii4 #aa74 #abc ,cf4 chap4 vi4 #a4 #abd ,anatetalken4 ,cf4 ,zech4 vi4 #ab4 ,anatol1 dawn4 ,the citation1 as usual1 is from the ,septuagint4 #abe ,chap4 vii4 #ad4 #abf ,chap4 vii4 #af4 #abg athetsis1 a setting aside 7chap4 vii4 #ah74 #abh ouden eteleisen 7vii4 #ai74 #abi epeisagg4 #acj ,chap4 vii4 #bj-bb4 #aca engyos4 #acb emesiteusen 7vi4 #ag7 #acc ,chap4 vii4 #bc-be4 #acd ,chap4 vii4 #be4 #ace dynatai1 the emphatic word in the passage4 #acf ,chap4 vii4 #bf4 #acg hosios4 #ach akakos4 #aci amiantos4 #adj ,chap4 vii4 #bg4 #ada ,chap4 vii4 #bh4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,new ,,covenant4 ,now in the things which we are saying the chief point is this3 ,we have such a ,high-priest1 ,who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the ,majesty in the heavens1 a ,minister of the sanctuary1 and of the true tabernacle1 which the ,lord pitched1 not man4 ,for every high-priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices3 wherefore it is necessary that this ,high-priest also have somewhat to offer4 ,now if ,he were on earth1 ,he would not be a ,priest at all1 seeing there are those who offer the gifts according to the ,law2 who serve that which is a copy and shadow of the heavenly things1 even as ,moses is warned of ,god when he is about to make the tabernacle3 for1 ,see1 saith ,he1 that thou make all things according to the pattern that was showed thee in the mount4 ,but now hath ,he obtained a ministry the more excellent1 by how much also ,he is the ,mediator of a better covenant1 which hath been enacted upon better promises4--,,heb4 viii4 #a-f 7,r4,v474 ,the ,apostle has interpreted the beautiful story of ,melchizedek with wonderful felicity and force4 ,the point of the whole ,epistle1 he now tells us1 lies there4 ,he has brought forth the headstone of the corner1 the keystone of the arch4#adb ,it is1 in short1 that we have such a ,high-priest4 ,country1 holy city1 ark of the covenant1 all are lost4 ,but if we have the ,high-priest1 all are restored to us in a better and more enduring form4 ,jesus is the ,high-priest and ,king4 ,he has taken ,his seat once for all1 as ,king1 on the right hand of the throne of the ,majesty1 and1 as ,priest1 is also ,minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle4 ,the indefinite and somewhat unusual term minister or public servant#adc is intentionally chosen1 partly to emphasise the contrast between ,christ's kingly dignity and ,his priestly service1 partly because the author wishes to explain at greater length in what ,christ's actual work as ,high-priest in heaven consists4 ,for ,christ's heavenly glory is a life of service1 not of selfish gratification4 ,every high-priest serves4#add ,he is appointed for no other purpose than to offer gifts and sacrifices4 ,the ,apostle's readers admitted that ,christ was ,high-priest4 ,but they were forgetting that1 as such1 ,he too must necessarily minister and have something which ,he can offer4 ,our theology is still in like danger4 ,we are sometimes prone to regard ,christ's life in heaven as only a state of exaltation and power1 and1 consequently1 to speak more of the saints' happiness than of their service4 ,it is the natural result of superficial theories of the ,atonement that little practical use is made by many ,christians of the truth of ,christ's priestly intercession4 ,the debt has been paid1 the debtor discharged1 and the transaction ended4 ,christ's present activity towards ,god is acknowledged and--neglected4 ,protestants are confirmed in this baneful worldliness of conception by their just desire to keep at a safe distance from the error in the opposite extreme3 that ,christ presents to ,god the ,church's sacrifices of the mass4 ,the truth lies midway between two errors4 ,on the one hand1 ,christ's intercession is not itself the making or constituting of a sacrifice2 on the other1 it is not mere pleading and prayer4 ,the sacrifice was made and completed on the ,cross1 as the victims were slain in the outer court4 ,but it was through the blood of those victims the high-priest had authority to enter the holiest place2 and when he had entered1 he must sprinkle the warm blood1 and so present the sacrifice to ,god4 ,similarly ,christ must enter a sanctuary in order to present the sacrifice slain on ,calvary4 ,the words of the ,apostle ,john1 ,we have an ,advocate with the ,father1 express only one side of the truth4 ,but he adds the other side of the conception in the same verse1 ,and ,he is the propitiation1 which is a very different thing from saying1 ,his death was the propitiation4 ,but what sanctuary shall ,he enter8 ,he could not approach the holiest place in the earthly temple4 ,for if ,he were on earth1 ,he would not be a ,priest at all1 seeing there are men ordained by the ,law to offer the appointed gifts on earth4#ade ,the ,jewish priests have satisfied and exhausted the idea of an earthly priesthood4 ,even ,melchizedek could not found an order4 ,if he may be regarded as an attempt to acclimatise on earth the priesthood of personal greatness1 the attempt was a failure4 ,it always fails1 though it is always renewed4 ,on earth there can be no order of goodness4 ,when a great saint appears among men1 he is but a bird of passage1 and is not to be found1 because ,god has translated him4 ,if it is so of ,his saints1 what of ,christ8 ,christ on earth through the ages8 ,impossible6 ,and what is impossible to-day will be equally inconceivable at any point of time in the future4 ,a correct conception of ,christ's priestly intercession is inconsistent with the dream of a reign of ,christ on earth4 ,it may1 or may not1 be consistent with ,his kingly office4 ,but ,his priesthood forbids4 ,we infer that ,christ has transformed the heaven of glory into the holiest place of a temple1 and the throne of ,god into a shrine before which ,he1 as ,high-priest1 presents ,his sacrifice4 ,the ,jewish priesthood itself teaches the existence of a heavenly sanctuary4#adf ,all the arrangements of tabernacle and ritual were made after a pattern shown to ,moses on ,mount ,sinai4 ,the priests1 in the tabernacle and through their ritual1 ministered to the holiest place1 as the visible image and outline of the real holiest place--that is1 heaven--which the ,lord pitched1 not man4 ,now ,christ's more excellent ministry as ,high-priest in heaven carries in its bosom all that the ,apostle contends for1--the establishment of a new covenant which has set aside for ever the covenant of the ,law4 ,he has obtained a ministry the more excellent by how much ,he is the ,mediator of a better covenant4#adg ,these words contain in a nutshell the entire argument1 or series of arguments1 that extends from the sixth verse of the eighth chapter to the eighteenth verse of the tenth4 ,the course of thought may be divided as follows3-- #a4 ,that the ,lord intends to establish a new covenant is first of all shown by a citation from the prophet ,jeremiah 7viii4 #g-ac74 #b4 ,a description of the tabernacle and of the entrance of the priests and high-priests into it teaches that the way into the holiest place was not yet open to men4 ,this is contrasted with the entering of ,christ into heaven through ,his own blood1 which proves that ,he has obtained for us an eternal redemption and is ,mediator of a new covenant1 founded on ,his death 7ix4 #a-ah74 #c4 ,the frequent entering of the high-priest into the holiest place is contrasted with the one death of ,christ and ,his entering heaven once4 ,this proves the power of ,his sacrifice and intercession to bring in the better covenant and set aside the former one 7ix4 #be-x4 #ah74 ,i4 ,a ,,new ,,covenant ,,promised ,,through ,,jeremiah4 ,for if that first covenant had been faultless1 then would no place have been sought for a second4 ,for finding fault with them1 ,he saith1 ,behold1 the days come1 saith the ,lord1 ,that ,i will make a new covenant with the house of ,israel and with the house of ,judah2 ,not according to the covenant that ,i made with their fathers ,in the day that ,i took them by the hand to lead them forth out of the land of ,egypt2 ,for they continued not in ,my covenant1 ,and ,i regarded them not1 saith the ,lord4 ,for this is the covenant that ,i will make with the house of ,israel ,after those days1 saith the ,lord2 ,i will put ,my laws into their mind1 ,and on their heart also will ,i write them3 ,and ,i will be to them a ,god1 ,and they shall be to ,me a people3 ,and they shall not teach every man his fellow-citizen1 ,and every man his brother1 saying1 ,know the ,lord3 ,for all shall know ,me1 ,from the least to the greatest of them4 ,for ,i will be merciful to their iniquities1 ,and their sins will ,i remember no more4 ,in that ,he saith1 ,a new covenant1 ,he hath made the first old4 ,but that which is becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing away4--,,heb4 viii4 #g-ac 7,r4,v474 ,the more spiritual men under the dispensation of law anticipated a new and better era4 ,the ,psalmist had spoken of another day1 and prophesied of the appearance of a ,priest after the order of ,melchizedek and a ,son of ,david ,who would also be ,david's ,lord4 ,but ,jeremiah is very bold1 and says#adh that the covenant itself on which the hope of his nation hangs will pass away1 and his dream of a more spiritual covenant1 established on better promises1 will at some distant day come true4 ,it is well to bear in mind that this discontent with the present order lodged in the hearts1 not of the worst1 but of the best and greatest1 sons of ,judaism4 ,it was the salt of their character1 the life of their inspiration1 the message of their prophecy4 ,in days of national distress and despair1 this star shone the brighter for the darkness4 ,the terrible shame of the ,captivity and the profound agony that followed it were lit up with the glorious vision of a better future in store for the people of ,god4 ,on the quivering lips of the prophet that sat weeping1 as he is described in the ,septuagint1#adi this strong hope found utterance4 ,he had washed the dust of worldliness from his eyes with tears1 and1 therefore1 saw more clearly than the men of his time the threatened downfall of ,judah and the bright dawn beyond4 ,in reading his prophecy of the new covenant we almost cease to wonder that some persons thought ,jesus was ,jeremiah risen from the dead4 ,the prophet's words have the same ring of undaunted cheerfulness1 of intense compassion1 of prophetic faith2 and ,christ1 as well as the ,apostle1 cites ,his prediction that all shall be taught of ,god4#aej ,jeremiah blames the people4#aea ,but the ,apostle infers that the covenant itself was not faultless1 inasmuch as the prophet seeks1 in his censure of the people1 to make room for another covenant4 ,we have already been told that there was on earth no room for the priesthood of ,christ4#aeb ,similarly1 in the sphere of earthly nationality1 there was no room for a covenant other than that which ,god had made with ,his people ,israel when ,he brought them out of the land of ,egypt4 ,but the earthly priesthood could not give efficacy to its ministering1 and thus room is found for a heavenly priesthood4 ,so also1 the covenant on which the earthly priesthood rested being inadequate1 the prophet makes room for the introduction of a new and better covenant4 ,now the peculiar character of the old covenant was that it dealt with men in the aggregate which we call the nation4 ,nationalism is the distinctive feature of the old world1 within the precincts of ,judaism and among the peoples of heathendom4 ,even the prophets could not see the spiritual truth1 which they themselves foretold1 except through the medium of nationality4 ,the ,messiah was the national king idealised1 even when ,he was a ,man of sorrows and acquainted with grief4 ,in the passage before us the prophet ,jeremiah speaks of ,god's promise to write ,his law on the heart as made to the house of ,judah and the house of ,israel1 as if he were not aware that1 in so speaking1 he was really contradicting himself4 ,for the blessing promised was a spiritual and1 consequently1 personal one1 with which nationality cannot possibly have any sort of connection4 ,it is a matter of profound joy to every lover of his people to witness and share in the uprising of a national consciousness4 ,some among us are beginning to know now for the first time that a national ideal is possible in thought1 and sentiment1 and life4 ,but there must not1 cannot1 be a nationality in religion4 ,a moral law in the heart does not recognise the quality of the blood that circulates through4 ,this truth the prophets strove to utter1 often in vain4 ,yet the breaking up of the nation into ,judah and ,israel helped to dispel the illusion4 ,the loss of national independence prepared for the universalism of ,jesus ,christ and ,st4 ,paul4 ,now also1 when an epistle is written to the ,hebrew ,christians1 the threatened extinction of nationality drives men to seek the bond of union in a more stable covenant1 which will save them1 if anything can1 from the utter collapse of all religious fellowship and civil society4 ,it is the glory of ,christianity that it creates the individual and at the same moment keeps perfectly clear of individualism4 ,its blessings are personal1 but they imply a covenant4 ,if nationalism has been dethroned1 individualism has not climbed to the vacant seat4 ,how it achieves this great result will be understood from an examination of ,jeremiah's prophecy4 ,the new covenant deals with the same fundamental conceptions which dominated the former one4 ,these are the moral law1 knowledge of ,god1 and forgiveness of sin4 ,so far the two dispensations are one4 ,because these great conceptions lie at the root of all human goodness1 religion is essentially the same thing under both covenants4 ,there is a sense in which ,st4 ,augustine was right in speaking of the saints under the old ,testament as ,christians before ,christ4 ,judaism and ,christianity stand shoulder to shoulder over against the religious ideas and practices of all the heathen nations of the world4 ,but in ,judaism these sublime conceptions are undeveloped4 ,nationalism dwarfs their growth4 ,they are like seeds falling on the thorns1 and the thorns grow up and choke them4 ,god1 therefore1 spoke unto the ,jews in parables1 in types and shadows4 ,seeing1 they saw not2 and hearing1 they heard not1 neither did they understand4 ,because the former covenant was a national one1 the conceptions of the moral law1 of ,god1 of sin and its forgiveness1 would be narrow and external4 ,the moral law would be embedded in the national code4 ,god would be revealed in the history of the nation4 ,sin would consist either in faults of ignorance and inadvertence or in national apostasy from the theocratic ,king4 ,in these three respects the new covenant excels1--in respect1 that is1 of the moral law1 knowledge of ,god1 and forgiveness of sin1 which yet may be justly regarded as the three sides of the revelation given under the former covenant4 #a4 ,the moral law will either forget its own holiness1 righteousness1 and goodness1 and degenerate into national rules of conduct1 or else1 by the innate force of its spirituality1 create in men a consciousness of sin and a strong desire for reconciliation with ,god4 ,men will resist1 and1 when resistance is vain1 will chafe against its terrible strength4 ,the ,law came in beside1 that the trespass might abound4#aec ,but it often happens that guilt of conscience is the alarum that awakens moral self-consciousness out of sleep1 never to fall asleep again when holiness has found entrance into the soul4 ,beyond this the old covenant advanced not a step4 ,the promise of the new covenant is to put the ,law into the mind1 not in an ark of shittim wood1 and to write it in the heart1 not on tables of stone4 ,the ,law was given on ,sinai as an external commandment2 it is put into the mind as a knowledge of moral truth4 ,it was written on the two tables in the weakness of the letter2 on the heart it is written as a principle and a power of obedience4 ,the power of ,god to command becomes the strength of man to obey4 ,in this way the new covenant realises what the former covenant demanded4 ,the new covenant is the old covenant transformed1 made spiritual4 ,god is become the ,god of ,his people2 and this was the promise of the former covenant4 ,they are no more children1 as they were when ,god took them by the hand and led them out of the land of ,egypt4 ,instead of the external guidance1 they have the unction within1 and know all things4 ,renewed in the spirit of their mind1 they put on the new man1 which after ,god is created in righteousness and the holiness of truth4 #b4 ,so also of knowing ,god4 ,the moral attributes of the ,most ,high are revealed under the former covenant1 and the ,god of the ,old ,testament is the ,god of the ,new4 ,abraham knows ,him as the everlasting ,god4 ,elisha understands that there is no darkness or shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves4 ,balaam declares that ,god is not a man that ,he should lie4 ,the ,psalmist confesses to ,god that he cannot flee from ,his presence4 ,the father of believers fears not to ask1 ,shall not the ,judge of the earth do right8 ,moses recognises that the ,lord is longsuffering1 and of great mercy1 forgiving iniquity and transgression4 ,isaiah hears the seraphim crying one to another1 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 is the ,lord of hosts4 ,but nationalism distorted the image4 ,the conception of ,god's ,fatherhood is most indistinct4 ,when1 however1 ,christ taught ,his disciples to say in prayer1 ,our ,father1 ,he could then at once add the words ,who art in heaven4 ,the spirit of man rose immediately with a mighty upheaval above the narrow bounds of nationalism4 ,the attributes of ,god became more lofty as well as more amiable to the eyes of ,his children4 ,the ,god of a nation is not great enough to be our ,father4 ,the ,god ,who is our ,father is ,god in heaven4 ,not only are ,god's attributes revealed1 but the faculty to know ,him is also bestowed4 ,the moral law and a heart to love it are the two elements of a knowledge of ,god's nature4 ,for ,god ,himself is holiness and love4 ,in vain will men cry one to another1 saying1 ,know the ,lord4 ,as well might they bid the blind behold the light1 or the wicked love purity4 ,knowledge of nature can be taught4 ,it can be parcelled in propositions1 carried about1 and handed to others4 ,but the character of ,god is not a notion1 and cannot be taught as a lesson or in a creed1 however true the creed may be4 ,the two opposite ends of all our knowledge are our sensations and ,god4 ,in one respect the two are alike4 ,knowledge of them cannot be conveyed in words4 #c4 ,the only thing concerning ,god that can be known by a man who is not holy himself is that ,he will punish the impenitent1 and can forgive4 ,these are objective facts4 ,they may be announced to the world1 and believed4 ,in the history of all holy men1 under the ,old ,testament as well as under the ,new1 they are their first lesson in spiritual theology4 ,to say that penitent sinners under the ,law could not be absolved from guilt or taste the sweetness of ,god's forgiving grace must be false4 ,st4 ,paul himself1 who describes the ,law as a covenant that gendereth to bondage1 cites the words of the ,psalmist1 ,blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven1 whose sin is covered1 to prove that ,god imputes righteousness without works4#aed ,when the ,apostle ,peter was declaring that all the prophets witness to ,jesus ,christ1 that through ,his name whosoever believeth in ,him shall receive remission of sins1 the ,holy ,ghost fell on all who heard the word4 ,the very promise which ,jeremiah says will be fulfilled under the future covenant ,isaiah claims for his own days3 ,i1 even ,i1 am ,he that blotteth out thy transgressions for ,mine own sake1 and will not remember thy sins4#aee ,on the other hand1 it is equally plain that ,st4 ,paul and the author of this ,epistle agree in teaching that the sacrifices of the old covenant had in them no virtue to remove guilt4 ,they cannot take away sin1 and they cannot remove the consciousness of sin4#aef ,the writer evidently considers it sufficient to state the impossibility1 without labouring to prove it4 ,his readers' consciences would bear him out in the assertion that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins4 ,it remains--and it is the only supposition left to us--that peace of conscience must have been the result of another revelation1 simultaneous with the covenant of the ,law1 but differing from it in purpose and instruments4 ,such a revelation would be given through the prophets1 who stood apart as a distinct order from the priesthood4 ,they were the preachers4 ,they quickened conscience1 and spoke of ,god's hatred of sin and willingness to forgive4 ,every advance in the revelation came through the prophets1 not through the priests4 ,the latter represent the stationary side of the covenant1 but the prophets hold before the eyes of men the idea of progress4 ,what1 then1 was the weakness of prophecy in reference to forgiveness of sin when compared with the new covenant8 ,the prophets predicted a future redemption4 ,this was their strength4 ,it was also their weakness4 ,for that future was not balanced by an equally great past4 ,however glorious the history of the nation had been1 it was not strong enough to bear the weight of so transcendent a future4 ,every nation that believes in the greatness of its own future already possesses a great past4 ,if not1 it creates one4 ,mythology and hero-worship are the attempt of a people to erect their future on a sufficient foundation4 ,but men had not experienced anything great enough to inspire them with a living faith in the reality of the promises which the prophets announced4 ,sin had not been atoned for4 ,the ,christian preacher can point to the wonderful but well-assured facts of the life and death of ,jesus ,christ4 ,if he could not do this1 or if he neglects to do it1 feeble and unreal will sound his proclamation of the terrors and joys of the world to come4 ,the ,gospel has for one of its primary objects to appease the guilty conscience4 ,how it achieves this purpose our author will tell us in another chapter4 ,for the present all we learn is that knowledge of ,god is knowledge of ,his moral nature1 and that this knowledge belongs to the man whose moral consciousness has been quickened4 ,the evangelical doctrine that the source of holiness is thankfulness was well meant1 as an antidote to legalism on the one hand and to ,antinomianism on the other4 ,the sinner1 we were told1 once redeemed from the curse of the ,law and delivered from the danger of perdition1 begins to love the ,christ ,who redeemed and saved him4 ,the doctrine contains a truth1 and is applicable to this extent2 that he to whom much is forgiven loveth much4 ,but it would not be true to say that all good men have sought ,god's forgiveness because they feared hell torments4 ,to some their guilt is their hell4 ,fear is too narrow a foundation of holiness4 ,we cannot explain saintliness by mere gratitude4 ,for thankfulness we must write conscience1 and substitute forgiveness and absolution from guilt for safety from future misery1 if we would lay a foundation broad and firm enough on which to erect the sublimest holiness of man4 ,our author infers from the words of ,jeremiah that there was an inherent decay in the former covenant4 ,it was itself ready to vanish away1 and make room for a new and more spiritual one4#aeg ,,ii4 ,a ,,new ,,covenant ,,symbolized ,,in ,,the ,,tabernacle4 ,now even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service1 and its sanctuary1 a sanctuary of this world4 ,for there was a tabernacle prepared1 the first1 wherein were the candlestick1 and the table1 and the shewbread2 which is called the ,holy place4 ,and after the second veil1 the tabernacle which is called the ,holy of holies2 having a golden censer1 and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold1 wherein was a golden pot holding the manna1 and ,aaron's rod that budded1 and the tables of the covenant2 and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat2 of which we cannot now speak severally4 ,now these things having been thus prepared1 the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle1 accomplishing the services2 but into the second the high-priest alone1 once in the year1 not without blood1 which he offereth for himself1 and for the errors of the people3 the ,holy ,ghost this signifying1 that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest1 while as the first tabernacle is yet standing2 which is a parable for the time now present2 according to which are offered both gifts and sacrifices that cannot1 as touching the conscience1 make the worshipper perfect1 being only 7with meats and drinks and divers washings7 carnal ordinances1 imposed until a time of reformation4 ,but ,christ having come a ,high-priest of the good things to come1 through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands1 that is to say1 not of this creation1 nor yet through the blood of goats and calves1 but through ,his own blood1 entered in once for all into the holy place1 having obtained eternal redemption4 ,for if the blood of goats and bulls1 and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled1 sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh3 how much more shall the blood of ,christ1 ,who through the eternal ,spirit offered ,himself without blemish unto ,god1 cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living ,god8--,,heb4 ix4 #a-ad 7,r4,v474 ,with the words of a prophet the ,apostle contrasts the ritual of the priests4 ,jeremiah prophesied of a better covenant1 because he found the former one did not satisfy conscience4 ,a description of the tabernacle1 its furniture and ordinances of ,divine service1 follows4 ,at first it appears strange that the author should have thought it necessary to enumerate in detail what the tabernacle contained4 ,but to infer that he is a ,hellenist1 to whom the matter had all the charm of novelty1 would be very precarious4 ,his purpose is to show that the way of the holiest was not yet open4 ,the tabernacle consisted of two chambers3 the foremost and larger of the two1 called the sanctuary1 and an inner one1 called the holiest of all4 ,now the sanctuary had its furniture and stated rites4 ,it was not a mere vestibule or passage leading to the holiest4 ,the eighth verse1 literally rendered1 expresses that the outer sanctuary held a position4#aeh ,its furniture was for daily use4 ,the candelabrum supported the seven lamps1 which gave light to the ministering priests4 ,the shewbread1 laid on the table in rows of twelve cakes1 was eaten by ,aaron and his sons4 ,into this chamber the priests went always1 accomplishing the daily services4 ,moreover1 between the holy place and the holiest of all hung a thick veil4 ,into the holiest the high-priest only was permitted to enter1 and he could only enter on the annual day of atonement4 ,this chamber also had its proper furniture4 ,to it belonged#aei the altar of incense 7for so we must read in the fourth verse1 instead of golden censer71 although its actual place was in the outer sanctuary4 ,it stood in front of the veil that the high-priest might take the incense from it1 without which he was not permitted to enter the holiest2 and when he came out1 he sprinkled it with blood as he had sprinkled the holiest place itself4 ,in the inner chamber stood the ark of the covenant1 containing the pot of manna1 ,aaron's rod that budded1 and the two tables of stone on which the ,ten ,commandments were written4 ,on the ark was the mercy-seat1 and above the mercy-seat were the cherubim4 ,but there were no lamps to give light2 there was no shewbread for food4 ,the glory of the ,lord filled it1 and was the light thereof4 ,when the high-priest had performed the atoning rites1 he was not permitted to stay within4 ,it is evident that reconciliation through blood was the idea symbolized by the holiest place1 its furniture1 and the yearly rite performed within it4 ,but the veil and the outer chamber stood between the sinful people and the mercy-seat4 ,our author ascribes this arrangement of the two chambers1 the veil1 and the one entrance every year of the high-priest into the inner shrine1 to the ,holy ,spirit1 ,who teaches men by symbol#afj that the way to ,god is not yet open4 ,but ,he also teaches them through the ordinances of the outer sanctuary that access to ,god is a necessity of conscience1 and yet that the gifts and sacrifices there offered cannot satisfy conscience1 resting1 as they do1 only on meats and drinks and divers washings4 ,all we can say of them is that they were the requirements of natural conscience1 here termed flesh1 and that these demands of human consciousness of guilt were sanctioned and imposed on men by ,god provisionally1 until the time came for restoring permanently the long-lost peace between ,god and men4 ,contrast with all this the ministry of ,christ4 ,he made ,his appearance on earth as ,high-priest of the things which have now at length come to us4#afa ,the blessings prophesied by ,jeremiah have been realised4 ,as ,high-priest ,he entered the true holiest place1 a tabernacle greater and more perfect1 even heaven itself4#afb ,it is greater2 that is1 larger4 ,the outer sanctuary has ceased to exist1 because the veil has been rent in twain1 and the holy place has been taken into the holiest place4 ,the tabernacle has now only one chamber1 and in that chamber ,god meets all ,his worshipping saints1 who come to ,him through and with ,jesus1 the ,high-priest4 ,the tabernacle of ,god is with men1 and ,he shall dwell1 as in the tabernacle1 with them1 and they shall be ,his peoples1 and ,god ,himself shall be with them4#afc ,yea1 the holiest place has spread itself over ,mount ,zion1 on which stood the king's palace1 and over the whole city of ,jerusalem1 which lieth four-square1 and is become the heavenly and holy city1 having no temple1 because the ,lord ,god ,almighty and the ,lamb are the temple thereof4 ,and the city hath no need of the sun1 neither of the moon1 to shine upon it2 for the glory of ,god lightens it1 and the lamp thereof is the ,lamb4 ,the city and the holiest place are commensurate4 ,so large1 indeed1 is the holiest that the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof4 ,it is also more perfect4#afd ,for ,christ has entered into the presence of ,god for us4 ,such a tabernacle is not constructed of the materials of this world1#afe nor fashioned with the hands of cunning artificers1 ,bezaleel and ,aholiab4 ,when ,christ destroyed the sanctuary made with hands1 in three days ,he built another made without hands4 ,in a true sense it is not made at all1 not even by the hands of ,him ,who built all things2 for it is essentially ,god's presence4 ,into this holiest place ,christ entered1 to appear in the immediate presence of ,god4 ,but the ,apostle is not satisfied with saying that ,he entered within4 ,ten thousand times ten thousand of ,his saints will do this4 ,he has done more4 ,he went through#aff the holiest4 ,he has passed through the heavens4#afg ,he has been made higher than the heavens4#afh ,he has taken ,his seat on the right hand of ,god4#afi ,the ,melchizedek ,priest has ascended to the mercy-seat and made it ,his throne4 ,he is ,himself henceforth the shechinah1 and the manifested glory of the unseen ,father4 ,all this is expressed in the words through a greater and more perfect tabernacle4 ,moreover1 the high-priest entered into the holiest place in virtue of the blood of goats and calves4#agj ,add1 if you will1 the ceremony of cleansing a person who had contracted defilement by touching a dead body4#aga ,he also was cleansed by having the ashes of a heifer sprinkled upon his flesh4 ,why1 the very defilement is unreal and artificial4 ,to touch a dead body a sin6 ,it may have been well to make it a crime from sanitary considerations1 and it may become a sin because ,god has forbidden it4 ,so far it touched conscience4 ,when ,elijah stretched himself upon the dead child of the widow of ,zarephath three times1 and the soul of the child came into him again1 or when ,elisha put his mouth upon the mouth of the dead son of the ,shunammite1 his eyes upon his eyes1 and his hands upon his hands1 and the flesh of the child waxed warm1 ,god's holy prophet was defiled6 ,the mother and the child might bring their thank-offering to the sanctuary2 but the prophet1 who had done the deed of power and mercy1 was excluded from joining in thanksgiving and prayer4 ,if the defilement is unreal1 what shall we think of the means of cleansing8 ,to touch a dead child defiles1 but the touch of the ashes of a burnt heifer cleanses6 ,yet natural conscience felt guilty when thus defiled1 and recovered itself1 in some measure1 from its shame when thus made clean4#agb ,such men resemble the persons1 referred to by ,st4 ,paul1 who have a conscience of the idol4#agc ,judaism enfeebled the conscience4 ,a man of morbid religious sentiment is often defiled in his own eyes by what is not really wrong1 and often finds peace and comfort in what is not really a propitiation or a forgiveness4 ,on the other hand1 ,christ entered the true holiest place by ,his own blood4 ,he offered ,himself4 ,the ,high-priest is the sacrifice4 ,under the old covenant the victim must be without spot4 ,but the high-priest was not without blemish1 and he offered for himself as well as for the errors of the people4 ,but in the offering of ,christ1 the spotless purity of the ,victim ensures that the ,high-priest ,himself is holy1 harmless1 undefiled1 separate from sinners4 ,for this reason it is said here#agd that ,he offered ,himself through an eternal spirit1 or1 as we should say in modern phrase1 through ,his eternal personality4 ,he is the ,high-priest after the order of ,melchizedek2 and ,he invests the sacrifice with all the personal greatness of the ,high-priest4 ,is ,he without beginning of days or end of life8 ,so also ,his sacrifice abides for ever4 ,his power of an indissoluble life belongs to ,his atonement4 ,is ,he untouched by the rolling stream of time8 ,his death was of infinite merit in reference to the past and to the future1 though it took place historically at the end of the ages4 ,his eternal personality made it unnecessary for ,him to suffer often since the foundation of the world4 ,because of ,his personal greatness1 it sufficed that ,he should suffer once only and enter once into the holiest place4 ,the eternal ,high-priest in one transitory act of death offered a sacrifice that remains eternally1 and obtains for us an eternal redemption4 ,if1 then1 the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of an heifer appease1 in some measure1 the weak1 frightened conscience of unenlightened nature1 how much more shall the conscious1 voluntary sacrifice of this eternal1 personal ,son deliver the conscience of him who worships1 not a phantom deity1 but an eternal1 personal1 living ,god1 from the guilt of dead works1 and bring him to worship that living ,god with an eternal1 living personality6 ,mark the contrasted notions4 ,the brute life1 dragged to the altar1 little knowing that its hot blood is to be a propitiation for human guilt1 is contrasted with the blood of the ,christ 7for there is but one71 ,who1 with the consciousness and strength of an eternal personality1 willingly offers ,himself as a sacrifice4 ,between these two lives are all the lives which ,god created1 human and angelic4 ,yet the offering of a beast in some fashion and to some degree appeased conscience1 unillumined by the fierce light of ,god's holiness and untouched by the pathos of ,christ's death4 ,with this imperfect and negative peace1 or1 to speak more correctly1 truce1 of conscience is contrasted the living1 eager worship of him whose enlightened conscience has been purified from spiritual defilement by the blood of ,christ4 ,such a man's entire service is worship1 and his worship is the ministering of a priest4#age ,he stands in the congregation of the righteous1 and ascends unto ,god's holy hill4 ,he enters the holiest place with ,christ4 ,he draws near with boldness to the mercy-seat1 now the very throne itself of grace4 ,it will be seen1 if we have rightly traced the line of thought1 that the outer sanctuary no longer exists4 ,the larger and more perfect tabernacle is the holiest place itself1 when the veil has been removed1 and the sanctuary and courts are all included in the expanded holiest4 ,several very able expositors deny this4 ,they find an antitype of the holy place either in the body of ,christ or in the created heavens1 through which ,he has passed into the immediate presence of ,god4 ,but this introduces confusion1 adds nothing of value to the meaning of the type1 and is inconsistent with our author's express statement that the way into the holiest was not yet open so long as the holy place stood4 ,,iii4 ,a ,,new ,,covenant ,,ratified ,,in ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,christ4 ,and for this cause ,he is the ,mediator of a new covenant1 that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant1 they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance4 ,for where a testament is1 there must of necessity be the death of him that made it4 ,for a testament is of force where there hath been death2 for doth it ever avail while he that made it liveth8 ,wherefore even the first covenant hath not been dedicated without blood4 ,for when every commandment had been spoken by ,moses unto all the people according to the ,law1 he took the blood of the calves and the goats1 with water and scarlet wool and hyssop1 and sprinkled both the book itself1 and all the people1 saying1 ,this is the blood of the covenant which ,god commanded to you-ward4 ,moreover the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry he sprinkled in like manner with the blood4 ,and according to the ,law1 ,i may almost say1 all things are cleansed with blood1 and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission4 ,it was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these2 but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these4 ,for ,christ entered not into a holy place made with hands1 like in pattern to the true2 but into heaven itself1 now to appear before the face of ,god for us3 nor yet that ,he should offer ,himself often2 as the high-priest entereth into the holy place year by year with blood not his own2 else must ,he often have suffered since the foundation of the world3 but now once at the end of the ages hath ,he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of ,himself4 ,and inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die1 and after this cometh judgment2 so ,christ also1 having been once offered to bear the sins of many1 shall appear a second time1 apart from sin1 to them that wait for ,him1 unto salvation4 ,for the ,law having a shadow of the good things to come1 not the very image of the things1 they can never with the same sacrifices year by year1 which they offer continually1 make perfect them that draw nigh4 ,else would they not have ceased to be offered1 because the worshippers1 having been once cleansed1 would have had no more conscience of sins8 ,but in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year4 ,for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins4 ,wherefore when ,he cometh into the world1 ,he saith1 ,sacrifice and offering ,thou wouldest not1 ,but a body didst ,thou prepare for ,me3 ,in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin ,thou hadst no pleasure3 ,then said ,i1 ,lo1 ,i am come 7,in the roll of the book it is written of ,me7 ,to do ,thy will1 ,o ,god4 ,saying above1 ,sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin ,thou wouldest not1 neither hadst pleasure therein 7the which are offered according to the ,law71 then hath ,he said1 ,lo1 ,i am come to do ,thy will4 ,he taketh away the first1 that ,he may establish the second4 ,by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of ,jesus ,christ once for all4 ,and every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices1 the which can never take away sins3 but ,he1 when ,he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever1 sat down on the right hand of ,god2 from henceforth expecting till ,his enemies be made the footstool of ,his feet4 ,for by one offering ,he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified4 ,and the ,holy ,ghost also beareth witness to us3 for after ,he hath said1 ,this is the covenant that ,i will make with them ,after those days1 saith the ,lord2 ,i will put ,my laws on their heart1 ,and upon their mind also will ,i write them2 then saith ,he1 ,and their sins and their iniquities will ,i remember no more4 ,now where remission of these is1 there is no more offering for sin4--,,heb4 ix4 #ae-x4 #ah 7,r4,v474 ,the ,apostle has proved that a new covenant was promised through the prophet and prefigured in the tabernacle4 ,christ is come to earth and entered into the holiest place of ,god1 as ,high-priest4 ,the inference is that ,his high-priesthood has abolished the old covenant and ratified the new4 ,the priesthood has been changed1 and change of the priesthood implies change of the covenant4 ,in fact1 to this priesthood the rites of the former covenant pointed1 and on it the priestly absolution rested4 ,sins were forgiven1 but not in virtue of any efficacy supposed to belong to the rites or sacrifices1 all of which were types of another and infinitely greater death4 ,for a death has taken place for the redemption of all past transgressions1 which had been accumulating under the former covenant4 ,now at length sin has been put out of the way4 ,the heirs of the promise made to ,abraham1 centuries before the giving of the ,law1 come at last into possession of their inheritance4 ,the call has sounded4 ,the hour has struck4 ,for this inheritance they waited till ,christ should die4 ,the earthly ,canaan may pass from one race to another race2 but the unchangeable1 eternal#agf inheritance1 into which none but the rightful heirs can enter1 is incorruptible1 undefiled1 fading not away1 reserved in heaven for those who are kept#agg for its possession4 ,because possession of it was delayed till ,christ died1 it may be likened to an inheritance bequeathed by a testator in his last will4 ,for when a person leaves property by will to another1 the will is of no force1 the transference is not actually made1 the property does not change hands1 in the testator's lifetime4 ,the transaction takes place after and in consequence of his death4 ,this may serve as an illustration4 ,its pertinence as such is increased by the fact1 which in all probability suggested it to our author1 that the same word would be used by a ,hebrew1 writing in ,greek1 for covenant1 and by a native of ,greece for a testamentary disposition of property4#agh ,but it is only an illustration4 ,we cannot suppose that it was intended to be anything more4#agi ,to return to argument1 the blood of ,christ may be shown to have ratified a covenant from the use of blood by ,moses to inaugurate the former covenant4 ,the ,apostle has spoken before of the shedding and sprinkling of blood in sacrifice4 ,when the high-priest entered into the holiest place1 he offered blood for himself and the people4 ,but1 besides its use in sacrifice1 blood was sprinkled on the book of the law1 on the tabernacle1 and on all the vessels of the ministry4 ,without a copious stream1 a veritable outflow#ahj of blood1 both as ratifying the covenant and as offered in sacrifice1 there was under the ,law no remission of sins4 ,now the typical character of all the arrangements and ordinances instituted by ,moses is assumed throughout4 ,even the purification of the tabernacle and its vessels with blood must be symbolical of a spiritual truth4 ,there is1 therefore1 in the new covenant a purification of the true holiest place4 ,to make the matter still more evident1 the author reminds his readers of a fact1 which he has already mentioned1#aha in reference to the construction of the tabernacle4 ,moses was admonished of ,god to make it a copy and shadow of heavenly things4 ,for1 ,see1 saith ,he1 that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount4 ,it appears1 then1 that not only the covenant was typical1 but the tabernacle1 its vessels1 and the purifying of all with blood were a copy of things in the heavens1 the true holiest place4 ,and1 inasmuch as the holiest place has now1 in ,christ1 included within it the sanctuary1 and every veil and wall of partition has been removed1 the purification of the tabernacle corresponds to a purification1 under the new covenant1 of heaven itself4 ,not that the heaven of ,god is polluted4 ,even the earthly shrine had not itself contracted defilement4 ,the blood sprinkled on the tabernacle and its vessels was not different from the blood of the sacrifice4 ,as sacrificial blood1 it consecrated the place1 and was also offered to ,god4 ,similarly the blood of ,christ made heaven a sanctuary1 erected there a holiest place for the appearing of the great ,high-priest1 constituted the throne of the ,most ,high a mercy-seat for men4 ,by the same act it became an offering to ,god1 enthroned on the mercy-seat4 ,the two notions of ratifying the covenant and atoning for sin cannot be separated4 ,for this reason our author says the heavenly things are purified with sacrifices4 ,but as heaven is higher than the earth1 as the true holiest place excels the typical1 so must the sacrifices that purify heaven be better than the sacrifices that purified the tabernacle4 ,but ,christ is great enough to make heaven itself a new place1 whereas ,he ,himself remains unchanged1 yesterday and to-day the same1 and for ever4 ,the thought of ,christ's eternal oneness is apparently suggested to the ,apostle by the contrast between ,christ and the purified heaven4 ,but it helps his argument4 ,for the blood of ,christ1 when offered in heaven1 so fully and perfectly ratified the new covenant that ,he remains for evermore in the holiest place and evermore offers ,himself to ,god in one eternally unbroken act4 ,he did not enter heaven to come out again1 as the high-priests presented their offering repeatedly1 year after year4 ,they could not do otherwise1 because they entered with blood not their own1 or1 as we may render the word1 with alien#ahb blood4 ,the blood of goats and bulls cannot take away sin4 ,consequently1 the absolution obtained is unreal and1 therefore1 temporary in its effect4 ,the blood of the beasts must be renewed as the annual day of atonement comes round4 ,if ,christ's offering of ,himself had only a temporary efficacy1 ,he must often have suffered since the foundation of the world4 ,the forgiveness under the former covenant put off the retribution for one year4 ,st4 ,paul expresses the same conception when he describes it as not a real forgiveness1 but as the passing over#ahc of the sins done aforetime1 in the forbearance of ,god4 ,the writer of the ,epistle infers that1 if ,christ's sacrifice were meritorious for a time only1 then ,he ought to have repeated ,his offering whenever the period for which it was efficacious came to an end2 and1 inasmuch as ,his atonement was not restricted to one nation1 it would have been necessary for ,him to appear on earth repeatedly1 and repeatedly die1 not from the time of ,moses or of ,abraham1 but from the foundation of the world4 ,but our author has long since said that the works were finished from the foundation of the world4#ahd ,god ,himself after the work of creation entered on ,his ,sabbath rest4 ,the ,sabbath developed from initial creation to final atonement1 and1 because ,christ's atonement is final1 ,he has perfected the ,sabbath eternally in the heavens4 ,but the ,sabbath of ,god would have been no ,sabbath to the ,son of ,god1 but a constant recurrence of sufferings and deaths1 if ,he did not finish transgression and atone for sin by ,his one death4 ,once1 at the end of the ages1 when the tale of sin and woe has been all told1 hath ,he appeared1 which proves that ,he has finally and for ever put away sin through ,his one sacrifice4#ahe ,the ,apostle speaks as one who believed that the end of the world was at hand4 ,he even builds an argument on this to him assured fact of the near future4 ,true1 the end of the world was not yet4 ,but the argument is equally valid in its essential bearing4 ,for the important point is that ,christ appeared on earth only once4 ,whether ,his one death occurred at the beginning of human history1 or at the end1 or at the end of one period and the beginning of another1 is immaterial4 ,then follows a very original piece of reasoning1 plainly intended to be an additional proof that ,christ's dying once put away sin for ever4 ,to appear on earth often1 and to die often1 would have been impossible for ,him4 ,he was true man1 of woman born1 not an apparition1 not an angel assuming the appearance of humanity1 not the ,son of ,god really and man only seemingly4 ,but it is appointed unto men once1 and only once1 to die4 ,after their one death comes1 sooner or later1 judgment4 ,to return to earth and make a new beginning1 to retrieve the errors and failures of a completed life1 is not given to men4 ,this is the ,divine appointment4 ,exception to the ,apostle's argument must not be taken from the resurrection of ,lazarus and others who were restored to life4 ,the ,apostle speaks of ,god's usual course of action4 ,so understood1 it is difficult to conceive how any words can be more decisive against the doctrine of probation after death4 ,for1 however long judgment may tarry1 our author acknowledges no possibility of changing any man's state or character between death and the final award4 ,on this impossibility of retrieving the past the force of the argument entirely depends4 ,if ,christ1 ,who was true man1 failed in ,his one life and one death1 the failure is irretrievable4 ,he cannot come again to earth and try anew4 ,to ,him1 as to other men1 it was appointed to die once only4 ,in ,his case1 as in the case of others1 judgment follows death1--judgment irreversible on the things done in the body4 ,to add emphasis to the notion of finality in the work of ,christ's life on earth1 the ,apostle uses the passive verb1 was offered4#ahf ,the offering1 it is true1 was made by ,christ ,himself4 ,but here the deed is more emphatic than the ,doer3 ,he was offered once for all4 ,the result of the offering is also emphasised3 ,he was offered so as#ahg to lift up sins1 like a heavy burden1 and bear them away for ever4 ,even the word many is not to be slurred over4 ,it too indicates that the work of ,christ was final2 for the sins of many have been put away4 ,what will be the judgment on ,christ's one redemptive death8 ,has it been a failure8 ,the answer is that ,his death and ,his coming into the judgment have a closer relation to men than mere similarity4 ,he entered into the presence of ,god as a sin-offering4 ,he will be proved1 at ,his second appearing1 to have put away sin4 ,for ,he will appear then apart from#ahh sin4 ,god will pronounce that ,christ's blood has been accepted1 and that ,his work has been finished4 ,his acquittal will be the acquittal of those whose sins ,he bare in ,his body on the tree4 ,nor will ,his appearing be now long delayed4 ,it was already the end of the ages when ,he first appeared4 ,therefore look out for ,him with eager expectancy#ahi and upward gaze4 ,for ,he will be once again actually beheld by human eyes1 and the vision will be unto salvation4 ,we must not fail to note that1 when the ,apostle speaks in this passage of ,christ's being once offered1 he refers to ,his death4 ,the analogy between men and ,christ breaks down completely if the death of ,christ was not the offering for sin4 ,faustus ,socinus revived the ,nestorian doctrine that our author represents the earthly life and death of ,jesus as a moral preparation for the priesthood which was conferred upon ,him at ,his ascension to the right hand of ,god4 ,the bearing of this interpretation of the ,epistle on the ,socinian doctrine generally is plain4 ,a moral preparation there undoubtedly was1 as the ,apostle has shown in the second chapter4 ,but if ,christ was not ,priest on earth1 ,his death was not an atoning sacrifice4 ,if ,he was not ,priest1 ,he was not ,victim4 ,moreover1 if ,he fills the office of ,priest in heaven only1 ,his priesthood cannot involve suffering and1 therefore1 cannot be an atonement4 ,but the view is inconsistent with the ,apostle's express statement that1 as it is appointed unto men once to die1 so ,christ was once offered4 ,of course1 we cannot acquiesce in the opposite view that ,his death was ,christ's only priestly act1 and that ,his life in heaven is such a state of exaltation as excludes the possibility of priestly service4 ,for ,he is a ,minister of the sanctuary1 and of the true tabernacle1 which the ,lord pitched1 not man1#aij ,the death of ,christ was a distinct act of priestly service4 ,but it must not be separated from ,his entering into heaven4 ,aaron received into his hands the blood of the newly slain victim1 and immediately carried the smoking blood into the holiest place4 ,the act of offering the blood before ,god was as necessary to constitute the atonement as the previous act of slaying the animal4 ,hence it is that the shedding and the sprinkling of the blood are spoken of as one and the same action4 ,christ1 in like manner1 went into the true holiest through ,his death4 ,any other way of entering heaven than through a sacrificial death would have destroyed the priestly character of ,his heavenly life4 ,but ,his death would have been insufficient4 ,he must offer ,his blood and appear in the presence of ,god for us4 ,to give men access unto ,god was the ultimate purpose of redemption4 ,he must1 therefore1 consecrate through the veil of ,his flesh--a new and living way by which we may come unto ,god through ,him4 ,must we1 therefore1 say that ,christ entered the holiest place at ,his death1 not at ,his ascension8 ,does the ,apostle refer only to the entrance of the soul into the invisible world8 ,the question is not an easy one4 ,if the ,apostle means the ,ascension1 what doctrinal use does he make of the interval between the ,crucifixion and the ,ascension8 ,many of the fathers are evidently at a loss to know what to make of this interval4 ,they think the ,divine person1 as well as the human soul1 of ,christ was conveyed to ,hades to satisfy what they call the law of death4 ,does the ,epistle to the ,hebrews pass over in silence the descent into ,hades and the resurrection8 ,on the other hand1 if our author means that ,christ entered the holiest place immediately at ,his death1 we are met by the difficulty that ,he leaves the holiest1 to return finally at ,his ascension1 whereas the ,apostle has argued that ,christ differs from the high-priests under the former covenant in that ,he does not enter repeatedly4 ,much of the confusion has arisen from the tendency of theologians1 under the influence of ,augustine1 to construct their systems exclusively on the lines of ,st4 ,paul4 ,in his ,epistles atonement is a forensic conception4 ,through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to the justification of life4#aia ,consequently the death of ,christ is contrasted with ,his present life4 ,for the death that ,he died1 ,he died unto sin once2 but the life that ,he liveth1 ,he liveth unto ,god4#aib ,but our author does not put his doctrine in a ,pauline framework4 ,instead of forensic notions1 we meet with terms pertaining to ritual and priesthood4 ,what ,st4 ,paul speaks of as law is1 in his language1 a covenant1 and what is designated justification in the ,epistle to the ,romans appears here as sanctification4 ,conscience is purified2 the worshipper is perfected4 ,the entering of the high-priest into the holiest place is as prominent as the slaying of the victim4 ,these are two distinct1 but inseparable1 parts of one priestly action4 ,all that lies between is ignored4 ,it is as if it were not4 ,christ entered into the holiest through ,his death and ascension to the right hand of the ,majesty4 ,but the initial and the ultimate stages of the act must not be put asunder4 ,nothing comes between4 ,our author elsewhere speaks of ,christ's resurrection as a historical fact4#aic ,but ,his resurrection does not form a distinct notion in the idea of ,his entrance into the holiest place4 ,the ,apostle has spoken of the former covenant with surprising severity1 not to say harshness4 ,it was the law of a carnal commandment2 it has been set aside because of its weakness and unprofitableness2 it has grown old and waxed aged2 it was nigh unto vanishing away4 ,his austere language will compare with ,st4 ,paul's description of heathenism as a bondage to weak and beggarly elements4 ,the root of all the mischief was unreality4 ,our author brings his argument to a close by contrasting the shadow and the substance1 the unavailing sacrifices of the ,law1 which could only renew the remembrance of sins1 and the sacrifice of the ,son1 which has fulfilled the will of ,god4 ,the ,law had only a shadow4#aid ,he is careful not to say that the ,law was itself but a shadow4 ,on the contrary1 the very promise includes that ,god will put ,his laws in the heart and write them upon the mind4 ,this was one of the good things to come4 ,endless repetition of sacrifice after sacrifice year by year in a weary round of ceremonies only made it more and more evident that men were walking in a vain show and disquieting themselves in vain4 ,the ,law was holy1 righteous1 and good2 but the manifestation of its nature in sacrifices was unreal1 like the dark outline of an object that breaks the stream of light4 ,nothing more substantial1 as a revelation of ,god's moral character2 was befitting or possible in that stage of human development1 when the purposes of ,his grace also not seldom found expression in dreams of the night and apparitions of the day4 ,to prove the unreal nature of these ever-recurring sacrifices1 the writer argues that otherwise they would have ceased to be offered1 inasmuch as the worshippers1 if they had been once really cleansed from their guilt1 would have had no more conscience of sins4#aie ,the reasoning is very remarkable4 ,it is not that ,god would have ceased to require sacrifices1 but that the worshipper would have ceased to offer them4 ,it implies that1 when a sufficient atonement for sin has been offered to ,god1 the sinner knows it is sufficient1 and1 as the result1 has peace of conscience4 ,the possibility of a pardoned sinner still fearing and doubting does not seem to have occurred to the ,apostle4 ,one difference apparently between the saints under the ,old ,testament and believers under the ,new is the joyful assurance of pardon which the latter receive1 whereas the former were all their lifetime subject to bondage from fear of death1 and that although in the one case the sacrifice was offered by the worshipper himself through the priest1 but in the latter case by ,another1 even ,christ1 on his behalf4 ,and we must not ask the ,apostle such questions as these3 ,are we not in danger of deceiving ourselves8 ,how is the assurance created and kept alive8 ,does it spring spontaneously in the heart1 or is it the acceptance of the authoritative absolution of ,god's ministers8 ,such problems were not thought of when the ,epistle to the ,hebrews was written4 ,they belong to a later and more subjective state of mind4 ,to men who cannot leave off introspection and forget themselves in the joy of a new faith1 the ,apostle's argument will have little force and perhaps less meaning4 ,if the sacrifices were unreal1 why1 we naturally inquire1 were they continually repeated8 ,the answer is that there were two sides to the sacrificial rites of the old covenant4 ,on the one hand1 they were1 like the heathen gods1 nothings2 on the other1 their empty shadowiness itself fitted them to be a ,divinely appointed means to call sins to remembrance4 ,they represented on the one side the invincible1 though always baffled1 effort of natural conscience4 ,for conscience was endeavouring to purify itself from a sense of guilt4 ,but ,god also had a purpose in awakening and disciplining conscience4 ,the worshipper sought to appease conscience through sacrifice1 and ,god1 by the same sacrifice1 proclaimed that reconciliation had not been effected4 ,the ,apostle's judgment on the subject#aif is not different from ,st4 ,paul's answer to the question1 ,what then is the ,law8 ,it was added because of transgressions4444 ,the ,scripture hath shut up all things under sin4444 ,we were kept in ward under the ,law4444 ,we were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world4#aig ,in allusion to this idea1 that the sacrifices were instituted by ,god in order to renew the remembrance of sins every year1 ,christ said1 ,do this in remembrance of ,me1--of ,him ,who hath put away sins by the sacrifice of ,himself4 ,such then was the shadow1 at once unreal and dark4 ,in contrast to it1 the ,apostle designates the substance as the very image of the objects4 ,instead of repeating the indefinite expression good things to come1 he speaks of them as objects1#aih individually distinct1 substantial1 true4 ,the image#aii of a thing is the full manifestation of its inmost essence1 in the same sense in which ,st4 ,paul says that the ,son of ,god's love1 in ,whom we have our redemption1 the forgiveness of our sins1 is the image of the invisible ,god4#bjj ,indeed1 it is extremely questionable whether our author too does not refer allusively to the same truth4 ,for1 in the verses that follow1 he contrasts with the sacrifices of the former covenant the coming of ,jesus ,christ into the world to accomplish the work which they had failed to do4#bja ,when the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin1 inasmuch as it was an unreal atonement1 ,god prepared a body for ,his own eternal ,son4 ,the ,son responded to the ,divine summons and1 in accordance with the prophecies of ,scripture concerning ,him1 came from heaven to earth to give ,himself as the sufficient sacrifice for sin4 ,the contrast1 as heretofore1 is between the vanity of animal sacrifices and the greatness of the ,son1 ,who offered ,himself4 ,his assumption of humanity had for its ultimate end to enable the ,son to do the will of ,god4 ,the gracious purpose of ,god is to forgive sin1 and this was accomplished by the infinite humiliation of the infinite ,son4 ,god's will was to sanctify us2 that is1 to remove our guilt4#bjb ,we have actually been thus sanctified through the one offering of the body of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the sacrifices of the ,law are taken out of the way in order to establish the sacrifice of the ,son4#bjc ,it will be observed that the ,apostle is not contrasting sacrifice and obedience4 ,his meaning is not precisely the same as the prophet ,samuel's3 that to obey is better than sacrifice1 and to hearken than the fat of rams4#bjd ,it is perfectly true that the sacrifice of the ,son involved obedience1--a conscious1 deliberate1 willing obedience1 which the beasts to be slain in sacrifice could not offer4 ,the idea pervades these verses1 as an atmosphere4 ,but it is not the idea expressed4 ,the dominant thoughts of the passage are the greatness of the ,person ,who obeyed and the greatness of the sacrifice from which ,his obedience did not shrink4 ,the ,son is here represented as existing and acting apart from ,his human nature4#bje ,he comes into the world1 and is not originated in the world4 ,the ,christology of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews is identical in this vital point with that of ,st4 ,paul4 ,the purpose of the ,son's coming is already formed4 ,he comes to offer ,his body1 and we have been taught in a previous chapter that ,he did this with an eternal spirit4#bjf ,for the will of ,god means our sanctification1 in the meaning attached to the word sanctification in this ,epistle1 the removal of guilt1 the forgiveness of sins4 ,but the fulfilment of this gracious will of ,god demands a sacrifice1 even a sacrificial death1 and that not the death of beasts1 but the infinite self-sacrifice and obedience unto death of the ,son of ,god4 ,this is implied in the expression the offering of the body of ,jesus ,christ4#bjg ,the superstructure of argument has been raised4 ,christ as ,high-priest has been proved to be superior to the high-priests of the former covenant4 ,it remains only to lay the topstone in its place4 ,this brings us back to our starting point4 ,jesus ,christ1 the eternal ,high-priest1 is for ever ,king4 ,for the priests under the ,law stand while they perform the duties of their ministry4#bjh ,they stand because they are only priests4 ,but ,christ has taken ,his seat1 as ,king1 on the right hand of ,god4#bji ,they offer the same sacrifices1 which can never take away sins1 and wait1 and wait1 but in vain4 ,though they are priests of the true ,god1 yet they wait1 like the priests of ,baal1 from morning until midday is past and until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice4 ,but there is neither voice nor any to answer4 ,christ also waits1 but not to renew an ineffectual sacrifice4 ,he waits eagerly#baj to receive from ,god the reward of ,his effective sacrifice in the subjugation of ,his enemies4 ,the priests under the ,law had no enemies4 ,their persons were sacred4 ,they incurred no hatred1 inspired no love4 ,our ,high-priest goes out to war1 the most hated1 the most loved1 of all captains of men4 ,the foundation of this kingly power is in two things3 first1 ,he has perfected men for ever by ,his one offering2 second1 ,he has put the law of ,god into the hearts of ,his people4 ,the final conclusion is that the sacrifices of the ,law have passed away1 because they are no longer needed4 ,for where there is forgiveness1 there is no more an offering for sin4 ,,footnotes3 #adb kephalaion 7viii4 #a74 #adc leitourgos 7viii4 #b74 #add ,chap4 viii4 #c4 #ade ,chap4 viii4 #d4 #adf ,chap4 viii4 #e #adg ,chap4 viii4 #f4 #adh ,jer4 xxxi4 #ca-cd4 #adi ,lamentations1 ,preface4 #aej ,john vi4 #de4 #aea autous 7viii4 #h74 #aeb ,chap4 viii4 #d4 #aec ,rom4 v4 #bj4 #aed ,rom4 iv4 #g4 #aee ,isa4 xliii4 #be4 #aef ,chap4 x4 #b1 #d4 #aeg ,chap4 iii4 #ac4 #aeh echouss stasin 7ix4 #h74 #aei echousa 7ix4 #d74 #afj dlountos 7ix4 #h74 #afa ,reading genomenn 7ix4 #aa74 #afb ,chap4 ix4 #aa4 ,cf4 chap4 ix4 #bd4 #afc ,rev4 xxi4 #c4 #afd teleioteras 7ix4 #aa74 #afe kosmikon 7ix4 #a74 #aff dia 7ix4 #aa74 #afg ,chap4 iv4 #ad4 #afh ,chap4 vii4 #bf4 #afi ,chap4 x4 #ab4 #agj ,chap4 ix4 #ab4 #aga ,chap4 ix4 #ac4 #agb hagiazei 7ix4 #ac74 #agc #a ,cor4 viii4 #g4 #agd ,chap4 ix4 #ad4 #age latreuein 7ix4 #ad74 #agf ainiou 7ix4 #ae74 #agg tetrmenn 444 phrouroumenous 7#a ,pet4 i4 #d74 #agh diathk4 #agi ,to forestall censure for inconsistency1 the present writer may be permitted to refer to what he now sees to have been a desperate attempt on his part 7in the ,expositor7 to explain the passage on the supposition that the word diathk means covenant throughout4 ,he is bound to admit that the attempt was a failure4 ,if he lives to write retractations1 this will be one4 #ahj haimatekchysias 7ix4 #bb74 #aha ,chap4 viii4 #e4 #ahb allotri 7ix4 #be74 #ahc paresin 7,rom4 iii4 #be71 as contrasted with aphesis4 #ahd ,chap4 iv4 #c4 #ahe ,chap4 ix4 #bf4 #ahf prosenechtheis 7ix4 #bh74 #ahg eis4 #ahh chris4 #ahi apekdechomenois4 #aij ,chap4 viii4 #b4 #aia ,rom4 v4 #ah4 #aib ,rom4 vi4 #aj4 #aic ,chap4 xiii4 #bj4 #aid ,chap4 x4 #a4 #aie ,chap4 x4 #b4 #aif ,chap4 x4 #c4 #aig ,gal4 iii4 #ai-;iv4 #c4 #aih pragmatn 7x4 #a74 #aii eikona4 #bjj ,col4 i4 #ad1 #ae4 #bja ,chap4 x4 #e sqq4 #bjb ,chap4 x4 #aj4 #bjc ,chap4 x4 #i4 #bjd #a ,sam4 xv4 #bb4 #bje ,chap4 x4 #g4 #bjf ,chap4 ix4 #ad4 #bjg ,chap4 x4 #aj4 #bjh ,chap4 x4 #aa4 #bji ,chap4 x4 #ac4 #baj ekdechomenos 7x4 #ac74 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,an ,,advance ,,in ,,the ,,exhortation4 ,having therefore1 brethren1 boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of ,jesus1 by the way which ,he dedicated for us1 a new and living way1 through the veil1 that is to say1 ,his flesh2 and having a great ,priest over the house of ,god2 let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith1 having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience1 and our body washed with pure water3 let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not2 for ,he is faithful that promised3 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works2 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together1 as the custom of some is1 but exhorting one another2 and so much the more1 as ye see the day drawing nigh4 ,for if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth1 there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins1 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment1 and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries4 ,a man that hath set at nought ,moses' law dieth without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses3 of how much sorer punishment1 think ye1 shall he be judged worthy1 who hath trodden under foot the ,son of ,god1 and hath counted the blood of the covenant1 wherewith he was sanctified1 an unholy thing1 and hath done despite unto the ,spirit of grace8 ,for we know ,him that said1 ,vengeance belongeth unto ,me4 ,i will recompense4 ,and again1 ,the ,lord shall judge ,his people4 ,it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living ,god4 ,but call to remembrance the former days1 in which1 after ye were enlightened1 ye endured a great conflict of sufferings2 partly1 being made a gazing-stock both by reproaches and afflictions2 and partly1 becoming partakers with them that were so used4 ,for ye both had compassion on them that were in bonds1 and took joyfully the spoiling of your possessions1 knowing that ye yourselves have a better possession and an abiding one4 ,cast not away therefore your boldness1 which hath great recompense of reward4 ,for ye have need of patience1 that1 having done the will of ,god1 ye may receive the promise4 ,for yet a very little while1 ,he that cometh shall come1 and shall not tarry4 ,but ,my righteous one shall live by faith3 ,and if he shrink back1 ,my soul hath no pleasure in him4 ,but we are not of them that shrink back unto perdition2 but of them that have faith unto the saving of the soul4--,,heb4 x4 #ai-ci 7,r4,v474 ,the argument is closed4 ,christ is the eternal ,priest and ,king1 and every rival priesthood or kingship must come to an end4 ,this is the truth won by the ,apostle's original and profound course of reasoning4 ,but he has in view practical results4 ,he desires to confirm the ,hebrew ,christians in their allegiance to ,christ4 ,we shall be better able to understand the precise bearing of his exhortation if we compare it with the appeal previously made to his readers in the earlier chapters of the ,epistle4#baa ,at the very outset he plunged into the midst of his subject and proved that ,jesus ,christ is ,son of ,god and representative ,man4 ,the union in ,christ of these two qualifications constituted ,him a great ,high-priest4 ,he is able to succour the tempted2 ,he is faithful as a ,son1 ,who is set over the house of ,god2 ,he has experienced the bitter humiliation of life1 ,he is perfected as our ,saviour1 and has passed through the heavens4 ,the exhortation1 based on these truths1 is that we must lay fast hold of our confidence4 ,then come the big wave1 the hesitation to face it1 the allegory of ,melchizedek1 the appeal to the prophet ,jeremiah1 the comparison between the old covenant and the new4 ,but the argument triumphs and advances4 ,jesus not only is a great ,high-priest1 but this is interpreted as meaning that ,he is ,priest and ,king1 and that ,his priesthood and power will never pass away4 ,their eternal duration involves the setting aside of every other priesthood1 the destruction of every opposing force4 ,christ has entered into the true holiest place and enthroned ,himself on the mercy-seat4 ,this being so1 the ,apostle no longer urges his readers to be confident4 ,he now appeals to them as having confidence1#bab in virtue of the blood of ,jesus1 so that they tarry not in the precincts1 but enter themselves into the holiest4 ,the high-priest alone dared enter under the former covenant1 and he approached with fear and trembling1 lest he also1 like others before him1 should fall down dead in the presence of ,god4 ,the exhortation now is1 not to confidence1 but to sincerity4#bac ,let their confidence become more objective4 ,they had the boasting of hope4 ,let them seek the silent1 unboasting assurance that is grounded on faith1 on the realisation of the invisible4 ,instead of believing because they hoped1 let them hope because they believed4 ,in the earlier chapters the exhortation rested mainly on what ,jesus was as ,son over ,god's house4 ,now1 however1 the ,apostle speaks of ,him as a great#bad ,priest over ,god's house4 ,his authority over the ,church springs1 not only from ,his relation to ,god1 but also from ,his relation to men4 ,he is ,king of ,his ,church because ,he prays for it and blesses it4 ,through ,his priesthood our hearts are cleansed by the sprinkling of ,his blood from the consciousness of sin4#bae ,but this blessing of the individual believer is now closely connected by the ,apostle with the idea of the ,church1 over which ,christ is ,king in virtue of ,his priesthood on its behalf4 ,in addition to the cleansing of our hearts from an evil conscience1 our bodies have been washed with pure water4 ,the ,apostle alludes primarily in both clauses to the rite of priestly consecration4 ,moses brought ,aaron and his sons1 and washed them with water4 ,he also took of the blood which was upon the altar and sprinkled it upon ,aaron1 and upon his garments1 and upon his sons1 and upon his sons' garments with him1 and sanctified ,aaron1 and his garments1 and his sons1 and his sons' garments with him4#baf ,the meaning of our author seems certainly to be that the worshippers have the privilege of the high-priest himself4 ,they lose their priestly character only in the more excellent glory and greatness of that ,high-priest through ,whom they have received their priesthood4 ,in comparison with ,him1 they are but humble worshippers1 and ,he alone is ,priest4 ,in contrast to the world around them1 they also are priests of ,god4 ,but the words of the ,apostle contain another allusion4 ,both clauses refer to baptism4 ,the mention of washing the body renders it1 we think1 unquestionable that baptism is meant4 ,but baptism is not here said to be the antitype of the priestly consecration of the old covenant4 ,one rite cannot be the type of another rite1 which is itself an external action4 ,the solution of this apparent difficulty is simply that both clauses together mean baptism1 which is invariably represented in the ,new ,testament as much more than an outward rite4 ,the external act may be performed without its being a true baptism4 ,for the meaning of baptism is the forgiveness of sin1 the cleansing of the heart or innermost consciousness from guilt1 and the reception of the absolved sinner into the ,church of ,god4 ,christ loved the ,church1 and gave ,himself up for it1 that ,he might sanctify it1 having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word4#bag ,in an earlier chapter our author told his readers that they were the house of ,god if they held fast their confidence4 ,he does not repeat it4 ,the ,church consciousness has sprung up within them4 ,they were previously taught to look steadfastly at ,jesus as the ,apostle and ,high-priest of their confession4#bah ,they are now urged to look as steadfastly at one another as fellow-confessors of the same ,apostle and ,high-priest1 and to sharpen one another's love and activity even to the point of jealousy4#bai ,in the earlier exhortation no mention was made of the ,church assemblies4 ,here prominence is given them4 ,importance is attached to the words of encouragement addressed at these gatherings of believers4 ,christian habits were at this time forming and consolidating into customs of the ,church4 ,occasional and eccentric manifestations of the religious life and temperament were yielding to the slow1 normal growth of true vitality4 ,as faithfulness in frequenting the ,church assemblies began to rank among the foremost virtues1 unfaithfulness would1 by force of contrast1 harden into habitual neglect of the house of prayer3 ,as the custom of some is4#bbj ,the chief of all reasons for exhorting the readers to habitual attendance on the ,church assemblies the writer of the ,epistle finds in the expectation of the ,lord's speedy return4 ,they could see for themselves that the day was at hand4 ,the signs of the ,son of man's coming were multiplying and thrusting themselves on the notice of the ,church4 ,perhaps the voice of ,joshua1 the son of ,hanan1 had already been heard in the streets1 exclaiming1 ,woe to ,jerusalem6 ,the holy city was plainly doomed4 ,but ,christ will come to ,his ,church1 not to individuals4 ,he will not be found in the wilderness1 nor in the inner chambers4 ,as the lightning cometh forth from the east1 and is seen even unto the west1 so shall be the coming of the ,son of man4#bba ,the day of ,christ is a day of judgment4 ,the two meanings of the word day1--day in contrast to night1 and day as a fixed time for the transaction of public business1--coalesce in the ,new ,testament usage4 ,the second idea seems to have gradually superseded the former4 ,the author proceeds to unfold the dreadful character of this day of judgment4 ,here1 again1 the precise force of his declarations will best appear by comparison with the warnings of the first part of the ,epistle in reference to the sin and to the punishment4 ,first1 the sin referred to here has a wider range than the transgression spoken of in the second chapter4 ,for there he mentions the special sin of neglecting so great salvation4 ,but in the present passage his words seem to imply that rejection of ,christ has given birth to a progeny of evil through the self-abandonment of those who wilfully persist in sinning1 as if from reckless bravado4#bbb ,the special guilt1 too1 of rejecting ,christ is here painted in darker hues4 ,for in the earlier passage it is indifference2 here it is contempt4 ,in the former case it is ingratitude to a merciful ,saviour2 in the latter it is treason against the majesty of ,god's own ,son4 ,to trample under foot means to desecrate4 ,christ is the holy ,high-priest of ,god1 and is now ministering in the true holiest place4 ,therefore to choose ,judaism1 with its dead rites1 and to reject the living ,christ1 is no longer the action of a holy zeal for ,god's house4 ,quite the reverse4 ,the sanctuary of ,judaism has been shorn of its glory1 and its sacredness transferred to the despised ,nazarene4 ,to tread under foot the ,son of ,god is to trample with revel rout on the hallowed floor of the holiest place4 ,further1 the ,apostle's former warnings contained no allusion to the covenant4 ,now he reminds his readers that they have been sanctified--that is1 cleansed from guilt--through the blood of the covenant4 ,is the cleansing blood itself unclean8 ,shall we deem the reeking gore of a slain beast or the grey ashes of a burnt heifer holy1 and consider the blood of the ,christ1 ,who with an eternal spirit offered ,himself without spot to ,god1 unholy and defiling8#bbc ,moreover1 that eternal spirit in the ,son of ,god is a spirit of grace#bbd towards men4 ,but ,his infinite compassion is spurned4 ,and thus the ,apostle brings us once more#bbe in sight of the hopeless character of cynicism4 ,second1 the punishment is partly negative4 ,a sacrifice for sins is no more left to men who have spurned the sacrifice of the ,son4#bbf ,here again we notice an advance in the thought4 ,the ,apostle told his readers before that it is impossible to renew to repentance those who crucify afresh the ,son of ,god and put ,him to an open shame4 ,but the impossibility consists in hardness of heart and spiritual blindness4 ,the result also is subjective1--they cannot repent4 ,he now adds the impossibility of finding another propitiation than the offering of ,christ or of finding in ,his offering a different kind of propitiation1 seeing that ,he is the final revelation of ,god's forgiving grace4 ,then1 further1 the punishment has a positive side4 ,after hardness of heart comes stinging remorse1 arising from a vague1 but on that account all the more fearful1 expectation of the judgment4 ,the abject terror is amply justified4 ,for the fury#bbg of a fire1 already kindling around the doomed city1 warns the ,hebrew backsliders that the ,christ so wilfully scoffed at is at the door4 ,observe the contrast4 ,the law of ,moses is on occasion set aside4 ,the matter is almost private4 ,only two or three persons witnessed it4#bbh ,its evil influence did not spread1 and when the criminal was led out to be stoned to death1 they who passed by went their way unheeding4 ,the ,christ of ,god is put to an open shame2#bbi the covenant1 for ever established on the sure foundation of ,god's oath and ,christ's death1 and the spirit of all grace that filled the heart of ,christ are mocked4 ,of how much sorer punishment shall ,christ at ,his speedy coming deem the scorner worthy8 ,the answer is left by the ,apostle to his readers4 ,they knew with ,whom they had to do4#bcj ,it was not with angels1 the swift messengers and flaming ministers of ,his power4 ,it was not with ,moses1 who himself exceedingly feared and quaked4#bca ,it was not with the blind pressure of fate4 ,they had to do with the living ,god ,himself directly4 ,he will lay upon them ,his living hand1--the hand that might and1 if they had not spurned it1 would have protected and saved4 ,retribution descends swift and resistless4 ,it can only be likened to a sudden falling into the very hands of a waiting avenger4#bcb ,he will not entrust the work of vengeance to another4 ,no extraneous agent shall come between the smiting hand and the heart that burns with the anger of the sincere against the false1 of the compassionate against the pitiless4 ,does not ,scripture teach that the ,lord will execute judgment on behalf of ,his people8#bcc ,if on behalf of ,his people1 will ,he not enter into judgment for ,his ,son8 ,from the terrible expectation of future judgment the ,apostle turns away1 to recall to his readers the grounds of hope supplied by their steadfastness in the past4 ,he has already spoken of their work and the love which they had shown in ministering to the saints4#bcd ,god's justice would not forget their brotherly kindness4 ,now1 however1 ,his purpose in bidding them remember the former days is something different4 ,he writes to convince them that they needed no other and greater confidence to face the future than had carried them triumphantly through conflicts in days of yore4 ,they had endured sufferings2 let them conquer their own indifference and put away their cynicism with the lofty disdain of earnest faith4 ,the courage that could do the former can also do the latter4 ,from the first break of day in their souls#bce they had felt the confidence of men who walk1 not in darkness1 not knowing whither they go and fearing to take another step1 but in the light1 so that they trod firmly and stepped boldly onward4 ,their confidence was based on conviction and understanding of truth4 ,for that reason it inspired them with the courage of athletes1#bcf when they had to endure also the shame of the arena4 ,made a gazing-stock to a scoffing theatre1 they had not turned pale at the roar of the wild beasts4 ,instead of tamely submitting1 they had turned their sufferings into a veritable contest against the world1 and maintained the conflict long4#bcg ,taunted by the spectators1 torn by the lions1 reproaches and afflictions alike had been ineffectual to break their spirit4 ,when they witnessed the prolonged tortures of their brethren whose ,christian life was one martyrdom1#bch they had not shrunk from the like usage4 ,they had pitied the brethren in prisons and visited them4 ,they had taken joyfully the spoiling of their substance1 knowing that now they had themselves1#bci as a better and an abiding possession4 ,if they had lost the world1 they had gained for themselves their souls4#bdj ,as true athletes1 therefore1 let them not throw away#bda their sword1 which is no other than their old1 undaunted confidence4 ,there was none like that sword4 ,their victory was assured4 ,their reward would be1 not the plaudits of the fickle onlookers1 but the fulfilment of ,god's promise to ,abraham4 ,they had need of endurance1 because in enduring they were doing the will of ,god4 ,but the ,deliverer would be with them in a twinkling4#bdb ,he had delayed ,his chariot wheels1 but ,he would delay no more4 ,hear ye not ,his voice8 ,it is ,he that speaks in the words of the prophet1 ,those whom ,i deny will perish out of the way4 ,but ,i have ,my righteous ones#bdc here and there1 unseen by the world1 and out of their faith will be wrought for them eternal life4 ,but let even ,mine own beware of lowering sail4 ,my soul will have no delight even in him if he draws back4 ,the ,apostle reflects on the words of ,christ in the prophecy of ,habakkuk4 ,but he has an assured hope that he and his readers would repudiate the thought of drawing back4 ,they were men of faith1 bent on winning#bdd the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus2 and the prize would be their own souls4 ,may we not conjecture that the ,apostle's fervid appeal prevailed with the ,christians within the doomed city to break the last bands of patriotism and superstition which attached them to the ,temple and the altar1 and proclaim themselves missionaries of the new faith1 without a backward glance of lingering reminiscence8#bde ,,footnotes3 #baa ,chaps4 ii4 #a-e2 iii4 #a1 #f2 iv4 #aa1 #af2 vi4 #bab ,chap4 x4 #ai4 #bac meta althins kardias 7x4 #bb74 #bad megan 7x4 #ba74 #bae apo syneidses ponras 7x4 #bb74 #baf ,lev4 viii4 #f1 #cj4 #bag ,eph4 v4 #bf4 #bah ,chap4 iii4 #a4 #bai eis paroxysmon 7x4 #bd74 #bbj ethos 7x4 #be74 #bba ,matt4 xxiv4 #bg4 #bbb hekousis 7x4 #bf74 #bbc ,chap4 x4 #bi4 #bbd pneuma ts charitos4 #bbe ,see chap4 vi4 #f4 #bbf ,chap4 x4 #bf4 #bbg zlos 7x4 #bg74 #bbh ,chap4 x4 #bh4 #bbi paradeigmatizontas 7vi4 #f74 #bcj ,chap4 iii4 #ab4 #bca ,chap4 xii4 #ba4 #bcb empesein4 #bcc ,deut4 xxxii4 #cf4 #bcd ,chap4 vi4 #aj4 #bce phtisthentes 7x4 #cb74 #bcf athlsin4 #bcg polln4 #bch houts anastrephomenn 7x4 #cc74 #bci ,reading heautous 7x4 #cd74 #bdj eis peripoisin 7x4 #ci74 #bda m apobalte4 #bdb mikron hoson hoson 7x4 #cg74 #bdc ,reading mou 7x4 #ch74 #bdd peripoisin 7x4 #ci74 #bde ,dean ,merivale1 ,romans under the ,empire1 chap4 lix4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,faith ,,an ,,assurance ,,and ,a ,,proof4 ,now faith is the assurance of things hoped for1 the proving of things not seen4 ,for therein the elders had witness borne to them4 ,by faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of ,god1 so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which do appear4--,,heb4 xi4 #a-c 7,r4,v474 ,it is often said that one of the greatest difficulties in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews is to discover any real connection of ideas between the author's general purpose in the previous discussion and the splendid record of faith in the eleventh chapter4 ,the rhetorical connection is easy to trace4 ,his utterances throughout have been incentives to confidence4 ,let us hold fast our confession4 ,let us draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace4 ,show diligence unto the full assurance of hope4 ,cast not away your boldness4 ,any of these exhortations would sufficiently describe the ,apostle's practical aim from the beginning of the ,epistle4 ,but he has just cited the words of ,habakkuk1 and the prophet speaks of faith4 ,how1 then1 does the prophet's declaration that the righteous man of ,god will escape death by his faith bear on the ,apostle's arguments or help his strong appeals8 ,the first verse of the eleventh chapter is the reply4 ,faith is assurance1 with emphasis on the verb4 ,but this is only a rhetorical connection1 or at best a justification of the use the author has made of the prophet's words4 ,indeed1 he has already in several places identified confidence with faith1 and the opposite of confidence with unbelief4 ,take heed lest there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief2 444 for we are become partakers of ,christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end4#bdf ,they could not enter in because of unbelief2 444 let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest1 that no man fall after the same example of disobedience4#bdg ,be not sluggish1 but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises4#bdh ,having therefore boldness to enter into the holy place1 444 let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith4#bdi ,why1 therefore1 does the author formally state that faith is confidence8 ,the difficulty is a real one4 ,we must suppose that1 when this ,epistle was written1 the word faith was already a well-known and almost technical term among ,christians4 ,we infer as much as this also from ,st4 ,james's careful and stringent correction of abuses in the application of the word4 ,it is unnecessary to say who was the first to perceive the vital importance of faith in the life and theology of ,christianity4 ,but in the preaching of ,st4 ,paul faith is trust in a personal ,saviour1 and trust is the condition and instrument of salvation4 ,faith1 thus represented1 is the opposite of works4 ,such a doctrine was liable to abuse1 and has been abused to the utter subversion of morality on the one hand and to the extinction of all unselfish greatness of soul on the other4 ,not1 most certainly1 that ,st4 ,paul himself was one-sided in teaching or in character4 ,to him ,christ is a heavenly ideal3 ,the ,lord is the ,spirit2 and to him the believer is the spiritual man1 who has the moral intellect of ,christ4#bej ,but it must be confessed--and the history of the ,church abundantly proves the truth of the statement--that the good news of eternal salvation on the sole condition of trust in ,christ is one of the easiest of all true doctrines to be fatally abused4 ,the ,epistle of ,st4 ,james and the ,epistle to the ,hebrews seem to have been written to meet this danger4 ,the former represents faith as the inner life of the spirit1 the fountain of all active goodness4 ,faith1 if it have not works1 is dead in itself4 ,yea1 a man will say1 ,thou hast faith1 and ,i have works2 show me thy faith apart from thy works1 and ,i by my works will show thee my faith4#bea ,st4 ,james contends against the earliest phases of ,antinomianism4 ,he reconciles faith and morality1 and maintains that the highest morality springs out of faith4 ,the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews contends against legalism1--the proud1 self-satisfied1 indifferent1 hard1 slothful1 contemptuous1 cynical spirit1 which is quite as truly and as often an abuse of the doctrine of salvation through faith4 ,it is the terrible plague of those ,churches which have never risen above individualism4 ,when men are told that the whole of religion consists in securing the soul's eternal safety1 and that this salvation is made sure once for all by a moment's trust in ,christ1 their after-life will harden into a worldliness1 not gross and sensual1 but pitiless and deadening4 ,they will put on the garb of religious decorum2 but the inner life will be eaten by the canker of covetousness and self-righteous pride4 ,these are the men described in the sixth chapter of our ,epistle1 who have1 after a fashion1 repented and believed1 but whose religion has no recuperative power1 let alone the growth and richness of deep vitality4 ,our author addresses men whose spiritual life was thus imperilled4 ,their condition is not that of the heathen world in its agony of despair4 ,he does not call his readers1 in the words of ,st4 ,paul to the jailer at ,philippi1 to trust themselves into the hands of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that they may be saved4 ,yet he too insists on faith4 ,he is anxious to show them that he is not preaching another gospel1 but unfolding the meaning of the same conception of faith1 which is the central principle of the ,gospel revealed at the first by ,christ to their fathers1 and applied to the wants of the heathen by the ,apostle of the ,gentiles4 ,if so1 it goes without saying that the writer does not intend to give a scholastic definition of faith4 ,the ,new ,testament is not the book in which to seek formal definitions4 ,for his present purpose we require only to know that1 whatever else faith includes1 confidence in reference to the objects of our hope must find a place in it4 ,faith bridges over the chasm between hope and the things hoped for4 ,it saves us from building castles in the air or living in a fool's paradise4 ,the phantoms of worldliness and the phantoms of religion 7for they too exist7 will not deceive us4 ,in the course of his discussion in the ,epistle the author has used three different words to set forth various sides of the same feeling of confidence4 ,one refers to the freedom and boldness with which the confidence felt manifests its presence in words and action4#beb ,another signifies the fulness of conviction with which the mind when confident is saturated4#bec ,the third word1 which we have in the present passage1 describes confidence as a reality1 resting on an unshaken foundation1 and contrasted with illusions4#bed ,he has urged ,christians to boldness of action and fulness of conviction4 ,now he adds that faith is that boldness and that wealth of certitude in so far as they rest upon reality and truth4 ,we can now in some measure estimate the value of the ,apostle's description of faith as an assurance concerning things hoped for1 and apply it to give force to the exhortations of the ,epistle4 ,the evil heart of unbelief is the moral corruption of the man whose soul is steeped in sensual imaginations and never realises the things of the ,spirit4 ,they who came out of ,egypt by ,moses could not enter into rest because they did not descry1 beyond the earthly ,canaan1 the rest of the spirit in ,god4 ,others inherit the promises1 because on earth they lifted their hearts to the heavenly country4 ,in short1 the ,apostle now tells his readers that the true source of ,christian constancy and boldness is the realisation of the unseen world4 ,but faith is this assurance concerning things hoped for because it is a proof#bee of their existence1 and of the existence of the unseen generally4 ,the latter part of the verse is the broad foundation on which faith rests in all the rich variety of its meanings and practical applications4 ,here ,st4 ,paul1 ,st4 ,james1 and the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews meet in the unity of their conception4 ,whether men trust unto salvation1 or develop their inner spiritual life1 or enter into communion with ,god and lift the weapon of unflinching boldness in the ,christian warfare1 trust1 character1 confidence1 all three derive their being and vitality from faith1 as it demonstrates the existence of the unseen4 ,the ,apostle's language is a seeming contradiction4 ,proof is usually supposed to dispense with faith and compel us to accept the inference drawn4 ,he intentionally describes faith as occupying in reference to spiritual realities the place of demonstration4 ,faith in the unseen is itself a proof that the unseen world exists4 ,it is so in two ways4 ,first1 we trust our own moral instincts4 ,malebranche observes that our passions justify themselves4 ,how much more is this true of intellect and conscience6 ,in like manner1 some men have firm confidence in a world of spiritual realities1 which eye has not seen4 ,this confidence is itself a proof to them4 ,how do ,i know that ,i know8 ,it is a philosopher's enigma4 ,for us it may be sufficient to say that to know and to know that we know are one and the same act4 ,how do we justify our faith in the unseen8 ,the answer is similar4 ,it is the same thing to trust and to trust our trust4 ,scepticism wins a cheap victory when it arraigns faith as a culprit caught in the very act of stealing the forbidden fruit of paradise4 ,but when1 like a guilty thing1 faith blushes for its want of logic1 its only refuge is to look in the face of the unseen ,father4 ,he who has most faith in his own spiritual instincts will have the strongest faith in ,god4 ,to trust ,god is to trust ourselves4 ,to doubt ourselves is to doubt ,god4 ,we must add that there is a sense in which trust in ,god means distrust of self4 ,second1 faith fastens directly on ,god ,himself4 ,we believe in ,god because we impose implicit confidence in our own moral nature4 ,with equal truth we may also say that we believe all else because we believe in ,god4 ,faith in ,god ,himself immediately and personally is the proof that the promises are true1 that our life on earth is linked to a life above1 that patient well-doing will have its reward1 that no good deed can be in vain1 and ten thousand other thoughts and hopes that sustain the drooping spirit in hours of conflict4 ,it may well happen that some of these truths are legitimate inferences from premises1 or it may be that a calculation of probabilities is in favour of their truth4 ,but faith trusts itself upon them because they are worthy of ,god4 ,sometimes the silence of ,god is enough1 if an aspiration of the soul is felt to be such that it became ,him to implant it and will be glorious in ,him to reward the heaven-sent desire4 ,an instance of faith as a proof of the unseen is given by our author in the third verse4 ,we may paraphrase it thus3 ,by faith we know that the ages have been constructed by the word of ,god1 and that even to this point of assurance3 that the visible universe as a whole came not into being out of things that do appear4 ,the author began in the previous verse to unroll his magnificent record of the elders4 ,but from the beginning men found themselves in the presence of a mystery of the past before they received any promise as to the future4 ,it is the mystery of creation4 ,it has pressed heavily on men in all ages4 ,the ,apostle himself has felt its power1 and speaks of it as a question which his readers and himself have faced4 ,how do we know that the development of the ages had a beginning8 ,if it had a beginning1 how did it begin8 ,the ,apostle replies that we know it by faith4 ,the revelation which we have received from ,god addresses itself to our moral perception and our confidence in ,god's moral nature4 ,we have been taught that in the beginning ,god created the heaven and the earth1 and that ,god said1 ,let there be light4#bef ,faith demands this revelation4 ,is faith trust8 ,that trust in ,god is our proof that the framework of the world was put together by ,his creative wisdom and power4 ,is faith the inner life of righteousness8 ,morality requires that our own consciousness of personality and freedom should be derived from a ,divine personality as the ,originator of all things4 ,is faith communion with ,god8 ,those who pray know that prayer is an absolute necessity of their spiritual nature1 and prayer lifts its voice to a living ,father4 ,faith demonstrates to him who has it1 though not to others1 that the universe has come to its present form1 not by an eternal evolution of matter1 but by the action of ,god's creative energy4 ,the somewhat peculiar form of the clause seems certainly to suggest that the ,apostle ascribes the origin of the universe1 not only to a personal ,creator1 but to that personal ,creator acting through the ideas of ,his own mind4 ,the visible came into being1 not out of things that appear4 ,we catch ourselves waiting till he finishes the sentence with the words1 but out of things that do not appear4 ,most expositors fight shy of the inference and explain it away by alleging that the negative has been misplaced4#beg ,but is it not true that the universe is the manifestation of thought in the unity of the ,divine purpose8 ,this is the very notion required to complete the ,apostle's statement concerning faith as a proof4 ,if faith demonstrates1 it acts on principles4 ,if ,god is personal1 those principles are ideas1 thoughts1 purposes1 of the ,divine mind4 ,so long1 therefore1 as our spiritual nature can trust1 can unfold a morality1 can pray1 the simple soul need not much bewail its want of logic and its loss of arguments4 ,if the famous ontological argument for the being of ,god has been refuted1 we shall not1 on that account1 tremble for the ark4 ,we shall not lament though the argument from the watch has proved treacherous4 ,our ,god is not a mere infinite mechanician4 ,indeed1 such a phrase is a contradiction in terms4 ,a mechanician must be finite4 ,he contrives1 and as the result produces1 not what is absolutely best1 but what is the best possible under the circumstances and with the materials at his disposal4 ,but if we have lost the mechanician1 we have not lost the ,god that thinks4 ,we have gained the perfectly righteous and perfectly good4 ,his thoughts have manifested themselves in nature1 in human freedom1 in the incarnation of ,his ,son1 in the redemption of sinners4 ,but the intellect that knows these things is the good heart of faith4 ,,footnotes3 #bdf ,chap4 iii4 #ab4 #bdg ,chaps4 iii4 #ai2 iv4 #aa4 #bdh ,chap4 vi4 #ab4 #bdi ,chap4 x4 #ai4 #bej #b ,cor4 iii4 #ag2 #a ,cor4 ii4 #af4 #bea ,james ii4 #ag1 #ah4 #beb parrsia4 #bec plrophoria4 #bed hypostasis4 #bee elenchos4 #bef ,gen4 i4 #a1 #c4 #beg ,as if m ek phainomenn were for ek m phainomenn4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,abraham4 ,by faith ,abraham1 when he was called1 obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance2 and he went out1 not knowing whither he went4 ,by faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise1 as in a land not his own1 dwelling in tents1 with ,isaac and ,jacob1 the heirs with him of the same promise3 for he looked for the city which hath the foundations1 whose ,builder and ,maker is ,god4 ,by faith even ,sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age1 since she counted ,him faithful ,who had promised3 wherefore also there sprang of one1 and him as good as dead1 so many as the stars of heaven in multitude1 and as the sand1 which is by the sea-shore1 innumerable4 ,these all died in faith1 not having received the promises1 but having seen them and greeted them from afar1 and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth4 ,for they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own4 ,and if indeed they had been mindful of that country from which they went out1 they would have had opportunity to return4 ,but now they desire a better country1 that is1 a heavenly3 wherefore ,god is not ashamed of them1 to be called their ,god3 for ,he hath prepared for them a city4 ,by faith ,abraham1 being tried1 offered up ,isaac3 yea1 he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only-begotten son2 even he to whom it was said1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called3 accounting that ,god is able to raise up1 even from the dead2 from whence he did also in a parable receive him back4--,,heb4 xi4 #h-ai 7,r4,v474 ,we have learned that faith is the proof of the unseen4 ,we must not exclude even from this clause the other thought that faith is an assurance of things hoped for4 ,it is not stated1 but it is implied4 ,the conception of a personal ,god requires only to be unfolded in order to yield a rich harvest of hope4 ,the author proceeds to show that by faith the elders had witness borne to them in ,god's confession of them and great rewards4 ,he recounts the achievements of a long line of believers1 who as they went handed the light from one to another4 ,in them is the true unity of religion and revelation from the beginning4 ,for the poor order of high-priests the writer substitutes the glorious succession of faith4 ,we choose for the subject of this chapter the faith of ,abraham4 ,but we shall not dismiss in silence the faith of ,abel1 ,enoch1 and ,noah4 ,the paragraph in which ,abraham's deeds are recorded will most naturally divide itself into three comparisons between their faith and his4 ,we venture to think that this was in the writer's mind and determined the form of the passage4 ,from the eighth to the tenth verse the ,apostle compares ,abraham's faith with that of ,noah2 after a short episode concerning ,sarah1 he compares ,abraham's faith with ,enoch's1 from the thirteenth verse to the sixteenth2 then1 down to the nineteenth verse1 he compares ,abraham's faith with that of ,abel4 ,noah's faith appeared in an act of obedience1 ,enoch's in a life of fellowship with ,god1 ,abel's in his more excellent sacrifice4 ,abraham's faith manifested itself in all these ways4 ,when he was called1 he obeyed2 when a sojourner1 he desired a better country1 that is1 a heavenly1 and ,god was not ashamed to be called his ,god2 being tried1 he offered up ,isaac4 ,two points of surpassing worth in his faith suggest themselves4 ,the one is largeness and variety of experience2 the other is conquest over difficulties4 ,these are the constituents of a great saint4 ,many a good man will not become a strong spiritual character because his experience of life is too narrow4 ,others1 whose range is wide1 fail to reach the higher altitudes of saintliness because they have never been called to pass through sore trials1 or1 if they have heard the summons1 have shrunk from the hardships4 ,before ,abraham faith was both limited in its experience and untested with heaven-sent difficulties4 ,abraham's religion was complex4 ,his faith was a perfect cube1 and1 presenting a face to every wind that blows1 came victorious out of every trial4 ,let us trace the comparisons4 ,first1 ,noah obeyed a ,divine command when he built an ark to the saving of his house4 ,he obeyed by faith4 ,his eyes saw the invisible1 and the vision kindled his hopes of being saved through the very waters that would destroy every living substance4 ,but this was all4 ,his faith acted only in one direction3 he hoped to be saved4 ,the ,apostle ,peter#beh compares his faith to the initial grace of those who seek baptism1 and have only crossed the threshold of the spiritual life4 ,it is true that he overcame one class of difficulties4 ,he was not in bondage to the things of sense4 ,he made provision for a future belied by present appearances4 ,but the influence of the senses is not the greatest difficulty of the human spirit4 ,as the lonely ship rode on the heaving waste of waters1 all within was gladness and peace4 ,no heaven-sent temptations tried the patriarch's faith1 ,he overcame the trials that spring out of the earth2 but he knew not the anguish that rends the spirit like a lightning-stroke descending from ,god4 ,with ,abraham it was otherwise4 ,he went out1 not knowing whither he went4#bei ,he leaves his father's house and his father's gods4 ,he breaks for ever with the past1 even before the future has been revealed to him4 ,the thoughts and feelings that had grown up with him from childhood are once for all put away4 ,he has no sheltering ark to receive him4 ,a homeless wanderer1 he pitches his tent to-day at the well1 not knowing where his invisible guide may bid him stretch the cords on the morrow4 ,his departure from ,ur of the ,chaldees was a family migration4 ,but the writer of this ,epistle1 like ,philo1 describes it as the man's own personal obedience to a ,divine call4 ,submitting to ,god's will1 possessed with the inspiration and courage of faith1 obeying daily new intimations1 he bends his steps this way or that1 not knowing whither he goes4 ,true1 he went right into the heart of the land of promise4 ,but1 even in his own heritage1 he became a sojourner1 as in a land not his own4#bfj ,god gave him none inheritance in it1 no1 not so much as to set his foot on4#bfa ,possessor of all in promise1 he purchased a sepulchre1 which was the first ground he could call his own4 ,the cave of ,machpelah was the small beginning of the fulfilment of ,god's promise1 which the spirit of ,abraham is even now receiving in a higher form4 ,it is still the same4 ,the bright dawn of heaven often breaks upon the soul at an open grave4 ,but he journeyed on1 and trusted4 ,for a time he and ,sarah only2 afterwards ,isaac with them2 at last1 when ,sarah had been laid to rest1 ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 the three together1 held on bravely1 sojourning with aching hearts1 but ever believing4 ,the ,apostle brings in the names of ,isaac and ,jacob1 not to describe their faith--this he will do subsequently1--but to show the tenacity and patience of the friend of ,god4 ,his faith1 thus sorely tried by ,god's long delay1 is rewarded1 not with an external fulfilment of the promise1 but with larger hopes1 wider range of vision1 greater strength to endure1 more vivid realisation of the unseen4 ,he looked for the city which hath the foundations1 whose ,architect and ,maker is ,god4#bfb ,in the promise not a word is said about a city4 ,apparently he was still to be a nomad chief of a large and wealthy tribe4 ,when ,god deferred again and again the fulfilment of ,his promise to give him this land1 ,his trusting servant bethought him what the delay could mean4 ,this was his hill of difficulty1 where the two ways part4 ,the worldly wisdom of unbelief would argue from ,god's tardiness that the reality1 when it comes1 will fall far short of the promise4 ,faith1 with higher wisdom1 makes sure that the delay has a purpose4 ,god intends to give more and better things than ,he promised1 and is making room in the believer's heart for the greater blessings4 ,abraham cast about to imagine the better things4 ,he invented a blessing1 and1 so to speak1 inserted it for himself in the promise4 ,this new blessing has an earthly and a heavenly meaning4 ,on its earthly side it represents the transition from a nomadic life to a fixed abode4 ,faith bridged the gulf that separates a wandering horde from the cultured greatness of civilization4 ,the future grandeur of ,zion was already held in the grasp of ,abraham's faith4 ,but the invented blessing had also a heavenly side4 ,the more correct rendering of the ,apostle's words in the ,revised ,version expresses this higher thought3 ,he looked for the city which hath the foundations--the city2 for1 after all1 there is but one that hath the eternal foundations4 ,it is the holy city1#bfc the heavenly ,jerusalem1 seen by the faith of ,abraham in the early morning of revelation1 seen again in vision by the ,apostle ,john at its close4 ,the expression cannot mean anything that comes short of the ,apostle's description of faith as the assurance of things hoped for in the unseen world4 ,abraham realised heaven as an eternal city1 in which after death he would be gathered to his fathers4 ,a sublime conception6--eternity not the dwelling-place of the solitary spirit1 the joy of heaven consisting in personal fellowship for ever with the good of every age and clime4 ,there the past streams into the present1 not1 as here1 the present into the past4 ,all are contemporaries there1 and death is no more4 ,whatever makes civilization powerful or beautiful on earth--laws1 arts1 culture--all is there etherealised and endowed with immortality4 ,such a city has ,god only for its ,architect1#bfd ,god only for its ,builder4#bfe ,he ,who conceived the plan can alone execute the design and realise the idea4 ,of this sort was ,abraham's obedience4 ,he continued to endure in the face of ,god's delay to fulfil the promise4 ,his reward consisted1 not in an earthly inheritance1 not in mere salvation1 but in larger hopes and in the power of a spiritual imagination4 ,second1 ,abraham's faith is compared with ,enoch's1 whose story is most sweetly simple4 ,he is the man who has never doubted1 across whose placid face no dark shadow of unbelief ever sweeps4 ,a virgin soul1 he walks with ,god in a time when the wickedness of man is great in the earth and the imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually1 as ,adam walked with ,god in the cool of the evening before sin had brought the hot fever of shame to his cheek4 ,he walks with ,god1 as a child with his father2 and ,god takes him into ,his arms4 ,enoch's removal was not like the entrance of ,elijah into heaven3 a victorious conqueror returning into the city in his triumphal car4 ,it was the quiet passing away1 without observation1 of a spirit of heaven that had sojourned for a time on earth4 ,men sought him1 because they felt the loss of his presence among them4 ,but they knew that ,god had taken him4 ,they inferred his story from his character4 ,in ,enoch we have an instance of faith as the faculty of realising the unseen1 but not as a power to conquer difficulties4 ,compare this faith with ,abraham's4 ,these1--,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1--all died in faith1 or1 as we may render the word1 according to faith1--according to the faith which they had exhibited in their life4 ,their death was after the same pattern of faith4 ,enoch's contemplative life came to a fitting end in a deathless translation to higher fellowship with ,god4 ,his way of leaving life became him4 ,abraham's repeated conflicts and victories closed with quite as much becomingness in a last trial of his faith1 when he was called to die without having received the fulfilment of the promises4 ,but he had already seen the heavenly city and greeted it from afar4#bff ,he saw the promises1 as the traveller beholds the gleaming mirage of the desert4 ,the illusiveness of life is the theme of moralists when they preach resignation4 ,it is faith only that can transform the illusions themselves into an incentive to high and holy aspirations4 ,all profound religion is full of seeming illusions4 ,christ beckons us onward4 ,when we climb this steep1 ,his voice is heard calling to us from a higher peak4 ,that height gained reveals a soaring mass piercing the clouds1 and the voice is heard above still summoning us to fresh effort4 ,the climber falls exhausted on the mountain-side and lays him down to die4 ,ever as ,abraham attempted to seize the promise1 it eluded his grasp4 ,the ,tantalus of heathen mythology was in ,tartarus1 but the ,tantalus of the ,bible is the man of faith1 who believes the more for every failure to attain4 ,such men declare plainly that they seek a country of their own4#bfg ,let not the full force of the words escape us4 ,the ,apostle does not mean that they seek to emigrate to a new country4 ,he has just said that they confess themselves to be strangers and pilgrims on the earth4 ,they are pilgrims1 because they are journeying through on their way to another country2 they are strangers1 because they have come hither from another land4#bfh ,his meaning is that they long to return home4 ,that he means this is evident from his thinking it necessary to guard himself against the possibility of being understood to refer to ,ur of the ,chaldees4 ,they were not mindful of the earthly home1 the cradle of their race1 which they had left for ever4 ,not once did they cast a wistful look back1 like ,lot's wife and the ,israelites in the wilderness4 ,yet they yearned for their fatherland4#bfi ,plato imagined that all our knowledge is a reminiscence of what we learned in a previous state of existence2 and ,wordsworth's exquisite lines1 which cannot lose their sweet fragrance however often they are repeated1 are a reflection of the same visionary gleam1-- ,our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting3 ,the soul that rises with us1 our life's star4 ,hath had elsewhere its setting1 ,and cometh from afar2 ,not in entire forgetfulness1 ,and not in utter nakedness1 ,but trailing clouds of glory1 do we come ,from ,god1 ,who is our home4 ,our author too suggests it2 and it is true4 ,we need not maintain it as an external fact in the history of the soul1 according to the old doctrine1 resuscitated in our own times1 of ,traducianism4 ,the ,apostle represents it rather as a feeling4 ,there is a ,christian consciousness of heaven1 as if the soul had been there and longed to return4 ,and if it is a glorious attainment of faith to regard heaven as a city1 more consoling still is the hope of returning there1 storm-tossed and weather-beaten1 as to a home1 to look up to ,god as to a ,father1 and to love all angels and saints as brethren in the household of ,god1 over which ,christ is set as a ,son4 ,such a hope renders feeble1 sinful men not altogether unworthy of ,god's ,fatherhood4 ,for ,he is not ashamed to be called their ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ is not ashamed to call them brethren4#bgj ,the proof is1 that ,god has prepared for them a settled abode in the eternal city4 ,third1 the faith of ,abraham is compared with the faith of ,abel4 ,in the case of ,abel faith is more than a realisation of the unseen4 ,for ,cain also believed in the existence of an invisible ,power1 and offered sacrifice4 ,we are expressly told in the narrative#bga that ,cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the ,lord4 ,yet he was a wicked man4 ,the ,apostle ,john says#bgb that ,cain was of the ,evil ,one4 ,he had the faith which ,st4 ,james ascribes to the demons1 who believe there is one ,god1 and shudder4#bgc ,he was possessed with the same hatred1 and had also the same faith4 ,it was the union of the two things in his spirit that made him the murderer of his brother4 ,our author points out very clearly the difference between ,cain and ,abel4 ,both sacrificed1 but ,abel desired righteousness4 ,he had a conscience of sin1 and sought reconciliation with ,god through his offering4 ,indeed1 some of the most ancient authorities1 for ,god bearing witness in respect to his gifts1 read he bearing witness to ,god on the ground of his gifts2 that is1 ,abel bore witness by his sacrifice to ,god's righteousness and mercy4 ,he was the first martyr1 therefore1 in two senses4 ,he was ,god's witness1 and he was slain for his righteousness4 ,but1 whether we accept this reading or the other1 the ,apostle presents ,abel before us as the man who realised the great moral conception of righteousness4 ,he sought1 not the favours of an arbitrary ,sovereign1 not the mere mercy of an omnipotent ,ruler1 but the peace of the righteous ,god4 ,it was through ,abel that faith in ,god thus became the foundation of true ethics4 ,he acknowledged the immutable difference between right and wrong1 which is the moral theory accepted by the greater saints of the ,old ,testament1 and in the ,new ,testament forms the groundwork of ,st4 ,paul's forensic doctrine of the ,atonement4 ,moreover1 because ,abel witnessed for righteousness by his sacrifice1 his blood even cried from the ground unto ,god for righteous vengeance4 ,for this is unquestionably the meaning of the words and through his faith he being dead yet speaketh2 and in the next chapter#bgd the ,apostle speaks of the blood of sprinkling1 that speaketh a better thing than that of ,abel4 ,it was the blood of one whose faith had grasped firmly the truth of ,god's righteousness4 ,his blood1 therefore1 cried to the righteous ,god to avenge his wrong4 ,the ,apostle speaks as if he were personifying the blood and ascribing to the slain man the faith which he had manifested before4 ,the action of ,abel's faith in life and1 as we may safely assume1 in the very article of death1 retained its power with ,god4 ,every mouthing wound had a tongue4 ,in like manner1 says the writer of the ,epistle1 the obedience of ,jesus up to and in ,his death made ,his blood efficacious for pardon to the end of time4 ,but ,abraham's faith excelled4 ,abel was prompted to offer sacrifice by natural religiousness and an awakened conscience2 ,abraham sternly resolved to obey a command of ,god4 ,he prepared to do that against which nature revolted1 yea that which conscience forbade4 ,had not the story of ,abel's faith itself loudly proclaimed the sacredness of human life8 ,would not ,abraham1 if he offered up ,isaac1 become another ,cain8 ,would not the dead child speak1 and his blood cry from the ground to ,god for vengeance8 ,it was the case of a man to whom ,god is greater than conscience4 ,he resolved to obey at all hazards4 ,hereby he assured his heart--that is1 his conscience--before ,god in that matter wherein his heart may have condemned him4#bge ,we1 it is true1 in the light of a better revelation of ,god's character1 should at once deny1 without more ado1 that such a command had been given by ,god2 and we need not fear thankfully and vehemently to declare that our absolute trust in the rightness of our own moral instincts is a higher faith than ,abraham's4 ,but he had no misgiving as to the reality of the revelation or the authority of the command4 ,neither do the sacred historian and the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews question it4 ,we also need not doubt4 ,god met ,his servant at that stage of spiritual perception which he had already attained4 ,his faith was strong in its realisation of ,god's authority and faithfulness4 ,but his moral nature was not sufficiently educated to decide by the character of a command whether it was worthy of ,god or not4 ,he calmly left it to ,him to vindicate ,his own righteousness4 ,those who deny that ,god imposed such a hard task on ,abraham must be prepared to solve still greater difficulties4 ,for do not we also1 in reference to some things1 still require ,abraham's faith that the ,judge of all the earth will do right8 ,what shall we say of ,his permitting the terrible and universal sufferings of all living things8 ,what are we to think of the still more awful mystery of moral evil8 ,shall we say ,he could not have prevented it8 ,or shall we take refuge in the distinction between permission and command8 ,of the two it were easier to understand ,his commanding what ,he will not permit1 as in the sacrifice of ,isaac1 than to explain ,his permission of what ,he cannot and will not command1 as in the undoubted existence of sin4 ,but let us once more repeat that the greatest faith of all is to believe1 with ,abel1 that ,god is righteous1 and yet to believe1 with ,abraham1 that ,god can justify ,his own seeming unrighteousness1 and also to believe1 with the saints of ,christianity1 that the test which ,god imposed on ,abraham will nevermore be tried1 because the enlightened conscience of humanity forbids it and invites other and more subtle tests in its place4 ,we must not suppose that ,abraham found the command an easy one4 ,from the narrative in the ,book of ,genesis we should infer that he expected ,god to provide a substitute for ,isaac3 ,and ,abraham said1 ,my son1 ,god will provide ,himself a lamb for a burnt offering2 so they went both of them together4#bgf ,but the ,apostle gives us plainly to understand that ,abraham offered his son because he accounted that ,god was able to raise him from the dead4 ,both answers are true4 ,they reveal to us the anxious tossings of his spirit1 seeking to account to itself for the terrible command of ,heaven4 ,at one moment he thinks ,god will not carry matters to the bitter end4 ,his mind is pacified with the thought that a substitute for ,isaac will be provided4 ,at another moment this appeared to detract from the awful severity of the trial1 and ,abraham's faith waxed strong to obey1 even though no substitute would be found in the thicket4 ,another solution would then offer itself4 ,god would immediately bring ,isaac back to life4 ,for ,isaac would not cease to be1 nor cease to be ,isaac1 when the sacrificial knife had descended4 ,god is not ,god of the dead1 but of the living1 for all live unto ,him4#bgg ,besides1 the promise had not been withdrawn1 though it had not yet been confirmed by an oath2 and the promise involved that the seed would be called in ,isaac1 not in another son4 ,both solutions were right4 ,for a ram was caught in a thicket by the horns1 and ,abraham did receive his son back from the dead1 not literally indeed1 but in a parable4 ,most expositors explain the words in a parable as if they meant nothing more than as it were1 so to speak2 and some have actually supposed them to refer to the birth of ,isaac in his father's old age1 when ,abraham was as good as dead4#bgh ,both interpretations do violence to the ,greek expression1#bgi which must mean even in a parable4 ,it is a brief and pregnant allusion to the ultimate purpose of ,abraham's trial4 ,god intended more by it than to test faith4 ,the test was meant to prepare ,abraham for receiving a revelation4 ,on ,moriah1 and ever after1 ,isaac was more than ,isaac to ,abraham4 ,he offered him to ,god as ,isaac1 the son of the promise4 ,he received him back from ,god's hand as a type of ,him in ,whom the promise would be fulfilled4 ,abraham had gladly received the promise4 ,he now saw the day of ,christ1 and rejoiced4#bhj ,,footnotes3 #beh #a ,peter iii4 #bj4 #bei ,chap4 xi #h4 #bfj ,chap4 xi4 #i4 #bfa ,acts vii4 #e4 #bfb ,chap4 xi4 #aj4 #bfc ,rev4 xxi4 #aj4 #bfd technits4 #bfe dmiourgos4 #bff aspasamenoi 7xi4 #ac74 #bfg ,chap4 xi4 #ad4 #bfh xenoi kai parepidmoi4 #bfi patrida4 #bgj ,chaps4 xi4 #af2 ii4 #aa4 #bga ,gen4 iv4 #c4 #bgb #a ,john iii4 #ab4 #bgc ,james ii4 #ai4 #bgd ,chap4 xii4 #bd4 #bge #a ,john iii4 #ai1 #bj4 #bgf ,gen4 xxii4 #h4 #bgg ,luke xx4 #ch4 #bgh ,chap4 xi4 #ab4 #bgi kai en parabol4 #bhj ,john viii4 #ef4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,moses4 ,by faith ,moses1 when he was born1 was hid three months by his parents1 because they saw he was a goodly child2 and they were not afraid of the king's commandment4 ,by faith ,moses1 when he was grown up1 refused to be called the son of ,pharaoh's daughter2 choosing rather to be evil entreated with the people of ,god1 than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season2 accounting the reproach of ,christ greater riches than the treasures of ,egypt3 for he looked unto the recompense of reward4 ,by faith he forsook ,egypt1 not fearing the wrath of the king3 for he endured1 as seeing ,him ,who is invisible4 ,by faith he kept the passover1 and the sprinkling of the blood1 that the destroyer of the first-born should not touch them4--,,heb4 xi4 #bc-bh 7,r4,v474 ,one difference between the ,old ,testament and the ,new is the comparative silence of the former respecting ,moses and the frequent mention of him in the latter4 ,when he has brought the children of ,israel through the wilderness to the borders of the promised land1 their great leader is seldom mentioned by historian1 psalmist1 or prophet4 ,we might be tempted to imagine that the national life of ,israel had outgrown his influence4 ,it would without question be in a measure true4 ,we may state the same thing on its religious side by saying that ,god hid the memory as well as the body of his servant1 in the spirit of ,john ,wesley's words1 happily chosen for his and his brother's epitaph in ,westminster ,abbey1 ,god buries ,his workmen and carries on ,his work4 ,but in the ,new ,testament it is quite otherwise4 ,no man is so frequently mentioned4 ,sometimes when he is not named it is easy to see that the sacred writers have him in their minds4 ,one reason for this remarkable difference between the two ,testaments in reference to ,moses is to be sought in the contrast between the earlier and later ,judaism4 ,during the ages of the old covenant ,judaism was a living moral force4 ,it gave birth to a peculiar type of heroes and saints4 ,speaking of ,judaism in the widest possible meaning1 ,david and ,isaiah1 as well as ,samuel and ,elijah1 are its children4 ,these men were such heroes of religion that the saints of the ,christian ,church have not dwarfed their greatness4 ,but it is one of the traits of a living religion to forget the past1 or rather to use it only as a stepping-stone to better things4 ,it forgets the past in the sense in which ,st4 ,paul urges the ,philippians to count what things were gain a loss1 and to press on1 forgetting the things which are behind1 and stretching forward to the things which are before4 ,religion lives in its conscious1 exultant power to create spiritual heroes1 not in looking back to admire its own handiwork4 ,the only religion among men that lives in its founder is ,christianity4 ,forget ,christ1 and ,christianity ceases to be4 ,but the life of ,mosaism was not bound up with the memory of ,moses4 ,otherwise we may well suppose that idolatry would have crept in1 even before ,hezekiah found it necessary to destroy the brazen serpent4 ,when we come down to the times of ,john the ,baptist and our ,lord1 ,mosaism is to all practical ends a dead religion4 ,the great movers of men's souls came down upon the age1 and were not developed out of it4 ,the product of ,judaism at this time was ,pharisaism1 which had quite as little true faith as ,sadduceeism4 ,but when a religion has lost its power to create saints1 men turn their faces to the great ones of olden times4 ,they raise the fallen tombstones of the prophets1 and religion is identical with hero-worship4 ,an instance of this very thing may be seen in ,england to-day1 where ,atheists have discovered how to be devout1 and ,agnostics go on a pilgrimage6 ,we are the disciples of ,moses1 cried the ,pharisees4 ,can any one conceive of ,david or ,samuel calling himself a disciple of ,moses8 ,the notion of discipleship to ,moses does not occur in the ,old ,testament4 ,men never thought of such a relation4 ,but it is the dominant idea of ,judaism in the time of ,christ4 ,hence it was brought about that he who was the servant and friend appears in the ,new ,testament as the antagonist4 ,for the ,law was given by ,moses2 grace and truth came by ,jesus ,christ4#bha ,this is opposition and rivalry4 ,yet this is that ,moses which said unto the children of ,israel1 ,a ,prophet shall ,god raise up unto you from among your brethren1 like unto me4#bhb ,the notable difference between the ,moses of ,new ,testament times and the ,moses delineated in the ancient narrative renders it especially interesting to study a passage in which the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews takes us back to the living man1 and describes the attitude of ,moses himself towards ,jesus ,christ4 ,stephen told his persecutors that the founder of the ,aaronic priesthood had spoken of a great ,prophet to come1 and ,christ said that ,moses wrote of ,him4#bhc ,but it is with joyous surprise we read in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews that the legislator was a believer in the same sense in which ,abraham was a believer4 ,the founder of the old covenant himself walked by faith in the new covenant4 ,the references to ,moses made by our ,lord and by ,stephen sufficiently describe his mission4 ,the special work of ,moses in the history of religion was to prepare the way of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and make ,his paths straight4 ,he was commissioned to familiarise men with the wondrous1 stupendous idea of the appearing of ,god in human nature1--a conception almost too vast to grasp1 too difficult to believe4 ,to render it not impossible for men to accept the truth1 he was instructed to create a historical type of the ,incarnation4 ,he called into being a spiritual people4 ,he realised the magnificent idea of a ,divine nation4 ,if we may use the term1 he showed to the world ,god appearing in the life of a nation1 in order to teach them the higher truth that the ,word would at the remote end of the ages appear in the flesh4 ,the nation was the ,church2 the ,church was the ,state4 ,the ,king would be ,god4 ,the court of the ,king would be the temple4 ,the ministers of the court would be the priests4 ,the law of the ,state would have equal authority with the moral requirements of ,god's nature4 ,for ,moses apparently knew nothing of the distinction made by theologians between the civil1 the ceremonial1 and the moral law4 ,but in the passage before us we have something quite different from this4 ,the ,apostle says nothing about the creation of the covenant people out of the abject slaves of the brick-kilns4 ,he is silent concerning the giving of the ,law amid the fire and tempest of ,sinai4 ,it is plain that he wishes to tell us about the man's inner life4 ,he represents ,moses as a man of faith4 ,even of his faith the apparently greatest achievements are passed over4 ,nothing is said of his appearances before ,pharaoh2 nothing of the wonderful faith that enabled him to pray with uplifted hands on the brow of the hill whilst the people were fighting ,god's battle in the valley2 nothing of the faith with which1 on the top of ,pisgah1 ,moses died without receiving the promise4 ,evidently it is not the ,apostle's purpose to write the panegyric of a hero4 ,closer examination of the verses brings out the thought that the ,apostle is tracing the growth and formation of the man's spiritual character4 ,he means to show that faith has in it the making of a man of ,god4 ,moses became the leader of the ,lord's redeemed people1 the founder of the national covenant1 the legislator and prophet1 because he believed in ,god1 in the future of ,israel1 and in the coming of the ,christ4 ,the subject of the passage is faith as the power that creates a great spiritual leader4 ,but what is true of leaders is true also of every strong spiritual nature4 ,no lesson can be more timely in our days4 ,not learning1 not culture1 not even genius1 makes a strong doer1 but faith4 ,the contents of the verses may be classified under four remarks3-- #a4 ,faith gropes at first in the dark for the work of life4 #b4 ,faith chooses the work of life4 #c4 ,faith is a discipline of the man for the work of life4 #d4 ,faith renders the man's life and work sacramental4 #a4 ,the initial stage in forming the servant of ,god is always the same1--a vague1 restless1 eager groping in the dark1 a putting forth feelers for the light of revelation4 ,this is often a time of childish mistakes and follies1 of which he is afterwards keenly ashamed1 and at which he can sometimes afford to smile4 ,it often happens1 if the man of ,god is to spring from a religious family1 that his parents undergo1 in a measure1 this first discipline for him4 ,so it was in the case of ,moses4 ,the child was hid three months of his parents4 ,why did they hide him8 ,was it because they feared the king8 ,it was because they did not fear the king4 ,they hid their child by faith4 ,but what had faith to do with the hiding of him8 ,had they received an announcement from an inspired seer that their child would deliver ,israel1 or that he would stand with ,god on the top of ,sinai and receive the ,law for the people1 or that he would lead the redeemed of the ,lord to the borders of a rich land and large8 ,none of these sufficient grounds for defying the king's authority are mentioned4 ,the reason given in the narrative and as well by ,stephen#bhd and the writer of this ,epistle sounds quaint1 if not childish4 ,they hid him because he was comely4 ,yet they hid him by faith4 ,the beauty of a sleeping babe was to them a revelation1 as truly a revelation as if they had heard the voice of the angel that spoke to ,manoah or to ,zacharias4 ,the ,scripture narrative contains no hint that the child's beauty was miraculous1 and1 what is more to the purpose1 we are not told that ,god had given it as the token of ,his covenant4 ,it is an instance of faith making a sacrament of its own1 and seeking in what is natural its warrant for believing in the supernatural4 ,nothing is easier1 and perhaps nothing would be more rational1 than to dismiss the entire story with a contemptuous smile4 ,the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews must admit that ,jochebed's faith was unauthorised4 ,but does not faith always begin in folly8 ,is it not at first a blind instinct1 fastening on what is nearest to hand8 ,has not our belief in ,god sprung out of trust in human goodness or in nature's loveliness8 ,to many a father has not the birth of his first-born been a revelation of ,heaven8 ,is not such faith as ,jochebed's the true explanation of the instinctive rise and wonderful vitality of infant baptism in the ,christian ,church8 ,if ,abraham's faith dared to look for the city which hath the foundations when ,god had promised only the wealth of a tented nomad1 was not the mother of ,moses justified1 since ,god had given her faith1 in letting the heaven-born instinct entwine with her earth-born love of her offspring8 ,it grew with its growth1 and rejoiced with its joy2 but it also endured and triumphed in its sore distress1 and justified its presence by saving the child4 ,faith is ,god's gift1 no less than the testimony which faith accepts4 ,sometimes the faith is implanted when no fitting revelation is vouchsafed4 ,but faith will live on in the darkness1 until the day dawn and the day-star arise in the heart4 ,a wise teacher has warned us against phantom notions and bidden us interpret rather than anticipate nature4 ,but another great thinker demonstrated that the clearest vision begins in mere groping4 ,anticipations of ,god precede the interpretation of ,his message4 ,the immense space between instinct and genius is in religion traversed by faith1 which starts with mera palpatio1 but at last attains to the beatific vision of ,god4 #b4 ,faith chooses the work of life4 ,the ,apostle has spoken of the faith that induced the parents of ,moses to hide their child three months4 ,some theologians have set much value on what they term an implicit faith4 ,the faith of ,moses himself would be said by them to be enwrapped in that of his parents4 ,whatever we may think of this doctrine1 there can be no question that the ,new ,testament recognises the idea of representation4 ,the ,church has always upheld the unity1 the solidarity1 of the family4 ,it sprang itself out of the family4 ,perhaps its consummation on earth will be a return into the family relation4 ,it retains the likeness throughout its long history4 ,it acknowledges that a believing husband sanctifies the unbelieving wife1 and a believing wife sanctifies the unbelieving husband4 ,in like manner1 a believing parent sanctifies the children1 and no one but themselves can deprive them of their privileges4 ,but they can do it4 ,the time comes when they must choose for themselves4 ,hitherto led gently on by loving hands1 they must now think and act for themselves1 or be content to lose the power of independent action1 and remain always children4 ,the risk is sometimes great4 ,but it cannot be evaded4 ,it oftentimes happens that the irrevocable step is taken unobserved by others1 almost unconsciously to the man himself4 ,the decision has been taken in silence2 the even tenor of life is not disturbed4 ,the world little weens that a soul has determined its own eternity in one strong resolve4 ,but in the case of a man destined to be a leader of his fellows1 whether in thought or in action1 a crisis occurs4 ,we use the word in its correct meaning of judgment4 ,it is more than a transition1 more than a conversion4 ,he judges1 and is conscious that as he judges he will be judged4 ,if ,god has any great work for the man to do1 the command comes sooner or later1 as if it descended audibly from heaven1 that he stand alone and1 in that first terrible solitariness1 choose and reject4 ,in an educational age we may often be tempted to sneer at the doctrine of immediate conversion4 ,it is true1 nevertheless4 ,a man has come to the parting of the two ways1 and choice must be made1 because they are two ways4 ,to no living man is it given to walk the broad and the narrow ways4 ,entrance is by different gates4 ,the history of some of the most saintly men presents an entire change of motive1 of character even1 and of general life1 as produced through one strong act of faith4 ,when the ,apostle wrote to the ,hebrew ,christians1 the time was critical4 ,the question of ,christian or not ,christian brooked no delay4 ,the ,son of man was nigh1 at the doors4 ,even after swift vengeance had overtaken the doomed city of ,jerusalem1 the urgent cry was still the same4 ,in the so-called ,epistle of ,barnabas1 in the ,pastor of ,hermas1 and in the priceless treasure recently brought to light1 ,the ,teaching of the ,twelve ,apostles1 the two ways are described3 the way of life and the way of death4 ,those who professed and called themselves ,christians were warned to make the right choice4 ,it was no time for facing both ways1 and halting between two opinions4 ,moses too refused and chose4 ,this is the second scene in the history of the man4 ,standing as he did at the fountain-head of nationalism1 the prominence assigned to his act of individual choice and rejection is very significant4 ,before his days the heirs of the promise were in the bond of ,god's covenant in virtue of their birth4 ,they were members of the elect family4 ,after the days of ,moses every ,israelite enjoyed the privileges of the covenant by right of national descent4 ,they were the elect nation4 ,moses stands at the turning point4 ,the nation now absorbs the family1 which becomes henceforth part of the larger conception4 ,in the critical moment between the two1 a great personality emerges above the confusion4 ,the patriarchal ,church of the family comes to a dispensational end in giving birth to a great man4 ,that man's personal act of refusing the broad and choosing the narrow way marks the birth of the theocratic ,church of nationalism4 ,before and after1 personality is of secondary importance4 ,in ,moses for a moment it is everything4 ,do we seek the motives that determined his choice8 ,the ,apostle mentions two1 and they are really two sides of the same conception4 ,first1 he chose to be evil-entreated with the people of ,god4 ,the work of his life was to create a spiritual nation4 ,this idea had already been presented to his mind before he refused to be called the son of ,pharaoh's daughter4 ,he was instructed in all the wisdom of the ,egyptians2 and he was mighty in his words and works4#bhe ,but an idea had taken possession of him4 ,that idea had already invested the miserable and despised bondsmen with glory4 ,truly no man will achieve great things who does not pay homage to an idea1 and is not ready to sacrifice wealth and position for the sake of what is as yet only a thought4 ,he who sells the world for an idea is not far from the kingdom of heaven4 ,he will be prepared to forfeit all that the world can give him for the sake of ,him in ,whom truth eternally dwells in fulness and perfection4 ,such a man was ,moses4 ,had not his parents often told him1 when his mother was nourishing the child for ,pharaoh's daughter1 of the wonderful story of their hiding him by faith and afterwards putting him in an ark of bulrushes by the river's brim8 ,did not his mother bring him up to be at once the son of ,pharaoh's daughter and the deliverer of ,israel8 ,was the boy not living a double life8 ,he was gradually coming to understand that he was to be the heir of the throne1 and that he would or might be the destroyer of that throne4 ,may we not1 with profoundest reverence1 liken it to the twofold inner life of the ,child ,jesus when at ,nazareth ,he came to know that ,he1 the ,child of ,mary1 was the ,son of the ,highest8 ,stephen continues the story3 ,when he was well-nigh forty years old1 it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of ,israel4 ,he went out unto his brethren1 we are told in the narrative1 and looked on their burdens4#bhf ,but the author of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews perceives in the act of ,moses more than love of kindred4 ,the slaves of ,pharaoh were1 in the eyes of ,moses1 the people of ,god4 ,the national consecration had already taken place2 he himself was already swayed by the glorious hope of delivering his brethren1 the covenant people of ,god1 from the hands of their oppressors4 ,this is the explanation which ,stephen gives of his conduct in slaying the ,egyptian4 ,when he saw one of the children of ,israel suffer wrong1 he defended him and smote the ,egyptian1 supposing that his brethren understood how that ,god by his hand was giving them deliverance4 ,the deed was1 in fact1 intended to be a call to united effort4 ,he was throwing the gauntlet4 ,he was deliberately making it impossible for him to return to the former life of pomp and courtly worship4 ,he wished the ,hebrews to understand his decision1 and accept at once his leadership4 ,but they understood not4 ,our author pierces still deeper into the motives that swayed his spirit4 ,it was not a selfish ambition1 nor merely a patriotic desire to put himself at the head of a host of slaves bent on asserting their rights4 ,simultaneous with the social movement there was a spiritual work accomplished in the personal1 inner life of ,moses himself4 ,all true1 heaven-inspired revolutions in society are accompanied by a personal discipline and trial of the leaders4 ,this is the infallible test of the movement itself4 ,if the men who control it do not become themselves more profound1 more pure1 more spiritual1 they are counterfeit leaders1 and the movement they advocate is not of ,god4 ,the writer of the ,epistle argues from the decision of ,moses to deliver his brethren that his own spiritual life was become deeper and holier4 ,when he refused to be called the son of ,pharaoh's daughter1 he also rejected the pleasures of sin4 ,he took his stand resolutely on the side of goodness4 ,the example of ,joseph was before him1 of whom the same words are said3 he refused to sin against ,god4 ,as the crisis in his own spiritual life fitted him to be the leader of a great national movement1 so also his conception of that movement became a help to him to overcome the sinful temptations of ,egypt4 ,he saw that the pleasures of sin were but for a season4 ,it is easy to supply the other side of this thought4 ,the joy of delivering his brethren would never pass away4 ,he welcomed the undying joy of self-sacrifice1 and repudiated the momentary pleasures of self-gratification4 ,second1 he accounted the reproach of ,christ greater riches than the treasures of ,egypt4 ,not only the people of ,god1 but also the ,christ of ,god1 determined his choice4 ,an idea is not enough4 ,it must rest on a person1 and that person must be greater than the idea4 ,he may be himself but an idea4 ,but1 even when it is so1 he is the glorious thought in which all the other hopes and imaginations of faith centre and merge4 ,if he is more than an idea1 if it is a living person that controls the man's thoughts and becomes the motive of his life1 a new quality will then enter into that life4 ,conscience will awake4 ,the question of doing what is right will control ambition1 if it will not quite absorb it4 ,treachery to the idea of life will now be felt to be a sin1 if conscience has pronounced that the idea itself is not immoral1 but good and noble4 ,for1 when conscience permits1 faith will not lag behind1 and will proclaim that the moral is also spiritual1 that the spiritual is an ever-abiding possession4 ,many expositors strive hard to make the words mean something else than the reproach which ,christ ,himself suffered4 ,it is marvellous that the great doctrine of ,christ's personal activity in the ,church before ,his incarnation should have so entirely escaped the notice of the older school of ,english theology4 ,on this passage1 for instance1 such commentators as ,macknight1 ,whitby1 ,scott1 explain the words to mean that ,moses esteemed the scoffs cast on the ,israelites for expecting the ,christ to arise from among them greater riches than the treasures of ,egypt4 ,the more profound exegesis of ,germany has made the truth of ,christ's pre-existence essential to the theology of the ,new ,testament4 ,far from being an innovation1 it has brought us back to the view of the greater theologians in every age of the ,church4 ,we cannot enter into the general question4 ,confining ourselves to the subject in hand1 the faith of ,moses1 why may we not suppose that he had heard of the patriarch ,jacob's blessing on ,judah8 ,it had been uttered in the land of ,egypt1 where ,moses was brought up4 ,it spoke of a ,lawgiver4 ,did not the consciousness of his own mission lead ,moses to apply the reference to the long succession of leaders1 whether judges or kings or prophets1 who would follow in his wake8 ,if so1 could he have altogether misunderstood the promise of the ,shiloh8 ,jacob had spoken of a personal ,king1 ,whom the people would obey4 ,but nowhere in the ,old ,testament1 not once in the history of ,moses1 is the coming of ,messiah represented as the goal of the national development4 ,christ is not the flowering of ,judaism4 ,on the contrary1 the ,angel of the covenant established through ,moses is not a ministering servant1 sent forth to minister on the chosen people4 ,he is the ,lord ,jehovah ,himself4 ,christ was with ,israel1 and ,moses knew it4 ,we may admit the vagueness of his conception1 but we cannot deny the conception4 ,to ,moses1 as to the ,psalmist1 the reproaches of them that reproached ,israel fell on the ,christ4 ,community in suffering was enough to ensure community in the glory to be revealed4 ,suffering with ,christ1 they would also be glorified with ,christ4 ,this was the recompense of reward to which ,moses looked4 ,the lesson taught to the ,hebrew ,christians by the decision of ,moses is loyalty to truth and loyalty to ,jesus ,christ4 #c4 ,faith is a discipline for the work of life4 ,moses has made his final choice4 ,conscience is thoroughly awake1 and eager aspirations fill his soul4 ,but he is not yet strong4 ,men of large ideas are often found to be lacking in courage4 ,a cloistered is often a fugitive virtue4 ,but1 apart from want of practical resolution to face the difficulties of the situation1 special training is needed for special work4 ,israel had come into ,egypt to endure chastening and be made fit for national independence4 ,but in ,egypt ,moses was a courtier1 perhaps heir to the throne4 ,that he may be chastened and fitted for his share of the work which ,god was about to accomplish towards ,his people1 he must be driven out of ,egypt into the wilderness4 ,every servant of ,god is sent into the wilderness4 ,st4 ,paul was three years in ,arabia between his conversion and his entrance on the work of the ministry4 ,jesus ,himself was led up of the ,spirit into the wilderness4 ,he learned endurance in forty days1 ,moses in forty years4 ,it will be seen that we accept the explanation of the twenty-seventh verse given by all expositors down to the time of ,de ,lyra and ,calvin4 ,but in modern times it has been customary to say that the ,apostle refers to the final departure of the children of ,israel out of ,egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm4 ,our reasons for preferring the other view are these4 ,the departure of the ,israelites through the ,red ,sea is mentioned subsequently2 an event that occurred before the people left ,egypt is mentioned in the next verse1 and it is very improbable that the writer would refer to their departure first1 then to the events that preceded1 then once more speak of their departure4 ,further1 the word well rendered by the ,old and the ,revised ,versions forsook expresses precisely the notion of going out alone1 in despondency1 as if ,moses had abandoned the hope of being the deliverer of ,israel4 ,if we have correctly understood the ,apostle's purpose in the entire passage1 this is the very notion which we should expect him to introduce4 ,moses forsakes ,egypt1 deserts his brethren1 abandons his work4 ,he flees from the vengeance of ,pharaoh4 ,yet all this fear1 hopelessness1 and unbelief is only the partial aspect of what1 taken as a whole1 is the action of faith4 ,he still believes in his glorious idea1 and is still willing to bear the reproach of ,christ4 ,he will not return to the court and make his submission to the king4 ,but the time is not come1 he thinks1 or he is not the man to deliver ,israel4 ,forty years afterwards he is still loath to be sent4 ,he forsook ,egypt because the people did not believe him2 after forty years he asks the ,lord to send another for the very same reason2 ,behold1 they will not believe me1 nor hearken unto my voice4 ,but we should be obtuse indeed if we failed to recognise the faith that underlies his despondency4 ,doubt is oftentimes partial faith4 ,let us place ourselves in his position4 ,he refuses the selfish luxury and worldly glory of ,pharaoh's court1 that he may rush to deliver his brethren4 ,he brings with him the consciousness of superiority1 and at once assumes the duty of composing their quarrels4 ,evidently he is a believer in ,god1 but a believer also in himself4 ,such men are not ,god's instruments4 ,he will have a man be the one thing or the other4 ,if the man is self-confident1 conscious of his own prowess1 oblivious of ,god or a denier of ,him1 the ,most ,high can use him to do ,his work1 to his own destruction4 ,if the man has no confidence in the flesh1 knows his utter weakness and very nothingness1 and yields himself to ,god's hand entirely1 with no by-ends to seek1 him too ,god uses to do ,his work1 to the man's own salvation4 ,but ,moses strove to combine faith in ,god and in himself4 ,he was at once thwarted4 ,his brethren taunted him1 when he expected to be trusted and honoured4 ,despondency takes possession of his spirit4 ,but his trepidation is on the surface4 ,beneath it is a great deep of faith4 ,what he now needs is discipline4 ,god leads him to the back of the wilderness4 ,the courtier serves as a herdsman4 ,far removed from the monumental literature of ,egypt1 he communes with himself1 and with nature's mighty visions4 ,he gazes upon the dread and silent mountain1 hallowed of old as the habitation of ,god4 ,he had already1 in ,egypt1 learned the faith of ,joseph and of ,jacob4 ,now1 in ,midian1 he will imbibe the faith of ,isaac and of ,abraham4 ,far from the busy haunts of men1 the din of cities1 the stir of the market-place1 he will learn how to pray1 how to divest himself of all confidence in the flesh1 and how to worship the ,invisible alone4 ,for he endured as seeing ,him ,who is invisible4 ,do not paraphrase it the invisible ,king4 ,that is too narrow4 ,it was not ,pharaoh only that had vanished out of his sight and out of his thoughts4 ,moses himself had disappeared4 ,he had broken down when he trusted himself4 ,he now endures1 because he sees nought but ,god4 ,surely he was in the same blessed state of mind in which ,st4 ,paul was when he said1 ,i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me4 ,when ,moses and when ,paul ceased to be anything1 and ,god was to them everything1 they were strong to endure4#bhg #d4 ,faith renders the work of life sacramental4 ,the long period of discipline has drawn to a close4 ,the self-confidence of ,moses has been fully subdued4 ,he supposed that his brethren understood how that ,god by his hand was giving them deliverance4 ,these1 says ,stephen1 were his thoughts before he fled from ,egypt4 ,very different is his language after the probation of the wilderness3 ,who am ,i1 that ,i should go unto ,pharaoh1 and that ,i should bring forth the children of ,israel out of ,egypt8 ,four times he pleads and deprecates4 ,not until the anger of the ,lord is kindled against him does he take heart to attempt the formidable task4 ,the ,hebrews had been more than two hundred years in the house of bondage4 ,so far as we know1 the ,lord had not once appeared or spoken to men for six generations4 ,no revelation was given between ,jacob's vision at ,beersheba#bhh and the vision of the burning bush4 ,we may well believe that there were in those days mockers1 saying1 ,the age of miracles is past2 the supernatural is played out4 ,but ,moses henceforth lives in a veritable world of miracles4 ,the supernatural came with a rush1 like the waking of a sleeping volcano4 ,signs and wonders encompass him on every side4 ,the bush burns unconsumed2 the rod in his hand is cast on the ground1 and becomes a serpent2 he takes the serpent in his hand again1 and it becomes a rod2 he puts his hand into his bosom1 and it is leprous2 he puts the leprous hand into his bosom1 and it is as his other flesh4 ,when he returns into ,egypt1 signs vie with signs1 ,god with demons4 ,plague follows plague4 ,moses lifts up his rod over the sea1 and the children of ,israel go on dry ground through the midst of the sea4 ,at last he stands once more on ,horeb4 ,but in the short interval between the day when one poor thorn-bush of the desert glowed with flame and the day on which ,sinai was altogether on a smoke and the whole mountain quaked1 a religious revolution had occurred second only to one in the history of the race4 ,at the touch of their leader's wand a nation was born in a day4 ,the immense transition from the ,church in a family to a holy nation was brought about suddenly1 but effectively1 when the people were hopeless outcasts and ,moses himself had lost heart4 ,such a revolution must be inaugurated with sacrifice and with sacrament4 ,the sins of the past must be expiated and forgiven1 and the people1 cleansed from the guilt of their too frequent apostasy from the ,god of their fathers1 must be dedicated anew to the service of ,jehovah4 ,the patriarchal dispensation expired in the birth of a holy nation4 ,the ,passover was both a sacrifice and a sacrament1 an expiation and a consecration4 ,it retained its sacrificial character till ,christ1 the true ,paschal ,lamb1 was slain4 ,as a sacrifice it then ceased4 ,but sacrament continues1 and will continue as long as the ,church exists on earth4 ,moses had seen the invisible ,god4 ,the burning bush had symbolized the sacramental nature of the work which he had been called to do4 ,god would be in ,israel as ,he was in the bush1 and ,israel would not be consumed4 ,he ,who is to ,his foes a consuming fire dwells among ,his people1 as the vital heat and glow of their national life4 ,the eye that can see ,him is faith4 ,this is the power that can transform the whole life of man1 and make it sacramental4 ,too long has man's earthly existence been divided into two separate spheres4 ,on the one side and for a stated time he lives to ,god2 on the other side he relinquishes himself for a period to the pursuits of the world4 ,we seem to think that the secular cannot be religious1 and1 consequently1 that the religiousness of one day or of one place will make amends for the irreligion of the rest of life4 ,the ,passover consecrated a nation4 ,baptism and the ,lord's ,supper have1 times without number1 consecrated the individual4 ,the true ,christian life draws its vital sap from ,god4 ,it is not cleverness and worldly success1 but unselfish loyalty to the supernatural1 and incessant prayer1 that marks the man who lives by faith4 ,,footnotes3 #bha ,john i4 #ag4 #bhb ,acts vii4 #cg4 #bhc ,john v4 #df4 #bhd ,exod4 ii4 #b2 ,acts vii4 #bj4 #bhe ,acts vii4 #bb4 #bhf ,exod4 ii4 #aa4 #bhg ,after penning the above the writer of these pages saw that1 in his view of the purpose of the sojourn in ,midian1 he had been anticipated by ,kurtz 7,history of the ,old ,covenant74 #bhh ,gen4 xlvi4 #b4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,a ,,cloud ,,of ,,witnesses4 ,by faith ,isaac blessed ,jacob and ,esau1 even concerning things to come4 ,by faith ,jacob1 when he was a-dying1 blessed each of the sons of ,joseph2 and worshipped1 leaning upon the top of his staff4 ,by faith ,joseph1 when his end was nigh1 made mention of the departure of the children of ,israel2 and gave commandment concerning his bones4444 ,by faith the walls of ,jericho fell down1 after they had been compassed about for seven days4 ,by faith ,rahab the harlot perished not with them that were disobedient1 having received the spies with peace4 ,and what shall ,i more say8 for the time will fail me if ,i tell of ,gideon4 ,barak1 ,samson1 ,jephthah2 of ,david and ,samuel and the prophets3 who through faith subdued kingdoms1 wrought righteousness1 obtained promises1 stopped the mouths of lions1 quenched the power of fire1 escaped the edge of the sword1 from weakness were made strong1 waxed mighty in war1 turned to flight armies of aliens4 ,women received their dead by a resurrection3 and others were tortured1 not accepting their deliverance2 that they might obtain a better resurrection3 and others had trial of mockings and scourgings1 yea1 moreover of bonds and imprisonment3 they were stoned1 they were sawn asunder1 they were tempted1 they were slain with the sword3 they went about in sheepskins1 in goatskins2 being destitute1 afflicted1 evil-entreated 7of whom the world was not worthy71 wandering in deserts and mountains and caves1 and the holes of the earth4 ,and these all1 having had witness borne to them through their faith1 received not the promise1 ,god having provided some better thing concerning us1 that apart from us they should not be made perfect4 ,therefore let us also1 seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses1 lay aside every weight1 and the sin which doth so easily beset us1 and let us run with patience the race that is set before us4--,,heb4 xi4 #bj-xii4 #a 7,r4,v474 ,time fails us to dilate on the faith of the other saints of the old covenant4 ,but they must not be passed over in silence4 ,the impression produced by our author's splendid roll of the heroes of faith in the eleventh chapter is the result quite as much of an accumulation of examples as of the special greatness of a few among them4 ,at the close they appear like an overhanging cloud of witnesses for ,god4 ,by faith ,isaac blessed ,jacob and ,esau2 and ,jacob1 dying in a strange land1 blessed the sons of ,joseph1 distinguishing wittingly1 and bestowing on each#bhi his own peculiar blessing4 ,his faith became a prophetic inspiration1 and even distinguished between the future of ,ephraim and the future of ,manasseh4 ,he did not create the blessing4 ,he was only a steward of ,god's mysteries4 ,faith well understood its own limitations4 ,but it drew its inspiration to foretell what was to come from a remembrance of ,god's faithfulness in the past4 ,for1 before#bij he gave his blessing1 he had bowed his head in worship1 leaning upon the top of his staff4 ,in his dying hour he recalled the day on which he had passed over ,jordan with his staff1--a day remembered by him once before1 when he had become two bands1 wrestled with the angel1 and halted on his thigh4 ,his staff had become his token of the covenant1 his reminder of ,god's faithfulness1 his sacrament1 or visible sign of an invisible grace4 ,joseph1 though he was so completely ,egyptianised that he did not1 like ,jacob1 ask to be buried in ,canaan1 and only two of his sons became1 through ,jacob's blessing1 heirs of the promise1 yet gave commandment concerning his bones4 ,his faith believed that the promise given to ,abraham would be fulfilled4 ,the children of ,israel might dwell in ,goshen and prosper4 ,but they would sooner or later return to ,canaan4 ,when his end drew near1 his ,egyptian greatness was forgotten4 ,the piety of his childhood returned4 ,he remembered ,god's promise to his fathers4 ,perhaps it was his father ,jacob's dying blessing that had revived the thoughts of the past and fanned his faith into a steady flame4 ,by faith the walls of ,jericho fell down4#bia ,when the ,israelites had crossed ,jordan and eaten of the old corn of the land1 the manna ceased4 ,the period of continued miracle came to an end4 ,henceforth they would smite their enemies with their armed thousands4 ,but one signal miracle the ,lord would yet perform in the sight of all ,israel4 ,the walls of the first city they came to would fall down flat1 when the seven priests would blow with the trumpets of rams' horns the seventh time on the seventh day4 ,israel believed1 and as ,god had said1 so it came to pass4 ,the treachery of a harlot even is mentioned by the ,apostle as an instance of faith4#bib ,justly4 ,for1 whilst her past life and present act were neither better nor worse than the morality of her time1 she saw the hand of the ,god of heaven in the conquest of the land1 and bowed to ,his decision4 ,this was a greater faith than that of her daughter-in-law1 ,ruth1 whose name is not mentioned4 ,ruth believed in ,naomi and1 as a consequence1 accepted ,naomi's ,god and people4#bic ,rahab believed in ,god first1 and1 therefore1 accepted the ,israelitish conquest and adopted the nationality of the conquerors4#bid ,of the judges the ,apostle selects four3 ,gideon1 ,barak1 ,samson1 ,jephthah4 ,the mention of ,barak must be understood to include ,deborah1 who was the mind and heart that moved ,barak's arm2 and ,deborah was a prophetess of the ,lord4 ,she and ,barak wrought their mighty deeds and sang their pan in faith4#bie ,gideon put the ,midianites to flight by faith2 for he knew that his sword was the sword of the ,lord1#bif ,jephthah was a man of faith2 for he vowed a vow unto the ,lord1 and would not go back4#big ,samson had faith2 for he was a ,nazarite to ,god from his mother's womb1 and in his last extremity called unto the ,lord and prayed4#bih ,the ,apostle does not name ,othniel1 ,ehud1 ,shamgar1 and the rest4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord came upon them also4 ,they too were mighty through ,god4 ,but the narrative does not tell us that they prayed1 or that their soul consciously and believingly responded to the voice of ,heaven4 ,alaric1 while on his march towards ,rome1 said to a holy monk1 who entreated him to spare the city1 that he did not go of his own will1 but that ,one was continually urging him forward to take it4#bii ,many are the scourges of ,god that know not the hand that wields them4 ,individuals through faith subdued kingdoms4#cjj ,gideon dispersed the ,midianites2#cja ,barak discomfited ,sisera1 the captain of ,jabin king of ,canaan's host2 ,jephthah smote the ,ammonites2#cjb ,david held the ,philistines in check1#cjc measured ,moab with a line1#cjd and put garrisons in ,syria of ,damascus4 ,samuel wrought righteousness1 and taught the people the good and the right way4#cje ,david obtained the fulfilment of ,god's promises3 his house was blessed that it should continue for ever before ,god4#cjf ,daniel's faith stopped the mouths of lions4#cjg ,the faith of ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego trusted in ,god1 and quenched the power of the fire1 without extinguishing its flame4#cjh ,elijah escaped the edge of ,ahab's sword4#cji ,elisha's faith saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire round about him4#caj ,hezekiah from weakness was made strong4#caa ,the ,maccaban princes waxed mighty in war and turned to flight armies of aliens4#cab ,the widow of ,zarephath#cac and the ,shunammite#cad received their dead back into their embrace in consequence of#cae a resurrection wrought by the faith of the prophets4 ,others refused deliverance1 gladly accepting the alternative to unfaithfulness1 to be beaten to death1 that they might be accounted worthy#caf to attain the better world and the resurrection1 not of1 but from1 the dead1 which is the resurrection to eternal life4 ,such a man was the aged ,eleazar in the time of the ,maccabees4#cag ,zechariah was stoned to death at the commandment of ,joash the king in the court of the house of the ,lord4#cah ,isaiah is said to have been sawn asunder in extreme old age by the order of ,manasseh4 ,others were burnt#cai by ,antiochus ,epiphanes4 ,elijah had no settled abode1 but went from place to place clad in a garment of hair1 the skin of sheep or goat4 ,it ought not to be a matter of surprise that these men of ,god had no dwelling-place1 but were1 like the ,apostles after them1 buffeted1 persecuted1 defamed1 and made as the filth of the world1 the offscouring of all things4 ,for the world was not worthy of them4 ,the world crucified their ,lord1 and they would be ashamed of accepting better treatment than ,he received4 ,by the world is meant the life of those who know not ,christ4 ,the men of faith were driven out of the cities into the desert1 out of homes into prisons4 ,but their faith was an assurance of things hoped for and1 therefore1 a solvent of fear4 ,their proving of things not seen rendered the prison1 as ,tertullian says1#cbj a place of retirement1 and the desert a welcome escape from the abominations that met their eyes wherever the world had set up its vanity fair4 ,all these sturdy men of faith have had witness borne to them in ,scripture4 ,this honour they won from time to time1 as the ,spirit of ,christ1 which was in the prophets1 saw fit to encourage the people of ,god on earth by their example4 ,are we forbidden to suppose that this witness to their faith gladdened their own glorified spirits1 and calmed their eager expectation of the day when the promise would be fulfilled8 ,for1 after all1 their reward was not the testimony of ,scripture1 but their own perfection4 ,now this perfection is described through out the ,epistle as a priestly consecration4 ,it expresses fitness for entering into immediate communion with ,god4 ,this was the final fulfilment of the promise4 ,this was the blessing which the saints under the old covenant had not obtained4 ,the way of the holiest had not yet been opened4#cba ,consequently their faith consisted essentially in endurance4 ,none of these received the promise1 but patiently waited4 ,this is inferred concerning them from the testimony of ,scripture that they believed4 ,their faith must have manifested itself in this form1--endurance4 ,to us1 at length1 the promise has been fulfilled4 ,god has spoken unto us in ,his ,son4 ,we have a great ,high-priest1 ,who has passed through the heavens4 ,the ,son1 as ,high-priest1 has been perfected for evermore2 that is1 ,he is endowed with fitness to enter into the true holiest place4 ,he has perfected also for ever them that are sanctified3 freed from guilt as worshippers1 they enter the holiest through a priestly consecration4 ,the new and living way has been dedicated through the veil4 ,but the important point is that the fulfilment of the promise has not dispensed with the necessity for faith4 ,we saw1 in an earlier chapter1 that the revelation of the ,sabbath advances from lower forms of rest to higher and more spiritual4 ,the more stubborn the unbelief of men became1 the more fully the revelation of ,god's promise opened up4 ,the thought is somewhat similar in the present passage4 ,the final form which ,god's promise assumes is an advance on any fulfilment vouchsafed to the saints of the old covenant during their earthly life4 ,it now includes perfection1 or fitness to enter into the holiest through the blood of ,christ4 ,it means immediate communion with ,god4 ,far from dispensing with faith1 this form of the promise demands the exercise of a still better faith than the fathers had4 ,they endured by faith2 we through faith enter the holiest4 ,to them1 as well as to us1 faith is an assurance of things hoped for and a proving of things not seen2 but our assurance must incite us to draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace1 to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith4 ,this is the better faith which is not once ascribed in the eleventh chapter to the saints of the ,old ,testament4 ,on the contrary1 we are given to understand#cbb that they1 through fear of death1 were all their lifetime subject to bondage4 ,but ,christ has abolished death4 ,for we enter into the presence of ,god1 not through death1 but through faith4 ,in accordance with this1 the ,apostle says that ,god provided some better thing concerning us4#cbc ,these words cannot mean that ,god provided some better thing for us than ,he had provided for the fathers4 ,such a notion would not be true4 ,the promise was made to ,abraham1 and is now fulfilled to all the heirs alike2 that is1 to those who are of the faith of ,abraham4 ,the author says concerning1#cbd not for4 ,the idea is that ,god foresaw we would1 and provided 7for the word implies both things7 that we should1 manifest a better kind of faith than it was possible for the fathers to show1 better in so far as power to enter the holiest place is better than endurance4 ,but the author adds another thought4 ,through the exercise of the better faith by us1 the fathers also enter with us into the holiest place4 ,apart from us they could not be made perfect4 ,the priestly consecration becomes theirs through us4 ,such is the unity of the ,church1 and such the power of faith1 that those who could not believe1 or could not believe in a certain way1 for themselves1 receive the fulness of the blessing through the faith of others4 ,nothing less will do justice to the ,apostle's words than the notion that the saints of the old covenant have1 through the faith of the ,christian ,church1 entered into more immediate and intimate communion with ,god than they had before1 though in heaven4 ,we now understand why they take so deep an interest in the running of the ,christian athletes on earth4 ,they surround their course1 like a great cloud4 ,they know that they will enter into the holiest if we win the race4 ,for every new victory of faith on earth1 there is a new revelation of ,god in heaven4 ,even the angels1 the principalities and powers in the heavenly places1 learn1 says ,st4 ,paul1 through the ,church the manifold wisdom of ,god4#cbe ,how much more will the saints1 members of the ,church1 brethren of ,christ1 be better able to apprehend the love and power of ,god1 ,who makes weak1 sinful men conquerors over death and its fear4 ,the word witnesses#cbf does not itself refer to their looking on1 as spectators of the race4 ,another word would almost certainly have been used to express this notion1 which is moreover contained in the phrase having so great a cloud surrounding#cbg us4 ,the thought seems to be that the men to whose faith the ,spirit of ,christ in ,scripture bare witness were themselves witnesses for ,god in a godless world1 in the same sense in which ,christ tells ,his disciples that they were ,his witnesses1 and ,ananias tells ,saul that he would be a witness for ,christ4#cbh ,every one who confessed ,christ before men1 him did ,christ also confess before ,his ,church which is on earth1 and does now confess before ,his ,father in heaven1 by leading him into ,god's immediate presence4 ,,footnotes3 #bhi hekaston 7xi4 #ba74 #bij ,gen4 xlvii4 #ca4 #bia ,chap4 xi4 #cj4 #bib ,chap4 xi4 #ca4 #bic ,ruth i4 #af4 #bid ,matt4 i4 #e4 #bie ,judges iv4 and v4 #bif ,judges vii4 #ah4 #big ,judges xi4 #ce4 #bih ,judges xiii4 #g2 xvi4 #bh4 #bii ,robertson1 ,history of the ,christian ,church1 book ii41 chap4 vii4 #cjj ,chap4 xi4 #cc4 #cja ,judges vii4 #cjb ,judges xi4 #cc4 #cjc #b ,sam4 v4 #be4 #cjd #b ,sam4 viii4 #b1 #f4 #cje #a ,sam4 xii4 #bc4 #cjf #b ,sam4 vii4 #bh1 #bi4 #cjg ,dan4 vi4 #bb4 #cjh ,dan4 iii4 #bg1 #bh4 #cji #a ,kings xix4 #a-c4 #caj #b ,kings vi4 #ag4 #caa #b ,kings xx4 #e4 #cab #a ,macc4 v4 #cac #a ,kings xvii4 #bb4 #cad #b ,kings iv4 #ce4 #cae ex 7chap4 xi4 #ce74 #caf ,luke xx4 #ce4 #cag #b ,macc4 vi4 #ai4 #cah #b ,chron4 xxiv4 #ba4 #cai ,reading eprsthsan4 #cbj ,ad ,martyras1 #b4 #cba ,chap4 ix4 #h4 #cbb ,chap4 ii4 #ae4 #cbc ,chap4 xi4 #dj4 #cbd peri4 #cbe ,eph4 iii4 #aj4 #cbf mart_/yrn 7xii4 #a74 #cbg perike_/imenon4 #cbh ,acts i4 #h2 xxii4 #ad4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,conflict4 ,therefore let us also1 seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses1 lay aside every weight1 and the sin which doth so easily beset us1 and let us run with patience the race that is set before us1 looking unto ,jesus the ,author and ,perfecter of our faith1 who for the joy that was set before ,him endured the ,cross1 despising shame1 and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of ,god4 ,for consider ,him that hath endured such gainsaying of sinners against themselves1 that ye wax not weary1 fainting in your souls4 ,ye have not yet resisted unto blood1 striving against sin3 and ye have forgotten the exhortation1 which reasoneth with you as with sons1 ,my son1 regard not lightly the chastening of the ,lord1 ,nor faint when thou art reproved of ,him2 ,for whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth1 ,and scourgeth every son whom ,he receiveth4 ,it is for chastening that ye endure2 ,god dealeth with you as with sons2 for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not8 ,but if ye are without chastening1 whereof all have been made partakers1 then are ye bastards1 and not sons4 ,furthermore1 we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us1 and we gave them reverence3 shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the ,father of spirits1 and live8 ,for they verily for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them2 but ,he for our profit1 that we may be partakers of ,his holiness4 ,all chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous1 but grievous3 yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby1 even the fruit of righteousness4 ,wherefore lift up the hands that hang down1 and the palsied knees2 and make straight paths for your feet1 that that which is lame be not turned out of the way1 but rather be healed4 ,follow after peace with all men1 and the sanctification without which no man shall see the ,lord3 looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of ,god2 lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you1 and thereby the many be defiled2 lest there be any fornicator1 or profane person1 as ,esau1 who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright4 ,for ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing1 he was rejected 7for he found no place of repentance71 though he sought it diligently with tears4--,,heb4 xii4 #a-ag 7,r4,v474 ,the author has told his readers that they have need of endurance2#cbi but when he connects this endurance with faith1 he describes faith1 not as an enduring of present evils1 but as an assurance of things hoped for in the future4 ,his meaning undoubtedly is that assurance of the future gives strength to endure the present4 ,these are two distinct aspects of faith4 ,in the eleventh chapter both sides of faith are illustrated in the long catalogue of believers under the ,old ,testament4 ,examples of men waiting for the promise and having an assurance of things hoped for come first4 ,they are ,abel1 ,enoch1 ,noah1 ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 and ,joseph4 ,in some measure these witnesses of ,god suffered2 but the more prominent feature of their faith was expectation of a future blessing4 ,moses is next mentioned4 ,he marks a transition4 ,in him the two qualities of faith appear to strive for the pre-eminence4 ,he chooses to be evil entreated with the people of ,god1 because he knows that the enjoyment of sin is short-lived2 he suffers the reproach of ,christ1 and looks away from it to the recompense of reward4 ,after him conflict and endurance are more prominent in the history of believers than assurance of the future4 ,many of these later heroes of faith had a more or less dim vision of the unseen2 and in the case of those of whose faith nothing is said in the ,old ,testament except that they endured1 the other phase of this spiritual power is not wanting4 ,for the ,church is one through the ages1 and the clear eye of an earlier period cannot be disconnected from the strong arm of a later time4 ,in the twelfth chapter the two aspects of faith exemplified in the saints of the ,old ,testament are urged on the ,hebrew ,christians4 ,now practically for the first time in the ,epistle the writer addresses himself to the difficulties and discouragements of a state of conflict4 ,in the earlier chapters he exhorted his readers to hold fast their own individual confession of ,christ4 ,in the later portions he exhorted them to quicken the faith of their brethren in the ,church assemblies4 ,but his account of the worthies of the ,old ,testament in the previous chapter has revealed a special adaptedness in faith to meet the actual condition of his readers4 ,we gather from the tenor of the passage that the ,church had to contend against evil men4 ,who they were we do not know4 ,they were the sinners4 ,our author is claiming for the ,christian ,church the right to speak of the men outside in the language used by ,jews concerning the heathen2 and it is not at all unlikely that the unbelieving ,jews themselves are here meant4 ,his readers had to endure the gainsaying of sinners1 who poured contempt on ,christianity1 as they had also covered ,christ ,himself with shame4 ,the ,church might have to resist unto blood in striving against the encompassing sin4 ,peace is to be sought and followed after with all men1 but not to the injury of that sanctification without which no man shall see the ,lord4#ccj ,the true people of ,god must go forth unto ,jesus without the camp of ,judaism1 bearing ,his reproach4#cca ,this is an advance in the thought4 ,our author does not exhort his readers individually to steadfastness1 nor the ,church collectively to mutual oversight4 ,he has before his eyes the conflict of the ,church against wicked men1 whether in sheep's clothing or without the fold4 ,the purport of the passage may be thus stated3 ,faith as a hope of the future is a faith to endure in the present conflict against men4 ,the reverse of this is equally true and important3 that faith as a strength to endure the gainsaying of men is the faith that presses on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,the connecting link between these two representations of faith is to be found in the illustration with which the chapter opens4 ,a race implies both a hope and a contest4 ,the hope of faith is simple and well understood4 ,it has been made abundantly clear in the ,epistle4 ,it is to obtain the fulfilment of the promise made to ,abraham and renewed to other believers time after time under the old covenant4 ,for we who believe do enter into ,god's rest4#ccb ,they that have been called receive the promise of the eternal inheritance4#ccc ,we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of ,jesus4#ccd ,in the latter part of the chapter the writer speaks of his readers as having already attained4 ,they have come to ,god1 and to the spirits of just men made perfect1 and to ,jesus1 the ,mediator of the new covenant4 ,in the first verse he urges them to run the race1 so as to secure for themselves the blessing4 ,he points them to ,jesus1 ,who has run the race before them and won the crown1 ,who sits on the right hand of ,god1 with authority to reward all who reach the goal4 ,both representations are perfectly consistent4 ,men do enter into immediate communion with ,god on earth2 but they attain it by effort of faith4 ,such is the aim of faith4 ,the conflict is more complex and difficult to explain4 ,there is1 first of all1 a conflict in the preparatory training1 and this is twofold4 ,we have to strive against ourselves and against the world4 ,we must put away our own grossness1#cce as athletes rid themselves by severe training of all superfluous flesh4 ,then we must also put away from us the sin that surrounds us1 that quite besets us1 on all sides1#ccf whether in the world or in the ,church1 as runners must have the course cleared and the crowd of onlookers that press around removed far enough to give them the sense of breathing freely and running unimpeded in a large space4 ,the word besetting does not refer to the special sin to which every individual is most prone4 ,no thoughtful man but has felt himself encompassed by sin1 not merely as a temptation1 but much more as an overpowering force1 silent1 passive1 closing in upon him on all sides1--a constant pressure from which there is no escape4 ,the sin and misery of the world has staggered reason and left men utterly powerless to resist or to alleviate the infinite evil4 ,faith alone surmounts these preliminary difficulties of the ,christian life4 ,faith delivers us from grossness of spirit1 from lethargy1 earthliness1 stupor4 ,faith will also lift us above the terrible pressure of the world's sin4 ,faith has the heart that still hopes1 and the hand that still saves4 ,faith resolutely puts away from her whatever threatens to overwhelm and impede1 and makes for herself a large room to move freely in4 ,then comes the actual contest4 ,our author says contest4#ccg ,for the conflict is against evil men4 ,yet it is1 in a true and vital sense1 not a contest of the kind which the word naturally suggests4 ,here the effort is not to be first at the goal4 ,we run the race through endurance4 ,mental suffering is of the essence of the conflict4 ,our success in winning the prize does not mean the failure of others4 ,the failure of our rivals does not imply that we attain the mark4 ,in fact1 the ,christian life is not the competition of rivals1 but the enduring of shame at the hands of evil men1 which endurance is a discipline4 ,maybe we do not sufficiently lay to heart that the discipline of life consists mainly in overcoming rightly and well the antagonism of men4 ,the one bitterness in the life of our ,lord ,himself was the malice of the wicked4 ,apart from that unrelenting hatred we may regard ,his short life as serenely happy4 ,the warning which ,he addressed to ,his disciples was that they should beware of men4 ,but1 though wisdom is necessary1 the conflict must not be shunned4 ,when it is over1 nothing will more astonish the man of faith than that he should have been afraid1 so weak did malice prove to be4 ,to run our course successfully1 we must keep our eyes steadily fixed on ,jesus4#cch ,it is true we are compassed about with a cloud of ,god's faithful witnesses4 ,but they are a cloud4 ,the word signifies not merely that they are a large multitude1 but also that we cannot distinguish individuals in the immense gathering of those who have gone before4 ,the ,church has always cherished a hope that the saints of heaven are near us1 perhaps seeing our efforts to follow their glorious example4 ,beyond this we dare not go4 ,personal communion is possible to the believer on earth with ,one only of the inhabitants of the spiritual world4 ,that ,one is ,jesus ,christ4 ,even faith cannot discern the individual saints that compose the cloud4 ,but it can look away from all of them to ,jesus4 ,it looks unto ,jesus as ,he is and as ,he was3 as ,he is for help2 as ,he was for a perfect example4 #a4 ,faith regards ,jesus as ,he is1--the ,leader and ,perfecter4 ,the words are an allusion to what the writer has already told us in the ,epistle concerning ,jesus4 ,he is the ,captain or ,leader of our salvation1#cci and by one offering ,he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified4#cdj ,he leads onward our faith till we attain the goal1 and for every advance we make in the course ,he strengthens1 sustains1 and in the end completes our faith4 ,the runner1 when he seizes the crown1 will not be found to have been exhausted by his efforts4 ,high attainments demand a correspondingly great faith4 ,many expositors think the words which we have rendered ,leader and ,perfecter refer to ,christ's own faith4 ,but the words will hardly admit of this meaning4 ,others think they are intended to convey the notion that ,christ is the ,author of our faith in its weak beginnings and the ,finisher of it when it attains perfection4 ,but the use which the ,apostle has made of the words ,leader of salvation in chap4 ii4 seems to prove that here also he understands by ,leader ,one ,who will bring our faith onward safely to the end of the course4 ,the distinction is rather between rendering us certain of winning the crown and making our faith large and noble enough to be worthy of wearing it4 #b4 ,faith regards ,jesus as ,he was on earth1 the perfect example of victory through endurance4 ,he has acquired ,his power to lead onward and to make perfect our faith by ,his own exercise of faith4 ,he is ,leader because ,he is ,forerunner2#cda ,he is ,perfecter because ,he ,himself has been perfected4#cdb ,he endured a cross4 ,the author leaves it to his readers to imagine all that is implied in the awful word4 ,more is involved in the ,cross than shame4 ,for the shame of the ,cross ,he could afford to despise4 ,but there was in the ,cross what ,he did not despise2 yea1 what drew tears and strong cries from ,him in the agony of ,his soul4 ,concerning this1 whatever it was1 the author is here silent1 because it was peculiar to ,christ1 and could never become an example to others1 except indeed in the faith that enabled ,him to endure it4 ,even in the gainsaying of men there was an element which ,he did not despise1 but endured4 ,he understood that their gainsaying was against themselves4#cdc ,it would end1 not merely in putting ,him to an open shame1 but in their own destruction4 ,this caused keen suffering to ,his holy and loving spirit4 ,but ,he endured it1 as ,he endured the ,cross itself in all its mysterious import4 ,he did not permit the sin and perdition of the world to overwhelm ,him4 ,his faith resolutely put away from ,him the deadly pressure4 ,on the one hand1 ,he did not despise sin2 on the other1 ,he was not crushed by its weight4 ,he calmly endured4 ,but ,he endured through faith1 as an assurance of things hoped for and the proving of things not seen4 ,he hoped to attain the joy which was set before ,him as the prize to be won4 ,the connection of the thought with the general subject of the whole passage satisfies us that the words translated for the joy set before ,him are correctly so rendered1 and do not mean that ,christ chose the suffering and shame of the ,cross in preference to the enjoyment of sin4 ,this also is perfectly true1 and more true of ,christ than it was even of ,moses4 ,but the ,apostle's main idea throughout is that faith in the form of assurance and faith in the form of enduring go together4 ,jesus endured because ,he looked for a future joy as ,his recompense of reward2 ,he attained the joy through ,his endurance4 ,but1 as more than shame was involved in ,his ,cross1 more also than joy was reserved for ,him in reward4 ,through ,his ,cross ,he became the ,leader and ,perfecter of our faith4 ,he was exalted to be the ,sanctifier of ,his people4 ,he has sat down on the right hand of ,god4 ,our author proceeds3 ,weigh this in the balance4#cdd ,compare this quality of faith with your own4 ,consider who ,he was and what you are4 ,when you have well understood the difference1 remember that ,he endured1 as you endure1 by faith4 ,he put ,his trust in ,god4#cde ,he was faithful to ,him ,who had constituted ,him what ,he became through ,his assumption of flesh and blood4#cdf ,he offered prayers and supplications to ,him ,who was able to save ,him out of death1 yet piously committed ,himself to the hands of ,god4 ,the gainsaying of men brought ,him to the bloody death of the ,cross4 ,you also are marshalled in battle array1 in the conflict against the sin of the world4 ,but the ,leader only has shed ,his blood--as yet4 ,your hour may be drawing nigh6 ,therefore be not weary in striving to reach the goal6 ,faint not in enduring the conflict6 ,the two sides of faith are still in the author's thoughts4 ,it would naturally occur to the readers of the ,epistle to ask why they might not end their difficulties by shunning the conflict4 ,why might they not enter into fellowship with ,god without coming into conflict with men8 ,but this cannot be4 ,communion with ,god requires personal fitness of character1 and manifests itself in inward peace4 ,this fitness1 again1 is the result of discipline1 and the discipline implies endurance4 ,it is for discipline that ye endure4#cdg ,the word translated discipline suggests the notion of a child with his father4 ,but it is noteworthy that the ,apostle does not use the word children in his illustration1 but the word sons4 ,this was occasioned partly by the fact that the citation from the ,book of ,proverbs speaks of sons4 ,but1 in addition to this1 the author's mind seems to be still lingering with the remembrance of ,him ,who was ,son of ,god4 ,for discipline is the lot and privilege of all sons4 ,who is a son whom his father does not discipline8 ,there might have been ,one4 ,but even ,he humbled ,himself to learn obedience through sufferings4 ,absolutely every son undergoes discipline4 ,furthermore1 the fathers of our bodies kept us under discipline1 and we not only submitted1 but even gave them reverence1 though their discipline was not intended to have effect for more than the few days of our pupilage1 and though in that short time they were liable to error in their treatment of us4 ,how much more shall we subject ourselves to the discipline of ,god6 ,he is not only the ,god of all spirits and of all flesh1#cdh but also the ,father of our spirits2 that is1 ,he has created our spirit after ,his own likeness1 and made it capable1 through discipline1 of partaking in ,his own holiness1 which will be our true and everlasting life4 ,the gardener breaks the hard ground1 uproots weeds1 lops off branches2 but the consequence of his rough treatment is that the fruit at last hangs on the bough4 ,we are ,god's tillage4 ,our conflict with men and their sin is watched and guided by a ,father1 ,the fruit consists in the calm after the storm1 the peace of a good conscience1 the silencing of accusers1 the putting wicked men to shame1 the reverence which righteousness extorts even from enemies4 ,in the same book from which our author has cited far-reaching instruction1 we are told that when a man's ways please the ,lord1 ,he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him4#cdi ,here1 again1 the ,apostle addresses his readers as members of the ,church in its conflict with men4 ,he tells them that1 in doing what is incumbent upon them as a ,church towards different classes of men1 they secure for themselves individually the discipline of sons and may hope to reap the fruit of that discipline in peace and righteousness4 ,the ,church has a duty to perform towards the weaker brethren1 towards the enemy at the gate1 and towards the ,esaus whose worldliness imperils the purity of others4 #a4 ,there were among them weaker brethren1 the nerves of whose hands and knees were unstrung4 ,they could neither combat a foe nor run the race4 ,it was for the ,church to smooth the ruggedness of the road before its feet1 that the lame things#cej 7for so1 with something of contempt1 he names the waverers7 might not be turned out of the course by the pressure of the other runners4 ,rather than permit this1 let the ,church lift up their drooping hands and sustain their palsied knees1 that they may be healed of their lameness4 #b4 ,as to enemies and persecutors1 it is the duty of the ,church to follow after peace with all men1 as much as in her lies4 ,christians may sacrifice almost anything for peace1 but not their own priestly consecration1 without which no man shall see the ,lord ,jesus at ,his appearing4 ,he will be seen only by those who eagerly expect ,him unto salvation4#cea #c4 ,the consecration of the ,church is maintained by watchfulness#ceb against every tendency to alienation from the grace of ,god1 to bitterness against ,god and the brethren1 to sensuality and profane worldliness4 ,all must watch over themselves and over all the brethren4 ,the danger1 too1 increases if it is neglected4 ,it begins in withdrawing from#cec the ,church assemblies1 where the influences of grace are manifested4 ,it grows into the poisonous plant of a bitter spirit1 which1 like a root that beareth gall and wormwood1 spreads through a family or tribe1#ced and turns away their heart from the ,lord to go and serve the gods of the nations4 ,the many are defiled4 ,the ,church as a whole becomes infected4 ,but bitterness of spirit is not the only fruit of selfishness4 ,on the same tree sensuality grows1 which ,god will punish when the ,church cannot detect its presence4#cee ,from the stem of selfishness1 which will not brook the restraints of ,church communion1 springs1 last and most dangerous of all1 the profane1 worldly spirit1 which denies and mocks the very idea of consecration4 ,it is the spirit of ,esau1 who bartered the right of the first-born to the promise of the covenant for one mess of pottage4 ,the author calls attention to the incident1 as it displays ,esau's contempt of the promise made to ,abraham and his own father ,isaac4 ,his thoughts never rose above the earth4 ,what profit shall this birthright do to me8#cef ,we must distinguish between the birthright and the blessing4 ,the former carried with it the great promise given to ,abraham with an oath on ,moriah3 ,in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed4#ceg ,possession of it did not depend on ,isaac's fond blessing4 ,it belonged to ,esau by right of birth till he sold it to ,jacob4 ,but ,isaac's blessing1 which he intended for ,esau because he loved him1 meant more especially lordship over his brethren4 ,esau plainly distinguishes the two things3 ,is not he rightly named ,jacob8 ,for he hath supplanted me these two times3 he took away my birthright1 and behold1 now he hath taken away my blessing4#ceh ,when he found that ,jacob had supplanted him a second time1 he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry1 and sought diligently1 not the birthright1 which was of a religious nature1 but the dew of heaven1 and the fatness of the earth1 and plenty of corn and wine1 and the homage of his mother's sons4 ,but he had sold the greater good and1 by doing so1 forfeited the lesser4 ,the ,apostle recognises1 beyond the subtilty of ,jacob and behind the blessing of ,isaac1 the ,divine retribution4 ,his selling the birthright was not the merely rash act of a sorely tempted youth4 ,he continued to despise the covenant4 ,when he was forty years old1 he took wives of the daughters of the ,canaanites4 ,abraham had made his servant swear that he would go to the city of ,nahor to take a wife unto ,isaac2 and ,rebekah1 true to the instinct of faith1 was weary of her life because of the daughters of ,heth4 ,but ,esau cared for none of these things4 ,the day on which ,jacob took away the blessing marks the crisis in ,esau's life4 ,he still despised the covenant and sought only worldly lordship and plenty4 ,for this profane scorn of the spiritual promise made to ,abraham and ,isaac1 ,esau not only lost the blessing which he sought1 but was himself rejected4 ,the ,apostle reminds his readers that they know it to have been so from ,esau's subsequent history4 ,they would not fail to see in him an example of the terrible doom described by the ,apostle himself in a previous chapter4 ,esau was like the earth that brings forth thorns and thistles and is rejected4#cei ,the grace of repentance was denied him4#cfj ,,footnotes3 #cbi hypomon 7x4 #cf74 #ccj ,chap4 xii4 #ad4 #cca ,chap4 xiii4 #ac4 #ccb ,chap4 iv4 #c4 #ccc ,chap4 ix4 #ae4 #ccd ,chap4 x4 #ai4 #cce onkon 7xii4 #a74 #ccf euperistaton4 #ccg agna4 #cch ,chap4 xii4 #b4 #cci archgon 7ii4 #aj74 #cdj teteleiken 7x4 #ad74 #cda prodromos 7vi4 #bj74 #cdb teteleimenon 7vii4 #bh74 #cdc ,reading eis heautous 7xii4 #c74 #cdd analogisasthe 7xii4 #c74 #cde ,chap4 ii4 #ac4 #cdf ,chap4 iii4 #b4 #cdg eis paideian hypomenete 7xii4 #g1 where the verb is indicative1 not imperative74 #cdh ,num4 xvi4 #bb4 #cdi ,prov4 xvi4 #g4 #cej to chlon 7xii4 #ac74 #cea ,chap4 ix4 #bh4 #ceb epispkopountes 7xii4 #ae74 #cec hystern apo4 #ced ,deut4 xxix4 #ah4 #cee ,chap4 xiii4 #d4 ,cf4 ,rom4 i4 #ah sqq4 #cef ,gen4 xxv4 #cb4 #ceg ,gen4 xxii4 #ah4 #ceh ,gen4 xxvii4 #cf4 #cei adokimos 7vi4 #h74 #cfj ,chap4 vi4 #f4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,mount ,,zion4 ,for ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched1 and that burned with fire1 and unto blackness1 and darkness1 and tempest1 and the sound of a trumpet1 and the voice of words2 which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them3 for they could not endure that which was enjoined1 ,if even a beast touch the mountain1 it shall be stoned2 and so fearful was the appearance1 that ,moses said1 ,i exceedingly fear and quake3 but ye are come unto ,mount ,zion1 and unto the city of the living ,god1 the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and to innumerable hosts of angels1 to the general assembly and ,church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven1 and to ,god the ,judge of all1 and to the spirits of just men made perfect1 and to ,jesus the ,mediator of a new covenant1 and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of ,abel4 ,see that ye refuse not ,him that speaketh4 ,for if they escaped not1 when they refused him that warned them on earth1 much more shall not we escape1 who turn away from ,him that warneth from heaven3 whose voice then shook the earth3 but now ,he hath promised1 saying1 ,yet once more will ,i make to tremble not the earth only1 but also the heaven4 ,and this word1 ,yet once more1 signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken1 as of things that have been made1 that those things which are not shaken may remain4 ,wherefore1 receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken1 let us have grace1 whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to ,god with reverence and awe1 for our ,god is a consuming fire4--,,heb4 xii4 #ah-bi 7,r4,v474 ,mutual oversight is the lesson of the foregoing verses4 ,the author urges his readers to look carefully that no member of the ,church withdraws from the grace of ,god1 that no prison of bitterness troubles and defiles the ,church as a whole1 that sensuality and worldliness are put away4 ,in the paragraph that comes next he still has the idea of ,church fellowship in his mind4 ,but his advice to his readers to exercise supervision over one another yields to the still more urgent warning to watch themselves1 and especially to shun the most dangerous even of these evils1 which is worldliness of spirit4 ,esau was rejected2 see that ye yourselves refuse not ,him that speaketh4 ,that the passage is thus closely connected with what immediately precedes may be admitted4 ,but it must be also connected with the entire argument of the ,epistle4 ,it is the final exhortation directly based on the general idea that the new covenant excels the former one4 ,as such it may be compared with the earlier exhortation1 given before the allegory of ,melchizedek introduced the notion that the old covenant had passed away1 and with the warning in the tenth chapter which precedes the glorious record of faith's heroes from ,abel to ,jesus4 ,as early as the second chapter he warns the ,hebrew ,christians not to drift away and neglect a salvation revealed in ,one ,who is greater than the angels1 through whom the ,law had been given4 ,in the later exhortations he adds the notion of the blood of the covenant1 and insists1 not merely on the greatness1 but also on the finality1 of the revelation4 ,but in the concluding passage1 which now opens before us1 he makes the daring announcement that all the blessings of the new covenant have already been fulfilled1 and that in perfect completeness and grandeur4 ,we have come unto ,mount ,zion2 we have received a kingdom which cannot be shaken4 ,the passage must1 therefore1 be considered as the practical result of the whole ,epistle4 ,our author began with the fact of a revelation of ,god in a ,son4 ,but a thoughtful reader will not fail to have observed that this great subject seldom comes to the front in the course of the argument4 ,reading the ,epistle1 we seem for a time to forget the thought of a revelation given in the ,son4 ,our minds are mastered by the author's powerful reasoning4 ,we think of nothing but the surpassing excellence of the new covenant and its ,mediator4 ,the greatness of ,jesus as ,high-priest makes us oblivious of ,his greatness as the ,revealer of ,god4 ,but this is only the glamour cast over us by a master mind4 ,after all1 to know ,god is the highest glory and perfection of man4 ,apart from a revelation of ,god in ,his ,son1 all other truths are negative2 and their value to us depends on their connection with this self-manifestation of the ,father4 ,religion1 theology1 priesthood1 covenant1 atonement1 salvation1 and the ,incarnation itself1 do not attain a worthy and final purpose except as means of revealing ,god4 ,it would be a serious misapprehension to suppose that our author had forgotten this fundamental conception4 ,his aim has been to show that the economy of the new covenant is the perfect revelation4 ,god has spoken1 not through1 but in1 the ,son4 ,the ,divine personality1 the human nature1 the eternal priesthood1 the infinite sacrifice1 of the ,son are the final revelation of ,god4 ,in the sublime contrast between ,mount ,sinai and ,mount ,zion the two thoughts are brought together4 ,we have had frequent occasion to point out that the central fact of the new covenant is direct communion with ,god4 ,access to ,god is now open to all men in ,christ4 ,we are invited to draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace4#cfa ,jesus has entered as a ,forerunner for us within the veil4#cfb ,we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of ,jesus4#cfc ,yea1 we have already actually entered4 ,we are come unto ,mount ,zion4 ,death has been annihilated4 ,we are now where ,christ is4 ,the writer of our ,epistle has advanced beyond the perplexity that1 in his hour of loneliness1 troubled ,st4 ,paul1 who was in a strait betwixt two1 having a desire to depart and be with ,christ1 which is far better4#cfd ,we are come to ,jesus1 the ,mediator of the new covenant4 ,that great city the heavenly ,jerusalem has descended out of heaven from ,god4#cfe ,the angels pass to and fro as ministering spirits4 ,the names of the first-born are registered in heaven1 as possessing already the privilege of citizenship4 ,we must not say that the spirits of the righteous have departed from us2 let us rather say that we1 by being made righteous1 have come to them4 ,we stand now before the tribunal of ,god1 the ,judge of all4 ,jesus has fulfilled ,his promise to come and receive us unto ,himself1 that where ,he is1 there we may be also4#cff ,all these things are contained in access unto ,god4 ,the ,apostle explains their meaning and unfolds their glory by contrasting them with the revelation of ,god on ,sinai4 ,we might perhaps have expected him to institute a comparison between them and the incidents of the day of atonement1 inasmuch as he has described ,christ's ascension to the right hand of ,god as the entering of the ,high-priest into the true holiest place4 ,but the day of atonement was not a revelation of ,god4 ,the propitiation required antecedently to a revelation was indeed offered4 ,but1 as the propitiation was unreal1 the full revelation1 to which it was intended to lead1 was never given4 ,nothing is said in the books of ,moses concerning the people's state of mind during the time when the high-priest stood in ,god's presence4 ,the transaction was so purely ceremonial that the people do not seem to have taken any part in it1 beyond gathering perhaps around the tabernacle to witness the ingress and egress of the high-priest4 ,moreover1 no words were spoken either by the high-priest before ,god1 or by ,god to the high-priest or to the people4 ,no prayer was uttered1 no revelation vouchsafed4 ,for these reasons the ,apostle goes back to the revelation on ,sinai1 which indeed instituted the rites of the covenant4 ,with the revelation that preceded the sacrifices of the ,law he compares the revelation that is founded upon the sacrifice of ,christ4 ,this is the fundamental difference between ,sinai and ,zion4 ,the revelation on ,sinai precedes the sacrifices of the tabernacle2 the revelation on ,zion follows the sacrifice of the ,cross4 ,under the old covenant the revelation demanded sacrifices2 under the new covenant the sacrifice demands a revelation4 ,from this essential difference in the nature of the revelations a twofold contrast is apparent in the phenomena of ,sinai and ,zion4 ,sinai revealed the terrible side of ,god's character1 ,zion the peaceful tenderness of ,his love4 ,the revelation on ,sinai was earthly2 that on ,zion is spiritual4 ,there can be no question that the ,apostle intends to contrast the terrible appearances on ,sinai with the calm serenity of ,zion4 ,the very rhythm of his language expresses it4 ,but the key to his description of the one and the other is to be found in the distinction already mentioned4 ,on ,sinai the unappeased wrath of ,god is revealed4 ,sacrifices are instituted1 which1 however1 when established1 evoke no response from the offended majesty of ,heaven4 ,of the holiest place of the old covenant the best thing we can say is that the lightning and thunders of ,sinai slumbered therein4 ,the author's beautiful description of the sunny steep of ,zion is framed1 on the other hand1 in accordance with his frequent and emphatic declaration that ,christ has entered the true holiest place1 having obtained for us eternal redemption4 ,all that the ,apostle says concerning ,sinai and ,zion gathers around the two conceptions of sin and forgiveness4 ,the ,lord spake on ,sinai out of the midst of the palpable1 enkindled fire1 of the cloud1 and of the thick darkness1 with a great voice4 ,all the people heard the voice4 ,they saw that ,god doth talk with man1 and he liveth4 ,they begin to hope4 ,but immediately they bethink them that1 if they hear the voice of the ,lord any more1 they will die4 ,thus does a guilty conscience contradict itself6 ,again1 the people are invited to come up into the mount when the trumpet shall sound long4 ,yet1 when the voice of the trumpet sounds long and waxes louder and louder1 they are charged not to come up unto the ,lord1 lest ,he break forth upon them4 ,all this appearance of inconsistency is intended to symbolize that the people's desire to come to ,god struggled in vain against their sense of guilt1 and that ,god's purpose of revealing ,himself to them was contending in vain with the hindrances that arose from their sins4 ,the whole assembly heard the voice of the ,lord proclaiming the ,ten ,commandments4 ,conscience-smitten1 they could not endure to hear more4 ,they gat them into their tents1 and ,moses alone stood on the mountain with ,god1 to receive at ,his mouth all the statutes and judgments which they should do and observe in the land which ,he would give them to possess4 ,the ,apostle singles out for remark the command that1 if a beast touched the mountain1 it should be stoned to death4 ,the people1 he says1 could not endure this command4 ,why not this8 ,it connected the terrors of ,sinai with man's guilt4 ,according to the ,old ,testament idea of ,divine retribution1 the beasts of the earth fall under the curse due to man4 ,when ,god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the days of ,noah1 ,he said1 ,i will destroy both man and beast4#cfg ,when1 again1 ,he blessed ,noah after the waters were dried up1 ,he said1 ,i1 behold1 ,i establish ,my covenant with you and with every living creature that is with you4#cfh ,similarly1 the command to put to death any beast that might haply touch the mountain revealed to the people that ,god was dealing with them as sinners4 ,moses himself1 the mediator of the covenant1 who aspired to behold the glory of ,god1 feared exceedingly4 ,but his fear came upon him when he looked and beheld that the people had sinned against the ,lord their ,god#cfi and made them a molten calf4 ,his fear was not the prostration of nervous terror4 ,remembering1 when he had descended1 the awful sights and sounds witnessed on the mountain1 he was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure of ,god against the people1 who had done wickedly in the sight of the ,lord4 ,almost every word the ,apostle has here written bears closely upon the moral relation between a guilty people and the angry ,god4 ,if we turn to the other picture1 we at once perceive that the thoughts radiate from the holiest place as from a centre4 ,the passage is1 in fact1 an expansion of what is said in the ninth chapter1 that ,christ has entered in once for all into the holiest place1 through the greater and more perfect tabernacle4 ,the holiest has widened its boundaries4 ,the veil has been removed1 so that the entire sanctuary now forms part of the holy of holies4 ,it is true that the ,apostle begins1 in the passage under consideration1 not with the holiest place1 but with ,mount ,zion4 ,he does so because the immediate contrast is between the two mountains1 and he has already stated that ,christ entered through a larger tabernacle4 ,the holiest place includes1 therefore1 the whole mountain of ,zion1 on which the tabernacle was erected2 yea1 all ,jerusalem is within the precincts4 ,if we extend the range of our survey1 we behold the earth sanctified by the presence of the first-born sons of ,god1 who are the ,church1 and of ,his myriads1 the other sons of ,god1 who also have1 not indeed the birthright1 but a blessing1 even the joyful multitude of the heavenly host4#cgj ,the ,apostle describes the angels as keeping festal holiday1 for joy to witness the coming of the first-born sons4 ,they are the friends of the ,bridegroom1 who stand and hear ,him1 and rejoice greatly because of the ,bridegroom's voice4 ,if1 again1 we attempt to soar above this world of trials1 we find ourselves at once before the judgment-seat of ,god4 ,but even here a change has taken place4 ,for we are come to a ,judge ,who is ,god of all1#cga and not merely to a ,god ,who is ,judge of all4 ,thus the promise of the new covenant has been fulfilled1 ,i will be to them a ,god4#cgb ,if in imagination we pass the tribunal and consider the condition of men in the world of spirits1 we recognise there the spirits of the righteous dead1 and are given to understand that they have already attained the perfection#cgc which they could not have received before the ,christian ,church had exercised a greater faith than some had found possible to themselves on earth4#cgd ,if we ascend still higher1 we are in the presence of ,jesus ,himself4 ,but ,he is on the right hand of the ,majesty on high1 not simply as ,son of ,god1 but as ,mediator of the new covenant4 ,his blood is sprinkled on the mercy-seat1 and speaks to ,god1 but not for vengeance on those who shed it on the ,cross1 some of whom possibly were now among the readers of the ,apostle's piercing words4 ,what an immeasurable distance between the first man of faith1 mentioned in the eleventh chapter1 and ,jesus1 with ,whom his list closes6 ,the very first blood of man shed to the earth cried from the ground to ,god for vengeance4 ,the blood of ,jesus sprinkled in heaven speaks a better thing4 ,what the better thing is1 we are not told4 ,men may give it a name2 but it is addressed to ,god1 and ,god alone knows its infinite meaning4 ,from all this we infer that the comparison here made between ,sinai and ,zion is intended to depict the difference 7seen1 as it were1 in another ,bunyan's dream7 between a revelation given before ,christ offered ,himself as a propitiation for sin and the revelation which ,god gives us of ,himself after the sacrifice of ,christ has been presented in the true holiest place4 ,the ,apostle's account of ,mount ,zion is followed by a most incisive warning1 introduced with a sudden solemnity1 as if the thunder of ,sinai itself were heard remote4 ,the passage is beset with difficulties1 some of which it would be inconsistent with the design of the present volume to discuss4 ,one question has scarcely been touched upon by the expositors4 ,but it enters into the very pith of the subject4 ,the exhortation which the author addresses to his readers does not at first appear to be based on a correct application of the narrative4 ,for the ,israelites at the foot of ,sinai are not said to have refused ,him that spake to them on the mount4 ,no doubt ,god1 not ,moses1 is meant2 for it was the voice of ,god that shook the earth4 ,the people were terrified4 ,they were afraid that the fire would consume them4 ,but they had understood also that their ,god was the living ,god1 and therefore not to be approached by man4 ,they wished ,moses to intervene1 not because they rejected ,god1 but because they acknowledged the awful greatness of ,his living personality4 ,far from rejecting ,him1 they said to ,moses1 ,speak thou unto us all that the ,lord our ,god shall speak unto thee2 and we will hear it and do it4#cge ,god ,himself commended their words3 ,they have well said all that they have spoken4 ,can we suppose1 therefore1 that the ,apostle in the present passage represents them as actually rebelling1 and refusing ,him that spake8 ,the word here translated refuse#cgf does not express the notion of rejecting with contempt4 ,it means to deprecate1 to shrink in fear from a person4 ,again1 the word escape1 in its reference to the children of ,israel at ,sinai1 cannot signify to avoid being punished1 which is its meaning in the second chapter of this ,epistle4#cgg ,the meaning is that they could not flee from ,his presence1 though ,moses mediated between ,him and the people4 ,they could not escape ,him4 ,his word found#cgh them when they cowered in their tents as truly as if they had climbed with ,moses the heights of ,sinai4 ,for the word of ,god was then also a living word1 and there was no creature that was not manifest in ,his sight4 ,yet it was right in the people to deprecate1 and desire ,moses to speak to them rather than ,god4 ,this was the befitting spirit under the old covenant4 ,it expresses very precisely the difference between the bondage of that covenant and the liberty of the new4 ,in ,christ only is the veil taken away4 ,where the ,spirit of the ,lord ,jesus is1 there is liberty4 ,but1 for this reason1 what was praiseworthy in the people who were kept at a distance from the bounds placed around ,sinai is unworthy and censurable in those who have come to ,mount ,zion4 ,see1 therefore1 that ye do not ask ,him that speaketh to withdraw into the thick darkness and terrible silence4 ,for us to deprecate is tantamount to rejection of ,god4 ,we are actually turning away from ,him4 ,but to ignore and shun ,his presence is now impossible to us4 ,the revelation is from heaven4 ,he ,who brought it descended ,himself from above4 ,because ,he is from heaven1 the ,son of ,god is a life-giving ,spirit4 ,he surrounds us1 like the ambient air4 ,the sin of the world is not the only besetting element of our life4 ,the ever-present1 besetting ,god woos our spirit4 ,he speaks4 ,that ,his words are kind and forgiving we know4 ,for ,he speaks to us from heaven1 because the blood sprinkled in heaven speaks better before ,god than the blood of ,abel spoke from the ground4 ,the revelation of ,god to us in ,his ,son preceded1 it is true1 the entrance of the ,son into the holiest place2 but it has acquired a new meaning and a new force in virtue of the ,son's appearing before ,god for us4 ,this new force of the revelation is represented by the mission and activity of the ,spirit4 ,the author's thoughts glide almost imperceptibly into another channel4 ,we can refuse ,him that speaketh1 and turn away from ,him in unbelief4 ,but let us beware4 ,it is the final revelation4 ,his voice on ,sinai shook the earth4 ,the meaning is not that it terrified the people4 ,the writer has passed from that thought4 ,he now speaks of the effect of ,god's voice on the material world1 the power of revelation over created nature4 ,this is a truth that frequently meets us in ,scripture4 ,revelation is accompanied by miracle4 ,when the ,ten ,commandments were spoken by the lips of ,god to the people1 the whole mount quaked greatly4#cgi ,but the prophet ,haggai predicts the glory of the second house in words which recall to our author the trembling of ,mount ,sinai3 ,for thus saith the ,lord of hosts3 ,yet once more1 it is a little while1 and ,i will shake the heavens1 and the earth1 and the sea1 and the dry land2 and ,i will shake all nations1 and the desirable things of all nations shall come1 and ,i will fill this house with glory1 saith the ,lord of hosts4#chj ,it is very characteristic of the writer of this ,epistle to fasten on a few salient points in the prophet's words4 ,he seems to think that ,haggai had the scenes that occurred on ,sinai in his mind4 ,two expressions connect the narrative in ,exodus with the prophecy4 ,when ,god spoke on ,sinai1 ,his voice shook the earth4 ,haggai declares that ,god will1 at some future time1 shake the heaven4 ,again1 the prophet has used the words yet once more4 ,therefore1 when the greater glory of the second house will have come to pass1 the last shaking of earth and of heaven will take place4 ,the inference is that the word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken4 ,the whole fabric of nature will perish in its present material form1 and the ,apostle connects this universal catastrophe with the revelation of ,god in ,his ,son4 ,many very excellent expositors think that our author refers1 not to the final dissolution of nature1 but to the abrogation of the ,jewish economy4 ,it is true that the ,epistle has declared the old covenant a thing of the past4 ,but there are two considerations that lead us to adopt the other view of this passage4 ,in the first place1 this ,epistle does not describe the abrogation of the old covenant as a violent catastrophe1 but rather as the passing away of what had grown old and decayed4 ,in the second place1 the coming of the ,lord is elsewhere1 in writings of that age1 spoken of as accompanied by a great convulsion of nature4 ,the two notions go together in the thoughts of the time4 ,the day of the ,lord will come as a thief1 in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise1 and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat1 and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up4#cha ,we connect the words as things that have been made with the next clause3 that those things which are not shaken may remain4 ,it is not because they have been made that the earth and the heaven are removed2 and their place will not be occupied by uncreated things only1 but also by things made4 ,the meaning is that nature will be dissolved when it has answered its purpose1 and not till then4 ,earth and heaven have been made1 not for their own sakes1 but in order that out of them a new world may be created1 which will never be removed or shaken4 ,this new world is the kingdom of which the ,king-,priest is eternal ,monarch4#chb ,as we partake in ,his priesthood1 we share also in ,his kingship4 ,we enter into the holiest place and stand before the mercy-seat1 but our absolution is announced and confirmed to us by the ,divine summons to sit down with ,christ in ,his throne1 as ,he has sat down with ,his ,father in ,his throne4#chc ,let us therefore accept the kingdom4 ,but beware of your peculiar danger1 which is self-righteous pride1 worldliness1 and the evil heart of unbelief4 ,rather let us seek and get that grace from ,god which will make our royal state a humble service of worshipping priests4#chd ,the grace which the ,apostle exhorts his reader to possess is much more than thankfulness4 ,it includes all that ,christianity bestows to counteract and vanquish the special dangers of self-righteousness4 ,such priestly service will be well-pleasing to ,god4 ,offer it with pious resignation to ,his sovereign will1 with awe in the presence of ,his holiness4 ,for1 whilst our ,god proclaims forgiveness from the mercy-seat as the worshippers stand before it1 ,he is also a consuming fire4 ,upon the mercy-seat itself rests the ,shechinah4 ,,footnotes3 #cfa ,chap4 iv4 #af4 #cfb ,chap4 vi4 #bj4 #cfc ,chap4 x4 #ai4 #cfd ,phil4 i4 #bc4 #cfe ,rev4 xxi4 #aj4 #cff ,john xiv4 #c4 #cfg ,gen4 vi4 #g4 #cfh ,gen4 ix4 #i1 #aj4 #cfi ,deut4 ix4 #af1 #ai4 #cgj ,reading kai myriasin1 angeln pangyrei1 kai ekklsia prtotokn 7xii4 #bb1 #bc74 ,this disconnected use of myrias is amply justified by ,deut4 xxxiii4 #b1 ,dan4 vii4 #aj1 and ,jude #ad4 ,besides1 pangyris is precisely the word to describe the assemblage of angels and distinguish them from the ,church4 #cga krit the pantn4 #cgb ,chap4 viii4 #aj4 #cgc teteleimenn4 #cgd ,chap4 xi4 #dj4 #cge ,deut4 v4 #bg1 #bh4 #cgf paraitsamenoi 7xii4 #be74 #cgg ,chap4 ii4 #c4 #cgh ,the ,bible finds me1 said ,coleridge4 #cgi ,exod4 xix4 #ah4 ,in his citation of this passage our author forsakes the ,septuagint1 which has ,and all the people were greatly amazed4 #chj ,haggai ii4 #f1 #g4 #cha #b ,pet4 iii4 #aj4 #chb ,chap4 xii4 #bh4 #chc ,rev4 iii4 #ba4 #chd latreumen 7xii4 #bh74 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,sundry ,,exhortations4 ,,hebrews xiii4 ,let love of the brethren continue4 ,forget not to shew love unto strangers3 for thereby some have entertained angels unawares4 ,remember them that are in bonds1 as bound with them2 them that are evil entreated1 as being yourselves also in the body4 ,let marriage be had in honour among all1 and let the bed be undefiled3 for fornicators and adulterers ,god will judge4 ,be ye free from the love of money2 content with such things as ye have3 for ,himself hath said1 ,i will in no wise fail thee1 neither will ,i in any wise forsake thee4 ,so that with good courage we say4 ,the ,lord is my helper2 ,i will not fear3 ,what shall man do unto me8 ,remember them that had the rule over you1 which spake unto you the word of ,god2 and considering the issue of their life1 imitate their faith4 ,jesus ,christ is the same yesterday and to-day1 yea and for ever4 ,be not carried away by divers and strange teachings3 for it is good that the heart be established by grace2 not by meats1 wherein they that occupied themselves were not profited4 ,we have an altar1 whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle4 ,for the bodies of those beasts1 whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin1 are burned without the camp4 ,wherefore ,jesus also1 that ,he might sanctify the people through ,his own blood1 suffered without the gate4 ,let us therefore go forth unto ,him without the camp1 bearing ,his reproach4 ,for we have not here an abiding city1 but we seek after the city which is to come4 ,through ,him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to ,god continually1 that is1 the fruit of lips which make confession to ,his name4 ,but to do good and to communicate forget not3 for with such sacrifices ,god is well pleased4 ,obey them that have the rule over you1 and submit to them3 for they watch in behalf of your souls1 as they that shall give account3 that they may do this with joy1 and not with grief3 for this were unprofitable for you4 ,pray for us3 for we are persuaded that we have a good conscience1 desiring to live honestly in all things4 ,and ,i exhort you the more exceedingly to do this1 that ,i may be restored to you the sooner4 ,now the ,god of peace1 who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of the eternal covenant1 even our ,lord ,jesus1 make you perfect in every good thing to do ,his will1 working in us that which is well-pleasing in ,his sight1 through ,jesus ,christ2 to whom be the glory for ever and ever4 ,amen4 ,but ,i exhort you1 brethren1 bear with the word of exhortation3 for ,i have written unto you in few words4 ,know ye that our brother ,timothy hath been set at liberty2 with whom if he come shortly1 ,i will see you4 ,salute all them that have the rule over you1 and all the saints4 ,they of ,italy salute you4 ,grace be with you all4 ,amen4 ,the condition of the ,hebrew ,christians was most serious4 ,but one excellence is acknowledged to have belonged to them4 ,it was almost the only ground of hope4 ,they ministered to the saints4#che ,yet even this grace was in peril4 ,in a previous chapter the writer has exhorted them to call to remembrance the former days1 in which they had compassion on them that were in bonds4#chf ,but he considers it sufficient1 in reference to brotherly love1 to urge them to see that it continues4#chg ,they were in more danger of forgetting to show kindness to their brethren of other ,churches1 who1 in pursuance of the liberty of prophesying accorded in ,apostolic times1 journeyed from place to place for the purpose of founding new ,churches or of imparting spiritual gifts to ,churches already established4 ,besides1 it was a time of local persecutions4 ,one ,church might be suffering1 and its members might take refuge in a sister-,church4 ,missionaries and persecuted brethren would be the strangers to whom the enrolled widows used hospitality1 and whose feet they washed4#chh ,we can well understand why in that age a bishop would be especially expected to be given to hospitality4#chi ,uhlhorn excellently observes that the greatness of the age consisted in this very feature3 that ,christians of all places knew themselves to be fraternally one1 and that in this oneness all differences disappeared4#cij ,in the case of a ,church consisting of ,hebrews the duty of entertaining strangers1 many of them necessarily ,greeks1 would be peculiarly apt to be forgotten4 ,when a ,church wavered in its allegiance to ,christianity1 the alienation would become still more pronounced4 ,the constant going and coming of missionary brethren reminds the author of the ministry of angels1 who are like the swift breezes1 and carry ,christ's messages over the face of the earth4#cia ,sometimes they are as a flame of fire4 ,when they were on their way to destroy the ,cities of the ,plain1 ,abraham and ,lot entertained them1 not knowing that they were heaven-sent ministers of wrath4#cib ,it would be presumptuous in any man to deny the possibility of angelic visitations in the ,christian ,church2 but the ,apostle's meaning is not that hospitality ought to be shown to strangers in the hope that angels may be among them4 ,they are to be received unawares2 otherwise the fragrance of the deed is gone4 ,but the fact remains1 and has been proved in the experience of many1 that kindness to strangers1 be they preaching friars1 or itinerant exhorters1 or persecuted outcasts1 brings a rich blessing to children's children4 ,a ,syrian builds for himself a hut on the riverside1 and offers to carry the wayfarers across on his shoulders4 ,one day a child asks to be taken over4 ,but the light burden becomes every moment heavier4 ,the exhausted bearer asks in astonishment1 ,who art thou1 child8 ,it was ,christ1 and the ,syrian was named the ,christ-bearer in remembrance of the event4#cic ,the next exhortation is to purity4 ,it is better not to attempt to connect these exhortations4 ,their special importance in the case of the ,hebrew ,christians is reason enough for them4 ,abstinence from marriage is not commended4 ,our author is not an ,essene4 ,on the contrary1 he would discourage it4 ,let marriage be held in honour among all classes of men4 ,it is the ,divinely appointed remedy against incontinence4 ,but in the married state itself let there be purity4 ,for the incontinent1 whether in the bonds of wedlock or not1 ,god's direct1 providential judgments will overtake4 ,then follows a warning against love of money1 and the ,lord's promise not to fail or forsake ,joshua#cid is appropriated by our author on behalf of his readers4 ,their covetousness arose from anxiety1 which may have been occasioned by their distressing poverty in the days of ,claudius4#cie ,that the advice was needed shows the precise character of their threatening apostasy4 ,worldliness was at the root of their ,judaism4 ,it is still the same4 ,the self-righteous do not hate money4 ,let them imitate the trustfulness of their great leaders in the past1 who had not given their time and thoughts to heaping up riches1 but had devoted themselves to the work of witnessing and of speaking the word of ,god4 ,let them review with critical eye their manner of life1 and observe how it ended4 ,they all died in faith4 ,some of them suffered martyrdom1 so complete and entirely unworldly was their self-surrender to ,jesus ,christ6 ,but ,jesus ,christ is still the same ,one4 ,if ,he was worthy that ,stephen and ,james should die for ,his sake1 ,he is worthy of our allegiance too4 ,yea1 ,he will be the same for ever4 ,when the world has passed away1 with its fashion and its lust1 when the earth and the works that are therein are burned up and dissolved1 ,jesus ,christ abides4 ,what ,he was yesterday to ,his martyr ,stephen1 that ,he is to all that follow ,him in earth's to-day1 and that ,he will for ever be when ,he shall have appeared unto them who expect ,him unto salvation4 ,the antithesis1 it will be seen1 is not between the departed saints and the abiding ,christ1 but between the world1 which the ,hebrew ,christians loved too well1 and the ,christ ,whom the saints of their ,church had loved better than the world and served by faith unto death4 ,if ,jesus ,christ abides1 ,he is our anchorage1 and the exhortation first given near the beginning of the ,epistle once more suggests itself to the ,apostle4 ,permit not yourselves to drift and be carried past#cif the moorings by divers strange doctrines4 ,the word doctrines is itself emphatic1 ,be not borne aside from the personal1 abiding ,jesus ,christ by propositions1 whether in reference to practice or to belief4 ,what these doctrines were in this particular case we learn from the next verse4 ,they were the doubtful disputations about meats4 ,the epithets divers and strange restrict the allusion still more nearly4 ,he speaks not of the general and familiar injunctions of ,jewish teachers respecting meats1 the subject rather contemptuously dismissed by ,st4 ,paul in the ,epistle to the ,romans3 ,one man hath faith to eat all things2 but he that is weak eateth herbs4#cig ,our author could not have regarded these doctrines as strange1 and he could scarcely have spoken of strengthening the heart with meats if he had meant abstinence from meats4 ,a recent ,english expositor#cih has pointed out the direction in which we must seek the interpretation of this difficult passage4 ,the ,apostle brushes aside the novel teaching of the ,essenes1 who1 without becoming ,christians1 had broken away from the sacrificial system of the ,mosaic law and substituted for it new ordinances of their own1 according to which the daily meal became a sacrifice1 and the president of the community took the place of the ,levitical priest4 ,such teaching was quite as inconsistent with ,judaism as with ,christianity4 ,but the writer of this ,epistle rejects it for precisely the same reason for which he repudiates ,judaism4 ,both are inconsistent with the perfect separateness of ,christ's atonement4 ,it is well1 as ,st4 ,paul said1 for every man to be fully assured in his own mind4#cii ,a doubting conscience enfeebles a man's spiritual vigour for work4 ,the ,essenes found a remedy for morbidness in strictness as to meats and minute directions for the employment of time4 ,st4 ,paul taught that an unhealthy casuistry would be best counteracted by doing all things unto the ,lord4 ,he that eateth eateth unto the ,lord1 for he giveth ,god thanks2 and he that eateth not1 unto the ,lord he eateth not1 and giveth ,god thanks4 ,for none of us liveth to himself1 and none dieth to himself4 ,for whether we live1 we live unto the ,lord2 or whether we die1 we die unto the ,lord4#djj ,the author of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews considers that it betokens a littleness of soul to strengthen conscience by regulations as to various kinds of food4 ,the noble thing#dja is that the heart--that is1 the conscience--be stablished by thankfulness1#djb which will produce a strong1 placid1 courageous1 and healthy moral perception4 ,the moral code of the ,new ,testament is direct and simple4 ,it is entirely free from all casuistical crotchets and distinctions without a difference4 ,those who busy themselves#djc about such matters have never gained anything by it4 ,do the ,essenes repudiate the altar the sacrifice of which may not be eaten8 ,do they teach that the only sacrifice for sin is the daily meal8 ,this is a fatal error4 ,we have says the ,apostle1 an altar of which the worshippers are not permitted to eat4#djd ,all these expressions are metaphorical4 ,by the altar we must understand the atoning sacrifice of ,christ2 by those who serve the tabernacle are meant believers in that sacrifice1 prefigured1 however1 by the priests and worshippers under the old covenant2 and by eating of the altar is meant participation in the sacredness that pertains to the death and atonement of ,christ4 ,the purpose of the writer is to teach the entire separateness of ,christ's atonement4 ,it is true that ,christians eat the body and drink the blood of ,christ4#dje ,but the words of our ,lord and of ,st4 ,paul#djf refer to the passover1 whereas our author speaks of the sin-offering4 ,in the former the lamb was eaten2#djg in the latter the carcases of the beasts whose blood was brought by the worshipper through his representative1#djh the high-priest1 into the holiest place on the day of atonement1 were carried forth without the camp and burned in the fire4#dji ,both sacrifices1 the passover and the sin-offering1 were typical4 ,the former typified our participation in ,christ's death1 the latter the separateness of ,christ's death4 ,many expositors see a reference in the ,apostle's words to the ,lord's ,table1 and some of them infer from the word altar that the ,eucharist is a continual offering of a propitiatory sacrifice to ,god4 ,it is not too much to say that this latter doctrine is the precise error which the ,apostle is here combating4 ,two other interpretations of these verses have been suggested4 ,both are1 we think1 untenable4 ,the one is that we ,christians have an altar of which we have a right to eat1 but of which the ,jewish priests and all who cling to ,judaism have no right to eat2 and1 to prove that they have not1 the ,apostle mentions the fact that they were not permitted to eat the bodies of the beasts slain as a sin-offering under the old covenant4 ,there are several weighty objections to this view1 but the following one will be sufficient4 ,the reference to the sin-offering in the eleventh verse is made in order to show that it was a type of ,christ's atoning death4 ,as the bodies of the slain beasts were carried outside the camp and burned1 so ,christ suffered without the gate4 ,but there is no real resemblance between the two things unless the ,apostle intends to teach that the atonement of ,christ stands apart and cannot be shared in by any other person1 which implies that the tenth verse does not convey the notion that ,christians have a right to eat of the altar4 ,the other interpretation is that we1 ,christians1 have an altar of which we who serve the ideal tabernacle have no right to eat1 inasmuch as the sacrifice is spiritual4 ,our ,christian altar supplies no flesh for carnal food4#daj ,but if the reference is to carnal food1 the expression ,we have no right to eat is not the appropriate one4 ,the writer would surely have said1 of which we cannot eat4 ,besides1 this view misses the connection between the ninth and tenth verses4 ,to say that ,christ's death procured spiritual blessings and that we do not eat ,his body after a carnal manner does not affect the question concerning meats1 unless the doctrine concerning meats includes the notion that they are themselves an atoning sacrifice4 ,such was the doctrine of the ,essenes4 ,the argument of the ,apostle is good and forcible if it means that ,christ's atonement is ,christ's alone4 ,we share not in its sacredness1 though we partake of its blessings4 ,it resembles the sin-offering on the day of atonement1 as well as the paschal lamb4 ,but it was not enough that the slain beasts should be burned without the camp4 ,their blood also must be brought into the holiest place4 ,the former rite signified that the slain beast bore the sin of the people1 the latter that the people themselves were sanctified4 ,similarly ,jesus suffered without the gate of ,jerusalem1 in reproach and ignominy1 as the ,sin-bearer1 and also entered into the true holiest place1 in order to sanctify ,his people through ,his own blood4 ,we must not press the analogy4 ,the author sees a quaint but touching resemblance between the burning of the slain beasts outside the camp and the crucifying of ,jesus on ,golgotha outside the city4 ,the point of resemblance is in the ignominy symbolized in the one and in the other4 ,here too the writer finds the practical use of what he has said4 ,though the atonement of the ,cross is ,christ's1 and cannot be shared in by others1 the reproach of that atoning death can4 ,the thought leads the ,apostle away from the divers strange doctrines of the ,essenes1 and brings him back to the main idea of the ,epistle1 which is to induce his readers to hold no more dalliance with ,judaism1 but to break away from it finally and for ever4 ,let us come out1 he says4 ,the word recalls ,st4 ,paul's exhortation to the ,christians of ,corinth to come out from among them1 to be separate1 and not to touch the unclean thing4 ,for what concord can there be between ,christ and ,belial1 between a believer and an unbeliever1 between the sanctuary of ,god and idols8#daa ,our author tells the ,hebrew ,christians that on earth they have nothing better than reproach to expect4 ,quit1 therefore1 the camp of ,judaism4 ,live1 so to speak1 in the desert4 7,he speaks metaphorically throughout47 ,you have no abiding city on earth4 ,the fatal mistake of the ,jews has been that they have turned what ought to be simply a camp into an abiding city4 ,they have lost the feeling of the pilgrim2 they seek not a better country and a city built by ,god4 ,shun ye this worldliness4 ,not only regard not your earthly life as a permanent dwelling in a city1 but leave even the camp2 be not only sojourners1 but outcasts4 ,share in the reproach of ,jesus1 and look for your citizenship in heaven4 ,reverting to the teaching of the ,essenes1 the writer proceeds3 ,through ,jesus let us offer a sacrifice of praise4#dab ,the emphasis must rest on the words through ,jesus4 ,the daily meal is not a sacrifice1 except in the sense of being a thanksgiving2 and our thanksgiving is acceptable to ,god when it is offered through ,him ,whose death is a propitiation4 ,even then lip-worship only is not accepted4 ,share the meal with the poor4 ,god is pleased with the sacrifices of doing good to all and contributing#dac to the necessities of the saints4 ,the ,apostle next exhorts them to obey their leaders1 and that with yielding submission4 ,the atmosphere is certainly different from the democratic spirit of the ,corinthian ,church4 ,yet it is not improbable that the safety of the ,hebrew ,christians everywhere from a violent reaction towards ,judaism was due to the wisdom and profounder insight of the leaders4 ,our author evidently considers that he has them on his side4 ,they1 whatever we may think of the common herd1 are wide awake4 ,they understand that they will have to give an account of their stewardship over you to ,christ at ,his coming4 ,submit to them1 that they may watch over your souls with joy1 and not with a grief that finds utterance in frequent sighs4#dad ,when they give their account1 you will not find that your fretful rebelliousness has profited you aught4 ,the ,essenian society gain nothing by absorption of the individual in the community1 and you will gain nothing1 but quite the reverse1 by asserting your individual crotchets to the destruction of the ,church4#dae ,he asks his readers to pray for him and ,timothy1 who has been released from prison4 ,their prayers are his due4 ,for he believes he has an upright conscience in breaking with ,judaism4 ,for the same reason he is confident that their prayers on his behalf will be answered4 ,he and his friends wish in all things to live noble lives4 ,he is the more desirous of having their prayers because of his eagerness to be restored#daf to them4 ,he means much more than to return to them4 ,he wishes to be restored1 or refitted4 ,their prayers will put an end to the perturbation of his mind1 and bring back the happiness of their first love4 ,he1 too1 prays for them4 ,his prayer is that ,god may furnish them with every gift of grace to do ,his will1 and ,his will is their consecration1#dag through the offering of the body of ,jesus ,christ once4 ,god will answer his prayer and provide in them that which is pleasing in ,his sight through ,jesus ,christ4 ,for ,he has not left ,his ,church without a ,shepherd1 though it is in the wilderness4 ,he has brought up from the dead1 and restored out of the ignominious death without the gate1 our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the great ,shepherd1 ,who is ever with them1 whatever may become of the undershepherds4 ,that ,he has been raised from the dead is certain4 ,for1 when ,he was crucified in ignominy without the gate1 ,his blood was at the same time offered in the true holiest place4 ,that blood has ratified the new and final covenant between ,god and ,his people4 ,it was through ,his own blood of this eternal covenant that ,he was raised from the dead1 and it is in virtue of the same blood and of the same covenant that ,he is now the ,shepherd of ,his ,church4 ,here1 again1 we must not draw too broad a distinction between the resurrection of ,christ and ,his ascension to heaven4 ,on the one hand1 we must not say that by the words bringing up from the dead the ,apostle means the ascension2 on the other hand1 the words do not exclude the ascension4 ,the resurrection and the ascension coalesce in the notion of ,christ being living4 ,the only distinction present1 we think1 to the writer's mind was that between the shame of ,christ's death without the camp and the offering of ,his blood by the living ,christ in the holiest place4 ,he ,who died on the ,cross through that death liveth evermore4 ,he lives to be the ,shepherd of ,his people4 ,therefore to ,him must be ascribed the glory for ever and ever4 ,the ,apostle once more begs his readers to bear with the word of exhortation4 ,let them remember that he has written briefly in order to spare them4 ,he might have said more1 but he has refrained4 ,he hopes to bring ,timothy with him1 unless his friend tarries long4 ,in that case he will come alone1 so great is his anxiety to see them4 ,he sends his greetings to all the saints1 but mentions the leaders4 ,brethren who have come from ,italy are with him4 ,they may have been exiles or fugitives who had sought safety during the first great persecution of the ,church in the days of ,nero4 ,they too send greetings4 ,he closes with the ,apostolic benediction4 ,for1 whoever he was1 he was truly an ,apostolic man4 ,,footnotes3 #che ,chap4 vi4 #aj4 #chf ,chap4 x4 #cd4 #chg ,chap4 xiii4 #a4 #chh #a ,tim4 v4 #aj4 #chi #a ,tim4 iii4 #b4 #cij ,christian ,charity in the ,ancient ,church1 ,english ,trans41 p4 #ib4 #cia ,chap4 i4 #g4 #cib ,gen4 xviii4 #b2 xix4 #a4 #cic ,the legend of ,christopher is beautifully told by ,oosterzee at the beginning of his book on ,the ,person and ,work of the ,redeemer1 ,english ,trans4 7,ed4 #ahhf74 #cid ,josh4 i4 #e4 #cie ,acts xi4 #bh4 #cif m parapheresthe 7xiii4 #i74 #cig ,rom4 ix4 #ac4 #cih ,rendall3 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 pp4 xxv4 and #aci4 #cii ,rom4 xiv4 #ae4 #djj ,rom4 xiv4 #f-h4 #dja kalon 7xiii4 #i74 #djb chariti4 ,the author has chosen a more classical word than that which ,st4 ,paul uses4 #djc peripatountes4 #djd ,chap4 xiii4 #aj4 #dje ,john vi4 #ea-ee4 #djf #a ,cor4 x4 #af4 #djg ,exod4 xii4 #djh dia4 #dji ,lev4 xvi4 #bg4 #daj ,so ,rendall1 loc4 cit4 #daa #b ,cor4 vi4 #ae sqq4 #dab ,chap4 xiii4 #ae4 #dac koinnias4 #dad stenazontes 7xiii4 #ag74 #dae alysiteles4 ,comp4 ver4 #i4 #daf apokatastath 7xiii4 #ai74 #dag ,chap4 x4 #aj4 ,,index4 ,the numerals refer to the pages4 ,aaron1 consecration of1 #ahe2 priesthood of1 #gi1 #abh4 ,abel's faith1 #bbc4 ,abraham1 faith of1 #bac2 ,god's oath to1 #aja2 promise made to1 #i2 seed of1 #de4 ,adam1 #bbj2 the second1 #cf4 ,agnostics1 #bce4 ,acquittal of ,christ1 #afh4 ,alaric1 #bgb4 ,allegory of ,melchizedek1 #aac4 ,altar1 #cbc4 ,angels1 assembly of1 #cja2 as emanations1 #bb2 man inferior to1 #cd2 ministry of1 #bg1 #caf4 ,anticipation of nature1 #bda4 ,antinomianism1 #adh1 #bja4 ,antiochus ,epiphanes1 #bfd4 ,apostasy1 #ie4 ,architect of all1 ,god the1 #ed4 ,aristotle's doctrine of habit1 #he4 ,assemblies1 ,church1 #ahg4 ,assurance1 #agd4 ,athletes1 #aid4 ,atonement1 day of1 #bif2 ,christ's1 #ch4 ,augustine cited1 #adb4 ,authority of our ,high priest1 #gg4 ,baptism1 #ahf2 infant1 #bdj4 ,baptisms1 doctrine of1 #hg4 ,barak's faith1 #bf4 ,benediction1 apostolic1 #cbi4 ,bengel1 #ajj4 ,blessing of ,god1 #hi4 ,brotherhood1 ,christ's1 #ci1 #da4 ,bruce1 ,dr41 ,humiliation of ,christ1 #dd4 ,cain1 how far he had faith1 #bbc4 ,calvin1 #ajj1 #bej4 ,canaan1 rest of1 #fa4 ,character in relation to understanding of truth1 #ij4 ,christ1 the coming of1 #aie2 a spotless victim1 #aef2 death of1 #cg1 #ic2 return of1 #ahh2 as creator1 #i2 the effulgence of ,god's glory1 #ab2 as theocratic king1 #bf1 #agi2 piety of1 #gg2 true man1 #afg2 unchangeable1 #afd2 unites all revelations of ,god1 #h2 as first-begotten1 #bf2 as ,leader1 #ch2 ,his trust in ,god1 #dj2 ,his humiliations a propitiatory in death1 #cg2 more worthy than ,moses1 #ee2 incapable of sin1 #gb2 the great ,shepherd1 #cbh4 ,christology of the ,epistle1 #agh4 ,christopher1 legend of1 #cag4 ,church1 consciousness of the1 #ahg2 customs1 #ahg2 idea of the1 #ahe4 ,cloud of witnesses1 #bei1 #bgi4 ,cocceius1 #abf4 ,coleridge1 ,s4 ,t41 cited1 #cjd4 ,colossian heresy1 #bb4 ,colossians1 ,epistle to the1 #bb4 ,conflict of faith1 #bgc1 #bgg4 ,conscience1 enlightened1 #aeh1 #bbg1 #bdh2 natural1 #aeb1 #aee2 enfeebled by ,judaism1 #aef2 as a revelation of ,god1 #c2 not satisfied under the ,law1 #abc4 ,consecration1 priestly1 #ahe4 ,conversion1 immediate1 #bdb4 ,cross1 use of the word1 #bha4 ,creed1 the ,nicene1 #ae4 ,cynicism1 #if1 #aij4 ,cyprian cited1 #ie4 ,covenant1 new4 ,see under ,new4 ,covenant1 old1 #cjg4 ,david's faith1 #bfc4 ,death a spiritual conception1 #dc4 ,deborah's faith1 #bfa4 ,delitzsch cited1 #aad4 ,demons1 faith of1 #bbd4 ,de ,lyra1 #beh4 ,discipline of conscience1 #age2 of character1 #bhc4 ,doctrines1 strange1 #cag4 ,dominion bestowed on man through ,christ1 #cf4 ,dreams once a revelation of ,god1 #aj4 ,earnestness1 #ajj4 ,ecstasy1 #aa1 #ec4 ,effulgence of ,god's glory1 #ab4 ,eleazar's faith1 #bfd4 ,elijah's removal1 #bbj2 his faith1 #bfc2 his sudden appearances1 #f2 defiled by touching a dead person1 #aee4 ,elisha defiled by touching a dead person1 #aee4 ,emanations1 doctrine of1 #ba sqq4 ,enoch's faith1 #bai4 ,ephesians1 ,epistle to the1 #eb4 ,equity of our ,high-priest1 #gb1 #gd4 ,esau a representative of the worldly spirit1 #bhg4 ,essenes1 #bf1 #cbj sqq4 ,eternal duration of ,christ's priesthood1 #aaf4 ,exhortations of the ,epistle compared1 #ahc4 ,exmanition of ,christ1 #dd4 ,failure1 impossibility of1 #ii4 ,faith1 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#afa4 ,initial grace1 #ia4 ,intercession of ,christ1 #abh1 #acd4 ,interpretation of nature1 #bda4 ,introspection1 #aje4 ,isaac1 #ajb2 resurrection of1 #bbh2 blessing of1 #bei4 ,isaiah1 cited1 #dj2 faith of1 #bfa4 ,jacob's blessing1 #bdi1 #bei4 ,james1 ,st41 on faith1 #bjj4 ,jephthah's faith1 #bfa4 ,jeremiah predicts a new covenant1 #ach4 ,jerusalem1 the church of1 #i1 #he2 the heavenly1 #aec4 ,jesus1 as ,god's servant1 #ee2 looking unto1 #bgi2 faith of1 #bhj2 as leader and perfecter of faith1 #bhj2 unchangeable1 #cah4 ,john1 ,st41 ,first ,epistle of1 #ace4 ,joseph1 faith of1 #bfj4 ,josephus on ,essenes1 #bf4 ,joshua son of ,hanan1 #ahh4 ,judah1 ,jesus sprang from1 #abb4 ,judaism1 earlier and later1 #bcd2 ,christ not the flowering of1 #bdi4 ,judgment1 the coming of ,christ a1 #ahh2 doctrine of eternal1 #hg4 ,justice1 ,god's1 #ii4 ,kindness1 brotherly1 #ii4 ,king1 ,christ the theocratic1 #bf4 ,kingship of ,christ1 #agi1 #cjh4 ,knowledge of ,god1 #add4 ,kurtz1 ,history of the ,old ,covenant1 #bec4 ,lapsed1 the1 #ie4 ,law1 given through angels1 #bc2 given by the ,son1 #ca2 contrasted with salvation1 #ca2 how far immutable1 #fc4 ,laying on of hands1 #hg4 ,legalism1 #adh1 #bjb4 ,maccaban ,princes1 #aae4 ,macknight1 #bdh4 ,malebranche cited1 #bje4 ,man1 how inferior to the angels1 #cd4 ,martyrdom1 #aid4 ,mass1 sacrifice of the1 #acd4 ,mediator1 ,christ a1 #acg2 of the new covenant1 #cjb4 ,melchizedek1 #ge1 #gi1 #hh1 #ajf1 #aac1 #ace1 #aef4 ,mercy-seat1 the1 #aed4 ,merivale1 ,dean1 ,romans under the ,empire1 #if1 #aif4 ,messiah1 ,david's ,lord1 #aad4 ,messianic1 the eighth ,psalm1 #ce4 ,midian1 purpose of ,moses' sojourn in1 #bec4 ,minister of the ,sanctuary1 ,christ the1 #acc1 #afi4 ,ministering to the saints1 #aib1 #cac4 ,miracles1 #cj sq41 #cjf4 ,missionary brethren1 #cae4 ,monotheist1 ,melchizedek a1 #aah4 ,moral instincts1 #bje4 ,mosaic dispensation created by ,christ1 #ea4 ,moses1 #cb2 a steward of ,christ1 #ed2 inferior to ,christ1 #ee2 faith of1 #bcc2 mission of1 #bcf2 inner life of1 #bcg2 comeliness of1 #bci2 ,stephen's account of1 #bde2 fear of1 #cjj4 ,mythology1 #adh4 ,nation1 a spiritual1 #bcf4 ,nationalism of the old covenant1 #adj1 #bdc4 ,natural religion1 #c4 ,nature1 the vesture of the ,son1 #bg2 interrogated1 #h2 as a revelation of ,god1 #c2 dissolution of1 #cjg4 ,nestorian doctrine1 #afi4 ,new covenant1 superiority of the1 #adb2 in relation to the law1 #adc2 in relation to knowing ,god1 #add4 ,newman1 ,cardinal1 ,the ,arians1 #ac4 ,new ,testament1 produced in one age1 #g2 only accounted for by the ,incarnation1 #g4 ,nicene ,creed1 #ae4 ,noah's faith1 #bae4 ,nomadic life1 #bah4 ,novatianists1 #ie4 ,oath1 of ,god to ,abraham1 #aja2 of men and ,god contrasted1 #ajd4 ,obedience of the ,son1 #gg4 ,old ,testament defective in unity1 #f4 ,oneness of the ,dispensations1 #ea4 ,ontological argument1 the1 #bji4 ,oosterzee1 ,person and ,work of the ,redeemer1 #cag4 ,parable1 use of the word1 #bbh4 ,passover1 #cbj4 ,paul1 ,st41 on the atonement1 #bbd2 manner of1 #bi2 his account of faith1 #bja4 ,peace of conscience1 #agd4 ,permission and command1 #bbg4 ,personality1 greatness of ,christ's1 #abj2 of ,god1 #bjh4 ,phantoms1 #bjc1 #bda4 ,pharisaism1 #bce4 ,philo1 on child in knowledge1 #he2 on the earnest soul1 #ajb2 on ,abraham's faith1 #baf2 on ,melchizedek1 #aae2 on the use of allegory1 #aaf2 on the ,word as an effulgence1 #ae4 ,piety of ,christ1 #gg4 ,pity of our ,high-priest1 #gc4 ,plato on reminiscence1 #bbb4 ,pre-existence of ,christ1 #abf sq41 #bdh4 ,priesthood1 the foundation of ,christ's power1 #dc2 of ,christ on earth1 #afi4 ,priest-,king1 the ,son as1 #ag4 ,probation after death1 #afg4 ,progress1 moral1 #hf4 ,promise1 implies a threatening1 #eh2 and oath of ,god1 #ajd4 ,prophecy1 in what respects defective1 #e4 ,prophets1 as preachers1 #adg2 received their message through the ,son1 #ed2 visions of the1 #aj4 ,purification1 of the tabernacle1 #afc2 of heaven1 #afc4 ,qualifications of the ,high-,priest1 #gd4 ,race1 illustration of the1 #bgf4 ,rahab's faith1 #bfa4 ,ratification of the new covenant1 #afb4 ,realisation of ,christ1 #eb4 ,reconciliation of ,god1 #gh2 the holiest place a symbol of1 #aeb4 ,reign of ,christ on earth1 #acf4 ,reminiscence1 ,plato's doctrine of1 #bbb4 ,remorse1 #aij sq4 ,rendall1 ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 #cbj1 #cbc4 ,renewal1 impossibility of1 #hc4 ,repentance an initial grace1 #hf4 ,representation recognized in the ,new ,testament1 #bda4 ,representative man1 ,christ the1 #cd4 ,resentment belongs to ,god's fatherhood1 #cb4 ,rest1 offered by ,christ1 #eh2 the ideal of the ,old ,testament1 #eh2 from labour the rudimentary ,sabbath1 #fj2 in ,canaan1 #fa2 described by the ,psalmist1 #fa4 ,resurrection1 doctrine of the1 #hg2 of ,christ1 #gb4 ,retribution1 #aia2 ,old ,testament conception of1 #cjj4 ,revealer of ,god--,son of ,god1 #bd4 ,revelation of ,god1 #bid sq4 ,righteousness1 word of1 #hh4 ,robertson1 ,history of the ,church1 #bfb4 ,ruth1 #bfa4 ,sabbath1 the1 #fj1 #fb1 #aff4 ,sabellius1 #bh4 ,sacrament1 #bee4 ,saintliness1 #bad4 ,salvation contrasted with law1 #ca4 ,samson's faith1 #bfb4 ,samuel the prophet1 on obedience1 #agg4 ,sanctification1 what1 #da2 use of the word1 #agh4 ,sanctuary1 the outer1 has ceased to exist1 #aej sq41 #aeh4 ,satan1 atonement not given to1 #dc2 destruction of1 #db2 as tempter1 #gb4 ,scott1 ,thomas1 #bdh4 ,sense1 a spiritual1 #he4 ,separateness of ,jesus1 #ge4 ,septuagint1 #ce1 #aci1 #cjf4 ,shadow1 the law had only a1 #agc4 ,shedding of blood1 #agj4 ,shiloh1 promise of the1 #bdi4 ,sibyl1 fable of the1 #ei4 ,sin1 the besetting1 #bgg2 ,christ incapable of1 #gb4 ,sinai1 ,mount1 #big4 ,sinners1 use of the word1 #bge4 ,sin-offering1 #cbb4 ,socinas1 ,faustus1 #afi4 ,son of man1 sin against the1 #ie4 ,sons1 discipline of1 #bhd4 ,sonship of ,christ1 defined1 #bh2 a revelation of ,god1 #ab4 ,soul of ,christ in ,hades1 #agj4 ,special trials of ,christ1 #gf4 ,spirit1 an eternal1 #aef2 of grace1 what1 #aij4 ,spirit1 the ,holy1 #aeb1 #cjf4 ,spiritualism1 #aa4 ,staff1 ,jacob's1 #bfj4 ,stephen reproaches the ,jews1 #bc4 ,subsisting1 the ,son's distinct mode of1 #ad4 ,supernatural erected on nature1 #fd4 ,surety for ,god1 #abe4 ,sustainer1 the ,word as1 #af4 ,sympathy wanting to the angels1 #gd4 ,tabernacle1 description of the1 #aej2 the greater1 #aec2 purification of the1 #afc4 ,table1 the ,lord's1 #cbb4 ,tantalus1 #bba4 ,teachings of the ,twelve ,apostles1 #hd4 ,teachers in the ,church1 #hd4 ,temptation of ,christ real1 #gb4 ,testament1 #afa4 ,tertullian cited1 #bfd4 ,thankfulness1 #cji4 ,theology1 #hh sq4 ,timothy1 #cbi4 ,traducianism1 #bbb4 ,trinity1 the1 #ac4 ,typical character of the ,law1 #afc4 ,uhlhorn1 ,charity in the ,ancient ,church1 #caf4 ,union the basis of consecration1 #da4 ,universalism of ,christ and ,st4 ,paul1 #ada4 ,veil of ,christ's flesh1 #agj4 ,vineyard1 parable of the1 #ca4 ,wesleys1 epitaph of the1 #bcc4 ,whitby1 #bdh4 ,wilderness1 discipline of the1 #bej4 ,will of ,god our sanctification1 #agg4 ,wisdom1 ,book of1 #db4 ,witnesses1 use of the word1 #bfi4 ,word of ,god1 living1 #fe1 #cje2 immutable1 #fc4 ,wordsworth1 ,w41 cited1 #bbb4 ,works1 dead1 #hh4 ,world1 end of the1 #aff4 ,worship1 the result of a revelation1 #c4 ,zechariah1 ,book of1 #aae1 #abb2 faith of1 #bfd4 ,zion1 ,mount1 #aec1 #big sq4 ,printed by ,hazell1 ,watson1 ,viney1 ,ld41 ,london and ,aylesbury4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 price #gs4 #f;d4 each vol4 ,,first ,,series1 #ahhg-h4 ,colossians4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,st4 ,mark4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 the ,bishop of ,derry4 ,genesis4 ,by ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 #a ,samuel4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d4 #b ,samuel4 ,by the same ,author4 ,hebrews4 ,by ,principal ,t4 ,c4 ,,edwards1 ,d4,d4 ,,second ,,series1 #ahhh-i4 ,galatians4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,the ,pastoral ,epistles4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,plummer1 ,d4,d4 ,isaiah ,i4-,,xxxix4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,the ,book of ,revelation4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,,milligan1 ,d4,d4 #a ,corinthians4 ,by ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,john4 ,by the ,most ,rev4 the ,archbishop of ,armagh4 ,,third ,,series1 #ahhi-ij4 ,judges and ,ruth4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,jeremiah4 ,by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,j4 ,,ball1 ,m4,a4 ,isaiah ,,xl4-,,lxvi4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,st4 ,matthew4 ,by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,,monro ,,gibson1 ,d4,d4 ,exodus4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 the ,bishop of ,derry4 ,st4 ,luke4 ,by the ,rev4 ,h4 ,,burton1 ,m4,a4 ,,fourth ,,series1 #ahij-ia4 ,ecclesiastes4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,samuel ,,cox1 ,d4,d4 ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,jude4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,plummer1 ,d4,d4 ,proverbs4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,f4 ,,horton1 ,d4,d4 ,leviticus4 ,by the ,rev4 ,s4 ,h4 ,,kellogg1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,prof4 ,m4 ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,by ,prof4 ,,stokes1 ,d4 ,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,,fifth ,,series1 #ahia-b4 ,the ,psalms4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 #a and #b ,thessalonians4 ,by ,prof4 ,,james ,,denney1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,book of ,job4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4 ,a41 ,d4,d4 ,ephesians4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,prof4 ,m4 ,,dods1 ,d4 ,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,by ,prof4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,sixth ,,series1 #ahib-c4 #a ,kings4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 the ,dean of ,canterbury4 ,philippians4 ,by ,principal ,,rainy1 ,d4,d4 ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 ,esther4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,f4 ,,adeney1 ,m4,a4 ,joshua4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,psalms4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,peter1 ,by ,prof4 ,,rawson ,,lumby1 ,d4,d4 ,,seventh ,,series1 #ahic-d4 #b ,kings4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 the ,dean of ,canterbury4 ,romans4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 ,h4 ,c4 ,g4 ,,moule1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,books of ,chronicles4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,bennett1 ,d4,d41 ,d4,lit4 #b ,corinthians4 ,by ,prof4 ,,james ,,denney1 ,d4,d4 ,numbers4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,the ,psalms4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,iii4 ,,eighth ,,series1 #ahie-f4 ,daniel4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 the ,dean of ,canterbury4 ,the ,book of ,jeremiah4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,bennett1 ,d4,d41 ,d4,lit4 ,deuteronomy4 ,by ,prof4 ,,andrew ,,harper1 ,b4,d4 ,the ,song of ,solomon and ,lamentations4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,f4 ,,adeney1 ,m4,a4 ,ezekiel4 ,by ,prof4 ,,john ,,skinner1 ,m4,a4 ,the ,books of the ,twelve ,prophets4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,d4,d4 ,two ,vols4 ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author4 ,a ,,commentary ,,on ,,the ,,first ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,corinthians4 ,fourth ,edition1 #hvo1 cloth1 price #ads4 ,,notices ,,of ,,the ,,press4 ,the exposition1 based throughout on the ,greek text1 surveys with minuteness the words1 phrases1 and construction1 bringing out the sense specially and generally1 tracing the apostle's arguments1 and unfolding his views on the diversified subjects which the epistle embraces4 ,fulness of comment characterizes the work4 ,variations of the original text1 grammar1 syntax1 usage of words1 enter into the expositor's plan1 as well as the doctrinal views of the sacred writer4 ,we have been pleased to see so much good exposition from one who has used many sources with independence1 and advanced far beyond any ,english commentator in correct explanation of the epistle4--,athenum4 ,an important feature is the sketch given in the ,introduction of the ,commentaries on ,first ,corinthians1 from the earliest times to our own day4 ,the ,commentary itself is learned1 clear1 impartial1 and based on an ample knowledge of preceding writers4--,academy4 ,we refer to the truly masterly exposition of the history of interpretation from its beginning to our day in ,edwards' introduction to his ,commentary4444 ,the author of this ,commentary possesses high philological culture4 ,the spirit and value of his exegesis will appear from the quotations which we shall not fail to make from his important work4--,,professor ,,godet',s ,introduction to his ,commentary on ,first ,corinthians4 ,it is with the utmost satisfaction that we welcome the appearance of a commentator of the first class1 whose work bears to be judged by the highest standard1 if1 indeed1 it does not even raise the standard by which exegetical work is measured4 ,such books as this which we now receive from ,principal ,edwards1 make room for themselves1 and disclose unthought of possibilities of exposition4 ,there is apparent a combination of gifts1 any of which singly would make the fortune of a commentator4 ,his knowledge of ,greek1 and familiarity with both classical and patristic literature1 are worthy of one who professes himself the friend and pupil of ,prof4 ,jowett4 ,to the use of the highest linguistic authorities he has brought a fineness of grammatical and lexical discernment which enables him to criticise and sometimes to correct their judgments4 ,but the great merit of the commentary is that the reader finds himself in contact with the mind of ,paul1 and not merely examining an old-world document4 ,all is thought out beforehand1 and compactly and vigorously expressed4 ,it will be recognised as the work of a sound scholar1 of a learned1 earnest1 and philosophical theologian1 of a mind masculine and accomplished2 and it will speedily take its place as the indispensable aid to the understanding of this part of ,scripture4--,rev4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d41 in ,expositor4 ,of living commentators it is obviously not desirable for me to say more than to express my respectful recognition of labours that have been well bestowed1 and work that has been well done4 ,there are two ,english ,commentaries1 however1 to which ,i may be permitted very briefly to refer1 as ,i have received from both much that has reassured me in my own judgment in difficult passages1 and much that has led me to test my results when ,i have not found myself in agreement with them4 ,the works to which ,i refer are the singularly attractive ,commentary of ,canon ,evans1 and the full1 careful1 and comprehensive ,commentary of ,principal ,edwards4--,,bishop ,,ellicott1 in his ,commentary on ,first ,corinthians4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton1 #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row4 ,,works ,,by ,,the ,,right ,,rev4 ,h4 ,c4 ,g4 ,,moule1 ,d4,d4 ,,the ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,romans4 ,in the ,expositor's ,bible ,series4 ,seventh ,edition4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth #gs4 #f;d4 ,mr4 ,moule has made a very careful study of ,paul's great doctrinal ,epistle1 and has entered thoroughly into its spirit4--,scotsman4 ,we do not hesitate to place it in the very front of the little group of volumes which are the best examples of this carefully edited work4 ,it would be pleasant to linger upon this commentary1 upon the clearness with which the great evangelical doctrines of the ,epistle are explained and enforced1 upon the earnestness of its personal appeal1 and the charm which often marks its language2 but the judicious student of the ,new ,testament will obtain the book for himself4--,record4 ,the spirit in which he expounds it1 is beyond our praise4--,spectator4 ,,outlines ,,of ,,christian ,,doctrine4 ,in the ,theological ,educator ,series4 ,nineteenth ,thousand1 #bs4 #f;d4 ,the author disclaims originality or exhaustiveness1 but the work shews a certain originality of the expository skill with which the familiar doctrine is made clear1 and it is so concisely written that a divinity student who had mastered its contents might be fairly well considered able to pass the examination for ,orders4 ,it is an admirable text-book1 and enhances the value of the series in which it appears4--,scotsman4 ,marked throughout by the most careful and critical knowledge of ,scriptures1 more particularly of the ,new ,testament1 and the most patient weighing and comparison of parallel texts4444 ,it forms an admirable introduction to the subject1 and seems in intellectual power to even surpass any other of ,mr4 ,moule's published writings4--,record4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 99,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4199 ,editor of ,the ,expositor1 etc4 ,,the ,,record says3-- ,few series of volumes gives us so much pleasure to review as the ',expositor's ,bible4' ,we never open a volume without expecting to find in it much that is inspiriting and much that is suggestive1 and we are never disappointed4 ,we have no hesitation in advising any ,clergyman who is thinking of expounding a book of ,scripture to his congregation to procure1 as one of his most valuable aids1 the right volume of the ',expositor's ,bible4' 99,eighth and ,final ,series499 ,,seven ,,volumes4 ,in large crown #hvo1 cloth4 ,subscription ,price 99#bhs499 ,separate ,vols41 99#gs4 #f;d499 each4 99,the ,book of ,daniel99 ,by the 99,very ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,,farrar1 ,d4,d41 ,f4,r4,s4991 ,dean of ,canterbury4 99,the ,book of ,ezekiel99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,,john ,,skinner1 ,m4,a4991 ,professor of ,old ,testament ,exegesis1 ,presbyterian ,college1 ,london4 99,the ,book of ,jeremiah99 ,chapters ,,xxi4-,,lii4 ,by the 99,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,bennett1 ,d4,d4991 ,professor of ,old ,testament ,languages and ,literature1 ,hackney and ,new ,colleges4 99,the ,book of ,deuteronomy99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,professor ,,andrew ,,harper1 ,b4,d4991 ,ormond ,college1 ,melbourne4 99,the ,song of ,solomon and the ,lamentations of ,jeremiah99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,w4 ,f4 ,,adeney1 ,m4,a4991 ,professor of ,exegesis1 ,new ,college1 ,london4 99,the ,minor ,prophets99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,professor ,,george ,,adam ,,smith1 ,d4,d499 ,author of ,the ,book of ,isaiah1 ,the ,historical ,geography of the ,holy ,land1 etc4 ,in ,two ,volumes4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton4 #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row4 ,first ,series4 ,subscription ,price1 99#bds499 ,separate ,volumes1 99#gs4 #f;d499 each4 99,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,mark99 ,by the 99,right ,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d4991 ,lord ,bishop of ,derry and ,raphoe4 ,the exposition is original1 full of life1 striking1 and relevant4 ,he has given us the fruit of much careful thought1 and all students of the ,new ,testament and preachers of the ,gospel will be grateful to him4 ,this is1 in short1 an unusually good book4--,british ,weekly4 99,the ,epistles to the ,colossians and ,philemon99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d499 ,in nothing ,dr4 ,maclaren has written is there more of beauty1 of spiritual insight1 or of brilliant elucidation of ,scripture4 ,indeed1 ,dr4 ,maclaren is here at his best4--,expositor4 ,it contains a wealth of thought for preachers4--,rock4 ,dr4 ,maclaren's exposition is remarkable for vigour and common sense4 ,it is strongly written1 and arranged with scholarly thoroughness4--,academy4 99,the ,book of ,genesis99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d994 ,every reader of cultured mind and delicate instinct will recognise with delight and admire the fine qualities of sympathetic insight1 sensitive perception1 ethical intuition1 and religious tact4--,the late ,,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,elmslie1 ,m4,a4 99,the ,first ,book of ,samuel99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d499 ,remarkably interesting and helpful4 ,very seldom have we met with a religious work which we can more confidently recommend for its thoughtfulness1 fidelity1 and kindly spirit4--,leeds ,mercury4 99,the ,second ,book of ,samuel99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d994 ,there can be no doubt of the care and thoroughness with which ,dr4 ,blaikie has executed his task4 ,from his own point of view he has produced a solid and able piece of work4--,academy4 99,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,principal ,t4 ,c4 ,,edwards1 ,d4,d4991 ,author of ,a ,commentary on the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,he has entered into the spirit and purport of what truly he calls 'one of the greatest and most difficult books of the ,new ,testament' with a systematic thoroughness and fairness which cannot be too highly commended4--,academy4 ,there is abundant evidence of accurate scholarship1 acute criticism1 patient thought1 and faculty of lucid exposition4 ,however thoroughly any one has studied the ,epistle here explained1 he will certainly find in ,dr4 ,edwards's volume fresh suggestions4--,,dr4 ,,marcus ,,dods4 ,second ,series4 ,subscription ,price1 99#bds499 ,separate ,volumes1 99#gs4 #f;d499 each4 99,the ,epistle to the ,galatians99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,d4,d4991 ,headingley ,college1 ,leeds4 ,in this volume we have the mature results of broad and accurate scholarship1 exegetical tact1 and a firm grasp of the great principles underlying the ,gospel of ,paul presented in a form so lucid and attractive that every thoughtful reader can enjoy it4--,,professor ,,beet4 99,the ,book of ,isaiah99 ,chapters ,i4-,,xxxix4 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,,adam ,,smith1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d499 ,this is a very attractive book4 ,mr4 ,george ,adam ,smith has evidently such a mastery of the scholarship of his subject that it would be a sheer impertinence for most scholars1 even though tolerable ,hebraists1 to criticise his translations2 and certainly it is not the intention of the present reviewer to attempt anything of the kind1 to do which he is absolutely incompetent4 ,all we desire is to let ,english readers know how very lucid1 impressive--and1 indeed1 how vivid--a study of ,isaiah is within their reach2 the fault of the book1 if it has a fault1 being rather that it finds too many points of connection between ,isaiah and our modern word1 than that it finds too few4 ,in other words1 no one can say that the book is not full of life4--,spectator4 99,the ,pastoral ,epistles99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,,alfred ,,plummer1 ,d4,d4991 ,master of ,university ,college1 ,durham4 ,an admirable sample of what popular theology ought to be4--,saturday ,review4 ,the treatment is throughout scholarlike1 lucid1 thoughtful4--,guardian4 99,the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d499 ,a clear1 close1 unaffected1 unostentatious exposition1 not verse by verse1 but thought after thought1 of this most interesting perhaps1 and certainly most various1 of all the ,apostle's writings4--,london ,quarterly ,review4 99,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,john99 ,by the 99,most ,rev4 ,w4 ,,alexander1 ,d4,d4991 ,lord ,archbishop of ,armagh4 ,these commentaries are explicitly intended to help the preacher1 and in ,dr4 ,alexander's ',discourses' they will find material ready shaped to their hand--not facts only1 but imagery1 references1 and allusions1 none of them cheap or commonplace1 and some of them felicitous in a high degree4--,guardian4 99,the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,w4 ,,milligan1 ,d4,d4991 of the ,university of ,aberdeen4 ,lucid1 scholarly4--,academy4 ,the style is admirably lucid1 expressive1 and withal stately4 ,the task of the reader could not possibly be easier1 and in the case of such an abstruse theme the result is no small feat of intellectual and literary ingenuity4--,aberdeen ,free ,press4 ,third ,series4 ,subscription ,price1 99#bds499 ,separate ,volumes1 99#gs4 #f;d499 each4 99,judges and ,ruth99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,d4,d499 ,this volume deals chiefly with a book considered by some one of the most difficult of expositions from a ,christian point of view4 ,while feeling this to be the case1 the writer is able to deduce valuable instruction from the history by the only legitimate mode1 that of remembering that the character and laws of ,god are essentially unchangeable1 though the amount of their revelation must vary with the capacity of those who receive it4444 ,the moralisings on the ,book of ,ruth are also most excellent1 and just what are adapted to present circumstances4--,spectator4 99,the ,prophecies of ,jeremiah99 99,with a ,sketch of his ,life and ,times499 ,by the 99,rev4 ,c4 ,j4 ,,ball1 ,m4,a4991 ,chaplain of ,lincoln's ,inn4 ,mr4 ,ball brings competent knowledge to his task4444 ,a useful running commentary4--,saturday ,review4 ,it consists of an interesting and sympathetic delineation of the prophet's life and character1 of a new translation1 and of expository remarks1 which are partly critical and partly homiletic4 ,the critical portion will be prized most1 as it exhibits deep learning1 breadth of view1 and clear insight into the prophet's meaning4--,manchester ,examiner4 99,the ,book of ,exodus99 ,by the 99,right ,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d4991 ,lord ,bishop of ,derry and ,raphoe4 ,marked by sound exegesis1 common sense1 and a devotional spirit4--,record4 ,every part of the book is replete with instruction and interest1 and a unity of thought and purpose pervades it all4--,glasgow ,herald4 99,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,matthew99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,j4 ,,monro ,,gibson1 ,d4,d4991 ,author of ,the ,ages before ,moses1 etc4 ,a careful exposition in which one important part is not slightly dealt with while disproportionate space is given to another1 but by studied economy of labour and space due care and labour are given to every part4 ,the exposition is sober1 reverent1 and systematic2 it is also enlightened and well informed4--,london ,quarterly ,review4 99,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,luke99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,,henry ,,burton1 ,m4,a499 ,full of vivid illustration and fresh1 bright exposition4--,record4 ,in the unfolding of truth ,mr4 ,burton writes as a poet4 ,there is glow and colour and melody in his descriptions4 ,often there are passages of great beauty4--,methodist ,recorder4 99,the ,book of ,isaiah ,chapters99 ,,xl4 to ,,lxvi4 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,,adam ,,smith1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d499 ,a work of no ordinary merit2 indeed1 it is but rare that such exegetical power and mature scholarship are united with an ease of style and a fertility of modern illustration that leave but little to desire4--,speaker4 ,fourth ,series4 ,subscription ,price1 99#bds499 ,separate ,volumes1 99#gs4 #f;d499 each4 99,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,vol4 ,i499 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d499 ,dr4 ,dods' exposition1 besides being characterised by all the literary grace by which his previous works are distinguished1 is also thoroughly evangelical in tone1 without1 however1 being at all narrow2 while the arguments which this portion of ,scripture so powerfully suggests in proof of the divinity of ,christ are handled in such a way as will carry them home to all who accept the narrative as authentic4--,scotsman4 99,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,vol4 ,i499 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,t4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d499 ,one of the most valuable contributions to the history of the ,primitive ,church that have appeared within recent years4--,dundee ,advertiser4 99,the ,book of ,leviticus99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,s4 ,h4 ,,kellogg1 ,d4,d499 ,the relation of law and gospel is grandly exhibited1 and a difficult portion of ,holy ,writ explained in detail and with power4--,christian4 ,he has certainly succeeded in investing with fresh interest this old book of laws4--,scotsman4 99,the ,book of ,proverbs99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,r4 ,f4 ,,horton1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d499 ,ably and freshly written4--,church ,times4 ,a book which may be read by all with pleasure and profit1 and which1 by ministers of all orders1 may be taken as a model of one kind of expository teaching4--,christian ,world4 ,the expositor has done his work in a most masterly fashion4--,glasgow ,herald4 99,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,jude99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,a4 ,,plummer1 ,d4,d4991 ,master of ,university ,college1 ,durham4 ,it is even a better piece of work than his former volume on the ,pastoral ,epistles4 ,it contains everything that the student can desire by way of introduction to the two ,epistles1 while for those who read with an eye to the manufacture of sermons1 or for their own edification1 the doctrinal and moral lessons are developed in a style redolent of books1 yet singularly easy and unaffected4 ,points of interest abound4--,saturday ,review4 ,a very able and interesting exposition4444 ,an excellent example of ,scriptural exegesis4--,academy4 99,the ,book of ,ecclesiastes99 99,with a ,new ,translation499 ,by the 99,rev4 ,,samuel ,,cox1 ,d4,d499 ,the most luminous1 original1 and practical exposition of ,ecclesiastes which is within the reach of ordinary ,english readers4--,speaker4 ,dr4 ,cox's work is likely to count as one of the most interesting of the many ,interesting studies of which ,ecclesiastes has been the basis4--,guardian4 ,fifth ,series4 ,subscription ,price1 99#bds499 ,separate ,volumes1 99#gs4 #f;d499 each4 99,the ,epistles to the ,thessalonians99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,,james ,,denney1 ,d4,d499 ,as an expositor we are able to say that ,mr4 ,denney seems to have entered very fully into the spirit of the ,apostle ,paul1 and to have succeeded in expressing very clearly1 and impressing very forcibly1 the general meaning of the ,apostle's words4444 ,it is a very ably written work1 and one which is well calculated to make the ,apostle's teaching in these two epistles more intelligible and more telling4--,scotsman4 99,the ,book of ,job99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,d4,d4991 ,author of ,gospels of ,yesterday1 etc4 ,dr4 ,watson does not fall behind his predecessors in doing justice to this magnificent effort of ,hebrew genius or inspiration4 ,the opening scene on earth and the opening scene in heaven are brought before us with graphic power1 and the problem raised by the situation of ,job by the unmerited suffering of the good man stated and discussed with much force and philosophical insight4 ,dr4 ,watson has written with conspicuous ability and a thorough mastery of his subject4--,scotsman4 99,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,vol4 ,,ii499 ,by 99,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d499 ,dr4 ,dods appears to us always to write with clearness and vigour4444 ,he has the gift of lucid expression1 and by means of apt illustrations he avoids the cardinal sin of dryness1 so that the interest even of the general reader will not flag as he smoothly glides through these chapters4--,guardian4 99,the ,epistle to the ,ephesians99 ,by the 99,,rev4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a4 ,d4,d499 ,every page shows that he has made a minute and careful examination of the text1 while in every chapter there are inferences drawn and suggestions thrown out which will find their way into many sermons4 ,they who know this ,epistle best will be the first to acknowledge the value of ,prof4 ,findlay's exposition4--,expositor4 99,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,vol4 ,,ii499 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,t4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d499 ,the second volume is as readable as the first1 full of learning without a spice of pedantry4444 ,the volume is highly to be commended for knowledge1 sobriety1 and manly piety4--,saturday ,review4 99,the ,psalms4 ,vol4 ,i499 ,by the 99,rev4 ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d499 ,dr4 ,maclaren has evidently mastered his subject with the aid of the best authorities1 and has put the results of his studies before his readers in a most attractive form2 and if we add that his commentary really helps to the better understanding of the ,psalms1 that1 far from degrading1 it vivifies and illuminates these sublime stories1 and that it is written in a charming style1 very seldom tailing below the dignity of the subject1 we believe we only give it the praise which is its due4--,scotsman4 ,sixth ,series4 ,subscription ,price1 99#bds499 ,separate ,volumes1 99#gs4 #f;d499 each4 99,the ,epistle to the ,philippians99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,principal ,,rainy1 ,d4,d499 ,a piece of good and thorough work1 the work of a sound and well-read expositor1 and especially of an orthodox ,scotch divine4--,london ,quarterly ,review4 99,the ,first ,book of ,kings99 ,by the 99,very ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,,farrar1 ,d4,d4 ,f4,r4,s4991 ,dean of ,canterbury4 ,dr4 ,farrar brings his versatile literary powers to bear upon these majestic and imposing scenes1 with all his gifts of poetic description1 his wealth of quotations1 and his aptitude for picturesque comparisons4--,guardian4 99,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 and ,esther99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,w4 ,f4 ,,adeney1 ,m4,a499 ,mr4 ,adeney has evidently grasped the whole story with clearness and force3 his portraits are lifelike2 he has all the instinct of the expositor in high development4 ,it is no small triumph to have done so well with one of the least pictorial and fascinating of ,old ,testament histories4--,independent4 99,the ,book of ,joshua99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d499 ,we have no hesitation in saying that for every-day working purposes expositors of the ,book of ,joshua will find this volume more helpful than many more critical and modernised works4444 ,his expositions are usually fresh and interesting1 and there is an eye for the practical in all he writes4--,glasgow ,herald4 99,the ,psalms4 ,vol4 ,,ii499 ,by the 99,rev4 ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d499 ,the volume is as attractive as the first1 and shows throughout the same high qualities of penetration and spiritual sympathy4 ,its pages give abundant evidence of care1 critical study1 and acquaintance with the best that our most competent scholars have contributed to the exposition of the ,psalms4--,critical ,review4 99,the ,epistles of ,peter99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,,lumby1 ,d4,d4991 ,cambridge4 ,a sound and finely practical commentary4--,saturday ,review4 ,we have been impressed by the carefulness1 fulness1 and almost minuteness of the expositions which ,dr4 ,lumby gives in this volume4--,literary ,world4 ,seventh ,series4 ,subscription ,price1 99#bds499 ,separate ,volumes1 99#gs4 #f;d499 each4 99,the ,epistle to the ,romans99 ,by the 99,right ,rev4 ,,handley ,c4 ,g4 ,,moule1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4991 ,lord ,bishop of ,durham4 ,we do not hesitate to place it in the very front of the little group of volumes which are the best examples of this carefully edited work4 ,it would be pleasant to linger upon this commentary1 upon the clearness with which the great evangelical doctrines of the ,epistle are explained and enforced1 upon the earnestness of its personal appeal1 and the charm which often marks its language2 but the judicious student of the ,new ,testament will obtain the book for himself4--,record4 99,the ,second ,book of ,kings99 ,by the 99,very ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,,farrar1 ,d4,d4 ,f4,r4,s4991 ,dean of ,canterbury4 ,for a vivid picture of men and times1 and a spirited account of the events which led to ,israel's and ,judah's downfall1 with fine illustrative use of the contemporary writings of the prophets1 his book is a distinct accession to the series4--,glasgow ,herald4 99,the ,books of ,chronicles99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,bennett1 ,d4,d4991 ,professor of ,old ,testament ,languages and ,literature1 ,hackney and ,new ,colleges4 ,readers of ,mr4 ,bennett's contribution to ',faith and ,criticism' might expect that a book written wholly by him would be distinctive and original4 ,but few could have foreseen that he would produce anything so illuminating1 so broad1 so powerful as this volume4--,daily ,chronicle4 99,the ,second ,epistle to the ,corinthians99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,prof4 ,,james ,,denney1 ,d4,d4991 ,author of ,the ,epistles to the ,thessalonians1 etc14 ,mr4 ,denney's commentary is a masterly one in every respect4 ,its exegesis of the text is exact and thorough2 its use of the best expositors most helpful2 its final conclusion generally convincing4--,methodist ,times4 99,the ,book of ,numbers99 ,by the 99,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,d4,d4991 ,author of ,judges and ,ruth1 etc4 ,dr4 ,watson's exposition may be commended as showing considerable insight into the deeper meanings of ,scripture1 and skill in applying them to the needs and conditions of modern life2 444 his book is throughout scholarly in tone and earnestly written4--,scotsman4 99,the ,psalms4 ,vol4 ,,iii499 ,by the 99,rev4 ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d499 ,with the exposition of the whole ,psalter before us1 we may say that for what it professes to be1 the work is very well done1 and there has been no falling off in the third volume from such an amount of excellence as was attained in the other two4--,guardian4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton1 #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row4