Srom f 3e &t6rar)? of 
 
 (ptofcBBox Wiffiam ^tnr^ (green 
 
 QSequeaf^eb fij? ^im to 
 f^ Et6rare of 
 
 (prtncefon C^eofo^cdf ^etntnar^ 
 
 BS 2775 .B261 1848 
 Bible. 
 
 Notes, critical, 
 explanatory, and practical 
 
Itt-C*— • 
 
 
* ^ 
 
 -^ * '■■ % 
 
 -^*^^>% f^ \\ = 
 
 ^ 
 
 » ^ 
 
 J'} " 
 
NOTES, 
 
 EXPLANATORY AND PRACTICAL, 
 
 ON TBB 
 
 EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS, 
 
 BY ALBERT BARNES. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 HARDER & BROTHERS, 82 CLIFF STREET. 
 
 1848. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, by 
 
 Albert Barnes, 
 
 in the office of the clerk of the District Court of the Eastern District 
 
 of Pennsylvania. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 § 1. Preliminary Remarks. 
 
 J.T need not be said that this epistle has given rise to much discussion 
 iimong %vriters on the New Testament. Indeed there is probably no part of 
 the Bible in regard to which so many conflicting views have been entertained. 
 The name of the author ; tlie time and place where the epistle was written ; 
 the character of the book ; its canonical authority ; the language in which 
 it was composed ; and the persons to whom it was addressed, all have given 
 rise to great difterence of opinion. Among the causes of this are the fol- 
 lowing : — The name of the author is not mentioned. The church to which 
 it was sent, if sent to any particular church, is not designated. There are 
 no certain marks of time in the epistle, as there often are in the writings of 
 Paul, by which we can determine the time when it was written. 
 
 It is not the design of these Notes to go into an extended examination of 
 these questions. Those who are disposed to pursue these inquiries, and to 
 examine the questions which have been started in regard to the epistle, can 
 find ample means in the larger works that have treated of it ; and especially 
 in Lardner ; in Michaelis' Introduction ; in the Prolegomena of Kuinoel ; in 
 Hug's Introduction ; and PAnTicuLARLr in Prof. Stuart's invaluable Com- 
 mentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. No other work on this portion of 
 the New Testament is so complete as his, and in the Introduction he has left 
 nothing to be desired in regard to the literature of the Epistle. 
 
 Controversies early arose in the church in regard to a great variety of ques- 
 tions pertaining to this epistle, which are not yet fully settled. Most of those 
 questions, however, pertain to the literature of the epistle, and however they 
 may be decided, are not such as to affect the respect which a Christian ought 
 to have for it as a part of the word of God. They pertain to the inquiries, to 
 whom it was written ; in what language, and at what time it was composed ; 
 questions which, in whatever way they may be settled, do not affect its ca- 
 nonical authority, and should not shake the confidence of Christians in it as 
 a part of divine revelation. The only inquiry on these points which it is 
 proper to institute in these Notes is, whether the claims of the epistle to a 
 place in the canon of Scripture are of such a kind as to allow Christians to 
 read it as a part of the oracles of God ? May we sit down to it feeling that 
 we are perusing that which has been given by inspiration of the Holy Ghost 
 as a part of revealed truth ? Other questions are interesting in their places, 
 and the solution of them is worth all which it has cost ; but they need not 
 embarrass us here, nor claim our attention as preliminary to the exposition 
 of the epistle. All that will be attempted, therefore, in this Introduction, will 
 be such a condensation of the evidence collected by others, as shall show that 
 this epistle has of right a place in the volume of revealed truth, and is of 
 authority to regulate the faith and practice of mankind. 
 
 iii 
 
T INTRODUCTION. 
 
 § 2. To wfiom was Jke Epistle written ? 
 
 It purports to have been written to the " Hebrews." This is not found, 
 indeed, in the body of the epistle, though it occurs in the subscription at the 
 end. It differs from all the oilier epistles of Paul in this respect, and from 
 most of the others in the New 'i'eslamont. In all of the other epistles of 
 Paul, the church or person to whom the letter was sent is specified in the 
 commencement. This, however, commences in the form of an essay or ho- 
 mily ; nor is there anywhere in the epistle any direct intimation to what 
 church it was sent. The subscription at the end is of no authority, as it can- 
 not be supposed that the author himself would affix it to the epistle, and as 
 it is known that many of those subscriptions are false. See the remarks at 
 the close of the Notes on Romans, and I. Corinthians. Several questions 
 present themselves here which we may briefly investigate. 
 
 (I.) What is the evidence that it was written to the Hebrews? In reply 
 to this we may observe (1.) That the inscription at the commencement, 
 " The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews," though not affixed by 
 the author, may be allowed to express the current sense of the church in an- 
 cient times in reference to a question on which they had the best means of 
 iudging. These inscriptions at the commencement of the epistles have 
 hitherto in general escaped the suspicion of spuriousness, to which the sub- 
 scriptions at the close are justly exposed. Michaelin. They should not in 
 any case be called in question, unless there is good reason from the epistle itself, 
 or from some other source. This inscription is found in all our present Greek 
 manuscripts, and in nearly all the ancient versions. It is found in the Peshilo, 
 the old Syriac version, which was made in the first or in the early part of 
 the second century. It is the title given to the epistle by the Fathers of the 
 second century, and onward. Stuart. (2.) The testimony of the Fathers. 
 Their testimony is unbroken and uniform. With one accord they declare 
 this, and this should be regarded as testimony of great value. Unless there 
 is some good reason to depart from such evidence, it should be regarded as 
 decisive. In this case there is no good reason for calling it in question, 
 but every reason to suppose it to be correct ; nor so far as I have found is 
 there any one who has doubted it. (3.) The internal evidence is of the 
 highest character that it was written to Hebrew converts. It treats of He- 
 brew institutions. It explains their nature. It makes no allusion to Gen- 
 tile customs or laws. It all along supposes that those to whom it was 
 sent were familiar with the Jewish history ; with the nature of the temple 
 service ; with the functions of the priestly office ; and with the whole struc- 
 ture of their religion. No other person than those who had been Jews are 
 addressed throughout the epistle. There is no attempt to explain the nature 
 or design of any customs except those with which they were familiar. At 
 the same time it is equally clear that they were Jewish converts — converts 
 from Judaism to Christianity — who are addressed. The writer addresses 
 them as Christians, not as those who were to be converted to Christianity ; 
 he explains to them the Jewish customs as one would do to those who had 
 been converted from Judaism ; he endeavours to guard them from apostasy, 
 as if there were danger that they would relapse again into the system from 
 which they were converted. These considerations seem to be decisive ; and 
 in the view of all who have written on the epistle, as well as of the Christian 
 world at large, they settle the question. It has never been held that the" 
 epistle was directed to Gentiles ,• and in all the* opinions and questions 
 which have been started on the subject, it has been admitted that, wherever 
 
INTRODUCTION. IT 
 
 they resided, the persons to whom the epistle was addressed were originally 
 Hebrews who had never been converted to the Christian religion. 
 
 (II.) To what particular church of the Hebrews was it written ? Very 
 difterent opinions have been held on this question. The celebrated Storr 
 held that it was written to the Hebrew part of the churches in Galatia ; and 
 that the epistle to the Galatians was addressed to the Gentile part of those 
 churches. Semler and Noessett maintained that it was written to the churches 
 in Macedonia, and particularly to the church of Thessalonica. Bolten main- 
 tains that it was addressed to the Jewish Christians who fled from Palestine 
 in a time of persecution, about the year 60, and who were scattered through 
 Asia Minor. Michael Weber supposed that it was addressed to the church 
 at Corinth. Ludwig conjectured that it was addressed to a church in Spain. 
 Wetstein supposes that it was written to the church at Rome. Most of these 
 opinions are mere conjectures, and all of them depend on circumstances which 
 furnish only slight evidence of probability. Those who are disposed to ex- 
 amine these, and to see them confuted, may consult Stuart's Commentary on 
 the Hebrews, Intro. § 5 — 9. The dbmmon, and the almost universally re- 
 ceived opinion is, that the epistle was addressed to the Hebrew Christians in 
 Palestine. The reasons for this opinion, briefly, are the following. (1.) The 
 testimony of the ancient church was uniform on this point — that the epistle 
 was not only written to the Hebrew Christians, but to those who were in 
 Palestine. Lardner affirms this to be the testimony of Clement of Alexan- 
 dria, Jerome, Euthalius, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and Theophylact ; and adds 
 that this was the general opinion of the ancients. Works, vol. vi. pp. 80, 81, 
 ed. Lond. 1829. (2.) The inscription at the commencement of the epistle 
 leads to this supposition. That inscription, though not appended by the 
 hand of the author, was early aflixed to it. It is found not only in the Greek 
 manuscripts, but in all the early versions, as the Syriac and the Itala ; and 
 was doubtless affixed at a very early period, and by whomsoever affixed, ex- 
 pressed the current sense at the time. It is hardly possible that a mistake 
 would be made on this point ; and unless there is good evidence to the con- 
 trary, this ought to be allowed to determine the question. That inscription 
 is, " The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews." But who are the 
 Hebrews — the 'E/3p&oi, ? Prof. Stuart has endeavoured to show that this 
 was a term that was employed exclusively to denote the Jews in Palestine, 
 in contradistinction from foreign Jews, who were tilled Hellenists, Comp. 
 my Notes on Acts vi. 1. Bertholdt declares that there is not a single example 
 which can be found in early times of Jewish Christians out of Palestine being 
 called Hebrews. See a Dissertation on the Greek Language in Palestine, 
 and on the meaning of the word Hellenists, by Hug, in the Bib. Repository, 
 vol. i. 547, 548. Comp. also Robinson's Lex. on the wora 'E|3paioj. If this 
 be so, and if the inscription be of any authority, then it goes far to settle the 
 question. The word Hebrews occurs but three times in the INew Testament, 
 (Acts vi. 1 ; 2 Cor. xi. 22 ; Phil. iii. 5,) in the first of which it is certain that 
 it is used in this sense, and in both the others of which it is probable. There 
 can be no doubt, it seems to me, that an ancient writer, acquainted with the 
 usual sense of the word Hebrew, would understand an inscription of this 
 kind — " written to the Hebrews" — as designed tor the inhabitants of Pales- 
 tine, and not for the Jews of other countries. (3.) There are some passages 
 in the epistle itself which Lardner supposes indicate that this epistle was 
 written to the Hebrews in Palestine, or to those there who had been converted 
 from Judaism to Christianity. As those passages are not conclusive, and as 
 their force has been called in question, and with much propriety, by Prof. 
 1* 
 
Tl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Stuart (pp. 32 — 34). I shall merely refer to them. They can be examined 
 at leisure by those who are disposed, and though they do not prove that the 
 epistle was addressed to the Hebrew Christians in Palestine, yet they can be 
 best internretcd on that supposition, and a peculiar significancy would be at- 
 tached to them on this supposition. They arc the following : ch. i. 2 ; iv. 
 2 ; ii. 1—4; V. 12 ; iv. 4—6 ; X. 26—29. 32—34 ; xiii. 13, 14. The ar- 
 gument of Lardner is, that these would be more applicable to their condition 
 than to others ; a position which I think cannot be doubted. Some of them 
 are of so general character, indeed, as to be applicable to Christians elsewhere ; 
 and in regard to some of them it cannot be certainly demonstrated that the 
 state of things referred to existed in Judca, but taken together they would be 
 more applicable by far to them than to the circumstances of any others of 
 which we have knowledge ; and this may be allowed to have some weight at 
 least in determining to whom the epistle was sent. (4.) The internal evi- 
 dence of the epistle corresponds with the suppoaition that it was written to 
 the Hebrew Christians in Palestine. The passages referred to in the pre- 
 vious remarks (3) might be adduced here as proof. But there is other proof. 
 It might have been otherwise. There might be such strong internal proof 
 that an epistle was not addressed to a supposed people, as completely to neu- 
 tralize all the evidence derived from an inscription like that prefixed to this 
 epistle, and all the evidence derived from tradition. But it is not so here. 
 All the circumstances referred to in the epistle ; the general strain of remark ; 
 the argument ; the allusions, are just such as would be likely to he found in 
 an epistle addressed to the Hebrew Chrlstans in Palestine, and such as would 
 not be likely to occur in an epistle addressed to any other place or people. 
 They are such as the following : («.) The familiar acquaintance with the 
 Jewish institutions supposed by the writer to exist among those to whom it 
 was sent — a familiarity hardly to be expected even of Jews who lived in other 
 countries. (A.) The danger so frequently adverted to of their relapsing into 
 their former state ; of apostatizing from Christianity, and of embracing again 
 the Jewish rites and ceremonies — a danger that would exist nowhere else in 
 so great a degree as in Judea. Comp. ch. ii. 1 — 3 ; iii. 7 — 11. 15 ; iv. 1 ; 
 vi. 1 — 8 ; X. 26 — 35. (c.) The nature of the discussion in the epistle — not 
 turning upon the obligation of circumcision, and the distm. 'ion of meats and 
 drinks, which occupied so much of the attention of the apostles aj;d early Chris- 
 tians in other places — but a discussion relating to the whole struture of the 
 Mosaic economy, the pre-eminence of Moses or. Christ, the meanu.g of the 
 rites of the temple, &c. These great questions would be more likely tc arise 
 in Judea than elsewhere, and it was important to discuss them fully, as ii is 
 done in this epistle. In other places they would be of less interest, and would 
 excite less diificulty. l (Vf.) The allusion to local places and events ; to facts 
 in their history ; and to the circumstances of public worship, which would be 
 better understood there than elsewhere. There are no allusions — or if there 
 are they are very brief and infrequent — to heathen customs, games, races, and 
 philosophical opinions, as there are often in the other epistles of the New Tes- 
 tament. Those to whom the epistle was sent, are presumed to have an inti- 
 mate and minute knowledge of the Hebrew history, and such a knowledge 
 as could be hardly supposed elsewhere. Comp. ch. xi., particularly vs. 32 — 
 39. Thus it is impHed that they so well understood the subjects referred to 
 relating to the Jewish rites, that it was not necessary that the writer should 
 specify them particularly. See ch. ix. 5. Of what other perso«s could this 
 be so appropriately said as of the dwellers in Palestine ? (e.) The circum- 
 stancBs of trial and persecution so ofteu referred to in the epistle, agree well 
 
INTKODUCTION. vU 
 
 With the known condition of the church in Palestine. That it was subjected 
 to great trials we know ; and though this was extensively true of other 
 churches, yet it is probable that there were more vexatious and grievous ex- 
 actions ; that there was more spite, and malice ; that there were more of the 
 trials arising from the separation of families and the losses of property attend- 
 ing a profession of Christianity in Palestine than elsewhere in the early 
 Christian church. These considerations — though not so conclusive as to 
 furnish absolute demonstration — go far to settle the question. They seem 
 to me so strong as to preclude any reasonable doubt, and are such as the 
 mind can repose on with a great degree of confidence in regard to the original 
 destination of the epistle. 
 
 (3.) Was it addressed io a particular chwch in Palestine, or to the He- 
 brew Christians there in general? 
 
 Whether it was addressed to the churches in general in Palestine, or to 
 some particular church there, it is now impossible to determine. Prof. Stuart 
 inclines to the opinion that it was addressed to the church in Cesarea. The 
 ancients in general supposed it was addressed to the church in Jerusalem. 
 There are some local references in the epistle which look as though it was 
 directed to some particular church. But the means of deterriiining this ques- 
 tion are put beyond our reach, and it is of little importance to settle the ques- 
 tion. From the allusions to the temple, the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the 
 whole train of peculiar institutions there, it would seem probable that it was 
 directed to the church in Jerusalem. As that was the capital of the nation, 
 and the centre of religious influence ; and as there was a large and flourishing 
 church there, this opinion would seem to have great probability ; but it is 
 impossible now to determine it. If we suppose that the author sent the epistle, 
 in the first instance, to some local church, near the central seat of the great 
 influence which he intended to reach by it — addressing to that church the 
 particular communications in the last verses — we shall make a supposition 
 which, so far as can now be ascertained, will accord with the truth in the case. 
 
 § 3. The Author of the Epistle. 
 
 To those who are familiar with the investigations which have taken place 
 m regard to this epistle, it need not be said that the question of its authorship 
 has given rise to much discussion. The design of these Notes does not per- 
 mit me to go at length into this inquiry. Those who are disposed to see the 
 investigation pursued at length, and to see the objections to the PauHne origin 
 examined in a most satisfactory manner, can find it done in the Introduction 
 to the Epistle to the Hebrews, by Prof. Stuart, pp. 77 — 260. All that my 
 purpose requires is to state, in a very brief manner, the evidence on which it 
 is ascribed to the apostle Paul. That evidence is, briefly, the following : 
 
 (1.) That derived from the church at Alexandria. Clement of Alexandria 
 says, that Paul wrote to the Hebrews, and that this was the opinion of Pan- 
 taenus, who was at the head of the celebrated Christian school at Alexandria, 
 and who flourished about A. D. 180. Pantaenus lived near Palestine. He 
 must have been acquainted with the prevailing opinions on the subject, and 
 his testimony must be regarded as proof that the epistle was regarded as Paul's 
 by the churches in that region. Origen, also, of Alexandria, ascribes the 
 epistle to Paul ; though he says that the sentiments are those of Paul, but 
 that the words and phrases belong to some one relating the apostle's senti- 
 ments, and as it were commenting on the words of his master. The testi- 
 mony of the church at Alexandria was uniform after the time of Origen, that 
 
VIU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 it was the production of Paul. Indeed there seems never to have been anj 
 doubt in regard to it there, and from the commencement it was admitted as 
 his [iroduction. The testimony of that church and school is particularly va- 
 luable, because (a) it was near to Palestine, where the epistle was probably 
 sent ; (A) Clement particularly had travelled much, and would be likely to 
 understand the prevailing sentiments of the East ; (c) Alexandria was the 
 seat of the most celebrated theological school of the early Christian ages, and 
 those who were at the head of this school would be likely to have correct in-' 
 formation on a point like this ; and (</) Origen is admitted to have been the 
 most learned of the Greek Fathers, and his testimony that the ' sentiments' 
 were those of Paul may be regarded as of peculiar value. 
 
 (2.) It was inserted in the translation into the Syriac, made very early in 
 the second century, and in the old Italic version, and was hence believed to 
 be of apostolic origin, and is by the inscription ascribed to Paul. This may 
 be allowed to express the general sense of the churches at that time, as this 
 would not have been done unless there had been a general impression that 
 the epistle was written by him. The fact that it was early regarded as an 
 inspired book is also conclusively shown by the fact that the second epistle 
 of Peter, and the second and third epistles of John, are not found in that ver- 
 sion. They came later into circulation than the other epistles, and were not 
 possessed, or regarded as genuine, by the author of that version. The epistle 
 to the Hebrews is found in these versions, and was, therefore, regarded as one 
 of the inspired books. In those versions it bears the inscription, " To the 
 Hebrews." 
 
 (3.) This epistle was received as the production of Paid by the Eastern 
 churches. Justin Martyr, who was born at Samaria, quotes it, about the 
 year 140. It was found, as has been already remarked, in the Peshito — the 
 old Syriac version, made in the early part of the second century. Jacob, 
 bishop of Nisibis, also (about A. D. 325) repeatedly quotes it as the produc- 
 tion of an apostle. Ephrem Syrus, or the Syrian, abundantly ascribes this 
 epistle to Paul. He was the disciple of Jacob of Nisibis, and no man was 
 better qualified to inform himself on this point than Ephrem. No man stands 
 deservedly higher in the memory of the Eastern churches. After him, all 
 the Syrian churches acknowledged the canonical authority of the epistle to 
 the Hebrews. But the most important testimony of the Eastern church is 
 that of Eusebius, bishop of Cesarea, in Palestine. He is the well-known his- 
 torian of the church, and he took pains from all quarters to collect testimony 
 in regard to the Books of Scripture. He says, " There are fourteen epistles 
 of Paul, manifest and well known : but yet there are some who reject that 
 to the Hebrews, alleging in behalf of their opinion, that it was not received 
 by the church of Rome as a writing of Paul." The testimony of Eusebius 
 is particularly important. He had heard of the objection to its canonical 
 authority. He had weighed that objection. Yet in view of the testimony 
 in the case, he regarded it as the undoubted production of Paul. As such it 
 was received in the churches in the East ; and the fact which he mentions 
 that its genuineness had been disputed by the church of Rome, and that ho 
 specifies no other church, proves that it had not been called iu question in 
 the East. This seems to mc to be suflScient testimony to settle this inquiry. 
 The writers here referred to lived in the very country to which the epistle 
 was evidently written, and their testimony is uniform. Justin Martyr was 
 born in Samaria ; Ephrem passed his life in Syria ; Eusebius lived in Cesa- 
 rea, and Origen passed the last twenty years of his life in Palestine. The 
 churches there were nnanimoua ui the opinion that this epistle was written 
 
INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 Dy Paul, and their united testimony should settle the question. Indeed • 
 when their testimony is considered, it seems remarkable that the subject should 
 have been regarded as doubtful by critics, or that it should have given rise to 
 so much protracted investigation. I might add to the testimonies above re- 
 ferred to, the fact that the epistle was declared to be Paul's by the following 
 persons : Archelaus, bishop of Mesopotamia, about A. D. 300 ; Adamantius, 
 about 330 ; Cyril, of Jerusalem, about 348 ; the Council of Laodicea, about 
 363 ; Epiphanius, about 368 ; Basil, 370 ; Gregory Nazianzen, 370 ; 
 Chrysostom, 398, &c. &c. Why should not the testimony of such men and 
 churches be admitted ? What more clear or decided evidence could we 
 wish in regard to any fact of ancient history ? Would not such testimony 
 he ample in regard to an anonymous oration of Cicero, or poem of Virgil or 
 Horace ? Are we not constantly acting on far feebler evidence in regard to 
 the authorship of many productions of celebrated English writers ? 
 
 (4.) In regard to the Western churches, it is to be admitted that, hke the 
 second epistle of Peter, and the second and third epistles of John, the canoni- 
 cal authority was for some time doubted, or was even called in question. 
 But this may be accounted for. The epistle had not the name of the author. 
 All the other epistles of Paul had. As the epistle was addressed to the 
 Hebrews in Palestine, it may not have been soon known to the Western 
 churches. As there were spurious epistles and gospels at an early age, much 
 caution would be used in admitting any anonymous production to a place in 
 the sacred canon. Yet it was not long before all these doubts were removed, 
 and the epistle to the Hebrews was allowed to take its place among the other 
 acknowledged writings of Paul. It was received as the epistle of Paul by 
 Hilary, bishop of Poictiers, about A. D. 3.'34 ; by Lucifer, bishop of Caghari, 
 354; by Victorinus, 360 ; by Ambrose, bishop of Milan, 360 ; by Rulinus, 
 397, &c. &c. Jerome, the well-known Latin Father, uses in regard to it 
 the following language : " This is to be maintained, that this epistle which is 
 inscribed to the Hebrews, is not only received by the churches at the East as 
 the apostle Paul's, but has been in past times by all ecclesiastical writers in 
 the Greek language ; although most [Latins] think that Barnabas or Clement 
 was the author." Still, it was not rejected by all the Latins. Some received 
 it in the time of Jerome as the production of Paul. See Stuart, pp. 114, 115, 
 for the full testimony of Jerome. Augustine admitted that the epistle was 
 written by Paul. He mentions that Paul wrote fourteen epistles, and specifies 
 particularly the epistle to the Hebrews. He often cites it as a part of Scrip- 
 ture, and quotes it as the production of an apostle. Stuart-, p. 115. From the 
 time of Augustine it was undisputed. By the council of Hippo, A. I). 393, 
 the third council of Cartilage, 397, and the fifth council of Carthage, 419, it 
 was declared to be the epistle of Paul, and was as such commended to the 
 churches. 
 
 (5.) As another proof that it is the writing of Paul, we may appeal to the 
 internal evidence, (a) The author of the epistle was the companion and 
 friend of Timothy. "Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty" — 
 or is sent away — ai!o\e.\v^ivov — " with whom if he come speedily, I will 
 make you a visit." Ch. xiii. 23. Sent away, perhaps, on a journey to visit 
 some of the churches, and expected soon to return. In Phil. ii. 19, Paul 
 speaks of sending Timothy to them " so soon as he should see how it would 
 go with him," at the same time expressing a hope that he should himself see 
 them shortly. What is more natural than to suppose that he had now sent 
 Timothy to Philippi ; that during his absence he wrote this epistle ; that he 
 was waiting for his return ; and that he proposed, if Timothy should return 
 
X 1 N T r. o n I) C T I O N . 
 
 Boon, to visit Palestine with him ? And who vvoulJ more naturally say this 
 than the apostle Paul — the companion and friend of Tirnotliy ; by whom he 
 had l)ccn acconii)anied in his travels ; and by whom he was regarded with 
 special interest as a niiiiistcr of the gospel ? (i) In ch. xiii. 18, 19, he asks 
 their prayers that he might be restored to them ; and in vcr. 23, he expresses 
 a confuient expectation of being able soon to come and see them. From this 
 it is evident that he was then imprisoned, but had hope of speedy release — a 
 state of things in exact accordance with what existed at Rome. Phil. ii. 17 — 
 24. (c) He was in bonds when he wrote this epistle. Heb. x. 34. « Ye 
 had compassion of mc in my bo/tds ;" an expression that will exactly apply 
 to the case of Paul. He was in " bonds" in Palestine ; he was two whole 
 years in Ccsarea a prisoner (.\cts xxiv. 27) ; and what was more natural 
 than that the Christians in Palestine should have had compassion on him, 
 and ministered to his wants ? To what other person would these circum- 
 stances so certainly be applicable ? (<f) The salutation (ch. xiii. 24) <' they 
 of Italy salute you," agrees with the supposition that it was written by Paul 
 when a prisoner at Rome. Paul writing from Rome, and acquainted with 
 Christians from other parts of Italy, would be likely to send such a salutation. 
 In regard to the objections which may be made to this use of the passage, the 
 reader may consult Stuart's Intro, to the Hebrews, p. 127, .seq. (£) The 
 doctrines of the epistle are the same as those which are taught by Paul in his 
 undisputed writings. It is true that this consideration is not conclusive, but 
 the want of it would be conclusive evidence against the position that Paul 
 wrote it. But the resemblance is not general. It is not such as any man 
 vvoukl exhibit who held to the same general system of truth. It relates to 
 peculiarities of doctrine, and is such as would be manifested by a man who 
 had been reared and trained as Paul had. (1.) Nq one can doubt that the 
 author was formerly a Jew — and a Jew who had been familiar to an uncom- 
 mon degree with the institutions of the Jewish religion. Every rite and cere- 
 mony ; every form of opinion ; every fact in their history, is perfectly familiar 
 to him. And though the other apostles were Jews, yet we can hardly sup- 
 pose that they had the familiarity with the minute rites and ceremonies so 
 accurately referred to in this epistle, and so fully illustrated. With Paul all 
 this was perfectly natural. He had been brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, 
 and had spent the early part of his life at Jcrusal^i in the careful study of 
 the Old Testament, in the examination of the prevalent opinions, and in 
 the attentive observance of the rites of religion. The other ajwstles had been 
 born and trained, apparently, on the banks of Gennesareth, and certainly 
 with few of the opportunities which Paul had had for becoming acquainted 
 with the institutions of the te^Mple service. This consideration is fatal, in my 
 view, to the claim which has been set up for Clement as the author of the 
 epistle. It is wholly incredible that a' foreigner should be so familiar with 
 the Jewish opinions, laws, institutions, and history, as the author of this 
 epistle manifestly was. (2.) 1'here is the same preference for Christianity 
 over Judaism in this epistle which is shown by Paul in his other epistles, 
 
 and exhibited in the same form. Among these points are the following 
 
 77/6 gospel imparts superior light. Comp. Gal. iv, 3. 9 ; I. Cor. xiv. 20 ; 
 Eph. iv. 11—13 ; ir. Cor. iii. 18 ; with Heb. i. 1, 2 ; ii.2 — 4 ; viii. 9—11 ; 
 1. 1 ; xi. 39,40. The gospel kotdx out supcriiw mntires and encouragements 
 to piety. Comp. Gal. iii. 23 ; iv. 2, 3 ; Rom. viii. 15 — 17 ; Gal. iv. 4 ; v. 
 13; I. Cor. vii. 19; Gal. vi. 15; with Hib. ix. 9. 14; xii. 18—24. 28;" 
 viii. G — 13. The gospel is superior in promoting the real and permanent 
 happiness of mankind. Comp. Gal. iii. 10 ; II. Cor. iii. 7. 9 ; Rom. iii. 20 
 
INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 Rom. iv. 24, 25 ; Eph. i. 7 ; Rom. v. 1,2; Gal. ii. 16 ; and the same views 
 in Heb. xii. 18—21; ix. 9; x. 4. 11; vi. 18—20; vii. 25; ix. 24. The 
 
 Jewish dispensation was a type and shadow of the Christian. See Coll. 
 ii. 16, 17 ; I. Cor. x. 1—6 ; Kom. v. 14 ; I. Cor. xv. 45—47 ; II. Cor. iii. 
 13 — 18 ; Gal. iv. 22 — 31 ; iv. 1 — 5 ; and for the same or similar views, see 
 Hebrews ix. 9 — 14 ; x. 1 ; viii. 1 — 9 ; ix. 22 — 24. The Christian relis;ion 
 was designed to be perpetual, while the Jewish was intended to be abolished. 
 See II. Cor. iii. 10, 11. 13. 18 ; iv. 14—16 ; Rom. vii. 4—6 ; Gal. iii. 21— 
 25 ; iv. 1 — 7 ; v. 1 ; and for similar views compare Heb. viii. 6 — 8. 13 ; 
 vii. 17 — 19 ; X. 1 — 14. The person of the Mediator is presented in the 
 same light by the ivriter of the epistle to the Hebrews and by Paul. See 
 Phil. ii. 6—11 ; Coll. i. 15—20 ; II. Cor. viii. 9 ; Eph. iii. 9 ; I. Cor. viii. 
 6 ; XV. 25 — 37 ; and for the same and similar views, see Heb. i. 2, 3 ; ii. 9. 
 14 ; xii. 2 ; ii. 8 ; X. 13. The death of Christ is the propitiatory sacrifice 
 for sin. See I. Tim. i. 15 ; I. Cor. xv. 3 ; Rom. viii. 32 ; iii. 24 ; Gal. i. 4 ; 
 ii. 20 ; I. Cor. v. 7 ; Eph. i. 7 ; Coll. i. 14 ; I. Tim. ii. 6 ; I. Cor. vi. 20 ; 
 vii. 23 ; Rom. v. 12—21 ; iii. 20. 28 ; viii. 3 ; I. Tim. ii. 5, 6. For similar 
 views see Heb. i. 3 ; ii. 9 ; v. 8, 9 ; vii., viii., ix., x. The general method 
 and arrangement of this epistle, and the acknowledged epistles of Paul are 
 the same. It resembles particularly the epistles to the Romans and the Gala- 
 tians, where we have first a doctrinal and then a practical part. The same is 
 true also to some extent of the epistles to the Ephesians, Colossians, and 
 Philippians. The epistle to the Hebrews is on the same plan. As far as ch. 
 X. 19, it is principally doctrinal ; the remainder is mainly practical. The 
 manner of appealing to, and applying the Jewish Scriptures, is the same 
 in this epistle as in those of Paul. The general structure of the epistle, and 
 the slightest comparison between them, will show this with sufficient clear- 
 ness. The general remark to be made in view of this comparison is, that the 
 epistle to the Hebrews is just such an one as Paul might be expected to write ; 
 that it agrees with what we know to have been his early training, his views, 
 his manner of hfe, his opinions, and his habit in writing ; that it accords better 
 with his views than with those of any other known writer of antiquity ; and 
 that it falls in with the circumstances in which he was known to be placed, 
 and the general object which he had in view. So satisfactory are these views 
 to my mind, that they seem to have all the force of demonstration which can 
 be had in regard to any anonymous publication, and it is a matter of wonder 
 that so much doubt has been experienced in reference to the question who 
 was the author. 
 
 It is difficult to account for the fact that the name of the author was omit- 
 ted. It is found in every other epistle of Paul, and in general it is appended 
 to the epistles in the New Testament. It is omitted, however, in the three 
 epistles of John, for reasons which are now unknown. And there may 
 have been similar reasons also unknown for omitting it in this case. The 
 simple fact is, that it is anonymous ; and whoever was the author, the same 
 difficulty will exist in accounting for it. If this fact will prove that Paul was 
 not the author, it would prove the same thing in regard to any other person, 
 and would thus be ultimately conclusive evidence that it had no author. 
 What were the reasons for omitting the name can be only matter of conjec- 
 ture. The most probable opinion, as it seems to mc, is this. The name of 
 Paul was odious to the Jews. He was regarded by the nation as an apostate 
 from their religion, and everywhere they showed pecuhar malignity against 
 him. See the Acts of the Apostles. The fact that he was so regarded by 
 them might indirectly influence even those who had been converted from 
 
XU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Judaism to Christianity. They lived in Palestine. They were near the 
 temple, and were engaged in its ceremonies and sacrifices — for there is no 
 evidence that they broke otF from those observances on their conversion to 
 Christianity. Paul was abroad. It might have been reported that he was 
 preaching against the temple and its sacrifices, and even the Jewish Chris- 
 tians in Palestine might have supposed that he was carrymg matters too far. 
 In these circumstances it might have been imprudent for him to have an- 
 nounced his name at the outset, for it might have aroused prejudices which a 
 wise man would wish to allay. But if he could present an argument, some- 
 what in the form of an essay, showing that he believed that the Jewish institu- 
 tions were appointed by God, and that he was not an apostate and an infidel ; 
 if he could conduct a demonstration that would accord in the main with the pre- 
 vailing views of the Christians in Palestine, and that was adapted to strengthen 
 them in the faith of the gospel, and explain to them the true nature of the 
 Jewish rites, then the object could be gained without dilTiculty, and then they 
 would be prepared to learn that Paul was the author, without prejudice or 
 alarm. Accordingly he thus conducts the argument ; and at the close gives 
 them such intimations that they would understand who wrote it without 
 much difficulty. If this was the motive, it was an instance of tact Buch as 
 was certainly characteristic of Paul, and such as was not unworthy any man. 
 I have no doubt that this was the true motive. It would be soon known who 
 wrote it ; and accordingly we have seen it was never disputed in the Eastern 
 churches. > 
 
 § 4. The time when written. 
 
 In regard to the time when this epistle was written, and the place v^here, 
 critics have been better agreed than on most of the questions which have been 
 started in regard to it. Mill was of opinion that it was written by Paul in 
 the year 63, in some part of Italy, soon after he had been released from impri- 
 sonment at Rome. Wetstein was of the same opinion. Tillemont r.lso places 
 this epistle in the year 63, and supposes that it was written while Paul was 
 at Rome, or at least in Italy, and soon after he was released from imprison- 
 ment. Basnage supposes it was written about the yesjr 61, and during the 
 imprisonment of the apostle. Lardner supposes also that it was written in 
 the beginning of the year 63, and soon after the apostle was released from his 
 confinement. This also is the opinion of Colmet. The circumstances in the 
 epistle which will enable us to form an opinion on the question about the 
 time and the place are the following : — 
 
 (1.) It was written while the temple was still standing,. and before Jerusa- 
 lem was destroyed. This is evident from the whole structure of the epistle. 
 There is no allusion to the destruction of the temple or the city, which there 
 certainly would have been if they had been destroyed. Such an event would 
 nave contributed much to the object in view, and would have furnished an 
 irrefragable argument that the institutions of the Jews were intended to be 
 superseded by another and a more perfect system. Moreover, there are allu- 
 sions 271 the epistle which suppose that the temple service was then performed. 
 See Heb. ix. 9 ; viii. 4, 5. But the city and temple were destroyed in the 
 year 70, and of course the epistle was written before that year. 
 
 (2.) It was evidently written before the civil wars and commotions in 
 Judea, which terminated in the destruction of the city and nation. This is 
 clear, because there are no allusions to any such disorders or troubles in 
 Palestine, and there is no intimation that fhry were sufTerine the evils incident 
 
INTRODUCTION. XIU 
 
 to a state of war. Comp. ch. xii. 4. But those wars commenced A. D. 66, 
 and evidently the epistle was written before that time. 
 
 (3.) Tliey were not suffering the evils of violent persecution. They had 
 indeed formerly suffered (comp. ch. x. 32. 34) ; James and Stephen had been 
 put to death (Acts vii., xii.) ; but there was no violent and bloody persecu- 
 tion then raging in which they were called to defend their religion at the 
 expense of blood and life. Ch. x. 32, 33. But the persecution under Nero 
 began in the year 64, and though it began at Rome, and was confined to a 
 considerable degree to Italy, yet it is not improbable that it extended to other 
 places, and it is to be presumed that if such a persecution were raging at the 
 time when the epistle was written there would be some allusion to this fact. 
 It may be set down, therefore, that it was written before the year 64. 
 
 (4.) It is equally true that the epistle was written during the latter part of 
 the apostolic age. The author speaks of the ^former days in which after 
 they were illuminated they had endured a great fight of alflictions, and when 
 they were made a gazing stock, and were plundered by their oppressors' (ch. 
 X. 33 — 34) ; and he speaks of them as having been so long converted that 
 they ought to have been qualified to teach others (ch. v. 12) ; and hence it is 
 fairly to be inferred that they were not recent converts, but that the church 
 there had been established for a considerable period. It may be added, that 
 it was after the writer had been imprisoned — as I suppose in Cesarea (see § 3) 
 — when they had ministered to him. Ch. x. 34. But this was as late as the 
 year 60. 
 
 (5.) At the time when Paul wrote the epistles to the Ephesians, Phi- 
 lippians, and Colossians, he had hopes of deliverance. Timothy was evi- 
 <Iently with him. But now he was absent. Ch. xiii. 23. In the epistle to 
 the Philippians (ch. ii. 19 — 23) he says, "But I trust in the Lord Jesus to 
 send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I may be also of good comfort, when 
 know your state." He expected, therefore, that Timothy would come back 
 to him at Rome. It is probable that Timothy was sent soon after this. The 
 apostle had a fair prospect of being set at liberty, and sent him to them. 
 During his absence at this time, it would seem probable, this epistle was 
 written. Thus the writer says (ch. xiii. 23), " Know ye that our brother 
 Timothy is set at liberty"— or rather, sent awat, or sent abroad (see 
 note in that place) ; " with whom if he come shortly, I will see you." That 
 is, if he returns soon, as I expect him, I will pay you a visit. It is probable 
 that the epistle was written while Timothy was thus absent at Philippi, and 
 when he returned, Paul and he went to Palestine, and thence to Ephesus. If 
 so it was written somewhere about the year 63, as this was the time when 
 Paul was set at liberty. 
 
 (6.) The epistle was written evidently in Italy. Thus in ch. xiii. 24, the 
 writer says, " They of Italy salute you." This would be the natural form ol 
 salutation on the supposition that it was written there. He mentions none 
 by name, as he does in his other epistles, for it is probable that none of those 
 who were at Rome would be known by name in Palestine. But there was a 
 general salutation, showing the interest which they had in the Christians in 
 Judea, and expressive of regard for their welfare. This expression is, to my 
 mind, conclusive evidence that the epistle was written in Italy ; and in Italy 
 there was no place where this would be so likely to occur as at Rome. 
 
jdV I N T H O D U (• Tl N . 
 
 § 5. The language in which it was written. 
 
 This is a vexed and still unsettled question, and it docs not seem to be pos- 
 Bible to determine it with any considerable degree of certainty. Critics of 
 the ablest name have been divided on it, and what is remarkable, have appealed 
 to the same arguments to prove exactly opposite opinions — one class arguing 
 that the style of the epistle is such as to prove that it was written in Hebrew, 
 and the other appealing to the same proofs to demonstrate that it was written 
 in Greek. Among those who have supposed that it was written in Hebrew 
 are the following, viz. : — Some of the Fathers — as Cleihent of Alexandria, 
 Theodoret, John Damascenus, Theophylact ; and among the moderns, Micha 
 clis has been the most strenuous defender of this opinion. This opinion was 
 also held by the late Dr. James P. Wilson, who says, " It was probably written 
 in the vulgar language of the Jews ;" that is, in that mixture of Hebrew, 
 Syriac, and Chaldcc, which was usually spoken in the time of the Saviour, 
 and which was known as the Syro-Chaldaic. 
 
 On the other hand, the great body of critics have supposed it was written in 
 the Greek language. This was the opinion of Fabricius, Lightfoot, Whitby, 
 Beausobre, Capellus, Basnage, Mill, and others, and is also the opinion of 
 Lardner, Hug, Stuart, and perhaps of most modern critics. These opinions 
 may be seen examined at length in Michaelis' Introduction, Hug, Stuart, and 
 Lardner. 
 
 The arguments in support of the opinion that it was written in Hebrew 
 are, briefly, the following : fl.) The testimony of the Fathers. Thus Cle- 
 ment of Alexandria says, " Paul wrote to the Hebrews in the Hebrew lan- 
 guage, and Luke carefully translated it into Greek." Jerome says, " Paul 
 as a Hebrew wrote to the Hebrews in Hebrew — Scripserat ut Hebrajus He- 
 brseis Hebraice ;" and then he adds, " this epistle was translated into Greek, 
 60 that the colouring of the style was made diverse in this way from that of 
 Paul's." (2.) The fact that it was written for the use of the Hebrews, who 
 epoke the Hebrew, or the Talmudic language, is alleged as a reason for sup- 
 posing that it must have been written in that language. (3.) It is alleged 
 by Michaelis, that the style of the Greek, as we now have it, is far more pure 
 and classical than Paul elsewhere employs, and that hence it is to be inferred 
 that it was translated by some one who was master of the Greek language. 
 On this, however, the most eminent critics disagree. (4.) It is alleged by 
 Michaelis, that the quotations in the epistle, as we have it, are made from the 
 Spptuagint, and that they are foreign to the purpose which the writer had in 
 view as they are now quoted, whereas they are exactly in point as they stand 
 in the Hebrew. Hence he infers that the original Hebrew was quoted by the 
 author, and that the translator used the common version at hand instead of 
 making an exact translation for himself. Of the fact alleged here, however, 
 there may be good ground to raise a question ; and if it were so, it would not 
 prove that the writer might not have used the common and accredited trans- 
 lation, though less to his purpose than the original. Of the fact, moreover, 
 to which Michaelis here refers, Prof. Stuart says, " He has not adduced a 
 single instance of what he calls a tvrong translation which wears the appear- 
 ance of any considerable probability." The only instance urged by Michaelis 
 which seems to me to be plausible is Heb. i. 7. These are the principal 
 arn-umcnts which have been urged in favour of the opinion that this epistle 
 was written in the Hebrew language. They are evidently not conclusive. 
 The only argument of any considerable weight is the testimony of some of 
 the Fathers, and it may be doubted whether they gave this as a matter of 
 
INTRODUCTION. XV 
 
 historic fact or only as a matter of opinion. See Hug's Introduction, § 144. 
 It is morally certain that in one respect their statement cannot be true. They 
 state that it was translated by Luke ; but it is capable of the clearest proof 
 that it was not translated by Luke, the author of the Gospel and the Acts of 
 the Apostles, since there is the most remarkable dissimilarity in the style. 
 
 On tlic other hand there are alleged in favour of the opinion that it was 
 written in Greek the following considerations, viz. : — 
 
 (1.) The fact that we have no Hebrew original. If it was written in 
 Hebrew, the original was early lost. None of the Fathers say that they had 
 seen it ; none quote it. All the copies that we have are in Greek. If it was 
 written in Hebrew, and the original was destroyed, it must have been at a 
 very early period, and it is remarkable that no one should have mentioned the 
 fact or alluded to it . Besides, it is scarcely conceivable that the original 
 should have so soon perished, and that the translation should have altogether 
 taken its place. If it was addressed to the Hebrews in Palestine, the same 
 reason which made it proper that it should have been written in Hebrew 
 would have led them to retain it in that language, and we might have sup- 
 posed that Origen, or Eusebius, or Jerome, who lived there, or Ephrem the 
 Syrian, would have adverted to the fact that there was there a Hebrew ori- 
 ginal. The Jews were remarkable for retaining their sacred books in the 
 language in which they were written, and if this were written in Hebrew it is 
 difficult to account for the fact that it was so soon suffered to perish. 
 
 (2.) The presumption — a presumption amounting to almost a moral cer 
 tainty — is, that an apostle writing to the Christians in Palestine would write 
 in Greek. This presumption is based on the following circumstances : (a) The 
 fact that all the other books of the New Testament were written in Greek, 
 unless the gospel by Matthew be an exception. (6) This occurred in cases 
 where it would seem to have been as improbable as it was that one writing 
 to the Hebrews should use that language. For instance, Paul wrote to the 
 church in Home in the Greek language, though the Latin language was that 
 which was in universal use there, (c) The Greek was a common language 
 in the East. It seems to have been familiarly spoken, and to have been com- 
 monly understood, (d) Like the other books of the New Testament, this 
 epistle does not appear to have been intended to be confined to the Hebrews 
 only. The writings of the apostles were regarded as the property of the 
 church at large. Those writings would be copied and spread abroad. The 
 Greek was a far better language for such a purpose than the Hebrew. It 
 was polished and elegant ; was adapted to the purpose of discoursing on moral 
 subjects ; was fitted to express delicate shades of thought, and was the lan- 
 guage which was best understood by the world at large, (e) It was the lan- 
 guage which Paul would naturally use unless there was a strong reason for 
 his employing the Hebrew. Though he was able to speak in Hebrew (Acts 
 xxi. 40), yet he had spent his early days in Tarsus, where the Greek was the 
 vernacular tongue, and it was probably that which he had first learned. 
 Besides this, when this epistle was written he had been alisent from Palestine 
 about twenty-five years, and in all that lime he had been there but a few 
 days. He had been where the Greek language was universally spoken. 
 He had been among Jews who spoke that language. It was the language 
 used in their synagogues, and Paul had addressed them in it. After thus 
 preaching, conversing, and writing in that language for twenty-five years, is 
 it any wonder that he should prefer writing in it ; that he should naturally 
 do it 5 and is it not to be presumed that he would do it in this case ? These 
 
•XVI INVBODUCTION. 
 
 presumptions are so strong that they ought to be allowed to settle a question 
 of tliis kind unless there is positive proof to the contrary. 
 
 (3.) There is internal proof that it was written in the Greek language. 
 The evidence of this kind consists in the fact that the writer bases an argu- 
 ment on the meaning and force of Greek words, which could not have oc- 
 curred had he written in Hebrew. Instances of this kind are such as these. 
 
 (a) In ch. ii. he applies a passage from Ps. viii. to prove that the Son of God 
 must have had a human nature, which was to be exalted above the angels, 
 and placed at the head of the creation. The passage is, " Thou hast made 
 hira a little while inferior to the angels." Ch. ii. 7, margin. In the He- 
 brew, in Ps. viii. 5, the word rendered angels, is □'riSx — Elohim — God; 
 and the sense of angels attaAed to that word, though it may sometimes occur, 
 is so unusual, that an argument would not have been built on the Hebrew. 
 
 (b) In ch. vii. 1, the writer has explained the name Melchizedek, and trans- 
 lated it king of Salem — telling what it is i/i Greek — a thing which would 
 not have been done had he written in Hebrew, where the word was well 
 understood. It is possible, indeed, that a translator might have done this, 
 but the explanation seems to be interwoven with the discourse itself, and to 
 constitute a part of the argument, (c) In ch. ix. 16, 17, there is an argument 
 on the meaning of the word covenant — iia^ijKti — which could not have oc- 
 curred had the epistle been in Hebrew. It is founded on the double meaning 
 of that word — denoting both a covenant and a testament, or will. The He- 
 orew word — n'"l3 — Berith — has no such double signification. It means 
 covenant only, and is never used in the sense of the word will, or testament. 
 The proper translation of that word would be cvv^fiKrt — syntheke — but the 
 translators of the Septuagint uniformly used the former — Sia&n»:ri—diatkeke — 
 and on this word the argument of the apostle is based. This could not have 
 been done by a translator ; it must have been by the original author, for it is 
 incorporated into the argument, (c?) In ch. x. 3 — 9, the author shows that 
 Christ came to make an atonement for sin, and that in order to this it was 
 necessary that he should have a human body. This he shows was not only 
 necessary, but was predicted. In doing this, he appeals to Ps. xl. 6 — "A 
 body hast thou prepared for me." But the Hebrew here is, " Mine ears hast 
 thou opened." This passage would have been much less pertinent than the 
 other form — " a body hast thou prepared me ;" — and indeed it is not easy to see 
 how it would bear at all on the object in view. See ver. 10. But in the 
 Septuagint the phfase stands as he quotes it — " a body hast thou prepared for 
 me ;" a fact which demonstrates, whatever difficulties there may be about the 
 principle on which he makes the quotation, that the epistle was written in 
 Greek. It may be added, that it has nothing of the appearance of a transla- 
 tion. It is not stiff, forced, or constrained in style, as translations usually are. 
 It is impassioned, free, flowing, full of animation, life and colouring, and has 
 all the appearance of being an original composition. So clear have these 
 considerations appeared, that the great body of critics now concur in the 
 opinion that the epistle was originally written in Greek. 
 
 § 6. The design and general argument of the Epistle. 
 
 The general purpose of this epistle is, to preserve those to whom it was 
 sent from the danger of apostasy. Their danger on this subject did not arise 
 60 much from persecution, as from the circumstances that were fitted to attract 
 them again to the Jewish religion. The temple, it is supposed, and indeed it 
 is evident, was still standing. The morning and evening sacrifice was still 
 
INTRODUCTION. XV\i 
 
 ofTered. The splendid rites of that imposing religion were still observed. 
 The authority of the law was undisputed. Moses was a lawgiver, sent 
 from God, and no one doubted that the Jewish form of religion had been 
 instituted by their fathers in conformity with the direction of God. Their 
 religion had been founded amidst remarkable manifestations of the Deity — in 
 flames, and smoke, and thunder ; it had been communicated by the ministra- 
 tion of angels ; it had on its side and in its favour all the venerableness and 
 sanction of a remote antiquity ; and it commended itself by the pomp of its 
 ritual, and by the splendour of its ceremonies. On the other hand, the new 
 form of religion had little or nothing of this to commend it. It was of recent 
 origin. It was founded by the Man of Nazareth, who had been trained up 
 in their own land, and who had been a carpenter, and who had had no ex- 
 traordinary advantages of education. Its rites were few and simple. It had 
 no splendid temple service ; none of the pomp and pageantry, the music and 
 the magnificence of the ancient religion. It had no splendid array of priests 
 in magnificent vestments, and it had not been imparted by the ministry of 
 angels. Fishermen were its ministers ; and by the body of the nation it was 
 regarded as a schism, or heresy, that enlisted in its favour only the most 
 humble and lowly of the people. 
 
 In these circumstances, how natural was it for the enemies of the gospel in 
 Judea to contrast the two forms of religion, and how keenly would Christians 
 there feel it ! All that was said of the antiquity and the divine origin of the 
 Jewish religion they knew and admitted ; all that was said of its splendour 
 and magnificence they saw ; and all that was said of the humble origin of 
 their own religion they were constrained to admit also. Their danger was not 
 'that arising from persecution. It was that of being affected by considerations 
 like these, and of relapsing again into the religion of their fathers, and of 
 apostatizing from the gospel ; and it was a danger which beset no other part 
 of the Christian world. 
 
 To meet and counteract this danger was the design of this epistle. Ac- 
 cordingly the writer contrasts the two religions in all the great points on 
 which the minds of Christians in Judea would be likely to be affected, and 
 shows the superiority of the Christian religion over the Jewish in every 
 respect, and especially in the points that had so much attracted their atten- 
 tion, and affected their hearts. He begins by showing that the Author of the 
 Christian religion was superior in rank to any and all who had ever delivered 
 the word of God to man. He was superior to the prophets, and even to the 
 angels. He was over all things, and all things were subject to him. There 
 was, therefore, a special reason why they should listen to him, and obey his 
 commands. Ch. i., ii. He was superior to Moses, the great Jewish law- 
 giver, whom they venerated so much, and on whom they so much prided 
 themselves. Ch. iii. Having shown that the Great Founder of the Chris- 
 tian religion was superior to the prophets, to Moses, and to the angels, the 
 writer proceeds to show that the Christian religion was characterized by having 
 a High Priest superior to that of the Jews, and of whom the Jewish high 
 priest was but a type and emblem. He shows that all the rites of the ancient 
 religion, splendid as they were, were also but types, and were to vanish away 
 — for they had had their fulfilment in the realities of the Christian faith. He 
 shows that the Christian's High Priest derived his origin and his rank from 
 a more venerable antiquity than the Jewish high priest did — for he went 
 back to Melchizedek, who lived long before Aaron, and that he had far 
 superior dignity from the fact that he had entered into the Holy of Holies 
 in heaven. The Jewish High Priest entered onc« a year into the Most Holy 
 2* 
 
XVUl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 place in the temple ; the Great High Priest of the Christian faith had entered 
 into the Most Holy place — of which that was hut the type and emblem — into 
 heavejUJ In short, whatever there was of dignity and honour in the Jewish 
 Talth had more than its counterpart in the Christian religion ; and while the 
 Christian religion was permanent, that was fading. The riles of the Jewish 
 system, magnificent as they were, were designed to be temporary. They 
 were mere types and shadows of things to come. They had their fulfilment 
 in Christianity. That had an Author more exalted in rank by far than the 
 author of the Jewish system ; it had a High Priest more elevated and en- 
 during ; it had rites which brought men nearer to God ; it was the substance 
 of what in the temple service was type and shadow. By considerations such 
 as these the author of this epistle endeavours to preserve them from apostasy. 
 Why should they go back ? Why should they return to a less perfect sys- 
 tem ? Why go back from the substance to the shadow ? Why turn away 
 from the true sacrifice to the type and emblem ? Why linger around the 
 earthly tabernacle, and contemplate the high priest there, while they had a 
 more perfect and glorious High Priest, who had entered into the heavens ? 
 And why should they turn away from the only perfect sacrifice — the great 
 offering made for transgression — and go back to the bloody rites which were 
 to be renewed every day ? And why forsake the perfect system — the system 
 that was to endure for ever — for that which was soon to vanish away^ ? The 
 author of this epistle is very careful to assure them that if they thus aposta- 
 tized, there could be no hope for them. If they now rejected the sacrifice of 
 the Son of God, there was no other sacrifice for sin. That was the last great 
 sacrifice for the sins of men. It was designed to close all bloody offerings.* 
 It was not to be repeated. If that was rejected, there was no other. The 
 Jewish rites were soon to pass away ; and even if they were not, they could not 
 cleanse the conscience from sin. Persecuted then though they might be ; 
 reviled, ridiculed, opposed, yet they should not abandon their Christian hope, 
 for it was their all ; they should not neglect him who spake to them from 
 heaven, for in dignity, rank, and authority, he far surpassed all who in former 
 times had made known the will of God to men. 
 
 This epistle, therefore, occupies a most important place in the book of reve- 
 lation, and without it that book would be inCT)mplete. It is the most full 
 explanation which we have of the meaning of the Jewish institutions. In 
 the epistle to the Romans we have a system of religious doctrine, and parti- 
 cularly a defence of the great doctrine of justification by faith. Important 
 doctrines are discussed in the other epistles ; but there was something wanted 
 that would show the meaning of the Jewish rites and ceremonies, and 
 Iheir connexion with the Christian scheme ; something which would show 
 us how the one was preparatory to the other ; and I may add, something 
 that would restrain the imagination in endeavouring to show how the one was 
 designed to introduce the other. The one was a system of types and sha- 
 dows. But on nothing is the human mind more prone to wander than on 
 the subject of emblems and analogies. This has been shown abundantly in the 
 experience of the Christian church, from the time of Origcn to the present 
 Systems of divinity, commentaries, and sermons, have shown everywhere how 
 prone men of ardent imaginations have been to find types in everything 
 pertaining to the ancient economy ; to discover hidden meanings in every 
 ceremony ; and to regard every pin and hook and instrument of the taber- 
 nacle as designed to inculcate some truth, and to shadow forth some fact or 
 doctrine of the Christian revelation. It was desirable to have one book that 
 should tell how that is ; to fetter down the imagination and bind it by severe 
 
INTRODUCTION. XIX 
 
 rules, and to restrain the vagaries of honest but credulous devotion. Such a 
 book we have in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The ancient system is there 
 explained by one who had been brought up in the midst of it, and who un- 
 derstood it thoroughly ; by one who had a clear insight into the relation 
 which it bore to the Christian economy ; by one who was under the influ- 
 ence of divine inspiration, and who could not err. The Bible would have 
 been incomplete without this book ; and when I think of the relation between 
 the Jewish and the Christian systems ; when I look on the splendid rites of 
 the ancient economy, and ask their meaning ; when I wish a full guide to 
 heaven, and ask for that which gives completeness to the whole, I turn 
 instinctively to the Epistle to the Hebrews. When I wish also that which 
 shall give me the most elevated view of the Great Author of Christianity 
 and of liis work, and the most clear conceptions of the sacrifice which he 
 made for sin ; and when I look for considerations that shall be most effectual 
 in restraining the soul from apostasy, and for considerations to enable it to 
 bear trials with patience and with hope, my mind recurs to this book, and I 
 feel that the book of revelation, and the hopes of man, would be incomplete 
 without it. 
 
THE EPISTLE OF 
 
 PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 The main object of the epistle is to 
 commend the Christian religion to 
 those who were addressed in it in 
 such a way as to prevent defection 
 from it. This is done, principally, 
 by showing its superiority to the Mo- 
 saic system. The great danger of 
 Christians in Palestine was of re- 
 lapsing into the Jewish system. The 
 imposing nature of its rites ; the pub- 
 lic sentiment in its favour ; the fact 
 of its antiquity, and its undisputed 
 divine origin, would all tend to that. 
 To counteract this, the writer of this 
 epistle shows that the gospel had 
 higher claims on their attention, and 
 that if that was rejected ruin was in- 
 evitable. In doing this, he begins, 
 in this chapter, by showing the supe- 
 riority of the Author of Christianity 
 to prophets, and to the angels ; that 
 is, that he had a rank that entitled 
 him to the profoundest regard. The 
 drift of this chapter, therefore, is to 
 show the dignity and exalted nature 
 of the Author of the Christian system 
 — the Son of God. The chapter 
 comprises the following points : — 
 
 I. The announcement of the fact 
 that God, who had formerly spoken 
 by the prophets, had in this last dis- 
 pensation spoken by his Son. Vs. 1, 2. 
 
 II. The statement respecting his 
 rank and dignity. He was (1) the 
 heir of all things ; (2) the creator of 
 the worlds; (3) the brightness of the 
 divine glory and the proper expres- 
 sion of his nature ; (4) he upheld all 
 things. Vs. 2, 3. 
 
 III. The work and exaltation of 
 he Author of the Christian system. 
 
 (1.) He, by his own unassisted agency 
 purified us from our sins. (2.) He is 
 seated at the right hand of God. 
 (3.) He has a more exalted and va- 
 luable inheritance than the angels, 
 in proportion as his name is more 
 exalted than theirs. Vs. 3, 4. 
 
 IV. Proofs that what is here as- 
 scribed to him belongs to him, parti- 
 cularly that he is declared to be su 
 perior to the angels. Vs. 5 — 14. 
 
 (1.) The angels have never been 
 addressed with the title of Son. 
 Ver. 5. 
 
 (2.) He is declared to be the object 
 of worship by the angels, while they 
 are employed merely as the messen- 
 gers of God. Vs. 6, 7. 
 
 (3.) He is addressed as God, and 
 his throne is said to be for ever and 
 ever. Vs. 8, 9. 
 
 (4.) He is addressed as immutable. 
 He is declared to have laid the foun- 
 dations of heaven and earth ; and 
 though they would perish, yet he 
 would remain the same. Vs. 10 — 12 
 (5.) None of the angels had been 
 addressed in this manner, but they 
 were employed in the subordinate 
 work of ministering to the heirs of 
 salvation. Vs. 13, 14. 
 
 From this train of reasoning, the 
 inference is drawn in ch. ii. 1 — 4, that 
 we ought to give diligent heed to what 
 had been spoken. The Great Author 
 of the Christian scheme had peculiar 
 claims to be heard, and there was 
 peculiar danger in disregarding hia 
 message. The object of this chapter 
 is, to impress those to whom the epis- 
 tie was addressed with the high claims 
 of the Founder of Christianity, and 
 to show that it was superior in this 
 respect to any other system. 
 
 21 
 
Zii 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 G' 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OD, who' at sundry times 
 and in divers manners 
 
 1. God who at sundry times. The 
 comnienccnieiit of this epistle varies 
 from all the others wliich Paul wrote. 
 In every otiier instance he at first 
 announees his name, and the name 
 of the ciiurch or of the individual to 
 whom he wrote. In regard to the 
 reason why he here varies from that 
 custom, see the Introduction, § 3. 
 This commences with the foil ac- 
 knowlcdjTment of his belief that God 
 had made important revelations in 
 past times, but tliat now he had com- 
 municated his will in a manner that 
 more especially claimed tiicir atten- 
 tion. Tliis announcement was of 
 particular importance here. He was 
 writing to those who had been trained 
 up in the full belief of the truths 
 taught by the prophets. As the ob- 
 ject of the apostle was to show the 
 superior claims of the gospel, and to 
 lead them from putting confidence in 
 the rites instituted in accordance with 
 the directions of the Old Testament, 
 it was of essential importance that 
 he should admit that tiicir belief of 
 the inspiration of the prophets was 
 well founded. He was not an infidel. 
 He was not disposed to call in question 
 the divine origin of the books which 
 were regarded as given by inspira- 
 tion. He fully admitted all that had 
 been held by the Hebrews on that 
 head, and yet showed that the new 
 revelation had more important claims 
 to their attention. The word ren- 
 dered " at sundry times" — TroXv/icpioi — 
 means in many parts. It refers here 
 to the fact that the former revelation 
 had been given in various parts. It 
 had not all been given at once. It 
 had been communicated from time 
 to time as the exigencies of the peo- 
 ple required, and as God ciiosc to 
 communicate it. At one time it was 
 by history, then by propliecy, by po- 
 etry, by proverbs, by some solemn 
 and special message, &-c. The an- 
 cient revelation was a collection of 
 various writings, on different sub- 
 
 spake in time past unto the fa- 
 thers by the prophets, 
 
 a Nu. 12. 6. 8. 
 
 jects, and given at different times 
 but note God had addressed us by hia 
 Son — the one great Messenger who 
 had come to finish the divine com- 
 munications, and to give a uniform 
 and connected revelation to mankind. 
 The contrast here is between the 
 numerous separate ^arts of the revela- 
 tion given by the prophets, and the 
 oneness of that given by his Son. 
 The word does not elsewhere occur 
 in the New Testament. ^ And in 
 divers inanners — roXvTpdirias. In many 
 ways. It was not all in one mode. 
 He had employed various methods in 
 communicating his will. At one 
 time it was by direct communication, 
 at another by dreams, at another by 
 visions, &,c. In rtgard to the various 
 methods which God employed to com- 
 municate his will, see Introduction 
 to Isaiah, ^ 7. In contradistinction 
 from these, God had now spoken by 
 his Son. He had addressed us in one 
 uniform manner. It was not by 
 dreams, or visions ; it was a direct 
 communication from him. The word 
 used here, also, occurs nowhere else 
 in the New Testament. ^ In times 
 past. Formerly ; in ancient times 
 The series of revelations began, as 
 recorded by Moses, with Adam (Gen. 
 iii.), and terminated with Malachi — 
 a period of more than three thousand 
 five hundred years. From Malachi 
 to the time of tlie Saviour there were 
 no recorded divine communications, 
 and the whole period of written reve- 
 lation, or when the divine comnmni- 
 cations were recorded from Moses to 
 Malachi, was about a thousand years, 
 IT Unto the fathers. To our ances- 
 tors ; to the people of ancient times. 
 IT By the prophets. Tlie word prophet 
 in the Scriptures is used in a wide 
 signification. It means not only those 
 who predict future events, but those 
 who communicate tiie divine will on 
 any subject. See Notes on Rom. xii. 
 (J; I. Cor. xiv. 1. It is used here jh 
 that large sense — as denoting all 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 23 
 
 2 Hath in these last days 
 
 those by whom God had made com- 
 munications to the Jews in former 
 •jimes. 
 
 2. Hath in these last days. In this 
 the final dispensation ; or in this dis- 
 pensation under which the affairs of 
 the world will be wound up. Phrases 
 similar to this occur frequently in the 
 Scriptures. They do not imply that 
 the world was soon coming to an end, 
 but that that was the last dispensa- 
 tion, the last period of the world. 
 There had been the patriarchal pe- 
 riod, the period under the law, tlie 
 prophets, &c., and this was the period 
 during which God's last method of 
 communication would be enjoyed, 
 and under which the world would 
 close. It might be a very long period, 
 but it would be the last one ; and so 
 far as the meaning of the phrase is 
 concerned, it might be the longest 
 period, or longer than all the others 
 put together, but still it would be the 
 last one. See Notes on Acts ii. 17 ; 
 Isa. ii. 2. IT Spoken unto us. The 
 word " Ms" here does not of necessity 
 imply that the writer of the epistle 
 had actually heard him, or that they 
 had heard him to whom tne epistle 
 was written. It means that God had 
 now communicated his will to man 
 by his Son. It may be said with en- 
 tire propriety that God has spoken 
 to MS by his Son, though we have not 
 personally heard or seen him. We 
 have what he spoke and caused to be 
 recorded for our direction. IT By his 
 Son. The title commonly given to 
 
 » the Lord Jesus, as denoting his pe- 
 culiar relation to God. It was under- 
 stood by the Jews to denote equality 
 with God (Notes, John v. 18 ; comp. 
 John X. 33. 36), and is used with such 
 
 , a reference here. See Notes on Rom. 
 i. 4, where the meaning of the phrase 
 "Son of God" is fully considered. It 
 is implied here that the fact that the 
 Son of God has spoken to us imposes 
 the highest obligations to attend to 
 what he has said; that he has an 
 authority s\ipenoi to all those who 
 
 spoken" unto us by his Son, 
 
 a De. 18. 15. 
 
 have spoken in past times ; and that 
 there will be peculiar guilt in refusing 
 to attend to what he has spoken. 
 See ch. ii. 1 — 4; comp. ch. xii. 25. 
 The reasons for the superior respect 
 which should be shown to the reve- 
 lations of the Son of God may be 
 sucli as these: — (1.) His rank and 
 dignity. He is the equal with God 
 (John i. 1), and is himself called God 
 in this chapter. Ver. 8. He has a 
 right, therefore, to command, and 
 when lie speaks men should obey. 
 (2.) The clearness of tlie truths which 
 he communicated to man on a great 
 variety of subjects that are of the 
 highest moment to the world. Re- 
 velation has been gradual — like the 
 breaking of the day in the east. At 
 first there is a little light ; it increases 
 and expands till objects become more 
 and more visible, and then the sun 
 rises in full-orbed glory. At first we 
 discern only the existence of some 
 object — obscure and undefined ; then 
 we can trace its outline ; then its 
 colour, its size, its proportions, its 
 drapery — till it stands before us fully 
 revealed. So it has been with reve- 
 lation. There is a great variety of 
 subjects which we now see clearly, 
 which were very imperfectly under- 
 stood by the teaching of the prophets, 
 and would be now if we had only the 
 Old Testament. Among them are 
 the following : — (a) The character 
 of God. Christ came to make him 
 known as a merciful being, and to 
 show how he could be mercitul as 
 well as just. The views given of God 
 by the Lord Jesus are far more clear 
 than any given by the ancient pro- 
 phets ; compared with those enter 
 tained by the ancient philosophers, 
 they are like the sun compared with 
 the darkest midnight. (6) The way 
 in which man may be reconciled to 
 God. The New Testament — which 
 may be considered as that which God 
 " has spoken to us by his Son" — has 
 told us how the great work of beinj 
 1 reconciled to Goi can be effected. 
 
2i 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4. 
 
 whom he liath appointed heir' 
 
 a Ps. 2. 8. ft Jiio. 1. 3. 
 
 The Lord Jesus told us that he came 
 to " give his life a ransom for many ;" 
 that he laid down his life for his 
 friends ; that he was ahout to die for 
 man ; that he would draw all men to 
 him. The prophets indeed — parti- 
 cularly Isaiah — tiirew much light on 
 these points. But the mass of the 
 people did not understand their reve- 
 lations. Tiiey pertained to future 
 events — always difficult to be imder- 
 stood. But Christ has told us the 
 way of salvation, and he has made it 
 so plain that he who runs may read, 
 (c) The moral precepts of the Re- 
 deemer are superior to those of any 
 and all that had gone before him. 
 They are elevated, pure, expansive, 
 benevolent — such as became the Son 
 of God to proclaim. Indeed this is 
 admitted on all hands. Infidels are 
 constrained to acknowledge that all 
 the moral precepts of the Saviour are 
 eminently pure and benignant. If 
 they were obeyed, the world would 
 be filled with justice, truth, purity, 
 and benevolence. Error, fraud, hy- 
 pocrisy, ambition, wars, licentious- 
 ness, and intemperance, would cease ; 
 and the opposite virtues would diffuse 
 happiness over the face of the world. 
 Prophets had indeed delivered many 
 moral precepts of great importance, 
 but the purest and most extensive 
 body of just principles of good morals 
 on earth are to be found in the teach- 
 ings of the Saviour. {d) He has 
 given to us the clearest view which 
 man has had of the future state ; and 
 he has disclosed in regard to that fu- 
 ture state a class of truths of the 
 deepest interest to mankind, which 
 were before wholly unknown or only 
 partially revealed. 1. He has re- 
 vealed the cert;\inty of a state of fu- 
 ture existence — in opposition to the 
 Sadducccs of all ages. This was 
 denied before he came by multitudes, 
 and where it was not, the arguments 
 by which it was sujiportcd were oflen 
 of the feeblest kind. The truth was 
 held by some — like Plato and his fbl- 
 
 of all things, by whom* also he 
 made the worlds ; 
 
 lowers — but the arguments on which 
 they relied were feeble, and such at 
 were unfitted to give rest to the souL 
 The truth they had obtained by tra- 
 DiTio.N ; the arguments were theui 
 OWN. 2. He revealed the doctrine 
 of the resurrection of the body. This 
 before was doubted or denied by 
 nearly all the world. It was held to 
 be absurd and impossible. The Sa- 
 viour taught its certainty ; he raised 
 up more than one to show that it was 
 possible ; he was himself raised, to 
 put the whole matter beyond debate. 
 3. He revealed the certainty of future 
 judgment — the judgment of all man- 
 kind. 4. He disclosed great and 
 momentous truths respecting the fu- 
 ture state. Before he came, all was 
 dark. The Greeks spoke of Ely- 
 sian fields, but they were dreams of 
 the imagination ; the Hebrews had 
 some faint notion of a future state 
 where all was dark and gloomy, with 
 perhaps an occasional glimpse of the 
 truth that there is a holy and blessed 
 heaven ; but to the mass of mind all 
 was obscure. Christ revealed a hea- 
 ven, and told us of a liell. He showed 
 us that the one might be gained and 
 the other avoided. He presented im- 
 portant motives for doing it; and 
 had he done nothing more, his com- 
 munications were worthy the pro- 
 found attention of mankind. I may 
 add, (3.) That the Son of God has 
 claims on our attention from the 
 MANNER in wliich he spoke. He spoke 
 as one having " authority." Matt, 
 vii. 29. He spoke as a tcitness of 
 what he saw and knew. John iii. 11. 
 He spoke without doubt or ambiguity 
 of God, and heaven, and hell. His 
 is the language of one who is fami- 
 liar with all that he describes ; who 
 saw all, who knew all. There is no 
 hesitancy or doubt in his mind of the 
 trutli of what he speaks ; and he 
 speaks as if his whole soul were im- 
 pressed with its unspeakable import- 
 ance. Never were so momentous 
 communications made to men of hell 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 3^ 
 
 as fell from the lips of the Lord Je- 
 sus (see Notes on Matt, xxiii. 33) ; 
 never were announcements made so 
 fitted to awe and appal a sinful world. 
 If W}w7n he hath appointed heir of all 
 things. See Ps. ii. 8 ; comp. Notes 
 Rom. viii. 17. This is language 
 taken from the fact that he is ' the 
 Son of God.' If a son, then he is an 
 heir — for so it is usually among men. 
 This is not to be taken literally, as 
 if he inherits anything as a man 
 does. An heir is one who inherits 
 anything after the death of its pos- 
 sessor — usually his father. But this 
 cannot be applied in this sense to the 
 Lord Jesus. The language is used 
 to denote his rank and dignity as the 
 Son of God. As such all things are 
 his, as the property of a father de- 
 scends to his son at his death. The 
 word rendered heir — K\ripov6nos — 
 means properly (1) one who acquires 
 anything by lot ; and (2) an heir in 
 the sense in which we usually under- 
 stand the word. It may also denote 
 a possessor of anything received as a 
 portion, or of property of any kind. 
 See Rom. iv. 13, 14. It is in every 
 instance rendered heir in the New 
 Testament. Applied to Christ, it 
 means that as the Son of God he is 
 possessor or lord of all things, or that 
 all things are his. Comp. Acts ii. 
 36 ; X. 36 ; John xvii. 10 ; xvi. 15. 
 " All tilings that the Father hath are 
 mine." The sense is, that all things 
 belong to the Son of God. Who is 
 so rich then as Christ ? Who so able 
 to endow his friends with enduring 
 and abundant wealth ? If By lohom. 
 By whose agency ; or who was the 
 actual agent in the creation. Gro- 
 tius supposes that this means, ' on 
 account of whom ;' -and that tlie 
 meaning is, that the universe was 
 formed with reference to the Messiah, 
 in accordance with an ancient Jewish 
 * maxim. But the more common and 
 classical usage of the word rendered 
 by (ii-^t), when it governs a genitive, 
 as here, is to denote the instrumental 
 cause ; the agent by which anything 
 is done. See Matt. i. 22; ii. 5. 15. 
 23 ; Luke xviii. 31 ; John i. 17 ; Acts 
 
 ii. 22. 43 ; iv. 16 ; xii. 9 ; Rom. ii. 16, 
 V. 5. It may he true that the uni- 
 verse was formed with reference to 
 the glory of the Son of God, and that 
 this world was brought mto being in 
 order to show his glory ; but it would 
 not do to establish that doctrine on a 
 passage like this. Its obvious and 
 proper meaning is, that he was the 
 agent of the creation — a truth that is 
 elsewhere abundantly taught. See 
 John i. 3. 10; Coll. i. 16; Eph. iii. 
 9 ; I. Cor. viii. 6. This sense, also, 
 better agrees with the design of the 
 apostle in this place. His object is 
 to set forth the dignity of the Son of 
 God. This is better shown by the 
 consideration that he was the creator 
 of all things, than that all things 
 were made for him. If The worlds. 
 The universe, or creation. So the 
 word here— ahiv — is undoubtedly used 
 in ch. xi. 3. The word properly 
 means age — an indefinitely long pe- 
 riod of time ; then perpetuity, ever, 
 eternity — alioays being. For an ex- 
 tended investigation of the meaning 
 of the word, the reader may consult 
 an essay by Prof Stuart, in the Spirit 
 of the Pilgrims, for 1829, pp. 406— 
 452. From the sense of age, or du. 
 ration, the word comes to denote the 
 present and future age ; the present 
 world and the world to come ; the 
 present world, with all its cares, 
 anxieties, and evils ; the men of this 
 world — a wicked generation, &,c. 
 Then it means the world — the mate- 
 rial universe — creation as it is. The 
 only perfectly clear use of the word 
 in this sense in the New Testament 
 is in Heb. xi. 3, and there there can 
 be no doubt. "Through faith we 
 understand tliat the worlds were made 
 by the word of God, so that things 
 which are seen were not made of 
 things which do appear." The pas- 
 sage before us will bear the same in- 
 terpretation, and this is the most ob- 
 vious and intelligible. What would 
 be the meaning of saying that the 
 ages or dispensations were made by 
 the son of God ? The Hebrews used 
 the word — th)]? — 'Oldm — in tlie 
 same sense. It properly means age. 
 
36 
 
 HKBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 3 Who" being the bright- 
 
 a Jno. 1. U. 
 
 duration ; and tlicncc it came to be 
 used by tliein to denote tlie world — 
 made up of ages or generations ; and 
 tlien the world itself. This is the 
 fair, and, as it seems to me, the only 
 intellig-ible interpretation of tliis pas- 
 sage — an interpretation amply sus- 
 tained by texts referred to above as 
 demonstrating that the universe was 
 made by the ageney of the Son of 
 God. Comp. Notes on ver. 10, ar.d 
 on John i. 3. 
 
 3. Who being the brightness of his 
 glory. This verse is designed to state 
 tJie dignity and exalted rank of tiie 
 Son of God, and is exceedingly im- 
 portant with reference to a correct 
 view of the Redeemer. Every word 
 which is employed is of great im- 
 portance, and should be clearly un- 
 derstood in order to a correct appre- 
 hension of the passage. P'irst, in 
 what manner does it reler to the Re- 
 deemer ? To his divine nature ? To 
 the mode of his existence before lie 
 ■was incarnate ? Or to him as he ap- 
 peared on earth ? Most of the ancient 
 commentators supposed that it retcr- 
 red to his divine dignity before he 
 became incarnate, and proceed to 
 argue on that supposition on tlie 
 mode of the divine existence. Tiie 
 true solution seems to me to be, that 
 it refers to him as incarnate, but still 
 has reference to him as the incarnate 
 Son of God. It refers to him as Me- 
 diator, but not simply or mainly as a 
 man. It is rather to him as divine — 
 thus, in his incarnation, being the 
 brightness of the divine glory, and 
 the express image of God. That this 
 is the correct view is apparent, I 
 think, from the whole scope of the 
 passage. The drift of the argument 
 is, to show his dignity as he has 
 spoken to us (ver. 1), and not in the 
 
 feriod antecedent to his incarnation, 
 t is to show his claims to our reve- 
 rence as sent from God — the last and 
 greatest of the messengers which God 
 Has sent to man. But then it is a 
 description of him as he actually is — 
 
 ness of his glory, and the ex- 
 press image of his person, and 
 
 the incarnate Son of God ; the equal 
 of the Father in human flesh ; and 
 this leads the writer to dwell on his 
 divine character, and to argue from 
 that. Vs. 8. 10— 12. I have no doubt, 
 therefore, that this description refers 
 to his divine nature, but it is the di- 
 vine nature as it appears in human 
 flesh. An examination of the words 
 used will prepare us for a more clear 
 comprehension of tlie sense. The 
 word glory — Sd^a — means properly a 
 seeming, an appearance ; and then 
 (I) praise, applause, honour; (2) dig- 
 nity, splendour, glory ; (3) brightness, 
 dazzling light; and (4) excellence, 
 perfection, such as belongs to God, 
 and such as there is in heaven. It 
 is probably used here, as the word — 
 110J — Kdbhodh — is often among the 
 Hebn.'ws, to denote splendour, bright- 
 ness, and refers to the divine pertec- 
 tions as resembling a bright light, or 
 the sun. The word is applied to the 
 sun and stars, I. Cor. xv. 40, 41 ; to 
 tlie light which Paul saw on the way 
 to D'amascus, Acts xxii. 1 1 ; to the 
 shining of Moses' face, II. Cor. iii. 7 ; 
 to the celestial light which surrounds 
 the angels. Rev. xviii. 1 ; and glori- 
 fied saints, Luke ix. 31, 32; and to 
 the dazzling splendour or majesty iii 
 wliich God is enthroned. II. Thess, 
 i. y ; II. Pet. i. 17 ; Rev. xv. 8 ; xxi. 
 11. 23. Here there is a comparison 
 of God with the sun ; he is encom- 
 passed with splendour and majesty ; 
 he is a being of light and of infinite 
 perfection. It refers to all in God 
 that is bright, splendid, glorious ; and 
 the idea is, that the Son of God is the 
 brightness of it all. The word ren- 
 dered brightness — anavyavita — occurs 
 nowhere else in the New Testament. 
 It means properly reflected splendour, 
 or tile liglit which emanates from a 
 luminous body. The rays or beams 
 of the sun are its " brightness," or 
 that by which the sun is seen and 
 known. Tlic sun itself we do not 
 see; the beams which flow from, it 
 we do sec. The meaning here is. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 upholding all things by the 
 word of his power, when " he 
 had by himself proved our sins, 
 
 tliat if God be represented under the 
 imag'e of a luminous body, as he is 
 in the Scriptures (see Ps. Ixxiv. 1 1 ; 
 Mai. iv. 2), then Christ is the ra- 
 diance of that light, the brightness 
 of that luminary. Stuart. He is that 
 by which we perceive God, or by 
 which God is made known to us in 
 his real perfections. Comp. JoJm i. 
 18 ; xiv. 9. — It is by him only that 
 the true character and glory of God 
 is known to men. This is true in 
 regard to the great system of revela- 
 tion ; but it is especially true in re- 
 gard to the views which men liave 
 of God. Matt. xi. 27. "No man 
 knoweth the Son but the Father ; 
 neither knoweth any man the Father 
 save the Son, and he to whomsoever 
 the Son will reveal him." The 
 human soul is dark respecting the 
 divine character until it is enlight- 
 ened by Christ. It sees no beauty, 
 no glory in his nature — nothing that 
 excites wonder, or that wins the af- 
 fections, until it is disclosed by the 
 Redeemer. Somehow it happens, ac- 
 count for it as men may, that there 
 are no elevating practical views of 
 God in the world ; no views that en- 
 gage and hold the affections of tlie 
 soul ; no views that are transforming 
 and purifying, but those which are 
 derived from the Lord Jesus. A man 
 becomes a Christian, and at once he 
 has elevated, practical views of God. 
 He is to him the most glorious of all 
 beings. He finds supreme delight in 
 contemplating liis perfections. But 
 ie may be a philosopher or an infidel, 
 and though he may profess to believe 
 in the existence of God, yet the be- 
 lief excites no practical influence on 
 him ; he sees nothing to admire ; 
 ^ nothing which leads liim to worship 
 him. Comp. Rom. i. 21. IT And the 
 express image. The word here used 
 — 'X^a^aKTiip — likewise occurs nowhere 
 else in the New Testament. It is 
 that from which our word character 
 is derived. It properly means a 
 
 sat down * on tl>e right hand of 
 the Majesty on high. 
 
 ac. 7. 27; 9. 1214. b Ps. 110. 1. 
 
 graving-tool ; and then somethine 
 engraved, or stamped — a character- 
 as a letter, mark, sign. The imago 
 stamped on coins, seals, wax, ex- 
 presses the idea ; and the sense here 
 is, that if God be represented under 
 the idea of a substance, or being, 
 then Christ is the exact resemblance 
 of that — as an image is of the stamp 
 or die. The resemblance between a 
 stamp and the figure which is im- 
 pressed is exact ; and so is the re- 
 semblance between the Redeemer and 
 God. See Coll. i. 15. " Who is tha 
 image of the invisible God." IT Of 
 his person. The word person with 
 us denotes an individual being, and 
 is applied to human beings, consist- 
 ing of body and soul. We do not 
 apply it to anything dead — not using 
 it witli reference to the body when 
 the spirit is gone. It is applied to 
 man — with individual and separate 
 consciousness and will ; with body 
 and soul ; with an existence sepa- 
 rate from others. It is evident that 
 it cannot be used in this sense when 
 applied to God, and that this word 
 does not express the true idea of the 
 passage here. Tindal renders it, 
 more accurately, substance. The 
 word in the original — vTrdaraai; — 
 wlience our word hypostasis, means, 
 literally, a foundation, or substructure. 
 Then it means a well-founded trust, 
 firm expectation, confidence, firm- 
 ness, boldness ; and then reality, sub- 
 stance, essential nature. In the New 
 Testament, it is rendered confident^ 
 or confidence (II. Cor. ix. 4; xi. 17; 
 Heb. iii. 14) ; substance (Heb. xi. 1); 
 and person in the passage before us. 
 It is not elsewhere used. Here it 
 properly refers to the essential nature 
 of God — that v/hich distinguishes him 
 from all other beings, and which, if 
 I may so sa.y, constitutes him God; 
 and the idea is, that the Redeemer is 
 the exact resemblance of that. This 
 resemblance consists, probably, in the 
 following things — though perhapa 
 
38 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 the enumeration does not include all 
 — but in tlioBu lie certainly resembles 
 God, or is his exact imajrc. (1.) In 
 his original mode of being, or be- 
 fore the incarnation. Ol" this we 
 know little. Hut he had a "glory 
 with the Father before the world 
 was." John xvii. 5. He was " in 
 the beginning with God, and was 
 God." John i. 1. He was in inti- 
 mate union with the Father, and was 
 one with Him, in certain respects ; 
 though in certain other respects, 
 there was a distinction. I do not 
 see any evidence in the Scriptures of 
 the doctrine of "eternal generation," 
 and it is certain that that doctrine 
 militates against the proper eternity 
 of the Son of God. The natural and 
 fiiir meaning of that doctrine would 
 be, that tiicre was a time when he 
 had not an existence, and when he 
 began to be, or was begotten. But 
 tlie Scripture doctrine is, that he had 
 a strict and proper eternity. I see 
 no evidence tliat he was in any senstc 
 a derived being — deriving his exist- 
 ence and his divinity from the Fa- 
 ther. The Fathers of the Christian 
 church, it is believed, held that the 
 Son of God as to his divine, as well 
 as his human nature, was derived 
 from the Father. Hence the Nieene 
 creed speaks of him as " begotten of 
 the Fatiicr before all worlds ; God of 
 God, Light of Light, very God of very 
 God, begotten not made" — language 
 implying derivation in his divine na- 
 ture. They held, with one voice, 
 that he was God ; but it was in tiiis 
 manner. See Stuart, Excursus IH. 
 on the Epistle to the Hebrews. But 
 this is incredible, and impossible. A 
 derived being cannot in any proper 
 sense be God ; and if there is any 
 attribute which the Scriptures have 
 ascribed to the Saviour with peculiar 
 clearness, it is that of proper eternity. 
 Rev. i. 11. 18; John i. 1. It may 
 have been that it was by him that the 
 perfections of God were made known 
 before tlie incarnation to the angelic 
 world, but on that point the Scrip- 
 tures are Milent. (2.) On eartji he 
 Was the brightness of the divine 
 
 glory, and the express image of his 
 person, (a) It was by him, eminently, 
 that God was made known to men— 
 as it is by tlie beams of the sun that 
 that is made known, (fc) He bore 
 an exact resemblance to God. He 
 was just such a being as we should 
 suppose God to be were he to become 
 incarnate, and to act as a man. He 
 was the embodied representation of 
 tiie Deity. He was pure — like God. 
 He was benevolent — like God. He 
 spake to the winds and storms — like 
 God. He healed diseases — like God. 
 He raised the dead — like God. He 
 wielded the power which God only 
 can wield, and he manifested a cha- 
 racter in all respects like that which 
 we should suppose God would evince 
 if he appeared in human flesh, and 
 dwelt among men. And tliis is say- 
 ing much. It is in fact saying that 
 the account in the Gospels is real, 
 and that the Christian religion is 
 true. Uninspired men could never 
 have drawn such a character as that 
 of Jesus Christ unless that character 
 had actually existed. The attempt 
 has often been made to describe God, 
 or to show how he would speak and 
 act if he came down to earth. Thus 
 the Hindoos speak of the incarna- 
 tions of Vishnu ; and thus Homer, 
 and Virgil, and most of the ancient 
 poets, speak of the ap|x;arance of the 
 gods, and describe them as they were 
 supposed to appear. But how differ 
 ent from the character of the Lord 
 Jesus ! T/iey are full of p.vssion, and 
 lust, and anger, and contention, and 
 strife ; they come to mingle in bat- 
 tles, and to take part with contending 
 armies, and they evince the same 
 spirit as men, and are merely men of 
 great power, and more gigantic pas- 
 siofls ; but Christ is gob i.\ human 
 NATURE. The form is that of man ; 
 the spirit is that of God. He walks, 
 and eats, and sleeps as a man ; he 
 thinks, and speaks, and acts like God. 
 He was born as a man — but the an- 
 gels adored him as God. As a man 
 he ate ; yet by a word he created 
 food for thousands, as if he were Ggd 
 Like a man he slept on a pillow while 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ^ 
 
 the vessel was tossed by the waves ; 
 like God he rose, and rebuked the 
 winds and they were still. As a man 
 he went, with aflectionate interest, 
 to tlie house of Martha and Mary. 
 As a man he sympathized with them 
 in their atHiction, and wept at the 
 grave of their brother ; like God he 
 spoke, and the dead came forth to 
 the land of the living. As a man he 
 travelled through the land of Judea. 
 He was without a home. Yet every- 
 where the sick were laid at his feet, 
 and health came from his touch, and 
 strength from the words of his lips — 
 as if he were God. As a man he 
 prayed in the garden of Gcthscmane ; 
 he bore his cross to Calvary ; he was 
 nailed to the tree : yet then the hea- 
 vens grew dark, and the earth shook, 
 and the dead arose — as if he were 
 God. As a man he slept in the cold 
 tomb — like God he rose, and brought 
 life and immortality to light. He 
 lived on earth as a man — he ascended 
 to heaven like God. And in all the 
 life of the Redeemer, in all the variety 
 of trying situations in which he was 
 placed, there was not a word or ac- 
 tion which was inconsistent with the 
 supposition that he was the incarnate 
 God. There was no failure of any 
 effort to heal the sick or to raise the 
 dead ; no look, no word, no deed that 
 is not perfectly consistent with this 
 supposition ; but on the contrary, his 
 life is full of events which can be 
 explained on no other supposition 
 than that he was the appropriate 
 shining forth of the divine glory, and 
 the exact resemblance of the essence 
 of God. There are not two Gods — 
 as there are not two suns when the 
 sun shines. It is the one God, in a 
 mysterious and incomprehensible 
 manner shining into the world in t!ie 
 face of Jesus Christ. See Note on 
 II. Cor. iv. 6. As the wax bears the 
 perfect image of the seal — perfect not 
 only in the outline, but in the fdling 
 up — in all the lines, and features, and 
 letters, so is it with the Redeemer. 
 There is not one of the divine per- 
 fections which has not the counter- 
 part in him, and if the glory of the 
 3« 
 
 divine character is seen at all by men, 
 it will be seen in and through him. 
 IT And upholding all things by the 
 word of his power. That is, by his 
 poweriiil word, or command. The 
 phrase ' word of his power' is a He- 
 braism, and means his efficient com- 
 mand. There could not be a more 
 distinct ascription of divinity to the 
 Son of God than this. He upholds 
 or sustains all things — i. e. the uni- 
 verse. It is not merely the earth ; 
 not only its rocks, mountains, seas, 
 animals and men, but it is the uni- 
 verse — all distant worlds. How can 
 he do this who is not God ? He does 
 it by his word — his command. What 
 a conception ! That a simple com- 
 mand should do all this ! So the 
 world was made when God " spake 
 and it was done ; he commanded and 
 it stood fast." Ps. xxxiii. 9. So the 
 Lord Jesus commanded the waves 
 and the winds and they were still 
 (Matt. viii. 26, 27) ; so he spoke to 
 diseases and they departed, and to 
 the dead and they arose. Comp. 
 Gen. i. 3. I know not how men can 
 explain away this ascription of infi- 
 nite power to the Redeemer. There 
 can be no higher idea of omnipotence 
 than to say that he upholds all things 
 by his word ; and assuredly he who 
 can hold up this vast universe so that 
 it does not sink into anarchy or into 
 nothing, must be God. The same 
 power Jesus claimed for himself. 
 See Matt, xxviii. 18. If When he had 
 by himself purged our sins. ' By him- 
 self — not by the blood of bulls and 
 lambs, but by his own blood. This 
 is designed to bring in the grand 
 feature of the Christian scheme, that 
 the purification made for sin was by 
 his blood, instead of the blood which 
 was shed in the temple-service. The 
 word here rendered " purged" means 
 purified, or expiated. See Notes on 
 John XV. 2. The literal rendering is, 
 ' having made purification for our 
 sins.' The purification or cleansing 
 which he effected was by his blood. 
 See I. John i. 7. " The blood of Je- 
 sus Christ cleanseth from all sin." 
 This the apostle here states to have 
 
30 
 
 IIEKUKVVS. 
 
 [A. D. 64, 
 
 4 Being made so much bet- 
 ter tlian the angels, as he hath 
 by inheritance obtained a more 
 excellent name than they. 
 
 been the great object for which he 
 came, and havint;;- done this, he sat 
 down on the right hand of God. See 
 ch. vii. 27; ix. 12 — 14. It was not 
 merely to teach that he came ; it was 
 to purify the hearts of men, to re- 
 move tlieir sins, and to put an end 
 of sacrifice by tlie sacrifice of him- 
 self ^ Sal down on the. right hand 
 of the Majesty on high. Of God. 
 See Notes on Mark xvi. 19 ; Eph. i. 
 20—23. 
 
 4. Being viade so much better. 
 Being exalted so much above the 
 angels. The word " better" here 
 does not refer to moral character, but 
 to exaltation of rank. As Mediator ; 
 as the Son of God in our nature, he 
 is exalted far above the angels. 
 IT Than the angels. Than all angels 
 of every rank. See Notes on Eph. i. 
 21 ; eomp. I. Pet. iii. 22. " Angels, 
 and authorities and powers being 
 made subject unto him." He is ex- 
 alted to his mediatorial throne, and 
 all things are placed beneath his feet. 
 H As he hath by inheritance. Or in 
 virtue of liis name — the Son of God ; 
 an exaltation such as is implied in 
 that name. As a son has a rank in 
 a family above servants ; as he has 
 a control over the property above 
 that whicli servants have, so it is 
 with the Mediator. He is the Son 
 of God ; angels are the servants of 
 God, and tJie servants of t)ie clmrcli. 
 They occupy a place in the universe 
 compared with tiiat which he occu- 
 pies, similar to tlie place wliich ser- 
 vants in a family occupy compared 
 with that which a son has. To illus- 
 trate and prove this is the design of 
 the remainder of this chapter. The 
 argument wiiieh the apostle insists 
 on is, that tiic title " Thk Son of God" 
 is to be ^-ivcn 1o him alone. It has 
 been conferred on no others. Though 
 the angels, and thougli saints arc 
 called in general ' sons of God,' yet 
 
 5 For unto which of the an- 
 gels said he at any time, " Thou 
 art my Son, this day have I bo- 
 
 a Vb. 2. 7. 
 
 the title ' Thk Son of God' has been 
 given to him only. As the apostle 
 was writing to Hebrews, he makes 
 his appeal to the Hebrew Scriptures 
 alone for the confirmation of this opi- 
 nion. ^ A more excdlent name. To 
 wit, the name Son. It is a more ho- 
 nourable and exalted name than lias 
 ever been bestowed on them. It in- 
 volves more exalted privileges, and 
 entitles him on whom it is bestowed 
 to higher respect and honour than 
 any name ever bestowed on them. 
 
 5. For unto which of the angels, &c. 
 The object of this is, to prove that the 
 Son of God, who has spoken to men 
 in these last days, is superior to the 
 angels. As tlie apostle was writing 
 to those who had been trained in the 
 Jewish religion, and who admitted 
 the authority of the Old Testament, 
 of course he made his appeal to that, 
 and undoubtedly referred lor proof to 
 those places which were generally 
 admitted to relate to the Messialu 
 Abarbanel says, that it was the com- 
 mon opinion of the Jewish doctors 
 that the Alessiah would be exalted 
 above Abraham, Moses, and the an- 
 gels. Stuart. There is a difficulty, 
 as we shall see, in applying the pas- 
 sages which follow to the .Messiah — 
 a difficulty which we may find it not 
 easy to explain. Some remarks will 
 be made on the particular passaj^cs 
 as we go along. In general it may 
 be observed here, (1.) That it is to be 
 presumed that those passages were 
 in the time of Paul applied to tlie 
 Messiah. He seems to argue from 
 them as though tliis was commonly 
 understood, and is at no pains to 
 prove it. (2.) It is to be presumed 
 that those to whom he wrote would 
 at once admit tliis to be so. If tiiis 
 were not so, we cannot suppose that 
 he would regard this mode of reason- 
 ing as at all efficacious, or adapted 
 to convince tiiose to whom he wrote. 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SI 
 
 gotten thee 1 And again, " I 
 
 a2Sa. 7. 14. 
 
 (3.) He did not appreliend that the 
 application which he made of these 
 texts would be called in question by 
 the countrymen of those to- whom he 
 wrote. It is to be presumed, there- 
 fore, that the application was made 
 in accordance with the received opi- 
 nions, and the common interpreta- 
 tion. (4.) Paul had been instructed 
 in early life in the doctrines of the 
 Jewish relig-ion, and made fully ac- 
 quainted with all their principles of 
 interpretation. It is to be presumed, 
 therefore, Ihat he made these quota- 
 tions in accordance with the preva- 
 lent belief, and with principles which 
 were well understood and admitted. 
 (5.) Every ag^e and people have their 
 own modes of reasoning. They may 
 differ from others, and others may 
 regard them as unsound, and yet to 
 that age and people they are satis- 
 factory and conclusive. The ancient 
 philosophers employed modes of rea- 
 soning which would not strike us as 
 the most forcible, and whicii perhaps 
 we should not regard as tenable. So 
 it is with the Chinese, the Hindus, 
 the Mohammedans now. So it was 
 with the writers of the dark ages 
 who lived under the influence of the 
 scholastic philosophy. They argue 
 from admitted principles in their 
 country and time — just as we do in 
 ours. Their reasoning was as satisfac- 
 tory to them as ours is to us. (6.) In 
 a writer of any particular age we are 
 to expect to find the prevailing mode 
 of reasoning, and appeals to the usual 
 arguments on any subject. We are 
 not to look for methods of argument 
 founded on the inductive philosophy 
 in the writings of the schoolmen, or 
 in the writings of the Chinese or the 
 Hindus. It would be unreasonable 
 > to expect it. We are to expect that 
 they will be found to reason In ac- 
 cordance with the customs of their 
 time ; to appeal to such arguments 
 as were commonly alleged ; and if 
 they are reasoning with an adversary, 
 to make use of the points which he 
 
 will be to him a Father, and he 
 shall be to me a Son ? 
 
 concedes, and to urge them as fitted 
 to convince him. And this is not 
 wrong. It may strike him with more 
 force than it does us ; it may be that 
 we can see that is not the most solid 
 mode of reasoning, but still it may 
 not be in itself an improper method. 
 That the writers of the New Testa- 
 ment should have used that mode of 
 reasoning sometimes, is no more sur- 
 prising than that we find writers in 
 China reasoning from acknowledged 
 principles, and in the usual manner 
 there, or than that men in our own 
 land reason on the principles of the 
 inductive philosophy. These remarks 
 may not explain all the difficulties in 
 regard to the proof- texts adduced by 
 Paul in this chapter, but they may 
 remove some of them, and may so 
 prepare the way that we may be able 
 to dispose of them all as we advance. 
 In the passage which is quoted in 
 this verse, there is not mucli diffi 
 culty in regard to the propriety of 
 its being thus used. The difficulty 
 lies in the subsequent quotations in 
 the chapter. IT Said he at any time. 
 He never used language respecting 
 the angels like that whicli he em- 
 ploys respecting his Son. He never 
 applied to any one of them the name 
 Son. IT Thou art my Son. The name 
 ^ sons of God,' is applied in the Scrip- 
 tures to saints, and may have been 
 given to the angels. But the argu- 
 ment here is, that the name ' my 
 Son' has never been given to any one 
 of them particularly and by eminence 
 In a large, general sense, they are 
 the sons of God, or the children of 
 God, but the name is given to the 
 Lord Jesus, the Messiah, in a pecu- 
 liar sense, implying a peculiar rela- 
 tion to him, and a peculiar dominion 
 over all things. This passage ia 
 quoted from Psalm ii. — a Psalm that 
 is usually believed to pertain particu- 
 larly to the Messiah, and one of the 
 few Psalms that have undisputed re- 
 ference to him. See Notes on Acts iv. 
 25 ; xiii. 33. IT This day. See Notes 
 
39 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 on Acts xiii. 33, where this passage 
 is applied to the resurrection of Christ 
 from the dead; — proving that the 
 phrase 'this day' does not refer to 
 the doctrine of eternal generation, 
 but to tlie resurrection of the Re- 
 deemer "I he FIRST-BEGOTTEN of thc 
 
 dead." Rev. i. 5. Tluis 'I'licodorct 
 Bays of the phrase 'tliis day,' " it docs 
 not express liis eternal generation, 
 but tiiat wliieh is connected with 
 time." Tlie argument of thc apostle 
 here does not turn on the lime when 
 this was said, but on thc fact that 
 this was said to him and not to any 
 one of the angels, and this argument 
 will have equal force whether the 
 phrase be understood as referring to 
 the fact of his resurrection, or to his 
 previous existence. The structure 
 and scope of the Second Psalm refers 
 to his exaltation after the kings of 
 the earth set themselves against him, 
 and endeavoured to east otF liis go- 
 vernment from them. In spite of 
 that, and subsequent to that, he would 
 set his king, which they had rejected, 
 on his holy hill of Zion. See Ps. ii. 
 2 — 6. IT Have I begotten thee. See 
 this place explained in the Notes on 
 Acts xiil 33. It must, from the ne- 
 cessity of the case, be understood 
 figuratively ; and must mean, sub- 
 stantially, ' I have constituted, or aj)- 
 pointed thee.' If it refers to his re- 
 surrection, it means that tliat resur- 
 rection was a kind of begetting to 
 life, or a beginning of life. See Rev. 
 i. 5. And yet tliough Paul (-\cts xiii. 
 33) has applied it to the resurrection 
 of the Redeemer, and though the 
 name ' Son of God' is applied to him 
 on account of his resurrection (see 
 Notes on Rom. i. 4), yet I confess 
 this does not seem to me to come 
 up to all that the writer here in- 
 tended. The phrase, ' The Son of 
 God,' I suppose, properly denotes 
 that the Lord Jesus sustained a rela- 
 tion to God, designated by that name, 
 corresponding to the relations whieii 
 he sustained to man, designated by 
 the name ' the Son of maii.^ The one 
 implied that lie had a peculiar rela- 
 tion to God, as the other implied that 
 
 he had a peculia-r relation to man. 
 This is indisputable. But on what 
 particular account thc name was 
 given him, or how he was manifested 
 to be the Son of God, has been the 
 great question. Whether the name 
 refers to the mode of his existence 
 before the incarnation, and to his 
 ' being begotten from eternity,' or to 
 the incarnation and the resurrection, 
 has long been a point on which men 
 have been divided in opinion. The 
 natural idea conveyed by thc title 
 ' THE Son of God' is, that he sustained 
 a relation to God which implied more 
 than was human or angelic ; and this 
 is certainly the drift of the argument 
 of the apostle liere. I do not see, 
 however, that he refers to the doc- 
 trine of ' eternal generation,' or that 
 he means to teach that. His point 
 is, that God had declared and treated 
 him as a Son — as superior to the an- 
 gels and to men, and that this was 
 shown in what had been said of him 
 in the Old Testament. Tliis would 
 be equally clear, whether there is 
 reference to the doctrine of eternal 
 generation or not. The sense is, ' he 
 is more than human. He is more 
 than angelic. He has been addressed 
 and treated as a Son — which none of 
 the angels have. They are regarded 
 simply as ministering spirits. They 
 sustain subordinate stations, and are 
 treated accordingly. He, on tlie con- 
 trary, is the briglitness of the divine 
 glory. He is treated and addressed 
 as a Son. In his original existence 
 this was so. In his incarnation this 
 was so. When on eartii this was so; 
 and in his resurrection, ascension, 
 and session at the rioht hand of God, 
 he was treated in all resi)eets as a 
 Son — as superior to all servants, and 
 to all ministering spirits,' Tiie exact 
 reference, then, of the phrase 'this 
 day have I begotten thee,' in tiie 
 Psalm, is to the act of constituting 
 iiim in a public manner the Son of 
 God — and refers to God's setting hira 
 as king on the " lioly iiill of Zion" — 
 or making liim king over the church 
 and the world as ^lessiah ; and this 
 was done, eminently, as Paul show» 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER I, 
 
 33 
 
 6 'And again, when he bring- 
 
 1 or, Kken he bring-eth again. 
 
 (Acts xiii.), by the resurrection. It 
 was based, however, on what was fit 
 and proper. It was not arbitrary. 
 Tliere was a reason why he should 
 thus be exalted rather than a man or 
 an angel ; and this was, that he was 
 the God incarnate, and had a nature 
 that qualified him for universal em- 
 pire, and he was thus appropriately 
 called "the Son of God." If And 
 again, I will be to him a Father. This 
 passage is evidently quoted from II. 
 Sam. iv. 14. A sentiment similar to 
 this is found in Ps. Ixxxix. 20 — 27. 
 As these words were originally 
 spoken, they referred to Solomon. 
 They occur in a promise to David 
 that he should not fail to have an 
 heir to sit on his throne, or that his 
 throne should be perpetual. The 
 promise was particularly designed to 
 comfort him in view of the fact that 
 God would not suffer him to build the 
 temple because his hands had been 
 defiled with blood. To console him 
 in reference to that, God promises 
 him far greater honour than that 
 would be. He promises that the 
 house should be built by one of his 
 own family, and that his family and 
 kingdom should be established for 
 ever. That in this series of promises 
 the Messiah was included as a de- 
 scendant of David, was the common 
 opinion of the Jews, of the early 
 Christians, and has been of the great 
 body of interpreters. It was cer- 
 tainly from such passages as this, 
 that the Jews derived the notion 
 which prevailed so universally in the 
 time of the Saviour that the Messiah 
 was to be the son or the descendant 
 (5f David. See Matt. xxii. 42—45 ; 
 ix. 27 ; XV. 22 ; xx. 30, 31 ; Mark x. 
 47, 48 ; Luke xviii. 38, 39 ; Matt. xii. 
 23 ; xxi. 9 ; John vii. 42 ; Rom. i. 3 ; 
 Rev. V. 5 ; xxii. 1 6. Tiiat opinion 
 was universal. No one doubted it ; 
 and it must have been common for 
 the Jews to apply such texts as this 
 to the Messiah. Paul would not have 
 done it in this instance unless it had 
 
 eth in the first-begotten into 
 
 been usual. Nor was it improper. 
 If the Messiah was to be a descendant 
 of David, then it was natural to apply 
 these promises in regard to his pos- 
 terity in an eminent and peculiar 
 sense to the Messiah. They were a 
 part of the promises which included 
 him, and which terminated in him. 
 Tlie promise, therefore, which is here 
 made is, that God would be to him, 
 in a peculiar sense, a Father, and he 
 should be a Son. It does not, as I 
 suppose, pertain originally exclu- 
 sively to the Messiah, but included 
 him as a descendant of David. To 
 him it would be applicable in an 
 eminent sense ; and if applicable to 
 him at all, it proved all that tlie pas- 
 sage here is adduced to prove — that 
 the name Son is given to the Mes- 
 siah — a name not given to angels. 
 That is just the point on which the 
 argument turns. What is implied in 
 tlie bestowment of that name is 
 another point on which the apostla 
 discourses in the other parts of the 
 argument. I have no doubt, there- 
 fore, that while these words originally 
 might have been applicable to Solo- 
 mon, or to any of tlie other descend- 
 ants of David who succeeded him on 
 the throne, yet they at last terminated, 
 and were designed to — in the Mes- 
 siah — to whom pre-eminently God 
 would be a Father. Comp. Introduc- 
 tion to Isaiah, § 7, iii. (3), and Notes 
 on Isa. vii. 16. 
 
 6. And again. Marg. When he 
 bringeth in again. The proper con- 
 struction of this sentence probably is, 
 ' But when, moreover, he brings in,' 
 &c. The word ' again' refers not to 
 the fact that the Son of God is brought 
 again into the world, implying that 
 he had been introduced before ; but 
 it refers to the course of the apostle's 
 argument, or to the declaration 
 which is made about the Messiah in 
 another place. ' The name Son is 
 not only given to him as above, but 
 also in another place, or on another 
 occasion when he brings in the first- 
 
34 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4. 
 
 the world, he saitli, And" let I all the angels of God worship 
 oPs. 97. 7. hiin. 
 
 begotten into the world.' ^ When he 
 bringeth in. When lie introduces. 
 So iiiT as the language here is con- 
 cerned tiiis niig-ht refer to the birlh 
 of the Messiah, but it is evident from 
 the whole connexion that tlie writer 
 means to refer to something that is 
 said in the Old Testament. Tliis is 
 plain because the passage occurs 
 among quotations designed to prove 
 a specific point — that the Son of God, 
 the Author of the Christian system, 
 was superior to the angels. A decla- 
 ration of the writer here, however 
 true and yolemn, would not have an- 
 swered the purpose. A prooj-text 
 was wanting ; a text which would 
 be admitted by those to whom lie 
 wrote to bear on the point under 
 consideration. The meaning then is, 
 ' that on another occasion different 
 from those to which he had referred, 
 God, when speaking of the Messiah, 
 or when introducing him to man- 
 kind, had used language showing 
 that he was superior to the angels.' 
 The meaning of tlie phrase " wiien 
 he bringeth in," therefore, I take to 
 be, when he introduces him to men ; 
 when he makes him known to the 
 world — to wit, by the declaration 
 which he proceeds immediately to 
 quote. IT The ^first-begotten. Christ 
 is called the \first-begotten,'' with re- 
 ference to his resurrection from the 
 dead, in Rev. i. 5, and Coll. i. 18. It 
 is probable here, however, that the 
 word is used, like the word ^first-born, 
 or Jirst-begot ten among the Hebrews, 
 by way of eminence. As the first- 
 born was the principal heir, and had 
 peculiar privileges, so the Lord Jesus 
 Christ sustains a similar rank in tlie 
 universe of which God is the Head 
 and Father. See Notes on John i. 
 14, where tire word ' only-begotten' 
 is used to denote the dignity and 
 honour of the Lord Jesus. IT Into 
 the world. When he introduces him 
 to mankind, or declares what he is 
 to be. If He saith. And let all the 
 angels of God worship him. .Much 
 
 dilliculty has been experienced in re 
 giird to this quotation, for it cannot 
 be denied that it is intended to be a 
 quotation. In tiic Septuagint these 
 very words occur in Deut. xxxii. 43, 
 where they are inserted in the Song 
 of Moses. But they are not in the 
 Hebrew, nor are they in all the 
 copies of the Septuagint. The He. 
 brew is, " Rejoice, O ye nations with 
 liis people ; for he will avenge the 
 blood of his servants, and will render 
 vengeance to his adversaries." The 
 Septuagint is, " Rejoice ye heavens 
 with him ; and let all the angels of 
 God worship him. Let the nations 
 rejoice with his people, and let all the 
 sons of God be strong in him, for he 
 has avenged the blood of his sons." 
 But there are objections to our sup- 
 posing that the apostle had this place 
 in his view, which seem to me to 
 settle the matter. (1.) One is, that 
 the passage is not in the Hebrew; 
 and it seems hardly credible that in 
 writing to Hebrews, and to those re- 
 siding in the very country where the 
 Hebrew Scriptures were constantly 
 used, he should adduce as a prool^ 
 te.xt on an important doctrine what 
 was not in their Scriptures. (2.) A 
 second is, that it is omitted in all the 
 ancient versions except the Septua- 
 gint. (3.) A third is, that it is im- 
 possible to believe that the passage 
 in question in Deuteronomy had any 
 reference to the Messiah. It does 
 not relate to his ' introduction' to the 
 world. It would not occur to any 
 reader that it had any such reference. 
 Tiie context celebrates tlie victory 
 over the enemies of Israel which God 
 will achieve. After saying that 'his 
 arrows would be drunk with blood, 
 and that his sword would devour 
 flesh with the blood of the slain and 
 of captives, from the time when he 
 begins to take vengeance on an 
 enemy,' the Septuagint (not the He- 
 brew) immediately asserts, " let the 
 heavens rejoice at the same time with. 
 him, and let all the angels of God 
 
A. D. Gl.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 as 
 
 worship him." That is, 'Let the 
 inhabitants of the heavenly world 
 rejoice in the victory of God over tlie 
 enemies of his people, and let them 
 pay their adoration to him.' But 
 the Messiah does not appear to be 
 alluded to anywliere in the context ; 
 much less described as ' introduced 
 into the world.'' There is, moreover, 
 not the slightest evidence that it was 
 ever supposed by the Jews to have 
 any such reference ; and though it 
 might bo said that the apostle merely 
 quoted language that expressed his 
 meaning — as we often do when we 
 are familiar with any well-known 
 phrase that will exactly suit our pur- 
 pose and convey an idea — yet it 
 should be remarked that this is not 
 the way in which tliis passage is 
 quoted. It is a proof-text, and Paul 
 evidently meant to be understood as 
 saying that that passage had a fair 
 reference to the Messiah. It is evi- 
 dent, moreover, that it would be ad- 
 mitted to have such a reference by 
 those to whom he wrote. It is mo- 
 rally certain, therefore, that this was 
 710^ the passage which the writer in- 
 tended to quote. The probability is, 
 that the writer here referred to Psalm 
 xcvii. 7, (in the Sept. Ps. xcvi. 7). 
 In that place, the Hebrew is, " wor- 
 ship him all ye gods"— DTl'lN -^^— 
 all ye Elohim. In the Septuagint it 
 is, " Let all his angels worship him ;" 
 where the translation is literal, except 
 that the word God — ' angels of God' 
 — is used by the apostle instead of 
 his — ' all his angels' — as it is in the 
 Septuagint. The word ' gods' — Elo. 
 him — is rendered by the word angels 
 —but the word may have that sense. 
 Thus it is rendered by the Lxx. ; in 
 Job XX. 15 ; and in Psalm viii. 6 ; 
 cxxxvii. 1. It is well known that the 
 word Elohim may denote kings and 
 magistrates, because of their rank 
 and dignity; and is there anything 
 improbable in the supposition that, 
 for a similar reason, the word may 
 be given also to angels ? The fair 
 interpretation of the passage then 
 'i'ould be, to refer it to angelic beings 
 
 — and the command in Ps. xcvii. is 
 for them to do homage to the being- 
 there referred to. The only question 
 then is, whether the Psalm can be 
 regarded properly as having any re- 
 ference to the Messiah ? Did the 
 apostle fairly and properly use this 
 language as referring to him ? On 
 this we may remark, (1.) That the 
 fact that he uses it thus may be re. 
 garded as proof that it would be ad- 
 mitted to be proper by the Jews in 
 his time, and renders it probable that 
 it was in fact so used. (2.) Two 
 Jewish Rabbins of distinction — Ras- 
 chi and Kimchi — affirm that all the 
 Psalms from xciii. to ci. are to be re- 
 garded as referring to the Messiah. 
 Such was, and is, the opinion of the 
 Jews. (3.) There is nothing in the 
 Psalm which forbids such a reference, 
 or which can be shown to be incon- 
 sistent with it. Indeed the whole 
 Psalm might be taken as beautifully 
 descriptive of the ^introduction^ of 
 the Son of God into the world, or aa 
 a sublime and glorious description 
 of his advent. Thus in ver. 1, the 
 earth is called on to rejoice tJiiit the 
 Lord reigns. In vs. 2 — 5, he is in- 
 troduced or described as coming in 
 the most magnificent manner — clouds 
 and darkness attend him ; a fire goes 
 before him ; the lightnings play ; and 
 the hills melt like wax — a sublime 
 description of his coming,»with ap- 
 propriate symbols, to reign, or to 
 judge the world. In ver. 6, it is said 
 that all people shall see his glory ; in 
 ver. 7, that all who worship graven 
 images shall be confounded, and all 
 the angels are required to do him ho 
 mage ; and in vs. 8 — 12, the effect of 
 his advent is describt^d as filling 
 Zion with rejoicing, and tlie hearts 
 of the people of God with gladness. 
 It cannot be proved, therefore, that 
 this Psalm had no reference to the 
 Messiah ; but the presumption is that 
 it had, and that the apostle has quoted 
 it not only as it was usually regarded 
 in his time, but as it was designed 
 by the Holy Ghost. If so, then it 
 proves, what the writer intended, that 
 the Son of God should be adored by 
 
36 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 7 And' of the angels he 
 saith," Who maketh his an- 
 
 1 unto. a Ps. 104. 4. 
 
 the angels ; and of course that he 
 was superior to them. It proves also 
 more. Whom would God require 
 the angels to adore ? A creature ? 
 A man? A fellow-angel? To ask 
 these questions is to answer them. 
 He could require them to worship 
 none but God, and tlic passage proves 
 that the Son of God is divine. 
 
 7. And of the angels he saith, WJio 
 maketh his angels spirits. He gives 
 to them an inferior name, and assigns 
 to them a more humble oliiee. Tiiey 
 are mere ministers, and have not 
 ascribed to them the name of Son. 
 They have a name which implies 
 a more humble rank and office — 
 the name " spirit," and the appella- 
 tion of a "dame of fire." They 
 obey his will as the winds and the 
 lightnings do. Tlie object of the 
 apostle in this passage is to show 
 tliat the angels serve God in a min- 
 isterial capacity — as the winds do ; 
 while the Son is Lord of all. The 
 one serves him passively, as being 
 wholly ujider his control ; the other 
 acts as a Sovereign, as Lord over all, 
 and is addressed and regarded as tlie 
 equal with God. Tliis quotation is 
 made from Ps. civ. 4. The passage 
 might be translated, ' Who maketh 
 his angels winds, and his ministers a 
 flame of fire ;' that is, ' who makes 
 his angels like the winds, or as swift 
 as the winds, and his ministers as 
 rapid, as terrible, and as resistless 
 as the lightning.' So Doddridge 
 renders it ; and so did the late Rev. 
 Dr. J. P. Wilson. MS. Notes. The 
 passage in the Psalm is susceptible, 
 I tliink, of another interpretation, 
 and might be regarded as meaning, 
 ' who makes the winds his messen- 
 gers, and the flaming fire iiis minis- 
 ters ;' and perhaps this is tlie sense 
 which would most naturally occur to 
 a reader of the Hebrew. The He- 
 brew, however, will admit of the con- 
 struction here put upon it, and it 
 cannot be p'-'^'-fd that it was the 
 
 gels spirits, and his ministers 
 a flame of fire. 
 
 original intention of tlie passage to 
 show tliat the angels were the mere 
 servants of God, rapid, quick, and 
 prompt to do his will — like the winds. 
 The Clialdee Paraphrase renders the 
 passage in the Psalm, 'Who makes 
 his messengers swift as the wind; 
 his ministers strong !:kC a flame of 
 fire.' Prof. Stuart niaintains that 
 the passage in the Fsalins cannot 
 mean ' who makes the winds hia 
 messengers,' but that the intention of 
 the Psalmist is to describe the in. 
 visible as well as the visible majesty 
 of God, and tliat he refers to the an- 
 gels as a part of the retinue which 
 goes to make up his glory. This 
 does not seem to me to be perfectly 
 certain ; but still it cannot be demon- 
 strated that Paul has made an im- 
 proper use of the passage. It is to 
 be presumed that Ae, who had been 
 trained in the knowledge of the He- 
 brew language, would have had a 
 better opportunity of knowing its fair 
 construction than we can ; and it ia 
 morally certain tliat he would employ 
 the passage in an argument as it waa 
 commonly understood by those to 
 whom he wrote — that is, to those 
 who were familiar with the Hebrew 
 language and literature. If he has so 
 used the passage; if he has — as no 
 one can disprove — put the fair con- 
 struction on it, then it is just in point. 
 It pro\'es tliat the angels are the 
 attendant servants of God ; employed 
 to grace his train, to do his will, to 
 accompany liim as the clouds and 
 winds and lightnings do, and to oc- 
 cupy a subordinate rank in his crea- 
 tion. TT Flame of fire. TJiis probably 
 refers to lightning — which is often tho 
 meaning of the plirase. The word 
 ' ministers' here, means the same as 
 angi'ls, and tlie sense of the whole ia, 
 that the attending retinue of God, 
 when he manifests himself with great 
 power and glory, is like tlie winds 
 and the liglitning. Iliij angels are 
 like them. They are prompt to do 
 
A D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 37 
 
 8 But unto the Son he saith, 
 
 his will — rapid, quick, obedient in his 
 service ; tliey are in all respects sub- 
 ordinate to him, and occupy, as the 
 winds and the liglitnings do, the 
 place of servants. They are not ad- 
 dressed in language like that which 
 is applied to the Son of God, and they 
 must all be far inferior to him. 
 
 8. But unto the Son he saith. In 
 Psalm xlv. 6, 7. The fact that the 
 writer of this epistle makes this ap- 
 plication of the Psalm to the MessiaJi, 
 j)roves that it was so applied in his 
 lime, or that it would be readily ad- 
 mitted to bo applicable to iiim. It 
 has been generally admitted, by botli 
 Jewish and Christian interpreters, to 
 liave such a reference. Even those 
 who have doubted its primary appli- 
 cability to the Messiah, liave regarded 
 it as referring to him in a secondary 
 eense. Many have supposed that it 
 referred to Solomon in the primary 
 sense, and tliat it has a secondary 
 reference to the Messiah. To me it 
 seems most probable that it had an 
 original and exclusive reference to 
 the Messiah. It is to be remembered 
 that the hope of the Messiah was the 
 peculiar hope of the Jewish people. 
 The coming of the future king, so 
 early promised, was the great event 
 to which they all looked forward 
 with tlie deepest interest. That hope 
 inspired their prophets and their 
 bards, and cheered the hearts of the 
 nation in the time of despondency. 
 The Messiah, if I may so express it, 
 was the hero of the Old Testament — 
 more so than Achilles is of the Iliad, 
 and iEneas of the ^Eniad. The 
 sacred poets were accustomed to 
 employ all their most magnificent 
 imagery in describing him, and to 
 present him in every form that was 
 ' beautiful in their conception, and that 
 would be gratifying to the pride and 
 hopes of the nation. Every thing 
 that is gorgeous and splendid in de- 
 scription is lavished on him, and they 
 were never under any apprehension 
 of attributing to him too great mag- 
 
 " Thy throne, O God, is for ever 
 
 a Ps. 45. 6, 7. 
 
 nificence in his personal reign ; too 
 great beauty of moral cliaracter ; or 
 too great an extent of dominion. 
 That which would be regarded by 
 them as a magnificent description of 
 a monarch, they freely applied to 
 him ; and this is evidently the case in 
 this Psalm. That the description 
 may have been in part derived from 
 the view of Solomon in the magnifi- 
 cence of his court, is possible, but no 
 more probable than tliat it was de- 
 rived from the general view of the 
 splendour of any Oriental monarch, 
 or than that it might have been the 
 description of a monarch which was 
 the pure creation of inspired poetry. 
 Indeed, I see not why this Psalm 
 should ever have been supposed to be 
 applicable to Solomon. His name is 
 not mentioned. It has no peculiar 
 applicability to liim. There is no- 
 thing that would apply to him which 
 would not also apply to many an 
 Oriental prince. There are some 
 things in it which are much less ap- 
 plicable to him than to many others. 
 The king here described is a conquer- 
 or. He girds his sword on his thigh, 
 and his arrows are sharp in the hearts 
 of his foes, and the people are sub- 
 dued under him. This was not true 
 of Solomon. His was a reign of 
 peace and tranquillity, nor was he 
 ever distinguished for war. On the 
 whole, it seems clear to me, that tliis 
 Psalm is designed to be a beautiful 
 poetic description of the Messiah aa 
 king. _ The images are drawn from 
 the usual characteristics of an Orien- 
 tal prince, and there are many things 
 in the poem — as there are in para- 
 bles — for the sake of keeping, or veri- 
 similitude, and which are not, in the 
 interpretation, to be cut to the quick. 
 The writer imagined to himself a 
 magnificent and beautiful prince ; — a 
 prince riding prosperously in his 
 conquests ; swaying a permanent and 
 wide dominion ; clothed in rich and 
 splendid vestments ; eminently up. 
 right and pure ; and scattering blef-: • 
 
38 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 and ever : a sceptre of right- 
 
 1 rightitess, or atraitncs.i. 
 
 ings everywhere — and that prince 
 v.'as the Mcssiali. The Psalm, there- 
 fore, I regard ns rehiting originally 
 and exclusively to Christ ; and though 
 in the interpretation, the circumstan- 
 ces should not be unduly pressed, nor 
 an attempt be made to spirilualize 
 them, yet the whole is a glowing and 
 most beautiful description of (Christ 
 as a King. The same principles of 
 iriterprctation should be apjjlicd to it 
 which are applied to parables, and 
 the sanie allowance be made for the 
 introduction of circumstances for the 
 sake of keeping, or for finishing the 
 story. If this be the correct view, 
 then Paul has quoted the Psalm in 
 conformity exactly with its original 
 intention, as he undoubtedly quoted 
 it as it was understood in Jiis time. 
 H Thy throne. A throne is the scat 
 on which a monarch sits, and is here 
 the symbol of dorninion, because 
 kings when acting as rulers sit on 
 thrones. Thus a throne becomes tlie 
 emblem of authority or empire. Here 
 it means, that his rule or dominion 
 would be perpetual — '■^for ever and 
 ever'''' — which assuredly could not 
 be applied to Solomon. IT O God. 
 This certainly could not be ap- 
 plied to Solomon ; but applied to 
 the Messiah it proves wliat the 
 apostle is aiming to prove — that he 
 is above the angels. The argument 
 is, that a name is given to him which 
 is never given to them. They are not 
 called God in any strict and proper 
 sense. The argument here requires 
 us to understand this word as, used in 
 a sense more exalted than any name 
 which is ever given to angels, and 
 though it may be maintained that the 
 name DTl/X, Elohim, is given to 
 
 magistrates or to angels, yet here the 
 argument requires us to understand 
 it as used in a sense superior to wliat 
 it ever is when applied to an angel — 
 or of course to any creature, since it 
 was the express design of the argu- 
 ment to prove that tlie Messiah was 
 
 eousness ' is the sceptre of thy 
 kingdom : 
 
 superior to the angels. The word 
 God slioald be taken in its natural and 
 obvious sense, unless there is some 
 necessary reason for limiting it. If 
 applied to magistrates (Ps. Ixxxii. G), 
 it must be so limited. If applied to 
 the Messiah, there is no such neces- 
 sity, (John i. 1 ; Isa. ix. 6 ; I. John v. 
 20 ; Phil. ii. 6), and it should be taken 
 in its natural and proper sense. The 
 form here — A Otis — is in the vocative 
 case and not the nominative. It is 
 the usual form of the vocative in the 
 Septuagint, and nearly the only form 
 of it. Stuart. This then is a direct 
 address to the Messiah, calling him 
 God ; and I see not why it is not to 
 be used in the usual and proper sense 
 of the word. Unitarians proposed to 
 translate this, " God is thy throne ;" 
 but how can God be a throne of a 
 creature ? What is the meaning of 
 such an expression ? Where is there 
 one parallel ? And what must be 
 the nature of that cause which ren- 
 ders such an argument necessary ?^ 
 Tliis refers, as it seems to me, to the 
 Messiah as king. It does not relate 
 to his mode of existence before the in- 
 carnation, but to him as the magnifi- 
 cent monarch of his people. Still, 
 the ground or reason why this name 
 is given to him is that he is divine. 
 It is language which properly ex- 
 presses his nature. He must have a 
 divine nature, or such language 
 would be improper. I regard this 
 passage, therefore, as full proof that 
 the Lord Jesus is divine ; nor is it 
 possible to evade this conclusion by 
 any fair interpretation of it. It 
 cannot be wrong to address him as 
 God ; nor addressing him as such, 
 not to regard him as divine. If Is /or 
 ever and ever. This could not in 
 any proper sense apply to Solo- 
 mon. As applied to the Messiah, it 
 means that his essential kingdom 
 will be f>crpetual. Luke i. 33. As 
 Mediator his kingdom will be given 
 up to the Father, or to God without 
 reference to a ^Mediatorial work, (I, 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 39 
 
 9 Thou hast loved righteous- ness, and hated iniquity ; there- 
 
 Cor. XV. 24. 28 — see Notes on these 
 verses), but his reign over his people 
 will be perpetual. There never will 
 come a time when they shall not 
 obey and serve him, though the pe- 
 culiar form of his kingdom, as con- 
 nected with the work of mediation, 
 will be changed. The form of the 
 organized churcli, for example, will 
 be cJianged, for there shall be no ne- 
 cessity for it in heaven, but the essen- 
 tial dominion and power of the Son of 
 God will not cease. He shall have the 
 same dominion which he had before 
 he entered on the work of mediation ; 
 and that will be eternal. It is also 
 true that, compared with earthly 
 monarchs, his kingdom shall be per- 
 petual. They soon die. Dynasties 
 pass away. But his empire extends 
 from age to age, and is properly a 
 perpetual dominion. The fair and 
 obvious interpretation of this pas- 
 sage would satisfy me, were there 
 nothing else, that this Psalm had 
 no reference to Solomon, but was 
 designed originally as a description 
 of the Messiah as the expected King 
 and Prince of his people. IF A 
 sceptre of right eovsness. That is, a 
 right or just sceptre. The phrase 
 is a Hebraism. The former expres- 
 sion described the perpetuity of his 
 kingdom ; this describes its equable 
 nature. It would be just and equal. 
 See Notes on Isa. xi. 5. A sceptre is 
 a staff or wand usually made of wood, 
 five or six feet long, and commonly 
 overlaid with gold, or ornamented 
 with golden rings. Sometimes, how- 
 ever, the sceptre was made of ivory, 
 or wholly of gold. It was borne in 
 the hands of kings as an emblem of 
 authority and power. Probably it 
 had its origin in the staff or crook of 
 the shepherd — as kings were at first 
 ^ regarded as the shepherds of their 
 people. Thus Agamemnon is com- 
 monly called by Homer the shepherd 
 of the people. The sceptre thus be- 
 comes the emblem of kingly office 
 and power — as when we speak of 
 swaying a sceptre; — and the ide!> 
 
 here is, that the Messiah would be a 
 king, and that the authority which 
 he would wield would be equitable 
 and just. He would not be governed 
 as monarchs often are, by mere ca- 
 price, or by the wishes of courtiers 
 and flatterers ; he would not be con 
 trolled by mere will and the love of 
 arbitrary power; but the execution 
 of his laws would be in accordance 
 with the principles of equity and 
 justice. — How well this accords with 
 the character of the Lord Jesus we 
 need not pause to show. Comp. 
 Notes on Isa. xi. 2 — 5. 
 
 9. Thou hast loved righteousness. 
 Thou hast been obedient to the law 
 of God, or holy and upright. Nothing 
 can be more truly adapted to express 
 the character of any one than this is 
 to describe the Lord Jesus, who was 
 "holy, harmless, undefiled," who 
 ' did no sin, and in whose mouth no 
 guile was found ;' but it is with diffi 
 culty that this can be applied to So- 
 lomon. Assuredly, for a considerable 
 part of his life, this declaration could 
 not well be appropriate to him ; and 
 it seems to me that it is not to be re- 
 garded as descriptive of him at all. 
 It is language prompted by the warm 
 and pious imagination of the Psalm- 
 ist describing the future Messiah — 
 and, as applied to him, is true to the 
 letter. ^ Therefore God, even thy 
 God. The word even inserted here 
 by the translators, weakens the force 
 of the expression. This might be 
 translated, ' O God, thy God hath 
 anointed thee.' So it is rendered by 
 Doddridge, Clarke, Stuart, and others. 
 The Greek will bear this construc- 
 tion, as well the Hebrew in Ps. xlv. 
 7. In the margin in the Psalm it is 
 rendered " O God." This is the most 
 natural construction, as it accords 
 with what is just said before. ' Thy 
 throne, O God, is for ever. Thou art 
 just and holy, therefore, O God, thy 
 God hath anointed thee,' &c. It is 
 not material, however, which con- 
 struction is adopted. IT Hath anointed 
 thee. Anciently kings and pr'p.sts 
 
40 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 TA. D. 64, 
 
 fore God, even thy God, hath 
 anointed tliee witii the oil of 
 gladness above thy fellows. 
 
 wtrc consecrated to tlieir ottice by 
 pouring oil on tlieir heads. See Lev. 
 viii. 1:2; Num. iii. 3; I. 8am. x. 1 ; 
 II. Sam. ii. 7 ; Ps. ii. 6 ; Isa. Ixi. 1 ; 
 Acts iv. -21 ; x. 38; Note Matt. i. 1. 
 The expression ' to anoint,^ therefore, 
 comes to mean to consecrate to of- 
 fice, or to set apart to some public 
 work. This is evidently the meaning 
 in the Psalm, where the whole lan- 
 guage refers to t)ic ai)pointinent of 
 the personage there relerred to to the 
 kingly office. ^ The oil of gladness. 
 This probably means the perfumed 
 oil tiiat was poured on the head, at- 
 tended with many expressions ofjoy 
 and rejoicing. The inauguration of 
 the Messiah as king would be an oc- 
 casion of rejoicing and triumph. 
 Thousands would exult at it — as in 
 the coronation of a king ; and tliou- 
 sands would be made glad by such a 
 consecration to the office of Messiah. 
 f Above thy fellows. Above thine 
 associates ; that is, above all who sus- 
 tain the kingly office. He would be 
 more exalted than all other king-s. 
 Doddridge supposes that it refers to 
 angels, who might have been asso- 
 ciated with tiie Messiah in the go- 
 vernment of the world. But the more 
 natural construction is, to suppose 
 that it refers to kings, and to mean 
 that he was the most exalted of all. 
 
 10. And. That is, ' To add another 
 instance ;' or, ' to the Son he saitli in 
 another place, or in the following 
 language.' This is connected with 
 ver. 8. ' Unto the Son lie saitJi (ver. 
 8), thy throne, &e. — and (ver. 10) he 
 also saith. Thou Lord,' &-c. That 
 this is the meaning is apparent, be- 
 cause (1) the object of the whole (juo- 
 tation is to show tiie exalted charac- 
 ter of the Son of God, and (2) an 
 address here to Jehovah would be 
 wholly irrelevant. Why, in an ar- 
 gument designed to prove that the 
 Son of God was superior to tlie an- 
 gels, should the writer break out in 
 an address to Jehovah in view of the 
 
 10 And, " Thou, Lord, in the 
 beginning hast laid the founda- 
 
 a Pa. JO-2. 25. 
 
 fact that he had laid the foundationa 
 of the world, and that he himself 
 would continue to live when the hea- 
 vens should be rolled up and pass 
 away ? Such is not the manner of 
 Paul or of any other good writer, 
 and it is clear that the writer here 
 designed to adduce this as applicable 
 to the Messiah. Wliatever difficulties 
 there may be about the principles on 
 which it is done, and the reason why 
 this passage was selected for the pur- 
 pose, there can be no doubt about the 
 design of the writer. He meant to 
 be understood as applying it to the 
 Messiah beyond all question, or the 
 quotation is wholly irrelevant, and- it 
 is inconceivable why it should have 
 been made. H Thou Lord. This is 
 taken from Ps. cii. 25—27. The 
 quotation is made from the Scptua- 
 gint with only a slight variation, and 
 is an accurate translation of the He- 
 brew. In the Psalm, there can be 
 no doubt that Jehovah is intended. 
 Tliis is apparent on the face of the 
 Psalm, and particularly because the 
 name Jehovah is introduced in vs. 1. 
 12, and because he is addressed as 
 the Creator of all things, and as im- 
 mutable. No one, on reading the 
 Psalm, ever would doubt that it re- 
 ferred to God, and if the apostle 
 meant to apply it to the Lord Jesus 
 it proves most conclusively that he 
 is divine. In regard to the difficult 
 inquiry whij he applied this to the 
 Messiah, or on wliat principle such 
 an application can be vindicated, we 
 may perhaps throw some light by the 
 following remarlcs. It must be ad- 
 mitted that probably few persons, if 
 any, on reading the Psalm, would 
 suppose that it referred to the Mes- 
 siah ; but (1.) the facttiiat the apostle 
 thus employs it, proves that it was 
 understood in his time to have such 
 a reference, or at least that those to 
 whom he wrote would admit that it 
 had such a reference. On no otliQr 
 principle would he have used it in an 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 41 
 
 tion of the earth ; and the hea- 
 
 argument. Tliis is at least of some 
 consequence in showing what the 
 prevailing interpretation was. (2.) It 
 cannot be demonstrated that it had 
 no such reference — for such was tlie 
 habit of tlie sacred writers in making 
 the future Messiah the theme of their 
 poetry, that no one can prove that tiie 
 writer of this Psalm did not design 
 that the Messiah should be the sub- 
 ject of his praise here. (3.) There 
 is nothing in the Psalm which 7nay 
 not be applied to the Messiah ; but 
 there is much in it that is peculiarly 
 applicable to him. Suppose, for ex- 
 ample, that the Psalmist (vs. 1 — 11), 
 in Lis complaints, represents the 
 people of God before the Redeemer 
 appeared — as lowly, sad, dejected, 
 and afflicted — speaking of himself as 
 one of them, and as a. fair representa- 
 tive of that people, the remainder of 
 the Psalm will well agree with the 
 promised redemption. Thus having 
 described the sadness and sorrow of 
 the people of God, he speaks of the 
 fact that God w'ould arise and have 
 mercy upon Zion (vs. 13, 14), that 
 the heathen would fear the name of 
 the Lord, and all the kings of the 
 earth would see his glory (ver. 15), 
 and that when the Lord should build 
 up Zion he would appear in his glory. 
 Ver. 16. To whom else could this 
 be so well applied as to the Messiah ? 
 To what time so well as to his time ? 
 Thus too in ver. 20, it is said that the 
 Lord would look down from heaven 
 " to hear the groaning of the prisoner, 
 and to loose tliem that are appointed 
 to death" — language remarkably re- 
 sembling that used by Isa. ch. xli. 
 1, which the Saviour applies to him- 
 self, in Luke iv. 17—21. The pas- 
 sage then quoted by the apostle (vs. 
 i 25 — 27 of the Psalm) is designed to 
 denote the immulability of tlie Mes- 
 siah, and the fact that in him all' the 
 interests of the church were safe. 
 He would not change. He had formed 
 all things, and he would remain the 
 same. His kingdom would be per- 
 4* 
 
 vens are the worka of thine 
 hands ; 
 
 manent amidst all the changes oc 
 curring on earth, and his people had 
 no cause of appreiiension or alarm. 
 Ver. 28. (4.) Pciul applies this Ian- 
 guage to the Messiali in accordance 
 with the doctrine which he had 
 stated (ver. 2), thiit it was by him 
 that God " made the worlds." Having 
 stated that, he seems to have felt tliat 
 it was not improper to apply to him 
 the passages occurring in the Old 
 Testament that speak of the work 
 of creation. The argument is this. 
 ' He was in fact the creator of all 
 things,. But to the Creator there is 
 applied language in the Scriptures 
 wliich shows that he was far exalted 
 above the angels. He would remaia 
 the same, while the heavens and the 
 earth should fade away. His yeara 
 are enduring and eternal. Such, a 
 being must be superior to the angels ; 
 such a being must be divine.' The 
 words "Thou Lord" — aii Kvpie — are 
 not in the Hebrew of the Psalm, 
 though they are in the Septuagint. 
 In the Hebrew, in the Psalm (ver. 
 24), it is an address to God — " I said, 
 O my God — '7X — but there can be 
 no doubt that the Psalmist meant to 
 address Jehovah, and that the word 
 God is used in its proper sense, de- 
 noting divinity. See vs. 1. 12, of the 
 Psalm. IT In the beginning. See 
 Gen. i. 1. When the world was made. 
 Comp. Notes on John i. 1, where the 
 same phrase is applied to the Messiah 
 — " In the beginning was the word " 
 IT flast laid the foundation of the earth. 
 Hast made the earth. TJiis language 
 is such as is common in the Scrip- 
 tures, where the earth is represented 
 as laid on a foundation, or as sup- 
 ported. It is figurative language, 
 derived from the act of rearing an 
 edifice. The meaning here is, that 
 the Son of God was the original cre- 
 ator or founder of the universe. He 
 did not merely arrange it out of pre- 
 existing materials, but he was pro- 
 perly its creator or founder, T And 
 
42 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 11 They shall perish, but thou 
 remainest : and they all shall 
 wax old as doth a garment ; 
 
 12 And as a vesture shalt 
 
 the heavens are the works of thine hands. 
 This must donionstrate the Lord Je- 
 sus to bedivinc. lie that made the vast 
 heavens must be God. No creature 
 could perform a work like that ; nor 
 can we conceive that power to create 
 tlie vast array of distant worlds could 
 possibly be delegated. If tljat power 
 could be delegated, there is not an 
 attribute of Deity which may not be, 
 and thus all our notions of what con- 
 stitutes divinity would be utterly con- 
 founded. The word " heavens" Jicrc 
 must mean all parts of the universe 
 except the earth. See Gen. i. 1. The 
 word hands is used because it is by 
 the hands that we usually perform 
 any work. 
 
 II. They shall perish. That is, 
 the heavens and the earth. They 
 shall pass away ; or they shall be de- 
 stroyed. Probably no more is meant 
 by the phrase here, than that impor- 
 tant changes will take place in 
 them, or than that they will change 
 their form. Still, it is not possible to 
 foresee what changes may yet take 
 place in the heavenly bodies, or to 
 say that the present universe may 
 not at some period be destroyed, and 
 be succeeded by another creation still 
 more magnificent. lie that created 
 the universe by a word can destroy it 
 by a word ; and he that formed the 
 present frame of nature can cause it 
 to be succeeded by another not less 
 wonderful and glorious. The Scrip- 
 tures seem to hold out the idea that 
 the present frame of the universe 
 shall be destroyed. See II. Pet. iii. 
 10—13; Matt. xxiv. 35. 'S But thou 
 remainest. Thou shalt not die or be 
 destroyed. What a sublime thought! 
 The idea is, that though the heavens 
 and earth sliould suddenly disa|)pear, 
 or though they should gradually wear 
 cut and become extinct, yet there is 
 one infinite being who remains un- 
 affected, and unchanged. Nothing 
 
 thou fold them up, and they 
 shall be changed : but thou 'art 
 the same, and thy years shall 
 not fail. 
 
 can reach or disturb him. All these 
 changes shall take place under his 
 direction and by his command. See 
 Rev. XX. 11. Let us not be alarmed 
 then at any revolution. Let us not 
 fear though we should see the heavens 
 rolled up as a scroll, and the stars 
 falling from their places. God the 
 Creator and Redeemer presides over 
 all. He is unchanged. He ever 
 lives ; and though the universe should 
 pass away, it will be only at his bid- 
 ding, and under his direction. ^ Jlnd 
 they all shall wax old. Shall grow or 
 become old. The word wax is an old 
 Saxon word meaning to grow, or in- 
 crease, or become. The heavens here 
 arc compared with a garment, mean- 
 ing that as that grows old and de- 
 cays, so it will be with the heavens, 
 and the earth. The language is 
 evidently figurative ; and yet who 
 can tell how much literal truth there 
 may be couched under it ? Is it ab- 
 surd to suppose that that sun which 
 daily sends forth so many countless 
 millions of beams of light over the 
 universe, may. in a course of ages 
 become diminished in its splendour, 
 and shine with feeble lustre ? Can 
 there be constant exhaustion, a con- 
 stant burning like that, and yet no 
 tendency to decay at some far dis- 
 tant period ? Not unless the material 
 for its sj)lendour shall be supplied from 
 the boundless resources of the Great 
 Source of Light — God; — and when 
 he shall choose to withhold it, even 
 that glorious sun must be dimmed of 
 its splendour and shine with enfeebled 
 beams. 
 
 12. And as a vesture. A garment; 
 — literally somethinir thrown around 
 — ncptii6\aiov — and denoting properly 
 the outer garnunf, the cloak cr man- 
 tic. See Notes .Matt. v. 40. If Shalt 
 thou fold them up. That is, the hea- 
 vens. They are rcprcs.-nted in th« 
 Scriptures as an expanse, or some- 
 
K. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 43 
 
 13 But to which of the an- 
 gels said he at any time," Sit 
 on my right hand, until I make 
 thine enemies thy footstool? 
 
 a Ps. 110. 1. b Ps. 103. 21 ; Da. 7. 10. 
 
 thing spread out (Heb. in Gen. i, 7) ; 
 as a curtain, or tent (Isa. xl. 22), and 
 as a scroll that might be spread out 
 or rolled up like a book or volume. 
 Isa. xxxiv. 4; Rev. vi. 14. Here they 
 are represented as a garment or 
 mantle that might be folded up — 
 language borrowed from folding up 
 and laying aside garments that are 
 no longer fit for use. ^ And they 
 shall be changed. That is, they shall 
 be exchanged for others, or they shall 
 give place to the new heavens and 
 the new earth. II. Peter, iii. 13. 
 The meaning is, that the present form 
 of the heavens and the earth is not to 
 be permanent, but is to be succeeded 
 by others, or to pass away, but that 
 the Creator is to remain the same. 
 TT 3V(0M art the same. Thou wilt not 
 change. H And thy years shall not 
 fail. Thou wilt exist for ever un- 
 changed. What could more clearly 
 prove that he of whom this is spoken 
 is immutable ? Yet it is indubitably 
 spoken of the Messiah, and must de- 
 monstrate that he is divine. These 
 attributes cannot be conferred on a 
 creature ; and nothing can be clearer 
 than that he who penned the epistle 
 believed that the Son of God was di- 
 vine. 
 
 13. But to which of the angels. 
 The apostle adduces one other proof 
 of the exaltation of the Son of God 
 above the angels. He asks where 
 there is an instance in which God 
 had addressed any one of the angels, 
 and asked him to sit at his right 
 hand until he should subdue his ene- 
 ^ mies under him ? Yet that high 
 honour had been conferred on the Son 
 of God ; and he was therefore far ex- 
 ilted above them. ^ Sit on my right 
 hand. See Notes on ver. 3. This 
 passage is taken from Ps. ex. 1, — a 
 Psalm that is repeatedly quoted in 
 this epistle as referring to the Mes- 
 
 14 Are they not all minis- 
 tering* spirits, sent forth" to 
 minister for them who shall be 
 heirs "^ of salvation 1 
 
 c Ge. 19.15, 16; Ps. 34.7. 
 
 d Ro. 8. 17. 
 
 siah, and the very passage before is 
 applied by the Saviour to himself, in 
 Matt. xxii. 43, 44, and by Peter it is 
 applied to him in Acts ii. 34, 35. 
 There can be no doubt, therefore, of 
 its applicability to the Messiah, 
 IT Until I make thine enemies thy 
 footstool. Until I reduce them to en- 
 tire subjection. A footstool is what 
 is placed under the feet when we sit 
 on a chair, and the phrase here 
 means that an enemy is entirely sub- 
 dued. Comp. Notes on I. Cor. xv. 25 
 The phrase to make an enemy a foot- 
 stool, is borrowed from the custom of 
 ancient warriors who stood on the 
 necks of vanquished kings on the oc- 
 casion of celebrating a triumph over 
 them as a token of their complete 
 prostration and subjection. See Notes 
 on Isa. X. 6. — The enemies here re- 
 ferred to are the foes of God and of 
 his religion, and the meaning is, that 
 the Messiah is to be exalted until all 
 those foes are subdued. Then he 
 will give up the kingdom to the 
 Father. See Notes on I. Cor. xv, 24 
 — 28. The exaltation of the Re- 
 deemer, to which the apostle refers 
 here, is to the mediatorial throne. In 
 this he is exalted far above the an- 
 gels, Plis foes are to be subdued to 
 him, but angels are to be employed 
 as mere instruments in that great 
 work, 
 
 14. Are they not all. There is not 
 one of them that is elevated to the 
 high rank of the Redeemer. Even 
 the most exalted angel is employed in 
 the comparatively humble office of a 
 ministering spirit appointed to aid 
 
 the heirs of salvation. IT Ministering 
 
 . . * • • • ... * 
 
 spirits. A ministering spirit is one 
 
 that is employed to execute the will 
 
 of God. The proper meaning of the 
 
 word here — Xtiroupyik-n — (wlience our 
 
 word liturgy) is, pertaining to public 
 
 service, or the service of the people 
 
44 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 (\a6i) ; and is applied particularly to 
 those who were engragcd in tlie pub- 
 lic service of the temple. Tliey were 
 those who rendered aid to others ; 
 wlio were helpers, or servants. Sueh 
 is the meaning as used here. They 
 are employed to render aid or assist- 
 ance to others — to wit, to christians. 
 H Sent forth. Apjjointed by God for 
 this, i'hey arc sent ; are under his 
 control ; are in a subordinate capa- 
 city. Thus Gabriel was sent fortli 
 to convey an important message to 
 Daniel. Dan. ix. 21—23. IT To 
 niinisler. For the aid, or succour of 
 such. They come to render them 
 assistance — and, if employed in tliis 
 humble office, how much inferior to 
 the dignity of the Son of God — the 
 Creator and Ruler of the worlds ! 
 IT Wlio shall be heirs of salvation. To 
 the saints ; to christians. They are 
 called ^ heirs of salvation' because 
 they are adopted into the family of 
 God, and are treated as his sons. 
 See Notes on Rom. viii. 14 — 17. The 
 main point here is, that the angels 
 are employed in a much more hum- 
 ble capacity than the Son of God ; 
 and, therefore, tliat he sustains a far 
 more elevated rank. But while the 
 apostle has proved that, he has inci- 
 dentally stated an exceedingly in- 
 teresting and important doctrine, that 
 the angels are employed to further 
 the salvation of the people of God, 
 and to aid them in their journey to 
 heaven. — In this doctrine there is 
 nothing absurd. It is no more im- 
 probable that angels should be cm- 
 ployed to aid man, than that one man 
 should aid another; certainly not as 
 imfirobable as that the Son of God 
 should come down " not to be minis- 
 tered unto but to minister," (Matt. 
 XX. 28), and that he performed on 
 eartli the office of a servant. John 
 xiii. 1 — 1.'). Indeed it is a great 
 principle of the divine administration 
 that one class of God's creatures are 
 to minister to others ; that one is to 
 aid another — to assist him in trouble, 
 to jjrovide for liim when poor, and to 
 counsel iiim in perplexity. We 
 are constantly deriving benefit from 
 
 others, and are dependent on their 
 counsel and help. Tims God has 
 appointed parents to aid their chil- 
 dren; neighbours to aid their neigh- 
 bours ; the ricli to aid the poor ; 
 and all over the world the prin- 
 ciple is seen, that one is to de- 
 rive benefit from the aid of others. 
 Why m.iy not the angels be employed 
 in this service ? Tliey are pure, be- 
 nevolent, powerful ; and as man was 
 ruined in the fall by the temptation 
 ofTered by one of an angelic, though 
 fallen nature, why should not others 
 of angelic, unfallen liolincss come to 
 assist in repairing the evils which 
 their fallen, guilty brethren have in. 
 flicted on the race ? To me there 
 seems to be a beautiful propriety in 
 bringing aid from another race, as 
 ruin came from anotlier race ; and 
 that as those endowed with angelic 
 might, though witli fiendish malig- 
 nity, ruined man, those with angelic 
 might, but heavenly benevolence, 
 should aid in his recovery and salva- 
 tion. Farther, it is, from the neces- 
 sity of the case, a great principle, 
 that the weak shall be aided by the 
 strong ; the ignorant by the enlight- 
 ened ; the impure by tlie pure ; the 
 tempted by those who have not fallen 
 by temptation. All over the world 
 we sec this in operation ; and it con- 
 stitutes the beauty of the moral ar- 
 rangements on the earth ; and why 
 shall not this be extended to the in- 
 habitants of other abodes ? Wiiy 
 shall not angels, with their superior 
 intelligence, benevolence, and power, 
 come in to perfect this system, and 
 show how mucli adapted it is to glo- 
 rity God ? — In regard to the ways in 
 wliich angels become ministering 
 spirits to the heirs of salvation, the 
 Scriptures have not liilly informed 
 us, but facts are mentioned which 
 will furnish some light on this in- 
 quiry. What they do now may be 
 learned from the Scripture account 
 of what they have done — as it seems 
 to be a fair principle of interpretation 
 that they are engaged in substantially 
 the same employment in whicii thej' 
 have ever been. The following rat 
 
D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 45 
 
 thuus of angelic interposition in be- 
 half of man are noted in the Scrip- 
 tures. (1.) They feel a deep interest 
 in man. Thus the Saviour says, 
 " there is joy in heaven among the 
 angels of God over one sinner that 
 repenteth." Luke xv. 10, Thus also 
 he says, when speaking of the " little 
 ones" that compose his church, " in 
 heaven their angels do always behold 
 the face of my Fatlier who is in hea- 
 ven." Matt.xviii. 10. (2.) They feel 
 a special interest in all that relates 
 to the redemption of man. Thus 
 Peter says of the things pertaining 
 to redemption, " which things the 
 angels desire to look into." I. Pet. 
 i. 12. In accordance with this tliey 
 are represented as praising God over 
 the fields of Bethlehem, where the 
 sheplierds were to whom it was an- 
 nounced that a Saviour was born 
 (Luke ii. 13); an angel announced 
 to Mary that she would be the mother 
 of the Messiah (Luke i. 26) ; an angel 
 declared to the shepherds that he 
 was born (Luke ii. 10) ; the angels 
 came and ministered to him in his 
 temptation (Matt. iv. 11); an angel 
 strengthened him in the garden of 
 Gethsemane (Luke xxii. 4.3) ; angels 
 were present in the sepulchre where 
 the Lord Jesus had been laid, to an- 
 nounce his resurrection to his disci- 
 ples (John XX. 12) ; and they re-ap- 
 peared to his disciples on Mount Oli- 
 vet to assure them that he would return 
 and receive his people to himself Acts 
 i. 10. (3.) They a pear for the de- 
 fence and protection of the people of 
 God. Thus it is said (Ps. xxxiv. 7), 
 " The angel of the Lord encampeth 
 round about them that fear him, and 
 delivereth them." Thus two angels 
 came to hasten Lot from the cities 
 of the Plain, and to rescue him from 
 the impending destruction. Gen. xix. 
 1. 15. Thus an angel opened the 
 prison doors of the apostles and deli- 
 vered them when they had been con- 
 fined by the Jews. Acts V. 19. Thus 
 the angel of the Lord delivered Peter 
 from prison when he had been con- 
 fined by Herod. Acts xii. 7, 8. (4.) 
 Angels are sent to give us strength 
 
 to resist temptation. Aid was thus 
 furnished to the Redeemer in the 
 garden of Gethsemane, when there 
 " appeared an angel from heaven 
 strengthening him." Luke xxii. 43. 
 The great trial there seems to have 
 been somehow connected with temp- 
 tation ; some influence of the power 
 of darkness, or of the Prince of evil. 
 Luke xxii. 53 ; comp. John xiv. 30. 
 In this aid whicii they rendered to 
 the tempted Redeemer, and in the 
 assistance whicli they render to us 
 when tempted, there is a special fit- 
 ness and propriety. Man was at first 
 tempted by a fallen angel. No small 
 part — if not all the temptations in the 
 world — are under the direction now 
 of fallen angels. They roam at large 
 ' seeking whom they may devour.' 
 I. Pet. V. 8. The temptations which 
 occur in life, the numerous allure- 
 ments which beset our path, all have 
 the marks of being under the control 
 of dark and malignant spirits. What, 
 therefore, can be more appropriate 
 than for the pure angels of God to 
 interpose and aid man against the 
 skill and wiles of their tallen and 
 malignant fellow-spirits ? Fallen an- 
 gelic power and skill — power and 
 skill far above the capability and the 
 strength of man — are employed to 
 ruin us, and how desirable is it for 
 like power and skill, under the guid- 
 ance of benevolence, to come in to 
 aid us I (5.) They support us in af. 
 fliction. Thus an angel brought a 
 cheering message to Daniel ; the an- 
 gels were present to give comfort to 
 the disciples of the Saviour when he 
 had been taken from them by death, 
 and wlien he ascended to heaven. 
 Why may it not be so now, that im- 
 portant consolations, in some way, 
 are imparted to us by angelic influ- 
 ence ? And (6.) they attend dying 
 saints, and conduct them to glory. 
 Thus the Saviour says of Lazarus 
 that when he died he was " carried 
 by the angels into Abraham's bosoVn." 
 Luke xvi. 22. Is there any impro- 
 priety in supposing that tJie same 
 thing may be done still ? Assuredly 
 if anywhere heavenly aid is needed, 
 
46 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 it is when the spirit leaves the body. 
 If anywhere a guide is needed, it is 
 when the ransomed soul goes up the 
 unknown path to God. And if angels 
 are employed on any messages of 
 merey to mankind, it is proper that 
 it should be when life is closing, and 
 the spirit is about to ascend to heaven. 
 Should it be said that they arc invi- 
 sible, and that it is difficult to con- 
 ceive how we can be aided by be- 
 ings whom we never sec, I answer, 
 I know that tliej' are unseen. They 
 no longer appear as they once did to 
 be the visible protectors and defenders 
 of the people of God. But no small 
 part of the aid which wc receive from 
 others comes from sources unseen by 
 us. We owe more to unseen bene- 
 factors than to those whom we see, 
 and the most grateful of all aid, per- 
 haps, is that which is furnished by a 
 hand which we do not see, and from 
 quarters which we cannot trace. 
 How many an orphan is benefited 
 by some unseen and unknown bene- 
 factor ! So it may be a part of the 
 great arrangements of divine Provi- 
 dence that many of the mo9t needed 
 and acceptable interpositions for our 
 welfare should come to us from invi- 
 sible sources, and be conveyed to us 
 from God by unseen hands. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 1. The Christian religion has a 
 Claim on the attention of man. God 
 has spoken to us in the Gospel by his 
 Son. Vs. 1, 2. This fact constitutes 
 a claim on us to attend to what is 
 spoken in the New Testament. When 
 God sent prophets to address men, 
 endowing them with more tlian hu- 
 man wisdom and eloquence, and 
 commanding them to deliver solemn 
 messages to mankind, that was a 
 reason why men should hear. But 
 how much more imjjortant is the 
 message which is brought by his own 
 Son! How much more exalted the 
 Messenger I How much liigher his 
 claim to our attention and regard ! 
 Comp. Matt. xx'i. 37. Yet it is la- 
 mentable to reflect how few attended 
 to him when he lived on the earth, 
 
 and how few comparatively regard 
 him now. The great mass of men 
 feel no interest in the fact that the 
 Son of God has come and spoken to 
 the human race. Few take the painp 
 to read what he said, though all the 
 records of the discourses of the Sa- 
 viour could be read in a few hours. 
 A newspaper is read ; a poem ; a 
 novel ; a play ; a history of battles 
 and sieges ; but the New Testament 
 is neglected, and there are thousands 
 even in Christian lands who have not 
 even read through tlie Sermon on the 
 Mount ! Few also listen to the trutlis 
 which the Redeemer taught when 
 they are proclaimed in the sanctuary. 
 Multitudes never go to the place 
 w-hcre the gospel is preached'; multi- 
 tudes when there are engaged in 
 thinking of other things, or are 
 wholly inattentive to the truths which 
 are proclaimed. Such a reception 
 has the Son of God met with in our 
 world ! The most wonderful of all 
 events is, that he should have come 
 from heaven to be the teacher of 
 mankind ; ne.xt to that, the most 
 wonderful event is, that when he has 
 come men feel no interest in the fact, 
 and refuse to listen to what he says 
 of the unseen and eternal world. 
 What a man will say about the possi- 
 bility of making a fortune by some 
 wild speculation will be listened to 
 with the deepest interest ; but what 
 the Redeemer says about the certainty 
 of heaven and eternal riches there, 
 excites no emotion : what one from 
 the dead might say about the unseen 
 world would excite the profoundest 
 attention ; what he has said who has 
 always dwelt in the unseen world, 
 and who knows all that has occurred 
 there, and all that is yet to occur, 
 awakens no interest, and excites no 
 inquiry. Such is man. The visit, 
 too, of an illustrious stranger — like 
 liafa^'ctte to America — will rouse a 
 nation, and spread enthusiasm every- 
 where ; the visit of tiie Son of God to 
 the earth on a great errand of mercy 
 is regarded as an event of no import- 
 ance, and excius no interest in tho 
 great mass of human hearts. 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 47 
 
 2. Christ is divine. In the view 
 of the writer of tliis epistle he was 
 undoubtedly regarded as equal with 
 God. This is so clear that it seems 
 wonderful that it should ever have 
 been called in question. He who 
 made the worlds ; who is to be wor- 
 shipped by the angels ; who is ad- 
 dressed as God ; who is said to have 
 laid the foundation of the earth, and 
 to have made the heavens, and to be 
 unchanged when all these things 
 shall pass away, must be divine. 
 These are the attributes of God, and 
 belong to him alone. These things 
 could not be spoken of a man, an an- 
 gel, an archangel. It is impossible 
 to conceive that attributes like these 
 could belong to a creature. If they 
 could, then all our notions of what 
 constitutes the distinction between 
 God and his creatures are con- 
 founded, and we can have no intelli- 
 gible idea of God. 
 
 3. It is not improbable that Christ 
 is the medium of communicating the 
 knowledge of the divine essence and 
 perfections to all worlds. He is the 
 brightness of the divine glory — the 
 showing forth — the manifestation of 
 God. Ver. 3. The body of the sun 
 is not seen — certainly not by the 
 naked eye. We cannot look upon it. 
 But there is a shining, a brightness, 
 a glory, a manifestation which is 
 seen. It is in the sun-beams, the 
 manifestation of the glory and the 
 existence of the sun. By his shining 
 the sun is known. So the Son of God 
 — incarnate or not — may be the ma- 
 nifestation of the divine essence. 
 And from this illustration, may we 
 not without irreverence derive an 
 illustration of the doctrine of the 
 glorious Trinity? There is the body 
 of the sun — to us invisible — yet great 
 and glorious, and the source of all 
 light, and heat, and life. The vast 
 body of the sun is the source of all 
 this radiance, the fountain of all that 
 warms and enlivens. All light and 
 heat and life depend on him, and 
 should he be extinct all would die. 
 Thus may it not be with God the 
 Father; God the eternal and un- 
 
 changing essence — the fountain of 
 all light, and life in the universe. — 
 In the sun there is also the manifes- 
 tation — the shining — the glorious 
 light. The brightness which we 
 see emanates from that — emanates 
 at once, continually, always. While 
 the sun exists, that exists, and can- 
 not be separated from it. By that 
 brightness the sun is seen ; by that 
 the world is enlightened. Without 
 these beams there would be no light, 
 but all would be involved in dark- 
 ness. What a beautiful representa- 
 tion of the Son of God — the bright, 
 ness of the divine glory ; the medium 
 by which God is made known ; the 
 source of light to man, and for aught 
 we know, to the universe ! When 
 he shines on men, there ig light; 
 when he does not shine, there is as 
 certain moral darkness as there is 
 night when the sun sinks in the 
 west. And for aught we can see, 
 the manifestation which the Son of 
 God makes may be as necessary in 
 all worlds to a proper contemplation 
 of the divine essence, as the beams 
 of the sun are to understand its na- 
 ture. Then there are the Avarmth 
 and heat and vivifying influences of 
 the sun — an influence which is the 
 source of life and beauty to the ma- 
 terial world. It is not the mere 
 shining — it is the attendant warmth 
 and vivifying power. All nature is 
 dependent on it. Each seed, and 
 bud, and leaf, and flower ; each spire 
 of grass, and each animal on earth, 
 and each bird on the wing, is depen- 
 dent on it. Without that, vegetation 
 would decay at once, and animal life 
 would be extinct, and universal death 
 would reign. What a beautiful illus- 
 tration of the Holy Spirit, and of his 
 influences on the moral world ! " The 
 Lord God is a Sun" (Ps. Ixxxiv. 11); 
 and I do not see that it is improper 
 thus to derive from the sun an illus- 
 tration of the doctrine of the Trinity. 
 I am certain we should know no- 
 thing of the sun but for the beams 
 that reveal him, and that enlighten 
 the world ; and I am certain that all 
 animal and vegetable life would die 
 
48 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 if it were not for his vivifying and 
 quickening rays. I do not sec that 
 it may not be equally probable that 
 the nature — the essence of God would 
 be unknown were it not manifested 
 by the Son of God; and I am certain 
 that all moral and spiritual life would 
 die were it not for the quickening 
 and vivifying influences of the Holy 
 Spirit on the human soul. 
 
 4. Christ has made an atonement 
 for sin. Vcr. 3. He has done it by 
 "himself." It was not by the blood 
 of bulls and of goats ; it was by his 
 own blood. Let us rejoice that wc 
 have not now to come before God 
 with a bloody offering ; that we need 
 not come leading up a lamb to be 
 slain, but that wc may come con- 
 fiding in that blood which has been 
 shnd for the sins of mankind. The 
 great sacrifice has been made. The 
 victim is slain. The blood has been 
 offered which expiates the sin of the 
 world. We may now come at once 
 to the throne of grace, and plead the 
 merits of that blood. How different 
 is our condition from that of the an- 
 cient Jewish worshippers ! They 
 were required to come leading the 
 victim that was to be slain for sin, 
 and to do this every year and every 
 day. We may come with the feeling 
 that the one great sacrifice has been 
 made for us ; that it is never to be 
 repeated, and that in that sacrifice 
 there is merit sufficient to cancel all 
 our sins. — How different our condi- 
 tion from that of the heathen ! They 
 too lead up sacrifices to be slain on 
 bloody altars. They offer lambs, 
 and goats, and bullocks, and captives 
 taken in war, and slaves, and even 
 their own children I But amidst 
 these horrid offerings, wliile they 
 show their deep conviction that sojne 
 sacrifice is necessary, they have no 
 promise — no evidence whatever, that 
 the sacrifice will be accepted. They 
 go away nnpardoncd. They repeat 
 the offering with no evidence that 
 their sins arc forgiven, and at last 
 they die in despair ! We come as- 
 sured that the ' blood of Jesus Christ 
 clcanseth from all sin,' — and the soul 
 
 rejoices in tlie evidence that all past 
 sins are forgiven, and is at peace 
 with God. 
 
 5. Let us rejoice that the Lord 
 Jesus is thus exalted to the right 
 hand of God. Vs. 3, 4. He has gone 
 into heaven. He is seated on the 
 throne of glory. He has suffered the 
 last pang, and shed the last drop of 
 blood that will ever be necessary to 
 be shed for the sins of the world. 
 No cold tomb is again to hold him ; 
 and no spear of a soldier is again to 
 enter his side. He is now happy 
 and glorious in heaven. The angels 
 there render him homage (ver. 6), 
 and the universe is placed under his 
 control. 
 
 6. It is right to worship the Lord 
 Jesus. When he came into the 
 world the angels were required to do 
 it (ver. 6), and it cannot be wrong 
 for ns to do it now. If the angels in 
 heaven might properly worship him, 
 we may. If they worshipped him, he 
 is divine. Assuredly God would not 
 require them to worship a fellow-an- 
 gel or a man ! — I feel safe in adoring 
 where angels adore ; I do not feel 
 that I have a right to withhold my 
 homage where they have been re- 
 quired to render theirs. 
 
 7. It is right to address the Lord 
 Jesus as God. Ver. 8. If he is so 
 addressed in the language of inspira- 
 tion, it is not improper for us so to 
 address him. We do not err when 
 we adhere closely to the language of 
 the Bible ; nor can wc have a stronger 
 evidence that we are right than that 
 we express our sentiments and our 
 devotions in the very language of the 
 sacred Scriptures. 
 
 8. The kingdom of the Redeemer 
 is a righteous kingdom. It is founded 
 in equity. Vs. 8, 9. Other king- 
 doms have hern kingdoms of cruelty, 
 oppression, and blood. Tyrants have 
 swayed an iron sceptre over men. 
 But not thus with the Redeemer in 
 his kingdom. There is not a law 
 there which is not equal and mild ; 
 not a statute which it would not pro- 
 mote the temporal and eternal wel- 
 fare of man to obey. Happy is the 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 49 
 
 man that is wholly under his sceptre ; 
 happy the king-dom that yields entire 
 obedience to his laws ! 
 
 9. The heavens shall perish ; the 
 earth shall decay. Vs. 10, 11. Great 
 changes have already taken place in 
 the earth — as the researches of geolo- 
 gists show ; and we have no reason 
 t() doubt that similar changes may 
 hive occurred in distant worlds. Still 
 greater changes may be expected to 
 occur in future times, and some of 
 them we may be called to witness. 
 Our souls are to exist for ever ; and 
 far on in future ages — far beyond the 
 utmost period which we can now 
 compute — we may witness most im- 
 portant changes in these heavens and 
 this earth. God may display his 
 power in a manner which has never 
 been seen yet; and safe near his 
 throne his people may be permitted 
 to behold the exhibition of power of 
 which the mind has never yet had 
 the remotest conception. 
 
 10. Yet amidst these changes, the 
 Saviour will be the same. Ver. 12. 
 He changes not. In all past revolu- 
 tions, he has been the same. In all 
 the changes which have occurred in 
 the physical world, he has been un- 
 changed ; in all the revolutions which 
 have occurred among kingdoms, he 
 has been unmoved. One change 
 succeeds another ; kingdoms rise and 
 fall and empires waste away ; one 
 generation goes otF to be succeeded 
 by another, but he remains the same. 
 No matter what tempests howl, or 
 how wars rage, or how^the pestilence 
 spreads abroad, or how the earth is 
 shaken by earthquakes, still the Re- 
 deemer is the same. And no matter 
 what are our external changes, he is 
 the same. We pass from childhood 
 to youth, to manhood, to old age, but 
 he changes not. We are in pros- 
 
 > perity or adversity ; we may pass 
 from affluence to poverty, from ho- 
 nour to dishonour, from health to 
 sickness, but he is the same. We 
 may go and lie down in the cold 
 tomb, and our mortal frames may de- 
 cay, but he is the same during our 
 long sleep, and he will remain the 
 
 same till he shall return and summon 
 us to renovated life. I rejoice that 
 in all the circumstances of hfe I have 
 the same Saviour. I know what he 
 is. I know, if the expression may be 
 allowed, 'where he may be fomid.' 
 Man may change by caprice, or 
 whim, or by some new suggestion of 
 interest, of passion, or ambition. I 
 go to my friend to-day, and find him 
 kind and true — but I have no abso- 
 lute certainty tj^at I shall find him 
 sucli to-morrow. His feelings, fi-om 
 some unknown cause, may have be- 
 come cold towards me. Some enemy 
 may liave breathed suspicion into his 
 ear about me, or he may have formed 
 some stronger attachment, or he may 
 be sick, or dead. But nothing like 
 this can happen in regard to the Re- 
 deemer. He changes not. I am 
 sure that he is always the same. No 
 one can influence him by slander ; no 
 new friendship can weaken the old; 
 no sickness or death can occur to him 
 to change him ; and though the hea- 
 vens be on fire, and the earth be con- 
 vulsed, lie is THE SAME. In such a 
 Saviour I may confide ; in such a 
 friend why should not all confide? 
 Of earthly attachments it has been 
 too truly said, 
 
 " And what is friendship but a name, 
 A charm that lulls to sleep ; 
 A shade that follows wealth or fame, 
 But leaves the wretch to weep ?" 
 
 But this can never be said of the at- 
 tachment formed between the Chris- 
 tian and the Redeemer. That is un- 
 affected by all external changes ; that 
 shall live in all the revolutions of 
 material things, and when all earthfy 
 ties shall be severed ; that shall sur. 
 vive the dissolution of all things. 
 
 11. We see the dignity of man. 
 Vs. 13, 14. Angels are sent to be his 
 attendants. They come to minister to 
 him here, and to conduct him home 
 'to glory.' Kings and princes are 
 surrounded by armed men, or by sages 
 called to be their counsellors ; but the 
 most humble saint may be encompassed 
 by a retinue of beings of far greater 
 power and more elevated rank. The 
 angels of light and glory feel a deep 
 
&0 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 interest in the Balvation of men. 
 They come to attend the redeemed ; 
 tliey wait on tlicir steps; they sustain 
 them in trial ; they accompany them 
 when dcjiartiiig to heaven. It is a 
 higher honour to he attended by one 
 of those pure inteUigonces than by the 
 most elevated monarch that ever 
 swayed a sceptre or wore a crown; 
 and the pbscurest Christian shall soon 
 be himself conducted to a throne in 
 heaven, compared with which the 
 most splendid seat of royally on earth 
 loses its lustre and fades away. 
 
 "And is there care in lieaven 7 and Is 
 Ihore love 
 In lieaveiily spirits to these creatures 
 base. 
 That may compassion of their evils 
 move? 
 There is: — else much more wretched 
 were the case 
 Of men than lieasts; But O! th' cxceed- 
 ini; grace 
 Of Highest God that loves his crea- 
 tures so. 
 And all his works of mercy doth embrace, 
 That blessed angels he sends to and fro. 
 To serve to wicked man, to serve his 
 wicked foe! 
 
 •' How oft do they their silver bowers leave, 
 To come to succour us that succour 
 want I 
 How do they with golden pinions cleave 
 The yielding skies, like flying pursui- 
 vant, 
 Against foul fiends to aid us militant ! 
 They for us fight, they watch aiui duly 
 ward. 
 And their bright squadrons round about 
 us pliint ; 
 And all for love and nothing for re- 
 ward ; 
 O why should Heavenly God to men 
 have such regard !" 
 Bpemer's Faery Queen, B. II. Canto viii. 1,2. 
 
 • ]2. What has God done for the 
 salvation of man ! He forined an 
 eternal plan. He sent his proi)hcts 
 to communicate his will. He sent 
 his Son to bear a message of mercy, 
 and to die the just for the unjust. 
 He exalted him to heaven, and placed 
 the universe under his control that 
 man may be saved. He sent his 
 Holy Spirit ; his ministers and mes- 
 sengers for this. And last, to com- 
 plete the work, lie sends his angels 
 to be ministering spirits ; to sustain 
 his people ; to comfort them in dying ; 
 
 to attend them to the realms of glory. 
 What an interest is felt in the salva- 
 tion of a single Christian ! What a 
 value he has in the universe ! And 
 how important it is that he should be 
 holy ! A man who has been redeemed 
 liy the blood of the Son of God should 
 be pure. He who is an heir of life 
 should be holy. He wlio is attended 
 by celestial beings, and who is soon — 
 he knows not hoio uoon — to be trans- 
 lated to heaven, should be holy. Are 
 angels my attendants ? Then I should 
 walk worthy of my companionship. 
 Am I soon to go and dwell with an- 
 gels ? Tlien I should be pure. Are 
 these feet soon to tread the courts of 
 lieaven ? Is this tongue soon to unite 
 with heavenly beings in praising 
 God ? -\rc these eyes soon to look on 
 the throne of eternal glory, and on 
 the ascended Redeemer ? Tlicn these 
 feet, and eyes, and lips should be pure 
 and holy, and I should be dead to'tlie 
 world, and should live only lor heaven. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 The main object of this chapter is, 
 to show that we should attend dili- 
 gently to the things whicii were 
 spoken by the Lord Jesus, and not 
 sutfer them to glide away /roin us. 
 The apostle seems to have supposed 
 tliat some might be inclined to disre- 
 gard what was spoken by one of so 
 humble appearance as the Lord Je- 
 sus ; and that they would urge that 
 the Old Testament had been given 
 by the interposition of angels, and 
 was therefore more worthy of atten- 
 tion. To meet this, he shows tha» 
 isnportnnt objeets were accomplished 
 by his becoming a man ; and t!ia« 
 even as a man, power and dignity 
 iiad been conferred on him superioi 
 to that of tJie angels. In illustration 
 of tliese points, the chapter contains 
 the following subjects : — (I.) An e.\. 
 hortation not to suffer the things 
 which had been s{)oken to slip from 
 tlie mind — or in other words, to at 
 tend to tliem diligentl}' and carefully 
 The argument is, that if what was 
 siwkcn by tlic angels under the old 
 
A. D. 61.} 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 51 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THEREFORE we ought to 
 give the more earnest heed 
 to the things which we have 
 
 dispensation claimed attention, much 
 more should that be regarded which 
 was spoken by the Son of God. Vs. 
 1 — 4. (2.) Jesus had been lionoured, 
 as incarnate, in such a way as to show 
 that lie had a right to be heard, and 
 that what he said should receive the 
 profound attention of men. Vs. 5 — 9. 
 The world to come had not been put 
 under the angels as it had been under 
 him (ver. 5) ; the general principle 
 had been stated in the Scriptures that 
 all things were put under man (vs. 
 6, 7), but this was fulfilled only in 
 the Lord Jesus, who had been made 
 a little lower than the angels, and 
 when so made crowned with glory 
 and honour. Ver. 9. His appearance 
 as a man, therefore, was in no way 
 inconsistent with what had been said 
 of his dignity, or his claim to be 
 heard. (3.) The apostle then pro- 
 ceeds to show why he became a man, 
 and why, though he was so exalted, 
 he was subjected to so severe suffer- 
 ings ; and with this the chapter closes. 
 Vs. 10 — 18. It was because this was 
 proper from the relation which he 
 sustained to man. The argument is, 
 that the Redeemer and his people 
 were identified ; that lie did not come 
 to save angels, and tliat, therefore, 
 there was a propriety in his assuming 
 the nature of man, and being sub- 
 jected to trials like those whom he 
 came to save. In all things it be- 
 hoved him to be made like his bretlircn, 
 in order to redeem them, and in order 
 to set them an example, and show 
 them how to suffer. Tlie humilia- 
 tion, therefore, of the Redeemer ; the 
 > fact that he appeared as a man, and 
 that he was a sufferer, so far from 
 being a reason why he should not be 
 heard, was rather an additional reason 
 why we should attend to what he 
 aaid. He had a claim to the right of 
 being heard not only from his original 
 dignity, but from the friendship wliich 
 4 
 
 heard, lest at any time we 
 should ' let them slip. 
 
 1 run out, as leaking vessels. 
 
 he has evinced for us in taking upon 
 himself our nature, and suffering in 
 our behalf. 
 
 1. Therefore. Gr. 'On account of 
 this' — Aia TovTo — that is, on account 
 of the exalted dignity and rank of the 
 Messiah as stated in the previous 
 chapter. The sense is, ' Since Christ, 
 the author of the new dispensation, 
 is so far exalted above the prophets, 
 and even the angels, we ought to give 
 the more earnest attention to all that 
 has been spoken.' IT We ought. It 
 is Jit or proper (Gr. ict) that we should 
 attend to those things. When the 
 Son of God speaks to men, every con- 
 sideration makes it appropriate that 
 we should attend to what is spoken. 
 ^ To give the more earnest heed. To 
 give the more strict attention. IT To 
 the things which we have heard. 
 Wliether directly from the Lord Je- 
 sus, or from his apostles. It is pos- 
 sible that some of those to whom the 
 apostle was writing had heard the 
 Lord Jesus himself preach the gos- 
 pel ; others had heard the same truths 
 declared by the apostles. IT Lest at 
 any time. We ought to attend to 
 those things at aU times. We ought 
 never to forget them ; never to be in- 
 different to them. We are sometimes 
 interested in them, and then we feel 
 indifferent to them ; sometimes at 
 leisure to attend to them, and then 
 the cares of the world, or a heaviness 
 and dullness of mind, or a cold and 
 languid state of the affections, ren- 
 ders us indifferent to them, and they 
 are suffered to pass out of the mind 
 without concern. Paul says, that 
 this ought never to be done. At no 
 time should we be indifferent to those 
 things. They are always important to. 
 us, and we should never be in a state 
 of mind when they would be uninter- 
 esting. At all times ; in all places ; and 
 in every situation of life, we should feel 
 that the truths of religion are of more 
 
53 
 
 HEBIIKWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 importance to us than all other truths, 
 and notiiing should be sull'cred to ef- 
 face their image from the lieart. 
 If We s/iould let them slip. I\Iarg. 
 Run out (IS leaking vessels. Tiudul 
 renders tiiis, ' lest we be spilt.' The 
 expression here has ^iven rise to 
 mucli discussion as to its meaning ; 
 and has been very differently trans- 
 lated. Doddridge renders it, ' lest we 
 let them flow out of our minds.' Prof. 
 Stuart, ' lest at any time we should 
 slight them.' Wiiitby, 'tliat they 
 may not entirely slip out of our me- 
 mories.' The word hero used — 
 wapappf'w — occurs nowhere else in the 
 New Testament. The Septuagint 
 translators have used the word but 
 once. Prov. iii. 21. ' Son, do not pass 
 by (fi^ irapappujis) but keep my coun- 
 sel ;' that is, do not pass by my ad- 
 vice by neglect, or suffer it to be dis- 
 regarded. The word means, accord- 
 ing to Passoiv, to $ow by, to flow over ; 
 and then to go by, to fall, to go awa}\ 
 It is used to mean to flow near, to 
 flow by — as of a river ; to glide away, 
 to escape — as from the mind, i. e. to 
 forget ; and to glide along — as a thief 
 does by stealth. See Robinson^s Lex. 
 The Syriac and Arabic translators 
 have rendered it, that we may not fall. 
 After all that has been said on the 
 meaning of the word here {comp. Stu- 
 art in loc), it seems to me that the 
 true sense of the expression is that 
 of flowing, or gliding by — as a river ; 
 and that the meaning here is, that we 
 should be very cautious that the im- 
 portant truths spoken by the Redeem- 
 er and his apostles should not be suf- 
 fered to glide by us without attention, 
 or without profit. We should not 
 allow them to be like a stream that 
 glides on by us without benefiting us ; 
 that is, we should endeavour to se- 
 cure and retain them as our own. 
 The truth taught is, that there is great 
 danger, now that the true system of 
 religion has been revealed, tliat it will 
 Aot profit us, but that we shall Mse 
 all the benefit of it. This danger 
 may arisfe from many sources — some 
 of which are tlie following : — (1.) We 
 may not feel that the truths revealed 
 
 are important — and before their im- 
 portance is felt, they may be beyond 
 our reach. So we are often deceived 
 in regard to the importance of objects 
 — and before we perceive their value 
 they are irrccowrably gone. So it is 
 often with time, and with the oppor- 
 tunities of obtaining an education, or 
 of accomplishing any object which is 
 of value. The opportunity is gone 
 before we perceive its importance. 
 So the young suffer the most import- 
 ant period of life to ^lide away be- 
 fore they perceive its value, and the 
 opportunity of making much of their 
 talents is lost because they did not 
 embrace the suitable opportunities. 
 (2.) By being engrossed in business. 
 We feci that that is now the most im- 
 portant thing. That claims all our 
 attention. We have no time to pray, 
 to read the Bible, to think of religion, 
 for the cares of the world engross all 
 the time — and the opportunities of 
 salvatioi\ glide insensibly away, until 
 it is too late. (3.) By being attract- 
 ed by the pleasures of life. We at- 
 tend to them now, and arc drawn 
 along from one to another, until reli- 
 gion is suffered to glide away with 
 all its hopes and consolations, and we 
 perceive^ too late, that wc have let 
 the opportunity of salvation slip for 
 ever. Allured by those pleasures, the 
 young neglect it ; and new pleasures 
 starting up in future life carry on the 
 delusion, until every favourable oppor- 
 timity for salvation has passed away. 
 (4.) We suffer favourable opportuni- 
 ties to pass by without improving 
 them. Youth is by far the best time, 
 as it is the most appropriate time, to 
 become a Christian — and yet how 
 easy is it to allow that period to slip 
 away without becoming interested in 
 •the Saviour I One day glides on after 
 another, and one week, one month, 
 one year passes away after another — 
 like a gently-flowing stream — untii. 
 all the precious time of youth has 
 gone, and we are not Christians. So 
 a revival of religion is a favourable 
 time — and yet many suffer this to 
 pass by without becoming interested 
 in it. Others are converted, and ths 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 53 
 
 2. For if the word spoken by 
 angels " was steadfast, and * eve- 
 ry transgression and disobedi- 
 
 a Ac. 7. 53. b Nu. 15, 31. 
 
 heavenly influences descend all around 
 us, but we are unaffected, and tlie 
 season so full of happy and heavenly 
 influences is gone — to return no more, 
 (o.) We let the favourable season slip, 
 because we design to attend to it at 
 some future period of life. So youth 
 defers it to manhood — manhood to old 
 age — old age to a death-bed — and 
 then neglects it — until the whole of 
 life has glided away, and the soul is 
 not saved. Paul knew man. He 
 knew how prone he was to let the 
 things of religion slip out of the mind 
 — and hence the earnestness of his 
 caution that we should give heed to 
 the subject now — lest the opportunity 
 of salvation should soon glide awa3\ 
 When once passed, it can never be 
 recalled. Learn hence (I.) the truths 
 of religion will not benefit us un- 
 less we give heed to them. It will 
 not save us that the Lord Jesus has 
 come and spoken to men, unless we 
 are disposed to listen. It will not 
 benefit us that the sun shines, unless 
 we open our eyes. Books will not 
 benefit us, unless we read them ; medi- 
 cine, unless we take it ; nor will the 
 fruits of the earth sustain our lives, 
 however rich and abundant they may 
 be, if we disregard and neglect them. 
 So with the truths of religion. There 
 is truth enough to save the world — 
 but the world disregards and despises 
 it. (2.) It needs not great sins to 
 destroy the soul. Simple neglect will 
 do it as certainly as atrocious crimes. 
 Every man has a sinful heart that 
 will destroy him unless he makes an 
 effort to be saved ; and it is not merely 
 the great sinner, therefore, who is in 
 danger. It is the man wlio neglects 
 his soul — whether a moral or an-im- 
 moral man — a daughter of amiable- 
 ness, or a daughter of vanity and 
 vice. 
 
 2. For if the word spoken hy an- 
 gels. The revelation in the Old Tes- 
 I 5* 
 
 ence received a just recompense 
 of reward ; 
 
 3. How ' shall we escape, if 
 
 cc. 4. 1, 11. 
 
 tament. It was indeed given by Je- 
 hovah, but it was the common opinion 
 of the Hebrews that it was by the 
 ministry of angels. See Notes on 
 Acts vii. 38. 53, and Gal. iii. 19,-_ 
 where this point is fully considered. 
 As Paul was discoursing here of the 
 superiority of the Redeemer to the 
 angels, it was to the point to refer to 
 the fact that the law had been given 
 by the ministry of angels. If Was 
 steadfast. Was Jirm — jiiiiaioi — set- 
 tled — established. It was not vacil- 
 lating and fluctuating. It determin- 
 ed what crime was, and it was firm 
 in its punishment. It did not yield 
 to circumstances ; but if not obeyed 
 in all respects, it denounced punish- 
 ment. The idea here is not that 
 everything wa.s fulfilled, but it is, that 
 the law so given could not be violated 
 with impunity. It was not safe to 
 violate it, but it took notice of the 
 slightest failure to yield perfect obe-' 
 dience to its demands, tf And every 
 transgression. Literally, going be- 
 yond, passing by. It means every 
 instance of disregarding the law. 
 ^ And disobedience. Every instance 
 of not hearing the law — irapaKoh — and 
 hence every instance of disobeying 
 it. The word here stands opposite to 
 hearing it, or attending to it — and 
 the sense of the whole is, that the 
 slightest infraction of the law was 
 sure to be pmiished. It made no pro- 
 vision for indulgence in sin ; it de- 
 manded prompt, implicit, and entire 
 obedience. H Received a just recom- 
 pense of reward. Was strictly pun- 
 ished. Subjected to equal retribution. 
 This was the character of the law 
 It threatened punishment for each and 
 every offence, and made no allowanca 
 for transgression in any form. Comp 
 Num. XV. 30, 31. 
 
 3. How shall we escape. How shall 
 we escape the just recompense due to 
 transgressors? What way is thoro 
 
54 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. I). G4. 
 
 we neglect go great salvation ; 
 which" at the first began to be 
 
 a Mar. 1. 14. 
 
 of bcinfr saved from punishiiicnt,^f 
 we suffer tlie fjreat salvation to be 
 neglected, and do not embrace its of- 
 fers? The sense is, that there is no 
 other way of salvation, and the neg- 
 lect of this will be followed by cer- 
 tain destruction. Why it will, the 
 apostle proceeds to show, by stating' 
 that this plan of salvation was pro- 
 claimed first by the Lord himself, and 
 had been confirmed by the most de- 
 cided and amazing miracles. If If 
 we neglect. It is not merely if we 
 commit g-reat sins. Not, if we are 
 murderers, adulterers, thieves, infidels, 
 atheists, scoffers. It is, if we merely 
 neglect this salvation — if wc do not 
 embrace it — if we suffer it to pass 
 unimproved. — Neglect is enough to 
 ruin a man. A man who is in busi- 
 ness need not commit forgery or rob- 
 bery, to ruin himself; he he has only 
 to neglect his business, and his ruin 
 is certain. A man who is lying on 
 a bed of sickness, need not eut his 
 throat to destroy himself; he has only 
 to neglect the means of restoration, 
 and he will be ruined. A man float- 
 ing in a skiff above Niagara, need 
 not move an oar or make an effort to 
 destroy himself; he has only to neg- 
 led using the oar at the proper time, 
 and he will certainly be carried over 
 the cataract. Most of the calamities 
 of life are caused by simple neglect. 
 By neglect of education children grow 
 up in ignorance ; by neglect a farm 
 grows up to weeds and briars ; by 
 neglect a liouse goes to decay ; by 
 neglect of sowing, a man will have no 
 harvest ; by neglect of reaping, the 
 harvesttwould rot in the fields. No 
 worldly interest can prosper wliere 
 there is neglect ; and why may it not 
 be so in religion ? There is nothing 
 in earthly affairs that is valuable 
 that will not be ruined if it is not 
 attended to — and why may it not 
 be so with the concerns of the soul '! 
 Let no one infi'r, therefore, that be- 
 cause he is not a drunkard, or an 
 
 spoken by the Lord, and was 
 confirmed unto us by them that 
 heard him ; 
 
 adulterer, or a murderer, that, tliere- 
 forc, he will be saved. Such an in- 
 ference would be as irrational as it 
 would be for a man to infer that be- 
 cause he is not a murderer his farm 
 will produce a harvest, or that be- 
 cause he is not an adulterer there- 
 fore his merchandise will take care 
 of itself. Salvation would be worth 
 nothing if it cost no effort — and 
 there will be no salvation where no 
 effort is put forth. If So great sal. 
 iMtion. Salvation from sin and fi-om 
 hell. It is called great because (L) 
 its author is great. This is perhaps 
 the main idea in this passage. It 
 ' began to be spoken by the Lord ;' it 
 had for its author the Son of God, 
 who is so much superior to the an- 
 gels ; whom the angels were required 
 to worship (ch, i. 6) ; who is expressly 
 called God (ch. i. 8) ; who made all 
 tilings, and who is eternal. Ch. i. 10 
 — 12. A system of salvation promul- 
 gated by liim must be of infinite im- 
 portance, and have a claim to the 
 attention of man. (2.) It is great be- 
 cause it saves from great sins. It is 
 adapted to deliver from all sins, no 
 matter how aggravated. No one is 
 saved who feels tliat his sins are 
 small, or that they are of no conse 
 quoncc. Each one sees his sins to be 
 black and aggravated, and each one 
 who enters heaven, will go there 
 feeling and confessing that it is a 
 great salvation which has brought 
 such a sinner there. Besides, this 
 salvation delivers from all sin — no 
 matter how gross and aggrav^kted. 
 The adulterer, tlie murderer, tlie 
 blasphemer, may come and be saved, 
 and the salvation which redeems 
 such sinners from eternal ruin is 
 great. (3.) It is great because it 
 saves from great flangers. The dan- 
 ger of an eternal hell besets the path 
 of each one. All do not see it; and 
 all will not believe it when told of it' 
 But this danger hovers over the path 
 of every mortal. The danger of an 
 
A. D. Gl.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 55' 
 
 4 God" 
 
 also 
 
 I Ac. 14.3 
 
 bearing 
 
 them 
 
 eternal hell ! Salvation from ever- 
 lasting burnings ! Deliverance from 
 unending ruin ! Surely that salvation 
 must be great which shall save from 
 such a doom ! If that salvation is 
 neglected, that danger still hangs over 
 each and every man. The gospel did 
 not create that danger — it came to 
 deliver from it. Whether the gospel 
 be true or false, each man is by nature 
 exposed to eternal death — just as each 
 one is exposed to temportil death 
 whether the doctrine of the immor- 
 tality of the soul and of the resurrec- 
 tion be true or false. The gospel 
 comes to provide a remedy for dan- 
 gers and woes — it does not create 
 them ; it comes to deliver men from 
 great dangers — not to plunge them 
 into them. Back of the gospel, and be- 
 fore it was preached at all, men were 
 in danger of everlasting punishment, 
 and that system which came to pro- 
 claim deliverance from such a danger, 
 is great. (4.) The salvation itself is 
 great in heaven. It exalts men to infi- 
 nite honours, and places on their 
 heads an eternal crown. Heaven 
 with all its glories is offered to us ; 
 and such a deliverance, and such an 
 elevation to eternal honours, deserves 
 to be called great. If that is neg- 
 lected, there is no other salvation ; 
 and man must be inevitably de- 
 stroyed. (5.) It is great because it 
 was elFected by infinite displays of 
 power, and wisdom, and love. It 
 was procured by the incarnation and 
 humiliation of the Son of God. It 
 was accomplished amidst great suf- 
 ferings and self-denials. It was at- 
 tended with great miracles. The 
 tempest was stilled, and the deaf 
 were made to hear, and the blind to 
 ^ see, and the dead were raised, and 
 the siui was darkened, and the rocks 
 were rent. The whole series of won- 
 ders connected with the incarnation 
 ind death of the Lord Jesus, was 
 ^uch as the world had not elsewhere 
 seen, and such as was fitted to hold 
 the race in mute admiration and 
 
 witness, both with signs and 
 wonders, and with divers mi- 
 
 astonishment. If this be so, then re- 
 ligion is no trifle. It is not a matter 
 of little importance whether we em- 
 brace it or not. It is the most mo- 
 mentous of all the concerns that per- 
 tain to man ; and has a claim on his 
 attention which nothing else can 
 have. Yet the mass of men live in 
 the neglect of it. It is not that tliey 
 are professedly Atheists, or Deists, 
 or that they are immoral or profane ; 
 it is not that they oppose it, and ridi- 
 cule it, and despise it ; it is that they 
 simply neglect it. They pass it by. 
 They attend to other things. They 
 are busy with their pleasures, or in 
 their counting-houses, in their work- 
 shops, or on their farms; they are 
 engaged in politics, or in book- 
 making, and they neglect religion 
 NOW as a thing of small importance 
 — proposing to attend to it hereafter, 
 as if they acted on the principle that 
 everything else was to be attended to 
 before religion. IT Which at thejirst. 
 Gr. Which received the beginning 
 of being spoken. The meaning is 
 correctly expressed in our transla- 
 tion. Christ began to preach the 
 gospel ; the apostles followed him. 
 John prepared the way ; but the Sa^ 
 viour was properly the first preacher 
 of the gospel. If By the Lord. By 
 the Lord Jesus. See Notes on Acts 
 i. 24. ^ And was confirmed unto us, 
 &c. They who heard h ni preach, 
 that is, the apostles, were witnesses 
 of what he said, and certified us of 
 its truth. When the apostle here says 
 " MS," he means the church at large. 
 Christians were assured of the truth 
 of what the Lord Jesus spake by 
 the testimony of the apostles ; or the 
 apostles conmiunicated it to those 
 who had not heard him in such a 
 manner as to leave no room for 
 doubt. 
 
 4. God also bearing them witness. 
 By miracles. Giving them the sanc- 
 tion of his authority, or showing that 
 they were sent by him. No man 
 , can work a miracle by his own 
 
56 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 racles, and ' gifts of the Holy 
 Ghost, according to his own 
 will. 
 
 1 or, distributiona. 
 
 power. When the dead are raised, 
 the deaf made to hear and the blind 
 to see by a word, it is tiie power of 
 God alone that does it. He thus be- 
 comes a witness to the divine ap- 
 pointment of him by whose instru- 
 mentality the miracle is wroug-lit ; 
 or furnishes an attestation that what 
 he says is true. See Notes on Acts 
 xiv. 3. ^ With signs and wonders. 
 These words are usually connected 
 in the New Testament. The word 
 rendered signs — armhov — means any 
 miraculous event that is fitted to 
 show that what had been predicted 
 by a propliet would certainly take 
 place. See Matt. xii. 38. Comp. 
 Note on Isa. vii. 11. A wonder — 
 rt'pas — denotes a portent, or prodigy 
 — sometliing that is fitted to excite 
 wonder or amazement — and hence 
 a miracle. The words togetlier re- 
 fer to the various miracles which 
 were performed by the Lord Jesus 
 and his apostles, designed to con- 
 firm the truth of the Christian reli- 
 gion. IT And with divers miracles. 
 Various miracles, such as healing the 
 sick, raising the dead, &c. The mi- 
 racles were not of one class merely, 
 but were various, so that all pretence 
 of deception should be taken away. 
 IT And gifts of the Holy Ghost. Marg. 
 Distributions. The various influen- 
 ces of the Holy Spirit enabling them 
 to speak dift'crent languages, and to 
 perform works bej^ond the power of 
 man. See Notes on I. Cor. xii. 4 — 11. 
 T According to his will. As he 
 chose. He acted as a sovereign in 
 this. He gave them where he pleased, 
 and imparted them in such measure 
 as he chose. The sense of this whole 
 passage is, ' The gospel has been 
 promulgated to man in a solemn 
 manner. It was first published by 
 the Lord of glory himself. It was 
 confirmed by the most impressive and 
 solemn miracles. It is undoubtedly 
 
 5 For unto the angels hath 
 he not put in subjection the 
 
 world to 
 speak. 
 
 come, whereof we 
 
 a revelation from heaven ; was given 
 in more solemn circumstances than 
 the law of Moses, and its threatenings 
 are more to be dreaded than those of 
 the law. Beware, therefore, how you 
 trifle with it, or disregard it. It can- 
 not be neglected witli safety; its 
 neglect or rejection must be attended 
 with condemnation.' 
 
 5. For unto the angels hath he not 
 put in subjection. In this verse the 
 apostle returns to the subject which 
 lie had been discussing iri ch, i. — 
 the superiority of the Messiah to the 
 angels. From that subject he had 
 been diverted (eh. ii. 1 — 4), by show- 
 ing them what must be the conse- 
 quences of defection from Christi- 
 anit}', and the danger of neglecting it. 
 Having shown that, he now proceeds 
 with the discussion, and shows that 
 an honour had been conferred on the 
 Lord Jesus which had never been be- 
 stowed on tlie angels — to wit, the su- 
 premacy over this world. This he 
 does by proving from the Old Tes- 
 tament that such a dominion was 
 given to man (vs. 6 — 8), and that thia 
 dominion was in fact exercised by 
 the Lord Jesus. Ver. 9. At the 
 same time, he meets an objection 
 which a Jew would be likely to 
 make. It is, that Jesus appeared to 
 be far inferior to the angels. He 
 was a man of a humble condition. 
 He was poor, and despised. He had 
 none of the external honour wliich 
 was shown to i\Ioses — the founder of 
 the Jewish economy ; none of the 
 apparent honour which belonged to 
 angelic beings. This implied objec- 
 tion he removes by sliowing the rea- 
 son why he became so. It was proper, 
 since he came to redeem man, that 
 he should be a man, and not take on 
 himself the nature of angels ; and for 
 the same reason it was projjcr that< 
 he sliould be subjected to sufferings, 
 and be made a man of sorrows. Vs. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Bft 
 
 6 But one in a certain place 
 testified, saying, ' What is man, 
 
 a Vs. 8. 4, &.C.. 
 
 10 — 17, The remark of the apostle 
 in the verse before us is, that God 
 had never put the world in subjection 
 to the angels as he had to the Lord 
 Jesus. They had no jurisdiction 
 over it ; they were mere ministering- 
 spirits ; but the world had been put 
 under the dominion of the Lord Je- 
 sus. If The tcorld to come. The 
 word here rendered world — o'lKov^ivfi 
 — means properly the inhabited, or 
 inhabitable world. See Matt. xxiv. 14. 
 Luke ii. 1 ; iv. 5 ; xxi. 26. (Gr.) Acts 
 xi. 128 ; xvii. 6. 31 ; xix. 27 ; xxiv. 5. 
 Rom. X. 18. Heb. i. 6. Rev. iii. 10; 
 xii. 9 ; xvi. 14 — in all which places, 
 but one, it is rendered world. It 
 occurs nowhere else in the New Tes- 
 tament. The proper meaning is the 
 world or earth considered as inha- 
 bitable — and here the jurisdiction 
 refers to the control over man, or the 
 dwellers on the earth. The phrase 
 'the world to come,' occurs not un- 
 frequently in the New Testament. 
 Comp. Eph. ii. 7. I. Cor. x. 1 1 . Heb. 
 vi. 5. The same phrase ' the world 
 to come,' — n^ri oSii; — occurs often 
 
 in the Jewish writings^ According 
 to Buxtorf (Lex. Ch. Talm. Rah.) it 
 means, as some suppose, ' the world 
 which is to exist after this world is 
 destroyed, and after the resurrection 
 of the dead, when souls shall be again 
 united to their bodies.' By others it 
 is supposed to mean ' the days of the 
 Messiah, when he shall reign on the 
 earth.' To me it seems to be clear 
 that the phrase here means, the world 
 under the Messiah — the world, age, or 
 dispensation which was to succeed 
 the Jewish, and which was familiarly 
 ' known to them as ' the world to 
 come ;' and the idea is, that that 
 world, or age, was placed under the 
 jurisdiction of the Christ, and not 
 of the angels. This point the apostle 
 proceeds to make out. Comp. Notes 
 on Isa. ii. 2. IT Whereof we speak. 
 'Of v.liich I am writing;' that is, of 
 
 that thou art mindful of him ? 
 or the son of man, that thou 
 visitest him? 
 
 the Christian religion, or the reign 
 of the Messiah. 
 
 6. But one iv a certain place testi. 
 Jied. Tlie apostle was writing to 
 those who were supposed to be fami- 
 liar with the Hebrew Scriptures, and 
 where it would be necessary only to 
 make a reference in general without 
 mentioning the name. The place 
 which is quoted here is Ps. viii. 4 — 6. 
 The argument of the apostle is this, 
 that there stood in the sacred Scrip- 
 tures a declaration that 'all things 
 were placed under the control and 
 jurisdiction of man,' but that that had 
 not yet been accomplished. It was 
 not true (ver. 8) that all things were 
 subject to him, and the complete truth 
 of that declaration would be found 
 only in the jurisdiction conferred on 
 the Messiah — the man by way of 
 eminence — the incarnate Son of God. 
 It would not occur to any one pro- 
 bably in reading the. Psalm that the 
 verse here quoted had any reference 
 to the Messiah. It seems to relate to 
 the dominion which God had given 
 man over his works in this lower 
 world, or to the fact that he was 
 made lord over all things. That do- 
 minion is apparent, to a considerable 
 extent, everywhere, and is a standing 
 proof of the truth of what is recorded 
 in Gen. i. 26, that God originally 
 gave dominion to man over the crea- 
 tures on earth, since it is only by 
 this supposition that it can be ac- 
 counted for that the horse, and the 
 elephant, and the ox, and even the 
 panther and the lion, are subject to 
 the control of man. The argument 
 of Paul seems to be this. ' Originally 
 this control was given to man. It 
 was absolute and entire. AH things 
 were subject to him, and all obeyed. 
 Man was made a little lower than the 
 angels, and was the undisputed lord 
 of this lower world. He was in a 
 state of innocence. But he rebelled, 
 and this dominion has been in some 
 measure lost. It is foimd complete 
 
53 
 
 IIKBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. r,4. 
 
 only in the second man, the. lord from 
 heaven (I. Cor. xv. 47), tlic Lord Jesus 
 to wlioiu this control is absolutely 
 given. Ho conies up to tiic complete 
 idea of man — man as he was in in- 
 nocence, and man as he was described 
 by the Fsaiinist, as having been made 
 a little lower tli.in the angels, and 
 having entire dominion over the 
 world.' Mucli diliiculty has been 
 felt by commentators in regard to 
 this passage, and to tiie principle on 
 whicli it is quoted. The above seems 
 to mc to be that whicli is most pro- 
 bably true. There arc two otiicr 
 methods by which an attempt lias 
 been made to explain it. One is, that 
 Paul uses the words here by way 
 of allusion, or accommodalion (Dod- 
 dridge), as words that will express his 
 meaning, witliout designing to say 
 that the Psahn originally had any 
 reference to the Messiah. Most of 
 \jae later commentators accord with 
 this opinion. The other opinion is, 
 that David originally referred to the 
 INIessiah — that he was deeply and 
 gratefully affected in view of the ho- 
 nour that God had conferred on liim ; 
 and that in looking down by faith on 
 the posterity that God had promised 
 him (see II. Sam. vii. 14), he saw 
 one among his own descendants to 
 whom God would give this wide do- 
 minion, and expresses himself in the 
 elevated language of praise. This 
 opinion is detcnded by Prof. Stuart. 
 See his Com. on the Hebrews, Ex- 
 cursus IX. IT What is man, &,c. 
 What is there in man that entitles 
 him to so much notice ? Why has 
 God conferred on him so signal ho- 
 nours ? Why lias he placed him over 
 the works of his hands ? He seems 
 so insignificant ; his life is so much 
 like a vapour ; he so soon disappears, 
 that the question may well be aslced 
 why this extraordinary dominion is 
 given him ? He is so sinful also, 
 and so unworthy ; so mueli unlike 
 God, and so passionate and revenge- 
 ful ; is so prone to abuse his domi- 
 nion, that it may well be nsked wliy 
 God has given it to him ? Who 
 would suppose that (Jod would give 
 
 such a dominion over his creatures 
 to one who was so prone to abuse it 
 as man has shown himself to be ? 
 He is so feeble, also, compared with 
 other creatures — even of those which 
 are made subject to him — that tlio 
 question may well be asked why God 
 has conceded it to him ? Such ques- 
 tions may be asked when we contem- 
 plate man as he is. But similar ques- 
 tions may be asked, if, as was pro- 
 bably the case, the Psalm here be 
 supposed to have had reference to 
 man as he was created. Why was 
 one so feeble, and so comparatively 
 without strength, placed over thia 
 lower world, and the earth made 
 subject to his control ? Why is it 
 that when the heavens are so vast 
 and glorious (Ps. viii. 3), God has 
 taken such notice of man ? Of what 
 consequence can he be amidst works 
 so wonderful ? ' When I" look on the 
 heavens and survey their greatness 
 and their glory,' is the sentiment of 
 David, ' why is it that man has at- 
 tracted so much notice, and that he 
 has not been wholly overlooked in 
 the vastness of the works of the AU 
 miglity ? Wliy is it tliat instead of 
 this he has been exalted to so much 
 dignity and honour V This question, 
 thus considered, strikes us with more 
 force now than it could have struck 
 David. Let any one sit down and 
 contemplate the heavens as they are 
 disclosed by the discoveries of modern 
 astronomy, and he may well ask tlic 
 question, ' What is man that he should 
 have attracted the attention of God, 
 and been the object of so much care ?' 
 The same question would not have 
 been inappropriate to David if the 
 Psalm be supposed to have had refer- 
 ence originally to the Messiah, and 
 if he was speaking of liiinself particu- 
 larly as the ancestor of the Messiah. 
 ' Wliat is man ; what am I ; what 
 can any of my descendants be, who 
 must be of mortal fran^c, that tliis 
 dominion should be given him ? Why 
 should any one of a race so feeble, so 
 ignorant, so imperfect, be exalted ta 
 such honour ?' We may ask the 
 question here, and it may be asked 
 
> D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 59 
 
 7 Thou madest him ' a little 
 lower than the angels ; thou 
 
 1 a little while ivferier to. 
 
 in heaven with pertinency and with 
 power, ' Why was 7nan so honoured 
 as to be united to the Godhead ? 
 Why did the Deity appear in the 
 human form ? What was there in 
 man tliat should entitle him to this 
 lionour of being united to the Divinity, 
 and of being tims exalted above the 
 angels ?' The wonder is not yet 
 solved ; and we may well suppose 
 that the angelic ranks look with 
 amazement — but without envy — on 
 the fact that man, by his union with 
 the Deity in the person of the Lord 
 - Jesus, has been raised above them in 
 rank and in glory. If Or the son of 
 man. This phrase means the same 
 as man, and is used merely to give 
 variety to the mode of expression. 
 Such a change or variety in words 
 and phrases, when the same thing is 
 intended, occurs constantly in He- 
 brew poetry. The name 'son of man' 
 is often given to Christ to denote his 
 intimate connexion with our race, 
 and the interest which he felt in us, 
 and is the common term which the 
 Saviour uses when speaking of him- 
 self. Here it means man, and may 
 be applied to human nature every- 
 where — and therefore to human na- 
 ture in the person of the Messiah. 
 IT That thou visitest him. Tliat tliou 
 shouldst regard him, or treat him 
 with so much honour. Why is he 
 the object of so much interest to the 
 divine mind ? 
 
 7. Thou madest him a little lower 
 than the angels. Marg. A Utile while 
 inferior to. The Greek may here 
 mean a little inferior in rank, or in- 
 ferior for a little time. But the pro- 
 # bable meaning is, that it refers to 
 inferiority of rank. Such is its ob- 
 vious sense in Ps. viii., from which 
 this is quoted. The meaning is, that 
 God had made man but little inlerior 
 to the angels in rank. He was inte- 
 rior, but still God had exalted him 
 almost to their rank. Feeble, and 
 
 crownedst him with glory and 
 honour, and didst set hun over 
 the works of thy hands : 
 
 weak, and dying as he was, God had 
 exalted him, and had given him a 
 dominion and a rank almost like that 
 of the angels. The wonder of the 
 Psalmist is, that God had given to 
 human nature so much honour — a 
 wonder that is not at all diminished 
 when we think of the honour done to 
 man by his connexion with the divine 
 nature in the person of the Lord Je- 
 sus. If in contemplating the race as' 
 it appears ; if when we look at the 
 dominion of man over the lower 
 world, we are amazed that God has 
 bestowed so mucli honour on our na. 
 ture, how much more should we won- 
 der that he has honoured man by his 
 connexion with the divinity. Paul 
 applies this to the Lord Jesus, His 
 object is to show that he is superior 
 to the angels. In doing this he shows 
 that he had a nature given him in it- 
 self but little inferior to the angels, 
 and then that that had been exalted 
 to a rank and dominion far above 
 theirs. That such honour should be 
 put on man is what is fitted to excite 
 amazement, anti well may one con- 
 tinue to ask why it has been done ? 
 When we survey the heavens, and 
 contemplate their glories, and think 
 of the exalted rank of other beings, 
 we may well inquire why has such 
 honour been conferred on man? 
 11 Thou crownedst him with glory and 
 honour. Tiiat is, with exalted honour. 
 Glory and honour here are nearly 
 synonymous. The meaning is, that 
 elevated honour had been conferred 
 on human nature. A most exalted 
 and extended dominion had been 
 given to man, which showed that God 
 had greatly honoured him. This 
 appeared eminently in the person of 
 the Lord Jesus, " the exalted Man," 
 to whom this dominion was given in 
 the widest extent. IT And didst set 
 him over, &c. Man has been placed 
 over the other works of God (1) by 
 the original appointment (Gen. i. 36) ; 
 
60 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 8 Thou hast put all things 
 in subjection under his feet. 
 For in that he put all in subjec- 
 tion under him, he left nothing 
 
 a 1 Co. 15. 24. 
 
 (2) man at large— though fallen, sin- 
 ful, feeble, dying ; (3) man, eminently 
 in the person of the Lord Jesus, in 
 whom human nature has received its 
 chief e.xaltation. TJiis is what is 
 particularly in the eye of the apostle 
 — and the language of the Psalm will 
 accurately e.xpress this exaltation. 
 
 8. Tfiou hasl -put all things in sub- 
 jection, &e. Ps. viii. 6. Tliat is, all 
 things are put under the control of 
 man, or thou hast given him domi- 
 nion over all things. IT For in that 
 he put all in subjection. The mean- 
 ing of this is, that 'the /air interpre- 
 tation of the passage in the Psalm is, 
 that the dominion of man, or of hu- 
 man nature over the earth, was to be 
 absolute and total. Nothing was to 
 be excepted. But this is not now the 
 fact in regard to man in general, and 
 can be true only of human nature in 
 the person of the Lord Jesus. There 
 the dominion is absolute and univer- 
 sal.' The point of the argument of 
 the apostle may be this. ' It was the 
 original appointment (Gen. i. 26) that 
 man should have dominion over this 
 lower world, and be its absolute lord 
 and sovereign. Had he continued in 
 innocence, this dominion would have 
 been entire and perpetual. But he 
 fell, and we do not now see him ex- 
 erting this dominion. Wliat is said 
 of the dominion of man can be true 
 only of human nature in the person 
 of the Lord Jesus, and there it is 
 completely fulfilled.' IT But now we 
 see not yet all things put under him. 
 That is, ' It is not now true that all 
 things are subject to the control of 
 man. There is indeed a general do- 
 minion over the works of God, and 
 over the inferior creation. But the 
 control is not universal. A large 
 part of the animal creation rebels, 
 and is brought into subjection only 
 with difficulty, The elements are 
 
 that is not put under him. 
 But" now we see not yet all 
 things put under him. 
 
 9 But we see Jesus, who' 
 
 4 Ph. 2. 8, 9. 
 
 not entirely under his control; the 
 tempest and the ocean rage; the 
 pestilence conveys death through 
 city and hamlet ; the dominion of 
 man is a broken dominion. Plis 
 government is an imperfect govern- 
 ment. The world is not yet put 
 wholly under his dominion, but 
 enough has been done to constitute 
 a pledge that it will yet be done. It 
 will be fully accomplished only in 
 him who sustains our nature, and to 
 whom dominion is given over the 
 worlds.' 
 
 9. But we see Jesus. ' We do not 
 see that man elsewhere has the ex- 
 tended dominion of which the Psalm- 
 ist speaks. But we see the fulfilment 
 of it in Jesus, who was crowned with 
 glory and honour, and who has re. 
 ceived a dominion that is superior to 
 that orthe angels.' Tlie point of this 
 is, not that he suffered, and not that 
 he tasted death for every man ; but 
 that on account of this, or as a re- 
 ward for thus sulfering, he was 
 crowned with glory and Jionour, and 
 that he thus fulfilled all that David 
 (Ps. viii.) had said of the dignity and 
 honour of man. Tlie object of the 
 apostle is, to show that he was ex. 
 ailed, and in order to this he shows 
 why it was — to wit, because he had 
 suffered death to redeem man. Comp. 
 Phil. ii. 8, 9. 11^ Who urns made a 
 little lower than the angels. That is, 
 as a man, or when on earth. His 
 assumed rank was inferior to that of 
 the angels. He took upon himself 
 not the nature of angels (vcr. 16), but 
 the nature of man. The apostle is 
 probably here answering some im- 
 plied objections to the rank which it 
 was claimed that the Lord Jesus had, 
 or which might be urged to the views 
 which he was defending. Those ob- 
 jections were mainly two. First,' 
 that Jesus was a man ; and secondly 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 61 
 
 was made a little lower than 
 the angels, ' for the suffering 
 of death, crowned" with glory 
 
 1 or, by. 
 
 a Ac. 2. 33. 
 
 and honour ; that he * by the 
 grace of God should taste death 
 for every man. 
 
 b Jno. 3. 16. 
 
 that he suffered and died. If that 
 was the fact, it was natural to' ask 
 iiow he could be superior to the an- 
 gels ? How could he have had the 
 rank which was claimed for him ? 
 This he answers by showing first, 
 Ihat his condition as a man was vo- 
 luntarily assumed — 'he was made 
 lower than the angels ;' and secondly, 
 by showing that as a consequence of 
 Ills sufferings and death, he was im- 
 mediately crowned with glory and 
 honour. This state of humiliation 
 became him in the great work which 
 he had undertaken, and he was im- 
 mediately exalted to universal domi- 
 nion, and as Mediator was raised to 
 II rank far above the angels. If For 
 the suffering of death. Marg. By. 
 The meaning of the preposition here 
 rendered ' lor' (iia, here governing 
 Ihe accusative) is, ' on account of;' 
 that is, Jesus on account of the suf- 
 ferings of death, or in virtue of that, 
 was crowned with glory and honour. 
 His crowning was the result of his 
 condescension and sufferings. See 
 Notes Phil. ii. 8, 9. It does not here 
 mean, as our translation would seem 
 to imply, that he was made a little 
 lower than the angels in order to suf- 
 fer death, but tliat as a reward tor 
 having suffered death he was raised 
 up to the right hand of God. ^ Crown- 
 ed toith glory and honour. That is, 
 at the right hand of God. He was 
 raised up to heaven. Acts ii. 33 ; 
 Mark xvi. 19. The meaning is, that 
 he was crowned with the highest ho- 
 nour on account of his sufferings. 
 Comp. Phil. ii. 8, 9 ; Hcb. xii. 2 ; v. 7—9 ; 
 ^ Ephi.20— 23. IT That he. Or rather, 
 ''since he by the grace of God tasted 
 death for every man.' The sense is, 
 that after he had thus tasted death, 
 and as a consequence of it, he was 
 thus exalted. The word here rendered 
 "that" — 3ir(oj — means usually and 
 properly that, so that, in order that, to 
 
 the end that, &c. But it may also 
 mediXi when, after that, after. See Notes 
 on Acts iii. 19. This is the interpre- 
 tation which is given by Prof Stuart 
 {in loc), and this interpretation seems 
 to be demanded by the connexion. 
 The general interpretation of the pas- 
 sage has been ditfercnt. According 
 to that, the sense is, ' We see Jesus, 
 for the suffering of death, crowned 
 with glory and honour, so as that, by 
 the grace of God, he might taste of 
 death for every man.' See Robinson's 
 Lex. on the word onas, and Doddridge 
 on the place. But it is natural to ask 
 when Jesus was thus crowned with 
 glory and honour ? It was not before 
 the crucifixion — for he was then poor 
 and despised. The connexion seems 
 to require us to understand this of 
 the glory to which he was exalted in 
 heaven, and this was after his death, 
 and could not be in order that he 
 might taste of death. I am disposed, 
 therefore, to regard this as teaching 
 that the Lord Jesus was exalted to 
 heaven in virtue of the atonement 
 which he had made, and this accords 
 with Phil. ii. 8, 9, and Heb. xii. 2. It 
 accords both with the fact in the case, 
 and with the design of the apostle in 
 the argument before us. ^ By the 
 grace of God. By the favour of God, 
 or by his benevolent purpose towards 
 men. It was not by any claim which 
 man had, but was by his special fa- 
 vour. ^ Should taste death. Should 
 die ; or should experience death. See 
 Matt. xvi. 28. Death seems to be 
 represented as something bitter and 
 unpalatable — something unpleasant 
 — as an object may be to the taste. 
 Or the language may be taken from 
 a cup — since to experience calamity 
 and sorrow is oflen represented as 
 drinking a cup of woes. Ps. xi. 6 ; 
 Ixxiii. 10; Ixxv. 8; Isa. Ii. 17; Matt 
 XX. 22 ; xxvi. 39. If For every man. 
 For nil — vnip Travris — for each and all 
 
oa 
 
 HEBRKWS. 
 
 [A.. D. C4. 
 
 — wfictncr Jew or Gentile, bond or 
 free, higli or' low, elect or non-clcct. 
 How could words allinn more clciirly 
 that the atoncincnt made by the Lord 
 Jesus was unlimited in its nature and 
 design ? How can we express tliat 
 idea in more clear or intelligible lan- 
 guage ? That this refers to the atone- 
 ment is evident — for it says that he 
 'tasted death' for them. The friends 
 of the doctrine of general atonement 
 do not desire any otlier tlian Scripture 
 Vinguagc in whicli to express their 
 belief. It expresses it exactly — with- 
 out any need of modification or ex- 
 planation. Tiic advocates of the doe- 
 trine of limited atonement cannot 
 thus use Scripture language to ex- 
 press their belief Tiiey cannot in- 
 corporate it with their creeds that tlie 
 Lord Jesus 'tasted death for every 
 MAN.' They are compelled to modi- 
 fy it, to limit it, to explain it, in or- 
 ler to prevent error and misconcep- 
 tion. But that system cannot be true 
 which requires men to shape and 
 Tiodify the plain language of the Bi- 
 6le in order to keep men from error ! 
 Oomp. Notes on H. Cor. v. 14, where 
 . this point is considered at length. 
 Learn hence (vs. 6 — 9), from the in- 
 carnation of the Son of God, and his 
 ixaltation to heaven, what an honour 
 has been conferred on human nature. 
 When we look on the weakness and 
 wnfulness of our race, we may well 
 isk, what is man that God should 
 rton-mr him or regard him ? He is 
 Jihe creature of a day. He is feeble 
 and dying. He is lost and degraded. 
 Compared with the universe at large, 
 he is a speck, an atom. He has done 
 nothing to deserve the divine fivour 
 or notice, and when we look at the 
 race at large we can do it only with 
 «entiments of the deepest humiliation 
 and mortification. But when we look 
 at human nature in the person of the 
 Lord Jesus, we see it honoured there 
 to a degree that is commensurate 
 with all our desires, and that fills U8 
 with wonder. We feci that it is an 
 honour to human nature — that it hiis 
 done much to elevate man — wiien we 
 look on such a man as Howard or 
 
 Washington. But how much more 
 
 has tliat nature been honoured in the 
 person of tlie Lord Jesus ! (1.) What 
 an honour to us itvas that he should 
 take our nature into intimate union 
 with himself — passing by the angelic 
 hosts, and becoming a man '. (2.) 
 What an honour it was that human 
 nature there was so pure and holy ; 
 tliat rjitfJi — everywhere else so degra- 
 dod and vile — could be seen to be no- 
 ble, and pure, and godlike ! (3.) What 
 an honour it was that the divinity 
 should speak to men in connexion 
 with human nature, and perform such 
 wonderful works — that the pure pre- 
 cepts of religion should come fortii 
 from human lips — the great doctrines 
 of eternal life be uttered by a man, 
 and that from human hands Rhould 
 go forth power to heal the sick' and 
 to raise the dead ! (4.) What an ho- 
 nour to man it was that the atone- 
 ment for sin should be made in his 
 own nature, and that the universe 
 should be attracted to that scene 
 where one in our form, and with 
 flesh and blood like our own, should 
 perform that great work. (5.) What 
 an honour it is to man that his 
 own nature is exalted far above all 
 heavens ! That one in our form 
 sits ori the throne of the universe ! 
 That adoring angels fall prostrate 
 before him ! That to him is in- 
 trusted all power in heaven and on 
 earth ! (6.) What an honour to man 
 that one in liis nature should be 
 appointed to judge the worlds ! That 
 one in our own form, and with a na- 
 ture like ours, shall sit on the throne 
 of judgment and pronounce the final 
 doom on angels and men ! That as- 
 sembled millions shall be constrained 
 to bow btf)re him, and. receive their 
 eternal doom from his hands ! That 
 prince and potentate — tlio illustrious 
 dead of all past times, and the mighty 
 men who are yet to live, shall all ap- 
 pear before him, and all receive fi-om 
 him there the sentence of their final 
 destiny ! I see, therefore, the most 
 honour done to my nature as a man,^ 
 not in the deeds of proud conquerors ; 
 not in the lives of sages and philan 
 
A. U. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 (53 
 
 10 For it became" him, for* 
 
 a Lu. 04. 26. 46. 
 
 thropists ; not in those who have car- 
 ried their investigations farthest into 
 the obscurities of matter and of mind ; 
 not in the splendid orators, poets, and 
 historians of other times, or that now 
 live — much as I may admire them, 
 or feel it an honour to belong to a 
 race which has produced such illus- 
 trious men — but in the fact that the 
 Son of God has chosen a body like 
 my own in which to dwell ; in the 
 inexpressible loveliness evinced in his 
 pure morals, his benevolence, his 
 blameless life ; in the great deeds that 
 he jjerformed on earth ; in the fact 
 that it was this form that was chosen 
 in which to make atonement for sin ; 
 in the honours that now cluster around 
 him in heaven, and the glories that 
 shall attend him when he shall come 
 to judge the world. 
 
 " Princes to his imperial name 
 Bend tlieir briglit sct'ptre.s down ; 
 Doniiiiinns, thrones, and powers rejoice, 
 To see him wear the crown. 
 
 " Archangels sound his lofty praise 
 Through every heavenly street ; 
 And lay their hishest lionours down. 
 Submissive at his feet. 
 
 " Those soft, those blessed feet of his, 
 That once rude iron tore — 
 High on a throne of light they stand, 
 And all the saints adore. 
 
 " flis head, the dear, majestic head, 
 That cruel thorns did wound — 
 See — what immortal glories shine, 
 And circle it around I 
 
 "This is the Man, th' exalted Man, 
 Whom we, un.seen, adore ; 
 But when our eyes behold his face. 
 Our hearts shall love him more." 
 
 10. For it became him. There was 
 a fitness or propriety in it ; it was 
 such an arrangement as became God 
 to make, in redeeming many, tliat the 
 great agent by whom it was accom- 
 plished, should be made complete in 
 all respects by sufferings. The apos- 
 tle evidently means by this to meet 
 an objection that might be offered by 
 a Jew to the doctrine which he had 
 been stating — an objection drawn 
 from the fact that Jesus was a man 
 
 whom are all things, and by 
 
 b Ro. n. 36. 
 
 of sorrows, and that his life was a life 
 of affliction. This he meets by stat- 
 ing that there was a ^fitness and pro. 
 priety in that fact. There was a rea- 
 son for it — a reason drawn from the 
 plan and character of God. It was 
 fit, in the nature of the case, that he 
 should be qualified to be a complete 
 or perfect Saviour -rn. Saviour just 
 adapted to the purpose undertaken, 
 by sufferings. Tlie reasons of this 
 fitness, the apostle docs not state. 
 The amount of it probably was, that 
 it became him as a Being of infinite 
 benevolence ; as one who wished to 
 provide a perfect system of redemp- 
 tion, to subject his Son to such suffer, 
 ings as should completely qualify him 
 to be a Saviour for all men. This 
 subjection to his humble condition, 
 and to his many woes, made him 
 such a Saviour as man needed, and 
 qualified him fully for his work. 
 There was a propriety that he who 
 should redeem the suffering and the 
 lost should partake of their nature ; 
 identify himself with them ; and 
 share their woes, and the conse- 
 quences of their sins. T For whom 
 are all things. With respect to whose 
 glory the whole universe was made ; 
 and with respect to whom the whole 
 arrangement for salvation has been 
 formed. The phrase is synonymous 
 with ' the Supreme Ruler ;' and the 
 idea is, that it became the Sovereign of 
 the universe to provide aperfect scheme 
 of salvation — even though it involved 
 the humiliation and death of his own 
 Son. IT And by whom are all things. 
 By whose agency everything is made. 
 As it was by his agency, therefore, 
 that the plan of salvation was entered 
 into, there was a. ^fitness tliat it should 
 be perfect. It was not the work ot 
 fate or chance, and there was a pro- 
 priety that the whole plan should 
 bear the mark of the infinite wisdom 
 of its Author. IT In brincring many 
 S071S vnto glory. To heaven. This 
 was the plan — it was to bring many 
 to heaven who should be regarded 
 
64 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 whom are all things, in bring- 
 ing many sons unto glory, to 
 make the captain • of their sal- 
 
 vation ' perfect through suffer- 
 ings. 
 
 als. 55. 4. &Lu. 13. 32. 
 
 and treated as his sons. It was not 
 a plan to save a few — but to save 
 many. Learn, liencc, (1) tliat the plan 
 was full of benevolence. (j2.) No re- 
 presentation of the gospel should ever 
 be made which will leave the im- 
 pression that a few only, or a small 
 part of the whole race, will be saved. 
 There is no such rei)rcsentation in 
 the Bible, and it should not be made. 
 God intends, taking the whole race 
 together, to save a large part of the 
 human family. Few in ages that are 
 past, it is true, may have been saved ; 
 few now are his friends and are tra- 
 velling to heaven ; but there arc to be 
 brighter days on earth. The period 
 is to arrive when the gospel siiall 
 spread over all lands, and during 
 that long period of the millennium, 
 innumerable millions will be brought 
 under its saving power, and be ad- 
 mitted to heaven. All exhibitions of 
 the gospel are wrong which represent 
 it as narrow in its design ; narrow in 
 its offer ; and narrow in its result. 
 IT To make the captain of their salva- 
 tion. The Lord Jesus, who is repre- 
 sented as the leader or commander 
 of the army of the redeemed — "the 
 sacramental host of God's elect." 
 The word ' captain' we apply now to 
 an inferior officer — the commander 
 of a ' company' of soldiers. The 
 Greek word — ap^iY'^i — is a more 
 general term, and denotes, properly, 
 the author or source of anything ; 
 then a leader, cliief, prince. In Acts 
 iii. 15, it is rendered prince — "and 
 killed the prince of life." So in Acts 
 V, 3L " Him hath God exalted to be 
 a prince and a Saviour." In Heb. 
 xii. 2, it is rendered author. " Jesus, 
 the author and finisher of our faith." 
 Corap. Notes on that place. IT Per- 
 fect through sufferings. Complete by 
 means of sufferings; that is, to ren- 
 der him wholly qualified for his work, 
 so that he should be a Saviour just 
 adapted to redeem man. This does 
 
 not mean that he was sinful before 
 and was made holy by his sufferings; 
 nor that he was not in all respects a 
 perfect man before; — but it means, 
 that by his sufferings he was made 
 wholly fitted to be a Saviour of men ; 
 and that, therefore, the fact of his 
 being a suffering man was no evi- 
 dence, as a Jew might have urged, 
 that he was not the Son of God. 
 There was a completeness, a filling 
 up, of all which was necessary to his 
 cliaracter as a Saviour, by the suffer- 
 ings which he endured. We are 
 made morally better by alBictions, if 
 we receive them in a right manner — 
 for we are sinful, and need to be pu- 
 rifled in the furnace of affliction ; 
 Christ was not made better, for he 
 was before perfectly holy, but he was 
 completely endowed for the work 
 which he came to do, by his sorrows. 
 Nor docs this mean here precisely 
 that he was exalted to heaven as a 
 reward for his sufferings, or that he 
 was raised up to glory as a conse- 
 quence of them — which was true in 
 itself — but that he was rendered com- 
 plete, or fully qualified to be a Sa- 
 viour by his sorrows. He was ren- 
 dered thus complete, (1) because hia 
 suffering in all the forms that flesh is 
 liable to, made him an example to all 
 his people who shall pass through tri- 
 als. Tiiey have before them a perfect 
 model to show them how to bear afflic- 
 tions. Had tills not occurred, he could 
 not have been regarded as a complete 
 or perfect Saviour — that is, such a Sa- 
 viour as we need. {'2.) He is able to 
 sympathize with them, and to suc- 
 cour tlicm in their temptations. Ver. 
 18. (.3.) By his sufferings an atone- 
 ment was made for sin. He would 
 have been an imperfect Saviour — if 
 the name Saviour could have been 
 given to him at all — if he had not 
 died to make an atonement for trans. ■ 
 gression. To render him complete aa 
 a Saviour, it was necessary that ha 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 G5 
 
 11 For both he that sanctifi- 
 eth and they who are sanctified 
 are all " of one : for which cause 
 
 should suffer and die ; and when he 
 hung on the cross in the agonies of 
 death, he could appropriately say, 'it 
 is finished. The work is complete. 
 All has been done that could be re- 
 quired to be done ; and man may 
 now have the assurance tliat he has 
 a perfect Saviour — perfect not only 
 in moral character, but perfect in his 
 work, and in his adaptedness to tlie 
 condition of men.' Comp. ch. v. 8, 9. 
 Note on Luke xiii. 32. 
 
 11. For both he that sanctifieth. 
 This refers, evidently, to the Lord 
 Jesus. The object is to show that 
 there was such a union between him 
 and those for whom he died, as to 
 make it necessary that he should par- 
 take of the same nature, or that he 
 should be a suffering- man. Ver. 14. 
 He undertook to redeem and sanctify 
 them. He called them brethren. 
 He identified them with himself. 
 There was, in the great work of re- 
 demption, a oneness between him and 
 them, and hence it was necessary 
 that he should assume their nature — 
 and the fact, therefore, that he ap- 
 peared as a suffering nxan, does not 
 at all militate with the doctrine that 
 he had a more exalted nature, and 
 was even above the angels. Prof. 
 Stuart endeavours to prove that the 
 word sanctify here is used in the 
 sense of, to make expiation or atone, 
 ment, and that the meaning is, "he 
 who maketh expiation, and they for 
 whom expiation is made." Bloom- 
 field gives the same sense to the 
 word, as also does Rosenmiiller. 
 That the word may have such a sig- 
 nification it would be presumptuous 
 in any one to doubt, after the view 
 which such men have taken of it; 
 but it may be doubted whether this 
 idea is necessary here. The word 
 sanctify is a general term, meaning 
 to make holy or pure ; to consecrate, 
 Bet apart, devote to God; to regard 
 as holy, or to hallow. Applied to the 
 6* 
 
 he is not ashamed to call them 
 brethren ,• 
 
 a Jno. 17. 21. 
 
 Saviour here, it may be used in thia 
 general sense — that he consecrated 
 or devoted himself to God — as emi- 
 nently the consecrated or holy one — 
 the Messiah (comp. Note on John 
 xvii. 19) : applied to his people, it 
 may mean that they in like manner 
 were the consecrated, the holy, the 
 pure, on earth. There is a richness 
 and fullness in the word when so un- 
 derstood, which there is not when it 
 is limited to the idea of expiation ; 
 and it seems to me that it is to be taken 
 in its richest and fullest sense, and 
 that the meaning is, ' the great con- 
 secrated Messiah — the Holy One of 
 God — and his consecrated and holy 
 followers, are all of one.' '^ All of 
 one. Of one family; spirit; Father; 
 nature. Either of these significations 
 will suit the connexion, and some 
 such idea must be understood. The 
 meaning is, that they were united, or 
 partook of something in common, so 
 as to constitute a oneness, or a bro- 
 therhood ; and that since this was 
 the case, there was a propriety in his 
 taking their nature. It does not 
 mean that they were originally of 
 one nature or family ; but that it was 
 understood in the writings of the pro- 
 phets that the Messiah should partake 
 of the nature of his people, and that, 
 therefore, though he was more exalted 
 than the angels, there was a propriety 
 that he should appear in the human 
 form. Comp. John xvii. 21. H For 
 vjhich'^ause. That is, because he is 
 thus united with them, or has un- 
 dertaken their redemption. IT He is 
 not ashamed. As it might be sup- 
 posed that one so exalted and pure 
 would be. It might iiave been aiiti- 
 cipated that* the Son of God would 
 refuse to give the name brethren to 
 those who were so humble, and 
 sunken and degraded as those whom 
 he came to redeem. But he is willing 
 to be ranked with them, and to be 
 regarded as one of their family 
 
66 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 12 Sayinf^" I will declare thy 
 name unto my brethren ; in the 
 a Po. aj. 22. 
 
 midst of the church will I sing 
 praise unto thee. 
 
 t To call them hrethren. To ac- 
 knowledge himself as of the same 
 fainil}', and to speak of them as his 
 brothers. That is, he is so represented 
 as speaking of them in the prophecies 
 respecting t/m Messiah — for this in- 
 terpretation the argument of tlic 
 apostle demands. It was material 
 for liim to show that he was so re- 
 presented in the Old Testament. 
 This he docs in the following verses. 
 12. Saying. This passage is found 
 in Ps. xxii. 2'2. The whole of that 
 Psalm has been commonly referred 
 to the Messiah; and in regard to 
 such a reference there is less diiB- 
 culty than attends most of the other 
 portions of the Old Testament that 
 are usually supposed to relate to him. 
 The following verses of the Psalm 
 are applied to him, or to transactions 
 connected with him, in the New 
 Testament, vs. 1. 8. 18 ; and the 
 whole Psalm is so strikingly descrip- 
 tive of his condition and sufferings, 
 that there can be no reasonable doubt 
 that it had an original reference to 
 him. There is much in the Psalm 
 that cannot be well applied to David ; 
 there is nothing which cannot be ap- 
 plied to the Messiah ; and the proof 
 Bcems to be clear that Paul quoted 
 this passage in accordance with the 
 original sense of the Psalm. Tlie 
 point of the quotation here is not that 
 lie would ' declare the name' of God 
 — but that he gave the name brethren 
 Jo those whom he addressed. ^ / will 
 declare thy name. I will make thee 
 Known. The word 'name' is used, 
 IS it often is, to denote God himself. 
 The meaning is, that it would be a 
 part of the Messiah's work to make 
 known to his disciples the character 
 tnd perfections of God-*-or to make 
 Lhcm acquainted with God. He per- 
 formed this. In his parting prayer 
 ,.Tohn xvii. 6), he saj-^s, " I have 
 manifested thy name unto the men 
 ivhom thou gavest me out of the 
 ft'orld." And again, vcr. 26, " And 
 
 I have declared unto them thy name, 
 and will declare it." If Unto my 
 brethren The point of the quota- 
 tion is in this. He spoke of them 
 as brethren. Paul is sliowing that 
 he was not ashamed to call tlicm 
 such. As he was reasoning with 
 those who had been Jews, and as 
 it was necessary as a part of his 
 argument to show that what he main- 
 tained respecting the Messiah was 
 found in the Old Testament, he makes 
 his appeal to that, and shows that the 
 Redeemer is represented as address- 
 ing his people as brethren. It would 
 have been easy to appeal to facts, 
 and to have shown that the Re- 
 deemer used that term familiarly 
 in addressing his disciples, (comp. 
 Matt. xii. 48, 49 ; xxv. 40 ; xxviii. 10 ; 
 Luke viii. 21 ; John xx. 17), but that 
 would not have been pertinent to his 
 object. It is full proof to us, how- 
 ever, that the prediction in the Psalm 
 was literally fulfilled. H In the midst 
 of the church. That is, in the as- 
 sembly of my brethren. The point " 
 of the proof urged by the apostle 
 lies in the first part of the quota, 
 tion. Tills latter part seems to have 
 been adduced because it might as- 
 sist their memory to have the whole 
 verse quoted ; or because it contained 
 an interesting truth rcsjx^cting the 
 Redeemer — tliough not precisely a 
 proof of what he was urging ; or 
 because it implied substantially the 
 same truth as the former member. 
 It shows tliat he was united with his 
 church ; that he was one of them ; 
 and that he mingled with them as 
 among brethren. IT Will I sing 
 praise. That the Redeemer united 
 with his disciples in singing praise, 
 we may suppose to have been in the 
 highest degree probable — though, I 
 believe, but a single case is mentioned 
 — that at tile close of the Supper 
 which he instituted to commemorate 
 ills death. Matt. xxvi. .30. This, 
 therefore, proves what the apoatle in- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 67 
 
 1 3 And again, " I will put my 
 trust in him. And again, '' Be- 
 
 ffiPs. 18.2. b Is. 8. 18. 
 
 tended — that tlie Messiali was among 
 them as his brethren — that he spoke 
 to them as such — and ming-led 
 in their devotions as one of their 
 number. 
 
 13. And again. That is, it is said 
 in another place, or language is used 
 of the Messiah in another place, indi- 
 cating the confidence which lie put in 
 God, and showing that he partook of 
 the feelings of the children of God, 
 and regarded himself as one of them. 
 ^ I will put my trust in him. I will 
 confide in God ; implying (1) a sense 
 of dependence on God ; and (2) con- 
 fidence in him. It is with reference 
 to the former idea that the apostle 
 seems to use it here — as denoting a 
 condition where there was felt to be 
 need of divine aid. His object is 
 to show that he took part with his 
 people, and regarded them as brethren 
 — and the purpose of this quotation 
 seems to be to show that he was in 
 such a situation as to make an ex- 
 pression of dependence proper. He 
 was one wih his people, and shared 
 their dependence and their piety — 
 using language whicli showed that 
 he was identified with them, and 
 could mingle with the tenderest sym- 
 pathy in all their feelings. It is not 
 certain from what place this passage 
 is quoted. In Psalm xviii. 3, and the 
 corresponding passage in II. Sam. 
 xxii. 3, the Hebrew is "JS-npn^? — ' I 
 
 will trust in him ;' but this Psalm has 
 never been regarded as having any 
 reference to the Messiah, even by the 
 -Jews, and it is difficult to see how it 
 Could be considered as having any 
 relation to him. Most critics, there- 
 fore, as Rosenmtiller, Calvin, Koppe, 
 Bloomficld, Stuart, &c., regard the 
 passage as taken from Isa. viii. 17. 
 The reasons for this are (1) thSt the 
 Words are the same in the Septuagint 
 as in the epistle to the Hebrews ; (2) 
 >i apostle quotes the next verse im- 
 ' sdiatelv as applicable to the Mos- 
 
 hold I and the children which* 
 God hath given me. 
 
 c Jno. 17. 6—12. 
 
 siah ; (3) no other place occurs where 
 the same expression is found. The 
 Hebrew in Isa. viii. 17, is "jV^n'^pT 
 — ' I will wait for him,' or I will trust 
 in him — rendered by the Septuagint 
 
 TTtiTOiSuii eaofiai in' avTM — the same 
 
 phrase precisely as is used by Paul — 
 and there can be no doubt that ho 
 meant to quote it here. The sense 
 in Isaiah is, that he had closed his 
 message to the people ; he had been 
 directed to seal up tlie testimony ; he 
 had exiioi-ted the nation to repent, but 
 he had done it in vain ; — and iie had 
 now nothing to do but to put his trust 
 in the Lord, and commit the whole 
 cause to him. His only hope was in 
 God; and he calmly and confidently 
 committed his cause to him. Paul evi- 
 dently designs to refer this to the Mes- 
 siah ; and the sense as applied to him is, 
 ' The Messiah in using this language 
 expresses himself as a man. It is men 
 who exercise dependence on God; and 
 by the use of this language he speaks 
 as one who had the nature of man, 
 and who expressed the feelings of the 
 pious, and showed that he was one 
 of them, and that he regarded them 
 as brethren.' There is not much dif- 
 ficulty in the argument of the pas- 
 sage ; for it is seen that in such lan- 
 guage he must speak as a man, or as 
 one haying human nature ; but the 
 main difficulty is on tlie question how 
 this and the verse following can be 
 applied to the Messiah ? In the pro- 
 phecy, they seem to refer solely to 
 Isaiah, and to be expressive of his 
 feelings alone — the feelings of a man 
 who saw little encouragement in his 
 work, and who having done all that 
 he could do, at last put his sole trust 
 in God. In regard to this difficult, 
 and yet unsettled question, tlie reader 
 may consult my Introduction to Isa- 
 iah, § 7. The following remarks may 
 serve in part to remove the difficulty 
 (1.) The passage in Isaiah (viii. 17, 
 18), occurs in the midst of a number 
 
C8 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4 
 
 of predictions relating' to the Messiah 
 — prcccili'd and Ibllowcd by passages 
 tiiat had an ultiuialc rclercnce un- 
 doubtedly to liini. See Isa. vii. 14 ; 
 viii. 8; ix. 1 — 7, and Notes on those 
 passages. {'2.) The language, if used 
 of Isaiah, wo\ild as aecurately and 
 fitly express the feelings and the 
 condition of the Redeemer. There 
 was sueh a remarkable similarity in 
 the cireumstanees that the same 
 language would express the condi- 
 tion of both. BotK had delivered a so- 
 lemn message to men ; both had eome 
 to exliort them to turn to God, and to 
 put their trust in him — and both with 
 the same result. The nation had dis- 
 regarded them alike, and now their 
 only hope was to confide in God, and 
 the language here used would express 
 the feehngs of both — ' I will trust in 
 God. I will put confidence in him, 
 and look to him.' (3.) There can be 
 little doubt that in the time of Paul 
 this passage was regarded by tlie 
 Jews as applicable to the Messiah. 
 This is evident, because (a) Paul 
 would not have so quoted it as a proof 
 text unless it would be admitted to 
 have sueh a reference by those to 
 whom he wrote ; and {b) because in 
 Rom. ix. 3'2, 33, it is evident that the 
 passage in Isa. viii. 14, is regarded 
 as having reference to the Messiah, 
 and as being so adiliitted by the Jews. 
 It is true that this may be considered 
 merely as an argument ad hominem 
 — or an argument from what was 
 admitted by those with whom he was 
 reasoning, without vouching for the 
 precise accuracy of tlic manner in 
 which the passage was applied — but 
 that method of argument is admitted 
 elsewhere, and wliy should we not 
 expect to find the sacred writers rea- 
 soning as other men do, and especially 
 as was common in their own times ? 
 The apostle is showing tiiem that ac- 
 cording to their own Scriptures, and 
 in accordance with principles which 
 they themselves admitted, it was ne- 
 cessary that the Messiah should be a 
 man and a sufferer ; that he should 
 be identified with his jwoplc, and be 
 able to use language which would ex 
 
 press that condition. In doing this, 
 it is not remarkable that he should 
 apply to liiin language which t/iey 
 admitted to belong to him, and which 
 would accurately describe his condi- 
 tion. (4.) It is not nececssary to sup- 
 pose that the passage in Isaiah had 
 an original and primary reference to 
 the Messiah. It is evident from tho 
 whole passage that it had not. There 
 was a primary reference to Isaiah 
 himself, and to his children as being 
 emblems of certain truths. But still, 
 there was a strong resemblance, in 
 certain respects, between his feelings 
 and condition and those of the Messiah. 
 There was such a resemblance that 
 the one would not unaptly symbolise 
 the other. There was such a resem- 
 blance that the mind — probably of the 
 prophet himself, and of the people — 
 would look forward to the more remote 
 but similar event — the coming and 
 the circumstances of the Messiah. 
 So strong was this resemblance, and 
 so much did the expressions of the 
 prophet here accord with his declara- 
 tions elsewhere pertaining to the Mes. 
 siaii, that in the course of time they 
 came to be regarded as relating to 
 him in a very important sense, and as 
 destined to have their complete ful- 
 filment when he should come. Aa 
 such they seem to have been used in 
 the time of Paul ; and no one can 
 PROVE that the application was impro- 
 per. Who can demonstrate that God 
 did not intend that those transactions 
 referred to by Isaiah should be de- 
 signed as symbols of what would 
 occur in the time of the Redeemer ?, 
 They were certainly symbolical ac- 
 tions — lor they are expressly so said 
 to have been by Isaiah himself (Isa. 
 viii. 18), and none can demonstrate 
 that t!iey might not have had an ulti- 
 mate reference to the Redeemer. 
 IT And again. In another verse, or in 
 another declation ; to wit, Isa. vii. 18 
 f Behold I and the children which Goa 
 hath given me. This is only a part of 
 the passage in Isaiah, and seems ^o 
 have been partially quoted because tha 
 paint of the quotation consisted in the 
 tiict that lie sustained to them some- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 69 
 
 14 Forasmuch then as the 
 
 what of the relation of a parent towards 
 his children — as having the same na- 
 ture, and being identified with them in 
 interest and feeling. As it is used by 
 Isaiah, it means tliat he and his chil- 
 dren were ' for signs and emblems' to 
 the people of his time — to commmai- 
 cate and confirm the will of God, and 
 to be pledges of the divine favour and 
 protection. See Notes on the passage 
 in Isaiah. As applied to the Messiali, 
 it means that he sustained to his 
 people a relation so intimate that they 
 could be addressed and regarded as 
 his children. They were of one fa- 
 mily ; one nature. He became one 
 of them, and had in them all the in- 
 terest which a father has in his sons. 
 He had, therefore, a nature like 
 ours ; and though he was exalted 
 above the angels, yet his relation to 
 man v^as like the most tender and 
 intimate earthly connexions, showing 
 that he took part in the same nature 
 with them. The point is, that he was 
 a man ; that since those who were to 
 be redeemed partook of flesh and 
 blood, he also took part of the same 
 (ver. 14), and thus identified himself 
 with them. 
 
 14. Forasmuch then. Since ; or 
 because. IT As the children. Those 
 who were to become the adopted 
 children of God ; or who were to sus- 
 tain that relation to him. ^ Are par- 
 lakers of Jlesh and blood. Have a 
 human and not an angelic nature. 
 Since they are men, he became a man. 
 There was a fitness or propriety that 
 he should partake of their nature. 
 See Notes I. Cor. xv. 50 ; Matt. xvi. 
 17. IT He also himself, &-c. He also 
 became a man, or partook of the same 
 nature with them. See Notes on 
 » John i. 14. ir That through death. 
 By dying. It is implied here (1) that 
 the work which he undertook of 
 destroying him that had the power 
 of death, was to be accomplished by 
 his own dying ; and (2) that in order 
 to this, it was necessary that he should 
 be a man. An angel does not die, 
 and therefore he did not take on him 
 
 children are partakers of flesh 
 
 the nature of angels ; and the Son of 
 God in his divine nature could not 
 die, and therefore he assumed a form 
 in which he could die — that of a man. 
 In that nature the Son of God could 
 taste of death ; and thus he could de- 
 stroy him that had the power of 
 death. If He might destroy. That 
 he might subdue, or that he might 
 overcome him, and destroy his domi- 
 nion. The word destroy here is not 
 used in the sense of closing life, or of 
 killing, but in the sense of bringing 
 into subjection, or crushing his power. 
 This is the work which the Lord Je- 
 sus came to perform — to destroy the 
 kingdom of Satan in the world, and 
 to set up another kingdom in its 
 place. This was understood by Satan 
 to be his object. See Notes on Matt. 
 viii. 29 ; Mark i. 24. H That had the 
 power of death. I understand this as 
 meaning that the devil was the cause 
 of death in this world. He was the 
 means of its introduction, and of its 
 long and melancholy reign. This 
 does not affirm anything of his power 
 of inflicting death in particular in- 
 stances — whatever may be true on 
 that point — but that death was a part 
 of his dominion ; that he introduced 
 it; that he seduced man from God, 
 and led on the train of woes which 
 result in death. He also made it ter- 
 rible. Instead of being regarded as 
 falling asleep, or being looked on 
 without alarnj, it becomes under him 
 the means of terror and distress. 
 What power Satan may have in in- 
 flicting death in particular instances 
 no one can tell. The Jewish Rab- 
 bins speak much of Sammael, " the 
 angel of death"— niOH :|N'7n— who 
 
 they supposed had the control of life, 
 and was the great messenger em- 
 ployed in closing it. The Scriptures, 
 it is believed, are silent on that point. 
 But that Satan was the means of in- 
 troducing 'death into the world, and 
 all our wo,' no one can doubt ; and 
 over the whole subject, therefore, he 
 may be said to have had power. To 
 
70 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. fal 
 
 and blood, he " also himself 
 likewise took part'of the same ; 
 that through death '' he might 
 
 1 Jno 1. 14. 
 
 destroy him that had the power 
 of death, that is, the devil ; 
 15 And deliver them who 
 
 destroy that doiiiiiiion ; to rescue 
 man ; to restore iiini to life ; to place 
 him in a world where death is un- 
 known ; to introduce a state of things 
 where not another one loould ever die, 
 was the great purpose for whicli the 
 Redeemer came. What a noble ob- 
 ject ! What enterprise in the imi- 
 verse has been so grand and noble as 
 this ! Surely an undertaking that 
 contemplates the annihilation of 
 DKATU ; tliat designs to bring this 
 dark dominion to an end, is full of 
 benevolence, and commends itself to 
 every man as worthy of his profound 
 attention and grutitudc. What woes 
 are caused by death in this world ! 
 They are seen everywhere. The 
 earth is " arched with graves." In 
 almost every dwelling death has been 
 doing his work of misery. Tlie pa- 
 lace cannot exclude him ; and lie 
 comes unbidden into the cottage. 
 He finds his way to the dwelling of 
 ice in which the Esquimaux and the 
 Greenlander .Uve ; to tlie tent of the 
 Bedouin Arab, and the wandering 
 Tartar ; to the wigwam of the Indian, 
 and to the harem of the Turk; to 
 the splendid mansion of tiic rich, 
 as well as to the abode of tlic poor. 
 That reign of death iias now extended 
 near six thousand years, and will 
 travel on to future times — meeting 
 each generation, and consigning the 
 young, the vigorous, the lovely, and 
 ilin pure, to dust. Shall that gloomy 
 reign continue for ever ? Is there 
 Ao way to arrest it? Is there no 
 place where death can be excluded ? 
 Yes : heaven — and the object of the 
 Redeemer is to bring us there. 
 
 15. And deliver them. Not all of 
 them in fnct, though the way is open 
 for all. This deliverance relates (I.) 
 to the dread of death. He came to 
 free them from that. (2.) From deatli 
 itself — tiiat is, ultimately to bring 
 them to a world wliere dcatli shall be 
 
 blC. 15. 54. 
 
 unknown. The dread of death may 
 be removed by tlie work of Christ, 
 and they who had been s&bject to 
 constant alarms on account of it may 
 be brought to look on it with calm- 
 ness and peace ; and ultimately they 
 will be brought to a world where 
 it will be wholly unknown. The 
 dread of death is taken away, or they 
 are delivered from that, because (a) 
 the cause of that dread — to wit, sin, 
 is removed. Notes I. Cor. xv. 54, 55. 
 {!>) Because they are enabled to look 
 to the world beyond witli triumphant 
 joy. Death conducts them to hea- 
 von. A Christian has notliing to fear 
 in death ; nothing beyond the gi-ave. 
 In no part of the universe has he any 
 thing to dread, for God is* his friend, 
 and he will be his Protector every- 
 where. On the dying bed ; in the 
 grave ; on the way up to the judg- 
 ment ; at the solemn tribunal ; and 
 in the eternal world, he is imder the 
 eye and the protection of his Saviour 
 — and of what should he be afraid ? 
 ^ Who through fear of death. From 
 the dread of dying — that is, whenever 
 tliey tliink of it, and they think of it 
 so often as to make them sla,ves of 
 that fear. This obviously means the 
 natural dread of dying, and not par- 
 ticularly the fear of punishment be- 
 yond. It is that indeed which often 
 gives its principal terror to the dread 
 of death, but still the apostle refers 
 here evidently to natural death — as 
 an object which men fear. All men 
 have, by nature, this dread of dying — 
 and perhaps some of the inferior cre- 
 ation have it also. It is certain that 
 it existc! iu the heart of every man, 
 and that God lias implanted it tiiero 
 for some wise purpose. There is the 
 dread (1.) of the dying pang, or pain. 
 (2.) (_)f the darkness and gloom of 
 mind that attends it. (3.) Of the un- 
 known world beyond — the "evil that 
 \vc know not of." (I.) Of tiie chilli 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II, 
 
 71 
 
 through ° fear of death were all 
 
 a Lu. 1. 74. 
 
 ness, and loneliness, and darkness of 
 the grave. (5.) Of the solemn trial 
 at the bar of God. (6.) Of the con- 
 demnation which awaits the guilty — 
 the apprehension of future wo. I'here 
 is no other evil that we fear so much 
 as we do death — and there is nothing 
 more clear than that God intended 
 that we should have a dread of dying. 
 The REASONS why he designed this 
 are equally clear. (1.) One may have 
 been to lead men to prepare for it — 
 which otherwise they would neglect. 
 (2.) Another, to deter them from com- 
 mitting self-murder — where nothing 
 else would deter them. Facts have 
 shown that it was necessary that 
 there should be some strong principle 
 in the human bosom to prevent this 
 crime — and even the dread of death 
 does not alwaijs do it. So sick do 
 men become of the life that God gave 
 them ; so weary of the world ; so 
 overwhelmed with calamity ; so op- 
 pressed with disappointment and 
 cares, that they lay violent hands on 
 themselves, and rush unbidden into 
 the awful presence of their Creator. 
 This would occur more frequently by 
 far than it now does, if it were not 
 for the salutary fear of death which 
 God has implanted in every bosom. 
 The feelings of the human heart on 
 this subject were never more accu- 
 rately or graphically drawn than in 
 the celebrated Soliloquy of Hamlet — 
 
 -to die ;— to sleep — 
 
 No more ; — and by a sleep, to say we end 
 The heart-ache, and the thousand natural 
 
 shocks 
 That flesh is heir to,— 'tis a consummation 
 Devoutly to be wished. To die — to sleep — 
 To Bleep! — perchance to dream; — ay, 
 
 there's the rub; 
 For in that sleep of death what dreams may 
 
 come. 
 When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, 
 Must give us pause : — there's the respect 
 That makes calamity of so long a life : 
 For who would bear the whips and scorns 
 
 of time, 
 The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's 
 
 contumely. 
 The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 
 The insolence of office, and the spurns 
 I'lial patient merit of the unworthy takes. 
 
 their life-time subject to bond- 
 age. 
 
 When he himself might his quietus make 
 With a bare bodkin ? Who would fardels 
 
 bear, 
 To grunt and sweat under a weary life; 
 But that the dread of something after 
 
 death, — 
 The undiscovered country from woose 
 
 bourne 
 No traveller returns,— puzzles the will ; 
 And makes us rather bear those ills we 
 
 have, 
 Than fly to others that we know not of? 
 Thus conscience does make cowards of us 
 
 all. 
 And thus the native hue of resolution 
 Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of 
 
 thought; 
 And enterprises of great pith and moment 
 With this regard their currents turn awry 
 And lose the name of action. 
 
 God designed that man should be de- 
 terred from rushing uncalled into hia 
 awful presence, by this salutary dread 
 of death — and his implanting this 
 feeling in the human heart is one 
 of the most striking and conclusive 
 proofs of a moral government ovei 
 the world. This instinctive dread ol 
 death can be overcome only by reli. 
 gion— ^and then man does not need it 
 to reconcile him to life. He becomes 
 submissive to trials. He is willing 
 to bear all that is laid on him. He 
 resigns himself to the dispensations 
 of Providence, and feels that life, even 
 in affliction, is the gift of God, and 
 is a valuable endowment. He now 
 dreads self-murder as a crime of deep 
 dye, and religion restrains him and 
 keeps him by a more mild and salu- 
 tary restraint than the dread of death. 
 The man who has true religion is 
 willing to live or to die ; he feels that 
 life is the gift of God, and that he 
 will take it away in the best time and 
 manner ; and feeling this, he is wil- 
 ling to leave all in his hands. We 
 may remark (1) how much do we 
 owe to religion ! It is the only thino 
 that will effectually take away the 
 dread of deatli, and yet secure this 
 point — to make man willing to live 
 in all the circumstances where God 
 may place him. It is possible that 
 philosophy or stoicism may remove 
 to a great extent the dread of death 
 
72 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 16 For verily' he took not 
 on him the nature of angels ; 
 but he took on him the seed of 
 Abraham. 
 
 I Ac lakcth not hold of anfrch, but of the seed 
 of Alirah am he lakcth hold. 
 
 — but then it will be likely to make a 
 mail willing to take his life if he is 
 placed in trj'ing' circuinstances. Such 
 an effect it had on Cato in Utica ; 
 and such an effect it liad on Hume, 
 who maintained that suicide was 
 lawful, and tliat to turn a current of 
 blood from its accustomed channel 
 was oi no more consequence than to 
 change the course of any other fluid I 
 (^.j In what a sad condition is the 
 sinner I Thousands there are who 
 never think of death with composure, 
 and who all their life long are subject 
 to bondage through the fear of it. 
 They never think of it if they can 
 avoid it ; and when it is forced upon 
 them, it fills them with alarm. They 
 attempt to drive the thought away. 
 They travel ; they plunge into busi- 
 ness ; they occupy the mind with tri- 
 fles ; they drown their fears in the 
 intoxicating bowl: but all this tends 
 only to make death more terrific and 
 awful when the reality comes. If 
 man were wise, he would seek an in- 
 terest in that religion which, if it did 
 nothing else, would deliver him from 
 the dread of death ; and the influence 
 of the gospel in this respect, if it ex- 
 erted no other, is worth to a man all 
 the sacrifices and self-denials which 
 it would ever require. ^ All their 
 life-tiine subject to bondage. Slaves 
 of fear; in a depressed and miserable 
 cor dition, like slaves under a master. 
 They have no freedom ; no comfort ; 
 no peace. From this miserable state 
 Christ comes to deliver man. Re- 
 ligion enables him to look calmly 
 on death and the judgment, and to 
 feel that all will be well. 
 
 16. For verily. Truly, t He took 
 not on him tiie nature of angels. 
 Marg. He taketh vol hold of angels, 
 but of the seed of Abraham he taketh 
 hold. The word lierc used — fViXu/i. 
 fiiivfTai — means, to take hold upon; 
 
 17 Wherefore in all things 
 it behoved him to be made like 
 unto his brethren, that he might 
 be a merciful " and faithful high 
 
 a Ge. 19. 15, IC. 
 
 to seize ; to surprise ; to take hold 
 witii a view to detain for one's self 
 Robinson. Then it means to take 
 hold of one as by the hand — with a 
 view to aid, conduct, or succour. 
 Mark viii. 523 ; Acts xxiii. I'J. It is 
 rendered took^ Mark viii. 23 ; Luke 
 ix. 47 ; xiv. 4 ; Acts ix. 27 ; xvii. 19 ; 
 xviii. 17; xxi. 30. 33; xxiii. 19 ; Heb. 
 viii. 9 ; caught, Matt. xiv. 31 ; Acts 
 xvi. 19 ; take hold, Luke xx. 20. 26 ; 
 lay hold, and laid hold, Luke xxiii. 
 26 ; 1. Tim. vi. 12. The general idea 
 is that of seizing upon, or laying hold 
 of any one — no matter wliat the ob- 
 ject is — whether to aid, or to drag to 
 punishment, or simply to conduct. 
 Here it means to lay hold with refe- 
 rence to aid, or help ; and the mean- 
 ing is, that he did not seize the na- 
 ture of angels, or take it to himself 
 with reference to rendering them aid, 
 but he assumed the nature of man — 
 in order to aid him. He undertook 
 the work of human redemption, and 
 consequently it was necessary for 
 him to be a man. H But he took on 
 him the seed of Abraham. He came 
 to help the descendants of Abraham, 
 and consequently as they were men, 
 he became a man. Writing to Jews, 
 it was not minatural for the apostle 
 to refer particularly to them as the 
 descendants of Abraham, though this 
 does not exclude the idea that he died 
 for the whole human race. It was 
 true that he came to render aid to the 
 descendants of Abraham, but it was 
 also true that he died for all. The 
 fact that I love one of my children, 
 and that I make provision for his 
 education, and tell him so, does not 
 exclude the idea that I love the others 
 also — and that I may make to them 
 a similar appeal when it shall be 
 proper. 
 
 17. Wlterefnre in all things. In re- 
 spect to iiis body ; his soul ; hia rank 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 73 
 
 priest in things pertaining to 
 
 and character. There was a pro- 
 priety that he should be like them, 
 and should partake of their nature. 
 The meaning- is, that there was a fit- 
 ness that nothing should be wanting^ 
 in him in reference to the innocent 
 propensities and sympathies of hu- 
 man nature. ^ It behoved him. It 
 became him ; or there was a fitness 
 and propriety in it. The reason why 
 it was proper, the apostle proceeds to 
 state. H Like unto his brethren. Like 
 unto those who sustained to him the 
 relation of brethren ; particularly as 
 he undertook to redeem the descend- 
 ants of Abraham, and as he was a 
 descendant of Abraham himself, there 
 was a propriety that he should be 
 like them. He calls them brethren ; 
 and it was proper that he should 
 show that he regarded them as such 
 by assuming their nature. "iT That 
 he might be a merciful and faithful 
 high priest. (1.) That he might be 
 vierciful ; that is, compassionate. That 
 he might know how to pity us in our 
 infirmities and trials, by having a 
 nature like our own. (2.) That he 
 might he faithful ; that is, perform 
 with fidelity all the functions pertain- 
 ing to the office of high priest. The 
 idea is, that it was needful that he 
 should become a man ; that he should 
 experience as we do the infirmities 
 and trials of life, and that by being a 
 man, and partaking of all that per- 
 tained to man except his sins, he 
 might feel how necessary it was that 
 there should be Jidelity in the office 
 of high priest. Here was a race of 
 sinners and sufferers. They were 
 exposed to the wrath of God. They 
 were liable to everlasting punishment. 
 The judgment impended over the 
 race, and the day of vengeance has- 
 tened on. All now depended on the 
 Great High Priest. All their hope 
 was in his fidelity to the great office 
 which he had undertaken. If he were 
 faithful, all would be safe ; if he were 
 unfaithful, all would be lost. Hence 
 •the necessity that he should enter 
 7 
 
 God, to make reconciliation for 
 the sins of the people : 
 
 fully into the feelings, fears, and dan- 
 gers of man ; that he should become 
 one of the race and be identified with 
 them, so that he might be qualified to 
 perform with faithfulness the great 
 trust committed to him. IT High 
 priest. The Jewish high priest was 
 the successor of Aaron, and was at 
 the head of the ministers of religion 
 among the Jews. He was set apart 
 with solemn ceremonies — clad in 
 his sacred vestments — and anointed 
 with oil. Ex. xxix. 5 — 9 ; Lev. viii. 
 2. He was by his office the general 
 judge of all that pertained to religion, 
 and even of the judicial affairs of the 
 Jewish nation. Deut. xvii. 8 — 12; 
 xix. 17; xxi. 5; xxxiii. 9, 10. He 
 only had the privilege of entering the 
 most holy place once a year, on the 
 great day of expiation, to make atone, 
 ment for the sins of the whole people. 
 Lev. xvi. 2, &c. He was the oracle 
 of truth — so that when clothed in his 
 proper vestments, and having on the 
 Urim and Thummim, he made known 
 the will of God in regard to future 
 events. The Lord Jesus became in 
 the Christian dispensation what the 
 Jewish high priest was in the old ; 
 and an important object of this epis- 
 tie is to show that he far surpassed 
 the Jewish high priest, and in what 
 respects the Jewish high priest was 
 designed to typify the Redeemer. 
 Paul, therefore, early introduces the 
 subject, and shows tliat the Lord Je- 
 sus came to perform the fiinctions of 
 that sacred office, and that he was 
 eminently endowed for it. IT In 
 things pertaining to God. In offer- 
 ing sacrifice ; or in services of a reli- 
 gious nature. The great purpose was 
 to offer sacrifice, and make interces- 
 sion ; and the idea is, that Jesus took 
 on himself our nature that he might 
 sympathise with us ; that thus he 
 might be faithful to the great trust 
 committed to him — the redemption 
 of the world. Had he been unfaith- 
 ful, all would liave been lost, and the 
 world would have sunk down to wq. 
 
74 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 18 For in that he himself 
 hath suffered, being tempted, 
 
 IT To make reconciliation. By his 
 death as a sacrifice. The word here 
 used — i'^(iaKOf^a^ — occurs but in one 
 other place in the New Testament 
 (Luke xviii. 13), where it is rendered 
 ' God be merciful to ine a sinner ;' 
 that is, reconciled to me, Tlie noun 
 (iXdOfidi — propitiation) is used in 1. 
 John ii. 2; iv. 10. The word here 
 means properly to appease, to recon- 
 cile, to conciliate ; and hence to pro- 
 pitiate AS TO sins ; tliat is, to propi- 
 tiate God in reference to sins, or to 
 render him propiJious. The Son of 
 God became a man, that he might so 
 fully enter into the feelings of the peo- 
 ple as to be faithful, and that he might 
 be qualified as a high priest to pcrli rrn 
 the groat work of rendering God pro- 
 pitious in regard to sins. How he did 
 tliis, is fully shown in the subsequent 
 parts of the epistle. 
 
 18. For in that he himself , Sec. Be- 
 cause he has suffered, he is able to 
 sympatiiize with sufferers. If Being 
 tempted. Or, being tried. The Greek 
 word here used is more general in its 
 meaning than the English word tempt- 
 ed. It means to put to the proof ; to 
 try the nature or character of; and 
 this may be done either (1) by sub- 
 jecting a person to afflictions or suf. 
 feririfrs that his true character may 
 be tried — that it may be seen whe- 
 tlier he has sincere piety and love to 
 God ; or (2) by allowing one to fall 
 into temptation, properly so called — 
 where some strong inducement to 
 evil is presented to the mind, and 
 where it becomes thus a trial of vir- 
 tue. The Saviour was subjected to 
 both these in as severe a form as was 
 ever presented to men. His suffer- 
 ings surpassed all others ; and the 
 temptations of Satan (see Matt, iv.) 
 were presented in the most alluring 
 form in which he could exhibit them. 
 Being proved or tried in both these 
 respects, he showed that he had a 
 strength of virtue whicJi could bear all 
 that could ever occur to seduce iiitn 
 
 he i.s able to succour them that 
 are tempted. 
 
 from attachment to God ; and at the 
 same time to make him a perfect mo- 
 del for those wlio should be tried in 
 the same manner. ^ He is able to 
 succour, iScc. This does not mean 
 that he would not have had power to 
 assist others if he had not gone 
 through these sufferings, but that he 
 is now qualified to sympatiiize with 
 them from the fact that he has en- 
 dured like trials. 
 
 " He knows what son? temptations mean, 
 For Jifc has felt the same." 
 
 The idea is, that one who has him 
 self been called to suffer is able to 
 sj'mpatliize with those who suffer 
 one lias been tempted, is able to sym- 
 pathize with those who are tempted 
 in like manner. One who has been 
 sick is qualified to sympathize with 
 the sick ; one who has lost a child, 
 can sympathize with him who follows 
 his beloved son or daughter to the 
 grave ; one who has had some strong 
 temptation to sin urged upon himself 
 can sympathize with those who are 
 now tempted : one who has never 
 been sick, or who has never buried a 
 friend, or been tempted, is poorly 
 qualified to impart consolation in such 
 scenes. Hence it is, tiiat ministers 
 of the gospel are often — like their 
 Master — nmch persecuted and afflict- 
 ed, that they may be able to assist 
 others. Hence they are called to part 
 with the children of their love ; or to 
 endure long and painful sicknesses, 
 or to pass tiirough scenes of poverty 
 and want, that they may sympathize 
 with the most humble and afflicted 
 of their flock. And they should be 
 willing t(, endure all this ; for (I) thus 
 they are like their Master (comp. Coll, 
 i. 24 ; Pliil. iii. 10) ; and (2) tlicy are 
 thus enabled to ly? far more exten- 
 sis'cly useful. ^lany a minister owes 
 a large part of his usefulness to the 
 fact that lie has been much afflicted; 
 and for tliosc afflictions, therefore, he 
 should unfeigncdly thank God. The 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 75 
 
 idea which is here expressed by the 
 apestle — that one is enabled to sym- 
 pathize with others from having him- 
 self suffered, was long since beauti- 
 fully expressed by Virgil : 
 
 Me quoque per multos similis fortuna la- 
 bores, 
 
 Jactataiii, hac deinum voluit consistere 
 terra. 
 
 Noil ignara inali, miseris succurrere disco. 
 
 .iEii. I. 028. 
 
 For I myself like you have been distressed. 
 Till heaven afforded me this place of rest; 
 Like you, an alien in a land unknown, 
 1 learn to pity woes so like my own. 
 
 Drijden. 
 
 Jesus is thus able to alleviate the suf- 
 ferer. In all our temptations and 
 trials let us remember (1) that he 
 Buffered more — infinitely more — than 
 we can do, and that in all our sor- 
 rows we shall never reach what he 
 endured. We enter no region of trial 
 where he has not gone beyond us ; 
 we tread no dark and gloomy way 
 where he has not gone before us. 
 (2.) Let us remember that he is to us 
 a brother, for he " is not ashamed to 
 call us brethren." He had a nature 
 like ours ; he condescended to appear 
 as one of our race, with all the inno- 
 cent propensities and passions of a 
 man. What matchless condescen- 
 sion ! And what an honour for us 
 to be permitted to address him as an 
 ' elder brother,' and to know that he 
 feels a deep sympathy in our woes ! 
 (3.) Let us then, in all times of afflic- 
 tion, look to him. Go not, suffering 
 Christian, to philosophy ; attempt not 
 to deaden your feelings by the art of 
 the Stoic ; but go at once to the Sa- 
 viour — the great, sympathizing High 
 Priest, who is able to succour you — 
 an4 rest your burdens on him. 
 
 " His heart is made of tenderness, 
 His soul is filled with love. 
 
 " Touch'd with a sympathy within, 
 He knows oiir feeble frame ; 
 He knows what sore temptations mean. 
 For he has felt the same. 
 
 Then let our humble faith address 
 
 His mercy and his power ;j 
 We shall obtain delivering grace, 
 
 In every trying hour." 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 The Jews valued their religion on 
 many accounts. One was that it had 
 been given by the instrumentality 
 of distinguished prophets sent from 
 God, and by the medium of angels. 
 The apostle, in the previous chapters, 
 had shown that in these respects the 
 Christian religion had the advantage 
 over theirs, for it had been communi- 
 cated by one who was superior to 
 any of the prophets, and who had a 
 rank above the angels. Next to this, 
 they valued their religion because it 
 had been imparted by a law-giver so 
 eminent as Moses^a man more dis- 
 tinguished than any other one on 
 earth as a legislator. To him they 
 looked with pride as the founder of 
 their economy, and the medium 
 through whom God had given them 
 their peculiar laws. Next to him, 
 their High Priest was the most im- 
 portant fimctionary in the nation 
 He was at the head of their religion, 
 and served to distinguish it from all 
 others, for they had no conception 
 of any form of true religion unless 
 the office of liigh priest was recog- 
 nised. The apostle, therefore, pro- 
 ceeds to show that in these respects 
 the Christian religion had lost no- 
 thing, but had the advantage alto- 
 gether — that it was founded by one 
 superior to Moses, and that Christ as 
 high priest was superior by far to the 
 high priest of the Jews. 
 
 This chapter, and to ver. 13 of ch. 
 iv., relates to the first of these points, 
 and is occupied with showing the 
 superiority of the Redeemer to Moses, 
 and the consequences which result 
 from the admission of that fact. It 
 consists, therefore, of two parts. 
 
 I. The first is employed in showing 
 that if the Author of the Christian 
 religion is compared with Moses, he 
 has the preference. Vs. 1 — 6. Moses 
 was indeed faithful, but it was as a 
 nervant. Christ was faithful as a son. 
 He had a rank as much above that 
 of Moses as one who builds a house 
 has over the house itself. 
 
76 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 WHEREFORE, holy breth- 
 ren, partakers of the 
 
 II. The consequences that resulted 
 from that. Ch. iii. vs. 7 — 19, and 
 ch. iv. 1 — 13. The general doctrhie 
 here is, that there would be special 
 danger in apostatising from the CJiris- 
 tiau religion — danger far superior to 
 tliat which was threatened to the Is- 
 raelites if they were disobedient to 
 Moses. In illustrating this, the apos- 
 tle is naturall}' led to a statement of 
 the warnings against defection under 
 Moses, and of the consequences of 
 unbelief and rebellion there. He en- 
 treats them, therefore, (1.) not to 
 harden their hearts against God, as 
 the Israelites did, who were excluded 
 from Canaan. Vs. 7—11. (2.) To 
 be on their guard against unbelief. 
 Ver. 12. (3.) To exhort one another 
 constantly, and to stimulate one 
 another, that they might not fall 
 away. Ver. 13. (4.) To hold the 
 beginning of their confidence stead- 
 fast unto the end, and not to provoke 
 God as they did who came out of 
 Egypt Vs. 14—19. In the follow- 
 ing chapter (vs. 1 — 13) he completes 
 the exhortation, by showing them 
 that many who came out of Egypt 
 were excluded from the promised 
 land, and that there was equal danger 
 now ; and then proceeds with the 
 comparison of Christ with the Jewish 
 high priest, and extends that compa- 
 rison through the remainder of the 
 doctrinal part of the epistle. 
 
 1. Wlierefore. That is, since Christ 
 sustains such a character as has been 
 stated in the previous chapter ; since 
 he is so able to succour tliose who 
 need assistance ; since he assumed 
 our nature that he might be a mer- 
 ciful and faithful high priest, his 
 character ought to be attentively con- 
 sidered, and we ought to endeavour 
 fully to understand it. IT Holy hreth- 
 ren. The name brethren is oflcn 
 given to Christians to denote that 
 tliey are of one family. It is posiible, 
 
 heavenly calling, consider the 
 apostle and High Priest" of our 
 profession, Christ Jesus ; 
 
 a c. 4. 14. 
 
 also, that the apostle may have used 
 the word here in a double sense— de 
 noting that they were his brethren 
 as Christians, and as Jetos. The 
 word holy is applied to them to de- 
 note that they were set apart to God, 
 or that they were sanctified. The 
 Jews were often called a "holy peo- 
 ple," as being consecrated to God 
 and Christians are holy, not only as 
 consecrated to God, but as sanctified. 
 ^ Partakers of the heavenly calling. 
 On the meaning of the word calling, 
 see Notes on Eph. iv. 1. The 'Aea- 
 venly calling' denotes the calling 
 which was given to them from hea- 
 ven, or which was of a heavenly na- 
 ture. It pertained to heaven, not to 
 earth ; it came from heaven, not from 
 earth ; it was a calling to the reward 
 and happiness of heaven, and not to 
 the pleasures and honours of the 
 world. IT Consider. Attentively pon- 
 der all that is said of the Messiah. 
 Think of his rank ; his dignity ; his 
 holiness; his sufferings; his death; 
 his resurrection, ascension, interces- 
 sion. Think of him that you may 
 see the claims to a holy life ; that you 
 may learn to bear trials ; that you 
 may be kept from apostasy. The 
 character and work of the Son of God 
 are worthy of the profound and 
 prayerful consideration of every man ; 
 and especially every Christian should 
 reflect much on him. Of the friend 
 that we love we think much ; but 
 what friend have we like the Iiord 
 Jesus ? IT T%e apostle. The word 
 apostle is nowhere else applied to the 
 Lord Jesus. The word means one 
 who is sent — and in this sense it 
 might be applied to the Redeemer as 
 one sent by God, or as by way of 
 eminence the one sent by him. But 
 the connexion seems to demand that 
 there should be some allusion here' 
 to one who sustained a similar rank 
 among the Jews; and it is proba- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 77 
 
 2 Who was faithful to him 
 that' appointed him, as also Mo- 
 
 • made. 
 
 ble that the allusion is to Moses, as 
 having been the great apostle of God 
 to tlie Jewish people, and that Paul 
 here means to say, that the Lord Je- 
 sus, under the new dispensation, filled 
 the place of Moses and of the high 
 priest under the old, and tliat the of- 
 fice of " apostle" and "high priest," 
 instead of being now separated, as 
 it was between Moses and Aaron 
 under the old dispensation, was 
 now blended in the Messiah. The 
 name apostle is not indeed given 
 to Moses directly in the Old Testa- 
 ment, but the verb from which the 
 Hebrew word for apostle is derived 
 is frequently given him. Thus in 
 Ex. iii. 10, it is said, "Come now, 
 therefore, and / will send thee unto 
 Pharaoh." And in ver. 13, "The 
 God of your fathers Aa^A sent me unto 
 you." So also in vs. 14, 15, of the 
 same chapter. From the word there 
 
 used — rh'ii' — to send, the word de- 
 noting apostle — n^/JS' — is derived ; 
 and it is not improbable that Moses 
 would be regarded as being by way 
 of eminence the one sent by God. 
 Further, the Jews applied the word 
 TT' vB' — apostle, to the minister of the 
 
 synagogue ; to him who presided over 
 its atfairs, and who had the general 
 charge of the services there ; and in 
 this sense it might be applied by way 
 of eminence to Moses as being the 
 general director and controller of the 
 religious affairs of the nation, and as 
 sent for that purpose. The object of 
 Paul is to show that the Lord Jesus 
 in the Christian system — as the great 
 apostle sent from God — sustained a 
 rank and office similar to this, but 
 superior in dignity and authority. 
 ^ And High Priest. One great object 
 of this epistle is to compare the Lord 
 Jesus with the high piiest of the Jews, 
 and to show that he was in all respects 
 superior. This was important, be- 
 cause the office of high priest was 
 7* 
 
 ses" was faithful in all his 
 house, 
 
 a Nu. 12. 7. 
 
 that which eminently distinguished 
 the Jewish religion, and because the 
 Christian religion proposed to abolish 
 that. It became necessary, therefore, 
 to show that all that was dignified 
 and valuable in that office was to be 
 found in the Christian system. This 
 was done by showing that in the Lord 
 Jesus was found all the cliaracteris- 
 tics of a high priest, and that all the 
 functions which had been performed 
 in the Jewish ritual were performed 
 by him, and that all which had been 
 prefigured by the Jewish high priest 
 was fulfilled in him. Tiie apostle 
 here merely alludes to him, or names 
 him as the high priest, and then post- 
 pones the consideration of his char- 
 acter in that respect till after he had 
 compared him with Moses. IT Of 
 our profession. Of our religion ; of 
 that religion which we profess. The 
 apostle and high priest whom we con- 
 fessed as ours when we embraced the 
 Christian religion. 
 
 2. Who was faithful. See Note, 
 ch. ii. 17. He performed with fidelity 
 all the functions entrusted to him. 
 If To him that appointed him. Marg. 
 Made. The word made, however, is 
 used in the sense of constituted, or 
 appointed. The meaning is, that he 
 was faithful to God. Perhaps Paul 
 urges on them tlie necessity of con- 
 sidering his Jidelity in order to keep 
 them from the danger of apostasy. 
 A leading object of this epistle was 
 to preserve those whom he addressed 
 from apostatizing from God amidst 
 the temptations and trials to which 
 they were exposed. In doing this, 
 what could be a more powerful argu- 
 ment than to direct their attention to 
 the unwavering constancy and fidel- 
 ity of the Lord Jesus ? The import- 
 ance of such a virtue in the Savioun 
 is manifest. It is seen everywhere ; 
 and all the great interests of the 
 world depend on it. A husband 
 should maintain inviolate fidelity to- 
 wards a wife, and a wife towards her 
 
78 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 3 For ihi3 man was counted 
 worthy of more glory than Mo- 
 ses, inasmuch as he wlio hath 
 
 husband ; a child should be faithful 
 to a parent, a clerk and apprentice to 
 his employer, a lawyer to his client, 
 a physician to his patient, an ambas- 
 sador to the government that com- 
 missions liim. No matter what may 
 be the temptations in the way, in all 
 these, and in all other relations, there 
 should be inviolate fidelity. Tlic wel- 
 fare of the world depended on the 
 faithfiilness of the Lord Jesus. Had 
 he failed in that, ail would have been 
 lost. His fidelity was worthy of the 
 more attentive consideration from the 
 numerous temptations which beset 
 his path, and the attempts which 
 were made to turn him aside from 
 his devotedncss to God. Amidst all 
 the temptations of the adversary, and 
 all the trials through which he jjassed, 
 he never for a moment swerved from 
 fidelity to the great trust which had 
 been committed to his hands. What 
 belter example to preserve them from 
 the temptations to apostasy could the 
 apostle propose to the C^hristians 
 whom he addressed ? What, in these 
 temptations and trials, could bo more 
 appropriate than for them to "con- 
 sider" the example of the great apos- 
 tle and high priest of their profes- 
 sion ? Wh.it more proper fjr us now 
 in the trials and temptations of our 
 hves, than to keep that great and glo- 
 rious example continually before our 
 eyes ? "S As also Moses was faithful. 
 Fidelity to God was remarkable in 
 Moses. In nil the provocations and 
 rebellions of the Jews, he was firm 
 and unwavering. This is affirmed 
 of him in Num. .\ii. 7, to which place 
 the apostle here alludes, "My ser- 
 vant, Moses, is not so, who is faith- 
 ful in all his house." The word 
 house, as applied to Moses, is used 
 probably in the sense of family, as 
 it otlen is, and refers to the family 
 over which he presided — that is, the 
 Jew ish nation. The whole Jewish 
 people wern t household, or the family 
 
 builded " the house hath more 
 honour than the house. 
 
 a Zee. 6. 12, 13. 
 
 of God, and Moses was appointed to 
 preside over it, and was faithful in 
 the functions of his office there. 
 
 3. For this man. The Lord Jesus. 
 The word ^man^ is understood, but 
 there can be no doubt that he is re- 
 ferred to. ^ Was counted more wor- 
 thy. Was more worthy ; or is moro 
 worthy. The word here used dots 
 not refer to anything that had been 
 said of him, or to any estimate which 
 had been made of him. It means 
 simply that he was worthy of more 
 honour than Moses. How lie was so, 
 Paul proceeds to show. IT Of more 
 glory — io^rii. Honour, dignity, regard. 
 He really had a higher rank, and 
 was worthy of more respect. This 
 was saying much for the Messiah, 
 and that it was proper to say this, 
 Paul proceeds to show. He did not 
 attempt in any way to undervalue 
 Moses and his institutions. He gave 
 him all the honour which the Jews 
 were themselves disposed to render 
 him. He admitted that he had been 
 eminently faithful in the station 
 where God had placed him ; and he 
 then proceeds to show that the Lord 
 Jesus was entitled to honour superior 
 to that, and that hence the Christian 
 religion had more to attach its friends 
 to it than the Jewisli had. IT Inas- 
 much as he who hath builded the house. 
 The idea here is, either that he wlio 
 is the maker of a house — tlie arclii. 
 tect — is worthy of more respect tlian 
 the house itself; or that he who is 
 the founder of a family is worthy of 
 more honour than the family of which 
 he is the founder. It seems to mu 
 that the former is the meaning — for 
 the latter is not always true. The 
 founder of a family may be really 
 deserving of much less respect than 
 some of his descendants. But it is 
 always true that the architect is wor- 
 thy of more respect than the house 
 which he makes. He exhibits Intel- 
 lect and skill. The house, however 
 
A. D. 64.} 
 
 CHAPl'ER III. 
 
 79 
 
 4 For every house is builded 
 
 splendid, has neither. The plan of 
 the house was drawn by him ; its 
 beauty, its proportions, its ornaments, 
 are what ho made them, and but for 
 him they would not have existed. 
 Michael Angelo was worthy of more 
 honour than " St. Peter's" at Rome ; 
 and Sir Christopher Wren worthy of 
 more than "St. Paul's" at London. 
 Galileo is worthy of more praise tlian 
 the telescope, and Fulton more than 
 a steam-engine. All the evidence of 
 skill and adaptedness that there is in 
 the invention had its origin in the 
 inventor ; all the beauty of the statue 
 or the temple had its origin in the 
 mind of him that designed it. An 
 author is worthy of more honour than 
 a book; and he that forms a work of 
 art is worthy of more respect than 
 the work itself This is the idea here. 
 Paul assumes that all things owed 
 their origin to the Son of God. Ch. 
 i. 2. 8. 10. He was the author of the 
 universe ; the source of all wise and 
 well-founded systems ; the originator 
 of the Jewish dispensation over which 
 Aloses presided. Whatever beauty or 
 excellence there might have been, 
 therefore, in that system, was to be 
 traced to him ; and whatever ability 
 even Moses displayed was imparted 
 by him. Christ is really the head of 
 the family over which Moses presid- 
 ed, and nas claims, therefore, to high- 
 er honour as such. 
 
 4. For every house is builded by 
 some man.. The words in this verse 
 are plain, and the sentiment in it 
 clear. The only difficult}' is in see- 
 ing the connexion, and in understand- 
 ing how it is intended to bear on what 
 precedes, or on what follows. It is 
 clear that every house must have a 
 builder, and equally clear that God is 
 the Creator of all things. But what is 
 the meaning of this passage in this 
 connexion ? What is its bearing on the 
 argument? If the verse was entirely 
 omitted, and the fifth verse read in 
 connexion with the third, there would 
 be apparently nothing wanting to 
 
 by some man ; but he that built 
 all thinsfs is God. 
 
 complete the sense of the writer, or to 
 finish the comparison which he had 
 commenced. Various ways have been 
 adopted to explain the difficulty. Per- 
 haps the following observations may 
 remove it, and express the true sense. 
 (1 .) Every family must have a founder ; 
 every dispensation an author ; every 
 house a builder. There must be some 
 one, therefore, over all dispensations 
 — Ihe old and the new — the Jewish 
 and the Christian. (2.) Paul assumes 
 that the Lord Jesus was divine. He 
 had demonstrated this in chap. i. ; 
 and he argues as if this were so, 
 without now stopping to prove it, or 
 even to affirm it expressly. (3.) God 
 must be over all thinfrs. He is Creator 
 of all, and he must, therefore, be over 
 all. As the Lord Jesus, therefore, is 
 divine, he must be over the Jewish 
 dispensation as well as the Christian — 
 or he must, as God, have been at the 
 head of that — or over his own family 
 or household. (4.) As such, he must 
 have a glory and honour which could 
 not belong to Moses. He, in his di- 
 vine character, was the Author of 
 both the Jewish and the Christian 
 dispensations, and he must, therefore, 
 have a rank far superior to that of 
 Moses — wliich was the point which 
 the apostle designed to illustrate. 
 Tiie meaning of the whole may be 
 thus expressed. ' The Lord Jesus is 
 worthy of more honour than Moses. 
 He is so, as the maker of a house de- 
 serves more honour than tlie house. 
 He is divine. In the beginning he 
 laid the foundation of the earth, and 
 was the agent in the creation of all 
 things. Ch. i, 2. 10. He presides, 
 therefore, over everything ; and was 
 over the Jewish and the Christian 
 dispensations — for there must have 
 been some one over them, or the 
 author of them, as really as it must 
 be true that every house is built hy 
 some person. Being, therefore, over 
 all things, and at the head of all dis- 
 pensations, he MUST be more exalted 
 than Moses.' This seems to m« to 
 
80 
 
 5 And Moses * verily was 
 faithful in all his house, as a 
 servant, * for a testimony of ' 
 those things which were to be 
 spoken after ; 
 
 a Nu. 12. 7. b Jos. 1. 2. c Do. 18. 15—19. 
 
 HEBREWS. \K. D. 64. 
 
 6 But Christ as a Son ' over 
 his own house ; whose house • 
 are we, if J' we hold fast the 
 confidence and the rejoicing of 
 tiie hope firm unto the end. 
 
 d Ps. 2 7, 12. e 1 Pe. 2. 5. 
 / Mat. 10. SK. c. 10. 38, 39. 
 
 be the argument — an argument which 
 is based on the supposition that he is 
 at the head of all things, and that he 
 was the agent in the creation of all 
 worlds. This view will make all 
 consistent. The Lord Jesus will be 
 seen to have a claim to a far higher 
 honour than Moses, and Moses will 
 he seen to have derived his honour, 
 as a servant of the Mediator, in the 
 economy which he had appointed. 
 
 5. Moses ■wa.s faithful — as a servant. 
 Not as the head of the dispensation ; 
 not as having originated it ; but as in 
 the employ and under the direction 
 of its great Founder and Author — 
 the Messiah. As such a servant he 
 deserves all the honour for fidelity 
 which has ever been claimed for him, 
 but it cannot be the honour which is 
 due to him who is at the head of tlic 
 family or house. Paul assumed that 
 Moses was a servant, and argued on 
 that supposition, witliout attempting 
 to prove it, because it was so often 
 aiBrmed in the Old Testament, and 
 roust have been conceded by all the 
 Jews. In numerous instances he is 
 spoken of as ' the servant of the 
 Lord,' See Josh. i. 1, 2 ; ix. ^4 ; L 
 Chron. vi. 49 ; H. Chron. xxiv. 9 ; 
 Neh. X. 29 ; Dan. ix. 11 ; Ex. xiv. 31 ; 
 I. Kings viii. 56 ; Ps, cv. 26. As this 
 point was undisputed, it was onlv 
 necessary to show that the Messiah 
 was superior to a servant, in order to 
 make the argument clear. IT For a 
 testimony. To bear witness to those 
 truths which were to be revealed; 
 that is, he was the instrument of the 
 divine communications to the people, 
 or the medium by which God made 
 his will known. He did not originate 
 the truths himself; but he was the 
 mere medium by which God made 
 known his trutli to his people — a ser- 
 
 vant whom He employed to maka 
 his will knowm. The word 'after* 
 here is not necessary in order to a 
 just translation of this passage, and 
 obscures the sense. It does not mean 
 that he was a witness of those truths 
 which were to be spoken subsequently 
 to his time under another dispensa- 
 tion, nor those truths which the apos- 
 tle proposed to consider in another 
 part of the epistle, as Doddridge sup- 
 poses; but it means merely that Mo- 
 ses stood forth as a public witness of 
 the truths which God designed to re. 
 veal, or which v.xrc to be spoken. 
 God did not speak to his people 
 directly, and face to face, but he spok« 
 through Moses as an organ, or me 
 dium. The sense is, Moses was » 
 mere servant of God to communicatt 
 his will to man. 
 
 6. But Christ as a Son over hit 
 oion house. He is not a servant. To 
 the wliole household or family of God 
 he sustains the same relation which a 
 son and heir in a family does to tha 
 household. That relation is far differ 
 ent from that of a servant. Moset 
 was the latter ; Clirist was the for 
 mcr. To God he sustained the rela- 
 tion of a Son, and recognised Him 
 as his Fatlier, and sought in all things 
 to do his will ; but over the whole 
 family of God — the entire Church of 
 all dispensatio7is — he was like a son 
 over the affairs of a family. Com- 
 pared with the condition ofasen'ant, 
 Christ is as niiach superior to INIoseft 
 as a son and heir is to the condition 
 of a servant. A servant owns no- 
 thing ; is heir to nothing; has no 
 authority, and no right to control 
 anything, and is himself wholly at 
 the will of another. A son is the heif' 
 of all ; has a prospective right to all 
 and is looked up to by all witli re 
 
A. D. C4.3 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 8i 
 
 7 Wherefore, (as the Holy 
 
 a Ps. 95. 7. 
 
 spect. But the idea here is not merely 
 that Clirist is a son ; it is that as a 
 son he is placed over the whole ar- 
 rang-enients of the household, and is 
 one to whom all is entrusted as if it 
 were his own. If Whose house toe 
 are. Of whose family we are a part, 
 or to which we belong. That is, we 
 belong; to the family over which 
 Christ is placed, and not to that 
 which was subject to Moses. ^ If 
 we hold fast. A leading object of 
 this epistle is to guard those to whom 
 it was addressed against the danger 
 of apostasy. Hence this is introduced 
 on all suitable occasions, and the 
 apostle here says, that the only evi- 
 dence which they could have that 
 they belonged to the family of Christ, 
 would be that they held fast the con- 
 fidence which they had unto the end. 
 If they did not do that, it would de- 
 monstrate that they never belonged 
 to his family, for evidence of having 
 belonged to his household was to be 
 furnished only by perseverance to 
 the end. IT The confidence. The word 
 here used originally means the liberty 
 of speaking boldly and without re- 
 straint ; then it means boldness or 
 confidence in general. If And the 
 rejoicing. The word here used means 
 properly glorying, boasting, and then 
 rejoicing-. These words are used 
 here in an adverbial signification, and 
 the meaning is, that the Christian has 
 a confident and a rejoicing hope. It 
 is (1) confident — bold — firm. It is 
 not like the timid hope of the Pagan, 
 and the dreams and conjectures of 
 the philosopher ; it is not that which 
 gives way at every breath of opposi- 
 tion ; it is bold, firm, and manly. It 
 is (2) rejoicing — triumphant, exult- 
 ing. Why should not the hope of 
 heaven fill with joy ? Why should 
 not he exult who has the prospect of 
 everlasting happiness ? ^ Unto the 
 end. To the end of life. Our reli- 
 gion, our hope, our confidence in God 
 must be persevered in to the end of 
 life •■•'' we would have evidence that 
 
 Ghost saith, To-day," if ye wiU 
 hear his voice, 
 
 wc are his children. If hope is 
 cherished for a while and then aban- 
 doned ; if men profess religion and 
 then fall away, no matter what were 
 their raptures and triumphs, it proves 
 that they never had any real piety. 
 No evidence can be strong enough to 
 prove that a man is a Christian, unless 
 it leads him to persevere to the end 
 ofhfe. 
 
 7. Wherefore. In view of the fact 
 that the Author of the Christian dis- 
 pensation has a rank far superior to 
 that of Moses. Because Cihrist has 
 claims on us far greater than tho..-.e 
 which Moses had, let us hearken to 
 his voice, and dread his displeasure. 
 If As the Holy Ghost saith. In Ps. 
 xcv. 7 — 11. This is full proof that in 
 the estimation of the author of this 
 epistle the writer of this Psalm was 
 inspired. The Holy Ghost speaks 
 through the word which he has re- 
 vealed. The apostle quotes this pas- 
 sage and applies it to those whom he 
 addressed, because the admonition 
 was as pertinent and important under 
 the Christian dispensation, as it was 
 under the Jewish. The danger of 
 hardening the heart by neglecting to 
 hear his voice was as great, and the 
 consequences would be as fearful and 
 alarming. — We should regard the 
 solemn warnings in the Old Testa- 
 ment against sin, and against the 
 danger of apostasy, as addressed by 
 the Holy Ghost to us. They are as 
 applicable to us as they were to those 
 to whom they were at first addressed ; 
 and we need all the influence of such 
 appeals, to keep us from apostasy as 
 much as they did. If To-day. Now; 
 at present. At the very time whf n 
 the command is addressed to you. It 
 is not to oe put off till to-morrovsr. 
 All God's commands relate to the 
 present — to this day — to the passing 
 moment. He gives us no commands 
 about the future. He does not re- 
 quire us to rejjent and to turn to hifn 
 to-morrow, or ten years hence. The 
 reasons are obvious. (I.) Duty per 
 
83 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 04, 
 
 8 Harden not your hearts, as 
 in the provocation, in tiie day 
 
 tains to tlie present. It is out duty 
 to turn from sin, and to love hisn now. 
 (2.) We know not that wc sliall live 
 to anotlier day. A command, there- 
 fore, could not extend to that time 
 unless it were accompanied with a 
 revelation that we siiould live till 
 then — and such a revelation God docs 
 not ciioose to pive. Every one, there- 
 fore, should Ibel that whatever com- 
 mands God addresses to liim are ad- 
 dressed to him now. Wliatevcr guilt 
 he incurs by neglecting' those com- 
 mands is incurred now. For the pre- 
 sent neglect and disobedience each 
 one is to answer — and each one must 
 give account to God for what lie does 
 TO-DAV. ^ If ye will hear. In case 
 you arc willing to hearken to God, 
 listen now, and do not defer it to a 
 fiiture period. — There is nmch in a 
 willingness to hear tluj voice of God. 
 A willingness to learn is usually the 
 precursor of great attainments in 
 knowledge. A willinirness to reform, 
 is usually the precursor of reforma- 
 tion. Get a man willing to break off 
 his habits of profancncss or intemjje- 
 rance, and usually all tlie rest is easy. 
 The great dilliculty in the mind of a 
 sinner is in his will. He is unwilling 
 to hear the voice of God; unwilling 
 that he should reign over him ; un- 
 willing now to attend to religion. 
 While this unwillingness lasts he will 
 make no efforts, and he sees, or cre- 
 ates a thousand dilliculties in the way 
 of his becoming a Christian. But 
 when that unwillingness is overcome, 
 and he is disposed to engage in the 
 work of religion, difficulties vanish, 
 and the work of salvation becomes 
 easy. ^ His voice. The voice of -God 
 speaking to us (1) in his written 
 word ; ("2) in the preached gospel ; 
 (3) in our own consciences; (4) in 
 the events of his Providence ; (5) in 
 the admonitions of our relatives and 
 friends. Whatever conveys to us the 
 tiuth of God, or is adapted to impress 
 that on us, may be regarded as his 
 voice speaking to us. lie thus speaks 
 
 of temptation in the wilder- 
 
 ness ; 
 
 to U9 everij day in some of these 
 ways ; and every day, therefore, he 
 may entreat us not to harden our 
 hearts. 
 
 8. Harden not your hearts. Do not 
 render the heart insensible to the di- 
 vine voice and admonition. A hard 
 heart is that where the conscience is 
 seared and insensible; where truth 
 makes no impression ; where no reli- 
 gious etfoct is produced by afflictions ; 
 where preaching is listened to without 
 interest ; and where the mind is un- 
 atfected by tiie appeals of friends. 
 The idea here is, that a refusal to 
 listen to the voice of God is connected 
 with a hardening of the heart. It is 
 in two ways. (1.) The very refusal 
 to do this tends to harden it. And 
 (2.) in order to resist the appeals of 
 God, men must resort to the means 
 of voluntarily hardening the heart. 
 This they do by setting themselves 
 against the truth ; by the excuses 
 whicli they offer for not becoming 
 Christians ; by plunging into sin ia 
 order to avoid serious impressions ; 
 and by direct resistance of the Holy 
 Ghost. No inconsiderable part of the 
 efforts of sinners consists in endea- 
 vouring to produce insensibility in 
 their minds to the truth and the ap- 
 peals of God. If As in the provoca. 
 tion. Literally, in the embittering — 
 tv Tu> TTaouTTiKpaaiiio. Then it means 
 that wiiich embitters or provokes the 
 mind — as disobedience. Here it re- 
 fers to what tliey did to embitter the 
 mind of God against them ; that is, 
 to the course of conduct which was 
 adopted to provoke him to wrath. 
 IT In the day of temptation. In the 
 lime of temptation — the word day 
 being used here, as it is otlen, to de. 
 note an indefinite period, or time in 
 general. The word temptation iiere 
 refers to the various provocations by 
 whicli they tried the patience of God. 
 Tiiey rebelled against him ; they did 
 that svhicli put the divine patience' 
 and forbearance to a trial. It docs 
 not mean tiiat they ♦ 'k*^ 0"v«» Ut 
 
k. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 83 
 
 9 When your fathers tempt- 
 ed me, proved me, and saw my 
 works forty years. 
 
 10 Wherefore I was grieved 
 with that generation, and said, 
 
 do evil, but that his long-suffering 
 was tried by their sins. IT /« the 
 ipilderness. The desert througli which 
 they passed. The word wilderness 
 in the Scriptures commonly means a 
 desert. Sec Notes Matt. iii. 1. "One 
 provocation was in demanding bread 
 at Siii ; a second for want of water 
 at Massah or Meribah ; a third time 
 at Sinai with the golden calf; a fourth 
 time at Taberah for want of flesh ; a 
 fifth time at Kadesh when they re- 
 fused to go up into Canaan, and the 
 oath came that they should die in the 
 wilderness. A like refusal may pre- 
 vent us from entering into rest." — 
 Dr. J. P. Wilson, MS. Notes. 
 
 9. Proved me. " As if they would 
 have made an experiment how much 
 it was possible for me to bear." Dod- 
 dridge. The meaning is, they put 
 my patience to a thorough trial. 
 If And saw my works. That is, my 
 miracles, or my interpositions in their 
 behalf. They saw the wonders at 
 the Red Sea, the descent on Mount 
 Sinai, the supply of manna, &c., and 
 yet while seeing those works they re- 
 belled. Even while sinners looli on 
 the doings of God, and are surrounded 
 by the proofs of his power and good- 
 ness, they rebel, and prowke him to 
 anger. Men sin when God is tilling 
 their houses with plenty; when he 
 opens his hand daily to supply their 
 wants ; when they behold tiie mani- 
 festations of his goodness on the sea 
 and on the land ; and even in the midst 
 of all the blessings of redemption, 
 they provoke him to wrath. IT Forty 
 
 ^ years. The whole time during which 
 they were passing from Egypt to the 
 promised land. This may jncan either 
 that they saw his works forty years, 
 or that they tempted hioi forty years. 
 The sense is not materially affected 
 whichever interpretation is preferred. 
 
 1 0. Wherefore I was grieved. On 
 
 They do always err in their 
 heart ; and they have not known 
 my ways. 
 
 1 1 So I sware in my wrath, ' 
 
 • if they shall enter. 
 
 the word grieved, see Notes on Eph. 
 iv. 30. The word here means that 
 he was offended with, or that he was 
 indignant at them. IT They do always 
 err in their heart. Their long trial 
 of forty years had been sufKcient to 
 show that it was a characteristic of 
 the people that they were disposed to 
 wander from God. Forty years are 
 enough to show what the character 
 is. They had seen his works ; they 
 had been called to obey him; they 
 had received his law ; and yet their 
 conduct during that time had shown 
 that they were not disposed to obey 
 him. So of an individual. A man 
 who has lived in sin forty years ; who 
 during all that time has rebelled 
 against God, and disregarded all his 
 appeals; who has lived for himself 
 and not for his Maker, has shown 
 what his character is. Longer time 
 is unnecessary; and if God should 
 then cut him down and consign him 
 to hell, he could not be blamed for 
 doing it. A man who during forty 
 years will live in sin, and resist all 
 the appeals of God, shows what is in 
 his heart, and no injustice is done if 
 then he is summoned before God, and 
 he swears that he shall not enter into 
 his rest. 1i And they have not known 
 my ways. They have been rebel- 
 lious. They have not been acquainted 
 with tlie true God ; or they have not 
 approved my doings. The word 
 know is often used in the Scriptures 
 in tlie sense of approving, or loving. 
 See Notes Matt. vii. 23. 
 
 11. So I sware in my wrath. God 
 is often represented in the Scriptures 
 as swearing — and usually as swearing 
 by himself, or by iiis own existence. 
 Of course this is figurative, and de- 
 notes a strong affirmation, or a settled 
 and determined purpose. An oath 
 with us implies the strongest affirma- 
 tion, or the expression of tlie most 
 
84 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. I). 64i 
 
 They shall not enter into my [there be in any of you an evil" 
 
 rest.) 
 
 12 Take heed, brethren, lest 
 
 a Mar. 7. 21. 23. 
 
 heart of unbelief, in departing * 
 from the living God. 
 
 b Je. 2. 13. 
 
 settled and determined purpose of 
 mind. The meaning here is, that so 
 refractory and perverse had they 
 showed themselves, that lie solemnly 
 resolved that they should never enter 
 into the land of Canaan. ^ They 
 thall not enter into my rest. Marg. 
 As in the original, if they shall enter. 
 That is, they shall not enter. The 
 word (DX) if has this negative mean- 
 ing in Hebrew, and this meaning is 
 transferred to the Greek word if. 
 Comp. I. Sam. iii. 17 ; II. Sam. iii. 35 ; 
 II. Kings vi. 31. It is called 'my 
 rest' here, meaning that it was such 
 rest as God had provided, or such as 
 he enjoyed. The particular rest re- 
 ferred to here was that of the land of 
 Canaan, but which was undoubtedly 
 regarded as emblematic of the ' resV 
 in heaven. Into that rest God so- 
 lemnly said they should never enter. 
 They had been rebellious. All the 
 means of reclaiming them had failed. 
 God had warned and entreated them ; 
 he had caused his mercies to pass 
 before them, and had visited them 
 with judgments in vain ; and he now 
 declares that for all their rebellion 
 they should be excluded from the 
 promised land. God speaks here in 
 the manner of men. Men are affected 
 with feelings of indignation in such 
 circumstances, and God makes use 
 of such language as expresses such 
 feelings. But we are to understand 
 it in a manner consistent with his 
 character, and we are not to suppose 
 that he is affected with the same 
 emotions which agitate the bosoms 
 of men. The meaning is, that he 
 formed and expressed a deliberate and 
 solemn purpose that they sliould never 
 enter into the promised land. Whether 
 this rest refers here to heaven, and 
 whether the meaning is that God 
 would exclude them from that blessed 
 world, will be more appropriately 
 
 considered in the next chapter. The 
 particular idea is, that they were to be 
 excluded from the promised land, and 
 that they should fall in the wilder- 
 ness. No one can doubt, also, that 
 their conduct had been such as to 
 show that the great body of them 
 were unfit to enter into heaven. 
 
 12. Take heed, brethren. Iri view 
 of the conduct of the rebellious Jews, 
 and of their fearful doom, be on j'our 
 guard lest you also be found to have 
 had the same feelings of rebellion 
 and unbelief. See to it, that under 
 the new dispensation, and in the en- 
 joyment of the privileges of the gos- 
 pel, you be not found to manifest such 
 feelings as shall exclude )'ou from the 
 heavenly world. The principle has 
 been settled by their unbelief that 
 they who oppose God will be excluded 
 from his rest. That may be shown 
 under all dispensations, and in all 
 circumstances, and there is not less 
 danger of it under the gospel than 
 there was wlien the fathers were con- 
 ducted to the promised land. You 
 are travelling through a wilderness — 
 the barren wilderness of this world. 
 You arc exposed to trials and temp, 
 tations. You meet with many a. 
 deadly and mighty foe. You have 
 hearts prone to apostasy and sin. You 
 are seeking a land of promise ; a land 
 of rest. You are surrounded by the 
 vi-onders of Almighty power, and by 
 the proofs of infinite beneficence. 
 Disobedience and rebellion in you 
 will as certainly exclude you from 
 heaven as their rebellion did them 
 from the promised land; and as their 
 great sin was unbelief, be on your 
 guard lest you manifest the same. 
 IT An evil heart of unbelief. An evil, 
 unbelieving heart. The word unbe- 
 lief is used to qualify the word heart, 
 by a Hebraism — a mode of speech 
 that is common in the New Testa- 
 ment. An unbelieving heart was the 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 85 
 
 13 But exhort" one another 
 daily, while it is called To-day ; 
 
 a c. 10. 24. 
 
 lest any of you be hardened 
 through the deceitfulness of 
 
 sin. 
 
 cause of their apostasy, and what 
 worked their ruin will produce ours. 
 The root of their evil was a want of 
 confidence in God — and this is what 
 is meant here by a heart of unbelief. 
 The great difficulty on earth every- 
 where is a leant of confidence in God 
 — and this has produced all the ills 
 that man has ever sutfered. It led 
 to the first apostasy ; and it has led 
 to every other apostasy — and will con- 
 tinue to produce the same effects to 
 the end of the world. The apostle 
 says that this heart of unbelief is 
 " evil." Men often feel that it is a 
 matter of little consequence whether 
 they have faith or not, provided their 
 conduct is right ; and hence they do 
 not see or admit the propriety of what 
 is said about the consequences of un- 
 belief in the Scriptures. But what 
 do they say about a want of confi- 
 dence between a husband and wife ? 
 Are there no evils in that? What 
 liusband can sleep with quietness on 
 his pillow, if he has no confidence in 
 the virtue of his wife ? What child 
 can have peace who has no confidence 
 in a parent ? How can there be pros- 
 perity in a community where there 
 is no confidence in a bank, or an in- 
 surance office, or where one merchant 
 has no confidence in another ; where 
 a neighbour has no confidence in his 
 neighbour ; where the sick have no 
 confidence in a physician, and where 
 in general all confidence is broken up 
 between man and man ? If I wished 
 to produce the deepest distress in any 
 community, and had the power, I 
 would produce the same want of con- 
 fidence between man and man which 
 there is now between man and his 
 Maker. I would thus take away sleep 
 fi'om the pillow of every husband and 
 wife ; every parent and child ; and 
 make every man wretched with the 
 feeling that all the property which he 
 Had was insecure. Among men, no- 
 thing is seen to be productive of great- 
 8 
 
 er evil than a want of confidence or 
 faith — and why should not the same 
 evil exist in the divine administration? 
 And if want of confidence produces 
 such results between man and man, 
 why should it not produce similar, or 
 greater, miseries where it occurs in 
 relation to God ? There is not an 
 evil that man endures which might not 
 be alleviated or removed by confidence 
 in God ; and hence one great object 
 of the Christian religion is, to restore 
 to man his lost confidence in the God 
 that made him. IT In departing from 
 the living God. Manifested in de- 
 parting from him ; or leading to a 
 departure from him. The idea is, that 
 such a heart of unbelief would be 
 connected with apostasy from God. 
 All apostasy first exists in the heart, 
 and then is manifested in the life. 
 They who indulge in unbelief in any 
 form, or in regard to any subject, 
 should remember that this is the great 
 source of all alienation from God, 
 and that if indulged it will lead to 
 complete apostasy. They who wish 
 to live a life of piety should keep the 
 heart right. He that lives " by the 
 faith of the Son of God" is safe ; and 
 none is safe but he. 
 
 13. But exhort one another daily. 
 This is addressed to the members of 
 the churches; and it follows, there- 
 fore, (1) that it is their duty to ex- 
 hort their brethren ; and (2) that it is 
 their duty to do it daily ; that is, con- 
 stantly. See ch. x. 24 ; I. Thess. iv. 
 18 ; v. II ; Note Rom. xii. 8. While 
 this is the special duty of the minis- 
 ters of the gospel (I. Tim. vi. 2 ; II. 
 Tim. iv. 2 ; ~Titus ii. 6. 15), it is also 
 the duty of all the members of the 
 churches, and a most important, but 
 much-neglected duty. This does not 
 refer to public exhortation, which 
 more appropriately pertains to the 
 ministers of the gospel, but A.o that 
 private watch and care which the in- 
 dividual members of Uie church should 
 
8a 
 
 IIEBKEWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 have over one another. But in what 
 cases is such exhortation proper ? 
 Whjt rules should roirulatc it? I an- 
 swer, it may be regarded as a duty, 
 or is to be [jerlbrnied in sueii cases as 
 the followinjj. (1.) Intimate friends 
 in the church should exhort and coun- 
 sel one another ; should admoniKli 
 each other of their faults ; and siiould 
 aid one another in the divine life. 
 (2.) Parents should do the same thing- 
 to their children. TJicy are placed 
 particularly under their watcli and 
 care. A pastor cannot often see the 
 members of his flock in [)rivale ; and 
 a parent may greatly aid liim in liis 
 work by watching over the members 
 of their families who are connected 
 with the church. (3.) Sabbath-school 
 teachers may aid much in this duty. 
 They are to be assistants to parents 
 and to pastors. They often have un- 
 der their care youthful members of 
 the churches. They have an oppor- 
 tunity of knowing their state of mind, 
 their temptations, and their dangers 
 better than the pastor can have. It 
 «hould be theirs, therefore, to exhort 
 them to a holy life. (4.) The aged 
 should exhort the young. Every aged 
 Christian may thus do much for the 
 promotion of religion. His experi- 
 ence is the property of the church ; 
 and he is bound so to employ it as to 
 be useful in aiding the feeble, reclaim- 
 ing the wandering, recovering the 
 backslider, and directing the inquir- 
 ing. There is a vast amount of spir- 
 itual capital of this kind in the church 
 that is unemployed, and that might 
 be made eminently useful in helping 
 others to heaven. (5.) Church mem- 
 bers should exhort one another. There 
 may not be the intimacy of personal 
 friendship among all the members of 
 a large cliurcli, but still the connex- 
 ion between them should be regarded 
 as sufficiently tender and confidential 
 to make it proper for any one to ad- 
 monish a brother who goes astray. 
 Tliey belong to the same communion. 
 They sit down at tlie same supper of 
 the Lord. They express their as.^ent 
 to the same articles of faith. They 
 are regarded by the community as uni- 
 
 ted. Eacli member sustains a portion 
 
 of the honour and the responsibility 
 of tlie whole ; and each meniber should 
 feel that he has a right, and that it 
 is his duty to admonish a brother 
 if he goes astra}'. Yet this duty is 
 greatly neglected. In what church 
 is it performed ? How often do church 
 members see a fellow-member go 
 astray without any exhortation or 
 admonition I How often do they hear 
 reports of the inconsistent lives of 
 other members, and perhaps contri- 
 bute to the circulation of those reports 
 themselves, without any pains taken 
 to inquire whether they are true ! 
 How often do the poor fear the rich 
 members of the church, or the rich 
 despise the poor, and see one another 
 live in sin, without any attempt to 
 entreat or save them I I would not 
 have the courtesies of life violated. I 
 would not have any assume a dog- 
 matical or dictatorial air. I would 
 have no one step out of his proper 
 sphere of life. But the principle which 
 I would lay down is, that the fact of 
 church membership should inspire 
 such confidence as to make it proper 
 for one member to exhort another 
 whom he sees going astray. Belong, 
 ing to the same family ; having the 
 same interest in religion ; and all suf- 
 fcring when one suifers, why should 
 they not be allowed tenderly and kind- 
 ly to exhort one another to a holy life ? 
 IT While it is called To-day. While 
 life lasts ; or wliile you may be per- 
 mitted to use the language ' To-day 
 hciir the voice of God.' 'I'he idea is, 
 that the exhortation is not to be inter- 
 mitted. It is to be our daily business 
 to admonish and exhort one another. 
 Christians are liable every day to go 
 astray ; every day they need aid in 
 the divine life ; and they who are fel- 
 low-heirs with tlicm of salvafion 
 should be ever ready to counsel and 
 advise them. If Lest any of you be 
 hardened. Notes on ver. i^. It is pos- 
 silile tor Christians to become in a 
 sense hardened. Their minds become 
 less sensitive than they were to the. 
 claims of duty, and tlieir consciences 
 become less tender. Hence the pro- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 87 
 
 14 For we are made partak- 
 ers of Christ, if" we hold the 
 
 a ver. 6. 
 
 priety of mulual exhortation, that 
 they may always have the right feel- 
 ing-, and may always listen to the 
 commands of God. IT The deceitful- 
 vess of sin. Notes on Eph. iv. 22. 
 Sin is always deceitful. It promises 
 more than it performs. It assures us 
 of pleasure which it never imparts. 
 It leads us on beyond what was sup- 
 posed when we began to indulge in 
 it. The man who commits sin is 
 always under a delusion ; and sin, if 
 he indulges it, will lead him on from 
 one step to another until the heart 
 becomes entirely hardened. Sin puts 
 on plausible appearances and pre- 
 tences ; it assumes the name of vir- 
 tue ; it offers excuses and palliations, 
 until the victim is snared, and thea 
 spell-bound he is hurried on to every 
 excess. If sin was always seen in 
 its true aspect when man is tempted 
 to commit it, it would be so hateful 
 that he would flee fi:om it with the 
 utmost abhorrence. What young 
 man would become a drunkard if he 
 saw when he began exactly the career 
 which he would run ? What young 
 man, now vigorous and healthfiil, and 
 with fair prospects of usefulness and 
 happiness, would ever touch the in- 
 toxicating bowl, if he saw what he 
 would be when he became a sot ? 
 What man would ever enter the room 
 of the gambler if he saw just where 
 indulgence would soon lead him, and 
 if at the commencement he saw ex- 
 actly the wo and despair which would 
 inevitably ensue ? Who would be- 
 come a voluptuary and a sensualist, 
 if he saw exactly the close of such a 
 career ? Sin deceives, deludes, blinds. 
 Men do not, or will not, see the fear- 
 ful results of indulgence. They are 
 deluded by the hope of happiness or 
 of gain ; they are drawn along by the 
 fascinations and allurements of plea- 
 sure until the heart becomes hard 
 and the conscience seared — and then 
 tliey give way without remorse. 
 
 beginning of our confidence 
 steadfast unto the end ; 
 
 From such a course, the apostle would 
 have Christians guarded by kind and 
 affectionate exhortation. Each one 
 should feel that he has an interest in 
 keeping his brother from such a doom ; 
 and each Cliristian thus in danger 
 should be willing to listen to the kind 
 exhortation of a Christian brother. 
 
 14. For we are made partakers of 
 Christ. We are spiritually united to 
 the Saviour. We become one with 
 him. We partake of his spirit and 
 his allotments. The sacred writers 
 are accustomed to describe the Chris- 
 tian as being closely united to the Sa- 
 viour, and as being one with him. 
 See Notes on John xv. 1 — 7 ; xvii. 21. 
 23 ; Eph. V. .30 ; I. Cor. xii. 27. The 
 idea is, that we participate in all that 
 pertains to him. It is a union of 
 feeling and affection ; a union of prin- 
 ciple and of congeniality ; a union 
 of dependence as well as love ; a 
 union where nothing is to be impart- 
 ed by us, but everything gained ; and 
 a union, therefore, on the part of the 
 Redeemer of great condescension. 
 It is the union of the branch to the 
 vine, where the branch is supported 
 and nourished by the vine, and not 
 the union of the ivy and the oak, 
 where the ivy has its own roots, and 
 merely clings around the oak and 
 climbs up upon it. What else can be 
 said so honourable of man as that 
 he is 'a partaker of Christ ;' that he 
 shares his feelings here, and that he 
 is to share his honours in a brighter 
 world ? Compared with this, what is 
 it to participate with the rich and the 
 gay in their pleasures ; what would it 
 be to share in the honours of conquer- 
 ors and kings 1'ilfwe hold the begin, 
 ning of our confidence steadfast. See 
 Note ver. 6. If we continue tp maintain 
 the same confidence which we had in 
 the beginning, or which we sliowed at 
 the commencement of our Christian 
 life. At first, they had been firm in the 
 Christian hope. They evinced true 
 
88 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 and strong attachment to the Re- 
 deemer. Tliey were ardent and de- 
 voicd to his cause. If they continued 
 to maintain tliat to the end, that is, 
 th". end of life ; if in llie midst of all 
 teu\ptations and trials tiiey adliered 
 inllexibly to the cause of the Saviour, 
 they would show that they were true 
 Christians, and would partake of the 
 blessedness of the heavenly world 
 with the licdecmer. The idea is, 
 that it is only p^T.soverance in the 
 ways of relijri lu that constitutes cer- 
 tain evidence of piety. Where piety 
 is manifested through life, or where 
 there is an untiring devotion to the 
 cause of God, there the evidence is 
 clear and undoubted. But where 
 there is at first great ardour, zeal, 
 and confidence, which soon dies away, 
 then it is clear that they never had any 
 real attachment to him and liis cause. 
 It may be remarked here, that the 
 ' beginning of the confidence' of those 
 who are deceived, and who know no- 
 thing about religion at heart, is often 
 as bold as where there is true piety. 
 The hypocrite makes up in ardour 
 what he lacks in sincerity ; and he 
 who is really deceived, is usually de- 
 ceived under the influence of some 
 strong and vivid emotion, which he 
 mistakes for true religion. Often the 
 sincere convert is calm, though de- 
 cided, and sometimes is even timo- 
 rous and doubting ; while the self-de- 
 ceiver is noisy in profession, and cla- 
 morous in his zeal, and much dis- 
 posed to blame the lukewarmness of 
 others. Evidence of piety, therefore, 
 should not be built on that early, 
 zoal ; nor should it be concluded that 
 because there is ardour, there is of 
 necessity genuine religion. Ardour 
 is valuable, and true religion is ar- 
 dent ; but there is other ardour than 
 that which the gospel inspires. The 
 evidence of genuine piety is to be 
 found in that which will bear us 
 up under trials, and endure amidst 
 persecution and opposition. The doc- 
 trine here is, that it is necessary to 
 persevere if we would have the evi- 
 dence of true piety. This doctrine 
 is taught everywhere in the Scrip- 
 
 tures. Persevere in what ? I answer, 
 not (1.) merely in a profession of re- 
 ligioUj, A man may do that and have 
 no piety. (2.) Not in zeal for party, 
 or sect. The Pharisees had that to 
 the end of their lives. (.3.) Not in 
 mere honesty, and correctness of ex- 
 ternal deportment. A man may do 
 that in the church, as well as out of 
 it, and yet have no religion. But we 
 should persevere (1.) in the love of 
 God and of Ciirist — in conscious, ar- 
 dent, steady attachment to Him to 
 whom our lives arc professedly de- 
 voted. {2.) In the secret duties of 
 religion. In that watchfulness over 
 the heart ; that communion with God ; 
 that careful study of the Bible; that 
 guardianship over the temper ; and 
 in that habitual intercourse with , 
 God in secret prayer which is ap- 
 propriate to a Cliristian, and which 
 marks the Christian character. (3.) 
 In the performance of the public du- 
 ties of religion ; in leading a Chris, 
 tian life — as distinguished fi-om a life 
 of worldliness and vanity ; a life of 
 mere morality, and honesty ; a life 
 such as thousands lead who are out 
 of the church. There is someth?ng 
 which distinguishes a Christian from 
 one who is not a Christian ; a reli- 
 gions from an irreligious man. There 
 is something in religion; something 
 which serves to characterize a Chris- 
 tian, and unless that something is 
 manifested, there can be no evidence 
 of true piety. The Christian is to be 
 distinguished in temper, feeling, de- 
 portment, aims, plans, from the men 
 of this world — and unless those cha- 
 racteristics are shown in the life and 
 deportment, there can be no well- 
 founded evidence of religion. Learn 
 (1.) that it is not mere feeling that 
 furnishes evidence of religion. (2.) 
 That it is not mere excitement that 
 constitutes religion. (.3.) That it is 
 not mere ardour. (4.) That it is not 
 mere zeal. All these may be tempo- 
 rary. Religion is something t(^at lasts 
 through life. It goes with a man 
 everywhere. It is with him in trial. 
 It forms his plans ; regulates his tem- 
 per; Kuggfists his words; prompts to 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 89 
 
 15 While it is said, " To-day 
 if ye will hear his voice, harden 
 
 a ver. 7. b Nu. 14. 2, ifcc. 
 
 his actions. It lives with him in all 
 his external changes, and goes with 
 him through the dark valley of death, 
 and accompanies him up to the bar 
 of God, and is with him for ever. 
 
 15. While it is said, Today, &c. 
 That is, persevere as long as life lasts, 
 or as long as it can be said ' to-day ;' 
 and by persevering in this manner 
 you will have evidence that you are 
 the friends of the Redeemer. This 
 is a quotation from Ps. xcv. 7. Paul 
 means, undoubtedly, to make use of 
 this language himself as a direct ex- 
 hortation to the Christians to v/hom 
 he was writing. He entreats them, 
 therefore, as long as it could be said 
 ' to-day,' or as long as life lasted, to 
 take care lest they should harden 
 their hearts as had been done in the 
 temptation in the wilderness. 
 
 16. For some. Some of the He- 
 brews who came out of Egypt. The 
 truth was that a large proportion of 
 them rebelled against God, and pro- 
 voked him to indignation. It is some- 
 what remarkable that though all the 
 Hebrews seem to have joined in the 
 provocation — except a very small 
 number — Paul should have used lan- 
 guage which would seem to imply 
 that the number which rebelled was 
 comparatively small. Another ver- 
 sion, therefore, has been given to this 
 passage by some of the most eminent 
 critics, consisting merely in a change 
 in the punctuation, by which a dif- 
 
 I ferent view is given of the whole sen- 
 tence. According to this it would be 
 a question, and would mean, ' But 
 who were they who when they had 
 [heard did provoke ? Were they not 
 f all indeed who came out of Egypt 
 under Mpses ? And with whom was 
 he angry forty years ? Was it not 
 witli those who sinned, whose car- 
 casses fell in the wilderness ?' This 
 version was adopted by Chrysostom, 
 Theodoret, and others of the Fathers ; 
 and is adopted by Rosenmiiller, Clarke, 
 8* 
 
 not your hearts, as in the pro- 
 vocation. 
 
 16 For* some, when they 
 
 Stuart, Pyle, and some others. In 
 favour of it, it may be alleged, (1) 
 that the Greek will bear it, all the 
 change required being in the punctu- 
 ation ; (2) that it avoids the difficulty 
 which exists in the other interpreta- 
 tion, of supposing the apostle to imply 
 that but lew of them rebelled, when 
 the truth was that it was nearly all ; 
 (3) it thus accords with the remainder 
 of the exhortation, which consists in 
 a series of questions ; and (4) it agrees 
 with the scope and design of the whole. 
 The object was not to state that it 
 was not all who came out of Egypt 
 that rebelled, or that the number was 
 small, but that the great body of them 
 rebelled and fell in the wilderness, 
 and that Christians should be admo- 
 nished by their example. These rea- 
 sons seem to be so strong as to make 
 it probable that this is the true con- 
 struction, and the sense then will be, 
 ' For who were they that having 
 heard did provoke ? Were they not 
 all who came out of Egypt under 
 Moses ?' IT When they had heard 
 Had heard God speaking to them, 
 and giving them his commands 
 ^ Did provoke. Provoked him to an- 
 ger; or their conduct was such as 
 was fitted to produce indignation. 
 See Note on ver. 8. IT Howheil. KX\d. 
 But. This particle " in a series of 
 questions, and standing at the head 
 of a question, means 6M<,/MriAer. It 
 serves to connect, and give intensity 
 to the interrogation." Stuart. Paul 
 means to ask with emphasis whethei 
 the great mass of those who came 
 out of Egypt did not apostatize ? At 
 the same time he means to intimate 
 that there is no security that they 
 who have witnessed remarkable ma- 
 nifestations of the greatness of God, 
 and who have partaken of extraordi- 
 nary mercies, will not apostatize and 
 perish. As the Hebrews, who heard 
 God speak from Mount Sinai, revolted 
 and perished, so it is possible that 
 
90 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 had heard, did provoke : how- 
 beit not all that came out of 
 Egypt by Moses. 
 
 17 But with whom was he 
 grieved forty years 1 was it not 
 
 they who witness the mercies of God 
 in redemption, may be in danger of 
 abusing all those mcreies, and of pe- 
 rishing. By the example, therefore, 
 of the disobedient Israelites, he would 
 admonisii professed Christians of their 
 danger. ^ Not all, &,c. According 
 to the interpretation proposed above, 
 ' Were they not all who came out of 
 Egypt ?' Or ' did not all who came 
 out of Egypt?' Ttie word all here 
 is not to be taken in the strict sense. 
 It is often used to denote the great 
 body ; a large proportion ; or vast 
 multitudes. Thus it is used in Matt, 
 iii. 5. " Then went out to him Jerusa- 
 lem, and all Judea, and all the region 
 round about Jordan." So in John 
 iii. 26. " The same baptizcth, and all 
 men came to him." So Pliil. ii. 21. 
 " For all seek their own." II. Cor. 
 iii. 2. " Ye tare our epistle, known 
 and read of all men." In fact there 
 were two exceptions — and but two 
 — of the adults who came out of 
 Egypt — Caleb and Joshua. Num. 
 xiv. 30. All the others murmured 
 against the Lord, and were prohibited 
 from entering the promised land. Of 
 the great multitudes who came out 
 of Egypt, and who murmured, the 
 exception was so small that the apos- 
 tle had no scruple in saying in general 
 that they were all rebellious. 
 
 17. But with whom teas he grieved 
 forty years 7 With whom was he 
 angry. See Notes on ver. 10. 11^ Was 
 it not with them that had sinned. That 
 had sinned in various ways — by re- 
 bellion, murmuring, unbelief. As 
 God was angry with them for their 
 Bins, we have the same reason to ap- 
 prehend that he will be angry with 
 «* if we sin ; and we should, there- 
 fore, be on our guard against that un- 
 belief which would lead us to depart 
 from him. Ver. 12. ^ Whose car- 
 cases fell, &-C. Num. xiv. 29. That 
 
 with them that had sinned, 
 whose carcases" fell in the wil- 
 derness. 
 
 18 And to whom sware * he 
 
 a Nu. 2fi. W, C5. Jude 5. b De. 1. 34, 35. 
 
 is, they all died, and were left on the 
 sands of the desert. The whole gene 
 ration was strewed along in the way 
 to Canaan. All of those who liad seen 
 the wonders that God had done " in 
 tile land of Ham ;" who had been 
 rescued in so remarkable a manner 
 from oppression, were thus cut down, 
 and died in the deserts through 
 which they were passing. Num. xxvi. 
 64, 65. Such an example of the 
 effects of revolt against God, and of 
 unbelief, was well fitted to admonish 
 Christians in the time of the apostle, 
 and is fitted to admonish us now, of 
 the danger of the sin of unbelief W^e 
 are not to suppose that all of those 
 who thus died were excluded from 
 heaven. Moses and Aaron were 
 among the number of those who were 
 not permitted to enter the promised 
 land, but of their piety there can be 
 no doubt. Beyond all question, also, 
 there were many others of that genu- 
 ration wlio were truly pious. But aV 
 different times they seem all to have 
 partaken of the prevalent feelings of 
 discontent, and were all involved in 
 the sweeping condemnation tliat they 
 should die in the wilderness. 
 
 18. And to whotn sware he. Note 
 ver. 11. H But to them that believed 
 not. That did not confide in God. 
 Dciit. i. 32. " Yet in this thing ije 
 did not believe the Lord your God." 
 In consequence of this want of faith, 
 God solemnly sware unto them tliat 
 they should not enter into the pro- 
 mised land. Deut. i. 34, 35. " And 
 the Lord heard the voice of your 
 words, and was wroth, and sware, 
 saying. Surely there shall not one of 
 these men of this evil generation, see 
 that good land wliich I sware to give 
 unto your fathers, save Caleb," &-c. 
 The distinct reason, therefore, as- 
 signed b}' .Moses why they did nol 
 cuter the promised land, was a want 
 
A. D, 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 91 
 
 that they should not enter into 
 his rest, but to them that be- 
 lieved not? 
 
 of faith, and this accords directly with 
 the design of the apostle here. He is 
 exhorting those whom he addressed 
 to beware of an evil heart of unbelief 
 Ver. 1'2. He says that it was such a 
 heart that excluded the Hebrews from 
 the promised land. The same thing, 
 says he, must exclude you from hea- 
 ven — the promised home of the be- 
 liever ; and if that firm confidence in 
 God and his promises which he re- 
 quires is wanting, you will be ex- 
 cluded from the world of eternal rest. 
 19. So we see, &;c. We see from 
 the direct testimony of the Old Tes- 
 tament that unbelief was the reason 
 why they were excluded from the 
 promised land. Let us learn in view 
 of the reasoning and exhortations 
 here, 
 
 (1.) The evil of unbelief It ex- 
 cluded that whole generation, consist- 
 ing of many hundred thousand souls, 
 from the land of promise — the land 
 to which they had looked with ardent 
 hopes, and with warm desires. It 
 will exclude countless millions from 
 heaven. A want of confidence in God 
 is the great source of evil in this 
 world, and will be the cause of wretch- 
 edness to all eternity of unnumbered 
 hosts. But surely that was not a 
 small or unimportant thing which 
 strewed the desert with the bones of 
 that whole generation whom God 
 had in so remarkable a manner res- 
 cued from Egyptian servitude. And 
 that cannot be a small matter which 
 will cause multitudes to sink down 
 to infinite wretchedness and despair. 
 (2.) Let us who are professed 
 ^ Christians be cautious against in- 
 dulging unbelief in our hearts. Our 
 difficulties all begin there. We lose 
 confidence in God. We doubt his 
 promises, his oaths, his threatenings. 
 In dark and trying times we begin to 
 have doubts about the wisdom of his 
 dealings, and about his goodness. 
 Unbelief once admitted into the heart 
 
 19 So » we see that they 
 could not enter in because of 
 unbelief. 
 
 a c. 4. 6. 
 
 is the beginning of many woes. 
 When a man loses confidence in God, 
 he is on a shoreless ocean that is full 
 of whirlpools, and rocks, and quick, 
 sands, and where it is impossible 
 to find a secure anchorage. There 
 is nothing to which he may moor 
 his driven bark ; and he will never 
 find safety or peace till he comes 
 back to God. 
 
 (3.) Let us live a life of faith. Let 
 us so live that we may say with Paul, 
 " The life that I novi^ live in the flesh 
 I live by the faith of the Son of God 
 who loved me and gave himself for 
 me." So living, we shall have peace. 
 The mind will be at rest. Storms 
 and tempests may blow, but we shall 
 be secure. Others may be troubled 
 in the vicissitudes of life, but our 
 minds will be at peace. 
 
 (4.) Let us live expecting the fiiture 
 ' rcsV that remains for us. Let us 
 keep our eye fixed upon it. To us 
 there is a rest promised, as there was 
 to the Hebrews whom God had de- 
 livered from the land of oppression ; 
 and we may by faith attain to that 
 ' rest' as they might have reached the 
 land of Canaan. 
 
 (5.) Let us persevere to the end. 
 He that draws back must be lost. 
 He that does not endure to the end 
 of life in the ways of religion can 
 never have been a Christian. There 
 is nothing which will furnish certain 
 evidence of religion unless our piety 
 is such as to lead us to perseyere 
 till death. The man who enters on 
 the professed Christian life expecting 
 to fall away, or who can look upon 
 the possibility of falling away without 
 concern has never known anything of 
 the nature of true religion. He can- 
 not be a Christian. He may have 
 had raptures and visions ; he may be 
 a loud professor and a noisy and zeal 
 ous partisan, but he has no evidence 
 that he has ever .known anything 
 about religion. That religion which 
 
!»3 
 
 HEBREWS, 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 is n«it connected with a firm and de- 
 termined purpose l)y the grace of God 
 to persevere to tlie cud of life, is no 
 true religion ; and a man who expects 
 to fall away and go back again to the 
 world, or who can look at sucli an 
 idea without alarm, should regard it 
 as a settled matter tiiat lie has no true 
 knowledge of God. 
 
 (6.) No man should delay the work 
 of salvation to a future time. 7b- 
 ddij is tlie accepted time ; to-day the 
 only time of which we have any se- 
 curity. God speaks to-day, and to-day 
 his voice should be heard. No man 
 on any subject should defer till to- 
 morrow vvliat ought to be done to-day. 
 He who defers religion till a future 
 time neglects his own best interest; 
 violates most solemn obligations; and 
 endangers his immortal soul. What 
 Becurity can any one have that he 
 will live to see another day ? What 
 evidence has he that he will be any 
 more disposed to attend to his salva- 
 tion then than he is now ? What 
 evidence can he have that he will not 
 provoke God by this course, and bring 
 condemnation on his soul ? Of all 
 delusions, that is the most wonderful 
 by which dying men arc led to defer 
 attention to the concerns of tlie soul 
 to a future period of life. Nowhere 
 has Satan such advantage as in keep- 
 ing this delusion before the mind ; 
 and if in respect to anything the 
 voice of warning and alarm should 
 be lifted loud and long, it is in refe- 
 rence to this. O why will not men 
 be wise to-day ? Why will they not 
 embrace the offer of salvation noio 1 
 Why will they not at once make sure 
 ofeternal happiness ? And why, amidst 
 the changes and trials of this life, 
 will they not so secure the everlasting 
 inheritance as to feel that that is safe 
 — that there is one thing at least that 
 cannot be shaken and disturbed by 
 commercial embarrassment and dis- 
 tress; one thing secure though friends 
 and kindred are torn away from them ; 
 one thing safe when their own health 
 fails, and they lie down on the bed 
 where they will bid adieu to all 
 earthly comforts, and from which 
 they will never rise ? 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CIUPTEK. 
 
 This chapter comprises two parts. 
 In the first (vs. 1—^13), the apostle 
 pursues and completes the exhortation 
 which he had commenced in the pre- 
 vious chapter, drawn from the compa- 
 rison of the Saviour with Moses (sec 
 tlie analysis of ch. iii.) ; and in the 
 second part (vs. 1 4 — 16), he enters on 
 the consideration of the character of 
 Christ as a high priest, which is pur- 
 sued to the end of the doctrinal part 
 of the epistle. 
 
 In the first part (vs. 1 — 13), he de- 
 scribes more at length the character 
 of the ' rest ' to which he had referred 
 in the previous chapter. He shows 
 (ver. l),that (he promise of a 'rest' 
 yet remains, and that there is still 
 danger, as there was formerly, of 
 coming short of it, or of losing it. 
 He affirms that such was the nature 
 of that promise, that it is applicable 
 to us as well as to those to whom it 
 was first made, and that the promise 
 of rest as really pertains to Cliristiana 
 now as it did to the Hebrews of old. 
 Ver. 2. The reason, he adds, (ver. 2.) 
 why they did not enter into that rest 
 was, that they had not faith. This 
 he had established in the previous 
 chapter, ver. 18. In vs. 3 — 6, he pro- 
 ceeds to demonstrate more at length 
 that there is a 'rest' remaining tor 
 those who believe. The great object 
 in this part of the chapter is to prove 
 that a ' rest' remains for believers 
 now ; a rest of a spiritual character, 
 and much more desirable than that 
 of the land of Canaan ; a rest to which 
 Christians may look forward, and 
 which there may be danger of losing. 
 Addressing Hebrew Christians, he 
 of course, appeals to the Old Testa 
 ment, and refers to several places 
 where the word ^rest' occurs, and ar- 
 gues that those expressions are of such 
 a character as to show that there re- 
 mains a ' rest' for Christians yet. It 
 would have been easy to have ajfirm'ed 
 this as a part of the Christian reve- 
 lation, but throughout the epistle ho 
 is bringing his illustrations from the 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 93 
 
 Old Testament, and showing to the 
 Hebrew Christians to whom he wrote 
 that there were abundant considera- 
 tions in the Old Testament itself to 
 constitute an argument why they 
 should adhere inviolably to the Chris- 
 tian religion. He says, therefore, 
 ver. 4, that God himself had spoken 
 of his own rest from his works ; that 
 when he had finished the work of 
 creation he had instituted a rest which 
 was characterized by the peace, and 
 beauty, and order of the first Sabbath 
 after the work of creation, when all 
 was new, and lovely, and pure. That 
 might be called the rest of God — a 
 beautiful emblem of that which dwells 
 around his throne in heaven. The 
 meaning of this verse (ver. 4) is, that 
 the Bible spoke early of a rest which 
 appertained to God himself. In ver. 
 5, he goes on to say that the prospect 
 of entering into his rest was spoken 
 of as a possible thing ; that some were 
 excluded, but that there was a place 
 deserved to be called ' the rest of God' 
 — " My rest" — to which all may come. 
 Of course, that rest must be of a spir- 
 itual nature, and must be different 
 from that of the promised land. That 
 ' rest'' the apostle implies it was pos- 
 sible to attain. He does not argue 
 this point at length, but he assumes 
 that God would not create a place 6f 
 rest in vain ; that it was made to be 
 enjoyed ; and that since those to whom 
 it was at first offered were excluded, 
 i it must follow that it remained still ; 
 I and as they were excluded by the 
 ' want of faith, it would follow also 
 that it was reserved for those who had 
 faith. Of course, therefore, it is of- 
 fered to Christians now. Ver. 6. 
 
 This view he proceeds to confirm 
 
 by another consideration. Vs. 7, 8. It 
 
 is that David, who lived nearly five 
 
 i^lmndred years afler the land of pro- 
 
 i mise had been occupied by the Israel- 
 
 I ites, spoke then of the possibility of 
 
 entering into such a ' rest.' He says 
 
 i (Ps. xcv. 7), that, in his time, the pco- 
 
 ) pie were called to hear the voice of 
 
 God ; that he warned them against 
 
 tiie guilt and danger of hardening 
 
 their hearts ; that he reminded them 
 
 that it was by that that the Israelites 
 
 were excluded from the promised land, "* 
 and that he said that the same thing 
 would occur if those in his own time 
 should harden their hearts. It fol- 
 lowed, therefore, that even in the time 
 of David there was a hope and pro- 
 mise of ' rest ;' and that there was 
 something more intended for the true 
 people of God than merely entering 
 into the promised land. There must 
 be something in advance of that ; 
 something that existed to the time of 
 David — and it must be, therefore, a 
 spiritual rest. This, the apostle adds, 
 ver. 8, is conclusive ; for if Joshua 
 had given them all the ' rest' that was 
 contemplated, then David would not 
 have spoken as he did of the danger 
 of being excluded from it in his time. 
 He, therefore, (ver. 9), comes to the 
 conclusion that there must still re- 
 main a ' rest' for the people of God, 
 a ' rest ' to which they were invited, 
 and which they were in danger of 
 losing by unbelief He adds (ver. 1 0), 
 that he who enters into that 'rest' 
 ceases from toil, as God did from his 
 when he had finished the work of 
 creation. Since, therefore, there is 
 such a ' rest,' and since there is dan- 
 ger of coming short of it, the apostle 
 urges them (ver. 11), to make every 
 effort to enter -into it. He adds (vs. 
 12, 13), as a consideration to quicken 
 them to earnest effort and to anxious 
 care lest they should be deceived, and 
 should fail of it, the fact that God 
 cannot be deceived ; that his word 
 penetrates the heart, and that every- 
 thing is naked and open before him. 
 There should, therefore, be the most 
 faithfld investigation of the heart, lest 
 they should fail of the grace of God, 
 and lose the hoped-for rest. 
 
 In the second portion of the chap, 
 ter (vs. 14 — 16), he enters on the con- 
 sideration of the character of Christ 
 as High Priest, and says that since 
 we have such an High Priest as he is, 
 we should be encouraged to come 
 boldly to the throne of grace. We 
 have encouragement to persevere fi'om 
 the fact that we have such a High 
 Priest, and in all our conscious weak- 
 ness and helplessnes we may look to 
 him for aid. 
 
94 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LET us" therefore fear, lest 
 a promise being loft us of 
 
 I. Let us therefore fear. Let us be 
 apprehensive that wc may possibly 
 fail of that rest. The kind of fear 
 which is recommended here is that 
 whicii leads to caution and care. A 
 man wiio is in danger of losinjr liis 
 life or health should be watchful ; a 
 ecaman that is in danger of running 
 on a lee-shorc should be on his guard. 
 So wc who have the offer of heaven, 
 and who yet are in danger of losing 
 it, should take all possible precautions 
 lest we fail of it. II Lest a promise 
 being left us. Paul assumes here that 
 there is sucli a promise. In the sub- 
 sequent part of the chapter, he goes 
 more into the subject, and proves from 
 the Old Testament that there is sucii 
 a promise made to us. It is to be 
 remembered that Paul had not the 
 New Testament then to appeal to, as 
 we have, which is perfectly clear on 
 the subject, but that he was obliged 
 to appeal to the Old Testament. Tliis 
 he did not only because the New 
 Testament was not then written, but 
 because he was reasoning with those 
 who had been Hebrews, and who re- 
 garded the authority of the Old Tes- 
 tament as decisive. If his reasoning 
 to us appears somewhat obscure, we 
 should put ourselves in his place, 
 and should remember that the con- 
 verts then had not the full light which 
 we have now in the New Testament. 
 IT Of entering into his rest. The rest 
 of God — the rest of the world where 
 he dwells. It is called his rest, be- 
 cause it is that whicli he enjoys, and 
 which he alone can confer. Tlicre 
 can be no doubt that Paul refers here 
 to heaven, and means to say that 
 there is a promise lefl to Christians 
 of being admitted to the enjoyment 
 of that blessed world where God 
 dwells. ^ Any of you should seem to 
 come short of it. Tlie word " seem" 
 here is used as a form of gentle and 
 mild address, implying the possibility 
 of thus coming sliort. The word 
 
 entering into his rest, any of 
 you should seem to come short 
 of it. 
 
 a c. 12. 15 . 
 
 here — foKtu — is often used so as to 
 appear to give no essential addition 
 passage, though 
 
 to the sense of a 
 
 it is probable that it always gave a 
 shading to the meaning. Thus the 
 phrase esse videatur is ot\en used by 
 Cicero at the end of a period, to de- 
 note merely that a thing teas — though 
 he expressed it as tliough it merely 
 seemed to be. Such language is often 
 used in argument or in conversation 
 as a modest expression, as when we 
 say a thing seems to be so and so, 
 instead of saying ' it is.' In some 
 such sense Paul probably used the 
 phrase here — perhaps as expressing 
 what we would by this language — 
 ' lest it should appear at last that any 
 of you had come short of it.' The 
 phrase ' come short of it' is probably 
 used with reference to the journey to 
 the promised land, where they who 
 came out of Egypt came short of that 
 land, and fell in the wilderness. They 
 did not reach it. — This verse teaches 
 the important truth that, though hea- 
 ven is otFered to us, and that a ' rest' 
 is promised to us if we seek it, yet 
 that there is reason to think that 
 many may fail of reaching it who 
 had expected to obtain it. Among 
 those will be the following classes : — 
 (1.) Those who are professors of reli- 
 gion but who have never known any- 
 thing of true piety. (2.) Those who 
 are expecting to be saved by their 
 own works, and are looking forward 
 to a world of rest on the ground of 
 what their own hands can do. (3.) 
 Tliose who defer attention to the 
 subject from time to time until it be- 
 comes too late. They expect to reach 
 heaven, but they arc not ready to give 
 their hearts to God now, and the sub- 
 ject is deferred from one period to 
 another, until death arrests them un- 
 prepared. (4.) Those who have been 
 awakened to see their guilt and dan- 
 ger, and who iiavc been almost but 
 not quite ready to give up their heartj 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 95 
 
 2 For unto us was the gos- 
 pel preached, as well as unto 
 them : but the word preached ' 
 
 1 of hearing. 
 
 to God. Such were Agrippa, Felix, 
 the young- ruler (Mark x. 21), and 
 such are all those who are almost but 
 not quite prepared to give up the 
 world and to devote themselves to the 
 Redeemer. To all these the promise 
 of ' rest' is made, if they will accept 
 of salvation as it is offered in the gos- 
 pel ; all of them cherish a hope that 
 they will be saved ; and all of them 
 are destined alike to be disappointed. 
 With what earnestness, therefore, 
 should we strive that wo may not fail 
 of the grace of God ! 
 
 2. For unto us was the gospel 
 preached as well as vnto them. This 
 translation by no means conveys the 
 sense of the original. According to 
 this, it would seem that the gospel, as 
 we understand it, or the whole plan 
 of salvation, was communicated to 
 them, as well as to us. But this is by 
 no means the idea. The discussion 
 has reference only to the promise of 
 rest, and the assertion of the apostle 
 is, that this good news of a promise 
 of rest is made to us as really as it 
 was made to them. 'Rest' was pro- 
 mised to them in the land of Canaan 
 — an emblem of the eternal rest of 
 the people of God. That was un- 
 questioned, and Paul took it for 
 granted. His object now is, to show 
 that a promise of ' rest' is as really 
 made to us as it was to them, and 
 that there is the same danger of fail- 
 I ing to secure it as there was then. 
 It was important for him to show 
 that there was such a promise made 
 to the people of God in his time, and 
 as he was discoursing of those who 
 were Hebrews, he of course made his 
 appeal to the Old Testament. The 
 literal translation would be, ' For we 
 are evangelized — icficv tvi^yytXiaonivoi 
 • — as well as they.' The word evan- 
 gelize means to communicate good 
 news, or glad tidings ; and the idea 
 here is, that the good news, or glad 
 tidings of ' rest' i.s announced to us 
 
 did not profit thenn,^ not being 
 mixed with faith in them that 
 heard %t. 
 
 2 or, because they weie not united by faith to. 
 
 as really as it was to them. This 
 the apostle proves in the following 
 verses. If But the loord preached. 
 Marg. Of hearing. The word preach 
 we also use now in a technical sense 
 as denoting a formal proclamation of 
 the gospel by the ministers of reli- 
 gion. But this is not the idea here 
 It means, simply, the word which 
 they heard ; and refers particularly to 
 the promise of ' rest' which was 
 made to them. That message was 
 communicated to them by Moses. 
 ^ Did not profit them. They derived 
 no advantage from it. They rejected 
 and despised it, and were, therefore, 
 excluded from the promised land. It 
 exerted no influence over their hearts 
 and lives, and they lived and died as 
 though no such promise had been 
 made. Thus many persons live and 
 die now. The offer of salvation is 
 made to them. They are invited to 
 come and be saved. They are as- 
 sured that God is willing to save them, 
 and that the Redeemer stands with 
 open arms to welcome them to hea- 
 ven. They are trained up under the 
 gospel ; are led early in life to the 
 sanctuary ; are in the habit of attend, 
 ing on the preaching of the gospel 
 all their days, but still what they hear 
 exerts no saving influence on their 
 hearts. At the close of life all that 
 could be truly said of them is, that 
 they have not been profited; it has 
 been no real advantage to them in 
 regard to tlieir final destiny that they 
 have enjoyed so many privileges. 
 IT Not being mixed with faith in them 
 that heard it. Marg. 'Or, because 
 they were not united by faith to* 
 There are some various readings on 
 this text, and one of these has given 
 occasion to the version in the margin 
 Many MSS. instead of the common 
 reading — avyKCKpajxivoi — by which the 
 word mixed would he united to 
 i \6yoi — '<Ae word,'' have another 
 reading — fl-vyctvpa/uVouy — according 
 
96 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. Gl. 
 
 to which the word mixed would refer 
 to ' them,' and would mean that they 
 who heard the word and rejected it 
 were not mixed, or united with those 
 who believed it. The former reading 
 makes the best sense, and is the best 
 sustained ; and the idea is, that the 
 message which was preached was 
 not received into tlie heart by faith. 
 They were destitute of laitli, and the 
 message did not profit them. The 
 word mixed is supposed by many of 
 the best critics to refer to the process 
 by which food is made nutritive, by 
 being properly mixed with the saliva 
 and the gastric juice, and thus con- 
 verted into chyme, and chyle, and 
 then changed into blood. If suitably 
 mixed in this manner, it contributes 
 to the lite and health of the bodily 
 frame ; if not, it is tlie means of dis- 
 ease and death. So it is supposed 
 the apostle meant to say of the mes- 
 sage wliich God sends to man. If 
 properly received ; if mixed or united 
 witii faith, it becomes the means of 
 spiritual support and life. If not, it 
 furnishes no ahment to tiie soul, and 
 will be of no advantage. As food 
 when properly digested incorporates 
 itself with the body, and gives it 
 support, so those critics suppose it to 
 be of tlic word of God, that it in- 
 corporates itself with the internal 
 and spiritual man, and gives it sup- 
 port and life. It may be doubted, 
 however, whether the apostle had any 
 such allusion as this, and whetlier it 
 is not rather a refinement of the 
 critics than of Paul. The tcord used 
 liere properly denotes a mixing or 
 mingling together, like water and 
 wine, II. Mac. xv. 39 ; a uniting to- 
 gether in proper proportions and or- 
 der, as of the body, I. Cor. xii. 24 ; 
 and it may refer here merely to a 
 proper union of faith with the word, 
 in order that it might be profitable. 
 The idea is, that merely to hear the 
 message of life with the outward ear 
 will be of no advantage. It nmst be 
 believed, or it will be of no benefit. 
 The mesage is sent to mankind at 
 large. God declares his readiness to 
 save all. But this message is of no 
 
 advantage to multitudes — for such 
 reasons as these. (1.) Many do not 
 attend to it at all. They do not even 
 listen respectfully to it. Multitudes 
 go not near the place where the gos- 
 pel is proclaimed ; and many, when 
 there, and when they seem to attend, 
 have their minds and hearts on other 
 things. (2.) Many do not belieoe it. 
 They have doubts about the wliole 
 subject of religion, or about the par- 
 ticular doctrines of the gospel — and 
 while they do not believe it, how can 
 they be benefited by it ? How can a 
 man be profited by the records of his- 
 tory if lie does not believe them ? 
 How can one be benefited by the 
 truths of science if he does not believe 
 them? And if a man was assured 
 that by going to a certain place he 
 might close a bargain that would be 
 a great advantage to him, of what 
 use would this information be to him 
 if he did not believe a word of it? So 
 of the knowledge of salvation ; the 
 facts of the history recorded in the 
 Bible; the offer of eternal life. (3.) 
 Men do not allow the message of life 
 to influence tlieir conduct, and of 
 course it is of no advantage to them. 
 Of what use can it be if they steadily 
 resist all the influence which it would 
 have, and ought to have, on their 
 lives ? They live as though it were 
 ascertained that there is no truth in 
 the Bible ; no reason for being in- 
 fluenced by the offered hope of eter- 
 nal life, or alarmed by the threatened 
 danger of eternal death. Resolved to 
 pursue a course of life that is at va- 
 riance with the commands of God, 
 they cannot be profited by the message 
 of salvation. Having no faitli which 
 influences and controls the heart, 
 they are not in tlie least benefited by 
 the offer of heaven. When they die, 
 tlieir condition is in no wise made 
 better by tiie fact that they were 
 trained up in a pious family ; that 
 tiicy were instructed in tiie Sabbath- 
 school ; that they had the Bible in 
 their dwellings, and that they sat re- 
 gularly under a preached gospel. 
 For any advinlage to be derived from 
 all this in tlie future world, they 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 97 
 
 3 For we which have be- 
 lieved do enter into rest; as he 
 said, • As I have sworn in my 
 
 a Ps. 95. 11. 
 
 might as well have never heard the 
 message of life. Nay it would liave 
 been better for them. The only effect 
 of these privileges is to harden them 
 in guilt, and to sink them deeper in 
 hell. Notes, II. Cor. ii. 16. 
 
 3. For we which have believed do 
 enter into rest. That is, it is a cer- 
 tain fact that believers will enter into 
 rest. That promise is made to ' be- 
 lievers ;' and as we have evidence 
 that we come under the denomination 
 of believers, it will follow that loe 
 have the offer of rest as well as they. 
 That this is so, the apostle proceeds 
 to prove ; that is, lie proceeds to show 
 from the Old Testament that there 
 was a promise to ' believers' that they 
 would enter into rest. Since there 
 was such a promise, and since there 
 was danger that by unbelief that 'rest' 
 might be lost, he proceeds to show 
 them the danger, and to warn them 
 of it. IT As he said, &c. See oh. iii. 
 II. The meaning of this passage is 
 this. 'God made a promise of rest 
 to those who believe. They to whom 
 the offer was first made failed, and 
 did not enter in. It must follow, 
 therefore, that the offer extended to 
 others, since God designed that some 
 should enter in, or that it should not 
 be provided in vain. To them it was 
 a solemn declaration that unbelievers 
 should not enter in, and this implied 
 that believers would. As we nov/,' 
 Bays he, ' sustain the character of 
 believers, it follows that to us the pro- 
 mise of rest is now made, and we 
 may partake of it.' IT If they shall 
 ^ enter, &c. That is, they shall not 
 enter in. See ch. iii. 11. Tlie " rest" 
 here spoken of as reserved for Chris- 
 tians must be different from that of 
 the promised land. It is something 
 that pertains to Christians now, and 
 I it must, therefore, refer to the ' rest' 
 ' that remains in heaven. IT Although 
 
 wrath, if they shall enter into 
 my rest ; although the works 
 were finished from the founda 
 tion of the world. 
 
 the works were finished, «&c. 
 9 
 
 This is 
 
 a difficult expression. What works 
 are referred to ? it may be asked. 
 How does this bear on the subject 
 under discussion ? How can it be a 
 proof that there remains a ' rest' to 
 those who believe now ? This was 
 the point to be demonstrated ; and this 
 passage was designed clearly to bear 
 on that point. As it is in our trans- 
 lation, the passage seems to make no 
 sense whatever. Tindal renders it, 
 " And that spake he verily long after 
 that the works were made from the 
 foundation of the world laid ;" which 
 makes much better sense than our 
 translation. Doddridge explains it 
 as meaning, ' And this may lead us 
 further to reflect on what is elsewhere 
 said concerning his works as they 
 were finished from the foundation of 
 the world.' But it is diflicult to see 
 v.'hy they should reflect on his works 
 just then, and how this would bear 
 on the case in hand. Prof. Stuart 
 supposes that the word " rest" must 
 be understood here before " works," 
 and translates it, "Shall not enter 
 into my rest, to wit, rest from the 
 works which were performed when 
 the world was founded." Prof. Ro- 
 binson (Lex.) explains it as meaning, 
 " The rest here spoken of, ' my rest,' 
 could not have been God's resting 
 from his works (Gen. ii. 2), for this 
 rest, the Sabbath, had already existed 
 from the creation of the world." Dr. 
 J. P. Wilson (MS. Notes) renders i*, 
 " For we who have believed, do enter 
 into rest (or a cessation) indeed (icatroi) 
 of the works done (among men) from 
 the beginning of the world." Amidst 
 this variety of interpretation it is difl. 
 ficult to determine the true sense. 
 But perhaps the main thought may 
 be collected from the following re- 
 marks. (1.) The Jews as the people 
 of God had a rest promised them in 
 the land of Canaan. Of that they 
 failed by their unbelief. (2.) Tha 
 
98 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A, D. G4 
 
 4 For he spake in a certain 
 place of the seventh day on this 
 wise," And God did rest the 
 seventh day from all his works. 
 
 5 And in this place again, 
 if they shall enter into my rest. 
 
 a Ge. 2. 2. 
 
 purpose of the apostle was to prove 
 that there was a similar promise made 
 to the people of God long subsequent 
 to that, and to which all his people 
 were invited. (3.) ITiat rest was not 
 that of the promised land, it was such 
 as God had himself when he liad 
 finished the work of creation. Tliat 
 was peculiarly his rest — the rest of 
 God, witliout toil, or weariness, and 
 after his whole work was finished. 
 (4.) His people were invited to the 
 same rest — the rest of God — to par- 
 take of his felicity ; to enter into 
 that bliss which he enjoyed vi^lien he 
 had finished the work of creation. 
 The ha])pincss of the saints was to 
 be like that. It was to be in their case 
 also a rest from toil — to be enjoyed 
 at the "end of all that they had to do. 
 To prove that Christians were to at- 
 tain to such a rest, was the purpose 
 which the apostle had in view — show- 
 ing' that it was a general doctrine 
 pertaining to believers in every age, 
 that there was a promise of rest for 
 them. I would then regard the mid- 
 dle clause of this verse as a parenthe- 
 sis, and render the whole, ' For we 
 who are believers shall enter into rest 
 — [the rest] indeed which occurred 
 when the works were finished at the 
 foundation of the world — as he said 
 [ia one place] as I have sworn in my 
 wrath they shall not enter into my 
 rest.' That was the true rest — sueli 
 rest o' repose as God had when lie 
 LiusatiA the work of creation — such 
 as he has now in heaven. This gives 
 the highest possible idea of the dig- 
 nity and desirableness of that ' rest' 
 to which we look forward — for it is 
 to be such as God enjoys, and is to 
 elevate us more and more to him. 
 What more exalted idea can there be 
 of happiness than to participate in 
 the calmness, the peace, the repose, 
 the freedom from raging passions, 
 from wearisome toil, and from agi- 
 8« 
 
 tating cares, which God enjoys 1 
 Who, torn with conflicting passions 
 here, wearied with toil, and distracted 
 with care, ought not to feel it a pri- 
 vilege to look forward to that rest ? 
 Of this rest the Sabbath and the pro 
 mised land were emblcins. They to 
 whom the promise was made did not 
 enter in, but some shall enter in, and 
 the promise therefore pertains to us. 
 
 4. For he spake. Gen. ii. 2. IT And 
 God did rest. ' At the close of the 
 work of creation he rested. The 
 work was done. That was the rest 
 of God. He was happy in the con- 
 templation of his own works ; and he 
 instituted tiiat day to be observed 
 as a memorial of his resting from 
 his works, and as a type of the eter- 
 nal rest which remained for man,' 
 The idea is this, that tiie notion of 
 rest of some kind runs through all 
 dispensations. It was seen in the 
 finishing of the work of creation , 
 seen in the appointment of the Sab- 
 bath ; seen in the offer of the pro. 
 niised land, and is- seen now in the 
 promise of heaven. All dispensations 
 contemplate rest, and there must be 
 such a prospect before man now. 
 When it is said that " God did rest," 
 of course it does not mean that he 
 was wearied with his toil, but merely 
 that he ceased from the stupendous 
 work of creation. He no more put 
 forth creative energy, but calmly con 
 femplated his own works in their 
 beaut}' and grandeur. Gen. i. 31. In 
 carrying forward the great aSairs of 
 the universe, he always has been 
 actively employed (John v. 17), bii< 
 he is not employed in the work of 
 creation properly so called. That is 
 done ; and tiie sublime cessation from 
 t!iat constitutes the ' rest of God.' 
 
 5. And in this ])lace again. Ps. 
 -xcv. 11. V If they shall enter. That 
 Ls, they shall not enter. See Notes 
 ch. iii. 11. The object of quoting 
 
A, D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 99 
 
 6 Seeing therefore it remain- 
 eth that some must enter there- 
 in, and they ° to whom ' it was 
 first preached entered not in 
 because of unbelief. 
 
 a c. 3. 19. 
 
 1 the gospel. 
 
 this here seems to be two-fold. (1.) 
 To show tJiat even in this Psahn God 
 spoke of his rest, and said that they 
 should not enter into it ; and (2.) it is 
 connected with ver. 6, and is designed 
 to show that it was implied that a 
 rest yet remained. ' That which de- 
 serves to be called the divine rest is 
 spoken of in the Scriptures, and as 
 they did not enter into it, it follows 
 that it must be in reserve for some 
 others, and that the promise must 
 etill remain.' 
 
 6. Seeing therefore it remaineth that 
 some must- enter therein. That is, 
 ' Since there is a rest spoken of in the 
 Scriptures, implying that it is to be 
 enjoyed by some, and since they to 
 whom it was first promised did not 
 inherit it, it follows that it must still 
 be in reserve.' This is the conclu- 
 sion which the apostle draws from 
 the argument in the previous verses, 
 and is connected with ver. 9, where 
 he says that " there remainetii a rest 
 to tlie people of God" — the point to 
 which the whole argument tended. 
 The statement in vs. 7, 8, is to be re- 
 garded as an interruption in stating 
 the conclusion, or as the suggestion 
 of a new thought or a new argmiient 
 bearing on the subject, which he sets 
 down even while stating the conclu- 
 sion from his argument. It has the 
 appearance of being suggested to him 
 as a new thought of importance, and 
 which he preferred to place even in 
 the midst of the summing up of tiie 
 argument rather than omit it alto- 
 gether. It denotes a state of mind 
 full of the subject, and wliere one idea 
 came hastening after another, and 
 which it was deemed important to 
 notice, even though it should seem to 
 be out of place. The position in this 
 verse (6) is, that it was a settled or 
 
 7 Again, he limiteth a cer- 
 tain day, saying in David, To- 
 day, after so long a time ; (as 
 it is said) * Torday, if ye will 
 hear his voice, harden not your 
 hearts. 
 
 b Ps. 95. 7. 
 
 indisputable matter that some would 
 enter into rest. The implied argu- 
 ment to prove this is, (1) that there 
 was a ' rest' spoken of which deserved 
 to be called a divine rest, or the 'rest 
 of God ;' (2) it could not be supposed 
 that God would prepare such a rest 
 in vain, for it would follow that if he 
 had fitted up a world of rest, he de- 
 signed that it should be occupied. As 
 he knew, therefore, that they to whom 
 it was first oiFered would not enter in. 
 it must be that he designed it for some 
 others, and that it remained to be oc- 
 cupied by us now. If And they to 
 ichom it was Jirst preached. Marg. 
 The Gospel. Gr. Evangelized ; that 
 is, to whom the good news of the rest 
 was first annomiced — the Israelites. 
 H Entered not in because of unbelief. 
 See Notes ch. iii. 19. . 
 
 7. Again, he limiteth. He desig 
 nates, or definitely mentions. The 
 word rendered limiteth — opi'fct — means 
 to bound, to set a boundary — as of a 
 field, or farm ; and then to determine 
 or fix definitely, to designate, appoint. 
 Here it means, that he specifies par- 
 ticularly, or mentions expressly. IT A 
 certain day. A particular time ; he 
 mentions to-day particularly. That 
 is, in tlie time of David, he uses the 
 word " to-day," as if there was then 
 an offer of rest, and as if it were then 
 possible to enter into it. The object 
 of the additional thought was to show 
 that the offer of rest was not confined 
 to the Israelites to whom it was first 
 made ; that David regarded it as ex- 
 isting in his day ; and that man might 
 even then be invited to come and par- 
 take of the rest that was promised. 
 ' Nearly five hundred years after the 
 time when the Israelites were going 
 to the promised land, and when the 
 offer of rest was made to them, we 
 
100 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 8 For if 'Jesus liad given 
 them rest, tlien would he not 
 
 1 That is, Joshua, 
 
 2 or, keeping of a Sabbath. 
 
 hear David speaking' of rest still ; rest 
 wliieh was ortcrcd in his time, and 
 which might tiien be lost by Imrdeniiig' 
 the heart. It could not be, thereli)re, 
 that tlic offer of rest jwrtained merely 
 to the promised land. It must be some- 
 thing in advance of that. It muyt be 
 something existing in the time of 
 David. It must be an offer of hea- 
 ven.' A Jew might feci the force of 
 tills argument more than we do ; still 
 it is conclusive to prove the point un- 
 der consideration, that there was a 
 rest spoken of long after the offer of 
 tlie promised land, and that all the 
 promises could not have pertained to 
 that. If Sitytng in David. In a 
 Psalm composed by David, or rather 
 perliaps, saying by David ; tliat is, God 
 spake by him. H To-day. Now : — 
 that is, even in the time of David. 
 T After so long a time. That is, so 
 long after the first p<;omise was made ; 
 to wit, about five hundred years. 
 These are the words of Paul calling 
 attention to the fact that so long a 
 time after the entrance into the pro- 
 mised land there was still a speaking 
 of " to-day" as if even then they were 
 called to partake of the rest. IT AS' 
 it is said. To quote it exactly ; or 
 to bring the express authority of the 
 Scriptures. It is expressly said even 
 after that long time, ' to-day — or now, 
 if you will hear his voice.' All this 
 is to prove that even in that time there 
 was an offer of rest. 
 
 8. For if Jesus. Marg. 'That 
 is, Joshua.^ The Syriac renders it, 
 ' Joshua the Son of Nun.' Jesus is 
 the Greek mode of writing Joshua, 
 and there can be no doubt that Joshua 
 is here intended. The object is to 
 prove that Joshua did not give the 
 people of God such a rest as to make 
 it improper to speak of a ' rest' after 
 that time. ' If Joshua had given 
 them a complete and final rest ; if by 
 Ills conducting them to tlic promised 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 spoken of an- 
 
 aftevward have 
 other day. 
 
 9 There remaineth therefore 
 a * rest to the people of God. 
 
 land all had been done which had 
 been contemplattd by the promise, 
 then it would not have been alluded 
 to again, as it was in the time of Da- 
 vid.' Joshua did give them a rest in 
 the promised land ; but it was not all 
 which was intended, and it did not 
 exclude the promise of another and 
 more important rest. ^ Then would 
 he not. Then God would not have 
 spoken of another time when that 
 rest could be obtained. Tlie ' other 
 daif here referred to is that which is 
 mentioned before by the phrase ' to- 
 day,' and refers to the time in which 
 it is spoken of long after Joshua, to 
 wit, in the time of David. 
 
 9. There remaineth, therefore, a rest. 
 This is the conclusion to which the 
 apostle comes. The meaning is this, 
 that according to tiie Scriptures there 
 is now a promise of rest made to the 
 people of God. It did not pertain 
 merely to those who were called to 
 go to the promised land, nor to those 
 who lived in the time of David, but it 
 is still true that the promise of rest per- 
 tains to all the people of God of every 
 generation. Tlie reasoning by which 
 the apostle comes to this conclusion 
 is briefly' this. (1.) TJiat there was 
 a rest — called 'the rest of God' — 
 spoken of in the earliest period of the 
 world — implying that God meant that 
 it should be enjoyed. ('2.) That the 
 Israelites, to whom the promise was 
 made, failed of obtaining that which 
 was promised by their unbelief. (.3.) 
 That God intended that simie should 
 enter i;ito his rest — since it would not 
 be provided in vain. (4.) That long 
 after tlie Israelites liad fallen in the 
 wilderness, we find the same refer- 
 ence to a rest which David in his 
 time exhorts those whom he addressed 
 to endeavour to obtain. (.5.) That if 
 all that had been meant by the word 
 rest, and by the promise, had been 
 accomplished when Joshua conducted 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 101 
 
 the Israelites to the land of Canaan, 
 
 we should not have heard another day 
 spoken of when it was possible to 
 forfeit that rest by unbelief. It fol- 
 lowed, theretbre, that there was some- 
 thing besides that ; something ^lat 
 pertained to all the people of (jou to 
 which the name rest might still be 
 given, and which they were exliorted 
 still to obtain. 'I'he word rest in this 
 verse — caiiiiana^ibi — Sabbatism, in tjie 
 margin is rendered keeping of a Sab- 
 bath. It is a different word from 
 adjJjiaTov — the Sabbath ; and it occurs 
 nowhere else in the New Testament, 
 and is not found in the Septuagint. 
 It properly means a keeping Sabbath 
 — from aaijjiari^u) — to keep Sabbath. 
 This word, not used in the New Tes- 
 tament, occurs frequently in the Sep- 
 tuagint. Ex. xvi. 30 ; Lev. xxiii. 32 ; 
 xxvi. 35; II. Chron. xxxvi. 21; and 
 in III. Esdr. i. 58 ; II. Macca. vi. 6. 
 It differs from the word Sabbath. That 
 denotes the time — the day ; this, the 
 keeping, or observance of it; the fes- 
 tival. It means here a resting, or 
 an observance of sacred repose — and 
 refers undoubtedly to heaven, as a 
 place of eternal rest with God. It can- 
 not mean the rest in the land of Ca- 
 naan — for the drift of tjjc writer is to 
 prove that that is not intended. It 
 cannot mean the Sabbath, properly so 
 called — for then the writer would have 
 employed the usual word adiJi^arov — 
 Sabbath. It cannot mean the Chris- 
 tian Sabbath — for the object is not to 
 prove that there is such a day to be 
 observed, and his reasoning about be- 
 ing excluded from it by unbelief and 
 by liardening the heart would be irrel- 
 evant. It must mean, therefore, hea- 
 ven — the world of spiritual and eter- 
 nal rest; and the assertion is, that 
 there is such a resting, or keeping of 
 a Sabbath in heaven for the people of 
 God. Learn hence, (1.) that heaven 
 is a place of cessation from wearisome 
 toil. It is to be like the ' rest' which 
 God had after the work of creation 
 (ver. 4, Note), and of which that was 
 the type and emblem. There will be 
 employment there, but it will be with- 
 out fatigue ; there will be the occu- 
 9* 
 
 pation of the mind, and of whatever 
 powers we may possess, but without 
 weariness. Here we are often worn 
 down and exhausted. The body sinks 
 under continued toil, and falls into 
 the grave. There the slave will rest 
 from his toil ; the man here oppressed 
 and broken down by anxious care 
 will cease from his labours. We 
 know but little of heaven ; but we 
 know that a large part of what now 
 oppresses and crushes the frame will 
 not exist there. Slavery will be un- 
 known ; the anxious care for sup- 
 port will be unknown, and all the ex- 
 haustion which proceeds from the 
 love of gain, and from ambition, will 
 be unknown. In the wearisome toils 
 of life, tlien, let us look forward to 
 the rest that remains in heaven, and 
 as the labourer looks to the shades of 
 the evening, or to the Sabbath as a 
 period of rest, so let us look to hea- 
 ven as the place of eternal repose. 
 (2.) Heaven will be like a Sabbath. 
 The best description of it is to say it 
 is an eternal Sabbath. Take the Sab- 
 bath on earth when best observed, and 
 extend the idea to eternity, and let 
 there be separated all idea of imper- 
 fection from its observance, and that 
 would be heaven. The Sabbath is 
 holy ; so is heaven. It is a period of 
 worship ; so is heaven. It is for praise 
 and for the contemplation of heavenly 
 truth ; so is heaven. The Sabbath is 
 appointed that we may lay aside 
 worldly cares and anxieties for a lit- 
 tle .season here ; heaven that we may 
 lay them aside for ever. (3.) The 
 Sabbath here should be like heaven. 
 It is designed to be its type and em- 
 blem. So far as the circumstances 
 of the case will allow, it should be 
 just like heaven. There should be 
 the same employments ; the same 
 joys ; the same communion with God. 
 One of the best rules for employing 
 the Sabbath aright is, to think what 
 heaven will be, and then to endeavour 
 to spend it in the same way. One 
 day in seven at least should remind 
 us of w-hat heaven is to be ; and that 
 day may be, and should be, the most 
 happy of the seven. (4.) They who 
 
103 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 10 For he that is entered 
 into his rest, he also hath ceased 
 
 do not love the Sabbath on earth, are 
 not prepared for heaven. If it is to 
 them a day of tcdiousness; if its liours 
 move heavily ; if tlicy have no delight 
 in its sacredemploynicnts, what would 
 an eternity of sueh days be ? How 
 would they be passed ? Nothing' can 
 be clearer than that if wc have no 
 sucli happiness in a season of holy 
 rest, and in holy employments liere, 
 we are wholly unprepared for hea- 
 ven. To the Christian it is the sub- 
 ject of the highest joy in anticipa- 
 tion that heaven is to be one long un- 
 broken Sabdatii — an eternity of suc- 
 cessive Sabbath hours. But what 
 to a sinner could be a more rcpul- 
 Bive and gloomy prospect than such 
 an eternal Sabbath ? (5.) If this 
 be so, then what a melanciioly view 
 is furnislicd as to the actual pre- 
 paration of tlie great mass of men 
 for heaven ! How is the Sabbath 
 now spent? In idleness; in business; 
 in travelling ; in hunting and lishing ; 
 in light reading and conversation ; 
 in sleep; in visiting; in riding,, walk- 
 ing, lounging, ennui; — in revelry and 
 dissipation ; in any and every way 
 except the right toay ; in every way 
 except in holy comnmnion with God. 
 What would the race be if once trans- 
 lated to heaven as they are ! What 
 a prospect would it be to tliis multi- 
 tude to have to spend an eternity 
 which would be but a prolongation 
 of the Sabbath of holiness ! (G.) Let 
 those who love the Sabbatli rejoice in 
 the prospect of eternal rest in iicavcn. 
 In our labour let us look to that world 
 where wearisome toil is unknown ; 
 in our afflictions, let us look to that 
 world where tears never fall ; and 
 when our hearts are pained by tlie 
 violation of tlie Sabbath all around 
 us, let us look to tliat blessed world 
 where such violation will cease for 
 ever. It is not far distant. A few 
 steps will bring us tlicre. Of any 
 Christian it may be said that perhaps 
 ?Ms ncxtSabbatii will be spent in hea- 
 ven — near the throne of God. 
 
 from his own works, as God did 
 from his. 
 
 10. For he that is entered into rest. 
 That is, the man who is so happy as 
 to reach heaven, will enjoy a rest 
 siiAilar to that which God had when 
 he finished the work of creation. It 
 will be (1) a cessation from toil ; and 
 (2) it will be a rest similar to that of 
 God — the same kind of enjoyment, 
 the same freedom from care, anxiety, 
 and labour. How Jiappy then are 
 tliey who have entered into heaven ! 
 Their toils are over. Their labours 
 are done. Never again will they know 
 fatigue. Never more will they feel 
 anxious care. Let us learn then (1.) 
 not to mourn improperly for those 
 wlio have left us and gone to heaven. 
 Happy in the rest of God, why should 
 not we rejoice ? Why wish them 
 back again in a v^orld of toil ? (2.) 
 Let us in our toils look forward to 
 tlie world of rest. Our labours will 
 all be over. The weary man will lay 
 down his burden ; the exhausted 
 frame will know fatigue no more. 
 Rest is sweet at night after the toils 
 of day ; how much more sweet will 
 it be in heaven atl.er the toils of life I 
 Let us (3.) labour while it is called to- 
 day. Soon we shall cease from our 
 work. All that we have to do is to 
 be done soon. We shall soon cease 
 from our work as God did from liis, 
 AV'^hat wc have to do for the salvation 
 of children, brothers, sisters, friends, 
 and for the world, is to be done soon. 
 From the abodes of bliss we shall not 
 be sent forth to speak to our kindred 
 of the blessedness of that world, or to 
 admonish our friends to escape from 
 the place of despair. The pastor will 
 not come again to warn and invite 
 his people ; the parent will not come 
 again to tell his children of the Sa- 
 viour and of heaven ; tlie neighbour 
 will not come to admonish his neigh- 
 bour. Comp. Luke xvi. 24 — 29. We 
 siiall ALL have ceased from our work 
 as God did from his ; and never again 
 shall we speak to a living friend to 
 invite him to heaven. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 103 
 
 11 Let « us labour therefore 
 to enter into that rest, lest any 
 man fall after the same exam- 
 ple of ' unbelief. 
 
 a 2 Pe. 1. 10. 1 or, disobedience. 
 
 11. Let us therefore labour. Let us 
 earnestly strive. Since there is a 
 rest whose attainment is worth all 
 our efforts ; since so many have 
 failed of reaching it by their unbelief, 
 and since there is so much danger 
 that we niay fail of it also, let us 
 give all diligence that we may enter 
 into it. Heaven is never obtained 
 but by diligence, and no one enters 
 there who does not earnestly desire 
 it, and who does not make a sincere 
 effort to reach it. IT Of unbelief. 
 Marg. disobedience. The word un- 
 belief best expresses the sense, as the 
 apostle was showing that this was 
 the principal thing that prevented 
 men from entering into heaven. See 
 Notes ch. iii. 12. 
 
 12. For the word of God. The de- 
 sign of this and the following verse 
 is obvious. It is to show that we 
 cannot escape the notice of God ; that 
 all insincerity, unbelief, hypocrisy, 
 will be detected by him; and that 
 since our hearts are perfectly open 
 before him, we should be sincere and 
 should not' attempt to deceive him. 
 The sense is, that the truth of God is 
 all-penetrating and searching, and 
 that the real thoughts and intents of 
 the heart will be brought to light, 
 and that if there is insincerity and 
 self-deception there can be no hope 
 of escape. There has been a great 
 variety of opinion here about the 
 meaning of the phrase ' the word of 
 God.' Some have supposed that it 
 
 t means the Lord Jesus ; others, the 
 whole of the divine revelation ; others 
 the gospel ; otJiers the particular 
 threatening referred to here. The 
 ' word of God' is that which God 
 speaks — whether it be a promise or a 
 threatening ; whether it be law or 
 gospel ; whether it be a simple decla- 
 ration or a statement of a doctrine. 
 The idea herfe is, that what God had 
 
 12 For the word* of God is 
 quick, and powerful, and sharp, 
 er than any two-edged sword," 
 piercing even to the dividing 
 
 6 Is. 49. 2. c Ke. 1. 16. 
 
 said is fitted to detect hypocrisy and 
 to lay open the true nature of the 
 feelings of the soul, so that there can 
 be no escape for the guilty. His 
 truth is adapted to bring out the real 
 feelings, and to show man exactly 
 what he is. Truth always has this 
 power — whether preached, or read, 
 or communicated by conversation, or 
 impressed upon the memory and con- 
 science by the Holy Spirit. There 
 can be no escape from the penetrat- 
 ing, searching application of the word 
 of God. That truth has power to 
 show what man is, and is like a 
 penetrating sword that lays open the 
 whole man. Comp. Isa. xlix. 2. The 
 phrase 'the word of God' here may 
 be applied, therefore, to the truth of 
 God however made known to the 
 mind. In some way it will bring 
 out the real feelings, and show what 
 man is. ^ Is quick. Gr. ^Oiv — living. 
 It is not dead, inert, and powerless. 
 It has a living- power, and is energetio 
 and active. It is adapted to produce 
 this effect. If And powerful. Mighty. 
 Its power is seen in awakening the 
 conscience ; alarming the fears ; lay- 
 ing bare the secret feelings of the 
 heart, and causing the sinner to 
 tremble with the apprehension of the 
 coming judgment. " All the great 
 changes in the moral world for the 
 better, have been caused by the power 
 of truth. They are such as the truth 
 in its own nature is fitted to effect, 
 and if we may judge of its power by 
 the greatness of the revolutions pro- 
 duced, no words can over-estimate the 
 might of the truth which God has re- 
 vealed. If Sharper than any two- 
 edged sword. Literally, tioo-mouthed 
 sword — diuToitov. The* word mouth 
 was given to the sword because it 
 seemed to devour all before it. It 
 consumed or destroyed as a wild beast 
 does. The comparison of the word 
 
104 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. U. 64. 
 
 asunder of soul and spirit, and 
 of the joints and marrow, and is 
 
 of God to a sword or to an arrow, is 
 designed to sliow its power of pene- 
 trating the heart. Eccl. xii. 11. 
 " The words of the wise are as goads, 
 and as nails fastened by tlie masters i 
 of assemblies." Comi). Isa. xlix. 2. 
 " And he hath made my moutli like a 
 sharp sword." Rev. i. 16. "And 
 out of his mouth went a sharp two- 
 edged sword," ii. 12. 16; xix. 15. 
 The comparison is common in tlie 
 classics, and in Arabic poetry. See 
 Gesenius, on Isa. xlix. 2. The idea 
 is that of piercing, or penetrating ; 
 and the meaning here is, that the 
 word of God reaches the hearl — the 
 very centre of action, and lays open 
 the motives and feelings of the man. 
 It was common among the 5,ncicnts 
 to have a sword with two edges. The 
 Roman sword was commonly made 
 in this manner. The fact that it had 
 two edges made it more easy to pene- 
 trate, as well as to cut with every way. 
 IT Piercing even to the dioiding asun- 
 der. Penetrating so as to divide. 
 IT Soul and spirit. The animal life 
 from the immortal soul. Tlie former 
 word here — X^X'i — ^""^ — i^ evidently 
 used to denote the animal life, as dis- 
 tinguished from the mind or soul. 
 The latter word — wivfia — spirit — 
 means the soul; the immaterial and 
 immortal part ; that which lives 
 when the animal life is extinct. This 
 distinction occurs in I. Thess. v. 23, 
 "your whole spirit, and soul, and 
 body ;" and it is a distinction which 
 we arc constantly in the habit of 
 making. There is the body in man — 
 the animal life — and the immortal 
 part that leaves the body when life is 
 extinct. Mysteriously united, they 
 constitute one man. When the animal 
 life is separated from the soul, or 
 when the soul leaves the animated 
 body, the body dies, and life is extinct. 
 To separate the one from tlie other 
 is, therefore, the same as to take life — 
 and this is the idea here, that the 
 word of God is like a sharp sword 
 
 a discerner » of the thoughts 
 and intents of the heart. 
 
 a Pb. J39. 2. Je. 17. 10. Re. 2. 23. 
 
 that inflicts deadly wounds. The 
 sinner " dies ;" — that is, he becomes 
 dead to his former hopes, or is 
 " slain" by the law. Rom. vii. 9. " I 
 was alive without tlie law once ; but 
 when tlie commandment came, sin 
 revived, and I died." This is the 
 power referred to here — the jiowcr of 
 destroying the hopes of the sinner ; 
 cutting him down under conviction; 
 and prostrating him as if a sword had 
 pierced his heart. II And of the joints 
 and marrow. The figure is still con- 
 tinued of the sword that takes life. 
 Such a sword would seem to penetrate 
 even the joints and marrow of the 
 body. It would separate the joints, 
 and pierce through the very bones to 
 the marrow. A similar effect, Paul 
 says, is produced by truth. It seems 
 to penetrate the very essence of the 
 soul, and lay it all open to the view. 
 "T And is a discerner of the thoughts. 
 It shows what the thoughts and in- 
 tentions are. Prof. Stuart, Bloomfield, 
 and some others, suppose that the re- 
 ference here is to God speaking by 
 his word. But the more natural con- 
 struction certainly is, to refer it to 
 the word or truth of God. It is true 
 that God searches the heart, and 
 knows the thoughts, but that is not 
 the truth which is prominent here. 
 It is, tliat the thoughts and intents 
 of the heart are brought out to view 
 bjj the XVord of God. ^\jid can any 
 one doubt this ? See Rom. vii. 7. Is 
 it not true that men are made to see 
 their real character under the exhibi- 
 tion of the truth of God ? That in 
 the light of the law they sec their past 
 lives to be sinful ? That the cxliibi- 
 tion of truth calls to their recollection 
 many long-forgotten sins ? And that 
 their real feelings are brought out 
 when the truth of God is proclaimed ? 
 Men then are made to look upon their 
 motives as they had never done be- 
 fore, and to see in their hearts feel- 
 ings whose existence they would not 
 have suspected if it had not been for 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 105 
 
 13 Neither is there any crea- 
 ture that is not manifest in his 
 sight : but all things are naked '^ 
 
 the exhibition of the truth. The cx- 
 liibition of the trutli is like pouring; 
 down the beams of the sun at mid- 
 night on a dark world ; and the truth 
 lays open the real feeling's of the sin- 
 ner as that sun would disclose the 
 clouds of wickedness that are now 
 performed under cover of the niglit. 
 Many a man lias a deep and fixed 
 liostility to God and to his gospel who 
 miglit never be sensible of it if the 
 truth was not faithfully proclaimed. 
 The particular idea here is, that tlie 
 truth of God will detect the feelings 
 of the hypocrite and self-deceiver. 
 They camiot always conceal their 
 emotions, and the time will come 
 when truth, like light poured into the 
 soul, will reveal their unbelief and 
 their secret sins. They who are che- 
 rishing a hope of salvation, therefore, 
 should be on their guard lest they 
 mistake the name for the reality. 
 Let us learn from this verse, (1.) the 
 power of trutli. It is JiUed to lay 
 open the secret feelings of the soul. 
 There is not an eifect produced in 
 awakening a sinner ; or in his convic- 
 tion, conversion, and sanctification, 
 which the truth is not adapted to pro- 
 duce. The truth of God is not dead ; 
 nor fitted to make men worse ; nor 
 designed merely to show its own 
 weakness, and to be a mere occasion 
 on which the Holy Spirit acts on the 
 mind ; — it is in its own nature fitted 
 to produce just the effects which are 
 produced when it awakens, convicts, 
 converts, and sanctifies the soul. (2.) 
 The truth should be preached with 
 the feeling that it is adapted to tliis 
 end. Men who preach should endea- 
 vour to understand the nature of the 
 mind and of the moral feelings, as 
 really as he who would inflict a deadly 
 wound should endeavour to under- 
 stand enough about anatomy to know 
 where the heart is, or he who admi- 
 nisters medicine should endeavour to 
 know what is adapted to remove t:v.r- 
 
 and opened unto the eyes of him 
 with whom we have to do. 
 
 a Pr. 15. 11. 
 
 tain diseases. And he who has no 
 belief in the efficacy of truth to pro- 
 duce any effect, resembles one who 
 should suppose that all knowledge of 
 the human system was needless to 
 him who wished to perform a suro-j. 
 cal operation, and who should cut at. 
 random — piously leaving it with God 
 to direct the knife ; or he who should 
 go into a hospital of patients and ad- 
 minister medicines indiscriminately 
 — devoutly saying tliat all healing 
 must come from God, and that the 
 use of medicine was only to show its 
 own weakness ! Thus many men 
 seem to preach. Yet for aught 
 that appears, truth is just as wisely 
 adapted to save the soul as medi- 
 cine is to heal the sick; and why 
 then should not a preacher be as care- 
 ful to study the nature of truth and 
 its adaptedness to a particular end, as 
 a student of the healing art is to un- 
 derstand tlie adaptedness of medicine 
 to cure disease? The true way of 
 preaching is, to feel that truth is 
 adapted to the end in view ; to select 
 that which is best fitted for that end ; 
 to preach as if the whole result de- 
 pended on getting that truth before 
 the mind and into the heart — and 
 then to leave the whole result with 
 God — as a physician with right feel- 
 ings will exert all his skill to save 
 his patient, and then commit the 
 whole question of life and health to 
 God. He will be more likely to praise 
 God intelligently w^ho believes that he 
 has wisely adapted a plan to the end 
 in view, tJian he who believes that 
 God works only at random. 
 
 1.3. Neither is there any creature 
 that is not 7nanifest in hi^sia-ht. There 
 is no being who is not wholly known 
 to God. All his thoughts, feelings, 
 plans, are distinctly understood. Of 
 the truth of this there can be no doubt. 
 The design of the remark here is, to 
 guard those to whom the apostle was 
 writing from self-deception — since 
 
106 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4 
 
 they could conceal nothing from God. 
 1i All things are naked. Exposed ; 
 uncovered. Tlierc is nothin<r that 
 can be concealed from God. Ps. 
 cxxxix. 11, 12. 
 
 "The veil of niL'lit is no ilisguise. 
 No screen Iroin Iliy all searching eyes; 
 Thy hands can seize thy foes as soon 
 Thro' midnight shades as blazing noon." 
 
 ^ And opened — rcrpaxv^Kri^ifa- The 
 word here used — Tpax^n^i^ui — proper- 
 ly means (1.) to lay bare the neck, 
 or to bend it back, so as to expose the 
 throat to being cut. (2.) To expose ; 
 to li^y open in any way. Why the 
 word is used here lias been a matter 
 of inquiry. Some have supposed that 
 the phrase is derived from otfering- 
 sacrifice, and from the fact that the 
 priest carefully examined the victim 
 to sec whether it was sound, before it 
 was offered. But this is manifestly 
 a forced exposition. Others have 
 supposed that it is derived from the 
 custom of bending back the head of 
 a. criminal so as to look full in his 
 face, and recognise him so as not to 
 be mistaken ; but this is equally 
 forccd-and unnatural. This opinion 
 was first proposed by Erasmus, and 
 has been adopted by Clarke and 
 others. Bloomlicld, following, as he 
 says, the intcrprefcation of Chrysos- 
 toin, Grotius (though this is not the 
 sentiment of Grotius), Beza, Atling, 
 Hammond, and others, supposes the 
 allusion to be to tiie custom of cutting 
 the animal down tlic back bone 
 tlirougli the spinal marrow, and thus 
 of laying it open entirely. This sense 
 would well suit the connexion. Gro- 
 tius supposes tliat it means to strip 
 off the skin by dividing it at tlie neck, 
 and tlien removing it. Tliis view is 
 also adopted substantially by Dod- 
 dridge. These explanations are forced, 
 and imply a departure more or less 
 from the projv^r meaning of the Greek 
 word. The most simple and obvious 
 meaning is usually the best in ex- 
 plaining the Bible. Tlie word which 
 the apostle employs relates to the 
 neck — rpd^'i^'Oi — and not to the spinal 
 marrow, or the skin. Tlie proper 
 meaning of the verb is tn hend the 
 
 neck hack so as to expose it in front 
 when an animal is slain. I'assuw. 
 Then it means to make bare ; to re- 
 move everything like covering ; to 
 expose a thing entirely — as the naked 
 neck is for tiic knife. The allusion hero 
 is undoubtedly to the sword wliich Pat'I 
 had referred to in the previous verse, 
 as dividing the soul and spirit, and the 
 joints and marrow ; and the meaning 
 is, tiiat in the hand of God, who held 
 that sword, everything was exposed. 
 We are in relation to that, like an 
 animal whose neck is bent back, and 
 laid bare, and ready tor the slaugiiter. 
 Nothing hinders God from striking ; 
 there is nothing that can prevent that 
 sword from penetrating the hearts 
 any more than when the neck of the 
 animal is bent back and laid bare, 
 there is anything that can hinder the 
 sacrificing priest from thrusting the 
 knife into the throat of the victim. 
 If this be the true interpretation, 
 then what an affecting view does it 
 give of the power of God, and of the 
 exposedness of man to destruction! 
 All is bare, naked, open. There is 
 no concealment ; no hindrance ; no 
 power of resistance. In a moment 
 God can strike, and his dreadful sen- 
 tence shall fall on the sinner like the 
 knife ou the exposed throat of the 
 victim. What emotions should the 
 sinner have who feels that he is ex- 
 posed each moment to the sentence of 
 eternal justice — to the sword of God 
 — as the animal with bent-back neck 
 is exposed to the knife ! And what 
 solemn feelings should all have who 
 remember that all is naked and open 
 before God ! Were we transparent 
 so titat the world could see all we 
 are, who would dare go abroad ? 
 Who would wish the world to read 
 all his thoughts and feelings for a 
 single da}' ? Who would wish his 
 best IriL-nds to l'X)k in upon his naked 
 soul as we can look into a room 
 tlirougli a window ! O wliat blushes 
 and confusion ; what a hanging down 
 of the head, and what an elVort to 
 escape from tlie gaze of men would 
 there be, if every one knew that all 
 his secret feelings were seen by every 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 107 
 
 14 Seeing then that we have 
 a great high priest, that is 
 passed " i nto the heavens, Jesus 
 
 person whom he met ! Social enjoy- 
 ment would end ; and the now gay 
 and blitlie multitudes in the streets 
 would become processions of down- 
 cast and blusliing convicts. And yet 
 all these are known to God. He 
 reads every thought ; sees every feel- 
 ing ; looks through the whole soul. 
 How careful should we be to keep 
 our hearts pure ; how anxious that 
 there should be nothing in the sou) 
 that we are not willing to have known ! 
 ^ With whom ice have to do. Literally, 
 with whom is our account. Our ac- 
 count; our reckoning is to be with 
 him before whom all is naked and 
 open. We cannot, therefore, impose 
 on him. We cannot pass off hypo- 
 crisy for sincerity. He will judge us 
 according to truth, not according to 
 appearances ; and his sentence, there- 
 fore, will be just. A man who is to 
 be tried by one who knows all about 
 him, should be a pure and holy man. 
 14. Seeing then that we have a great 
 high priest. The apostle here resumes 
 the subject which had been slightly 
 hinted at in ch. ii. 17, iii. 1, and-pur- 
 sues it to tlie end of ch. x. Tlie ob- 
 ■ ject is to show tliat Christians have a 
 great High Priest as really as the Jews 
 had ; to show wherein he surpassed 
 the Levitical priestliood ; to show how 
 all that was said of the Aaronic 
 priesthood, and all the types pertain- 
 ing to that priesthood, were fulfilled 
 in the Lord Jesus ; and to state and 
 illustrate the nature of the consola- 
 tions which Christians might derive 
 from the fact that they had such an 
 High Priest. One of the things on 
 which the Jews most valued tlicir re- 
 ligion, was the fact that it had such 
 a minister of religion as their high 
 priest — the most elevated llmctionary 
 of that dispensation. It came there- 
 fore to be of the utmost importance 
 to show that Christianity was not in- 
 ferior to the Jewish religion in this 
 respect, and that the High Priest of 
 the Christian profession would not 
 
 the Son of -God, let us hold* 
 fast our profession. 
 
 a c 9. 12. 24. 6 c. 10. 23. 
 
 suffer in point of dignity, and in the 
 value of the blood with which he 
 would approach God, and in the effi- 
 cacy of his intercession, when com 
 pared with the Jewish high priest. 
 Moreover, it was a doctrine of Chris- 
 tianity that tlie Jewish ritual was to 
 pass away ; and its temple services 
 cease to be observed. It was, tliere- 
 fore, of vast importance to show why 
 they passed away, and how they were 
 superseded. To do this, the apostle 
 is led into this long discussion re- 
 specting their nature. He shows 
 that they were designed to be typical. 
 He proves that they could not purify 
 the heart, and give peace to the con- 
 science. He proves that they were 
 all intended to point to something 
 future, and to introduce the Messiah 
 to the world ; and that when this ob- 
 ject was accomplished, tlicir great 
 end was secured, and they were thua 
 all fulfilled. In no part of the Bible 
 can there be found so full an account 
 of the design of the Mosaic institu- 
 tions, as in clis. v. — x. of this epistle; 
 and were it not for this, the volume 
 of inspiration would be incomplete. 
 We should be left in the dark on 
 some of the most important subjects 
 in revelation ; we should ask ques- 
 tions for whicli we could find no cer- 
 tain answer. The phrase ' great high 
 priest' here is used with relerence to 
 a known usage among the Jews. In 
 the time of the apostle the name high 
 priest pertained not only to him who 
 actually held the office, and who had 
 the right to enter into the holy of 
 holies, but to his deputy, and to those 
 who had held the office but who had 
 retired from it, and perhaps also the 
 name was given *to the head of each 
 one of the twenty-four courses or 
 classes into which tlie priests were 
 divided. Comp. Notes Luke i. 5 ; 
 Matt. xxvi. 3. The name 'great 
 high priest' would designate him who 
 actually held the office, and was at 
 the head of all the other priests ; and 
 
108 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 15 For we have not an high 
 priest which cannot be touched 
 " with the feeling of our infir- 
 
 g llo. II. P. 
 
 the idea here is, not merely tliat the 
 Lord Jesus was a priest, but tliat lie 
 was at the head of all ; in the Chris- 
 tian economy he sustained a rank 
 tliat corresponded with that of the 
 
 frcat high priest in the Jewish. 
 That is passed into the heavens. 
 Ch. ix. 12. 24. The Jewish high 
 priest went once a year into the most 
 holy place in the temple, to oiTer the 
 blood of the atonement. Notes on 
 ch. ix. 7. Paul says that the Chris- 
 tian High Priest has gone into hea- 
 ven. He has gone there also to make 
 intercession, and to sprinkle the blood 
 of the atonement on the mercy-seat. 
 Notes ch. ix. 24, 25. ^ Jesus the Son 
 of God. Not a descendant of Aaron, 
 but one much greater — the Son of 
 God. Notes ch. i. 2. IT Lei vs hold 
 fast our profession. See Notes ch. x. 
 23 ; iii. 14. Note ch. iii. 1. This is 
 the drift and scope of the epistle — -to 
 show that Christians should hold fest 
 their profession, and not apostatize. 
 The object of the apostle now is to 
 show why the fact that we have such 
 a High Priest, is a reason why we 
 should hold fast our professed attach- 
 ment to him. These reasons — which 
 are drawn out in the succeeding chap- 
 ters — are such as the following. (1.) 
 We may look to him for assistance — 
 since he can be touched witli the feel- 
 ing of our infirmities. Ch. iv. 15, 16- 
 (2.) The impossibility of being re- 
 newed again if we should fall away 
 from him, since there is but one such 
 High Priest, and since the sacrifice 
 for sin can never be repeated. Ch. vi. 
 (3.) The fact that all the ancient 
 types were fulfilled in him, and that 
 everything whicli tJicrc was in the 
 Jewish dispensation to keep men from 
 apostasy, exists much more powerfully 
 in the Christian scheme. (4.) The 
 fact that they who rejected the laws 
 of Moses died without mercy, and 
 much more any one who should re- 
 ject the Son of God must expect more 
 
 mities ; but was in all points 
 tempted like as we are, yet 
 without* sin. 
 
 b 1 Pe. 'J. 22. 1 Jno. 3. 5. 
 
 certain and fearful severity. Ch. x. 
 27 — 30. By considerations such as 
 these, the apHjstle aims to show tliein 
 the danger of apostasy, and to urge 
 them to a faithful adherence to their 
 Christian profession. 
 
 1.5. For we have not an hirrh priest 
 which cannot he touched. Our High 
 Priest is not cold and unfeciing. 
 That is, we have one who is abun- 
 dantly qualified to sympathize with 
 us in our afllictions, and to whom, 
 therefore, we may look for aid and 
 support in trials. Had we a high 
 priest who was cold and heartless ; 
 who simply performed the external 
 duties of his office without entering 
 into the sympathies of those who 
 came to seek for pardon ; who had 
 never experienced any trials, and who 
 felt himself above those who sought 
 his aid, we should necessarily feel 
 disheartened in attempting to over 
 come our sins, and to live to God. 
 His coldness would repel us ; his 
 statcliness would awe us ; his dis- 
 tance and reserve would keep us 
 away, and perhaps render us indiffer- 
 ent to all desire to be saved. But 
 tenderness and sympathy attract those 
 who are feeble, and kindness does 
 more than anything else to encourage 
 tliose who have to encounter dilhcul- 
 ties and dangers. See Notes ch. ii. 
 16 — 18. Such tenderness and sym- 
 pathy has our Great High Priest. 
 If But was in all points tempted like 
 as we are. Tried as we are. See 
 Notes ch. ii. 18. lie was subjected 
 to all tlie kinds of trial to which we 
 can be, and he is, therefore, able to 
 sympathize with us and to aid us. 
 He was tempted — in the literal sense; 
 ho was persecuted ; he was poor ; he 
 was despised ; he suffered bodily pain ; 
 he endured the sorrows of a lingering 
 and most cruel death. ^ Yet ipithout 
 sin. I. Pet. ii. 22. " Who did no sin." 
 Isa. liii. 9. " He had done no violence, 
 neither was there anv deceit in his 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 109 
 
 16 Let us therefore come 
 boldly " unto the throne of 
 grace, that we may obtain 
 
 mouth." Heb. vii. 26. " Who is holy, 
 harmless, undefiled, separate from 
 smm;rs." The importance of this 
 fact — that the Great High Priest of 
 the Christian profession was 'without 
 sin,' the apostle illustrates at length 
 in chs. vii. — ix. He here merely 
 alludes to it, and says that one who 
 was ' without sin' was able to assist 
 those who were sinners, and who put 
 their trust in him. 
 
 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto 
 the throne of geace. ' The throne of 
 grace !' What a beautiful expression. 
 A throne is the seat of a sovereign ; 
 a throne of grace is designed to re- 
 present a sovereign seated to dispense 
 mercy and pardon. The illustration 
 or comparison here may have been 
 derived from the temple service. In 
 that service God is represented as 
 seated in the most holy place on the 
 mercy-seat. The high priest ap- 
 proaches that seat or throne of the 
 divine majesty with the blood of the 
 atonement to make intercession for 
 the people, and to plead for pardon. 
 See Notes on ch. ix. 7, 8. That scene 
 was emblematic of heaven. God is 
 seated on a throne of mercy. The 
 great High Priest of the Christian 
 calling, having shed his own blood to 
 make expiation, is represented as ap- 
 proaching God and» pleading for the 
 pardon of men. To a God willing to 
 show mercy he comes with the merits 
 of a sacrifice sufficient for all, and 
 pleads for their salvation. We may, 
 therefore, come with boldness and 
 look for pardon. We come not de- 
 pending on our own merits, but we 
 come where a sufficient sacrifice has 
 been offered for human guilt ; and 
 where we are assured that God is mer- 
 ciful. We may, therefore, come with- 
 out hesitancy, or trembling, and ask 
 for all the mercy that we need. 
 IT That we may obtain mercy. This 
 is what we want first. We need 
 pardon — as the first thing when we 
 come to God. We arc guiltv and 
 10 
 
 mercy, and find grace to help 
 in time of need. 
 
 a Ep. 3. 12. c. 10. 19—22. 
 
 self-condemned — and our first cry 
 should bo for mercy — mercy. A man 
 who comes to God not feeling his 
 need of mercy must fail of obtaining 
 the divine favour; and he will be best 
 prepared to obtain that favour who 
 has the deepest sense of his need of 
 forgiveness. IT And find grace. Fa- 
 vour — strength, help, counsel, dir(?c- 
 tion, support, for the various duties 
 and trials of life. This is what we 
 next need — we all need — we always 
 need. Even when pardoned, we need 
 grace to keep us from sin, to aid us 
 in duty, to preserve us in the day of 
 temptation. And feeling our need of 
 this, we may come and ask of God 
 all that we want for this purpose. 
 Such is the assurance given us ; and 
 to this bold approach to the throne of 
 grace all are freely invited. In view 
 of it, let us (1.) rejoice that there 
 is a throne of grace. What a world 
 would this be if God sat on a throne 
 o£ justice only, and if no mercy were 
 ever to be shown to men ! Who is 
 there who would not be overwhelmed 
 with despair ? But it is not so. He 
 is on A THRONE OF GRACE. By day 
 and by night ; from year to year ; 
 from generation to generation ; he is 
 on such a throne. In every land he 
 may be approached, and in as many 
 different languages as men speak, 
 may they plead for mercy. In all 
 times of our trial and temptation we 
 may be assured that he is seated on 
 that throne, and wherever we are, we 
 may approach him with acceptance. 
 (2.) We need the privilege of coming 
 before such a throne. We are sinful 
 — and need mercy: we are feeble, 
 and need grace to help us. There is 
 not a day of our lives in which we 
 do not need pardon ; not an hour in 
 which we do not need grace. (3.) How 
 obvious are the propriety and necessity 
 of prayer ! Every man is a sinner— 
 and should pray for pardon ; every 
 man is weak, feeble, dependent, and 
 should pray for grace. Not till a man 
 
no 
 
 HKBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 can prove that he has never done any 
 sin, slioiild hu maintain tliat lie iias 
 no need of jjardon ; not till he ean 
 show that lie is able alone to meet 
 the storms and temptations of life, 
 should he feel that he has no need to 
 ask for grraee. Yet who can feel this? 
 And how strang^e it is that all men do 
 not pray ! (4.) It is easy to be for- 
 l^iven. All that needs to be done is 
 lO plead the merits of our Great High 
 Priest, and God is ready to pardon. 
 Who would not be g'lad to be able to 
 pay a debt in a manner so easy ? Yet 
 how few there are who are willing to 
 pay the debt to justice thus ! (5.) It 
 is easy to obtain all the grace that wc 
 need. We have only to ask for it — 
 and it is done. How easy then to 
 meet temptation if we would I How 
 (Strange that any should rely on their 
 jwn strength, when they may lean 
 m the arm of God I (6.) If men are 
 lot pardoned, and if they fall into sin 
 and ruin, they alone are to blame. 
 There is a throne of grace. It is 
 always accessible. There is a God. 
 He is always ready to pardon. There 
 IS A Redeemer. He is the Great 
 High Priest of men. He is always 
 interceding. His merits ma.j always 
 be pleaded as the ground of our salva- 
 tion. Why then, O why, should any 
 remain unforgiven and perish ? On 
 them alone the blame must lie. In 
 tlieir own bosoms is the reason why 
 they are not saved. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 In this chapter the subject of the 
 priestly office of Christ is continued 
 and further illustrated. It had been 
 introduced ch. ii. 17, 18; ch. iii. 1; 
 eh. iv. 14 — 17. The Jews regarded 
 the office of high ])riest as an essen- 
 tial feature in the true religion ; and 
 it became, therefore, of the highest 
 importance to show that in the Chris- 
 tian system there was a High Priest 
 every way equal to that of the Jews. 
 In liis rank; in his character; and 
 in the sacrifice which he offered, he 
 was more tlian equal to the Jewish 
 high priest, and they who bad for- 
 
 saken Judaism and embraced Chris- 
 tianity liad lost nothing in this re- 
 spect by the change, and had gained 
 much. It became necessary, there- 
 fore, in making out tliis point, to in- 
 stitute a comparison between the 
 Jewish high priest and the Great Au- 
 thor of the Christian religion, and 
 this comparison is pursued in this 
 and the following chapters. The 
 comparison in this chapter turns 
 mainly on the qualijications for the 
 office, and the question whether the 
 Lord Jesus had those qualifications. 
 The chapter embraces the following 
 points : — 
 
 I. The qualifications of a Jewish 
 high priest. Vs. 1 — 4. They are these. 
 (I.) He must have been ordained or 
 appointed by God for the purpose of 
 offering gifts and sacrifices for sins. 
 Ver. 1. (2.) He must be tender and 
 compassionate in his feelings, so that 
 he can sympathize with those for 
 whom he ministers. Ver. 2. (3.) He 
 must have an offering to bring to God, 
 and be able to preseat a sacrifice alike 
 for himself and for the people. Ver. 3, 
 (4.) He could not take this honour 
 on himself, but must have evidence 
 that he was called of God, as was 
 Aaron. Ver. 4. 
 
 II. An inquiry whether these qua- 
 lifications were found in the Lord 
 Jesus, the great High Priest of the 
 Christian dispensation. Vs.5 — 10. In 
 considering this, the apostle specifies 
 the following qualifications in him, 
 corresponding to those which he had 
 said were required by the Jewish 
 high priest (1.) He did not take this 
 honour on himself, but was called di- 
 rectly by God, and after an order su- 
 perior to the Aaronic priesthood — the 
 order of Melchiscdek. Vs. 5, 6. 9, 10. 
 (2.) He was kind, tender, and com- 
 passionate, and sliowed that he was 
 able to sympathize with those for 
 whom he liad undertaken the office. 
 Wlien on the earth he had evinced 
 all the tenderness which could be de- 
 sired in one who had come to pity 
 and save mankind. He had a tender, 
 sensitive, human nature. He felt 
 deeply as a man, under the pressure 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Ill 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FOR every high priest taken 
 from among men is ordain- 
 ed* for men in things pertain- 
 
 of the great sufferings which he en- 
 dured, and thus showed that he was 
 abundantly qualified to sympathize 
 with his people. Vs. 7, 8. 
 
 III. In verse 10 the apostle had 
 introduced, incidentally, a topic of 
 great difficulty ; and lie adds (vs. 11 
 — 14), that he had rfluch to say on 
 that subject, but that those whom he 
 addressed were not qualified then to 
 understand it. They ought to have 
 been so far advanced in knowledge 
 as to have been able to embrace the 
 more abstruse and difficult points 
 connected with the doctrines of Ciiris- 
 tianity. But they needed, he says, 
 instruction even yet in the more sim- 
 ple elements of religion, and he feared 
 that what he had to say of Mclchise- 
 dek would be far above their com- 
 prehension. This point, therefore, he 
 drops for the present, and in eh. vi. 
 states again, and at grearter length, 
 the danger of apostasy, and the im- 
 portance of perseverance in endea- 
 vouring to comprehend the sublime 
 mysteries of the Christian religion ; 
 and then (ch. vii.) he resumes the 
 subject of the comparison between 
 Christ and Melchizedeck. 
 
 1. For every high priest. That is, 
 among the Jews, for the remarks re- 
 late to the Jewish system. The Jews 
 had one high priest who was regarded 
 as the successor of Aaron. The word 
 ^high priest' means chief priest ; that 
 is, a priest of higher rank and office 
 than others. By the original regula- 
 tion the Jewish liigh priest was to be 
 of the family of Aaron (Ex. xxix. 9), 
 thougji in later times the office was 
 frequently conferred on others. In 
 the time of the Romans it had become 
 venal, and the Mosaic regulation was 
 disregarded. II. Mac. iv. 7 ; Jos. Ant. 
 XV. 3. 1. It was no longer held for 
 life, so that there were several persons 
 at one time to whom was given the 
 title of high priest. The high priest 
 
 ing to God, that he may offer 
 both gifts and sacrifices for 
 sins : 
 
 a c. 8. 3. 
 
 was at the head of religious affairs, 
 and was the ordinary judge of all 
 that pertained to religion, and even 
 of the general justice of the Hebrew 
 commonwealth. Deut. xvii. 8 — 12 ; 
 xix. 17 ; xxi. 5 ; xxiii. 9, 10. He only 
 had the privilege of entering the most 
 holy place once a year, on the great 
 driy of atonement, to make expiation 
 for the sins of the people. Lev. xvi. 
 He was to be the son of one who had 
 married a virgin, and was to be free 
 from any corporeal defect. Lev. xxi. 
 1 3. The dress of the high priest was 
 much more costly and magnificent 
 than that of the inferior order of 
 
113 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 priests. Ex. xxxix. 1 — 9. lie wore a 
 mantle or robe — meil — ^'i*^ — of blue, 
 
 with the borders cnibroidored with 
 pomegranates in purple and scarlet; 
 anephod — m£)N — made of cotton, with 
 crimson, purple, and blue, and orna- 
 mented with gold, worn over the robe 
 or mantle, without sleeves, and di- 
 vided below the arm-pits into two 
 parts or halves, of whicli one was in 
 front covering the breast, and the 
 other behind covering the back. In 
 the ephod was a breastplate of curious 
 workmanship, and on the head a 
 mitre. The breastplate was a piece 
 of broidered work about ten inches 
 square, and was made double, so as 
 to answer the purpose of a pouch 
 
 ' or bag. It was adorned with twelve 
 precious stones, each one having the 
 name of one of the tribes of Israel. 
 The two upper corners of the breast- 
 plate were fastened to the ephod, and 
 the two lower to the girdle. The 
 I preceding cut is supposed to give an 
 illustration of this part of the dress 
 I of the high priest. It is copied from 
 I Taylor's Fragments, appended to 
 |Calmet. As there is frequent refer- 
 ' encc to the high priest of tlie.Tews in 
 this epistle, and as he performed so 
 important an office among the He- 
 brews, it may be useful to have a 
 view of the appearance of this officer 
 in frill dress. The following cuts 
 will illustrate this. The first re- 
 presents him with the robe and the 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 113 
 
 ephod. On each shoulder is seen an 
 onyx stone, upon each of which were 
 engraved the names of six of the 
 tribes of tlie children of Israel. The 
 breastplate is also seen with a wrought 
 •chain of gold fastened to each corner, 
 and passing under the arms and over 
 each shoulder. The dress is described 
 at length in Ex. xxviii. The second 
 cut exhibits the dress of the high 
 priest on the day of expiation, and is 
 very plain and simple, consisting only 
 of plain linen with a sash and girdle. 
 Lev. xvi. 4. 23. If Taken from among 
 men, There may be an allusion here 
 to the Tdct that the great High Priest 
 of the Christian dispensation had a 
 higher than human origin, and was 
 selected from a rank far above men. 
 
 Or it may be that the meaning is, 
 tliat every high priest on earth — in- 
 cluding all under the old dispensa- 
 tion and the great High Priest of the 
 new — is ordained with reference to 
 the welfare of men, and to bring some 
 valuable offering for man to God. 
 It Is ordained for men. Is set apart 
 or consecrated for the welfare of men. 
 j The Jewish high priest was set apart 
 to his office with great solemnity. 
 j See Ex. xxix. ^ In things pertaining 
 ' to God. In religious matters, or with 
 ^ reference to the worship and service 
 of God. He Was not to be a civil 
 ruler, nor a teacher of science, nor a 
 ■ military leader, but his business was 
 to superintend the alTairs of religion, 
 I IT That he may offer both gifts. That 
 
 ]0» 
 
114 
 
 HKBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 2 Who can ' have compas- 
 sion on the ignorant, and on 
 them that are out of the way ; 
 
 1 reasonably bear toitk. 
 
 is, tliank-offcrings, or oblations which 
 would be the expressions of gratitude. 
 Many such otferings were made by 
 the Jews under the laws of Moses, 
 and the high priest was the medium 
 by whom they were to be presented 
 to God. ^ And sacrifices for sins. 
 Bloody offerings ; offerings mqde of 
 slain beasts. The blood of expiation 
 was sprinkled by him on the mercy- 
 seat, and he was the appointed me- 
 dium by which such sacrifices were 
 to be presented to God. Notes oh. ix. 
 C — 10. We may remark here (1.) 
 tliat the proper office of a priest is to 
 present a sacrifice for sin. (2.) It is 
 improper to give the name priest to a 
 minister of tiie gospel. Tiie reason 
 is, that he offers no sacrifice ; he 
 sprinkles no blood. lie is appointed 
 to " preach the word," and to lead the 
 devotions of the church, but not to 
 offer sacrifice. Accordingly the New 
 Testament preserves entire consis- 
 tency on this point, for the name 
 priest is never once given to the apos- 
 tles, or to any other minister of the 
 gospel. Among the Papists there is 
 consistency — tiiough gross and dan- 
 gerous error — in the use of the word 
 priest. They believe that the minis- 
 ter of religion offers up ' the real bo(Jy 
 and blood of our Lord ;' that the 
 bread and wine are changed by the 
 words of consecration into the ' body 
 and blood, the soul and divinity, of 
 the Lord Jesus' (Decrees of the Coun- 
 cil of Trent), and that this is really 
 offered by him as a sacrifice. Ac- 
 cordingly they '•elevate the- host;' 
 that is, lift up, or offer the sacri- 
 fice, and require all to bow before 
 it and worship, and with this view 
 they are consistent in retaining the 
 word priest. But why should this 
 name be applied to a Protestant mi- 
 nister, who believes that all this is 
 blasphemy, and wlio claims to have 
 no sacrifice to offer when he comes to 
 minister before God ? The great sa- 
 
 fer that he " himself also ia 
 compassed witli infirmity. 
 3 And by reason hereof he 
 
 a c. 7. 28. 
 
 crifice ; the one suflicient atonement, 
 has been offered — and the ministers 
 of the gospel are appointed to pro- 
 claim that truth to men, not to offer 
 sacrifices for sin. 
 
 2. Who can have compassion. Marg. 
 Reasonably bear with. The idea is 
 that of sympathizing with. The high 
 priest is taken from among men, in 
 order that he may have a fellow, 
 feeling for those on whose behalf he 
 olficiates. Sensible of his own igno- 
 rance, he is able to sympatliize with 
 those who are ignorant ; and com- 
 passed about with infirmity, he is 
 able to succour those who have like 
 infirmities. ^ And on them that are 
 out of the way. The erring, and the 
 guilty. If he were taken from an 
 order of beings superior to men, he 
 would be less qualified to sympathize 
 with those who felt that they were 
 sinners, and who needed pardon. 
 IT For that he himself also is com- 
 passed with infirmity. See chap. vii. 
 28. He is liable to err ; he is subject 
 to temptation ; he must die, and ap- 
 pear before God ; — and encompassed 
 witli these infirmities, he is better 
 qualified to minister in behalf of 
 guilty and dying men. For the same 
 reason it is, that the ministers of the 
 gospel are chosen from among men. 
 They are of like passions with others. 
 They are sinners; they are dying 
 men. They can enter into the feelings 
 of those who are conscious of guilt ; 
 they can sympathize with tliose who 
 tremble in dread of death ; they can 
 ])artake of the emotions of tliose who 
 expect soon to appear before (iod. 
 
 3. And by reason hereof. Because 
 he is a sinner ; an imperfect man. 
 H As for the people, so also for him- 
 self, to offer for sins. To make an 
 expiation for sins. He needs the 
 same atonement ; lie offers the sacri. 
 fice for himself which he docs for 
 others. Lev. ix. 7. The same thing 
 is true of the" ministers of religion 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 115 
 
 ought, as for the people, so" 
 
 also for himsel .", to offer for sins. 
 
 4 And '' no man taketh this 
 
 honour unto himself, but he 
 
 aLe.9. 7. 6 2 Ch. 26. 18. 
 
 now. They come before God feeling- 
 that they have need of the benefit of 
 the same atonement which they 
 preach to others ; they plead the 
 merits of the same blood for their 
 own salvation which they show to be 
 indispensable for the salvation of 
 others. 
 
 4. And no man taketh this honour 
 to himself. No one has a right to 
 enter on this office unless he has the 
 qualifications which God has pre- 
 scribed. There were fixed and defi- 
 nite laws in regard to the succession 
 in the office of the high priest, and to 
 the qualifications of him who should 
 hold the office, f But he that is called 
 of God as was Aaron. Aaron was 
 designated by name. It was neces- 
 sary that his successors should have 
 as clear evidence that they were 
 called of God to the office, as though 
 they had been mentioned by name. 
 The manner in which the high priest 
 was to succeed to the office was de- 
 signated in the law of Moses, but in 
 the time of Paul these rules were lit- 
 tle regarded. The office had become 
 venal, and was conferred at pleasure 
 by the Roman rulers. Still it was 
 true that according to the law, to 
 which alone Paul here refers, no one 
 might hold this office but lie who had 
 the qualifications which Moses pre- 
 scribed, and which showed that he 
 was called of God. We may remark 
 here, (1.) that this does not refer so 
 much to an internal, as to an external 
 call. 'He was to have the qualifica- 
 tions prescribed in the law — but it is 
 not specified that he should be con- 
 scious of an internal call to the office, 
 or be influenced by the Holy Spirit to 
 it. Such a call was, doubtless, in the 
 highest degree desirable, but it was 
 not prescribed as an essential qualifi- 
 cation. (2.) This has no reference to 
 the call to the work of the Christian 
 
 that is called of God, as was 
 Aaron.' 
 
 5 So also Christ ^ glorified 
 not himself to be made an high 
 
 c Ex. 28. 1. Nu. 16. 40. d Jno 8. 54. 
 
 ministry, and should not be applied 
 to it. It should not be urged as a 
 proof- text to show that a minister of 
 the gospel should have a ' call' directly 
 from God, or that he should be called 
 according to a certain order of suc- 
 cession. The object of Paul is not 
 to state this — whatever may be the 
 truth on this point. His object is, to 
 show that the Jewish high priest was 
 called of God to his office in a certain 
 way, showing that he held the ap- 
 pointment from God, and that there- 
 fore it was necessary that the Great 
 High Priest of the Christian profes- 
 sion should be called in a similar 
 manner. To this alone the compari- 
 son should be understood as applica- 
 ble. 
 
 5. So also Christ glorified not him- 
 self. See Notes John viii. 54. The 
 meaning is, that Jesus was not ambi- 
 tious ; that he did not obtrude him- 
 self into the great office of high 
 priest; he did not enter upon its 
 duties without being regularly called 
 to it. Paul claimed that Christ held 
 that office; but, as he was not de- 
 scended from Aaron, and as no one 
 might perform its duties without 
 being regularly called to it, it was 
 incmnbent on him to show that Je- 
 sus was not an intruder, but had 
 a regular vocation to that work. 
 This he shows by a reference to 
 two passages of the Old Testament. 
 IT But he that said unto him. That is, 
 he who said to him 'Thou art my 
 Son,' exalted him to that office. He 
 received his appointment from him. 
 This was decisive in the case, and 
 this was sufficient, if it could be made 
 out, for the only claim which Aaron 
 and his successors could have to the 
 office, was the fact that they had re- 
 ceived their appointment from God. 
 H Thou art my Son. Ps. ii. 7. See 
 this passage explained in the Notes 
 
116 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 priest; hut he that said unto 
 him, " Thou art my Son, to-day 
 have I hegoticn thee. 
 
 6 As he saith also in another 
 
 on Acts xiii. 33. It is here used with 
 reference to the designation to the 
 priestly ofViec, though in the Fsalm 
 more particularly to the anointing 
 to the office of king. The propriety 
 of this application is founded on the 
 fact that the language in the Psalm 
 is of so general a character, that it 
 may be applied to any exaltation of 
 the Redeemer, or to any honour con- 
 ferred on him. It is here used with 
 strict propriety, for Paul is saying 
 that Jesus did not exalt himself, and 
 in proof of that he refers to the fact 
 that God had exalted him by calling 
 him liis ' Son.' 
 
 6. As he saith also in another place. 
 Ps. ex. 4. IT Thou art a priest for 
 ever. It is eddcnt here that the 
 apostle means to be understood as 
 saying that the Psalm referred to 
 Christ, and this is one of the instances 
 of quotation from the Old Testament 
 respecting which there can be no 
 doubt. Paul makes much of this ar- 
 gument in a subsequent part of this 
 epistle, (ch. vii.) and reasons as if no 
 one would deny that the Psalm had a 
 reference to tiie Messiah. It is clear 
 from this that the Psalm was under- 
 stood by the Jews at that time to 
 have such a reference, and that it 
 was so universally admitted that no 
 one would call it in question. That 
 the Psalm refers to the Messiah has 
 been the opinion of nearly all Chris- 
 tian commentators, and has been ad- 
 mitted by the Jewish Rabbins in 
 general also. The evidence that it 
 refers to the Messiah is such as the 
 following. (1.) It is a Psalm of Da- 
 vid, and yet is spoken of one who 
 was superior to him, and whom he 
 calls his " Lord." Ver. I. (2.) It can- 
 not be referred to Jkhovah himself, 
 for he is expressly (ver. 1.) distin- 
 giiished from him who is here ad- 
 dressed. (3.) It caimot be referred to 
 any one in the time of David, for 
 
 place, Thou * art a priest for 
 ever after the order of Melchi- 
 sedek. 
 
 a rs. 2. 7. b Ps. no. 4. 
 
 there was no one to whom he would 
 attribute this character of superiority 
 but God. (4.) For the same reason 
 there was no one among his posterity, 
 except the Messiah, to whom he 
 would apply this language. (5.) It is 
 expressly ascribed by the Lord Jesus 
 to himself Matt. xxii. 43, 44. (6.) 
 The scope of the Psalm is such as to 
 be applicable to the Messiah, and 
 there is no part of it which would be 
 inconsistent with such a reference. 
 Indeed, there is no passage of the 
 Old Testament of which it would be 
 more universally conceded that there 
 was a reference to the Messiah, than 
 this Psalm. ^ Tliou art a priest. He 
 is not here called a hifrh priest, for 
 Melchisedek did not bear that title, 
 nor w^as the Lord Jesus to be a high 
 priest exactly in the sense in which 
 the name was given to Aaron and 
 his successors. A word is used, there- 
 fore, in a general sense to denote that 
 he would be a priest simply, or would 
 sustain the priestly office. This was 
 all that was needful to the present 
 argument which was, that he was 
 designated hy God to the priestly 
 office, and that he had not intruded 
 himself into it. 1i For ever. This 
 was an important circumstance of 
 which the apostle makes much use 
 in another part of the epistle. See 
 Notes ch. vii. 8. 23, 24. The priest- 
 hood of the Messiah was not to change 
 from hand to hand ; it was not to be 
 laid down at death ; it was to remain 
 unchangeably the same. ^ After the 
 order. The word rendered order — 
 Ta^^is — means 'a setting in order' — 
 hence arrangement or disposition. It 
 may be applied to ranks of soldiers ; 
 to the gradations of office ; or to any 
 rank wliich men sustain in society. 
 To say that he was of the same order 
 with !\Iclchisedek, was to say that he 
 was of the same rank or station. He 
 was like him in his designation to the 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 117 
 
 7 Who in the days of his 
 flesh, when he had offered up 
 
 office. In what respects he was like 
 hhn the apostle shows more fully in 
 ch. vii. One particular in which there 
 was a striking resemblance, whicli 
 did not exist between Christ and any 
 other high priest, was, that Melchise- 
 dek was both a priest and a king. 
 None of the kings of the Jews were 
 priests ; nor were any of the priests 
 ever elevated to the office of king. 
 But in Melchisedek these offices were 
 united, and this fact constituted a 
 striking resemblance between him 
 and the Lord Jesus. It was on this 
 principle that there was such perti- 
 nency in quoting here the passage 
 from the second Psalm. See ver. 5. 
 The meaning is, that Melchisedek 
 was of a peculiar rank or order ; that 
 he was not numbered with the Levi- 
 tical priests, and that there were im- 
 portant features in his office which 
 differed from theirs. In tliose features 
 it was distinctly predicted that the 
 Messiah would resemble him. If Mel- 
 chisedek. See Notes on ch. vii. 1, seq. 
 7. Who. That is, the Lord Jesus — 
 for so the connexion demands. The 
 object of this verse and the two fol- 
 lowing is, to show that the Lord Jesus 
 had that qualification for the office of 
 priest to which he had referred in ver. 
 2. It was one important qualifica- 
 tion for that office that he who sus- 
 tained it should be able to show com- 
 passion, to aid tliose that were out of 
 the way, and to sympathize with suf- 
 'ferers ; in other words, they were 
 themselves encompassed with infirm- 
 ity, and thus were able to succour 
 those who were subjected to trials. 
 The apostle shows now that the Lord 
 Jesus had those qualifications, as far 
 as it was possible for one to have 
 them who had no sin. In the days 
 of his flesh he suffered intensely ; he 
 prayed with fervour ; he placed liini- 
 Belf in a situation where he learned 
 subjection and obedience by his trials ; 
 and in all this -he went far beyond 
 what had been evinced by the priests 
 
 prayers " and supplications, with 
 
 a Mat. 26. 39-44. 
 
 under the ancient dispensation. IT ]n 
 the days of his flesh. When he ap- 
 peared on earth as a man. Flesh is 
 used to denote human nature, and 
 especially human nature as suscepti. 
 ble of suffering. The Son of God 
 still is united to human nature, but it 
 is human nature glorified, for in his 
 case, as in all others, " flesh and blood 
 cannot inherit the kingdom of God." 
 I. Cor. XV. 50. He has now a glori 
 fied body (Phil. iii. 21), such as the 
 redeemed will have in the future 
 world. Comp. Rev. i. 13—17. The 
 phrase ' days of his flesh,' means the 
 time when he was incarnate, or when 
 he lived on earth in human form. 
 The particular time here referred to, 
 evidently, vs'as the agony in the gar- 
 den of Gethsemane. ^ Prayers and 
 supplications. These words are often 
 used to denote the same thing. If 
 there is a difference, the former — 
 ict'iaui — means petitions which arise 
 from a sense of need — from iioixai — 
 to want, to need ; the latter refers 
 usually to supplication /or protection, 
 and is applicable to one who under a 
 sense of guilt flees to an altar with 
 the symbols of supplication in his 
 hand. Suppliants in such cases often 
 carried an olive-branch as an emblem 
 of the peace which they sought. A 
 fact is mentioned by Livy respecting 
 the Locrians that may illustrate this 
 passage. " Ten delegates from the 
 Locrians, squalid and covered with 
 rags, came into the hall where the 
 consuls were sitting, extending the 
 badges of suppliants — olive-branchea 
 — according to the custom of the 
 Greeks ; and prostrated themselves 
 on the ground before the tribunal, 
 with a lamentable cry." Lib. xxix. c. 1 6. 
 The particular idea in the word here 
 used — iKcrripia — is petition for protec- 
 tion, help, or shelter (Passow), and 
 this idea accords well with the design 
 of the passage. The Lord Jesus 
 prayed as one who had need, and as 
 one who desired protection, shelter, or 
 
118 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 strong crying and tears, unto 
 him that was able " to save him 
 
 a Matt. 26. 53. 
 
 help. The words here, therefore, do 
 not mean the same thing-, and are not 
 merely intensive, but they refer to 
 distinct purposes which the Redeemer 
 had in his prayers. He was about 
 to die, and as a man he needed the 
 divine help; he was, probably, tempted 
 in that dark hour (Note John xii. 30), 
 and he fled to God for protection. 
 ^ With strong crying. This word 
 docs not mean weeping, as the word 
 ' crying' does familiarly with us. It 
 rather means an outcry, the voice of 
 wailing and lamentation. It is the 
 cry for help of one who is deeply dis- 
 tressed, or in danger ; and refers here 
 to the earnest petition of the Saviour 
 when in the agony of Gethsemane, 
 or when on the cross. It is the in- 
 tensity of the voice which is referred 
 to when it is raised by an agony of 
 suffering. Comp. Luke xxii. 44. " He 
 prayed more earnestly." Matt, xxvii. 
 46. " And about the ninth hour Je- 
 sus cried with a loud voice — My God, 
 my God, why hast thou forsaken mc ?" 
 See also Matt. xxvi. 38, 39 ; xxvii. 50. 
 If And tears. Jesus wept at the grave 
 of Lazarus (John xi. 35), and over 
 Jerusalem. Luke xix. 41. It is not 
 expressly stated by the Evangelists 
 that he wept in the garden of Geth- 
 semane, but there is no reason to 
 doubt that he did. In such an in- 
 tense agony as to cause a bloody 
 sweat, tiicre is every probability tliat 
 it would be accompanied with tears. 
 We may remark then, (1.) that there 
 is nothing dishonourable in tears, 
 and that man should not be ashamed 
 on proper occasions to weep. The 
 ■fact that the Son of God wypt is a 
 full demonstration that it is not 
 disgraceful to weep. God has so 
 made us as to express sympathy 
 for others by tears. Religion docs 
 not make the heart insensible and 
 hard as stoical philosophy docs; it 
 makes it tender and susceptible to 
 impression. (2.) It is not improper 
 
 from death, and was heard ' in 
 that he feared : 
 
 I for his piety. 
 
 to weep. The Son of God wept — and 
 if he poured forth tears it cannot bo 
 wrong for us. Besides, it is a great 
 law of our nature that in suffering we 
 should find relief by tears. God would 
 not have so made us if it had been 
 wrong. (3.) Tlie fact that the Son 
 of God thus wept should be allowed 
 deeply to affect our hearts. 
 
 " lie wept that we might weep; 
 Each sill Uuiuands a tear." 
 
 He wept that he might redeem us ; 
 we should weep that our sins were so 
 great as to demand such bitter woes 
 for our salvation. That we had sin- 
 ned ; that our sins caused him such 
 anguish ; that he endured for us this 
 bitter conflict, should make us weep. 
 Tear should answer to tear, and sigh 
 respond to sigh, and groan to groan, 
 when we contemplate the sorrows of 
 the Son of God in accomplishing our 
 redemption. That man must have a 
 hard heart who has never had an 
 emotion when he has reflected that 
 the Son of God wept, and bled, and 
 died for him. H Unto him that was 
 able. To God. He alone was able 
 then to save. In such a conflict man 
 Could not aid, and the help of angels, 
 ready as they were to assist him, 
 could not sustain him. We may de- 
 rive aid from man in trial ; we may 
 be comforted by sympathy and coun- 
 sel ; but there are sorrows where God 
 only can uphold the sufferer. Tliat ' 
 God was able to uphold hira in his 
 severe conflict, the Redeemer could 
 not doubt; nor need we doubt it in 
 reference to ourselves when deep sor- 
 rows come over our souls, t To save 
 him from death. It would seem from 
 this, that what constituted the agony 
 I of the Redeemer was the dread of 
 . deatli, and that he prayed tliat he 
 I might be saved from tliat. This might 
 be, so far as the language is concern- 
 ! cd, either the dread of death on the 
 I spot by the intensity of his suft'crings 
 
A. D..64.] 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ll'J 
 
 and by the power of the Tempter, or 
 it mig-ht be the dread of the approach- 
 ing' death on the cross. As the Re- 
 deenler, liowever, knew that he was 
 to die on the cross, it can hardly 
 be supposed that he apprehended 
 death in the garden of Gethsemane. 
 What he prayed for was, that, if it 
 were possible he might be spared 
 from a death so painful as he appre- 
 hended. Matt. xxvi. 39. Feeling that 
 God had power to save him from that 
 mode of dying, the burden of his pe- 
 tition was, that, if human redemption 
 could be accomplished without such 
 sufferings, it might please his Father 
 to remove that cup from him. IT And 
 was heard. In John xi. 42, the Sa- 
 viour says, " I know that thou hearest 
 me always." In the garden of Geth- 
 semane, he was heard. His prayer 
 was not disregarded, though it was 
 not literally answered. The ciip of 
 death was not taken away ; but his 
 prayer was not disregarded. What 
 answer was given ; what assurance 
 or support was imparted to his soul, 
 we are not informed. The case, 
 however, shows us, (1.) That prayer 
 may be heard even when the suffer- 
 ings which are dreaded, and from 
 which we prayed to be delivered, 
 may come upon us. They may come 
 with such assurances of divine favour, 
 and such supports, as will be full 
 proof that the prayer was not dis- 
 regarded. (2.) That prayer offered 
 in faith may not be always literally 
 answered. No one can doubt that 
 Jesus offered the prayer of faith ; and 
 it is as little to be doubted, if he re- 
 ferred in the prayer to the death on 
 the cross, that it was not literally an- 
 swered. Comp. Matt. xxvi. 39. In 
 like manner, it may occur now, that 
 prayer shall be offered with every 
 right feeling, and with an earnest de- 
 sire for the object, which may not be 
 literally answered. Christians, even 
 in the highest exercise of faith, are 
 not inspired to know what is best for 
 them, and as long as this is the case, 
 it is possible that they may ask for 
 things which it would not be best to 
 have granted. They who maintain 
 
 that the prayer of faith is always 
 literally answered, must hold that the 
 Christian is mider such a guidance 
 of the Spirit of God that he cannot 
 ask anything amiss. See Notes on 
 II. Cor. xii. 9. '^ In tJiat he feared. 
 Marg. For his jiiety. Coverdale, 
 " Because he had God in honour." 
 Tindal, " Because he had God in re- 
 verence." Prof Stuart renders it, 
 "And was delivered from tliat which 
 he feared." So also Doddridge. Whit- 
 by, " Was delivered from his fear." 
 Luther renders it, ' And was heard 
 for that he had God in reverence' — 
 dass er Gott in Ehren hatte. Beza 
 renders it, " His prayers being heard, 
 he was delivered from fear." From 
 this variety in translating the passage, 
 it will be seen at once that it is at- 
 tended with difficulty. The Greek is 
 literally 'from fear or reverence' — 
 OTTO Trji tv'Xalidai. The word occurs in 
 the New Testament only in one other 
 place, (Heb. xii. 28), where it is ren- 
 dered '■'■fear." 'Let us serve him 
 with reverence and godly fear.'' The 
 word properly means caution, circum- 
 spection ; then timidity, fear ; then 
 the fear of God, reverence, piety. 
 Where the most distinguished scho- 
 lars have differed as to the meaning 
 of a Greek phrase, it would be pre- 
 sumption in me to attempt to deter- 
 mine its sense. The most natural 
 and obvious interpretation, however, 
 as it seems to me, is, that it means 
 that he was heard on account of his 
 reverence for God ; his profound ve- 
 neration ; his submission. Such was 
 his piety that the prayer was heard, 
 though it was not literally answered. 
 A prayer may be heard and yet not 
 literally answered; it may be accept- 
 able to God, though it may not consist 
 with his arrangements to bestow the 
 very blessing that is sought. The 
 posture of the mind of the Redeemer 
 perhaps was something like tliis. He 
 knew that he was about to be put 
 to death in a most cruel manner. 
 His tender and sensitive nature as a 
 man shrank from such a death. As a 
 man he went under the pressure of 
 his great sorrows and pleaded that tha 
 
120 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 8 Though he were a Son, 
 yet learned he obedience" by 
 the things which he suflered : 
 
 9 And * being made perfect, 
 he became the author of eternal 
 
 a Ph. 2. 8. 
 
 b c. 2. 10. 
 
 cup might be removed, and that man 
 might be redeemed by a loss fearful 
 scene of suffering. That arrangement, 
 however, could not be made. Yet 
 the spirit which lie evinced ; the de- 
 sire to do the will of God ; tlic resig. 
 nation, and the confidence in his Fa- 
 ther which he evinced, were such as 
 were acceptable in his siglit. They 
 showed that he had unconquerable 
 virtue ; tliat no power of temptation, 
 and no prospect of the intensest woes 
 which human nature could endure, 
 could alienate him from piety. To 
 Bhow this was an object of inesti- 
 mable value, and much as it cost the 
 Saviour was worth it all. So now 
 it is worth much to see Chris- 
 tian piety can endure ; what strong 
 temptations it can resist; and what 
 strength it has to bear up under ac- 
 cumulated woes ; — and even though 
 the prayer of the pious sufterrr is not 
 directly answered, yet that prayer is 
 acceptable to God, and the result of 
 such a trial is worth all that it costs. 
 8. Though he were a Son. Though 
 the son of God. Though he sustain- 
 ed this exalted rank, and was con- 
 scious of it, yet he was willing to 
 learn experimentally what is meant 
 by obedience in the midst of sulfcr- 
 ings. ^ Yet learned he obedience. 
 That is, he learned experimentally 
 ajid practically. It cannot be sup- 
 posed that he did not know what obe- 
 dience was ; or that he was indisposed 
 to obey God before he sulTcred ; or 
 that he had, as we have, perversities 
 of nature leading to rebellion which 
 required to be subdued by suffering, 
 but tliat he was willing to test tlie 
 power of obedience in sufferings ; to 
 become personally and practically 
 acquainted witli. tlie nature of such 
 obedience in the midst of protracted 
 woes. Como. Note on Phil. ii. 8. 
 
 salvation unto all them that obey 
 him ; 
 
 10 Called of God an high 
 priest' after the order of Mel- 
 chisedek. 
 
 e ver. 6. 
 
 Tlic object here is, to show how well 
 fitted the Lord Jesus was to be a Sa- 
 viour for mankind ; and the argument 
 is, that he has set us an example, and 
 has shown that the most perfect obe- 
 dience may be manifested in the 
 deepest sorrows of the body and the 
 soul. Learn hence, that one of the 
 objects of affliction is to lead us to 
 obey God. In prosperity we forget it. 
 We become self-confident and rebel- 
 lious. Then God lays his hand upon 
 us ; breaks up our plans ; crushes our 
 hopes ; takes away our health, and 
 teaches us that we must be submissive 
 to his will. Some of the most valu- 
 able lessons of obedience are learned 
 in the furnace of affliction ; and many 
 of the most submissive children of 
 the Almighty have been made so as 
 the result of protracted woes. 
 
 9. And being made perfect. That 
 is, being made a complete Saviour — a 
 Saviour fitted in all respects to redeem 
 men. Sufferings were necessary to 
 the completeness or the Jinish bf his 
 character as a Saviour, not to his 
 moral perfection, for he was always 
 without sin. See this explained in 
 the Notes on ch ii. 10. IT He became 
 the author. That is, he was the pro- 
 curing cause (aiTtos) of salvation. It 
 is to be traced wholly to his sufferings 
 and death. Sec Note eh. ii. 10. IT Unto 
 all them that obey him. It is not to 
 save those who live in sin. Only 
 those who obey him have any evi- 
 dence that they will be saved. See 
 Note Joiin xiv. 15. 
 
 10. Called of God. Addressed by 
 him, or greeted by him. The word 
 here used does not mean tiiat he was 
 appointed by God, or '■called^ to the 
 olHce, in the sense in which we often 
 use the word, but simply that he was 
 addressed as such, to wit, in Psalm 
 ex. IT An high priest. In the Scptua- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 131 
 
 11 Of whom we have man} 
 things to say, and hard to be 
 uttered, seeing ye are dull of 
 hearing. 
 
 gint (Ps. ex. 4), and in ver. 6, above, 
 it is rendered priest — hpcv; — but the 
 Hebrew word — \f\2 — kohen — is often 
 used to denote the high priest, and 
 may mean eitlier. See Sept. in Lev. 
 iv. 3. Whether the word priest, or 
 high priest, be used here, does not 
 affect the argument of the apostle. 
 ^ After the order of Melchisedek. 
 Notes ver. 6. 
 
 11. Of whom we have many things 
 to say. There are many things which 
 seem strange in regard to him ; many 
 things which are hard to be understood. 
 Paul knew that what he liad to say 
 of this man as a type of the Redeemer 
 would excite wonder, and that many 
 might be disposed to call it in ques- 
 tion. He knew that in order to be 
 understood, what he was about to 
 say required a familiar acquaintance 
 with the Scriptures, and a strong and 
 elevated faith. A young convert ; 
 one who had just commenced the 
 Christian life, could hardly expect to 
 be able to understand it. The same 
 thing is true now. One of the first 
 questions which a young convert often 
 asks, is. Who was Melchisedek ? And 
 one of the things which most uni- 
 formly perplex those who begin to 
 study the Bible, is, the statement 
 which is made about this remarkable 
 man. ^ Hard to be uttered. Rather, 
 hard to be interpreted, or explained. 
 So the Greek word means. IT Seeing 
 ye are dull of hearing. That is, when 
 they ought to have been acquainted 
 with the higher truths of religion, 
 they had shown that they received 
 them slowly, and were dull of appre- 
 hension. On what particular fact 
 Paul grounded this charge respecting 
 them is unknown ; nor could we 
 know, unless we were better ac- 
 quainted with the persons to whom 
 he wrote, and their circumstances, 
 tlinn we now are. But he had doobt- 
 11 
 
 12 For-vvhen for the time ye 
 ought to be teachers, ye have 
 need that one teach you agairi 
 which be the first principles of 
 
 less in his eye some fact which 
 showed that they were slow to under- 
 stand the great principles of the goa. 
 pel. 
 
 12. For when for the time. Consi- 
 dering the time which has elapsed 
 since you were converted. You have 
 been Christians long enough to be 
 expected to understand such doctrines. 
 This verse proves that those to whom 
 he wrote were not recent converts. 
 If Ye ought la be teachers. You ought 
 to be able to instruct others. He doea 
 not mean to say, evidently, that they 
 ought all to become pubhc teachers, 
 or preachers of the gospel, but that 
 they ought to be able to explain to 
 others the truths of the Christian re- 
 ligion. As parents they ought to be 
 able to explani them to their children ; 
 as neighbours, to their neighbours ; or 
 as friends, to those who were inquir 
 ing the way to life. ^ Ye have need. 
 That is, probably, the mass of them 
 had need. As a people, or a church, 
 they had shown that they were igno- 
 rant of some of the very elements of 
 the gospel. If Again. This shows that 
 they had been taught on some former 
 occasion what were the first princi- 
 ples of religion, but they had not 
 followed up the teaching as they ought 
 to have done. If The first principles. 
 The very elements; the rudiments; 
 the first lessons — such as children 
 learn before they advance to higher 
 studies. See the word here used ex- 
 plained in the Notes on Gal. iv. 3 
 under the word " elements " Tl^ 
 Greek word is the same. IT Of th<s 
 oracles of God. Of the Scriptures, or 
 what God has spoken. See Notes on 
 Rom. iii. 2. The phrase here mav 
 refer to the writings of the Old Tes- 
 tanient, and particularly to those 
 parts which relate to the Messiah ; or 
 it may include all that God had a1 
 that time revealed in whatever way 
 it was preserved. In 1. Pet iv. 11, il 
 
123 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 the oracles of God ; and are be- 
 come such as have need of 
 milk," and not of strong meat. 
 13 For every one that useth 
 
 a 1 Co. 3. 1-3. 
 
 is used with reference to the Christian 
 reli<^ion, and to the doctrines whicli 
 God liad revealed in the gospel. In 
 the pa.swage before us, it may mean 
 the dicine oracles or coinmunicalions, 
 in whatever way they had been made 
 known. They had shown that they 
 wore ignorant of the very rudiments 
 of the divine teaching. If And are 
 become such. There is more meant 
 in this phrase than that they simply 
 were such persons. The word ren- 
 dered 'are become' — yiVuftut -7- some- 
 times implies a change of state, or a 
 passing from one state to another — 
 well expressed by the phrase ' are be- 
 come.' See Matt. v. 45 ; iv. 3 ; xiii, 
 32 ; vi. ] G ; x. 25 ; Mark i. 17 ; Rom. 
 vii. 3, 4. The idea here is, that they 
 had passed from the hopeful condition 
 in which they were when they show- 
 ed that they had an acquaintance 
 with the great principles of the gos- 
 pel, and that they had become such as 
 to need again the most simple form 
 of instruction. This agrees well with 
 the general strain of the epistle, which 
 is to preserve them from the danger 
 of apostasy. They were verging to- 
 wards it, and had come to that state 
 where if they were recovered it must 
 be by being again taught the elements 
 of religion. ^ Have need of milk. Like 
 little ciiildren. You can bear only 
 the most simple nourishment. The 
 meaning is, that they w«re incapable 
 of receiving the higher doctrines of 
 the gospel as much as little children 
 are incapable of digesting solid food. 
 They were in fact in a state of spirit- 
 ual infancy. IT And not of strong meat. 
 Greek. ' Strong food.' The word meat 
 with us is used now to denote only 
 animal food. Formerly it meant food 
 in general. The Greek word here 
 means nourishment. 
 
 ] 3. For every one that useth milk. 
 Refcrrmg to the food of children. 
 
 milk ' is unskilful in the word 
 of righteousness : for he is a 
 babe. 
 
 14 But strong meat belong- 
 
 i hath no eiperience. 
 
 The apostle has in view here those 
 Christians who resemble children in 
 this respect, that tliey are not capable 
 of receiving the stronger food adapted 
 to those of mature age. H Is unskil- 
 ful. Inexperienced ; who has not 
 skill to perform anything. The word 
 is properly applied to one who has 
 not experience or skill, or who is ig- 
 norant. Here it does not mean tliat 
 they were not true Christians — but 
 that they had not the experience or 
 skill requisite to enable them to un- 
 derstand the higher mysteries of the 
 Christian religion. ^ In the word of 
 righteousness. The doctrine respect- 
 ing the way in which men become 
 righteous, or the way of salvation by 
 the Redeemer. See Notes on Rom. i 
 17. IT For he is a babe. That is, in 
 religious matters. He iinderstanda 
 the great system only as a child may. 
 It is common to speak of ' babes in 
 knowledge,' as denoting a state of ig- 
 norance. 
 
 14. Strong meat. Solid food per. 
 tains to those of maturer years. So it 
 is with the higher doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity. Tliey can be understood and 
 appreciated only by tliose who are 
 advanced in Christian experience. 
 IT Of full age. Marg. Perfect. The 
 expression refers to those who arc 
 grown up. IT Who by reason of use. 
 Marg. Or, an habit, or, perfection. 
 Coverdale and Tindal render it, 
 ' through custom.' Tiie Greek word 
 means habit, practice. The meaning 
 tliat by long use and habit they 
 arrived to that state in which 
 
 nad 
 
 they could appreciate the more cle- 
 
 ; vated doctrines of Christianity. The 
 
 reference in the use of this word ia 
 
 j not to those who cat food — meaning 
 
 that by lono ujt iliey arc able to dis- 
 
 tinguish gi>i from bad -but it is to 
 
 experiem-iA Ch-isv'irus, who by long 
 
 |ex|)erieu<^ ro iW t-* di>ting'U)h 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 13» 
 
 eth to them that are ' of full 
 age, even those who by reason 
 of ^ use have their senses exer- 
 
 that which is useful in pretended re- 
 ligious instruction from that which is 
 injurious. It refers to the delicate 
 taste which an experienced Christian 
 has in regard to those doctrines which 
 impart most light and consolation. 
 Experience will thus enable one to 
 discern what is fitted to the soul of 
 man ; what elevates and purifies the 
 affections, and what tends to draw 
 the heart near to God. IT Have their 
 senses. The word here used means 
 properly the senses — as we' use the 
 term ; the seat of sensation, the smell, 
 taste, &,c. Then it means the inter- 
 nal sense, the faculty of perceiving 
 truth ; and this is the idea here. The 
 meaning is, that by long experience 
 Christians come to be able to under- 
 stand the more elevated doctrines of 
 Christianity ; they see their beauty 
 and value, and they are able carefully 
 and accurately to distinguish them 
 from error. Comp. Notes John vii. 17. 
 ^ To discern both good and evil. That 
 is, in doctrine. They will appreciate 
 and understand that which is true ; 
 they will reject that which is false. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 1. Let us rejoice that we have a 
 High Priest who is duly called to 
 take upon himself the functions of 
 that great office, and who lives for 
 ever. Vs. 1 — 6 True, he was not of 
 the tribe of Levi ; he was not a de- 
 scendant of Aaron ; but he had a 
 more noble elevation, and a more ex- 
 alted rank. He was the Son of God, 
 and was called to his office by special 
 divine designation. He did not ob- 
 trude himself into tlie work; he did 
 not unduly exalt himself, but he was 
 directly called to it by the appoint- 
 ment of God. When, moreover, the 
 Jewish high priests could look back 
 on the long line of their ancestors, 
 and trace the succession up to Aaron, 
 it was in the power of the great High 
 Priest of the Christian faith to look 
 
 cised to discern both good and 
 evil. 
 
 ' or, perfect. 
 
 2 or, an habit; or, perfection. 
 
 farther back still, and to be associated 
 in the office with one of higher anti- 
 quity than Aaron, and of higher rank 
 — one of the most remarkable men 
 of all ancient times — he whom Abra- 
 ham acknowledged as his superior, 
 and from wliom Abraham received 
 the benediction. 
 
 2. It is not unmanly to weep. Ver. 
 7. The Son of God poured out prayers 
 and supplications with strong crying 
 and tears. He wept at the grave of 
 Lazarus, and he wept over Jerusalem. 
 If the Redeemer wept, it is not un- 
 manly to weep ; and we should not be 
 ashamed to have tears seen streaming 
 down our cheeks. Tears are appointed 
 by God to be the natural expression 
 of sorrow, and often to fiirnish a re- 
 lief to a burdened soul. We instinc- 
 tively honour the man whom we see 
 weeping when there is occasion for 
 grief. We sympathize with him in 
 his sorrow, and we love him the more. 
 When we see a father who could face 
 the cannon's mouth without shrink- 
 ing". y«^t weeping over the open grave 
 of a daughter, we honour him more 
 than we could otherwise do. He 
 shows that he has a heart that can 
 love and feel, as vv^ell as courage that 
 can meet danger without alarm. 
 Washington wept when he signed 
 the deatli-warrant of Major Andr6; 
 and who ever read the affecting ac- 
 count without feeling that his charac- 
 ter was the more wortliy of our love ? 
 Tliere is enough in the world to make 
 us weep. Sickness, calamity, death, 
 are around us. They come into our 
 dwellings, and our dearest objects of 
 affection are taken away, and God 
 intends that we shall deepl)' feel. 
 Tears here will make heaven more 
 sweet ; and our sorrows on earth are 
 intended to prepare us for the joy of 
 that day when it shall be announced 
 to us that ' ah tears shall be wiped 
 away from every face.' 
 
 3. We see the propriety of prayer 
 
124 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 A. I). 61. 
 
 in view of approaching death, Vcr. 7. 
 The Redeemer prayed when he felt 
 that he must die. We know, also, 
 thut vvc must die. True, we sliail 
 not suffer as he did. He had |)ang.s 
 on the cross wliich no other dying 
 man ever bore. But death to us is an 
 object of dread. The hour of deatji 
 is a fearful hour. The scene when 
 a man dies is a gloomy scene. The 
 sunken eye, the pallid cheek, the 
 clammy sweat, the stiffened corse, 
 the coffin, the shroud, the grave, are 
 all sad and gloomy things. We know 
 not, too, what severe pangs we may 
 have when we die. Death may come 
 to us in some peculiarly fearful form; 
 and in view of his approach in any 
 way, we should pray. Pray, dying 
 man, that you may be prepared for 
 that sad hour; pray, that yon may 
 not be lefl to complain, and rebel, and 
 murmur then ; pray that you may lie 
 down in calmness and peace ; pray 
 that you may be enabled to honour 
 God even in death. 
 
 4. It is not sinful to dread death. 
 Ver. 7. The Redeemer dreaded it. 
 His human nature, though perfectly 
 holy, shrank back from the fearftil 
 agonies of dying. The fear of death, 
 therefore, in itself is not sinful. Chris- 
 tians are oflen troubled because they 
 have not that calmness in the pros- 
 pect of death which they suppose they 
 ought to have, and because their na- 
 ture shrinks back from the dying 
 pang. Tliey suppose that such feel- 
 ings are inconsistent with religion, 
 and that they who have them cannot 
 be" true Christians. But they forget 
 their Redeemer and his sorrows ; 
 they forget the earnestness with which 
 he pleaded tliat the cup might be re- 
 moved. Death is in itself fearful, 
 and it is a part of our nature to dread 
 it, and even in the best of minds 
 sometimes the fear of it is not wholly 
 taken away until the hour comes, 
 and God gives them ^ dying grace.'' 
 There are probably two reasons why 
 God made death so fearful to man. 
 (1.) One is, to impress him with the 
 importance of being prepared for it. 
 Death is to him the entrance on an 
 
 endless being, and it is an object of 
 God to keep the attention fixed on 
 that as a most momentous and solemn 
 event. The ox, the lamb, the robin, 
 the dove, have no immortal nature; 
 no conscience ; no responsibility, and 
 no need of making preparation for 
 death — and lienee — except in a very 
 slight degree — they seem to liave no 
 dread of dying. But not so with man. 
 He has an undying soul. His main 
 business here is to prepare for death 
 and for the world beyond, and hence, 
 by all the fear of the dying pang, and 
 by all the horror of the grave, God 
 would fix tlie attention of man on his 
 own death as a most momentous 
 event, and lead him to seek that hope 
 of immortality which alone can lay 
 the foundation for any proper remo- 
 val of the fear of dying. (2.) The 
 other reason is, to deter man from 
 taking his own life. To keep him 
 from this, he is made so as to start 
 back from death. He fears it ; it is 
 to him an object of deepest dread, and 
 even when pressed down by calamity 
 and sadness, as a general law, he 
 ' had rather bear the ills he has, than 
 fly to others that he knows not of.' 
 Man is the only creature in reference 
 to whom this danger exists. There 
 is no one of the brute creation, unless 
 it be the scorpion, tliat will take its 
 own life, and hence they have not 
 such a dread of dying. But we know 
 how it is with man. W^-ary of lite; 
 goaded by a guilty conscience ; dis- 
 appointed and heart-broken, he ia 
 under strong temptation to commit 
 the enormous crime of self-murder, 
 and to rush uncalled to the bar of 
 God. As one of the means of de- 
 terring from this, God has so made 
 us that we fear to die ; and thousands 
 are kept from this enormous crime 
 by this fear, when nothing else would 
 save them. It is benevolence, there- 
 fore, to tiie world, that man is afraid 
 to die — and in every pang of the dy- 
 ing struggle, and every thing about 
 deatii that makes us turn pale and 
 tremble at its approacli, there is iii 
 some way the manifestation of good 
 ness to mankind. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VT. 
 
 125 
 
 5. We may be comforted in the 
 prospect of death by looking to the 
 example of the Redeemer. Ver. 7. 
 Much as we may fear to die, and 
 much as we may be left to suffer 
 then, of one thing we may be sure. 
 It is, that he has gone beyond us in 
 suffering. The sorrows of our dying 
 will never equal his. We shall never 
 go through such scenes as occurred 
 in the garden of Gethsemane and on 
 the cross. It may be some consola- 
 tion that human nature has endured 
 greater pangs than we shall, and that 
 there is one who has surpassed us 
 even in our keenest sufferings. It 
 should be to us a source of consola- 
 tion, also of the higliest kind, that he 
 did it that he might alleviate our sor- 
 rows, and that he miglit drive away 
 the horrors of death from us by 'bring- 
 ing life and immortality to light,' and 
 
 ♦►that as the result of his sufferings our 
 dying moments may be calm and 
 peaceful. 
 
 6. It oflen occurs that men are true 
 Christians, and yet are ignorant of 
 some of the elementary principles of 
 religion. Ver. 12. This is owing to 
 such things as the following ; — a 
 want of early religious instruction ; 
 the faults of preachers who fail to 
 teach their people ; a want of inquiry 
 on the part of Christians, and the in- 
 terest which they feel in other things 
 above that which they feel in religion. 
 It is often surprising what vague and 
 unsettled opinions many professed 
 Christians have on some of the most 
 important points of Christianity, and 
 how little qualified they are to defend 
 their opinions when they arc attack- 
 ed. Of multitudes in the Church 
 even now it might be said, that tJiey 
 * need some one to teach them what 
 are the very first principles of true 
 religion.' To some of tlie elementary 
 doctrines of Christianity about dead- 
 ness to the world, about self-denial, 
 about prayer, about doing good, and 
 about spirituality; they are utter 
 strangers. So of forgiveness of inju- 
 ries, and charity, and love for a dying 
 world. These are the elements of 
 Christianity — rudiments which chil- 
 li* 
 
 dren in righteousness should learn 
 and yet they are not learned by mul- 
 titudes who bear the Christian name. 
 7. All Christians ought to be teach, 
 ers. Ver. 12. I do not mean that they 
 should all hepreachers; but they should 
 all so live as to teach others the true 
 nature of religion. This they should 
 do by their example, and by their 
 daily conversation. Any Christian is 
 qualified to impart useful instruction 
 to others. The servant of lowest rank 
 may teach his master how a Christian 
 should live. A child may thus teach 
 a parent how he should live, and his 
 daily walk may furnish to the parent 
 lessons of inestimable value. Neigh 
 hours may thus teach neighbours ; 
 and strangers may learn of strangers. 
 Every Christian has a knowledge of 
 the way to be saved which it would 
 be of the highest value to others to 
 know, and is qualified to tell the 
 rich, and proud, and learned sinner, 
 that about himself and of the final 
 destiny of man of which he is now 
 v.'holly ignorant. Let it be remem- 
 bered, also, that the world derives its 
 views of the nature of religion from 
 the lives and conduct of its professed 
 friends. It is not from the Bible, or 
 from the pulpit, or from books, that 
 men learn what Christianity is ; it is 
 from the daily walk of those who pro- 
 fess to be its friends ; and every day we 
 live, a wife, a child, a neighbour, or a 
 stranger, is forming some view of the 
 nature of religion from what they see 
 in us. How important, therefore, it 
 is that we so live as to communicate 
 to them just views of what constitutes 
 religion ! 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 In ch. V. 10, 11, the apostle had 
 said that the Lord Jesus was called 
 to the office of high priest after the 
 order of Melchisedek, and that there 
 were many things to be said of him 
 which were not easy to be understood. 
 They had not, he says, advanced as 
 far in the knowledge of the true reli- 
 gion as might have been reasonably 
 expected, but had rather gone back 
 
1'2C 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 {A. 1). C4. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THEREFORE," leaving ' the 
 principles of the doctrine 
 
 Ch. V. 12—14. The design of this 
 cliapter sccins to be to warn ihvm 
 against tlie danger of going back en- 
 tirely, and to encourage them to make 
 the highest attainments possible in 
 the knowledgcof Christianity, and in 
 the divine hfe. The apostle would 
 keep them from entire apostasy, and 
 would excite them to make all the 
 advances which they possibly could 
 make, and particularly lie designs 
 to prepare them to receive what he 
 had yet to say about the higher doc- 
 trines of the Christian religion. In 
 doing this he presents the following 
 considerations. 
 
 (1.) An exhortation to leavt the 
 elements or rudiments of the Chris- 
 tian religion, and to go on to the con- 
 templation of the higher doctrines. 
 The elements were the doctrines of 
 repentance, faith, laying on of hands, 
 the resurrection of the dead, and eter- 
 nal judgment. These entered into 
 the very nature of Christianity. They 
 were its first principles, and were 
 indispensable. The higher doctrines 
 related to other matters, whicii tlie 
 apostle called them now to contem- 
 plate. Vs. 1—3. 
 
 (2.) He warns them, in the most 
 solemn manner, against apostasy. 
 He assures them that t/ they should 
 apostatize, it would be impossible to 
 renew them again. They could not 
 fall away from grace and again be 
 renewed ; they could not, after having 
 been Christians and then apostatiz- 
 ing, be recovered. Their fall in that 
 case would be final and irrecoverable, 
 for there was no other way by which 
 they could be saved ; and by rejecting 
 the Christian scheme, they would re- 
 ject the only plan by which they 
 could ever be brought to heaven. By 
 this solemn consideration, therefore, 
 lie warns them of the danger of going 
 back from their exalted hopes, or of 
 neglecting the op])ortunities which 
 they had to advance to the knowledge 
 
 of Christ, let us go on unto per- 
 fection ; not laying again the 
 
 a I'll. 3. 12-14. 
 
 I or, the word of the beginning (ff ChrUt. 
 
 of the higher truths of religion. Vs. 
 4—6. 
 
 (3.) This sentiment is illustrated 
 (vs. 7, 8) by a striking and bcautifijl ^ 
 figure drawn from agriculture. The 
 sentiment was, that they who did not 
 improve their advantage, and grow 
 in the knowledge of the gospel, but 
 who should go back and apostatize, 
 would inevitably be destroyed. They 
 could not be renewed and saved. It 
 will be, says the apostle, a-s it is with 
 the earth. That which receives the 
 rain that falls, and that bears its pro- 
 per increase for the use of man, par- 
 takes of the divine blessing. That 
 which does not — which bears only 
 thorns and briers — is rejected, and is 
 nigh to cursing, and will be burned 
 with fire. 
 
 (4.) Yet the apostle says, he hoped 
 better things of them. They had, 
 indeed, receded from what they had 
 been. They liad not made the ad- 
 vances which he says they might 
 have done. But still, there was rea- 
 son to hope that they would not 
 wholly apostatize, and be cast off by 
 God. They had shown that they had 
 true religion, and he believed that God 
 would not forget the evidence which 
 they had furnished that they loved 
 him. Vs. 9, 10. 
 
 (5.) He expresses his earnest wish 
 that they all would show the same 
 diligence until they attained the full 
 assurance of hope. Vs. 11, 12. 
 
 (6.) To encourage them in this, he 
 refers them to the solemn oath which 
 God had taken, and his sacred cove- 
 nant with them confirmed by an oath 
 in order that they might have true 
 consolation, and be sustained in the 
 temptations and trials of life. That 
 hope was their.':. It was sure and 
 steadfast. It entered into that within 
 the veil ; it had been confirmed by 
 him who had entered heaven as the 
 great High Priest after the order of 
 I Melchisedek. Vs. 13—20. By such 
 
A. D. G4.j 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ISt 
 
 foundation of repentance from 
 
 a c. 9. 14. 
 
 i c. 11. 6. 
 
 considerations he would guard them 
 from the danger of apostasy ; he would 
 encom-age them to diligence in the 
 divine life ; and he would seek to pre- 
 pare them to welcome the more higii 
 and difficult doctrines of the Christian 
 religion. 
 
 1. Therefore. ' Since, as was stated 
 in the previous chapter, you ought to 
 be capable of comprehending the 
 higher doctrines of religion ; since 
 those doctrines are adapted to those 
 who have been for a considerable time 
 professors of Christianity, and have 
 had opportunities of growing in know- 
 ledge and grace — as much as strong 
 meat is for those of mature years — 
 leave now the elements of Christian 
 doctrine, and go on to understand its 
 higher mysteries.' The idea is, that 
 to those who had so long been ac- 
 quainted with the way of salvation, 
 the elements of Christianity were no 
 more adapted than milk \\a.s. for 
 grown persons. If Leaving. Dismiss- 
 ing ; intermitting ; passing by the 
 consideration of with a view to ad- 
 vance to something higher. The 
 apostle refers to his discussion of the 
 subject, and also to their condition. 
 He wished to go on to the contem- 
 plation of higher doctrines, and he 
 desired that they should no longer 
 linger around the mere elements. 
 ' Let us advance to a higher state of 
 knowledge than the mere elements 
 of the subject.' On the sense of the 
 word ' leaving,' or quitting with a 
 view to engage in something else, see 
 Matt. iv. 20. 22 ; v. 24. IT The prin. 
 ciples. Marg. The word of the begin- 
 ning of Christ. Tindal renders it, 
 ' let us leave the doctrine pertaining 
 to the beginning of a Christian man.' 
 Coverdale, ' let us leave the doctrine 
 pertaining to the beginning of a Chris- 
 tian life.' On the word ' principles' 
 see Note cli. v. 12. The Greek there, 
 indeed, is not the same as in this 
 place, but the idea is evidently the 
 flame. The reference is to what he 
 regarded as the very elements of the 
 
 dead works, and of faith ^ to- 
 ward God, 
 
 Cliristian doctrine ; and the meaning 
 is, ' let us no longer linger here. We 
 should go on to higher attainments. 
 We should wholly understand the 
 systei*. We should discuss and re- 
 ceive its great principles. You have 
 been long enough converted to have 
 understood these ; but you linger 
 among the very elementary truths of 
 religion. But you cannot remain here. 
 You must either advance or recede; 
 and if you do not go forward, you 
 will go back into entire apostasy, 
 when it will be impossilde to be re- 
 newed.' The apostle here, therefore, 
 does not refer to his discussion of 
 the points under consideration as the 
 main thing, but to their state as one 
 of danger ; and in writing to them 
 he was not content to discuss the 
 elements of religion as being alone 
 fitted to their condition, but would 
 have them make higher attainments, 
 and advance to the more elevated 
 principles of the gospel. ^ Of the 
 doctrine. Literally, ' the word' — 'Xovov 
 — reason, or doctrine of the beginning 
 of Christ.' That is, the word or rea- 
 son that pertains to tliu elements of 
 his system ; the first principles of 
 Christian doctrine. ^OJ Christ. Which 
 pertain to the Messiah. Either that 
 which he taught, or that which is 
 taught of him and his religion. Most 
 probably it is the latter — that which 
 pertains to the Messiah, or to the 
 Christian revflation. The idea is, 
 that there is a set of truths which 
 may be regarded as lying at the foun- 
 dation of Christian doctrine, and those 
 truths they had embraced, but had 
 not advanced beyond them, "f Let 
 us go on. Let us advance to a higher 
 state of knowledge and holiness. The 
 reference is alike to his discussioa of 
 [ the subject, and to their advancement 
 i in piety and in knowledge. He would 
 not linger around these clein^-'nts in 
 the discussion, nor would he have 
 ! them linger at the threshold of the 
 I Christian doctrines. ^ Unto perfection 
 1 Com p. Notes ch. ii. 10. The word here 
 
128 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 is used, evidently, to denote an ad- 
 vanccd state of Christian knowledge 
 and piety ; or the more elevated Chris- 
 tian doetrines, and the holier living to 
 vvfliich it was their duty to attain. 
 It does not refer solely to the inten- 
 tion of the apostle to dincuss the more 
 elevated doctrines of Christiaivity.hut 
 lo such an advance as would secure 
 them from the danger of uposlasij. 
 If it should be said, liowevcr, tiiat tlie 
 word ^perfections is to be understood 
 in the most absolute and unqualified 
 sense, as denoting entire freedom 
 from sin, it may be remarked, (1.) 
 that this does not prove that tliey 
 ever attained to it, nor should this be 
 adduced as a text to show that such 
 an attainment is ever made. To ex- 
 hort a man to do a thing — however 
 reasonable — is no proof in itself that 
 it is ever done. - (2.) It is proper to 
 exhort Christians to aim at entire 
 perfection. Even if none have ever 
 reached that point on earth, that fact 
 does not make it any the less desira- 
 ble or proper to aim at it. (.3.) There 
 is much in making an honest attempt 
 to be perfectly holy, even though we 
 should not attain to it in this lite. No 
 man accomplishes much who does not 
 aim high. 1i Not laying again the 
 foundation. Not laying down — as 
 one does a foundation for an edifice. 
 The idea is, that they were not to 
 begin and build all this over again. 
 They were not to make it necessary 
 to lay down again the very corner- 
 stones, and the foundationsof the edi- 
 fice, but since these tcere laid already, 
 they were to go on and build tlie su- 
 perstructure and complete the edifice. 
 ^ Of repentance from dead loorks. 
 From works that cause deatii or con- 
 demnation ; or that liave no vitality 
 or life. The reference may be eitiier 
 to those actions which were sinful 
 in their nature, or to those which re- 
 lated to the forms of religion, where 
 tliere was no spiritual lile. This was 
 the character of much of the religion 
 of the Jews ; and conversion to the 
 true religion consisted greatly in re- 
 
 Ecntance for having relied on those 
 eartless and hollow forms. It is 
 
 possible that the apostle referred 
 mainly to these, as he was writing to 
 tliosc who had been Hebrews. When 
 formalists arc converted, one of the 
 first and the main exercises of their 
 minds in conversion, consists in deep 
 and gcimine sorrow for their depend* 
 ence on those forms. Religion is life; 
 and irrcligion is a state of spiritual 
 death, (Comp. Notes on Eph. ii. 1), 
 whether it be in of>en transgression, 
 or in false and hollow forms of reli- 
 gion. The apostle has here stated 
 what is the first element of the Chris- 
 tian religion. It consists in genuine 
 sorrow for sin, and a ])urpose to turn 
 from it. See Note Matt. iii. 2. H And 
 of faith toward God. See Note on 
 Mark xvi. 16. This is the second 
 element in the Christian system. 
 Faith is everywhere required in order 
 to salvation, but it is usually faith in 
 the Lord Jesus that is spoken of. See 
 Acts XX. 21. Here, however, faith 
 in God is particularly referred to. 
 But there is no essential ditference. 
 It is faith in God in regard to his ex- 
 istence and perfections, and to his 
 plan of saving men. It includes, 
 therefore, faith in his message and 
 messenger,and thus embraces the plan 
 of salvation by the Redeemer. Tiiere 
 is but one God — ' the God and Father 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ ;' and he 
 who believes in the true God believes 
 in him as Father, Son, and Holy 
 Ghost; the Author of the plan of re- 
 demption, and the Saviour of lost 
 men. No one can believe in the true 
 God who docs not believe in the Sa- 
 viour. Comp. John v. 23 ; xvii. 3. 
 He who supposes that he confides in 
 any other God than the Author of the 
 Cliristian religion, worships a being 
 I of the imagination as really as though 
 he bowed down' to a block of wood 
 or stone. If Christianity is true, there 
 is no such God as the infidel pro- 
 fesses to believe in, any more than 
 the God of the Brahmin has an ex- 
 istence. To believe in God, therefore, 
 . is to believe in him as he actually ex- 
 isis — as the true God — the Author of 
 the great plan of salvation by the Re- 
 deemer. It is needless to attempt to 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTEI' VI. 
 
 n> 
 
 2 Of the doctrine of bap- 
 
 show that faith in the true God is es- 
 sential to salvation. How can he be 
 saved who has no confidence in the 
 God that made him ? 
 
 '2. Of the doctrine of baptisms. 
 This is mentioned as the third ele- 
 ment or principle of the Christian re- 
 ligion. The Jews made much of va- 
 rious kinds of washings, which were 
 called baptisms. See Note Mark vii. 
 4. It is supposed also, that they were 
 in the practice of baptizing- proselytes 
 to their religion. Note Matt. iii. 6. 
 Since they made so much of various 
 kinds of ablution, it was important 
 that the true doctrine on the subject 
 should be stated as one of the ele- 
 ments of the Christian religion, tliat 
 they might be recalled from supersti- 
 tion, and that they might enjoy the 
 benefits of what was designed to be 
 an important aid to piety — the true 
 doctrine of baptisms. It will be ob- 
 served that the plural form is used 
 here — baptisms. There are two bap- 
 tisms whose necessity is taught by 
 tlie Christian religion — baptism by 
 water, and by the Holy Ghost; the 
 first of which is an emblem of the 
 second. These are stated to be among 
 the elements of Christianity, or the 
 things which Christian converts would 
 first learn. The necessity of both is 
 taught. He that believetli and is 
 baptized shall be saved. Mark xvi. 
 16. " Except a man be born of water 
 and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 
 the kingdom of God." John iii. 5. 
 On the baptism of the Holy Ghost, 
 see Notes on Matt. iii. 1 1 ; Acts i. 5 ; 
 comp. Acts xix. 1—6. To understand 
 the true doctrine respecting baptism 
 was one of the first principles to be 
 learned then as it is now, as baptism 
 is the rite by which we are initiated 
 into the Church. This was supposed 
 to be so simple that young converts 
 could understand it as one of the ele- 
 ments of the true religion, and the 
 teaching on that subject now should 
 be made so plain that the humblest 
 disciple may comprehend it. If it 
 
 tisms, and ';f laying on * oJ 
 
 a J... ja 4,5. b Ac. 8. 17. 
 
 was an element or first principle ot 
 religion ; if it was presumed that any 
 one who entered the Church could 
 understand it, can it be believed that 
 it was then so perplexing and em- 
 barrassing as it is often made now ? 
 Can it be believed that a vast array 
 of learning, and a knowledge of lan- 
 guages, and a careful inquiry into 
 the customs of ancient times, was 
 needful in order that a candidate for 
 baptism should understand it ? The 
 truth is, that it was probably regard- 
 ed as among the most simple and 
 plain matters of religion ; and every 
 convert was supposed to understand 
 that the application of water to the body 
 in this ordinance, in any mode, was 
 designed to be merely emblematic of 
 the influences of the Holy Ghosts 
 IT And of laying on of hands. This 
 is the fourth element or principle of 
 religion. The Jews practised the lay- 
 ing on of hands on a great variety of 
 occ^ions. It was done when a bless, 
 ing was imparted to any one ; whea 
 prayer was made for one ; and when 
 they offered sacrifice they laid their 
 hands on the head of the victim, con- 
 fessing their sins. Lev. xvi. 21 ; xxiv. 
 14; Num. viii. 12. It was done on 
 occasions of solemn consecration to 
 office, and when friend supplicated 
 the divine favour on fi-iend. In like 
 manner, it was often done by the Sa- 
 viour and the apostles. The Redeemer 
 laid liis hands on children to bless 
 them, and on the sick when he healed 
 them. Matt. xix. 13; Mark v. 23; 
 P»Iatt. ix. 18. In like manner the 
 apostles laid hands on others in the 
 following circumstances. (1.) In heal- 
 ing the sick. Acts xxviii. 8. (2.) In 
 ordination to office. I. Tim. v. 22 ; 
 Acts vi. 6. (3.) In imparting the 
 miraculous influences of the Holy 
 Spirit. Acts viii. 17. 19 ; xix. 6. The 
 true doctrine respecting the design 
 of laying on the hands, is said here 
 to be one of the elements of the Chris- 
 tian religion. That the custom of 
 laying on the hands as symbolical of 
 
130 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. CI. 
 
 hands, and of" resurrection of 
 
 • Ac. 17. 31 ; 26. 8. 
 
 imparting spiritual gifts, prevailed in 
 the Cliureh iii tlic time of the apostles, ; 
 no one ean (iotibt. But on the ques- 
 tion whether it is to be regarded as 
 of perj)etual obligation in tlie Chureh, 
 we are to remember, (1.) that the 
 apostles were endowed with the power 
 of imparting the influences of the Holy 
 Ghost in a miraculous or extraordi- 
 nary manner. It was with reference 
 to such an imparting of the Holy 
 Spirit that the expression is used in 
 each of the cases where it occurs in 
 tlie New Testament. (2.) The Sa- 
 viour did not appoint the imposition 
 of the hands of a ' bisliop' to be one 
 of tlie rites or ceremonies to be ob- 
 served perpetually in the Church. 
 The injunction to be baptized and to 
 observe his supper is positive, and is 
 universal in its obligation. But there 
 is no such command respecting the 
 imposition of hands. (3.) No one 
 now is intrusted with the power of 
 imparting the Holy Spirit in dhat 
 manner. There is no class of officers 
 in the Church, that can make good 
 their claim to any such power. What 
 evidence is there that the Holy Spirit 
 is imparted at the rite of ' confirma- 
 tion?' (4.) It is liable to be abused, 
 or to lead persons to substitute the 
 form for the thing ; or to think that 
 because they have been 'confirmed,' 
 that therefore they are sure of the 
 mercy and favour of God. Still, if it 
 be regarded as a. simple for7n of admis- 
 sion to a church, without claiming 
 that it is enjoined by God, or that it 
 is connected with any authority to 
 impart the Holy Spirit, no objection 
 can be made to it any more than 
 there need be to any other f(>rm 
 of recognising Church membership. 
 Every pastor has a right, if he choos- 
 es, to lay his hands on the members 
 of his flock, and to implore a blessing 
 on them; and such an act on making 
 a profession of religion would liavc 
 much in it that would be appropriate 
 and solemn. ^ And of resurrection 
 of the dead. This is mentioned as the 
 
 the dead, and of eternal judg 
 inent. 
 
 ^fifth element or principle of the 
 Christian religion. This doctrine was 
 denied by the Sadducees, (.Mark xii. 
 18; Acts xxiii. 8), and was ridiculed 
 by philosophers. Acts xvii. 32. It 
 was, however, clearly taught by the 
 Saviour, (John v. 28, 29), and became 
 one of the cardinal doctrines of his 
 religion. By the resurrection of the 
 1 dead, however, in tlie New Testa 
 ment, there is more intended than 
 the resurrection of the body. The 
 question about the resurrection in- 
 cluded the whole inquiry about the 
 future state, or whether man would 
 live at all in the future world. Comp. 
 Notes on Matt. xxii. 23 ; Acts xxiii. 6. 
 This is one of the most important 
 subjects that can come before the hu- 
 man mind, and one on wliich man 
 has felt more perplexity than any 
 other. The belief of the resurrection 
 of the dead is an elementary article 
 in the system of Christianity. It lies 
 at tlie foundation of all our hopes. 
 Christianity is designed to prepare 
 us for a future state ; and one of the 
 first things, therefore, in the prepara- 
 tion, is to assure us there is a future 
 state, and to tell, us what it is. It is, 
 moreover, a peculiar doctrine of Chris- 
 tianity. The belief of the resurrec- 
 tion is found in no other system of re- 
 ligion, nor is there a ray of light shed 
 upon the future condition of man by 
 any other scheme of philosophy or 
 religion. ^ And of eternal judgment. 
 This is the sixth element or principle 
 of religion. It is, that there will be 
 a judgment whose consequences will 
 be eternal. It does not mean, of 
 course, that the process of the judg- 
 ment will be eternal, or that the 
 judgment-day will continue for ever; 
 but tiiat the results or consequents of 
 the decision of that daj' will continue 
 for ever. There will be no appeal 
 from the sentence, nor will there Iks 
 any reversal of the judgment then 
 pronounced. What is decided then 
 will be determined for ever. The ap- 
 proval of tlie righteous will fix thoir 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 m 
 
 3 And this will we do, if" 
 God permit. 
 
 4 For it is impossible * for 
 
 a Ja. 4. 15. b Mat. 5. 13 ; 12. 31. 32 ; Jno. 
 15. 6; c. 10. 2C; 2 Pe. 2. 20, 21; 1 Juo. 5. 10. 
 
 state eternally in heaven, and in like 
 manner the condemnation of the 
 wicked will fix their doom for ever 
 in hell. This doctrine was one of the 
 earliest that was taught by the Sa- 
 viour and his apostles, and is incul- 
 cated in the New Testament perhaps 
 with more frequency than any other. 
 See Matt. xxv. ; Acts xvii. 31. That 
 the consequences or results of the 
 judgment will be eternal, is abun- 
 dantly ailirmed. See Matt. xxv. 46; 
 John V. 29 ; II. Thess. i. 9 ; Mark ix. 
 45. 48. 
 
 3. And this will we do. We will 
 make these advances towards a higher 
 state of knowledge and piety. Paul 
 had confidence that they would do it 
 (see vs. 9, 10), and though they had 
 lingered long around the elements of 
 Christian knowledge, he believed that 
 they would yet go on to make higher 
 attainments. If If God permit. This 
 is not to be interpreted as if God was 
 unwilling that they should make such 
 advances, or as if it were doubtful 
 whether he would allow it if they 
 made an honest effort, and their lives 
 were spared ; but it is a phrase used 
 to denote their dependence on him. 
 It is equivalent to saying, ' if he would 
 spare their lives, their health, and 
 their reason ; if he would continue 
 the means of grace, and would im- 
 part his Holy Spirit; if he would 
 favour their efforts and crown them 
 with success, they would make these 
 advances.' In reference to anything 
 that vi'e undertake, however pleasing 
 to God in itself, it is proper to recog- 
 nise our entire dependence on God. 
 See James iv. 13 — 15. Comp. Notes 
 on John xv. 5. 
 
 4. jFbr it is impossible. It is need- 
 less to say that the passage here (vs. 
 4 — 6), has given occasion to much 
 controversy, and that the opinions of 
 commentators and of the Christian 
 world are yet greatly divided in re- 
 
 those who were once enlight- 
 ened, and have tasted of the 
 heavenly gift, and were made 
 partakers of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 gard to its meaning. On the one 
 hand, it is held that the passage is 
 not intended to describe those who 
 are true Christians, but only those 
 who have been awakened and enlight- 
 ened, and who then fall back ; and oa 
 the other it is maintained that it re- 
 fers to those who are true Christians, 
 and who then apostatise. The con- 
 tending parties have been Calvinista 
 and Arminians ; each party, in gene- 
 ral, interpreting it according to the 
 views wliich are held on the question 
 about falling from grace. I shall 
 endeavour, as well as 1 may be able, 
 to state the true meaning of the pas- 
 sage by an examination of the words 
 and phrases in detail, observing here, 
 in general, that it seems to me that it 
 refers to true Christians ; that the 
 object is to keep them from apostasy, 
 and that it teachesthat if they should 
 apostatize, it would be impossible to 
 renew them again or to save them. 
 That it refers to true Christians will 
 be apparent from these considera- 
 tions. (1.) Such is the sense which 
 would strike the great mass of read- 
 ers. Unless there were some theory 
 to defend, the great body of readers 
 of the New Testament would consider 
 the expression here used as describing 
 true Christians. (2.) The connexion 
 demands such an interpretation. The 
 apostle was addressing Christians. 
 He was endeavouring to keep them 
 from apostasy. The object was not 
 to keep those who were awakened 
 and enliglitened from apostasy, but it 
 was to preserve those who were al- 
 ready in tlie Church of Christ, from 
 o-oing back to perdition. The kind 
 of exhortation appropriate to those 
 who were awakened and convicted, 
 but who were not truly converted, 
 would be to become converted; not to 
 warn them of the danger of falling 
 away. Besides, the apostle would not 
 have said of such persons that they 
 
132 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 eovld not be converted and saved. 
 But of sincere Christians it might be 
 naid with the utmost propriety, that 
 they could not be renewed again and 
 be saved if they sliould fail away — 
 because they rejected the only plan 
 of salvation after they had tried it, 
 and renounced the only scheme of 
 redemption after they had tasted its 
 benefits. If that plan could not save 
 them, what could? If they neglected 
 that, by what other means could they 
 be brought to God ? (3.) This inter- 
 pretation accords, as I suppose, with 
 the exact meaning of the phrases 
 which the apostle uses. An examina- 
 tion of those phrases will show that 
 he refers to those who are sincere be- 
 lievers. The phrase 'it is impossible' 
 obviously and properly denotes abso- 
 lute impossibility. It has been con- 
 tended, by Storr and others, that it 
 denotes only great difficulty. But 
 the meaning which would at first 
 strike all readers would be that tli'e 
 thing could not be done ; that it was 
 not merely very difficult, but absolute- 
 ly impracticable. The word — 'aoviarov 
 — occurs only in the New Testament 
 in the following places, in all which 
 it denotes that the thing could not be 
 done. Matt. xix. 26; Mark x. 27. 
 " With men this is impossible ;" that 
 is, men could not save one who was 
 rich, implying that the thing was 
 wholly beyond human power. Luke 
 xviii. 27. " The things which are im- 
 possible with men are possible with 
 God" — referring to the same case. 
 Acts xiv. 8. "A man of Lystra, impute.nl 
 in his feet ;" that is, who was wholly 
 unable to walk. Rom. viii. 3. " For 
 what the law could not do;" what was 
 absolutely impossible for the law to 
 accomplish; that is, to save men. 
 Hcb. vi. 18, " In which it was impos. 
 sible for God to lie ; Heb. x. 4, " It is 
 not possible for the blood of bulls and 
 of goats to take awaj' sin;" and Ilcb. 
 xi. 6, " Without faith it is impossible 
 to please God;" in all of these in- 
 stances denoting absolute impossibi- 
 lity. These passages show that it is 
 not merely a great difficulty to which 
 the apostle refers, but that he meant 
 
 to say that the thing was wholly im- 
 practicable ; that it could not be done. 
 And if this be the meaning, then it 
 proves that if those referred to sliould 
 fall away, they could never be re. 
 newed. Their case was hopeless, and 
 they must perish : — that is, if a true 
 Christian should apostatize, or fall 
 from grace, he never could be renewed 
 again, and could not be saved. Paul 
 did not teach that he might fall away 
 and be renewed ajrain as often as he 
 pleased. He had other views of the 
 grace of God than this ; and he meant 
 to teach, that if a man should once 
 cast off true religion, his case was 
 hopeless, and he must perish; and by 
 this solemn consideration — the only 
 one that would be elfectual in such a 
 ease — lie meant to guard thcin against 
 the danger of apostasy. If For those 
 who were once enlightened. The phrase 
 ' to be enlightened' is one that is often 
 used in the Scriptures, aud may be 
 applied either to one whose under- 
 standing has been enlightened to dis. 
 cern his duty, though he is not con- 
 verted (comp. Note John i. 9) ; or more 
 commonly to one who is truly con- 
 verted. See Note on Eph. i. 18. It 
 does not of necessity refer to tiuts 
 Christians, though it cannot be denied 
 that it more obviously suggests the 
 idea that the heart is truly cliaiTged, 
 and that it is more commonly used in 
 that sense. Comp. Ps. xix. 8. Light, 
 in the Scriptures, is the emblem of 
 knowledge, holiness, and happiness, 
 and there is no impropriety here in 
 understanding it in accordance with 
 the more decisive phrases which fol- 
 low, as referring to true Christians, 
 ^ And liave tasted. To taste of a 
 thing means, according to the usage 
 in the Scriptures, to experience, or to 
 understand it. The expression is de- 
 rived from the fact that the taste ia 
 one of the moans by which we ascer- 
 tain the nature or quality of an object 
 Comj). .Matt. xvi. 28 ; John viii. 51 ; 
 Heb. ii. 9. Tiie proper idea here is, 
 that they had experienced the hea- 
 venly gift, or had learned its nature. 
 If The heavenly gift. The gift from 
 heaven, or which pertains to heaven. 
 
A. D.C4.] CHAPTER VI 
 
 5 And have tasted the good 
 
 ms 
 
 Comp. Note John iv. 10. The ex- 
 pression properly means some favour 
 or gift which has descended from hea- 
 ven, and may refer to any of tlie bene- 
 fits which God has conferred on man 
 in the work of redemption. It mig-ht 
 include the plan of salvation; the for- 
 giveness of sins ; the enlightening-, 
 renewing, and sanctifying influences 
 of the Holy Spirit, or any one of the 
 graces which that spirit imparts. Tlie 
 use of the article, however — ' the hea- 
 venly gift,' — limits it to something 
 special as being conferred directly 
 from heaven, and the connexion would 
 seem to demand that we miderstand 
 it of some peculiar favour which could 
 be conferred only on the children of 
 God. It is an expression which may 
 be applied to sincere Christians ; it is 
 at least doubtful whether it can with 
 propriety be applied to any other. 
 '^ And were made partakers of the 
 Holy Ghost. Partakers of the influ- 
 ences of the Holy Ghost — for it is 
 only in this sense that we can par- 
 take of the Holy Spirit. We partake 
 of food when we share it with others ; 
 we partake of pleasure when we enjoy 
 it with others ; we partake of spoils 
 in war when they are divided between 
 us and others. So we partake of the 
 influences of the Holy Spirit when 
 we share these influences conferred 
 on his people. This is not language 
 which can properly be applied to any 
 one but a true Christian ; and though 
 it is true that an unpardoned sinner 
 may be enlightened and awakened 
 by the Holy Spirit, yet the language 
 here used is not such as would be 
 likely to be employed to describe his 
 state. It is too clearly expressive of 
 those influences which renew and 
 sanctify the soul. It is as elevated 
 language as can be used to describe 
 the joy of the Christian, and is un- 
 doubtedly used in that sense here. 
 If it is not, it would be diflicult to find 
 any language which would properly 
 express the condition of a renewed 
 12 
 
 word of God, and the powers 
 of the world to come. 
 
 heart. Grotius, Bloomfield, and some 
 others, understood this of the miracu- 
 lous gifls of the Holy Spirit. But 
 this is not necessary, and does not 
 accord well with the general descrip- 
 tion here, which evidently pertains to 
 the mass of those whom the apostle 
 addressed. 
 
 5. And have tasted the good word 
 of God. That is, either the doctrines 
 which he teaches, and which are good, 
 or pleasant to the soul ; or the word 
 of God which is connected with good., 
 that is, which promises good. The 
 former seems to me to be the correct 
 meaning — that the word of God, or the 
 truth which he taught, was itself a 
 good. It was that which the soul 
 desired, and in which it found com- 
 fort and peace. Comp. Ps. cxix. 103; 
 cxli. 6. The meaning here is, that 
 they had experienced the excellency 
 of the truth of God ; they had seen 
 and enjoyed its beauty. This is 
 language which cannot be applied 
 to an impenitent sinner. He has no 
 relish for the truth of God ; sees no 
 beauty in it ; derives no comfort from 
 it. It is only the true Christian who 
 has pleasure in its contemplation, and 
 who can be said to ' taste' and enjoy 
 it. This language describes a state 
 of mind of which every sincere Chris, 
 tian is conscious. It is that of plea- 
 sure in the word of God. lie loves 
 the Bible ; he loves the truth of God 
 that is preached. He sees an exqui 
 site beauty in that truth. It is not 
 merely in its poetry ; in its sublimity; 
 in its argument ; but he has now a 
 taste or relish for the truth itself, 
 which he had not before his convert 
 sion. Then he might have admired 
 the Bible for its beauty of language 
 or for its poetry ; he might have been 
 interested in preaching for its elo- 
 quence or power of argument; but 
 now his love is for the truth, Comp. 
 Ps. xix. 10. There is no book tiiat 
 he so much delights in as the Bible ; 
 and no pleasure is so pure an that 
 
134 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 6 If " they shall fall away, to 
 
 a Is. 1. 2». 
 
 which he lias in contemplating the 
 ttulh. Coinp. Josh. x.\i. 45 ; x.xiii. 15. 
 ' And the poucers of the world to come. 
 Or of tJie ' coming age.' ' The age 
 to come' was a phrase in common use 
 among the Hebrews, to denote the 
 future dispensation, the times of the 
 Messiah. Tlie same idea was ex- 
 pressed by the phrases ' tiie last times,' 
 ' the end of the world,' &.c., which arc 
 of so frequent occurrence in the Scrip, 
 turcs. They all denoted an age which 
 was to succeed the old dispensation ; 
 the time of the Messiah ; or tlie pe- 
 riod in which the atiairs of the world 
 would be wound up. See Notes on 
 Isa. ii. 2. Here it evidently refers to 
 that {>eriod, and the meaning is, that 
 they had participated in the peculiar 
 blessings to be expected in that dis- 
 pensation — to wit, in the clear views 
 of the way of salvation, and the influ- 
 ences of the Holy Spirit on the soul. 
 The word ' powers' here implies that 
 in that time there would be some ex- 
 traordinary manifestation of the power 
 of God. An unusual energy would 
 be put forth to save men, particularly 
 as evinced by the agency of the Holy 
 Bpirit on the heart. Of this ' power' 
 the apostle here says they of whom 
 he spake had partaken. They had 
 been brought under the awakening 
 and renewing energy wliich God 
 put fortli under the Messiah, in sav- 
 ing the soul. They had experienced 
 the promised blessings of the new and 
 last dis{)ensation ; and tlie language 
 here is such as appropriately describes 
 Christians, and as indeed can be ap- 
 plicable to no other. It may be re- 
 marked respecting the various ex- 
 pressions used here (vs. 4, 5), (1.) that 
 tliey are such as properly denote a 
 renewed state. They obviously de- 
 Bcribe the condition of a Christian ; 
 and though it may be not certain that 
 any one of them if taken by itself 
 would prone that the jierson to whom 
 it was applied was truly converted, 
 yet taken together it is clear that 
 they are designed to describe such a 
 
 renew them again unto repent- 
 
 state. If they are not, it would be 
 difficult to find any language which 
 would be properly descriptive of the 
 character of a sincere Christian. I 
 regard tlie description here, therefore, 
 as that which is clearly designed to 
 denote the state of those who were 
 born again, and were the true cliild- 
 ren of God ; and it seems plain to me 
 that no other interpretation would 
 have ever been thought of if this view 
 had not seemed to conflict with the 
 doctrine of the ' perseverance of the 
 saints.' (2.) There is a regular gra- 
 dation here from the first elements of 
 piety in the soul to its higliest deve- 
 lopements ; and, whether the apostle 
 so designed it or not, the language 
 describes the successive steps by 
 which a true Christian advances to 
 the highest stage of Christian e?pe* 
 rience. The mind is (a) enlightened ; 
 then {b) tastes the gift of heaven, or 
 has some experience of it; then (c) it 
 is made to partake of the influences 
 of the Holy Ghost ; then (d) there ia 
 experience of the excellence and love- 
 liness of the word of God ; and (e) 
 filially there is a participation of the 
 full ' powers' of the new dispensation ; 
 of the extraordinary energy which 
 God puts forth in the gospel to sanc- 
 tify and save the soul. 
 
 6. If they shall fall away. Literally, 
 ' and having fallen away.' " There is 
 no if in the Greek in this place— 
 'having fallen away"' Dr. J. P. 
 Wilson. It is not an affirmution that 
 any had actually fallen away, or that 
 in fact they would do it ; but the 
 statement is, that on the supposition 
 that they had fallen away, it would be 
 impossil)le to renew them again. It 
 is the same as supposing a case 
 wliicii in fact might never occur : — 
 as if we should say, ' had a man 
 fallen down a precipice it would he 
 impossil)lt' to save him,' or 'had the 
 child fiUen into the stream he would 
 certainly have been drowned.' But 
 though this literally means, 'having 
 fallen away,' yet the sense in the con- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 133 
 
 ance ; seeing they crucify to 
 themselves the Son of God 
 
 nexion in which it stands is not im- 
 properly expressed by our common 
 translation. The Syraic has given a 
 version which is remarkable, not as 
 a correct translation, but as showing 
 what was the prevailing belief in the 
 lime in which it was made, (probably 
 the first or second century), in regard 
 to the doctrine of the perseverance of 
 the saints. " For it is impossible that 
 they who have been baptized, and who 
 have tasted the gift v^iiich is from 
 heaven, and have received the spirit 
 of holiness, and have tasted the good 
 word of God, and the power of the 
 coming age, should again sin, so that 
 they should be renewed again to re- 
 pentance, and again crucify the Son 
 of God and put him to ignominy." 
 The word rendered ' fall away' means 
 properly ' to fall near by any one ;' 
 ' to fall in with or meet;' and thus to 
 fall aside from, to swerve or deviate 
 from ; and here means undoubtedly to 
 apostatize /rom, and implies an entire 
 renunciation of Christianity, or a 
 going back to a state of Judaism, 
 heathenism, or sin. The Greek word 
 occurs nowhere else in the New Tes- 
 tament. It is material to remark 
 here that the apostle does not say 
 tliat any true Christian ever had fallen 
 away. He makes a statement of 
 what would occur on the supposition 
 that such a thing should happen — but 
 a, statement may be made of what 
 would occur on the supposition that a 
 certain thing should take place, and 
 yet it be morally certain that the 
 event never would happen. It would 
 be easy to suppose what would hap- 
 pen if the ocean should overflow a 
 continent, or if the sun should cease 
 to rise, and still there be entire cer- 
 tainty that such an event never would 
 occur. ^ To renciv them again. Im- 
 plying that they had been before re- 
 newed, or had been true Christians. 
 The word '■again' — itilXiv — supposes 
 this ; and this passage, therefore, con- 
 firms the considerations suggested 
 
 afresh, and put him to an oper 
 shame. 
 
 above, showing that they were true 
 Christians who were referred to. 
 They had once repented, but it would 
 be impossible to bring them to this 
 state again. This declaration of 
 course is to be read in connexion 
 with the first clause of ver. 4, ' It is 
 impossible to renew again to repent 
 ance those who once were true Chris 
 tians, should they fall away.' I know 
 of no declaration more unambiguous 
 than this. It is a positive declaration. 
 It is not tliat it would be very difficult 
 to do it; or that it would be impossi- 
 ble for man to do it, though it might 
 be done by God : it is an unequivocal 
 and absolute declaration that it would 
 be utterly impracticable that it should 
 be done by any one, or by any means ; 
 and this, I have no doubt, is the mean- 
 ing of the apostle. Should a Chris- 
 tian fall from grace, he must perish. 
 He never could be saved. The rea- 
 son of this the apostle immediately 
 adds. ^ Seeing. This word is not 
 in the Greek, though the sense is ex- 
 pressed. The Greek literally is, ' hav- 
 ing again crucified to themselves the 
 Son of God.' The reason here given 
 is, that the crime would be so great, 
 and they would so effectually exclude 
 themselves from the only plan of sal- 
 vation, that they could not be saved. 
 There is but one way of salvation. 
 Having tried that, and then renounc- 
 ed it, how could they then be saved ? 
 The case is like that of a drowning 
 man. If there was but one plank by 
 which he could be saved, and he 
 should get on that and then push it 
 away and plunge into the deep, he 
 must die. Or if there was but one 
 rope by which the shore could be 
 reached from a wreck, and he should 
 cut that and cast it off, he must die. 
 Or if a man were sick, and there was 
 but one kind of medicine tliat could 
 possibly restore him, and he should 
 deliberately dash that away, he must 
 die. So in religion. There is but one 
 way of salvation. If a man delibe- 
 
136 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 rately rejects that, he must perish. 
 H They crurijy to ihtmselces the Son 
 of God afresh. Our titiiislators have 
 rendered this as if the Greek were 
 
 — avaaTav^ivvTii ndXiv — crucify nfrain, 
 
 and so it is rendered by Clirysostoni, 
 by Tiiidal, Covcrdalc, Bcza, Lutlier, 
 and others. Hut this is not properly 
 the meaning- of the Greek. The word 
 avaarav^oui — is an intensive word, and 
 is employed instead of the usual word 
 ' to crueiiy only to denote emphasis. 
 It means tliat such an act of apostasy 
 would be equivalent to crucifying liini 
 in an ag-rravated manner. Of course 
 this is to be taken Jigurutivdy. It 
 could not be literally true that they 
 would thus crucify the Redeemer. 
 The meaning is, that their conduct 
 would he as if they had crucified him ; 
 it would bear a strong resemblance 
 x> the act by which tlie Lord Jesus 
 was publicly rejected and condemned 
 to die. The act of crucifying the Son 
 of God was the great crime which 
 outpeers any other deed of human 
 guilt. Yet the apostle says that 
 should they who had been true Chris- 
 tians fall away and reject him, they 
 would be guilty of a similar crime. 
 It would be a public and solemn act 
 of rejecting him. It would show that 
 if they had been there they would 
 have joined in the cry ' crucify him, 
 crucify him.' The intensity and ag- 
 gravation oi' such a crime perhaps the 
 apostle meant to indicate by the in- 
 tensive or emphatic avd in the word 
 avaaravpovvTei. Such an act would 
 render their salvation impossible, be- 
 cause (1) the crime would be aggra- 
 vated beyond that of tiiose who re- 
 jected him and put him to death — 
 for they knew not what they did; 
 and (2), because it would be a rejec- 
 tion of the only possible plan of sal- 
 vation after they had had experience 
 of its power and known its elficaey. 
 The phrase 'to themselves,' Tindal 
 renders, ' as concerning tliemselves.' 
 Others, ' as far as in them lies,' or as 
 far as they have ability to do. Others, 
 • to their own Jieart.' Probably Gro- 
 tius has suggested the true sense. 
 ' They do it for themselves. Thev 
 
 make the act their own. It is as if 
 they did it themselves; and they are 
 to be regarded as having done the 
 deed.' So we make the act of an- 
 other our own when we authorize it 
 beforehand, or approve of it afler it 
 is done. If And put him to an open 
 shame. Make fiim a public example; 
 or hold him up as worthy of death on 
 the cross. Sec the same word ex- 
 plained in the Notes on ^latt. i. 19, 
 in the phrase 'make her a public ex- 
 ample.' The word occurs nowhere 
 else in the New Testament. Their 
 apostasy and rejection of the Saviour 
 would be like holding him up publicly 
 as deserving the infamy and ignominy 
 of tlie cross. A great part of the 
 crime attending the crucifixion of the 
 Lord Jesus, consisted in exhibiting 
 him to the passing multitude as de- 
 serving the death of a malefactor. 
 Of that sin they would partake who 
 should reject him, for they would 
 thus show that they regarded his re- 
 ligion as an imposture, and would iii 
 a public manner hold him up as wor- 
 thy only, of rejection and contempt. 
 Such, it seems to me, is the fair 
 meaning of this much-disputed pas- 
 sage — a passage which would never 
 have given so much perplexity if it 
 had not been supposed that the obvi- 
 ous interpretation would interfere 
 with some prevalent articles of the- 
 ology. The passage proves that if 
 true Christians should apostatize, it 
 would be impossible to renew and 
 save them. If then it should be asked 
 whether I believe that any true Chris- 
 tian ever did, or ever will fall from 
 grace, and wholly lose his religion, 
 I would answer unhesitatingly, no. 
 Comp. Notes on John x. 27, 28 ; Rom. 
 viii. 38, 3S) ; Gal. v. 4. If then it be 
 asked what was the use of a warning 
 like tiiis, I answer, (1.) it would show 
 the great sin of apostasy from God if 
 it were to occur. It is proper to state 
 the greatness of an act of sin, though 
 it might never occur, in order to 
 show how it would be regarded by 
 God. (2.) Such a statement might 
 be one of the most effectual mean* 
 of preserving from apostasy. T« 
 
4. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 137 
 
 7 For the earth which drink- 
 eth in the rain that cometh oft 
 upon it, and bringeth forth 
 
 state that a fall from a precipice 
 would cause certain death, would be 
 one of the most certain means of pre- 
 serving one from falling ; to affirm 
 that arsenic would be certainly fatal, 
 is one of the most effectual means of 
 preventing its being taken ; to know 
 that fire certainly destroys, is one of 
 the most sure checks from the danger. 
 Thousands have been preserved from 
 going over the Falls of Niagara by 
 knowing that there would be no pos- 
 sibility of escape ; and so effectual 
 has been this knowledge that it has 
 preserved all from such a catastrophe, 
 except the very few who have gone 
 over by accident. So in religion. 
 The knowledge that apostasy would 
 be fatal, and there could be no hope 
 of being saved should it once occur, 
 would be a more effectual preventive 
 of the danger than all the other means 
 that could be used. If a man believed 
 that it would be an easy matter to be 
 restored again should he apostatize, 
 he would feel little solicitude in re- 
 gard to it; and it has occurred in 
 fact, that they who suppose that this 
 may occur, have manifested little of 
 the care to walk in the paths of strict 
 religion, which should have been 
 evinced. (3.) It may be added, that 
 the means used by God to preserve 
 his people from apostasy, have been 
 entirely effectual. There is no evi- 
 dence that one has ever fallen away 
 who was a true Christian, (Comp. 
 John X. 27, 28, and I. John ii. 19) ; 
 and to the end of the world it will be 
 true that the means which he uses to 
 keep his people from apostasy will 
 not in a single instance fail. 
 
 7. For the earth. The design of 
 the apostle by this comparison is ap- 
 paient. It is to show the consequen- 
 ces of not making a proper use of all 
 the privileges which Christians have, 
 and the effect which would follow 
 should those privileges fail to be ini- 
 12* 
 
 herbs meet for them ' by whom 
 it is dressed, receiveth blessing" 
 from God : 
 
 1 or, for. 
 
 a Ps. 65. 10. 
 
 proved. He says, it is like the earth. 
 If that absorbs the rain, and produces 
 an abundant harvest, it receives the 
 divine blessing. If not, it is cursed, 
 or is worthless. The design is to 
 show that if Christians should be- 
 come like the barren earth they 
 would be cast away and lost. IT Which 
 drinketh in the rain. A comparison 
 of the earth as if it were ' thirsty' — 
 a comparison that is common in all 
 languages. IT That cometh oft upon it. 
 Tiie frequent showers that fall. The 
 object is to describe fertile land which 
 is often watered with the rains of 
 heaven. The comparison of 'drink- 
 ing in' the rain is designed to distin- 
 guish a mellow soil which receives 
 the rain, from hard or rocky land 
 where it runs off. ^ And bringeth 
 forth herbs. The word herbs we now 
 limit in common discourse to the 
 small vegetables which die every 
 year, and which are used as articles 
 of food, or to such in general as have 
 not ligneous or hard woody stems. 
 The word here means anything which 
 is cultivated in the earth as an article 
 of food, and includes all kinds of 
 grains. ^ Meet for them. Useful or 
 appropriate to them. IT By whom it 
 is dressed. Marg. '■for whom.' The 
 meaning is, on account of whom it is 
 cultivated. The word ' dressed' h<-re 
 means cultivated. Comp. Gen. ii. 15. 
 ^ Receiveth blessing from God. Re. 
 ceives the divincapprobation. It is in 
 accordance with his wishes and plans, 
 and he smiles upon it and blesses it. 
 He does not curse it as he does the 
 desolate and barren soil. The Ian. 
 guage is figurative, and must be used 
 to denote tliat wliich is an object of 
 the divine favour. God deliglits in 
 the harvests which the earth brings 
 forth; in the effects of dews and rains 
 and suns in causing beauty and abun- 
 dance ; and on such fields of lieauty 
 and plenty he looks down witli pica. 
 
138 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 8 But that which beareth 
 thorns" and briars is rejected, 
 
 a Is. 5, 6. 
 
 sure. This does not mean, as I sup- 
 pose, that he renders it 7nore fertile 
 and abundant, for (1) it cannot be 
 shown that it is true that God thus 
 rewards the eartli for its fcrtiUty ; 
 and (2), such an interpretation would 
 not accord well with the scope of the 
 passage. The design is to show that 
 a Christian who makes proper use of 
 the means of growing in grace which 
 God bestows upon him, and wlio does 
 not apostatize, meets with the divine 
 favour and approbation. His course 
 accords with the divine intention and 
 wishes, and he is a man on whom 
 God will smile — as he seems to on 
 the fertile earth. 
 
 8. But that which beareth thorns 
 and briars is rejected. That is, by 
 the farmer or owner. It is abandoned 
 as worthless. The force of the com- 
 parison here is, that God would thus 
 deal witli those who professed to be 
 renewed if they should be like such 
 a worthless field. IT And is nigh unto 
 cursing. Is given over to execration, 
 or is abandoned as useless. The word 
 cursing means devoting to destruc- 
 tion. The sense is not that the owner 
 would curse it in words, or imprecate 
 a curse on it, as a man does who uses 
 profane language, but the language 
 is taken here from the more common 
 use of the word curse — as meaning 
 to devote to destruction. So the land 
 would be regarded by the farmer. It 
 would be valueless, and would be given 
 up to be overrun witli fire. IT Whose 
 end is to be burned. Referring to tlie 
 land. The allusion here is to the 
 common practice among the Oriental 
 and Roman agriculturists of burning 
 bad and barren lands. An illustration 
 of this is afforded by Pliny. "There 
 are some wlio burn tlie stubble on the 
 field, chicHy upon the authority of 
 Virgil : the principal reason for which 
 is, that they may burn the seeds of 
 weeds." Nat. Ilist. .wiii. 30. The 
 authority of Virgil, to which Pliny 
 
 and i« nigh unto cursing; whose 
 end 14 to he burned. 
 
 refers, may be fbimd in Georg. i. 
 S4. 
 
 "Sspc etiam steriles incendere profuit 
 agros, 
 Atiiue levem ^tipulam crepitantibus urero 
 flaiiiinis." 
 
 ' It is otlen useful to set fire to barren 
 lands, and burn the light stubble in 
 crackling flames.' The object of burn- 
 ing land in this way was to render it 
 available for useful purposes ; or to 
 destroy noxious weeds, and thorns, 
 and underbrush. But the object of 
 the apostle requires him to refer mere- 
 ly to the fact of the burning, and to 
 niake use of it as an illustration of 
 an act of punishment. So, Paul says, 
 it would be in the dealings of God 
 with his people. If after all attempts 
 to secure holy living, and to keep 
 them in the paths of salvation, they 
 should evince none of the spirit of 
 piety, all that could be done would be 
 to abandon them to destruction as 
 such a field is overrun with fire. It 
 is not supposed that a true Christian 
 will fall away and be lost, but we may 
 remark (1.) tliat there are many pro- 
 fessed Christians who seem to be in 
 danger of such ruin. They resist all 
 attempts to produce in them the fruits 
 of good living as really as some pieces 
 of ground do to secure a harvest 
 Corrupt desires, pride, envy, unchari- 
 tablcness, covetousness, and vanity 
 are as certainly seen in their lives as 
 thorns and briars are on a bad soil. 
 Such briars and thorns you may cut 
 down again and again ; you may 
 strike the plough deep and seem to 
 tear away all thtir roots ; you may 
 sow the ground with the choicest 
 grain, but soon the briars and the 
 thorns will again appear, and be as 
 troublesome as ever. No pains will 
 subdue tiiem, or secure a harvest. So 
 with niany a pro'.essed Christian. He 
 may be taught, admonished, rebuked, 
 and atHictcd, but all will not do. 
 There is essential and unsubdued per . 
 
A. D. 61. J 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 i8i» 
 
 9 But, beloved, we are per- 
 suaded bettei things of you, 
 and things that accompany sal- 
 vation, though we thus speak. 
 
 10 For " God is not unright- 
 
 a Matt. 25. 40. 
 
 verseness in his soul, and despite all 
 the attempts to make hira a holy man, 
 the same bad passions are continually 
 breaking out anew. (2.) Such pro- 
 fessing Christians are ' nigh unto curs- 
 ing.' They are about to be abandon- 
 ed for ever. Unsanctified and wicked 
 in their hearts, there is nothing else 
 whicli can be done for them, and they 
 must be lost ! What a thought ! A 
 professing Christian ' nigh unto curs- 
 ing /' A man, the efforts for whose 
 salvation are about to cease for ever, 
 and who is to be given over as incor- 
 rigible and hopeless ! For such a 
 man — in the church or out of it — we 
 should have compassion. We have 
 some compassion for an ox which is so 
 stubborn that he will not work — and 
 which is to be put to death ; for a 
 horse which is so fractious that he can- 
 not be broken, and which is to be kil- 
 led ; for cattle which are so unruly that 
 they cannot be restrained, and which 
 are only to be fattened for the slaugh- 
 ter ; and even for a field which is deso- 
 late and barren, and which is given up 
 to be overrun with briars and thorns ; 
 but how much more should we pity a 
 man all the efforts for whose salvation 
 fail, and who is soon to be abandoned 
 to everlasting destruction ! 
 
 9. But, beloved, we are persuaded 
 better things. We confidently hope 
 for better things respecting you. We 
 trust that you are true Christians ; 
 that you will produce the proper fruits 
 of holiness ; that you will be saved. 
 If Things that accompany salvation. 
 Things that pertain to salvation. The 
 Greek phrase here means, ' near to 
 salvation,' or things that are conjoin- 
 ed with salvation. So Coverdale ren- 
 ders it, ' u.id that salvation is nigher.' 
 Tlie form of expression seems to refer 
 to what was said in ver. 8. The land 
 overrun with briars was nigh to curs- 
 
 eous to forget your work and 
 labour of love, which ye have 
 showed toward his name, in that 
 ye have ministered to the saints, 
 and do minister. 
 
 ing ; the things which Paul saw in 
 them were nigh to salvation. From 
 this verse it is evident (1) that the 
 apostle regarded them as sincere 
 Christians ; and (2) that he believed 
 they would not fall away. Though 
 he had stated what must be the inevi- 
 table consequence if Christians should 
 apostatize, yet he says that in their 
 case he had a firm conviction that it 
 would not occur. There is no incon- 
 sistency in this. We may be certain 
 that if a man should take arsenic it 
 would kill him ; and yet we may havo 
 the fullest conviction that he will not 
 do it. Is not this verse a clear proof 
 that Paul felt that it was certain tliat 
 true Christians would never fall away 
 and be lost ? If he supposed that they 
 might, how could he be persuaded 
 that it would not happen to them ? 
 Why not to them as well as to others ? 
 Learn hence, that while we assure 
 men that if tliey should fall away 
 they would certainly perish, we may 
 nevertheless address them with the full 
 persuasion that they will be saved. 
 
 10. For God is not unrighteous, 
 God will do no wrong. He will not 
 forget or fail to reward the endeavours 
 of his people to promote his glory, 
 and to do good. The meaning here 
 is, that by their kindness in minister- 
 ing to the wants of the saints, they 
 had given full evidence of true piety. 
 If God should forget that, it would 
 be 'unrighteous,' (I) because there 
 was a propriety that it should be re- 
 membered ; and (2) because it is ex- 
 pressly promised that it shall not fail 
 of reward. Matt. x. 42. IT Your work. 
 Particularly in ministering to the 
 wants of the saints. IT Labour of love. 
 Deeds of benevolence when tliere was 
 no hope of recompense, or when love 
 was the motive in doing it. IT Which 
 ye have showed toward his name. To- 
 
140 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 1 A. D. 64. 
 
 11 And we desire that every 
 one of yoLi do show the same 
 
 u c. :<. 6, 4. ft Pr. 15. 19 ; 2 Pe. 1. 10, 
 
 ward him — for the word name is often 
 used to denote the person himself. 
 They had showed that they loved God 
 by their kiiidiiet^s to his people. Matt. 
 XXV. 40. " Inasmuch as ye have done 
 it unto one of the least of these my 
 brelliren, yc have done it unto me." 
 IT jii that ye have vnnistered to the 
 saints. You have supplied their wants. 
 This may refer either to the fact that 
 tliuy contributed to supply the wants 
 ol the poor members of the church 
 (comp. Note Gal. ii. 10). or it may re- 
 fer to some special acts of kindness 
 wliich they liad shown to suffering 
 and persecuted Clinstians. It is not 
 possible now to know to what partic- 
 ular acts the apostle refers. We may 
 learn' (1.) that to show kindness to 
 Christians, because they are Chris- 
 tians, is an important evidence of 
 piety. (2.) It will in no case be mi- 
 rewardcd. God is not 'unju.^it;' and 
 he will remember an act of kindness 
 shown to his people — even tiiough it 
 be nothing but giving a cup of cold 
 water. 
 
 11. And toe desire that every one 
 of you. We wish that every member 
 of the church should exhibit the same 
 endeavour to do good until they at- 
 tain to the full assurance of hope. It 
 is implied here that the full assurance 
 of hope is to be obtained by a perse- 
 vering effort to lead a holy life. If The 
 same diligence. The same strenuous 
 endeavour, the same ardour and zeal. 
 IT To the full assurance of hope. In 
 order to obtain the full assurance of 
 hope. The word rendered ' full assu- 
 rance,' means firm persuasion, and 
 refers to a state of mind where tliere 
 is the fullest conviction, or where there 
 is no doubt. See Coll. ii. 2 ; I. Thess. 
 i. 5 ; Heb. x. 22 ; comp. Luke i. I ; 
 Rom. iv. 21 ; xiv. 5 ; II. Tim. iv. 5. 17, 
 where tlie same word, in different 
 forms, occurs. Hope is a compound 
 emotion (Notes Eph. ii. 12), made up 
 of an earnest desire for an object, and 
 
 diligence to the " full a.ssurance 
 of liope unto the end : 
 
 12 That ye be not slothful* 
 
 a corresponding expectation of obtain- 
 ing it. The hope of heaven is made 
 up of an earnest wish to reach hea- 
 ven, and a corresponding expectation 
 of it, or reason to believe that it will be 
 ours. The full assurance of that hope 
 exists where there is the highest de- 
 sire of heaven, and such corresponding 
 evidence of personal piety as to leave 
 no doubt that it will be ours. IT To 
 the end. To the end of life. The apos- 
 tle wished that they would persevere 
 in such acts of piety to the end of 
 their course, as to have their hope 
 of heaven fully established, and to 
 leave no doubt on the mind that they 
 were sincere Christians. Learn hence 
 (1.) that full assurance of hope is to be 
 obtained only by holy living. (2.) It 
 is only when that is persevered in 
 that it can be obtained. (3.) It is not 
 by visions and raptures ; by dreams 
 and revelations that it can now be 
 acquired, for God imparts no such di- 
 rect revelation now. (4.) It is usually 
 only as the result of a life of consis- 
 tent piety that such an assurance is 
 to be obtained. No man can have it 
 who does not persevere in holy living, 
 and they who do obtain it usually 
 secure it only near the end of a life 
 of eminent devotedness to God. God 
 could impart it at once when the soul 
 is converted ; but such is the tendency 
 of man to indolence and sloth tiiat 
 even good men would then relax their 
 efforts, and sit down contented, feel- 
 ing til, it they had now the undoubted 
 prospect of heaven. As it is, it is 
 lield out as a prize to be won — as that 
 whose acquisition is to cheer us iu 
 our old age, when the warfare is over, 
 and wlicn amidst the infirmities of 
 years, and in the near prospect of 
 death, we need special consolatiod. 
 Comp. II. Tim. iv. 6, 7. 
 
 12. That ye be nut slothful. Indo- 
 lent; inactive. This was wiiat he waa 
 especially desirous of guarding them 
 against. By diligent and strenuoua 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 141 
 
 but followers of them who 
 through faith and patience in- 
 herit the promises. 
 
 13 For when God made pro- 
 mise to Abraham, because he 
 could swear by no greater, he 
 sware by himself, 
 
 effort only could they secure them- 
 selves from the danger of apostasy. 
 IT But followers. Imitators — that you 
 may live as' they lived. IT Of them 
 who through faith and patience. By 
 faith, or confidence in God, and by 
 patience in suffering — referring to 
 those who in times of trial had re- 
 mained faithful to God, and had been 
 admitted to heaven. In ch. xi. the 
 apostle has given a long list of such 
 persevering and faithliil friends of 
 God. See Notes on that chapter. 
 ^ The promise. The promise of heaven. 
 13. For when God made promise to 
 Ahraham. That he would bless him, 
 and multiply his seed as the stars of 
 heaven. Gen. xxii. 16, 17. The object 
 of introducing this example here is, to 
 encourage those to whom the apostle 
 was writing to persevere in the Chris- 
 tian life. This he does by showing 
 that God had given the highest pos- 
 sible assurance of his purpose to bless 
 his people, by an oath. Reference is 
 made to Abraham in this argument, 
 probably, for two reasons. (1.) To 
 show the nature of the evidence which 
 Christians have that they will be 
 saved, or the ground of encourage- 
 ment — being the same as that made 
 to Abraham, and depending, as in 
 his case, on the promise of God ; and 
 (2.) because the example of Abraham 
 was just in point. He had persevered. 
 He had relied firmly and solely on the 
 promise of God. He did this when 
 appearances were much against the 
 fiilfilment of the promise, and he thus 
 showed the advantage of perseverance 
 and fidelity in the cause of God. 
 If Because he could swear by no greater. 
 There is no being greater than God. 
 In taking an oath among men it is 
 always implied that the appeal is to 
 one of superior power, who is able ♦.o 
 
 14 Saying," Surely blessing 
 I will bless thee, and multiply- 
 ing I will multiply thee. 
 
 15 And so, after he had pa- 
 tiently endured, he obtained the 
 promise. 
 
 a Ge. 2-2. 16, 17. 
 
 punish for its infraction. But (hia 
 could not occur in the case of God 
 himself. There was no greater being 
 than himself, and the oath, therefore, 
 was by his own existence. IT He sware 
 by himself. Gen. xxii. 1 6. " By my- 
 self have I sworn." Comp. Isa. xlv. 
 23. In an oath of this kind God 
 pledges his veracity ; declares that the 
 event shall be as certain as his exist- 
 ence ; and secures it by all the per- 
 fections of his nature. The usual 
 form of the oath is, " As I live, saith 
 the Lord." See Num. xiv. 21. 28; 
 Ezek. xxxiii. 11. 
 
 14. Saying, Surely blessing I icill 
 bless thee. That is, I will certainly 
 bless thee. The phrase is a Hebrew 
 mode of expression, to denote empha- 
 sis or certainty — indicated by the , 
 repetition of a word. Comp. Gen. xiv. 
 10 ; Ex. viii. 10 ; Joel iv. 14 ; Judges 
 
 V. 30 ; XV. 16. IT Multiplying I will 
 multiply thee. I will greatly increase 
 thee — I will grant thee an exceed- 
 ingly numerous posterity. 
 
 15. And so, after he had patiently 
 endured. After he had waited for a 
 long time. He did not faint or grow 
 weary, but he persevered in a con 
 fident expectation of the fulfilment of 
 what God had so solemnly promised. 
 IT He obtained the promise. Evidently 
 the promise referred to in the oath — 
 that he would have a numerous pos- 
 terity. The apostle intimates that he 
 had waited for that a long time ; that 
 his faith did not waver, and that in 
 due season the object of his wishes 
 was granted. To see the force of this, 
 we are to remember (1.) that when 
 he was called by God from Haran, 
 and when the promise of a numerous 
 posterity was made to him, he was 
 seventy-five years old. Gen. xii. 1 — 5. 
 (2.) Twenty-four years elapsed after 
 
143 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 16 For men verily swear by 
 the greater : and an oath " for 
 confirmation is to thcin an end 
 of all strife. 
 
 17 Wherein God, willing 
 
 • Ex. 22. 11. 6Ro. 8. 17. c. 11.9. 
 
 this, during which he was a. sojourner 
 in a strange land, before the manner 
 in wliich this promise would be ful- 
 filled was made known to him. Gen. 
 xvii. 1 — 16. (3.) It was only when 
 he was an hundred years old, and 
 when he had persevered in the belief 
 of the truth of the promise against 
 all the natural improbabilities of its 
 accomplishment, tliat he received the 
 pledge of its fulfilment in the birth 
 of his son Isaac. Gen. .xxi. ] — 5. 
 (4.) The birth of that son was a pledge 
 that the other blessings implied in 
 the promise would be granted, and 
 in that pledge Abraham may be said 
 to have ' received the promise.' He 
 did not actually sec the numerous 
 posterity of which he was to be the 
 honoured ancestor, nor the Messiah 
 who was to descend from him, nor 
 * the happy influences which would 
 result to mankind from the fulfilment 
 of the promise. But he saw the cer- 
 tainty that all this would occur ; he 
 saw by faith the Messiah in the dis- 
 tance (John viii. 56), and the nume- 
 rous blessings which would result 
 from his coming. It was a remark- 
 able instance of faith, and one well 
 fitted to the purpose of the apostle. 
 It would furni.sh ample encourage- 
 ment to the Christians to whom he 
 wrote, to persevere in their course, 
 and to avoid the dangers of apostasy. 
 If Abraham persevered when appear, 
 ances were so much against the ful- 
 filment of what had been promised, 
 then Christians should persevere un- 
 der the clearer liij^lit and with the 
 more distinct promises of the gospel. 
 16, For men verily swear by the 
 greater. That is, they appeal to God. 
 They never swear by one who is infe- 
 rior to themselves. Tiie object of the 
 apostle in this declaration is to show 
 that as far as this could be done it 
 
 more abundantly to show unto 
 the heirs* of promise the im- 
 mutability ' of his counsel, con- 
 firmed ' it by an oath ; 
 
 c Ro. 11.29. 
 
 I interposed himself. 
 
 had been by God. He could not in- 
 deed swear by one greater than him- 
 self, but he could make his promise 
 as certain as an oath taken by men 
 was when they solemnlyap{)ealed to 
 Him. He could appeal to his own 
 existence and veracity, which was at 
 any time the most solemn form of an 
 oath, and thus put the mind to rest in 
 regard to the hope of heaven. ^ And 
 an oath for confirmation. An oath 
 taken to confirm or establish anytliing. 
 T Is to them an end of all strife. That 
 is, when two parties are at variance, 
 or have a cause at issue, an oath binds 
 them to adhere to the terms of agree- 
 ment concluded on, or contracting 
 parties bind themselves bj' a solemn 
 oath to adhere to the conditions of an 
 agreement, and this puts an end to 
 all strife. They rest satisfied when a 
 solemn oath has been taken, and they 
 feel assured that the agreement will 
 be complied with. Or it may refer 
 to cases where a man was accused of 
 wrong before a court, and where ho 
 took a solemn oath that the thing had 
 not been done, and his oath was ad- 
 mitted to be sufficient to put an end 
 to the controversy. The general mean- 
 ing is clear, that in disputes between 
 man and man, an appeal was made 
 to an oath, and that was allowed to 
 settle it. The connexion here is, that 
 as far as the case would admit of, the 
 same thing was done by God. His 
 oath by himself made his promise 
 firm. 
 
 1 7. Wherein God. On account of 
 which ; or since an oath had this ef- 
 fect, God was willing to appeal to it 
 in order fo as-iure his peojilo of sal- 
 vation. ^ Willinir more abundantly. 
 In the most abundant manner, or to 
 make the case as sure as possible. It 
 does not mean more abundantly than 
 in the case of Abraham, but that ho 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 143 
 
 18 That by two immutable 
 things, in which it was impos- 
 sible for God to" lie, we might 
 
 a Tit. 1, 2. 
 
 was willing to give the most ample 
 assurance possible. Coverdale ren- 
 ders it, correctly, " very abundantly." 
 t The heiis of promise. The heirs 
 to whom the promise of life pertained ; 
 that is, all who were interested in the 
 promises made to Abraham — thus 
 embracing the heirs of salvation now. 
 IT The immutability of his counsel. 
 His fixed purpose. He meant to show 
 in the most solemn manner that his 
 purpose would not change. The plans 
 of God never change ; and all the 
 hope which vfre can have of heaven 
 is founded on the fact that his pur- 
 pose is- immutable. If he changed 
 his plans ; if he was controlled by 
 caprice ; if he willed one thing to-day 
 and another thing to-morrow, who 
 could confide in him, or who would 
 have any hope of heaven ? No one 
 would know what to expect ; and no 
 one could put confidence in him. The 
 farmer ploughs and sows because he 
 believes that the laws of nature are 
 settled and fixed ; the mariner ven- 
 tures into unknown seas because the 
 needle points in one direction ; we 
 plant an apple-tree because we be- 
 lieve it will produce apples, a peach 
 because it will produce peaches, a 
 pear because it will produce a pear. 
 But suppose there were no settled 
 laws, that all was governed by ca- 
 price ; who would know what to plant ? 
 Who then would plant anything ? So 
 in religion. If there were nothing 
 fixed and settled, who would know 
 what to do ? If God should change 
 his plans by caprice, and save one 
 man by faith to-day and condemn an- 
 other for the same faith to-morrow ; 
 or if he should pardon a man to-day 
 and withdraw the pardon to-morrow, 
 what security could we have of sal- 
 vation ? How gratefiil, therefore, 
 should we be that God has an immu- 
 iable counsel, and that this is confirm- 
 ed by a solemn oath ! No one could 
 
 have a strong consolation, who 
 have fled for refuge to lay hold 
 upon the hope set before us : 
 
 b 1 Ti. 6. 12. 
 
 honour a God that had not such an 
 immutabilitj' of purpose ; and all the 
 hope which man can have of heaven 
 is in the fact that He is unchanging. 
 H Covjirmed it by an oath. Marg. 
 Interposed himself. Tindal and Co- 
 verdale, " added an oath." The 
 Greek is, ' mterposed with an oath' — 
 £jit(jiTivazv opKu). The word here used 
 — /ieaircvw — means to mediate or in- 
 tercede for one ; and then to intervene ■ 
 or interpose. The meaning here is, 
 that he interposed an oath between 
 himself and the other party by way 
 of a confirmation or pledge. 
 
 IS. That by two immutable things. 
 What the ' two immutable things' 
 here referred to are, has been made 
 a matter of question among commen- 
 tators. Most expositors, as Doddridge, 
 Whitby, Rosenmiiller, Koppe, and 
 Calvin, suppose that the reference is 
 to the promise and the oath of God, 
 each of which would be a firm ground 
 of the assurance of salvation, and in 
 each of which it would be impossible 
 for God to lie. Prof. Stuart supposes 
 that the reference is to tico oaths — the 
 oath made to Abraham, and that by 
 which the Messiah was made High 
 Priest according to the order of Mel- 
 chisedek. Ps. ex. 4 ; Heb. v. 6. 10. 
 He supposes that thus the salvation 
 of believers would be amply secured, 
 by the promise that Abraham should 
 have a Son, the Messiah, in whom aL 
 the families of the earth would be 
 blessed, and in the oath that this Son 
 should be High Priest for ever. But 
 to this interpretation it may be object- 
 ed that the apostle seems to refer to 
 two things distinct from each other in 
 their nature, and not to two acts of 
 the same kind. There are two kinds of 
 security referred to, wherca ; the secu- 
 rity furnished according to tliis inter, 
 pretation would be the same — tha! 
 arising from an oath. However nu 
 raerous the oaths might be, still it 
 
144 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 19 Which hope we have as 
 an anchor of the soul, both sure 
 
 would be security of the same kind, 
 and if one of them were broken no 
 certainty could be derived from the 
 other. On the supposition, however, 
 that he refers to the promise and the 
 oath, tiierc would be two kinds of as- 
 surance of ditfurent kinds. On the 
 supposition that the promise was dis- 
 regarded — if such a supposition may 
 be made — still there would be the se- 
 curity of the oalh — and tlius the as- 
 'surance of salvation was two-fold. It 
 seems to me, therefore, that the apos- 
 tle refers to the promise and to the 
 oalh of God, as constituting the two 
 grounds of security for tlie salvation 
 of his people. Those things were 
 both unchangeable, and when his word 
 and oatii are once passed, what he 
 promises is secure. T /« which it 
 was impo'ssible for God to lie. That 
 is, it would be contrary to his nature; 
 it is not for a moment to be supposed. 
 Comp. Tit. i. 2. " God— that cannot 
 lie." The impossibility is a moral 
 impossibility, and the use of the word 
 here explains the sense in which the 
 words impossible, cannot, &c., are 
 often used in the Scriptures. The 
 meaning here is, that such was the 
 love of God for truth ; such his holi- 
 ness of character, that he could not 
 speak falsely. H We might have a 
 strong consolation. The strongest of 
 which the mind can conceive. The 
 consolation of a Christian is not in 
 his own strength ; his hope of hea- 
 ven is not in any reliance on his own 
 powers. His comfort is, that God 
 has promised eternal life to his peo- 
 ple, and that He cannot prove falso to 
 his word. Titus i. 2. H Who have 
 fled for refuge. Referring to the fact 
 that one charged with murder fled to 
 the city of refuge, or laid hold on an 
 altar for security. So we guilty and 
 deserving of death have fled to the 
 hopes of the gospel in the Redeemer. 
 IT To lay hold upon. To seize and 
 hold fast — as one does an altar when 
 
 and stedfast, and which enter- 
 eth into that within" the veil; 
 
 a he. 16. 15. 
 
 he is pursued bj' the avenger of blood. 
 ^ The hope set before us. The hope 
 of eternal life oflered in the gospel. 
 This is set before us as our refuge, 
 and to this we flee when we feel that 
 we are in danger of death. On the 
 nature of hope, sec Notes on Eph. ii. 
 12. 
 
 19. Which hope ice have as an an. 
 chor of the soul. Hope accomplishes 
 for the soul the same thing which an 
 anchor does for a ship. It makes it 
 fast and secure. An anchor preserves 
 a ship when the waves beat and the 
 wind blows, and as long as the anchor 
 holds, so long the ship is safe,^and the 
 mariner apprehends no danger. So 
 with the soul of the Christian. In 
 the, tempests and trials of life, his 
 mind is calm as long as his hope of 
 heaven is firm. If that gives way, 
 he feels that all is lost. Among the 
 heathen writers, hope is often co'n- 
 pared with an anchor. So Socrates 
 said, " To ground hope on a false sup- 
 position, is like trusting to a weak 
 anchor." Again — " A ship ought not 
 to trust to one anchor, nor life to one 
 hope." ^ Both sure and stedfast. Firm 
 and secure. This refers to the an- 
 chor. That is fixed in the sand, and 
 tlie vessel is secure. ^ And which 
 entereth into that within the veil. The 
 allusion to the anchor here is dropped, 
 and the apostle speaks simply of hope. 
 The ' ceir here refers to that which 
 in the temple divided the holy from 
 the most holy place. See Notes on 
 .Matt. xxi. 12. The place ' within the 
 veil' — the most holy place — was re- 
 garded as God's peculiar abode — 
 where he dwelt by the visible symbol 
 of his presence. That holy place was 
 emblematic of heaven ; and the idea 
 here is, that the hope of the Christian 
 enters into heaven itself; it takes hold 
 on the throne of God ; it is made firm 
 by being fastened there. It is not 
 the hope of future riches, honours, or 
 pleasures in this life — for such a hope 
 
A. D. e4.] 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 145 
 
 20 Whither" the forerunner 
 is for us entered, even Jesus, 
 
 a c. 4. 14. 
 
 Would not keep the soul steady ; it is 
 the hope of immortal blessedness and 
 purity in the world beyond. 
 
 20. Whither. To which most holy 
 p'ate — heaven. IT The forerunner. 
 The word here used occurs nowhere 
 else in the New Testament. A fore- 
 runner — TTftdSpofios — is one who goes 
 before others to prepare the way. 
 The word is applied to light troops 
 Bcnt forward as scouts. Diod. Sic. 
 17.17. Conip. 'Wisdom of Solomon' 
 (apoc.) xii. 8. " Thou didst send 
 wasps, forerunners of thy host, to de- 
 stroy tMem by little and little." The 
 meaning here is, that Jesus went^jsJ 
 into the heavenly sanctuary. He led 
 the way. He has gone there on our 
 account, to prepare a place for us. 
 JoJni xiv. 3. Having such a friend 
 and advocate there, we should be firm 
 in the hope of eternal life, and amidst 
 the storms and tempests around us, 
 we should be calm. IT Made an high 
 priest for ever. See Notes ch. v. 6. 10. 
 To illustrate this fact, vv^as the object 
 for which this discussion was intro- 
 duced, and which had been interrupt- 
 ed by the remarks occurring in this 
 chapter on the danger of apostasy. 
 Having warned them of this danger, 
 and exhorted them to go on to make 
 the highest attainments possible in 
 the divine life, the apostle resumes 
 the discussion respecting Melchise- 
 dek, and makes the remarks which 
 he intended to make respecting this 
 remarkable man. See cli. v. 11. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 1. We should aim at perfection in 
 order that we may have evidence of 
 piety. Ver. 1. No man can be a 
 Christian who does not do tiiis, or 
 who does not desire to be perfect as 
 God is perfect. No one can be a 
 Christian who is satisfied or contented 
 to remain in sin ; or who would not 
 prefer to be made at once as holy as 
 an angel — as the Lord Jesus — as God. 
 
 2. We slioild aim at perfection in 
 
 13 
 
 made an high priest for ever 
 after the order of Melchisedek.' 
 
 6 c. 7. 17. 
 
 order to make great attainments. 
 Ver. 1. No man makes any great 
 advance in anything, who does not 
 set his standard high. Men usually 
 accomplish about what they expect to 
 accomplish. If a man expects to be 
 a quack physician, he becomes such; 
 if he is satisfied to be a fourth-rate 
 lawyer, he becomes such; if he is wil- 
 ling to be an indifferent mechanic, he 
 advances no higher ; if he has no in- 
 tention or expectation of being a first- 
 rate farmer, he ^ill never become 
 one. If he sincerely aims, however, 
 to excel, he usually accomplishes his 
 object. And it is so in religion. If 
 a man does not intend to be an emi- 
 nent Christian, he may be certain he 
 never will be. Religion is not pro- 
 duced by chance — any more than fine 
 fruit is, or than a good harvest is. 
 One of the principal reasons why Pre- 
 sident Edwards became so eminent a 
 Christian, was, that in early life he 
 adopted the following resolution, to 
 which he appears always to have ad- 
 hered, that " pn the supposition that 
 there never was to be but one indivi- 
 dual in the world, at any one time, 
 who was properly a complete Chris- 
 tian, in all respects of a right stamp, 
 having Christianity always shining 
 in its true lustre, and appearing ex- 
 cellent and lovely, from whatever 
 part, and under whatever character 
 viewed: Resolved, To act just as I 
 would do, if I strove with all ray 
 might to be that one, who should live 
 in my time." Life, by S. E. Dwight, 
 D. D., p. 72. 
 
 3. We should aim to acquire as 
 much knowledge of religious truth as 
 we possibly can. Vs. 1, 2. True 
 piety is principle. It is not fancy, or 
 dreaming, or visions, or enthusiasm. 
 It is based on knowledge, and does 
 not go beyond that. No man has any 
 more religion than he has knowledge 
 of the way of salvation. He cannot 
 force his religion to overstep the 
 bounds of his knowledge ; for igno- 
 
146 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 ranee conf ributes nothing to devotion. 
 There may be knowledge where there 
 is no piety ; but there ean be no true 
 rchgion \\ licre tliere is no knowledge. 
 Il", therefore, a Christian wisiies to 
 make advances, he must gain a 
 knowledge of the truth. lie must 
 understand the great doctrines of his 
 religion. And in like manner, if we 
 wish the next generation to be in- 
 telligent and solid Christians, we 
 must train them up to understand 
 the Bible. 
 
 4. The consequences of the judg- 
 ment will be eternal. Ver. 3. Mo 
 truth is more solemn than this. It 
 is this which makes the prospect of 
 the judgment so awful. If the con- 
 sequences of the sentence were to 
 continue for a few years, or ages, or 
 centuries only, it would be of much 
 less importance. But who can abide 
 the thought of ' eiervnl judgment V 
 Of an eternal sentence ? Here the 
 most fearful and solemn sentence is 
 for a short period. The sentence will 
 soon expire ; or it is mitigated by the 
 hope of a change. Pain here is brief. 
 Disgrace, and sorrow, and heaviness 
 of heart, and all the woes tiiat man 
 can inflict, soon come to an end. 
 There is an outer limit of suffering, 
 and no severity of a sentence, no in- 
 genuity of man, can prolong it far. 
 'I'he man disgraced, and whose life is 
 a burden, will soon die. On the ehceks 
 of the solitary prisoner, doomed to the 
 dungeon for life, a ' mortal paleness' 
 will soon settle down, and the com- 
 forts of an approaching release by 
 death may soothe the anguish of Iiis 
 sad heart. The rack of torture cheats 
 itself of its ovi'n purpose, and the ex- 
 hausted sufferer is released. " The 
 excess [of grief,] makes it soon mor- 
 tal." But in the world of future wo 
 the sentence will never expire ; and 
 death will never come to relieve the 
 sufferer. I may ask, then, of my 
 reader. Are you prepared for the 
 ' eternal' sentence ? .\re you ready 
 to hear a doom pronounced wliieh 
 can never be changed ? VV'ould you 
 be willing to have God judge you just 
 as you arc, and pronounce sucli a 
 
 sentence as ought to be pronounced 
 now, and have the assurance that 
 it would be eternal ? You seek 
 worldly honour. Would you be wil- 
 ling to be doomed always to seek 
 that? You aspire afler wealth. Would 
 you be willing to be doomed to aspire 
 afler that always? You seek pleasure 
 — in the gay and giddy world. Would 
 you be willing to be doomed always 
 to seek afler that ? You have no re- 
 ligion ; perhaps desire to have none. 
 Yet would you be willing to be 
 doomed to be always without reli- 
 gion ? You are a stranger to the 
 God that made you. Would you be 
 willing to be sentenced to be always 
 a stranger 'to God ? You indulge 
 in passion, pride, envy, sefcuality. 
 Would you be willing to be sentenced 
 always to the raging of these passions 
 and lusts ? How few are they who 
 would be willing to have an eternal 
 sentence passed on them, or to be 
 doomed to pursue their present em- 
 ployments, or to cherish their present 
 opinions for ever ! How few who 
 would dare to meet a sentence which 
 should be in strict accordance witli 
 what was just, and which was never 
 to change ! 
 
 5. With tlie righteous it should be 
 matter of rejoicing that the judgment 
 is to be eternal. Ver. 3. They can 
 desire no change of fhe sentence 
 which will assign them to heaven • 
 and it will be no small part of the • 
 joy of the heavenly world, tliat the 
 results of the judgment will be ever- 
 lasting. There will be no further 
 trial ; no reversing of the sentence ; 
 no withdrawing of the crown of glory. 
 The righteous are the only ones who 
 have not reason to dread a 'just eter- 
 nal sentence ;' aryl titry will rejoice 
 when the time shall come which will 
 fix their doom for ever. 
 
 6. We siiould dread apostasy from 
 the true religion. Ver. 4. We should 
 habitually feel liiat if we should deny 
 our Lord, and reject his religion,^ 
 tliere would be no hope. The die 
 would be cast ; and we must then 
 perish for ever. By this solemn con- 
 sideration God intends to preserve 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 147 
 
 bis people, and it is a consideration 
 which has been so effectual that there 
 is not the least reason to suppose that 
 any one who has ever liad any true 
 religion, has fallen away and perished. 
 Many have been almost Christians, 
 ar.d have then turned back to perdi- 
 tion (Matt. vii. 22, 23 ; Acts xxvi. 28), 
 but there is no reason to suppose that 
 any who have been true Christians 
 have thus apostatized and been lost. 
 Yet Christians are not kept without 
 watchfulness ; they cannot be kept 
 without the most sincere and constant 
 endeavours to preserve themselves 
 from falling. 
 
 7. If the sin of apostasy is so great, 
 then every approach to it is danger- 
 ous ; and then every sin should be 
 avoided. He that habitually indulges 
 in sin cannot be a Christian ; and 
 every sin which a sincere Christian 
 commits should be measured by the 
 guilt which tcould exist should it be- 
 come final, and should he wholly fall 
 away. No man can indulge in sin 
 and be safe ; and no professed Chris- 
 tian who finds himse]f disposed to in- 
 dulge in sin, should cherish the ex- 
 pectation of reacliing heaven. Vs. 4 
 — 6. 
 
 8. It is a matter of devout gratitude 
 that God has kept all his true people 
 from apostasy. Vs, 4 — 6. If it is 
 true that no one who has been re- 
 generated has ever fallen away ; if the 
 means which God has used have been 
 effectual in a world so full of tempta- 
 tions and when we have hearts so 
 prone to evil ; and if it is tlie intention 
 of God to keep all to eternal salvation 
 wlio are truly converted, then it 
 should be to us a subject of devout 
 thankfiilness and of encouragement. 
 In view of this, we should admire the 
 wisdom of the plan which tlms se- 
 cures salvation ; we should look to 
 him with the firm assurance that he 
 will keep what we have committed to 
 him to the final day. 
 
 9. We should improve the privi- 
 leges which we enjoy so as to receive 
 a blessing from God. Vs. 7, 8. It is 
 desirable that a farm should be well 
 cultivated so as not to be overrun 
 
 with briars and thorns ; desirable thai 
 it should produce an abundant liar- 
 vest, and not exhibit mere barren- 
 ness and desolation. Yet, alas, there 
 are many professing Christians who 
 resemble such a field of thorns, and 
 such a scene of desolation. They 
 produce no fruits of righteousness ; 
 tliey do nothing to extend the king, 
 dom of the Redeemer ! What can 
 such expect but the ' curse' of God ? 
 What can the end of such be but to 
 be ' burned ?' 
 
 10. God will not fail to reward his 
 faithful people. Ver. 10. What we 
 have done in his service, and with a 
 sincere desire to promote his glory, 
 unworthy of his notice as it may 
 seem to us to be, he will not fail to 
 reward. It may be unobserved or 
 forgotten by the world ; nay, it may 
 pass out of our own recollection, but 
 it will never fail from the mind of 
 God. Whether.it be 'two mites' con- 
 tributed to his cause, or a 'cup of cold 
 water given to a disciple,' or a life 
 consecrated to his service, it will be 
 alike remembered. What encourage- 
 ment there is, therefore, to labour in 
 the promotion of his glory, and to do 
 all we can for the advancement of 
 his kingdom ! 
 
 11. Let us follow those who have 
 inherited the promises. Ver. 12. They 
 are worthy examples. When from 
 their lofty seats in heaven they look 
 back on the journey of life, though 
 to them attended with many trials, 
 they never regret the ' faith and pa- 
 tience' by which they were enabled to 
 persevere. We have most illustrious 
 examples to imitate. They are nu- 
 merous as the drops of dew, and bright 
 as the star of the morning. It is an 
 lionour to tread in the footsteps of the 
 holy men who have inherited the pro- 
 mises ; an honour to feel that we are 
 walking in tlie same path, and are 
 reaching out the hand to the same 
 crown. 
 
 12. It is the privilege of those who 
 are truly the children of God to enjoy 
 strong consolation. Vs. 13 — 18. Their 
 hope is based on that which cannot 
 fail. God cannot lie. And when w« 
 
148 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4. 
 
 have evidence that he has promif?ed 
 us eternal life, we may o]»en our 
 liearts to the full influence of Chris- 
 tian consolation. It may be asked, 
 |»erhaps, how we may have that evi- 
 dence ? Will God speak to iis from 
 lieaven and assure us that we are his 
 children ? Will he reveal our names 
 as written in his book ? Will he come 
 to us in the night-watches and ad- 
 dress us by name as his ? I answer, 
 Na None of these things are we to 
 expect. But if we have evidence that 
 we have true repentance, and sincere 
 faith in the Redeemer ; if we love ho- 
 liness and desire to lead a pure life ; 
 if we delight in the Bible and in the 
 people of God, then we may regard 
 him as addressing us in the promises 
 and oaths of his word, and assuring 
 us of salvation. These promises be- 
 long to us, and we may apply them 
 to ourselves. And if we have evidence 
 that God promises usiclernal life, why 
 should we doubt ? We may feel that 
 we are unworthy ; our consciences 
 may reproach us for the errors and 
 follies of our past lives ; but on the 
 unchanging word and oath of God 
 we may rely, and there we may feel 
 secure. 
 
 13. How invaluable is the Christian 
 hope ! Ver. 19. To us it is like the 
 anchor to a vessel in a storm. We 
 arc sailing along the voyage of life. 
 We are exposed to breakers, and tem- 
 pests. Our bark is liable to be tossed 
 about, or to be shipwrecked. In the 
 agitations and troubles of life, how 
 much we need some anchor of the 
 eoul ; something that shall make us 
 calm and serene ! Such an anchor is 
 found in the hope of the gospel. Wliile 
 that hope is firm we need fear nothing. 
 All is then safe, and we may look 
 calmly on, assured that we shall ride 
 out the storm, and come at last safely 
 into the haven of peace. Happy they 
 who have fled for refuge to the fiiitli 
 of the gospel ; whose hope like a 
 steady anchor has entered into hea- 
 ven and binds the soul to the throne 
 of God ; whose confidence in the lie- 
 deemer is unshaken in all the storms 
 oi life, and who have the aMurance 
 
 that when the tempest shall have 
 beaten upon them a little longer they 
 will be admitted to a haven of rest, 
 where storjns and tempests are for 
 ever unknown. With such a hope 
 we may well l)ear the trials of this 
 life for tiie few days appointed to us 
 on earth — for what are the longest 
 trials here compared with that eter- 
 nal rest which remains for all who 
 love God in a brighter world ? 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 In ch. v. 10, 11, tiie apostle had 
 introduced the name of Melchisedek, 
 and said that C.hrist was made an 
 high priest after the same order as 
 he. He added, that he had much to 
 say of him, but that they were not in 
 a state of mind then to receive or un- 
 dersUnd it. He then (eh. v. 12 — 14) 
 rebukes them for the little progress 
 which they had made in Christian 
 knowledge ; exhorts them to go on 
 and make higher attainments (ch. vi. 
 1 — 3) ; warns them against the dan- 
 ger of apostasy (ch. vi. 4 — 8) ; and 
 encourages them to hold fast their 
 faith and hope to the end, in view of 
 the covenant faithfulness of God (ch. 
 vi. 9 — 20) ; and now returns to the 
 subject under discussion — the high 
 priesthood of Christ. His object is 
 to show that he was superior to the 
 Jewish high priest, and for this pur- 
 pose he institutes the comparison be- 
 tween him and Melchisedek. The 
 argument is the following: — 
 
 I. That which is drawn fi-oni the 
 exalted rank of Melchisedek, and the 
 fact that the ancestor of the whole 
 Jewish priesthood and community- 
 Abraham — acknowledged him as his 
 superior, and rendered tribute to him. 
 But-Clirist was o'f the order of Mel- 
 chisedek, and the apostle, therefore, 
 infers his superiority to the Jewish 
 priesthood. Vs. 1 — 10. In tlie pro 
 secution of this argument, the apostle 
 dwells on the import of tiie name 
 Melchisedek (vs. 1, '2) j- states the fact 
 that he was witiiout any known an- 
 cestry or descent, and that he stood 
 alone on the pages of the sacred re< 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VII, 
 
 149 
 
 ¥ 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OR this Melchisedek, "kinor 
 of Salem, priest of the most 
 
 a Ge. 14. 18., &c. 
 
 cord, and was therefore worthy to be 
 compared with tlie Son of God, who 
 had a similar pre-eminence (ver. 3) ; 
 iirg-es the consideration that even 
 Abraliam, the ancestor of the whole 
 Jewish community and priesthood, 
 paid tithes to him, and thus confessed 
 his inferiority (ver. 4) ; shows that he 
 of whom a blessing was received must 
 be superior to the one who receives it 
 (vs. 6, 7); and that even Levi, the 
 ancestor of the whole Levitical priest- 
 hood, might be said to have paid 
 tithes in Abraham, and thus to have 
 acknowledged his inferiority to Mel- 
 chisedek, and consequently to the 
 Son of God, who was of his ' order.' 
 Vs. 9, 10. 
 
 II. The apostle shows that ^perfec- 
 tion' could not arise out of the Leviti- 
 cal priesthood, and that a priesthood 
 that introduced a perfect state must 
 be superior. Vs. 11 — 19. In the pro- 
 secution of this argument, he states 
 that perfection could not be arrived 
 at under the Hebrew economy, and 
 that there was need that a priesthood 
 of another order should be formed 
 (ver. 11) ; that a change of the priest- 
 hood involved of necessity a change 
 in the law or administration (ver. 12) ; 
 that the necessity of change of the 
 law also followed from the fact that 
 the great high priest was now of an- 
 other tribe tiian that of Levi (vs. 13, 
 14) ; that the Christian High Priest 
 was constiiuted not after a command- 
 ment pertaining to the flesh and liable 
 to change, but ' after the power of an 
 endless life' — adapted to a life that 
 was never to change or to end (vs. 
 15 — 17) ; that consequently there was 
 a disannulling of the commandment 
 going before, because it was weak 
 and unprofitable (ver. 18); and that 
 the old law made nothing perfect, but 
 
 hat by the new arrangement a sys- 
 ;eni of entire and eternal perfection 
 A'as introduced. Ver. 19. 
 
 III. The apostle shows the supe- 
 13* 
 
 high God, who met Abraham 
 returning from the slaughter of 
 the kings, and blessed him ; 
 
 riority of the priesthood of Christ to 
 that of the Jewish system from the 
 fact that the great High Priest of the 
 Christian system was constituted with 
 the solemnity of an oath ; the Jewish 
 priesthood was not. Vs. 20 — 22. His 
 priesthood, therefore,, was as much 
 more important and solemn as an 
 oath is superior to a command ; and 
 his suretyship became as much more 
 certain as an oath is superior to a 
 simple promise. Ver. 22. 
 
 IV. The superiority of the priest- 
 hood of Christ is further shown from 
 the fact that under the former dispen- 
 sation there were many priests ; but 
 here there was but one. There, they 
 lived but a brief period, and then gave 
 way to their successors ; but here 
 there was no removal by death, there 
 was no succession, there was an un- 
 changeable priesthood. Vs. 23, 24. 
 He infers, therefore (ver. 25), that the 
 Christian High Priest was able to 
 save to the uttermost all that came 
 to the Father by him, since he ever 
 lived to make intercession. 
 
 V. The last argument is, that un- 
 der the Levitical priesthood it was 
 necessary for the priest, to offer sacri- 
 fice for his own sins as well as for 
 t lose of the people. No such neces- 
 sitj', however, existed in regard to the 
 High Priest of the Christian system. 
 He was holy, harmless, and undefiled ; 
 he had no need to offer sacrifices for 
 his own sins ; and in this respect 
 there was a vast superiority of the 
 Christian priesthood over the Jewish. 
 Vs. 26—28. The force of these sev. 
 oral arguments we shall be able to 
 estimate as we advance in the expo- 
 sition. 
 
 1. For this Melchisedek. Comp. 
 Notes ch. V. 6. The name Melchise- 
 dek, from which the apostle derives 
 a portion of his argument here, ia 
 Hebrew, pl-2f - ''^Sd, and is correct, 
 ly explained as meaning king of right 
 
150 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 eoiisness — being conipoundcd of two 
 words — king and rifrlUeuusneiiS. Why 
 this name was ^ivcn to tliis man is 
 unitnovvn. Names, however, were 
 frequently given on aeeount of some 
 quality or characteristic of tlie man. 
 Notes on Isa. viii. 18. This name 
 may have been given on account of 
 his eminent integrity. The apostle 
 calls attention to it (ver. 2,) as a cir- 
 cumstance wortiiy of notice, that his 
 name, and the name of the city where 
 lie reigned, were so appropriate to 
 one who, as a priest, was the prede- 
 cessor of the Messiah. The account 
 of MelcliisedeU, which is very brief, 
 occurs in Gen. xiv. 18 — 20. The 
 name occurs in the Bible only in Gen. 
 xiv., Ps. ex. 4., and in this epistle. 
 Nothing else is certainly known of 
 him. Grotius supposes that he is the 
 same man who in the history of San- 
 clioniathon is called Su^uk — Sydyc. It 
 has indeed been made a question l)y 
 some whether such a person ever ac- 
 tually existed, and consequently whe- 
 ther tliis be a proper name. But the 
 account in Genesis is as simple a his- 
 torical record as any other in the Bi- 
 ble. In that account there is no diffi- 
 culty whatever. It is said simply that 
 when Abraham was returning from a 
 successful military expedition, this 
 man, wlio it seems was well known, 
 and who was respected as a priest of 
 God, came out to express his appro- 
 bation of what he had done, and t) 
 refresh him with bread and wine. As 
 a tribute of gratitude to him, and as a 
 thank-offering to God, Abraham gave 
 him a tenth part of the spoils which he 
 had taken. Such an occurrence was 
 by no means improbable, nor would 
 it have been attended with any spe- 
 cial difficulty if it had not been for 
 the use which the apostle makes of 
 it in this epistle. Yet on no subject 
 lias there been a greater variety of 
 opinion than in regard to this man. 
 The bare recital of the opinions which 
 Jiavc been entertained of him would 
 fill a volume. But in a ease which 
 sfnns to be ])l:iin Iroin the Scripture 
 narrative, it is not necessary even to 
 enumerate these opinions. Tliey only 
 
 serve to show iiow easy it is for men 
 to mystify a clear statement of his- 
 tory, and how fond they are of find- 
 ing what is mysterious and marvel- 
 lous in the plainest narrative of facts. 
 That he was Shem, as the Jews sup- 
 pose, or that he was the Son of God 
 himself, as many Christian expositors 
 have maintained, there is not the 
 slightest evidence. That the latter 
 opinion is false is perfectly clear — for 
 if he were the Son of God, with what 
 propriety could the apostle say that 
 he " was made like the Son of God" 
 (ver. 3) ; that is, like himself; or that 
 Christ was constituted a priest " after 
 the order of Melchisedek ;" that is, 
 that he was a type of himself? The 
 most simple and probable opinion is 
 that given by Josephus, that he was 
 a pious Canaanitish prince ; a per- 
 sonage eminently endowed by (iod, 
 and who acted as the priest of his 
 people. That he conabined in him- 
 self the offices of priest and king, fur- 
 nished to the apostle a beautiful illus- 
 tration of the offices sustained by the 
 Redeemer, and was, in this respect, 
 perhaps the only one whose history is 
 recorded in the Old Testament, who 
 would furnish such an illustration. 
 That his genealogy was not recorded, 
 while that of every other priest men- 
 tioned was so carefully traced and 
 preserved, furnished another striking 
 illustration. In this respect, like the 
 Son of God, he stood alone. He was 
 not in a line of priests ; he was pre- 
 ceded by no one in the Sacerdotal 
 office, nor was he followed by any. 
 That he was superior to Abraham, 
 and consequently to all who descend, 
 ed from Abraham ; that a tribute was 
 rendered to him by the great Ances- 
 tor of all the fraternity of Jewish 
 priests, was just an illustration which 
 suited the purpose of Paul. His name, 
 therefore, the place where he reigned, 
 his solitariness, his lone conspicuity 
 in all the past, his dignity, and per- 
 haps the air of mystery thrown over 
 him in the brief history in (Jenesis, 
 furnished a beautiful and striking 
 illustration of the solitary grandeur, 
 and the inapproachable eminence of 
 
A. D. 64,] 
 
 CHAPTER VI I. 
 
 151 
 
 the priesthood of the Son of God 
 There is no evidence that Melchise- 
 dek was designed to be a type of the 
 Messiah, or that Abraham so under- 
 stood it. Nothing of this kind is 
 affirmed ; and how shall we affirm it 
 when the sacred oracles are silent ? 
 ^ King of Salem. Such is the record 
 in Gen. xiv. 18. The word Salem — 
 D75l' — means peace; and from this 
 fact the apostle derives his illustration 
 in ver. 2. He regards it as a fact 
 worth remarking on, that the name 
 of the place over which he ruled ex- 
 pressed so strikingly the nature of the 
 kingdom over which the Messiah was 
 placed. ]n regard to the place here 
 denoted by the name SaleTn, the al- 
 most uniform opinion has been that 
 it was that afterwards known as Je- 
 rusalem. The reasons for this opin- 
 ion are, (1.) that it is a part of the 
 name Jerusalem itself — the name Je- 
 rus, altered from Jehus, having been 
 afterward added, because it was the 
 residence of the Jehusiles. (2.) The 
 name Salem is itself given to Jerusa- 
 lem. Ps. Ixxvi. 2. " In Salem also 
 is his tabernacle, and his dwelling- 
 place in Zion." (3.) Jerusalem would 
 be in the direction through which 
 Abraham would naturally pass on his 
 return from the slaughter of the kings. 
 He had pursued them unto Dan (Gen. 
 xiv. 14), and he was returning to 
 Mamre, that is, Hebron. Gen. xiv. 
 13. On his return, therefore, he would 
 pass in the vicinity of Jerusalem. Ro- 
 senmiiller, however, supposes that by 
 the name here, Jerusalem is not in- 
 tended, but the whole region occupied 
 bj' the Jebusites and Hittites, or the 
 royal seat of this region, situated not 
 far from the cities of the plain — the 
 vale of Siddim where Sodom and Go- 
 morrah were situated. But I see no 
 reason for doubting that the common 
 opinion that Jerusalem is intended, is 
 correct. Tliat place was favourably 
 situated for a capital of a nation or 
 tribe ; was easily fortified ; and would 
 be likely to be early selected as a royal 
 residence. V Priest of the most high 
 God. This is the account which is 
 
 given of him in Gen. xiv. 18. Tha 
 leading office of priest was to offer 
 sacrifice. This duty was probably 
 first performed by the father of the 
 family (comp. Notes on Job i. 5 ; see 
 also Gen. viii. 20 ; xxii. 2), and when 
 he was dead it devolved on the eldest 
 son. It would seem also that in the 
 early ages, among all nations whose 
 records have reached us, the office of 
 priest and king were united in the 
 same person. It was long before it 
 was found that the interests of reli- 
 gion would be promoted by having 
 the office of priest pertain to an order 
 of men set apart for this special work. 
 That Melchisedek, who was a king, 
 should also be a priest, was not, there- 
 fore, remarkable. The only thing 
 remarkable is, that he should have 
 been a priest of the true God. In 
 what way he became acquainted with 
 Him, is wholly unknown. It may 
 have been by tradition preserved from 
 the times of Noah, as it is possible 
 that the arrival of Abraham in that 
 land may have been in some way the 
 means of acquainting him with the 
 existence and character of Jehovah, 
 The fact shows at least that the know- 
 ledge of the true God was not extinct 
 in the world. IT Who met Ahraham. 
 He came out to meet him, and brought 
 with him bread and wine. Why he 
 did this, is not mentioned. It was 
 probably as an expression of grati- 
 tude to Abraham for having freed the 
 country from oppressive and trouble- 
 some invaders, and in order to furnish 
 refreshments to the party which Abra- 
 ham headed who had become weary 
 and exhausted with the pursuit. There 
 is not the slightest evidence that the 
 bread and wine which he brought 
 forth was designed to typify the Sa- 
 crament of the Lord's Supper, as has 
 been sometimes supposed. Comp, 
 Bush on Gen. xiv. 18. What did he 
 know of this ordinance ? And v/hy 
 should we resort to such a supposi- 
 tion, when the whole case may be 
 met by a simple reference to the an- 
 dient rites of hospitality, and by the 
 fact that the deliverance of the coun- 
 try by Abraham from a grievous inva- 
 
152 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 2 To whom also Abraham I of righteousness, and after that 
 gave a tenth part of all; first also King of Salem, which is, 
 being by interpretation King King of peace ; 
 
 Bion made some expression of grati- 
 tude on the part of this pious king in 
 the highest degree proper ? ^ Return- 
 ing from the slaughter of the kings. 
 Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, 
 king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king 
 of Elam, and " Tidal, king of na- 
 tions," who had invaded the valley 
 where Sodom and Gomorrah were, 
 and had departed with a great amount 
 of booty. Those kings Abraham had 
 pursued beyond Dan, and to the neigh- 
 bourhood of Damascus, and had smit- 
 ten them, and recovered the spoil. 
 H And blessed him. For the import- 
 ant service which he liad rendered in 
 taking vengeance on these invaders ; 
 in freeing the land from the appre- 
 hension of being invaded again ; and 
 in recovering the valuable booty which 
 they had taken away. From vs. 6, 
 7, it appears tliat this act of blessing 
 was regarded as that of one who was 
 superior to Abraham. That is, lie 
 blessed him as a priest and a king. 
 As such he was superior in rank to 
 Abraham, who never claimed the title 
 of king, and who is not spoken of as 
 a priest. 
 
 2. To whom also Abraham gave a 
 tenth part of all. That is, a tenth 
 part of all the spoils which he had 
 taken (Gen. xiv. 20), thus acknow- 
 ledging that in dignity of office Mel- 
 chisedek was greatly his superior. 
 Vs. 4. 6. 8. This does not appear to 
 have been on the part of Abraham so 
 much designed as a present to IVIcl- 
 chisedek personally, as an act of'pious 
 thankfulness to God. He doubtless 
 recognised in Melchisedck one who 
 was a minister of God, and to him as 
 such he devoted the tenth of all which 
 he had taken, as a proper acknow- 
 ledgment of the goodness of God and 
 of his claims. From this it is evident 
 that the propriety of devoting a tenth 
 part of what was possessed to God; 
 was regarded as a duty before the 
 appointment" of the licvitical law. 
 
 Some expression of this kind is obvi- 
 ously demanded, and piety seems 
 early to have fixed on the tenth part 
 as being no more than a proper pro- 
 portion to consecrate to the service 
 of religion. For the propriety of the 
 use which the apostle makes of this 
 fact, see Notes on vs. 4. 6. 8. If First 
 being. The first idea in the inter- 
 pretation of his name and office, &,c. 
 First being mentioned as king of 
 righteousness, and then as king of 
 peace. ^ King of righteousness. The 
 literal translation of the name Mel- 
 chisedck. Notes ver.l. The ar^u- 
 ment implied in this by the remarks 
 of the apostle is, that he bore a name 
 which made him a proper emblem of 
 the Messiah. There was a propriety 
 that one in whose ' order' the Messiah 
 was to be found, should have such a 
 name. It would be exactly descrip. 
 tive of him, and it was worthy of ob- 
 servation that lie of whose ' order' it 
 was said the Messiah would be, 
 should have had such a name. Paul 
 does not say that this name was given 
 to him with any such reference ; or 
 that it was designed to be symbolical 
 of what the Messiah would be, but 
 that there was a remarkable coinci- 
 dence ; that it was a fact which was 
 worth at least a passing thought. 
 This is a kind of remark that might 
 occur to any one to make, and where 
 the slight use which Paul makes of 
 it would not be improper anywhere; 
 but it cannot be denied that to one 
 accustomed to the Jewish mode of rea- 
 soning — accustomed to dwell much 
 on hidden meanings, and to trace out 
 concealed arralogics, it would be much 
 more obvious and striking than it is 
 with us. Wc are to place ourselves 
 in the situation of those to whom 
 Paul wrote — trained up with Jewish 
 feelings, and Jewish modes of thought, 
 and to ask how this would strike their 
 mind's. And this is no more unrea- 
 sonable than it would be in interpret. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 i53 
 
 3 Without father, without 
 mother, without' descent, hav- 
 ing n-either beginning of days 
 
 1 pedigree. 
 
 ing a Greek classic, or a work of a 
 Hindoo philosopher, that we should 
 endeavour to place ourselves in the 
 situation of the writer and of those 
 for whom he wrote, and ascertain 
 what ideas would be conveyed to them 
 by certain expressions, _ It is not 
 meant by these observations that there 
 was really no intrinsic force In what 
 Paul here said respecting the import 
 of the name. There was force; and 
 all the use which he makes of it is 
 proper. His meaning appears to be 
 merely that it was a fact wortliy of 
 remark, that the name had a meaning 
 which corresponded so entirely with 
 the character of him who was to be a 
 high priest of the same "order," H And 
 after that. He is mentioned after that 
 with another appellation equally sig- 
 nificant. ^ King of peace. A literal 
 translation of tlie appellation 'king of 
 Salem.' Ver. 1 . The idea of Paul is, that 
 it was worthy of remark that the appel- 
 lation which he bore was appropriate 
 to one whose ministry it was said the 
 priesthood of the Messiah would re- 
 semble, 
 
 3. Without father. The phrase with. 
 out father — aTra'rwp — means literally 
 one who has no father ; one who has 
 lost his father ; one who is an orphan. 
 Then it denotes one who is born after 
 the death of his father ; then one 
 whose fp'her is unknown — spurious. 
 Passow. The word occurs often in 
 these senses in the classic writers, 
 for numerous examples of which tlie 
 reader may consult Wetstein in loc. 
 It is morally certain, however, that 
 the apostle did not use the word here 
 in either of these senses, for there is 
 no evidence that Melchisedek was 
 fatherless in any of these respects. It 
 was very important in the estimation 
 of the Jews that the line of their 
 priesthood should be carefully kept ; 
 that their genealogies should be ac- 
 curately marked and preserved ; and 
 
 nor end of life; but made like 
 unto the Son of God, abideth a 
 priest continually. 
 
 that their direct descent from Aaron 
 should be susceptible of easy and cer- 
 tain proof. But the apostle says that 
 there was no such genealogical table 
 in regard to Melchisedek. There waa 
 no record made of the name either of 
 his father, his mother, or any of his 
 posterity. He stood alone. It is simply 
 said that such a man came out to 
 meet Abraham — and that is the first 
 and the last which we hear of him and 
 of his family. Now, says the apostle, 
 it is distinctly said (Ps. ex. 4), that 
 the Messiah was to be a priest accord- 
 ing to his order — and in this respect 
 there is a remarkable resemblance, 
 so far as the point of his being a priest 
 — which was the point under discus 
 sion — was concerned. The Messiah 
 thus, as a priest, stood alone. His 
 name does not appear in the line of 
 priests. He pertained to another tribe. 
 Ver. 14. No one of his ancestors is 
 mentioned as a priest; and as a priest 
 he has no descendants, and no follow, 
 ers. He has a lonely conspicuity 
 similar to that of Melchisedek ; a 
 standing unlike that of any other 
 priest. This should not, therefore, be 
 construed as meaning that the gene- 
 alogy of Christ could not be traced 
 out — which is not true, for Matthew 
 (ch. i.), and Luke (ch.iii.), have care 
 fully preserved it ; but that he had no 
 genealogical record as a priest. As 
 the reasoning of the apostle pertains 
 to this point only, it would be unfair 
 to construe it as implying that the 
 Messiah was to stand unconnected 
 with any ancestor, or that his gene- 
 alogy would be unknown. The mean- 
 ing of the word rendered ' without 
 father' here is, therefore, one the name 
 of whose father is not recorded in the 
 Hebrew genealogies. ^ Without mo- 
 ther. The name of whose mother is 
 unknown, or is not recorded in the 
 Hebrew genealogical tables. Philo 
 calls Sarah — ain'iropa — without mother 
 
154 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 probably because licr mother is not 
 mentioned 'n tfie saercd records. Tiie 
 Syriac lias given the correct view of 
 tlie meannifT of the apostle. In that 
 vrrsiou it is, ' Of whom neither the 
 father nor mother arc recorded in the 
 genealogies.' The meaning here is 
 not tliat Melehisedek was of low 
 and obscure origin — as the terms 
 ' without father and without mother,' 
 often signify in the classic writers, 
 and in Arabic, (comp. Wetstein) — for 
 there is no reason to doubt that Mel- 
 ehisedek had an ancestry as honour- 
 able as other kings and priests of his 
 time. The simple thought is, that the 
 name of his ancestry does not appear 
 in any record of those in the ])riest- 
 ly oftice. ^ Without descent. Marg. 
 pedigree. The Greek word — aycvea- 
 XdyijTOi — means without genealogy ; 
 whose descent is unknown. He is 
 merely mentioned himself, and no- 
 thing is said of his family or of his 
 posterity. IT Having neither beginning 
 of days, nor end of life. This is a 
 much more dilHcult expression than 
 any of the others respecting Melehi- 
 sedek. The obvious meaning of the 
 phrase is, that in the records of Moses, 
 neither the beginning nor the close of 
 his life is mentioned. It is not said 
 when he was born, or when he died ; 
 nor is it said that he was born cfr that 
 he die<l. The apostle adverts to this 
 particularly, because it was so un- 
 usual in the records of Moses, who is 
 in general so careful to mention the 
 birth and death of the individuals 
 whose lives he mentions. Under the 
 Mosaic dispensation everything re- 
 specting the duration of the sacerdo- 
 tal office was determined accurately 
 by the law. In the time of Moses, 
 and by his arrangement, thy Levites 
 were required to serve from the age 
 of thirty to fifty. Num. iv. 3. 23. 35. 
 43. 47 ; viii. 24, 25. After the age 
 of fifty, they were released from the 
 more arduous and severe duties of 
 their office. In later periods of the 
 Jewish history they commenced their 
 duties at the age of twenty. I. Chron. 
 xxiii. 24. 27. Tlie priests, also, and 
 the high priest entered on tlieir office 
 
 at thirty years of age, though it is 
 not su|)|)osed that they retired from 
 it at any particular period of life 
 Tlie idea of the apostle here is, that 
 nothing of this kind occurs in regard 
 to Melehisedek. No period is men- 
 tioned when he entered on his office ; 
 none when he retired from it. From 
 anything that appears in the sacred 
 record it might be perpetual — though 
 Paul evidently did not mean to be 
 understood as saying that it icas so. 
 It cannot be that he meant to say that 
 Melehisedek had no beginning of days 
 literally, that is, that he was from 
 eternity ; or that he had no end of life 
 literally, that is, that he would exist 
 for ever — for this would be to make 
 him equal with God. The expression 
 used must be interpreted according 
 to the matter under discussion, and 
 that was the office of Melchizedek as 
 a priest. Of that no beginning is 
 mentioned, and no end. That this is 
 the meaning of Paul there can be no 
 doubt ; but there is a much more dif- 
 ficult question about the force and 
 pertinency of this reasoning; about 
 the use which he means to make of 
 this fact, and the strength of the ar- 
 gument which he here designs to em- 
 ploy. This inquiry cannot be easily 
 settled. It may be admitted undoubt. 
 edly, that it would strike a Jew with 
 much more force than it would any 
 other person, and to sec its pertinency 
 we ought to be able to place ourselves 
 in their condition, and to transfer to 
 ourselves as tar as possible their state 
 of feeling. It was mentioned in Ps. 
 ex. 4, that the Messiah was to be a 
 ' priest atler the order of Melchize- 
 dek.' It was natural then to turn to 
 the only record which existed of him 
 — the very brief narrative in Gen. xiv. 
 There the account is simple and plaia 
 — that he was a pious Canaanitish 
 king, who officiated as a priest. la 
 what point, then, it would be asked, 
 was the Messiah to resemble him 7 
 In his personal character ; his office; 
 his rank; or in what he did? It 
 would be natural, then, to run out the 
 parallel, and seize upon the points in 
 which ^lelchizedek differed from the 
 
A. D. C-1.] 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 15ff 
 
 Jewish priests which would be sug- 
 gested on reading that account, for it 
 was undoubtedly in those points that 
 the resemblance between Christ and 
 Melchisedek was to consist. Here 
 the record was to be the only guide, 
 and tlie paints in which he dilFered 
 from the Jewish priesthood according 
 to the record, were such as these. (1.) 
 That there is no account of his an- 
 cestry as a priest — neither father nor 
 mother being mentioned, as was in- 
 dispensable in the records of the Le- 
 vitical priestliood. (2.) There was no 
 account of any descendants in his of- 
 fice, and no reason to believe that he 
 had any, and he thus stood alone. 
 (3.) There was no account of tlie 
 commencement or close of his office 
 as a priest, but so far as the record 
 goes, it is just as it vjould have been 
 if his priesthood had neither begin- 
 ning nor end. It was inevitable, there- 
 fore, that those who read the Psalm, 
 and compared it with the account in 
 Gen. xiv., should come to the conclu- 
 sion that the Messiah was to resemble 
 Melchisedek in some such points as 
 these — for these are the points in 
 which he ditfered from the Levitical 
 priesthood — and to run out these 
 points of jiomparison is all that the 
 apostle has done here. It is j"st what 
 would be done by any Jew, or indeed 
 by any other man, and the reasoning 
 grew directly out of the two accounts 
 in the Old Testament. It is not, then, 
 quibble or quirk— it is sound reason- 
 ing, based on these two points, (1) 
 that it was said in the Old Testament 
 that the Messiah would be a priest 
 after the order of Melcliiscdek, and 
 (2) that the only points, according to 
 the record, in wJiich there was any- 
 ^ thing peculiar about the priesthood 
 ^of Melchisedek, or in which he dif- 
 fered from the Levitical priestliood, 
 were such as those which Paul speci- 
 fies. He reasons from the record ; 
 and though there is, as was natural, 
 something of a Jewish cast about it, 
 yet it was the only kind of reasoning 
 that was possible in the case. ^ But 
 made like. The word here used means 
 to be made like, to be made to resem- 
 
 ble ; and then to be like, to be com. 
 pared with. Our translation seems 
 to imply that there was a divine 
 agency or intention by which Mel- 
 chizedek was made to resemble the 
 Son of God, but this does not seein to 
 be the idea of the apostle. In the 
 Psalm it is said that the Messiah 
 would resemble Melchisedek in his 
 priestly office, and this is doubtless 
 the idea here. Paul is seeking to il- 
 lustrate the nature and perpetuity of 
 the office of the Messiah by compar- 
 ing it with that of Melchisedek. 
 Hence he pursues the idea of this re- 
 semblance, and the true sense of the 
 word used tiere is, ' he was like, or 
 he resembled the Son of God.' So 
 Tindal and Coverdale render it, "is 
 likened unto the Son of God." The 
 points of resemblance are those which 
 have been already suggested — (1) in 
 the name — king of righteousness, and 
 king of peace ; (2) in the fact that he 
 had no ancestors or successors in the 
 priestly ofKce ; (3) that he was, ac- 
 cording to the record, a perpetual 
 priest — there being no account of his 
 death ; and perhaps (4) that he united 
 in himself the office of king and 
 priest. It may be added, that the 
 expression here, ' was made like unto 
 the Son of God,' proves that he was 
 not himself the Son of God, as many 
 have supposed. How could he be 
 ' made like' himself.' How could a 
 comparison be formally made between 
 Christ and himself? ^ Abideth a 
 priest continually. That is, as far as 
 the record in Genesis goes — for it was 
 according to this record that Paul was 
 reasoning. This clause is connected 
 with ver. 1 ; and the intermediate 
 statements are of the nature of a pa- 
 renthesis, containing important sug- 
 gestions respecting the character of 
 Melchisedek, which would be usefvd 
 in preparing the readers for the argu- 
 ment which the apostle proposed to 
 draw from liis rank and cliaracter. 
 The meaning is, that there is no ac- 
 count of his deatli, or of his ceasing 
 to exercise the priestly office, and in 
 this respect he may be compared with 
 the Lord Jesus. All other priests 
 
156 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 4 Now consider how great 
 this man was unto whom even 
 the patriarch Abraham gave the 
 tenth of the spoils. 
 
 5 And verily they that are 
 
 cease to exercise their office by death 
 (ver. 23); but of the death of Mdchi- 
 Bcdek there is no mention. It must 
 have been true that the priesthood of 
 Melchisedck terminated at his death ; 
 and it will be also true that that of 
 Christ will cease when his church 
 shall have been redeemed, and when 
 he shall have given up the mediato- 
 rial kingdom to the Father. I. Cor. 
 XV. 25 — 28. The expression, ' abideth 
 a priest continvally,' therefore, is equi- 
 valent to saying that he had a per- 
 petual priesthood in contradistinction 
 from those whose office terminated at 
 a definite period, or wiiose office 
 passed over into the hands of others. 
 See Notes on ver. 24. 
 
 4. Now consider how great this man 
 was. The object of the apostle was 
 to exalt the rank and dignity of Mel- 
 chisedek. The Jews had a profound 
 veneration for Abraham, and if it 
 could be shown that Melehiscdek was 
 superior to Abraham, then it would 
 be easy to demonstrate the superiority 
 of Christ as a priest to all who de- 
 scended from Abraham. Accordingly 
 he argues, that he to whom even the 
 patriarch Abraham showed so much 
 respect, must have had an exalted 
 rank. Abraham, according to the 
 views of the East, the illustrious an- 
 cestor of the Jewish nation, was re- 
 garded as superior to any of iiis 
 posterity, and of course was to be 
 considered as of higher rank and dig- 
 nity than the Levitical priests wiio 
 were descended from him. ^ Even 
 the patriarch Abraham. One so great 
 as he is acknowledged to have been. 
 On the word patriarch, see Notes on 
 Acts ii. 29. It occurs only in Acts 
 ii. 29, vii. 8, 9, and in this place. 
 T Gave the tenth of the spoils. Notes, 
 ver. 2. The argument here is, that 
 Abraham acknowledged the superi- 
 ority of Melclxiscdek by thus devoting 
 
 of the sons of Levi, who" re- 
 ceive the office of the priest- 
 hood, have a commandment to 
 take tithes of the people accord- 
 
 a Nu. 18.21-26. 
 
 the usual part of tlie spoils of war, or 
 of wlut was possessed, to God by his 
 hands, as the priest of the Most High. 
 Instead of making a direct consecra- 
 tion by himself, he brought them to 
 him as a minister of religion, and re- 
 cognised in him one who had a higher 
 official standing in tlie matter of reli- 
 gion than himself. The Greek word 
 here rendered spoils — aKpo&ivtov- 
 means literally, the top of the heap^ 
 from uKpov, top, and •Siv, heap. The 
 Greeks were accustomed, after a bat- 
 tle, to collect the spoils together, and 
 throw them into a pile, and then, be- 
 fore they were distributed, to take off 
 a portion from the top, and devote it 
 to the gods. Xen. Cyro. 7. 5, 35 ; He* 
 rod. i. «6. 90; viii. 121, 122; Dion. 
 Hal. ii. In like manner it was eus- 
 ternary to place the harvest in a heap, 
 and as the first thing to take off a 
 portion from the top to consecrate as 
 a- thank-otfcring to God. The word 
 then came to denote the Jirst^fruiti 
 which were offered to God, and then 
 the best of the spoils of battle. It 
 has tliat sense here, and denotes the 
 spoils or plunder which Abraham had 
 taken of the discomfited kings. 
 
 5. And verily they that are of the 
 sons of Levi. The meaning of this 
 verse is, that the Levitical priests had 
 a right to receive tithes of their breth- 
 ren, but still that they were inferior 
 to Melchisedek. The apostle admits 
 that their superiority to the rest of 
 the people was shown by the fact that 
 they had a right to require of them 
 the tenth part of the ])roductions of 
 the land for their maintenance, and 
 for the support of religion. But still 
 he says, tliut their inferiority to Mel- 
 chisedek, and consequently to Christ 
 as a priest, was shown by the fact 
 that the illustrious ancestor of all the 
 Jewish people, including the priests 
 as well as others, bad confessed kit 
 
A.. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 157 
 
 ing to the law, that is, of their 
 brethren, though they come out 
 of the loins of Abraham : 
 
 6 But he, whose ' descent is 
 not counted from them, re- 
 ceived" tithes of Abraham, and 
 blessed him that had * the pro- 
 mises. 
 
 1 pedirrree. 
 a Ge.'li. 20. 
 
 inferiority to Melchisedek by paying 
 him tithes. ^ Who receive the office 
 of the priesthood. Not all the descen- 
 dants of Levi were priests. The apos- 
 tle, therefore, speciiies particularly 
 those who 'received this office,' as 
 being those whom he specially de- 
 signed, and as those whose inferiority 
 to Christ as a priest it was his object 
 to show. IT Have a commandment to 
 take tithes. Have by the law a com- 
 mission, or a right to exact tithes of 
 the people. Deut. xiv. 2'2. 27—29. 
 
 6. But he whose descent is not 
 counted from them. Melchisedek. The 
 word descent is in the margin pedi- 
 gree. The meaning is, that he was 
 not in the same genealogy — ii-h yivtaX- 
 oydxi^tvoi — he was not of the order of 
 Levitical priests. That Melchisedek 
 is meant there can be no doubt ; at 
 the same time, also, the thought is 
 presented with prominence on which 
 Paul so much insists, that he was of 
 a different order from the Levitical 
 priesthood. If And blessed him. Bless- 
 ed him as a priest of God ; blessed 
 him in such a manner as to imply 
 acknowledged superiority. See ver. 1. 
 f That haa the promises. The pro- 
 mise that he should have a numerous 
 posterity ; that in him all the nations 
 of the earth should be blessed. See 
 ch. vL 12—16. 
 
 7. And without all contradiction. 
 It is an admitted principle ; a point 
 about which there can be no dispute. 
 IT The less is blessed of the better. 
 The act of pronouncing a blessing is 
 understood to imply superiority of 
 rank, age, or station. So when a 
 fe,ther lays his hand on his children 
 and blesses thera, it is understood to 
 14 
 
 7 And without all contradic- 
 tion the less is blessed of the 
 better. 
 
 8 And here men that die re- 
 ceive tithes ; but there he re- 
 ceiveth them, of whom ' it is 
 witnessed that he liveth. 
 
 b Eo. 9. 4. 
 
 c c. 5, 6. 
 
 be the act of one superior in age, ven- 
 erableness, and authority ; when a 
 prophet pronounced a blessing on the 
 people, the same thing was under 
 stood, and the same is true also when 
 a minister of religion pronounces a 
 blessing on a congregation. It is the 
 act of one who is understood to sus- 
 tain an office above the people on 
 whom the blessing is pronounced. 
 This was understood- of the Saviour 
 when parents brought their children 
 to him to lay his hands on them and 
 bless them (Matt. xix. 13) ; and the 
 same was true of Jacob when dying 
 he blessed the sons of Joseph. Heb. 
 xi. 21 ; Gen. xlviii. 5—20. The word 
 less here means the one of inferior 
 rank ; who is less in office, honour, 
 or age. It does not imply inferiority 
 of moral or religious character, for 
 this is not the point under considera- 
 tion. The word better jneans one 
 who is of superior office or rank, not 
 one who has necessarily a purer or 
 holier character. That Melchisedek 
 was thus superior to Abraham, Paul 
 says, is implied by the very declara- 
 tion that he ' blessed him.' It is also 
 seen to be true by the whole compar- 
 ison. Abraham was a petty prince ; 
 an Emir — the head of a company of 
 Nomades, or migratory shojjherds, 
 having, it is true, a large number of 
 dependants, but still not having the 
 rank here given to Melchisedek. 
 Though called a prophet (Gen. xx. 7.), 
 yet he is nowhere called either a priest 
 or a Icing. In these respects, it was 
 undoul)ted that he was inferior to 
 Melchisedek. 
 
 8. And here 7nen that die receive 
 tithes. Another point showing the 
 
158 
 
 HEBHKWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 inferiority of llie Lcvitical priesthood. 
 They wlio thus received titlies, though 
 by the right lo do this tliey iissertcd 
 a superiority over tlieir bretlircn, were 
 mortiil. Like others, they would soon 
 die ; and in rog.ird to tlic most essen- 
 tial tilings they were on a level with 
 their brethren. They had no exenij)- 
 tion from sickness, atfliclion, or he- 
 reavcuicnt, and death came to them 
 with just as much certainly as he 
 approached other men. The mean- 
 ing of this is, that they are mortal 
 like their brethren, and the design is 
 to show the inferiority of their otiice 
 by this fact. Its obvious and natural 
 signification, in the apprehension of 
 the great mass of readers, would not 
 be, as tlie meaning has been supposed 
 to be, tiiat it refers ' to the brief and 
 mutalile condition of the Lcvitical 
 priesthood.' See Stuart in loco. Such 
 an interpretation would not occur to 
 any one if it were not to avoid the 
 difficulty existing in the correlative 
 member of the verse where it is said 
 of Melehisedek that "he liveth." But 
 is the ditficulty avoided then ? Is it 
 not as difficult to understand what is 
 meant by his having an immutable 
 and perpetual priesthood, as it is to 
 know what is meant by his not dying 
 literally ? Is the one any more true 
 than the other ? Whatever difficul- 
 ties, therefore, there may be, we are 
 bound to adhere to the obvious sense 
 of the expression here ; a sense which 
 furnishes also a just and forcible 
 ground of comparison. It seems to 
 me, therefore, that the simple mean- 
 ing of this passage is, that, under the 
 Lcvitical economy, those who received 
 tithes were mortal, and were thus 
 placed in strong contrast with him of 
 whom it was said ' he liveth.' Thus 
 they were inferior to him — as a mor- 
 tal is inferior to one who docs not 
 die ; and thus also they must be infe- 
 rior to him who was made a priest 
 aller the 'order' of hini who thus 
 ' lived.'' If But there. In contrast with 
 " here" in the same verse. The refer- 
 ence here is to the account of Mel- 
 ehisedek, "//ere," in the Lcvitical 
 economy, men received tithes who arc 
 
 mortal ; " there," in the account of 
 Melehisedek, the case is different. 
 II He rcceivclh them. Melehisedek — 
 for so the connexion evidently de- 
 mands. If Of whom it is witnessed. 
 Of whom the record is. There is nat 
 in Genesis, indeed, any direct record 
 that he lives, but there is the absence 
 of a record that he died, and this 
 seems to have been regarded as in 
 fact a record of permanency in the 
 office ; or as having an office which 
 did not pass over to successors by the 
 deathof the then incumbent. ^ Tliathe 
 liveth. This is an exceedingly difficult 
 expression, and one which has always 
 greatly perplexed commentators. The 
 fair and obvious meaning is, that all 
 the record we have of Melehisedek 
 is, that he was ' alive ;' or as Grotius 
 says, the record is merely that he liv- 
 ed. We have no mention of his death. 
 From anything that the record shows, 
 it migiit appear that he continued to 
 live on, and did not die. Arguing 
 from the record, therefore, there is a 
 strong contrast between him and the 
 Lcvitical priests, all of whom we 
 know are mortal. Ver. 23. The apos. 
 tie is desirous of making out a con. 
 trast between them and the priest, 
 hood of Christ on this point among 
 I others, and in doing this, he appeals 
 to the record in tiie Old Testament, 
 and says that there was a case which 
 furnished an intimation that the priest, 
 ly office of the Messiah was not to 
 pass over from him to others by death. 
 That case was, that he was expressly 
 compared (Ps. ex. 4) with Melehisedek, 
 and that in the account of Melchise. 
 dek there was no record of his death. 
 As to the force of this argument, it 
 must be admitted that it would strike 
 a Jew more impressively than it does 
 most readers now ; and it may not be 
 improbal)le that the apostle was rea- 
 soning from some interpretation of 
 the passages in Gen. xiv. and Ps. ex., 
 wliieh was tlicn prevalent, and which 
 would then be conceded on all hands 
 to be correct. If this was the admit, 
 ted interpretation, and if there is no 
 equivocation, or mere trick in the rea- 
 soning — as there cannot be shown to 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VII, 
 
 159 
 
 9 And as I may so say, Levi 
 
 be — why should we not allow to the 
 Jew a peculiarity of reasoning as we do 
 to all other people ? There are modes 
 of reasoning- and illustration in all 
 nations, in all societies, and in all pro- 
 fessions, which do not strike others 
 as very forcible. The ancient philoso- 
 phers had methods of reasoning which 
 now seem weak to us ; the lawyer of- 
 ten argues in a way wlfich appears 
 to be a mere quirk or quibble, and so 
 the lecturer in science sometimes rea- 
 sons. The cause of all this may not 
 be always that there is 7-eal quibble or 
 quirk, in the mode of argumentation, 
 but that he who reasons in this man- 
 ner has in his view certain points 
 which he regards as undisputed whicli 
 do not appear so to us ; or that he 
 argues from what is admitted in the 
 profession, or in the school where he 
 is taught, which are not understood 
 by those whom he addresses. To this 
 should be added also the considera- 
 tion, that Paul had a constant refer- 
 ence to the Messiah, and that it is 
 possible that in his mind there was 
 here a transition from the type to the 
 antitype, and that the language which 
 he uses may be stronger llian if he 
 had been speaking of the mere record 
 of Melchisedek if he had found it 
 standing by itself. Still his reason- 
 ing turns mainly on the fact that in 
 the case of Melchisedek there was no 
 one who had preceded him in that 
 office, and tliat he had no successor, 
 and, in regard to the matter in hand, 
 it was all one as if he had been a 
 perpetual priest, or had continued still 
 alive. 
 
 9. And as I may so say. So to 
 speak — ujs cTTOi c'lTTcn'. For numerous 
 examples in the classic writers of this 
 expression, see Wetstein in loc. It is 
 used precisely as it is with us when 
 we say ' so to speak,' or ' if I may be 
 allowed the expression.' It is em-, 
 ployed when what is said is not 
 strictly and literally true, but when 
 it amounts to the same thing, or 
 when about the same idea is conveyed. 
 
 also, who receiveth tithes, pay- 
 ed tithes in Abraham. . 
 
 " It is a softening down of an expres- 
 sion which a writer supposes his read- 
 ers may deem too strong, or which 
 may have the appearance of excess or 
 severity. It amounts to an indirect 
 apology for employing an unusual or 
 unexpected assertion or phrase." Prof, 
 Stuart. Here Paul could not mean 
 that Levi had actually paid tithes in 
 Abraham — for he had not then an ex- 
 istence ; or that Abraham was his 
 representative — for there had been no 
 appointment of Abraham to act in 
 that capacity by Levi ; or that the 
 act of Abraham was imputed or reck- 
 oned to Abraham, for -that was not 
 true, and would not have been perti- 
 nent to the case if it were so. But it 
 means, that in the circumstances of 
 the case, the same thing occurred in 
 regard to the superiority of Melchi- 
 sedek, and the inferiority of the Le- 
 vitical priesthood, as if Levi had been 
 present with Abraham, and had him- 
 self actually paid tithes on that occa- 
 sion. This was so because Abraham 
 was tlie distinguished ancestor of 
 Levi, and when an ancestor has done 
 an act implying inferiority of rank to 
 another, we feel as if the whole family 
 or all the descendants, by that act re- 
 cognised the inferiority, unless some- 
 thing occurs to change tlie relative 
 rank of the persons. Here nothing 
 indicating any such change had oc- 
 curred. Melchisedek liad no descend 
 ants of which mention is made, and 
 the act of Abraham, as the head of 
 the Hebrew race, stood therefore as 
 if it were the act of all who descended 
 from him. IT Levi. The ancestor of 
 the whole Levitical priesthood, and 
 from whom they received their name. 
 He was the third son of Jacob and 
 Leah, and was born in Mesopotamia. 
 On account of the conduct of Simeon 
 and Levi towards Sheeheni, for the 
 manner in which he had treated their 
 sister Dinah (Gen. xxxiv. 25), and 
 which Jacob characterized as ' cruelty' 
 (Gen. xlix. 5, 6), Jacob said that 
 they should be ' scattered in IsraeL' 
 
IGO 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 10 For he was yet in the 
 loins of his father, when Mel- 
 chisedck met him. 
 
 11 If" therefore perfection 
 were by the Levitical priest- 
 
 • Ga. 2. 21. V. 18, 19. c. 9. 7. 
 
 Gen. xlix. 7. Afterwards the whole 
 tribe of Levi was chosen by God to 
 execute the various functions of the 
 priesthood, and were ' scattered' over 
 the land, having no inheritance of 
 their own, but deriving their subsist- 
 ence from the offerings of tlie people. 
 Num. iii. 6. seq. Levi is liere spoken 
 of as the ancestor of the tribe, or col- 
 lectively to denote the entire Jewish 
 priesthood. ^ Who receiveth tithes. 
 That is, his descendants, the priests 
 and Levites, receive tithes. 1 Payed 
 tithes in Abraham. It is the same as 
 if he had payed tithes in or by Abra- 
 ham. 
 
 10. For he was yet in the loins of 
 his father. Abraham is here called 
 the father of Levi, by a common use 
 of the word, referring to a more re- 
 mote ancestor than the literal father. 
 The meaning of the apostle is, that 
 he was even then, in a certain sense, 
 in the loins of Abraham, when Mel- 
 chisedek met him ; or it was all the 
 same as if he were there, and had 
 then an existence. The relation which 
 sul)sisted between him and Abraham, 
 in the circumstances of the case, im- 
 plied the same thing as if he had then 
 been born, and had acted for himself 
 by paying tithes. Instances of this 
 occur constantly. A father sells a 
 farm, to which his son would be heir, 
 and it is the same as if the son had 
 sold it. He has no more control over 
 it than if he had been present and 
 disposed of it himself A father ac- 
 knowledges fealty to a government 
 for a certain title or property which 
 is to descend to his heirs, and it is all 
 one as if the heir had iiimself done it; 
 and it is not improper to say that it is 
 the same as if he had been there and 
 acted for himself. For some valuable 
 remarks on the nature of the reason- 
 ing here employed, see Stuart on the 
 
 hood, (for under it the people 
 received the law,) what further 
 need teas there that another 
 priest should rise after the or- 
 der of Melchisedek, and not bo 
 called after the order of Aaron ? 
 
 Hebrew's. Excursus xiv. Tlie rea- 
 soning here is, indeed, especially such 
 as would be fitted to impress a Jewish 
 mind, and perhaps more forcibly than 
 it docs ours. The Jews valued them- 
 selves on the dignity and honour of 
 the Levitical priesthood, and it was 
 important to show them on their own 
 principles, and according to their own 
 sacred writings, that the great ances 
 tor of all the Levitical community had 
 himself acknowledged his inferiority 
 to one who was declared also in their 
 own writings (Ps. ex.) to be like the 
 Messiah, or who was of the same 
 ' order.' At the same time, the rea- 
 soning concedes nothing false ; and 
 conveys no wrong impression. It is 
 not njere fancy or accommodation, 
 nor is it framed on allegory or caba- 
 listic principles. It is founded in 
 trutli, and such as might be used 
 anywhere, where regard was shown 
 to pedigree, or respect was claimed 
 on account of the illustrious deeds of 
 an ancestor. It would be regarded 
 as sound reasoning in a country like 
 England, where titles and ranks are 
 recognised, and where various orders 
 of nobility exist. The fact that a re- 
 mote ancestor had done homage or 
 fealty to the ancestor of another class 
 of titled birth, would be regarded as 
 proof of acknowledged inferiority in 
 the familv, and might be used with 
 force und propriety in an argument. 
 Paul has done no more than this. 
 
 II. If therefore perfection were by 
 the Levitical priesthood. As the Jews 
 supposed. They were accustomed to 
 regard the system as perfect. It was 
 an appointment of God, and they 
 were tenacious of the opinion that it 
 was to be permanent, and that it 
 needed no change. But Paul says 
 that this could not be. Even from 
 their own Scriptures it was appajent 
 
A.D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 161 
 
 12 For the priesthood being 
 changed, there is made of ne- 
 cessity a change also of the 
 law. 
 
 that a priest was to arise of another 
 order, and of a more permanent cha- 
 racter, and this he says was full proof 
 that there was deject of some kind in 
 the previous order. What this defect 
 was, he does not here specify, but the 
 subsequent reasoning shows that it 
 was in such points as these — tliat it 
 was not permanent ; that it could not 
 make tlie worshippers perfect ; tliat 
 the blood which they offered in saeri-. 
 fice could not take away sin, and 
 could not render those who offered it 
 holy. Com p. vs. 19. 23, 24, ch. x. 
 1 — 4. If For under it the people re- 
 ceived the law. This assertion seems 
 necessary in order to establish the 
 point maintained in ver. 12, that if 
 the priesthood is changed there must 
 be also a change of the law. In order 
 to this, it was necessary to admit 
 that the law was received under tliat 
 economy, and that it was a part of it, 
 so that the change of one involved 
 also the change of the other. It was 
 not strictly true that tlie whole law 
 was given after the various orders of 
 Levitical priests were established — for 
 the law on Sinai, and several other 
 laws were given before that distinct 
 arrangement was made ; but it was 
 true (1) that a considerable part of 
 the laws of Moses were given under 
 that arrangement ; and (2), that the 
 whole of the ceremonial observances 
 was connected with that. They were 
 parts of one system, and mutually de- 
 pendent on each other. This is all 
 that the argument demands. ^ IMiat 
 further need was there, &,c. ' If that 
 system would lead to perfection ; if it 
 was suiHcient to make the conscience 
 pure, and to 'remove sin, then there 
 was 110 necessity of any other. Yet 
 the Scriptures have declared that there 
 would he another of a different order, 
 implying that there was some defect 
 in the former.' This reasoning is 
 founded on the fact that there was an 
 14* 
 
 13 For he of whom these 
 things are spoken pertaineth to 
 another tribe, of which no maa 
 gave attendance at the altar. 
 
 express prediction of the coming of a 
 priest of a different 'order' (Ps. ex. 4), 
 and that this fact implied that there 
 was some deficiency in the former 
 arrangement. To this reasoning it is 
 impossible to conceive that there can 
 be any objection. 
 
 12. For the priesthood being chang- 
 ed. According to the prediction in 
 Ps. ex., that it would be. When that 
 occurs, the consequence specified will 
 also follow. If There is made of ne- 
 cessity a change also of the law. The 
 law so far as it grew out of that, or 
 was dependent on it. The connexion 
 requires us to understand it only of 
 the law so far as it was connected loitk 
 the Levitical priesthood. This could 
 not apply to the ten commandments 
 — for they were given before the in- 
 stitution of the priesthood ; nor could 
 it apply to any other part of the moral 
 law, for that was not dependent on 
 the appointment of the Levitical 
 priests. But the meaning is, that 
 since a large number of laws — con- 
 stituting a code of considerable extent 
 and importance — was given for the 
 regulation of the priesthood, and in 
 reference to the rites of religion, 
 which they were to observe or super, 
 intend, it followed that when their 
 ofKce was superseded by one of a wholly 
 different order, the law which had 
 regulated them vanished also, or ceas- 
 ed to be binding. This was a very 
 important point in the introduction 
 of Christianity, and hence it is that it 
 is so often insisted on in the writings 
 of Paul. The argument to show that 
 there had been a change or transfer 
 of the priestly office, he proceeds to 
 establish in the sequel. 
 
 13. For he of whom these things are 
 spoken. The Lord Jesus, the Mes- 
 siah, to whom they had reference. 
 The things here spoken of pertain to 
 his office as priest ; his being of the 
 order of Melchisedek. The aposile 
 
16'i 
 
 IIEBIIEWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 14 For it is evident " that 
 our Lord sprang out of Judah ; 
 of which tribe Moses spake no- 
 thing concerning priesthood. 
 
 15 And it is yet far more 
 evident : for that after the si- 
 
 a Is. 11. 1, Mat. 1.3. Re. 5. 5. 
 
 here assumes it as a point concerning 
 which there could be no dispute, that 
 these thing's referred to the Lord Je- 
 sus. Tliosc whom he addressed would 
 not be disposed to call this in question, 
 and his argument liad conducted him 
 lo this conclusion. IT Pertainelh to 
 another tribe. To the tribe of Judah. 
 Ver. ] 4. IT Of which no man gave at- 
 tendance at the altar. The priestly 
 office pertained only to the tribe of 
 Levi. No one of the tribe of Judah 
 liad any part in the performance of 
 the duties of that office. This was 
 settled by the Jewish law. 
 
 14. For it is evident that our Lord 
 sprang out of Judah. It is well 
 known ; it cannot be a matter of dis- 
 pute. About the fact that the Lord 
 Jesus was of the tribe of Judah, there 
 could be no doubt. Comp. Matt. i. 3. 
 But probably the apostle means here 
 to refer to more than that simple fact. 
 It was a doctrine of the Old Testa- 
 ment, and was admitted by the Jews, 
 that the Messiah was to be of that 
 tribe. See Gen. xlix. 10 ; Isa. xi. 1 ; 
 Micah V. 2; Matt. ii. 6. I'his was 
 an additional consideration to show 
 that there was to be a change of some 
 kind in the office of the priesthood, 
 since it was declared (Ps. ex.) tliat 
 tlie Messialr was to be a priest. The 
 fact that the Messiah is to be of the 
 tribe of Judah is still admitted by the 
 Jews. As their distinction of tribes 
 now, however, is broken up, and as it 
 is impossible for them to tell who be- 
 longs to tiic tribe of Judah, it is lield 
 by them tliat when he comes this will 
 be made known hy miracle. IT Of which 
 tribe Moses spake nothing concerning 
 priesthood. That is, in the Mosaic 
 laws respecting the office of priest, this 
 tribe is not mentioned. All the ar- 
 
 militude of Melchisedek there 
 arisetli another priest, 
 
 16 Who is made, not after 
 the hiw of a carnal command- 
 ment, but after the power of an 
 endless life. 
 
 rangement3 pertain to the tribe of 
 Judah. 
 
 15. And it is yet far more evident. 
 Not that our Lord would spring out 
 of Judali, but the point which he was 
 endeavouring to establish that there 
 must be a change of the priesthood, 
 was rendered still more evident from 
 another consideration. A strong proof 
 of the necessity of such a change of 
 the priestliood was furnished from the 
 fact that the Messiah was to be of the 
 tribe of Judah; but a much stronger 
 because as a priest he was to be of 
 the order of Melchisedek — that is 
 he was of the same rank with one 
 who did not even belong to that tribe. 
 IT After the similitude. Resembling; 
 that is, he was to be of the order of 
 Melchisedek. 
 
 16. Who is made. That is, the 
 other priest is made, to wit, the Mes- 
 siah. He was made a priest by a pe- 
 culiar law. Y Not after the law of a 
 carnal commandment. Not according 
 to the law of a commandment per- 
 taining to the flesh. The word carnal 
 means Jleshly ; and the idea is, that 
 the law under which the priests of the 
 old dispensation were made was ex- 
 ternal, rather than spiritual ; it related 
 more to outward observances than to 
 the keeping of the heart. That this 
 was the nature of the Mosaic ritual 
 in the main, it was impossible to 
 doubt, and the apostle proceeds to ar- 
 guc from this undeniable truth. IT But 
 after the power of an endless life. By 
 an authority of endless duration. That 
 is, it was not concerned mainly with 
 outward observances, and did not pass 
 over from one to another by death, 
 but was unchanging in its character, 
 and spiritual in its nature. It was 
 enduring and perpetual as a priest 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 169 
 
 I 17 For he testifieth « Thou 
 art a priest for ever after the 
 order of Melchisedek. 
 
 18 For there is verily a dis- 
 annulling of the commandment 
 going before, for the weakness * 
 and unprofitableness thereof. 
 
 o Ps. 110.4. 6 Ac 13. 39. 
 
 hood, and was thus far exalted above 
 the service performed by the priests 
 under the former dispensation. 
 
 17. For he testijielh. ' That this is 
 the true account of it is proved by the 
 testimony of God himself, that he vs^as 
 to be a priest /or e«er.' See Note on 
 ch. V. 6. 
 
 18. For there is verily a disannul, 
 ling. A setting aside. The law which 
 existed before in regard to the priest- 
 hood becomes now abrogated in con- 
 sequence of the change which has 
 been made in the priesthood. Note 
 ver. 12. IT Of the commandment. Re- 
 lating to the office of priest, or to the 
 ceremonial rites in general. This 
 does not refer to the moral law, as if 
 that was abrogated, for (1), the rea- 
 soning of tlie apostle does not pertain 
 to that, and (2), that law cannot be 
 abrogated. It grows out of the nature 
 of things, and must be perpetual and 
 universal. ^ Going before. Going be- 
 fore the Christian dispensation and 
 introducing it. ^ For the weakness 
 and unprojitableness thereof. That is, 
 it was not adapted to save man ; it 
 had not power to accomplish what 
 was necessary to be done in human 
 salvation. It answered the end for 
 which it was designed — that of intro- 
 ducing a more perfect plan, and then 
 vanished as a matter of course. It 
 did not expiate guilt ; it did not give 
 peace to the conscience ; it did not 
 
 I. produce perfection (ver. 11), and 
 therefore it gave place to a better 
 system. 
 
 19. For the law made nothing per- 
 fect. The Levitical, ceremonial law. 
 It did not produce a perfect state ; it 
 did not do what was desirable to be 
 done for a sinner. See Note on ver. 
 
 19 For the law ' made no- 
 thing perfect, but ' the bringing 
 in of a better hope did ; by the 
 which ^ we draw nigh unto God. 
 
 20 And inasmuch as not 
 without an oath he was made 
 'priest, 
 
 c Ro. 3. 20. ' or, but it was. d Eo. 5. U. 
 
 1 1 . That law, as such, did not recon- 
 cile man to God ; it did not make an 
 atonement ; it did not put away guilt ; 
 in one word, it did not restore things 
 to the condition in which they were be- 
 fore the law was broken and man be- 
 came a sinner. If man were saved 
 under that system — as many un- 
 doubtedly were — it was not in virtue 
 of any intrinsic efficacy which it pos- 
 sessed, but in virtue of that great sa- 
 crifice which it typified. If But the 
 bringing in of a better hope did. Marg. 
 ' But it icas.^ The correct rendering 
 is, probably, ' but there is the bring- 
 iljg in of a better hope by which we 
 have access to God.' The law could 
 not effijct tiiis. It left the conscience 
 guilty, and sin unexpiated. But there 
 is now the introduction of a better 
 system by wiiich we can approach a 
 reconciled God. The ' better hope' 
 here refers to the more sure and cer- 
 tain expectation of heaven introduced 
 by the gospel. There is a better foun- 
 dation for hope ; a more certain way 
 of obtaining the divine favour than 
 the law could furnish. ^ By the which. 
 By which better hope ; that is, by 
 means of the ground of hope fur- 
 nished by the gospel, to wit, that God 
 is now reconciled, and that we can 
 approach him with the assurance that 
 he is ready to save us. IT We draw 
 nigh unto God. We have access to 
 him. Notes, Rom. v. 1, 2. 
 
 20. And inasmuch as not without 
 an oath. In addition to every other 
 consideration showing the superiority 
 of Christ as a priest, tliere was tlie 
 solemnity of the oath by which he 
 was set apart to tlie office. The ap- 
 pointment of one to the office of priest 
 by au oath, such as o* curred in tliQ 
 
:&i 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 21 (For those priests were 
 made without ' an oath ; but 
 this with an oath by him that 
 said unto him," 'I'he Lord sware 
 and will not repent, Thou art a 
 
 1 or, swearing of an oath. 
 
 case of Jesus, was much more solemn 
 and important than where the ot&ce 
 was received merely by descent. 
 
 21. For those piicsts were made 
 without an oath. The Levitical priests 
 were set apart and consecrated with- 
 out their office being confirmed to 
 them by an oath on tlie part of God. 
 They received it by regular descent, 
 and when they arrived at a suitable 
 age they entered on it of course. Je- 
 sus received his office by special ap- 
 pointment, and it was secured to him 
 by an oath. The word rendered ' oath' 
 is in the margin swearing of an oath. 
 This is the proper meaning of the 
 Greek word, but the sense is not ma- 
 terially varied. ^ But this with an 
 odth. This priest, the Lord Jesus, 
 became a priest in virtue of an oath. 
 ^ The Lord sware. Note ch. vi. 13. 
 Tiie reference here is to Psalm ex. 4. 
 " The Lord hath sworn." H And will 
 not repent. That is, will not regret, 
 or will not alter his mind through re- 
 gret — for this is tiie meaning of the 
 Greek word. 
 
 22. By so much. Inasmuch as an 
 oath is more solemn than a mere ap- 
 pointment. The meaning is, that 
 there is all the additional security in 
 the suretyship of Jesus which arises 
 from the solemnity of an oath. It is 
 not implied that God would not be 
 true to his mere promise, but the ar- 
 gument here is derived from the cus- 
 tom of speaking among men. An 
 oath is regarded as much more sa- 
 cred and binding than a mere pro- 
 mise, and the fact that God has sworn 
 in a given case furnishes the highest 
 security that what he has promised 
 will be performed. ^ Was Jesus made 
 a surety. The word suretij — eyyvof — 
 occurs nowhere else in the New Tes- 
 tament, nor is it found in the Septua- 
 gint It properly means, a bonds- 
 
 priest for ever after the order 
 of Melchisedek ;) 
 
 22 By so much was Jesus 
 made a surety of a better * tes- 
 tament. 
 
 a Pa. 110.4. 
 
 b c. 8. 6. 
 
 man ; one who pledges his name, pro- 
 perty, or influence, that a certain 
 thing shall be done. When a con- 
 tract is made, a debt contracted, or a 
 note given, a friend oflen becomes the 
 security in the case, and is himself 
 responsible if the terms of the con- 
 tract are not complied with. In the 
 case of the new covenant between 
 God and man, Jesus is the ' security' 
 or the bondsman. But of what, and 
 to whom, is he the surety ? It cannot 
 be that he is a bondsman for God 
 that he will maintain the covenant, 
 and be true to the promise which he 
 makes, as Crellius supposes, for we 
 need no such ' security' of the divine 
 faithfulness and veracity. It cannot 
 be that he becomes responsible for the 
 divine conduct in any way — for no 
 such responsibility is needed or pos- 
 sible. But it must mean that he is 
 the security or bondsman on the part 
 of man. He is the pledge that we 
 shall be saved. He becomes responsi- 
 ble, so to speak, to law and justice, that 
 no injury shall be done by our salva- 
 tion, though we are sinners. He is not 
 a security that we shall be saved at 
 any rate, without holiness, repentance, 
 faith, or true religion — for he never 
 could enter into a suretyship of that 
 kind : but his suretyship extends to 
 this point, tliat the law shall be iio. 
 noured ; that all its demands shall be 
 met ; tliat we may be saved though 
 we have violated it, and that its terri- 
 fic penalty shall not fall upon us. 
 The case is tiiis. A sinner becomes 
 a true penitent and enters heaven. 
 It might be said that he does this 
 over a broken law ; that God treats 
 the good and bad alike, and tliat ne 
 respect has been paid to the law or 
 the penalty in his salvation. Here 
 the Great Surety comes in, and says 
 that it is not so. He has become re. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 165 
 
 23 And they truly were many 
 priests, because they were not 
 suffered to continue by reason 
 of death : 
 
 I or, which passeth not from one to another. 
 
 sponsible for this ; lie the surety, the 
 pledge, that all proper honour shall be 
 paid to justice, and that the same 
 good effects shall ensue as if the pe- 
 nalty of the law had been fully borne. 
 He himself has died to honour the 
 law, and to open a way by which its 
 penalty may be fully remitted con- 
 sistently with justice, and he becomes 
 the everlasting pledge or security to 
 law, to justice, to the universe, that 
 no injury shall result from the pardon 
 and salvation of the sinner. Accord- 
 ing to this view, no man can rely on 
 the suretyship of Jesus but he who 
 expects salvation on the terms of the 
 gospel. The suretyship is not at all 
 that he shall be saved in his sins, or 
 that he shall enter heaven no matter 
 what life he leads ; it is only that if 
 he believes, repents, and is saved, no 
 injury shall be done to the universe ; 
 no dishonour to the law. For this 
 the Lord Jesus is responsible. If Of 
 a better testament. Rather, ' of a 
 better covenant.^ The former cove- 
 nant was that which God made with 
 his people under the Mosaic dispen- 
 sation ; the new covenant is that made 
 by means of Christ. This is better 
 because (1) the terms are more simple 
 and easy ; (2) the observances and 
 rites are much less onerous and hard ; 
 (3) it relates to all men, not being 
 confined to the Jewish people ; (4) it 
 is now sure. The former was admi- 
 nistered through the instrumentality 
 of the Levitical priesthood, this by 
 the Son of God ; that was transitory 
 and changing, this is permanent and 
 eternal. 
 
 23. And they truly. Under tlie 
 Jewish dispensation. The object of 
 this verse and the following is, to 
 state one more reason of the excel- 
 lence of the priesthood of Christ. It 
 is, that owing to the frailty of human 
 nature, and the shortness of life, the 
 
 24 But this man, because he 
 continueth ever hath an ' un- 
 changeable " priesthood. 
 
 25 Wherefore he is able ' also 
 
 a 1 Sa. 2. 35. b Jude 24. 
 
 office of priest there was continually 
 changing. But here there was no 
 such change. Christ, being exalted 
 to the heavens to live for ever there, 
 has now an unchangeable priesthood, 
 and everything in regard to his office 
 is permanent. 
 
 24. But this man. Gr. ' But he' — 
 referring to Christ. ^ Because he 
 continueth ever. Gr. 'Because he re- 
 mains for ever.' The idea is, because 
 he does not die, but ever lives, he 
 has an unchanging priesthood. There 
 is no necessity that he should yield 
 it to others, as was the case with the 
 Jewish priests because they were 
 mortal. The reason, in their case, 
 why it passed to others, was not that 
 they did not perform the office well, 
 but that they were mortal, and could 
 not continue to hold it. But this rea- 
 son could not operate in the case of 
 the Lord Jesus, and therefore his 
 priesthood would be permanent. ^Hath 
 an unchangeable priesthood. Marg. 
 ' or, which passeth not from one to an. 
 other.'' The margin expresses the 
 sense of the passage. The idea is not 
 strictly that it was unchangeable, but 
 that it did not pass over into other 
 hands. The Levitical priesthood pass- 
 ed from one to another as successive 
 generations came on the stage of ac- 
 tion. This reasoning is not designed 
 to prove that the priesthood of Christ 
 will be literally eternal — for its ne- 
 cessity may cease when all the re- 
 deemed are in heaven — but that it 
 is permanent, and does not pass from 
 hand to hand. 
 
 25. Wherefore he is able also. As 
 he ever lives, and ever intercedes, he 
 has power to save. He does not be- 
 gin the work of salvation, and then 
 relinquish it by reason of death, but 
 he lives on as long as it is necessary 
 that anything should be done for the 
 salvation of his people. We need a 
 
166 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 to save them ' to the uttermost 
 that come unto God by him, 
 Beeing he ever liveth to make 
 intercession " for them. 
 
 I or, evermore. 
 
 a Ro. 8. 34 ; 1 Jno. 2. 1. 
 
 Saviour who has power, and Christ 
 has shown tliat he has all the power 
 which is needful to rescue man from 
 eternal death. IT To the uttermost. 
 Tliis does not mean simply for ever — 
 but that he has power to save them so 
 that their salvation shall be complete — 
 tli TO TTai'Tc\h. He docs not abandon 
 tlie work midway ; he does not begin 
 a work wiiich he is imablc to finish. 
 He can aid us as long as wc need 
 anything- done for our salvation ; he 
 can save all who will entrust thtir 
 salvation to liis hands. IT That come 
 vnto God by him. In his name ; or 
 depending on him. To come to God, 
 is to approach him for pardon and 
 salvation. T Seeing he ever liveth. 
 He does not die as the Jewish priests 
 did. If To make intercession for them. 
 See Note Rom. viii. 34. He constant- 
 ly presents the merits of his death 
 as a reason why we should be saved. 
 The precise mode, however, in which 
 he makes intercession in heaven for 
 his people is not revealed. The gen- 
 eral meaning is, that he undertakes 
 their cause, and assists them in over- 
 coming their foes and in their endca- 
 vours to live a holy life. Comp. I. 
 John ii. 1. He docs in heaven what- 
 ever is necessary to obtain for us 
 grace and strength ; secures the aid 
 which we need against our foes ; and 
 is the pledge or security for us that 
 the law shall be honoured, and tlie 
 justice and truth of God maintained, 
 though we are saved. It is reasona- 
 ble to presume tliat this is somehow 
 Dy the presentation of the merits of 
 his great sacrifice, and that that is 
 the ground on which all this grace 
 is obtained. As that is infinite, we 
 need not fear that it will over be e.x- 
 haustcd. 
 
 26. For such an High Priest be- 
 came us. Was fitted to our condition. 
 
 26 For such an high priest 
 became us, who is holy, * harm- 
 less, undefiled, separate from 
 sinners, and made higher than 
 the heavens ; 
 
 be. 4. 15; ] Pe. 2. 22. 
 
 That is, there was that in our char- 
 acter and circumstances which de- 
 manded that a high priest for Uf» 
 should be personally holy. It was 
 not requisite merely tiiat he should 
 liavc great power ; or that he should 
 be of a rank superior to that of the 
 Jewish priesthood ; but tlicrc was a 
 special propriety that he should sur- 
 pass all others in vioral purity. Other 
 priests were mere mortal men, and it 
 was necessary that their office should 
 pass to otlier hands : they were sinful 
 men also, and it was necessary that 
 sacrifices should be made for them- 
 selves as well as others. We need, 
 however, a ditferent priest. We need 
 not only one who ever lives, but one 
 who is perfectly holj', and who has 
 no need to bring an offering ibr him- 
 selfj and all the merit of whose sacri- 
 fice, therefore, may be ours. Such an 
 high priest we have in the person of 
 the Lord Jesus ; and there is no truth 
 more interesting, and no proposition 
 more susceptible of proof, than that 
 
 HE IS EXACTLY FITTED TO MAN. In his 
 
 moral character, and in the great 
 work which he has accomplished, he 
 is just such a .Saviour as is adapted to 
 the wants of ignorant, fallen, wretch- 
 ed, sinful man. He is benevolent, 
 and pities our woes ; wise, and is able 
 to enlighten our ignorance ; compas- 
 sionate, and ready to forgive our faults. 
 He has made such a sacrifice as was 
 necessary to put away our guilt, and 
 offers such intercession as we need to 
 have offered for us in order that we 
 may be preserved from falling. If Who 
 is holy. Not merely outwardly right- 
 eous, but pure in heart. If Harm- 
 less. Not injuring any one. To no 
 one did he do wrong. Neither to their 
 name, person, or property, did he ever 
 do injuiy; nor will he ever. He ia 
 tiic only one who has lived on earth of 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 167 
 
 27 Who needeth not daily, 
 as those high priests, to ofi'er up 
 sacrifice, first " for his own sins, 
 and then for the people's : for 
 this he did once, when he offer- 
 ed up himself. 
 
 a Le. 9. 7. 
 
 whom it could be said that he never, 
 in any way, did wrong to another. 
 IT Undcjiled. By sin ; by any impro- 
 per desire or passion. He was un- 
 stained by crime; 'unspotted from 
 the world.' Sin always defiles the 
 soul ; but from every such pollution 
 the Lord Jesus was free. If Separate 
 from sinners. TJiat is, he did not 
 associate with liieni as such. He did 
 not partake of their feelings, plans, 
 pleasures. Though he mingled with 
 them, yet it was merely to do them 
 good, and in all his life there was an 
 entire separation from the feelings, 
 principles, and views of a sinful world. 
 IT And made higher than the heavens. 
 Exalted above the visible heavens ; 
 that is, at the right hand of God. See 
 Notes on Eph. i. 21 ; Phil. ii. 9. We 
 needed a high priest who is thus ex- 
 alted that he may manage our cause 
 before the throne of God. 
 
 27. Who needeth not daily, as those 
 high priests. As the Jewish priests. 
 This is an additional circumstance 
 introduced to show tlie superior ex- 
 cellency of the High Priest of the 
 Christian profession, and to shovs' also 
 how he was fitted to our wants. The 
 Jewish high priest was a sinful man. 
 He had the same fallen and corrupt 
 nature as others. He needed an ex- 
 piatory sacrifice for his own sins as 
 really as they did for theirs. When 
 he approached God to offer sacrifice, 
 it was needful to make an atonement 
 for himself, and when all was done 
 it was still a sacrifice offered by a sin- 
 ful man. But it was not so in the 
 case of Jesus. He was so holy that 
 he needed no sacrifice for himself, and 
 all that he did was in behalf of others. 
 Besides, it was necessary that the 
 sacrifices in the Jewish service should 
 be constantly repeated. They were 
 
 28 For the law maketh men 
 high priests which have infirm- 
 ity ; but the word of the oath, 
 which was since the law, maketh 
 the Son, who is ' consecrated 
 for evermore. 
 
 1 or, perfected. 
 
 imperfect. They were mere types and 
 shadows. They who offered them 
 were frail, sinfiil men. It became 
 necessary, therefore, to repeat them 
 every day to keep up the proper sense 
 of their transgressions, and to furnish 
 a suitable acknowledgment of the ten- 
 dency to sin alike among the people 
 and the priests. Neither in the na- 
 ture of the offering, nor in the char- 
 acter of those who made it, was there 
 any sufficient reason why it should 
 cease to be offered, and it was there- 
 fore repeated day by day. But it was 
 not so with the Lord Jesus. The 
 offering which he made, though pre- 
 sented but once, was so ample and per- 
 fect that it had sufficient merit for all 
 the sins of the world, and needed ne- 
 ver to be repeated. — It is not proba- 
 ble that the Jewish higli priest him- 
 self personally officiated at the offer- 
 ing of sacrifice every day ; but the 
 meaning here is, that it was done 
 daily, and that there was need of a 
 daily sacrifice in his behalf As one 
 of the Jewish people, the sacrifice was 
 ofTered on his accomit as well as on 
 the account of others — for he partook 
 of the common infirmities and sin- 
 fulness of the nation. IT For this he 
 did once. That is, once for all — 
 lipd-na^. He made such an atonement 
 that it was not needful that it siiould 
 be repeated. Thus he put an end to 
 sacrifice, for when he made the great 
 atonement it was complete, and there' 
 was no need that any more blood 
 should be shed for human guilt. 
 
 28. For the laic. The ceremonial 
 law. ^ Wliich have infirmity. Who 
 are weak, frail, sinful, dying. Such 
 were all who were appointed to the 
 office of priest under the Jewish law. 
 IT But the word of the oath. By which 
 one was appointed after the order of 
 
168 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 Melcliisedek. Nolc,vcr.21. ITMakcth 
 the Son. The Son of God. That ap- 
 pointment has resulted in his being set 
 apart to this work. H W/io is conse- 
 crated for evermore. Marg. Perfect- 
 ed. See Note cli. ii. 10. The idea 
 is, that the appointment is complete 
 and permanent. It docs not pass 
 from one to the other. It is perfeet 
 in all the arrangements, and will re- 
 main so for ever. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 The subjeet of this chapter is the 
 exalted high-priesthood of the Re- 
 deemer. This is a subject which per- 
 tains to all Christians, and to all men. 
 All religions imply the prieetly office ; 
 all suppose sacrifice of some kind. In 
 regard to the priestly office of Christ 
 as illustrated in this chapter, we may 
 observe, 
 
 (I.) He stands alone. In that office 
 he had no predecessor, and has no 
 one to succeed him. In this respect 
 he was without father, mother, or de- 
 scent — and he stands in lonely ma- 
 jesty as the only one who sustains 
 the office. Ver. 3. 
 
 (2.) He is superior to Abraham. 
 Abraham never laid claim to the of- 
 fice of priest, but he recognised his 
 inferiority to one whom the Messiah 
 was to resemble. Vs. 2. 4. 
 
 (3.) He is superior to all the Jew- 
 ish priesthood — sustaining a rank, 
 and performing an office above them 
 all. The great ancestor of all the 
 Levitical priests recognised his infe- 
 riority to one of the rank or ' order' 
 of which the Messiah was to be, and 
 received from him a blessing. In our 
 contemplation of Christ, therefore, as 
 priest, we have the privilege of regard- 
 in<r him as superior to the Jewish 
 high priest— exalted as was his office, 
 and important as were the functions 
 of his office; as more grand, more 
 pure, more worthy of confidence and 
 love. 
 
 (4.) The great High Priest of the 
 Christian profession is the only per- 
 fect priest. Vs. 11.19. The Jewish 
 priests were all imperfect and sinfiil 
 men. The sacrifices which they of- 
 
 fered were imperfect, and could not 
 give j)eace to the conscience. There 
 was need of some better system, and 
 they all looked forward to it. But in 
 the Lord Jesus, and in his work, there 
 is absolute perfection. What he did 
 was complete, and his office needs no 
 change. 
 
 (5.) The office now is permanent. 
 It does not change from hand to hand. 
 Vs. 23, 24. He who sustains this office 
 does not die, and we may ever apply to 
 him, and cast our cares on him. Men 
 die ; one generation succeeds another ; 
 but our High Priest is the same. We 
 may trust in him in whom our fathers 
 found peace and salvation, and then 
 we may teach our children to confide 
 in the same High Priest — and so send 
 the invaluable lesson down to latest 
 generations. 
 
 (6.) His work is firm and sure. 
 Vs. 20^22. His office is founded on 
 an oatli, and he has become the secu- 
 rity for all who will commit their 
 cause to him. Can great interests 
 like those of the soul be entrusted to 
 better hands ? Are they not safer in 
 his keeping than in our own ? 
 
 (7.) He is able to save to the utter- 
 most. Ver. 25. That power he show- 
 ed when he was on earth ; that power 
 he is constantly evincing. No one 
 has asked aid of him and found him 
 unable to render it ; no one has been 
 suffered to sink down to hell because 
 his arm was weak. What he has 
 done for a few he can do for " all ;" 
 and they who will entrust themselves 
 to him will find him a sure Saviour. 
 Why will not men then be persuaded 
 to commit themselves to him ? Can 
 they save themselves ? Where is there 
 one who has shown that he was able 
 to do it ? Do they not need a Saviour ? 
 Let the history of the world answer. 
 Can man conduct his own cause be- 
 fore God ? How weak, ignorant, and 
 blind is he ; how little qualified for 
 such an office I Has any one suffered 
 wrong by committing himself to the 
 Redeemer ? If there is such an one, 
 where is he ? Who has ever made 
 this complaint that has tried it ? Who 
 ever will make it ? In countless mil- 
 
A. D. €4.j 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 169 
 
 lions of instances, the trial has been 
 made whether Cliriet was 'able to 
 save.' Men have gone with a trou- 
 bled spirit ; with a guilty conscience ; 
 and with awful apprehensions of the 
 wrath to come, and have asked him 
 to save tliem. Not one of those who 
 have done this has found reason to 
 doubt his ability ; not one has re- 
 gretted that he has committed the 
 deathless interest of the soul into his 
 hands. 
 
 (8.) Christ saves to the uttermost. 
 Ver. 25. He makes the salvation 
 complete. So the Bible assures us ; 
 and so we see it in fact as far we can 
 trace the soul. When a Christian 
 friend dies, we stand at his bed-side 
 and accompany him as far as we can 
 into the valley of the shadow of death. 
 We ask him whether he feels that 
 Christ is able to save? He replies, 
 ' yes: When he has lost the power 
 of speaking above a whisper, we ask 
 him the same question, and receive 
 the same reply. When he gives us 
 the parting hand, and we, still anxious 
 to know whether aM is well, ask the 
 same question, a sign, a smile, a light- 
 ing up of the dying eye, declares that 
 all is well. As far as we can trace 
 the departing soul when it goes into 
 the dark valley, we receive the same 
 assurance ; and why should we doubt 
 that tlie same grace is bestowed fur- 
 ther onward, and that he saves ' to the 
 uttermost V But what else thus saves ? 
 Friends give the parting hand at the 
 gloomy entrancff to that valley, and 
 tlie gay and tlie worldly coolly turn 
 away. The delusions of infidelity 
 tliere forsake the soul, and minister 
 no comfort then. Flatterers turn 
 away from the dying scene — for who 
 flatters the dying with the praise of 
 beauty or accomplishments ? Taste, 
 skill, learning, talent, do not help then, 
 for hoV can they save a dying soul ? 
 None but Jesus saves to the ' utter- 
 most ;' no other friend but he goes 
 with us entirely through the valley of 
 death. Is it not better to have such 
 a friend than to go alone through 
 that dark, gloomy path ? Any other 
 gloomy and dangerous way may be 
 15 
 
 more safely trod without a friend, 
 than the vale of death. 
 
 (9.) The Christian religion is fitted 
 to our condition. Vs. 26, 27. It has 
 just such a High Priest as we need — 
 holy, harmless, undefiled. Just such 
 an atonement has been made as is 
 necessary — ample, rich, full, and not 
 needing to be made again. It reveals 
 just such truth as we want — that re- 
 specting the immortality of the soul, 
 and the glorious state of the redeemed 
 beyond the grave. It imparts just 
 such consolation as is fitted to our 
 condition — pure, rich, unfailing, ele- 
 vating. It reconciles us to God just 
 as it should be done — in such a way 
 that God can be honoured, and the 
 purity and dignity of his law main- 
 tained. It is the religion adapted to 
 dying', ignorant, sinful, wretched man, 
 No other system so much consults 
 tlie true dignity of our nature, and 
 the honour of God ; no one diffuses 
 such consolations through the life 
 that is, or fills with such hopes in re- 
 gard to the life to come. 
 
 (10.) Since, then, we have now such 
 a Great High Priest ; since the pro- 
 mises of the gospel are settled on so 
 firni a foundation ; and since the gos- 
 pel in its provisions of mercy is all that 
 we can desire it to be, let us yield 
 our hearts entirely to the Saviour, and 
 make this salvation wholly ours. We 
 have the privilege, if we will, of draw- 
 ing near to God with boldness. We 
 may come near his throne. Though 
 we are poor, and sinful, and deserve 
 neither notice nor mercy, yet we may 
 come and ask for all that we need. 
 We may go to God, and supplicate 
 his favour, with the assurance that 
 he is ready to hear. We may go 
 feeling that the great atonement has 
 been made for our sins, and that no 
 other offering is now needed ; that 
 the last bloody offering which God 
 required has been presented, and that 
 all that he now asks is the sacrifice 
 of a contrite and a grateful heart. All 
 that was needful to be done on the 
 part of God to provide a way of sal- 
 vation has been done ; all that re- 
 mains is for man to forsake his sins 
 
170 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D.'64. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 NOW of the tilings which we 
 have spoken this is the 
 sum : We have such an high 
 
 and to come back to a God who waits 
 to bo gracious. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 This chapter is a continuation of 
 the argument which has been prose- 
 cuted in the previous chapters re- 
 specting the priesthood of Christ. 
 The apostle had demonstrated that 
 he was to be a priest, and that he was 
 to be, not of tlie Leviticai order, hut 
 of the order of Melchisedck. As a 
 consequence, he had proved that this 
 involved a change of the law appoint- 
 ing the priesthood, and that in re- 
 spect to permanency, and happy moral 
 influence, the priestliood of Christ far 
 surpassed the Jewish. This thought 
 he pursues in this chapter, and shows 
 particularly that it involved a change 
 
 priest, who " is set on the right 
 iiand of the throne of the Ma- 
 jesty in the heavens ; 
 
 a Ep. 1. 20. 
 
 tlie soul, and the law of that covenant 
 was written there. Vs. 7 — 10. (c) It 
 was connected with the diffusion of 
 the knowledge of tlic Lord among all 
 classes from the highest to the lowest. ■ 
 Ver. 11. (rf) The evidence of forgive- 
 ness might be made more clear than 
 it was under the old dispensation, and 
 the way in which sins are pardoned 
 be much better understood. Ver. 
 12. These considerations involved 
 the consequence, also, which is stated 
 in ver. 13, that the old covenant was 
 of necessity about to vanish away. 
 
 1. Now of the thin<rs which we have 
 spoken. Or, ' of the things of which 
 we are speaking' (Stuart) ; or as we 
 should say, of what is said. The 
 Greek does not necessarily mean 
 things that had been spoken, but may 
 refer to all that he was saying, taking 
 
 in the nature of the covenant between { the whole subject into consideration 
 
 God and his people. In the prosecu- 
 tion of this, he (1.) states tlic sum or 
 principal point of the whole matter 
 under discussion — tliat the priesthood 
 of Christ was real and permanent, 
 while that of the Hebrew economy 
 was typical, and was destined in its 
 own nature to be temporary. Vs. 1 — 3. 
 (•2.) There was a fitness and propriety 
 in his being removed to heaven to 
 perform the functions of his otBce 
 there — since if he had remained on 
 earth he could not have ofliciated as 
 priest, that duly being by the law of 
 Moses entrusted to others pertaining 
 to another tribe. Vs. 4, 5. (3.) Christ 
 had obtained a more exalted ministry 
 than the Jev.ish priests held, because 
 he was the Mediator in a better cove- 
 nant — a covenant that related rather 
 to the heart than to external observ- 
 ances. Vs. 6 — 13. That new cove- 
 nant excelled the old in the following 
 respects : — (a) It was established on 
 better promises. Ver, 6. (A) It was 
 not a Covenant requiring mainly ex- 
 ternal observances, but pertained to 
 
 If This is the sum. Or this is the 
 principal thing ; referring to what he 
 was about to say, not what he had 
 said. Our translators seem to have 
 imderstood this as referring to a sum- 
 ming up, or recapitulation of what 
 he had said, and there can be no 
 doubt tliat the Greek would bear this 
 interpretation. But another exposi- 
 tion has been proposed, adopted by 
 Bloomfield, Stuart, -Michaelis, and 
 Storr, among the moderns, and found 
 also in Sindas, Theodoret, Theophy- 
 lact, and others, among the ancients. 
 It is that wliich regards the word 
 rendered sum — Kc<pd\iov — as meaning 
 the principal thing ; the cliicf matter ; 
 tlie most important point. The rea- 
 son for this interpretation is, that tlio 
 apostle in fact goes into no recapitu- 
 lation of wliat lie had said, but enters 
 on a new topic relating to the priest- 
 hood of Christ. Instead of going over 
 what he had demonstrated, he enters 
 on a more important point, that the 
 priestliood of Christ is performed in 
 heaven, and tiiat he liav entered into 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 171 
 
 A minister of ' the sanctu- 
 ary, " and of the true tabernacle, 
 
 1 or, hoUj tilings. a c. 9. 8. 12. ^4. 
 
 the true tabernacle there. All which 
 preceded was type and shadow ; this 
 was that which the former economy 
 had adumbrated. In the previous 
 chapters the apostle had shown that 
 he who sustained this office was su- 
 perior in rank to the Jewish priests ; 
 that they were frail and dying, and 
 that the office in their hands was 
 changing from one to another, but 
 that that of Christ was permanent and 
 abiding. He now comes to consider 
 the real nature of the office itself; the 
 sacrifice which was offijred ; the sub- 
 stance of which all in the former dis- 
 pensation was the type. This was 
 the principal thing — KKpd'Kiov — the 
 head, the most important matter ; and 
 the consideration of this is pursued 
 through the viiith, ixth, and xth chap- 
 ters. IT We have such an iiia^h priest. 
 That is settled ; proved ; indisputable. 
 The Christian system is not destitute 
 of that which was regarded as so es- 
 sential to the old dispensation — the 
 office of a high priest. IT Who is set 
 on the right hand of a throne, &c. He 
 is exalted to honour and glory before 
 God. The right hand was regarded 
 as the place of principal honour, and 
 when it is said that Christ is at the 
 right hand of God, the meaning is, 
 that he is exalted to the highest ho- 
 nour in the universe. See Note Mark 
 xvi. 19. Of course the language is 
 figurative — as God has no hands lite- 
 rally — but the language conveys an 
 important meaning, that he is near 
 to God ; is high in his affection and 
 love, and is raised to the most ele- 
 vated situation in heaven. See Phil. 
 ii. 9 ; Notes Eph, i. 21, 22. 
 
 2. A minister of the sanctuary. Marg. 
 • or holy things.' Gr. rwi' nyiwv. The 
 Greek may either mean the sanctuary 
 — denoting the Holy of Holies; or 
 holy things. The word sanctuary — 
 Ifflp — kodesh — was given to the ta- 
 bernacle or temple as a holy place, 
 and the plural form which is here 
 
 which the Lord pitched, and 
 not man. 
 
 used — TO. ayia — was given to the most 
 holy place by way of eminence — 
 the fiill form of the name being — 
 D'l^-Ip ^>y — kodesh koddshim, or, 
 ayia aytav — hagia kagion, (Jahn's 
 Arche. § 328), or as it is here used 
 simply as *« uyia. The connexion 
 seems to require us to understand it 
 of the most holy place, and not of holy 
 things. The idea is, that the Lord 
 Jesus, the Great High Priest, has en- 
 tered into the Holy of Holies in hea- 
 ven, of which that in the tabernacle 
 was an emblem. For a description 
 of the Most Holy place in the temple, 
 see Notes on Matt. xxi. 12. IT And of 
 the true tabernacle. The real taber- 
 nacle in heaven, of which that among 
 the Hebrews was hut the type. The 
 word tabernacle — aKtjvij — means pro- 
 perly a booth, hut, or tent, and was 
 applied to the tent which Moses was 
 directed to build as the place for the 
 worship of God. That, tabernacle, as 
 the temple was afterwards, was re- 
 garded as the peculiar abode of God 
 on earth. Here the reference is to 
 heaven, as the dwelling place of God, 
 of which that tabernacle was the 
 emblem or symbol. It is called the 
 ' true tabernacle,' as it is the real 
 dwelling of God, of which the one 
 made by Moses was but the emblem. 
 It is not moveable and perishable like 
 that made by man, but is unchanging 
 and eternal. H Whichthe Lord pitched, 
 and not man. The word pitched is 
 adapted to express the setting up of a 
 tent. When it is said that 'the Lord 
 pitched the true tabernacle,' that is,, 
 the permanent dwelling in heaven ; 
 the meaning is, that heaven has been 
 fitted up by God himself, and that 
 whatever is necessary to constitute 
 that an appropriate abode for the di- 
 vine majesty has been done by him. 
 To that glorious dwelling the Re- 
 deemer has been received, and there 
 he perforins the office of high priest 
 in behalf of man. In what way he 
 
173 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 3 For every high priest is 
 ordained to olFer gifts and sa- 
 crifices : wherefore it is of 
 necessity that this man have 
 somewhat also to ofler." 
 
 o Ep. 3. 2. c. 0. 12. 
 
 does this, the apostle specifics in the 
 remainder of this chapter, and in chs. 
 iz. X. 
 
 3. For every high priest is ordained 
 to offer gifts and sacrijices. Tliis is a 
 general statement about the ftmctions 
 of the high priest. It was the pecu- 
 liarity of the office ; it constituted its 
 essence, that some gift or sacrifice 
 was to be presented. This was indis- 
 putable in regard to the Jewish higli 
 priest, and this is involved in the na- 
 ture of the priestly office everywhere. 
 A priest is one v^^ho ofFere sacrifice, 
 mainly in bclialf of others. The 
 principles involved in the office arc, 
 (1) that there is need that some offer- 
 ing or atonement should be made for 
 sin; and ("2), that there is a fitness or 
 propriety that some one should be 
 designated to do it. If this idea that 
 a priest must offer sacrifice be correct, 
 then it follows that the name priest 
 should not be given to any one who 
 is not appointed to offer sacrifice. It 
 should not therefore be 'given to the 
 ministers of the gospel, for it is no 
 part of their work to offer sacrifice — 
 the great sacrifice for sin having been 
 once offered by the Lord Jesus, and 
 not being again to be repeated. Ac- 
 cordingly the writers in the New 
 Testament are perfectly uniform and 
 consistent on this point. Tlie name 
 priest is never once given to the min- 
 isters of the gospel there. They are 
 called ministers, ambassadors, pas- 
 tors, bishops, overseers, &,c., but never 
 priests. Nor should they be so called 
 m the Christian church. The name 
 priest as applied to Christian minis, 
 ters, has been derived from the pa- 
 pists. They hold that the priest does 
 offer as a sacrifice the real body and 
 blood of Christ in the mass, and hold- 
 ing this, the name priest is given to 
 the minister who does it consistently. 
 
 4 For if he were on earth, 
 he should not be a priest, see- 
 ing that ' there are priests that 
 offer gifts according to the law : 
 
 5 Who serve unto the eX' 
 
 1 or, they. 
 
 It is not indeed right or Scriptural — 
 for the whole doctrine on which it ia 
 based is absurd and false, but v.hile 
 that doctrine is held the name is con- 
 sistent. But with wiiat show of con- 
 sistency or propriety can the name 
 be given to a Protestant minister of 
 the gospel ? IT Wherefore it is of ne- 
 cessity that this man have somewhat 
 also to offer. That the Lord Jesus 
 should make an offering. That is, 
 since he is declared to be a priest, 
 and since it is essential to the office 
 that a priest should make an offering, 
 it is indispensable that he should • 
 bring a sacrifice to Cod. He could 
 not be a priest on the acknowledged 
 principles on which that office is held, 
 unless he did it. What the offering 
 was which the Lord Jesus made, the 
 apostle specifies more fully in ch. ix. 
 11—14. 25, 26. 
 
 4. For if he were on earth, he should 
 not be a priest. He could not perform 
 that office. Tiie design of this is, to 
 show a reason why he was removed 
 to heaven. The reason was, that on 
 earth there were those who were set 
 apart to that office, and that he, not 
 being of the same tribe with them, 
 could not officiate as priest. There 
 was an order of men here on earth 
 consecrated already to that office, and 
 hence it was necessary that the Lord 
 Jesus, in performing the functions of 
 the office, should be removed to ano- 
 ther sphere. 
 
 5. Who serve unto the example. 
 Who perform their service by the 
 mere example and shadow of the 
 heavenly tilings ; or in a tabernacle, 
 and ia a mode, that is the mere em- 
 blem of the reality whicii exists in 
 heaven. Tlie reference is to the ta- 
 bernacle, whicli was a mere exampl' 
 or copy of heaven. The word here 
 rendered example — un-oJti'ypia — moans 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 173 
 
 ample and shadow " of heavenly 
 things, as Moses was admonish- 
 ed of God when he was about 
 to make the tabernacle : for, 
 
 a Co. 2. 17. c 10. 1. 
 
 a copy, likeness, or imitation. The 
 tabernacle was made after a pattern 
 which was shown to Moses ; it was 
 made so as to have some faint resem- 
 blance to tlie reality in heaven, and 
 in that 'copy,' or 'example,' they 
 were appointed to officiate. Their 
 service, therefore, had some resem- 
 blance to that in heaven. ^ And 
 shadow. That is, in the tabernacle 
 where they served there was a mere 
 shadow of that which was real and 
 substantial. Compared with what is 
 in heaven, it was what the shadow is 
 compared with the substance. A 
 shadow — as of a man, a house, a tree, 
 will indicate the form, the outline, 
 the size of the object; but it has no 
 substance, or reality. So it was with 
 the rites of the Jewish religion. They 
 were designed merely as a shadow 
 of the substantial realities of the true 
 religion, or to present the dim out- 
 lines of what is true and real in hea- 
 ven. Comp. Notes on Coll. ii. 17; 
 Heb. X. 1. The word shadow here — 
 (TKid — is used in distinction from the 
 body or reality — ctw/jo — (Comp. Coll. 
 ii. 17), and also from ukuiv — a perfect 
 image or resemblance. See Heb. x. 1. 
 If Of heavenly things. Of the heavenly 
 sanctuary ; of what is real and sub- 
 stantial in heaven. That is, there 
 exists in heaven a reality of which 
 the service in the Jewish sanctuary 
 was but the outline. The reference 
 is, undoubtedly, to the service which 
 the Lord Jesus performs there as the 
 great high priest of his people. If As 
 Moses was admonished of God. As 
 he was divinely instructed. The word 
 here used — XPW'"'^'^ — means proper- 
 ly to give oracular responses ; to make 
 communications to men in a super- 
 natural way — by dreams, by direct 
 revelations, &c. See Matt. ii. 12.22; 
 Luke ii. 26; Acts x. 22; Heb. xi. 7. 
 H For, see, saith he. Ex, xxv. &, 40 ; 
 15* 
 
 See, saith he, * that thou make 
 all things according to the pat- 
 tern showed to thee in the 
 mount. 
 
 b Ex. 25. 40. 26. 30. 
 
 xxvi. 30. In Ex. xl. it is also repeatedly 
 said that Moses executed all the work 
 of the tabernacle as he had been com- 
 manded. Great care was taken that 
 an exact copy should be exhibited to 
 him of all which he was to make, and 
 that the work should be exactly like 
 the pattern. The reason doubtless 
 WBfg, that as the Jewish service was 
 to be typical, none but Gtid could 
 judge of the form in which the taber- 
 nacle should be made. It was not to 
 be an edifice of architectural beauty, 
 skill, or taste, but was designed to 
 adumbrate important realities which 
 were known only to God. Hence it 
 was needful that the exact model of 
 them should be given to Moses, and 
 that it should be scrupulously follow 
 ed. ^ That thou make all things. Not 
 only the tabernacle itself, but the al- 
 tars, the ark, the candlestick, &c. 
 The form and materials for each were 
 specified, and the exact pattern shown 
 to Moses in the Mount. If According 
 to the pattern. Gr. tvttov — type ; that 
 is, figure, form. The word tvvos, type, 
 means properly anything produced 
 by the agency or means of blows (from 
 Tv-Tui, to strike) ; hence a mark, stamp, 
 print, impression — as that made by 
 driving nails in the hands (John xx. 
 25) ; then a figure or form, as of an 
 image or statue (Acts vii. 43) ; the 
 form of a doctrine or opinion (Rom 
 vi. 17) ; then an example to be imitat- 
 ed or followed (I. Cor. x. 6, 7 ; Phil, 
 iii. 17; L Thess. i. 7; II. Thess. iii. 
 9) ; and hence a pattern, or model 
 after which anything is to be made. 
 Acts vii. 44. This is the meaning 
 here. The allusion is to a pattern 
 such as an architect or sculptor uses ; 
 a drawing, or figure made in wood or 
 clay, after which the work is to be 
 modelled. The idea is, that some 
 such drawing or model was exhibited 
 to Moses by God on Mount Sinai, so 
 
174 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 6 But now hath ho obtained 
 a more excellent " ministry, by 
 how much also he is the medi- 
 ator of a better ' covenant, 
 
 a 2 Co. 3.6-9; c. 7. 22. 
 
 that he might liave an exact idea of 
 tlie tabernacle which was to be made. 
 A similar drawing or model of the 
 temple was given by David to Solo- 
 mon. I. Chron. xxviii. 11, 12. We 
 are not, indeed, to suppose that there 
 was in the case of the pattern shown 
 to Moses, any miniature model of 
 wood or stone actually created and 
 exhibited, but. that the form of the 
 tabernacle was exhibited to Moses in 
 vision (Note Isa. i. 1), or was so vi- 
 vidly impressed on his mind that he 
 would have a distinct view of the 
 edifice which was to be reared. ^ In 
 the Mount. In Mount Sinai ; for it 
 was while Moses was there in the 
 presence of God, that these commu- 
 nications were made. 
 
 6. But new hath he obtained. That 
 is, Cluist. IT A more excellent min- 
 istry. A service of a higher order, 
 or of a more ex.alted nature. It was 
 the real and substantial service of 
 which the other was but the emblem ; 
 it pertained to things in heaven, while 
 that was concerned with the earthly 
 tabernacle ; it was enduring, while 
 that was to vanish away. See Notes 
 on II. Cor. iii. 6 — 9. If By how much. 
 By as much as the new covenant is 
 more important than the old, by so 
 much does his ministry exceed in dig- 
 nity that under the ancient dispensa- 
 tion. ^ He is the mediator. See Notes 
 on Gal. iii. 19, 20, where the word 
 mediator is explained. It means here 
 that Ciirist officiates between God and 
 man according to the arrangements 
 of the new covenant. If Of a httter 
 covenant. Marg. ' Or testament.' This 
 word properly denotes a disposition, 
 arrangement, or ordering of things ; 
 and in l!ie Scriptures is employed to 
 describe the arrangement wiiieh God 
 has made to secure the maintenance 
 of his worship on eartii, and the sal- 
 vation of men. It is uniformly used in 
 
 which was established upon bet 
 ter promises. 
 
 7 For if* that first cotenant 
 had been faultless, then should 
 
 ' or, testament. 6 c. 7. 1 1. 
 
 the Scptuagint and in the New Testa- 
 ment to denote the covenant wiiich God 
 makes with men. Tiic word which 
 properly denotes a covenant or com. 
 pncl — a\)v^>)Kii — snntheke is never used. 
 The writers of the New Testament 
 evidently derived its use from the 
 Scptuagint, but why the authors of 
 that version employed it as denoting a 
 will rather than the proper one denot- 
 ing a compact, is unknown. It has been 
 sujjposcd by some, and the conjecture 
 is not wholly improbable, that it was 
 because they were unwilling to re- 
 present God as making a compact 
 or agreement with men, but chose 
 rather to represent him as making 
 a mere arrangement or ordering of 
 things. Comp. Notes on ver. 8, and 
 ch. ix. 16, 17. This is a better cove- 
 nant than the old, inasmuch as it 
 relates mainly to the heart; to the 
 pardon of sin ; to a spiritual and holy 
 religion. See ver. 10, The former 
 related more to external rites and ob- 
 servances, and was destined to vanish 
 away. See ver. 13. IT Which was 
 established upon better promises. The 
 promises in the first covenant pertain- 
 ed mainly to the present life. They 
 were promises of length of days ; of 
 increase of numbers ; of seed time 
 and harvest ; of national privileges, 
 and of extraordinary peace, abund- 
 ance, and prosperity. That there was 
 also the promise of eternal life, it 
 would be wrong to doubt; but this 
 was not the main thing. In the new 
 covenant, however, the promise of 
 spiritual blessings becomes the prin- 
 ci\rj.\ thing. The mind is directed to 
 heaven ; the heart is cheered with the 
 hopes of innnortal life; the favour of 
 God and the anticipation of heaven 
 are secured in the most ample and 
 solenm manner. 
 
 7. For if that Jirst covenant had 
 been faultless. See Note on ch. vii 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 175 
 
 no place have been sought for 
 the second. 
 
 8 For finding fault with them, 
 he " saith, Behold, the days 
 
 a Je. 31. 31-34. 
 
 11. It is implied here tKat God had 
 said that that covenant was not per- 
 fect or faultless. The meaning is not 
 that that first covenant made under 
 Moses had any real faults — or incul- 
 cated that which was wrong, but that 
 it did not contain the ample provision 
 for the pardon of sin and the salva^ 
 tion of the soul which was desirable. 
 It was merely preparatory to the gos- 
 pel. IT Then should no place have 
 been sought for the second. There 
 could not have been — inasmuch as in 
 that case it would have been impossi. 
 ble to have bettered it, and any change 
 would have been only for the worse. 
 8. For Jinding fault with them. Or 
 rather, ' finding fault, he says to them.' 
 The difference is only in the punctu- 
 ation, and this change is required by 
 the passage itself This is commonly 
 interpreted as meaning that the fault 
 was not found with ' ihem^ — that is, 
 with the Jewish people, for they had 
 had nothing to do in giving the cove- 
 nant, but with the covenant itself. 
 'Stating its defects, he had said to 
 them that he would give them one 
 more perfect, and of which that was 
 only preparatory.' So Grotius, Stuart, 
 Rosenmiiller, and Erasmus under- 
 stand it. Doddridge, Koppe, and 
 many others understand it as it is in 
 our translation, as implpng that the 
 fault was found with the people, and 
 they refer to the passage quoted 
 from Jeremiah for proof, where the 
 complaint is of the people. The 
 Greek may bear either construction ; 
 but may we not adopt a somewhat 
 different interpretation still ? May not 
 this be the meaning ? ' For using the 
 language of complaint, or language 
 that implied that there was defect or 
 error, he speaks of another covenant.' 
 According to this, the idea would be, 
 not that he found fault specifically 
 either with the covenant or the peo- 
 
 come, saith the Lord, when I 
 will make a new covenant with 
 the house of Israel and with 
 the house of Judah. 
 
 pie, but generally that he used lan- 
 guage which implied that there was 
 defect somewhere when he promised 
 another and a better covenant. The 
 word rendered ' finding fault' properly 
 means to censure, or to blame. It is 
 rendered in Mark vii. 2, ' they found 
 fault,' to wit, with those who ate with 
 unwashed hands ; in Rom. ix. 9, 
 "why dotli he yet find fault ?" It oc 
 curs nowhere else in the New Testa- 
 ment. It is language used where 
 wrong has been done ; where there is 
 ground of complaint ; where it is de- 
 sirable that there should be a change. 
 In the passage here quoted from Jere- 
 miah, it is not expressly stated that 
 God found fault either with the cove- 
 nant or with the people, but that he 
 promised that h^would give another 
 covenant, and that it should be differ- 
 ent from that which he gave them 
 when they came out of Egypt — im- 
 plying that there was defect in that, 
 or that it was not faultless. The 
 whole meaning is, that there was a 
 deficiency which the giving of a new 
 covenant would remove. H He saith. 
 In Jeremiah xxxi. 31 — 34. The apos- 
 tle has not quoted the passage liter- 
 ally as it is in the Hebrew, but he has 
 retained the substance, and the sense 
 is not essentially varied. The quota, 
 tion appears to have been made partly 
 from the Septuagint, and partly from 
 memory. This often occurs in the 
 New Testament. H Behold. This 
 particle is designed to call attention 
 to what was about to be said as im- 
 portant, or as having some special 
 claim to notice. It is of very fre- 
 quent occurrence in the Scriptures, 
 being much more freely used by the 
 sacred writers than it is in the clas- 
 sic authors. If The days come. The 
 time is coming. This refers doubt- 
 less to the times of the Messiah. 
 Phrases such as these, 'in the last 
 
17C 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 days,' ' in after times,' and ' the time 
 is coming,' are often used in the Old 
 Testament to denote tlie last dispen- 
 sation of the world — the dispensa- 
 tion when the atiairs of the world 
 would be wound up. See the phrase 
 explained in the Notes eh. i. 2, and 
 Isa. ii. 2. There can be no doubt 
 that as it is used by Jeremiah it re- 
 fers to the terms of tlie gospel. ^ When 
 J will make a new covenant. A cove- 
 nant that shall contemplate soniewliat 
 different ends ; that shall have diHer- 
 ent conditions, and that shall l)e more 
 effective in restraining from sin. Tlie 
 word covenant here refers to the ar- 
 rangement, plan, or dispensation into 
 which he would enter in his dealings 
 with men. On the meaning of the 
 word, see Notes on Acts vii. 8, and 
 on ch. ix. 16, 17. The word covenant 
 with us commonly denotes a compact 
 or agreement between two parties 
 that are equal, and who are free to 
 enter into the agreement or not. In 
 this sense, of course, it cannot be 
 used in relation to*the arrangement 
 wliieh God makes with man. There 
 is (1) no equality between them, and 
 (2) man is not at liberty to reject any 
 proposal which God shall make. The 
 word, therefore, is used in a more 
 general sense, and more in accordance 
 with the original meaning of the 
 Greek word. It has been above re- 
 marked (Notes on ver. 6), that the 
 proper word to denote covenant, or 
 compact-^^rvv&ijKt] — syntheke — is never 
 used either in the Septuagint or in 
 the New Testament — another word — 
 iia-SijK^ — diatheke — being carefully 
 employed. Whether the reason there 
 suggested for the adoption of this 
 word in the Septuagint be the real 
 one or not, the fact is indisputable. 
 I may be allowed to suggest as possi- 
 ble here an additional reason why this 
 60 uniformly occurs in the New Tes- 
 tament. It is, that the writers of the 
 New Testament never meant to repre- 
 sent the transactions between God 
 arid man as a compact or covenant 
 properly so called. They have stu- 
 diously avoided it, and their uniform 
 practice, in making tliis nice distinc- 
 
 tion between the two words, may 
 siiow the real sense in which the He- 
 brew word rendered covenant — n'")3 
 
 — berith — is used in the Old Testa- 
 ment. The word wliich they employ 
 — ita5n>"] — never means a compact or 
 agreement as between equals. It re- 
 motely and secondarily means a will, 
 or testament — and hence our word 
 ' New Testament.' But this is not the 
 sense in which it is used in the Bible 
 — for God has never made a will in 
 the sense of a testamentary disposi- 
 tion of what belongs to him. We are 
 rcierred, therefore, in order to arrive 
 at tlie true Scriptui'e view of this 
 whole matter, to the original meanmg 
 of the word — diatheki — Sta&fiKii — as 
 denoting a disposition, arrangement, 
 plan; then that which is ordered, a 
 law, precept, promise, &.c. Unhap- 
 pily we have no single word which 
 expresses the idea, and hence a con- 
 stant error has existed in the church 
 — either keeping up the notion of a 
 compact — as if God could make one 
 with men; or the idea of a will — 
 equally repugnant to truth. The word 
 Sia^/jKti is derived from a verb — iSion- 
 ■&>;/ii — meaning to place apart, to set 
 in order ; and then to appoint, to make 
 over, to make an arrangement with. 
 Hence the word SiaSijKn — diatheke — 
 means properly the arrangement or 
 disposition which God made with men 
 in regard to salvaiion ; the system of 
 statutes, directions, laws, and pro- 
 mises by which men are to become 
 subject to him, and to be saved. The 
 meaning here is, tliat he would make 
 a new arrangement, contemplating as 
 a primary thijjg that the law should 
 be written in the heart; an arrange- 
 ment which would be pHJCuliarly spi- 
 ritual in its character, and which 
 would he attended with the diffusion 
 of just views of the Lord. If With the 
 house of Israel. The family, or race 
 of Israel, for so tlie word house is often 
 used in llie Scriptures and elsewliere. 
 Tile word 'Israel' is used in tlie Scrip- 
 tures in the followin*,'' senses. (1.) As 
 a name given to Jacob because he 
 wrestled witii the angel of God and 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 177 
 
 9 Not according to the cove- 
 nant that I made with their fa- 
 thers in the day when I took 
 them by the hand to lead them 
 
 prevailed as a prince. Gen. xxxii. 28, 
 (2.) As denoting- all wlio were de. 
 scended from hina — called " the child- 
 ren of Israel" — or the Jewish nation. 
 (3.) As denoting- tlie kingdom of the 
 ten tribes — or the kingdom of Sama- 
 ria, or Ephraim — that kingdom hav- 
 ing taken the name Israel in contra- 
 distinction from the other kingdom, 
 which was called Judah. (4.) As de- 
 noting the people of God in general — 
 his true and sincere friends — his 
 church. See Notes on Rom. ii. 28, 29 ; 
 ix. 6. In this place quoted from Je- 
 remiah, it seems to be used to denote 
 the kingdom of Israel in contradis- 
 tinction from that of Judah, and to- 
 gether they denote the whole people of 
 God, or the whole Hebrew nation. This 
 arrangement was ratified and con- 
 firmed by the gift of the Messiah, and 
 by implanting his laws in the heart. 
 It is not necessary to understand this 
 as referring to the whole of the Jews, 
 or to the restoration of the ten tribes ; 
 but the words Israel and Judah are 
 used to denote the people of God in 
 general, and the idea is, that with the 
 true Israel under the Messiah the laws 
 of God would be written in the heart 
 rather than be mere external observ- 
 ances. IT And with the house of Ju- 
 dah. The kingdom of Judah. Tliis 
 kingdom consisted of two tribes — Ju- 
 dah and Benjamin. The tribe of Ben- 
 jamin was, however, small, and the 
 name was lost in that of Judah. 
 
 9. Not according to the covenant, &lc. 
 An arrangement or dispensation re- 
 lating mainly to outward observances, 
 and to temporal blessings. The mean- 
 ing is, that the new dispensation 
 would be different from that which 
 was rnade with them when they came 
 out of Egypt. In what respects it 
 would differ is specified in vs. 10 — 12. 
 IT Because they continued not in my 
 covenant. In Jeremiah, in the He- 
 brew, this is, "while my covenant 
 
 out of the land of Egypt ; be- 
 cause they continued not in my 
 covenant, and I regarded them 
 not, saith the Lord. 
 
 they brake." That is, they failed to 
 comply with the conditions on which 
 I promised to bestow blessings upon 
 them. In Jeremiah this is stated as 
 a simple fact ; in the manner in which 
 the apostle quotes it, it is given as a 
 reason why he would give a new ar- 
 rangement. The apostle has quoted 
 it literally from the Septuagint, and 
 the sense is not materially varied. 
 The word rendered ' because' — Sn— 
 may mean 'since' — 'since they did 
 not obey that covenant, and it was 
 ineffectual in keeping them from sin, 
 showing that it was not perfect or 
 complete in regard to what was need- 
 ful to be done for man, a new arrange- 
 ment shall be made that will be with- 
 out defect.' This accords with the 
 reasoning of the apostle ; and the idea 
 is, simply, that an arrangement may 
 be made for man adapted to produce 
 important ends in one state of society 
 or one age of the world, which would 
 not be well adapted to him in anotiier, 
 and which would not accomplish all 
 which it would be desirable to ac- 
 complish for the race. So an arrange- 
 ment may be made for teaching chil- 
 dren which would not answer the pur- 
 pose of instructing those of mature 
 years, and which at that time of life 
 may be superseded by another, A 
 system of measures may be adapted 
 to the infancy of society, or to a com- 
 paratively rude period of the world, 
 vi'hich would be ill adapted to a more 
 advanced state of society. Such was 
 the Hebrew system. It was well 
 adapted to the Jewish community in 
 their circumstances, and answered 
 the end then in view. It served to 
 keep them separate from other people ; 
 to preserve the knowledge and the 
 worship of the true God, and to intro- 
 duce the gospel dispensation. IT And 
 I regarded them not. In Jeremiah 
 this is, " Although I was an husband 
 unto them." The Septuagint is as it 
 
178 
 
 iii-:rrkws. 
 
 , [A. D. fi4. 
 
 10 For this is the covenant 
 that I will make with thu house 
 of Israel alter those days, saith 
 the Lord ; 1 will ' put my laws 
 
 > give. 2 or, vpon. 
 
 is quoted here by Paul. The Hebrew is, 
 D3 'i^Sj/3 o'jXI — which may be ren- 
 
 dered, " althougli I was tlieir Lord ;" 
 or as it is translaied by Gcscnius, 
 ' and I rejected them.' The word 
 S>*3 — BaHl — means, (1) to be lord or 
 
 — T 
 
 master over anything (Isa. xxvi. 13) ; 
 (2) to become the Imsband of any one 
 (Deut. xxi. 13; xxiv. 1); (3) with 3 
 
 to disdain, to reject. So Jer. iii. 14. 
 It is very probable that this is tiie 
 meaning here, for it is not only adopt- 
 ed by the Septuagint, but by the Sy- 
 riae. So AbulwaUd, Kinichi, and 
 Rabbi Tanehum understood it. Tiie 
 Arabic word means lo reject, to loath, 
 to disdain. All tiiat is necessary to 
 observe here is, that it cannot be de- 
 monstrated that the apostle has not 
 given the true sense of the prophet. 
 The probability' is, that the Septua- 
 gint translators would give the mean- 
 ing which was conunonly understood 
 to be correct, and there is still more 
 probability that the Syriac translator 
 would adopt the true sense, for (1) 
 the Syriac and Hebrew languages 
 strongly resemble each other ; and (2) 
 the old Syriac version — the Peshito — 
 is incomparably a better translation 
 than the Septuagint. If this, there- 
 fore, be the correct translation, the 
 meaning is, that since they .did not 
 regard and obey the laws which he 
 gave them, God would reject them as 
 his i)eople, and give new laws better 
 adajjted to save men. Instead of re- 
 garding and treating them as his 
 friends, he would punish them for 
 their ofTenecs, and visit them with 
 calamities. 
 
 10. For this is the covenant. This 
 is the arrangement, or the dispensa- 
 tion which shall succeed tiie old one. 
 IT With the house of Israel. With the 
 true Israel ; that is, with all those 
 
 into their mind, and write them 
 '^ in their hearts : and " 1 will be 
 to them a God,' and they shall 
 be to me a people : 
 
 o Uo. 2. 23 ; Zee. 8. 8. 
 
 whom he will regard and treat as his 
 friends. If After those days. This 
 may either mean, ' after those days I 
 will put my laws in their hearts,' or, 
 ' I will make this covenant with them 
 after those days.' This ditFerenee is 
 merely in the punctuation, and the 
 sense is not materially affected. It 
 seems to me, however, that the mean- 
 ing of the Hebrew in Jeremiah is, 
 ' in those after days'" (Comp. Notes on 
 Isa. ii. 1), 'I will put my laws into 
 their mind ;' that is, in that subse- 
 quent period, called in Scripture ' the 
 after times,' ' the last days,' ' the ages 
 to come,' meaning the last dispensa- 
 tion of the world. Thus interpreted, 
 the sense is, that this would be done 
 in the times of the Messiah. ^ / will 
 put my laws into their mind. Marg. 
 Give. The word give in Hebrew is 
 often used in the sense of put. The 
 meaning here is, that they would not 
 be mere external observances, but 
 would affect the conscience and the 
 heart. The laws of the Hebrews per- 
 tained mainly to external rites and 
 ceremonies ; the laws of the new dis- 
 pensation would relate particularly to 
 the inner man, and be designed to 
 control the heart. The grand pecu- 
 liarity of the Christian system is, that 
 it regulates the conscience and the 
 princi|)les of the soul rather than ex- 
 ternal matters. It prescribes few ex- 
 ternal rites, and those arc exceedingly 
 simpl(;, and are merely the ])roper ez- 
 2)ressions of the pious feelings sup- 
 posed to be in the heart ; and all at- 
 tempts cither to increase the number 
 of these rites, or to make them im- 
 posing by tlieir gorgeousness, have 
 done just so much to mar the simpli- 
 city of the gospel, and to corrupt re- 
 ligion. II And write them in their 
 hearts. Marg. Upon. Not on tables 
 of stone or brass, but on the soul it- 
 self. That is, the obedience rendered 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 179 
 
 11 And they shall not teach 
 every man his neighbour, and 
 every man his brother, saying, 
 
 will not be external. The law of 
 the new system will have living- pow- 
 er, and bind the faculties of the soul 
 to obedience. The commandment 
 there will be written, in more lasting 
 characters than if engraved on tables 
 of stone. H And I will be. to them a 
 God. This is quoted literally from 
 the Hebrew. The meaning is, that 
 he would sustain to them the appro- 
 priate relation of a God ; or, if the 
 expression may be allowed, he would 
 be to them what a God should be, or 
 what it is desirable that men should 
 find in a God. We speak of a father's 
 acting in a manner appropriate to the 
 character of a father ; and the mean- 
 ing here is, that he would be to his 
 people all that is properly implied in 
 the name of God. He would be their 
 lawgiver, their counsellor, their pro- 
 tector, their Redeemer, their guide. 
 He would provide for their wants, de- 
 fend them in danger, pardon their 
 sins, comfort them in trials, and save 
 their souls. He would be a faithful 
 friend, and would never leave them 
 nor forsake them. It is one of the 
 inestimable privileges of his people 
 that Jehovah is their God. The liv- 
 ing and ever-blessed Being who made 
 the heavens sustain to them the rela- 
 tion of a Protector and a Friend, and 
 they may look up to heaven feeling 
 that he is all which they could desire 
 in the character of a God. IT And they 
 shall be to me a people. This is not 
 merely stated as a fact, but as a pri- 
 vilege. It is an inestimable blessing 
 to be regarded as one of the people 
 of God, and to feel that we belong to 
 him — that we are associated witJi 
 those whom he loves, and whom he 
 treats as his friends. 
 
 11. And they shall not teach every 
 man his neighbour, &-C. That is, no 
 one shall be under a necessity of im- 
 parting instruction to another, or of 
 exhorting him to become acquainted 
 
 Know the Lord : for all " shall 
 know me, from the least to the 
 greatest. 
 
 a Is. 54. 13. 
 
 witli the Lord. This is designed to 
 set forth another of the advantages 
 which would attend the new dispen- 
 sation. In the previous verse it had 
 been said that one advantage of that 
 economy would be, that the law would 
 be written on the heart, and that they 
 who were thus blessed would be re- 
 garded as the people of God. An- 
 other advantage over the old arrange- 
 nient or covenant is here stated. It 
 is, tliat the knowledge of the Lord 
 and of the true religion, would be 
 deeply engraved on the minds of all, 
 and that there would be no necessity 
 for mutual exhortation and counsel. 
 " They shall have a much more cer- 
 tain and effectual teaching than they 
 can derive from another." Doddridge. 
 This passage does not refer to the 
 fact that the true religion will be uni- 
 versally diffused, but that among those 
 who are interested in the blessings of 
 the new covenant there would be an 
 accurate and just knowledge of the 
 Lord. In some way they would be 
 so taught respecting his character 
 that they would not need the aid to 
 be derived from others. All under 
 that dispensation, or sustaining to him 
 the relation of ' a. people,' would in 
 fact have a correct knowledge of the 
 Lord. This could not be said of the 
 old dispensation, for (1.) their religion 
 consisted much in outward obser- 
 vances. (2.) It was not to such an 
 extent as the new system a dispensa- 
 tion of the Holy Spirit. (3.) There 
 were not as many means as now for 
 learning the true character of God. 
 (4.) The fullest revelations had not 
 been made to them of that character. 
 That was reserved for the coming 
 of the Saviour, and under him it 
 was intended that tjiere sliould be 
 communicated the full knowledge of 
 the character of God. Many MSS., 
 and those among the best, here have 
 TroXiTriv — citizen ; fellow-citizen, in- 
 
180 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 12 For I will be merciful to 
 their unrighteousness, and their 
 sins and tlieir initiuities will I 
 remember no more. 
 
 stead of irXtjaiov, veighbour, and this 
 is adopted by Griesbach, Tittman, 
 Roscnmiiller, Knapp, Stuart, and by 
 many of the fatlicrs. Jt is also in the 
 version of tlic Ixx. in tlic place quoted 
 from Jeremiah. It is not easy to de- 
 termine the true reading, but the word 
 neighbour better accords with the 
 meaning of the Hebrew — p'^ — and 
 tliere is strong authority from the 
 MSS. and the versions for this read- 
 ing. If And every man his brother. 
 Another form of expression, meaning 
 that there would be no necessity that 
 one should teach anotlicr. IT Saying, 
 Know the Lord. That is, become ac- 
 quainted with God ; learn his charac- 
 ter and his will. The idea is, that 
 the true knowledge of Jehovah would 
 prevail as a characteristic of those 
 times. IT For all shall know 7ne. 
 That is, all those referred to ; all who 
 are interested in tire new covenant, 
 and who are partakers of its bless- 
 ings. It docs not mean that all per- 
 sons, in all lands, would then know 
 the Lord — though the time will come 
 when that will be true ; but the ex- 
 pression is to be limited by the point 
 under discussion. That point ie not 
 that the knowledge of the Lord will 
 fill the whole world, but that all who 
 are interested in the new dispensation 
 will have a much more full and clear 
 knowledge of God than was possessed 
 under the old. Of the truth of this 
 no one can doubt. Christians have a 
 much more perfect knowledge of God 
 and of his government than could 
 liave been learned merely from the 
 revelations of the Old Testament. 
 
 12. For I will be merciful to their 
 unrighteousness, &c. That is, the 
 blessing of pardon will be much more 
 richly enjoyed under the new dispen- 
 sation than it was under tlie old. 
 This is the fourth circumstance ad- 
 duced in which the new covenant will 
 surpass the old. That was comnara- 
 
 13 In that he saith, A new* 
 covenant, he hath made the first 
 
 a 2 Co. 5. J7. 
 
 tivcly severe in its inflictions (sec oti. 
 X. 28) ; marked every offence with 
 strictness, and employed the language 
 of mercy much less frequently than 
 that of justice. It was a system 
 where law and justice reigned ; not 
 where mercy was the crowning and 
 prevalent attribute. It was true that 
 it contemplated pardon, and made ar- 
 rangements for it; but it is still true 
 that tliis is much more prominent in 
 the new dispensation than in the old. 
 It is there the leading idea. It is that 
 which separates it from all other sys- 
 tems. The entire arrangement is one 
 for tlie pardon of sin in a manner 
 consistent with the claims of law and 
 justice, and it bestows the benefit of 
 tbrgiveness in the most ample and 
 perfect manner on all who are inter- 
 ested in the plan. In fact, the pecxi- 
 liarity by which the gospel is distin- 
 guished from all other systems, an- 
 cient and modern, philosophic and mo- 
 ral, pagan and deistical, is that it is 
 a system making provision for the 
 forgiveness of sin, and actually be- 
 stowing pardon on the guilty. This 
 is the centre, the crown, the glory of 
 the new dispensation. God is merci- 
 ful to the unrighteousness of men , 
 and their sins are remembered no 
 more. IT Will I remember no more. 
 This is evidently spoken after the 
 manner of men, and in accordance 
 with Imflian apprehension. It cannot 
 mean literally tiiat God forgets that 
 men are sinners, but it means that he 
 treats them as if this were forgotten. 
 Their sins are not charged upon them, 
 and tlicy are no more punished than 
 if tliey had passed entirely ont of the 
 recollection. God treats tJicm with 
 just as much kindness, and regards 
 them witli as sincere affection, as if 
 their sins ceased wiiolly to be remem- 
 bered, or which is the same thing, aa 
 if they had never sinned. 
 
 ] 3. In that he saith, A new covenant, 
 he hath made the first old. That ig. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 181 
 
 old. Now that which decayeth 
 
 the use of the word ' neio'' implies that 
 the one which it was to supersede 
 was ' old.^ New and old stand in 
 contradistinction from each other. 
 Thus we speak of a new and old 
 house, a new and old garment, &.c. 
 The object of the apostle is to show 
 that by tlie very fact of the arrange- 
 ment for a 7tew dispensation differing 
 so much from the old, it was implied 
 of necessity that that was to be super- 
 seded, and would vanish away. This 
 was one of the leading points at which 
 he arrived. IT Now that which decay- 
 eth and loaxeth old is ready to vanish 
 away. This is a general truth which 
 would be undisputed, and which Paul . 
 applies to the case under consideration. 
 An old house, or garnaent; an an- 
 cient tree ; an aged man, all have 
 indications that they are soon to dis- 
 appear. They cannot be expected to 
 remain long. The very fact of their 
 growing old is an indication that 
 they will soon be gone. So Paul says 
 it was with the dispensation that was 
 represented as old. It had symptoms 
 of AgcslJ. It had lost the vigour 
 which it had when it was fresh and 
 new ; it had every mark of an anti- 
 quated and a declining system ; and it 
 had been expressly declared that a 
 new and more perfect dispensation 
 was to be given to the world. Paul 
 concluded, therefore, that the Jewish 
 system must soon disappear. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 ]. The fact that we have a high 
 priest, is fitted to impart consolation 
 to the pious mind. Vs. 1 — 5. He ever 
 lives, and is ever the same. He is a 
 minister of the true sanctuary, and is 
 ever before the mercy-seat. He enters 
 there not once a year only, but has 
 entered there to abide there for ever. 
 We can never approach the tlirone of 
 mercy without having a high priest 
 there — for he at all times, day and 
 night, appears before God, The me- 
 rits of his sacrifice are never exhaust- 
 ed, and God is never wearied with 
 16 
 
 and waxeth old is ready to va- 
 nish away. 
 
 hearing his pleadings in behalf of his 
 people. He is the same that he was 
 when he gave himself on the cross. 
 He has the same love and the same 
 compassion which he had then, and 
 that love, which led him to make the 
 atonement, will lead him always to 
 regard with tenderness those for 
 whom he died. 
 
 2. It is a privilege to live under the 
 blessings of the Christian system. 
 Ver. 6. We have a better covenant 
 than the old one was — one less ex- 
 pensive and less burdensome, and one 
 that is established upon better premi- 
 ses. Now the sacrifice is made, and 
 we do not have to renew it every day. 
 It was made once for all, and need 
 never he repeated. Having now a 
 high priest in heaven who has made 
 the sacrifice, we may approach him 
 in any part of the earth, and at all 
 times, and feel that our offering will 
 be acceptable to him. If there is any 
 blessing for which we ought to be 
 thankful, it is for the Christian reli- 
 gion ; for we have only to look at 
 any portion of the heathen world, or 
 even to the condition of the people of 
 God under the comparatively dark 
 and obscure Jewish dispensation, to 
 see abundant reasons for thanksgiv- 
 ing for what we enjoy. 
 
 3. Let us often contemplate the 
 mercies of the new dispensation with 
 which we are favoured — the favours 
 of that religion whose smiles and 
 sunshine we are permitted to enjoy. 
 Vs. 10 — 12. It contains all that we 
 want, and is exactly adapted to our 
 condition. It has that for which every 
 man should be thankful ; and has not 
 one thing which should lead a man 
 to reject it. It furnishes all the se- 
 curity which we could desire for our 
 salvation ; lays upon us no oppressive 
 burdens or charges; and accomplishes 
 all which we ought to desire in our 
 souls. Let us contemplate a moment 
 the arrangements of that ' covenant,' 
 and see how fitted it is to make man 
 blessed and happy. 
 
182 
 
 HEBRKWS. 
 
 [A. D. 01. 
 
 First, It writes the laws of God on 
 the luiiid and tlic lieart. Vcr. 10. It 
 not only rectals tlicin, but it secures 
 tlicir observance. It has made ar- 
 ranjiienienls for dinposin^ men to keep 
 llie laws — a thinjr whicli has not been 
 introduced into any other system. 
 Legislators may enact g-ood laws, but 
 tlicy cannot induce others to obey 
 them ; parents may utter good pre- 
 cepts, but tliey cannot engrave them 
 on the liearts of their children ; and 
 sages may express sound ma.xinis and 
 just precepts in morals, but tlierc is 
 no security that they will be regarded. 
 So in all the heathen world — there is 
 no power to inscribe good ma.xims 
 and rules of living on the heart. 
 They may be written ; recorded on 
 tablets; hung up in temples; but stil! 
 men will not regard them. Tlicy 
 will still give indulgence to evil pas- 
 sions, and lead wicked lives. But it 
 is not so with the arrangement which 
 God has made in the plan of salvation. 
 One of the very first provisions of 
 that plan is, that the laws shall be in- 
 scribed on the heart, and that there 
 shall be a disposition to obey. Such 
 a system is what man wants, and 
 such a system he can nowhere else 
 find. 
 
 Secondly, This new arrangement 
 reveals to us a God such as we need. 
 Ver. 10. It contains the promise 
 that he will be 'our God.' He will be 
 to his people all that can be desired in 
 God; all that man could wish. He 
 is just such a God as the human mind, 
 when it is pure, most loves ; has all 
 the attributes which it could be de- 
 sired there should be in his character; 
 lias done all that we could desire a 
 God to do; and is ready to do all that 
 we could wish a God to ])erl(jrm. 
 Man wants a God; a God in whom 
 lie can put confidence, and on whom 
 he can rely. The ancient Greek 
 philosopher wanted a God — and he 
 would then have made a beautiful 
 and efficient system of morals ; the 
 heathen want a God — to dwell in their 
 empty temples, and in their corrupt 
 hearts ; the .\theist wants a God to 
 make him calm, contented, and happy 
 
 in this life — for he has no God now , 
 and man everywhere, wretched, sin- 
 ful, suflering, dying, wants a God. 
 Such a God is revealed in the Bible 
 — one whose character we ma}' con- 
 temi)latc with ever-increasing admi- 
 ration ; one wlio has all the attributes 
 which wc can desire ; one who will 
 minister to us all the consolation 
 which we need in this world ; and 
 one who will be to us the same God 
 for ever and ever. 
 
 Thirdly, The new covenant con- 
 templates the diffusion of knowledge. 
 Ver. 11. This too was what man 
 needed, for everywhere else he ha^ 
 been ignorant of God and of the way 
 of salvation. The whole heathen 
 world is sunk in ignorance, and in- 
 deed all men, except as they are en 
 lightened by the gospel, are in pro- 
 found darkness on the great questions 
 which most nearly pertain to their 
 welfare. But it is not so with the 
 new arrangement which God has 
 made with his people. It is a fact 
 that tliey know the Lord, and a dis- 
 pensation whicli would produce that 
 is just what man needed. There are 
 two things hinted at in ver. 11 of this 
 chapter, which are worthy of more 
 than a passing notice, illustrating the 
 e.xeelleney of tlie Christian religion. 
 The Jirst is, that in the new dispen- 
 sation all would know the Lord. The 
 matter of fact is, that the obscurest 
 and most unlettered Christian often 
 has a knowledge of God which sages 
 never had, and which is never obtain- 
 ed except by the teachings of the 
 Spirit of God. However this may be 
 accounted for, the fact cannot be de- 
 nied. There is a clear and elevating 
 view of God ; a knowledge of him 
 which exerts a practical influence on 
 the heart, and which transforms the 
 soul ; and a correctness of apprehen- 
 sion in regard to what truth is, pos- 
 sessed by tlie humble Christian, though 
 a ])casant, which philosophy never 
 imparted to its votaries. Many a 
 sage would be instructed in the truths 
 of religion if he would sit down and 
 converse with the comparatively un. 
 learned Christian, who h.is no book 
 
K. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 183 
 
 but his Bible. The other thing hinted 
 at here is, that all would know the 
 Lord from the least to the greatest. 
 Children and youth, as well as age 
 and experience, would have an ac- 
 quaintance with God. This promise 
 is remarkably verified under the new 
 dispensation. One of the most strik- 
 ing things of the system is, the at- 
 tention which it pays to the young ; 
 one of its most wonderful effects is 
 the knowledge which it is the means 
 of imparting to those in early life. 
 Many a child in the Sabbath-school 
 lias a knowledge of God which Gre- 
 cian sages never had ; many a youth 
 in the Church has a more consistent 
 acquaintance with God's real plan of 
 governing and saving men, than all 
 the teachings which philosophy could 
 ever furnish. 
 
 Fourthly, Tlic new dispensation 
 couteniplaf'.s the pardon of sin, and 
 is. thcrefori' fittsd to the condition of 
 man. Ver. ] • It i!' what man needs. 
 The knowlfctl( " of some way of par- 
 don is that whiK human nature has 
 
 been sighing for for ages ; which has 
 been sought in every system of reli- 
 gion, and by every bloody offering ; 
 but which has never elsewhere been 
 tbund. The philosopher had no as- 
 surance that God would pardon, and 
 indeed one of the chief aims of the 
 philosopher has been to convince him- 
 self that he had no need of pardon. 
 The heathen have had no assurance 
 that their offerings have availed to 
 put away the divine anger, and to 
 obtain forgiveness. The only assur- 
 ance anywhere furnished that sin may 
 be forgiven, is in the Bible. This is 
 the great peculiarity of the system 
 recorded there, and this it is which 
 renders it so valuable above all the 
 other systems. It furnishes the as- 
 surance that sins may be pardoned, 
 and shows hovj it may be done. This 
 is what we ?nust have, or perish. And 
 why, since Christianity reveals a way 
 of forgiveness — a way honourable to 
 God and not degrading to man — why 
 should any man reject it? Why 
 should not the guilty embrace a sys- 
 teni which proclaims pardon to the 
 
 guilty, and which assures all that, if 
 they will embrace him who is the 
 ' Mediator of the new covenant,' ' God 
 will be merciful to their unrighteous- 
 ness, and will remember their iniqui- 
 ties no more.' 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 The general design of this chapter 
 is the same as the two preceding, to 
 show that Christ as high priest is su- 
 perior to the Jewish high priest. This 
 the apostle had already shown to be 
 true in regard to his rank, and to the 
 dispensation of which he was the 
 ' mediator.' He proceeds novs^ to show 
 that this was also true in reference to 
 the eflicacy of the sacrifice which he 
 made; and in order to this, he gives 
 an account of the ancient Jewish sa- 
 crifices, and compares them with that 
 made by the Redeemer. The essen- 
 tial point is, that the former dispensa- 
 tion was mere shadow, type, or figure, 
 and that the latter was real and effi- 
 cacious. The chapter comprises, in 
 illustration of this general idea, the 
 following points : 
 
 (1.) A description of the ancient 
 tabernacle, and of the utensils that 
 were in it. Vs. 1 — 5. 
 
 (2.) A description of the services 
 in it, particularly of that performed 
 by the high priest once a year. Vs. 
 6, 7. 
 
 (3.), Ail this was typical and sym- 
 bolical, and was a standing demon- 
 stration that the way into the most 
 holy place in heaven was not yet 
 fully revealed. Vs. 8—10. 
 
 (4.) Christ was now come — the 
 substance of which that was the sha- 
 dow ; the real sacrifice of which ihat 
 was the emblem. Vs. 11 — 14. He 
 pertained q.s a priest to a more perfect 
 tabernacle (ver. 11); he offered not 
 the blood of bulls and goats, but his 
 own blood (ver. 1 2) ; with that blood 
 he entered into the most holy place 
 in heaven (ver. 12) ; and if the blood 
 of bulls and goats was admitted to be 
 efficacious in putting away external 
 uncleanness, it must be admitted that 
 
184 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 T 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 HEN verily the 
 nant had also ' 
 
 IX. 
 
 first cove- 
 ordinances 
 
 of divine service, and a wor.d.'y 
 sanctuary. ' 
 
 1 or, ceremonies. a Ex. 525. 9. 
 
 the blood of Christ liad an efficacy in 
 cleansing the conscience. Vs. 13, J 4. 
 
 (5.) His blood is efficacious not 
 only in remitting present sins, but it 
 extends in its efficacy even to past 
 ages, and removes the sins of tiiosc 
 who had worshipped God under the 
 former covenant. Vcr. 15. 
 
 (6.) The apostle then proceeds to 
 show that it was necessary that the 
 mediator of the new covenant should 
 shed his own blood, and that the blood 
 thus shed should be applied to purify 
 those for whom the sacrifice was 
 made. Vs. 16 — 23. This he shows 
 by tlie following considerations, viz : 
 
 (rt) He argues it from tiie nature 
 of a covenant or compact, showing 
 that it was ratified only over dead 
 sacrifices, and that of necessity the 
 victim that was set apart to confirm 
 or ratify it must be slain. See Notes 
 on Vs. 16, 17. 
 
 (6) The first covenant was eon- 
 firmed or ratified by blood, and hence 
 it was necessary that, since the ' pat- 
 terns' of the heavenly things were 
 sprinkled with blood, the heavenly 
 things themselves should be purified 
 with better sacrifices. Vs. 18 — 23. 
 
 (7.) The offering made by the Re- 
 deemer was to be made but once. 
 This arose from the necessity of the 
 case, since it could not be supposed 
 that the mediator would suffer often, 
 as the high priest went once every 
 year into the most holy i)lacc. He 
 had come and died once in the last 
 dispensation of tilings on eartli, and 
 then had entered into heaven and 
 could suffer no more. Vs. 24 — 26. 
 
 (8.) In the close of the ciiapter the 
 apostle adverts to the fact that there 
 was a remarkable resemblance, in 
 one respect, between the death of 
 Christ and tlie death of all men. It 
 was appointed to them to die once, 
 and but once, and so Christ died but 
 once. As a man, it was in accordance 
 with the universal condition of things 
 
 that he should die once ; and in ac 
 cordance with the same condition of 
 tilings it was proper that he should die 
 but once. In like manner there was 
 a resemblance or fitness in regard to 
 what would occur atlcr deatli. Man 
 was to appear at the judgment. He 
 was not to cease to be, but would 
 stand hereafter at the bar of God. Iri 
 like manner, Christ would again ap- 
 pear. He did not cease to exist when 
 he expired, but would appear again 
 that he might save his people. Vs. 
 27, 28. 
 
 1. Then verily. Or, moreover. The 
 object is to describe the tabernacle in 
 which the service of God was cele- 
 brated under the former dispensation, 
 and to show that it had a reference to 
 what was fiiture, and was only an im- 
 perfect representation of the reality 
 It was important to show tiiis, as the 
 Jews regarded the ordinances of the 
 tabernacle and of the whole Lcvitical 
 service as of divine appointment, and 
 of perpetual obligation. The object 
 of Paul is to prove that they were to 
 give place to a more perfect system, 
 and hence it was necessary to discuss 
 their real nature. IT The Jirst cove- 
 nant. Tlie word ' covenant' is not in 
 tlie Greek, but is not improperly sup- 
 plied. The meaning is, tiiat tiie for- 
 mer arrangement or dispensation had 
 religious rites and services connected 
 with it. IT Had also ordinances. Marg. 
 Ceremonies. Tlic Greek word means 
 laws, precepts, ordinances; and tlie 
 idea is, that tliere were laws regulat- 
 ing the worship of God. The Jew- 
 isli institutions aliounded with such 
 laws, "i And a worldly sanctuary. The 
 word sanctuary means a holy place, 
 and is applied to a house of worship, 
 or a temple. Here it may refer citiier 
 to the teni|)le or to tiie tabernacle. As 
 the temple was constructed after the 
 same form as tiie tabernacle, and had 
 the same furniture, the description of 
 the apostle may be regarded em appli< 
 
A. D. 64.J 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 185 
 
 2 For there was a tabernacle 
 ° made, the first, wherein was 
 the candlestick, and the table, * 
 
 a Ex. 29. 1. 35. b Ex. 40. 4. 
 
 cable to either of them, and it is diffi- 
 cult to determine which he had in his 
 eye. The term ' worldly,' applied to 
 ' sanctuary,' here means that it per- 
 tained to this world ; it was contra- 
 distinguished from the heavenly sanc- 
 tuary not made with hands where 
 Christ was now gone. Comp. vs. 11. 
 24. It does not mean that it was 
 worldly in the sense in which that 
 word is now used as denoting the op- 
 posite of spiritual, serious, religious, 
 but worldly in the sense that it be- 
 longed to the earth rather than to hea- 
 ven ; it was made by human hands, 
 not directly by the hands of God. 
 
 2. For there was a tabernacle made. 
 The word 'tabernacle' properly means 
 a tent, a booth, or a hut, and was then 
 given by way of eminence to the tent 
 for public worship made by Moses in 
 the wilderness. For a description of 
 this, see Ex. xxv. In this place the 
 word means the outer sanctuary or 
 room in the tabernacle ; that is, the 
 Jirst room which was entered — called 
 here ' the first.' The same word — 
 uKtivrj — is used in ver. 3 to denote the 
 inner sanctuary, or holy of holies. 
 The tabernacle, like the temple afler- 
 
 and the show-bread ; « which i& 
 called ' the Sanctuary. 
 
 c Ex. 25. 30. 
 
 • or, holif. 
 
 wards, was divided into two parts by 
 the veil (Ex. xxvi. 31, 32), one of 
 which was called ' the holy place,' and 
 the other ' the holy of holies.' The 
 exact size of the two rooms in the 
 tabernacle is not specified in the Scrip- 
 tures, but it is commonly supposed 
 that the tabernacle was divided in the 
 same manner as the temple was after- 
 wards ; that is, two-thirds of the in. 
 terior constituted tJie holy place, and 
 one-third the holy of holies. Accord- 
 ing to this, the holy place, or '■Jirst 
 tabernacle' was twenty cubits long by 
 ten broad, and the most holy place 
 was ten cubits square. The whole 
 length of the tabernacle was about 
 fifty-five feet, the breadth eighteen, 
 and the height eighteen. In the tem- 
 ple, the two rooms, though of the 
 same relative proportions, were of 
 course much larger. See a descrip- 
 tion of the temple in the Notes on 
 Matt. xxi. 12. In both cases, the holy 
 place was at the east, and the Holy 
 of Holies at the west end of the sacred 
 edifice. The following cut will fur- 
 nish a good illustration of the taber- 
 nacle when set up, with the principal 
 coverings removed. 
 
 16 « 
 
186 
 
 llEBUEWS. 
 
 [A. D. 61. 
 
 The following cut represents the interior of the tabernacle with tiie veil 
 between the lioly and the most holy place removed. 
 
 Tlie fjJlowinjT cut represents the tabernacle in the wilderness, in relation 
 to the tnclosure, the altar, &c. 
 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 187 
 
 IT Thejirst. The first room on enter- 
 ing the sacred edifice, here called the 
 ' first tabernacle.' The apostle pro- 
 ceeds now to enumerate the various 
 articles of fiirniture which were in 
 the two rooms of the tabernacle and 
 
 * temple. His object seems to be, not 
 for information, for it could not be 
 supposed that they to whom he was 
 writing were ignorant on this point, 
 but partly to show that it could not 
 be said that he spoke of that of which 
 he Jiad no information, or that he un- 
 dervalued it ; and partly to show tlie 
 real nature of the institution, and to 
 prove that it was of an imperltct and 
 typical character, and had a designed 
 reference to something that was to 
 come. It is remarkable that though 
 he maintains that tl;e whole institu- 
 tion was a ' figure' of what was to 
 come, and though he specifies by 
 name all the furniture of the taber- 
 nacle, he does not attempt to explain 
 tlieir particular typical character, nor 
 does he afiirm that they had such a 
 character. He does not say that the 
 candlestick, and the table of show- 
 bread, and the ark, and the cherubim 
 were designed to adumbrate some 
 particular truth or fact of the future 
 dispensation, or had a designed spiri- 
 tual meaning. It would have been 
 happy if all expositors had followed 
 the example of Paul, and had been 
 content, as he was, to state the facts 
 about the tabernacle, and the general 
 truth that the dispensation was in- 
 tended to introduce a more perfect 
 economy, without endeavouring to 
 explain the typical import of every 
 pin and pillar of the ancient place of 
 worship. If those things had such 
 a designed typical reference, it is re- 
 markable that Paul did not go into 
 an explanation of that fact in the 
 
 • epistle before us. Never could a 
 better opportunity for doing it occur 
 than was furnished here. Yet it was 
 not done. Paul is silent where many 
 expositors have found occasion for 
 admiration. Where they have seen 
 the profiiundest wisdom, he saw none ; 
 where they have fi^und spiritual in- 
 
 struction in the various implements 
 of divine service in the sanctuary, he 
 found none. Why should we be more 
 wise than he was ? Why attempt to 
 hunt for types and shadows where he 
 found none ? And why should we 
 not be limited to the views which he 
 actually expressed in regard to the 
 design and import of the ancient dis- 
 pensation ? Following an inspired 
 example we are on solid ground, and 
 are not in danger. But the moment 
 we leave that, and attempt to spiritu- 
 alize everything in the ancient econ- 
 omy, we are in an open sea without 
 compass or chart, and no one knows 
 to what fairy lands he may be drifted. 
 As there are frequent allusions in»tho 
 New Testament to tlie different parts 
 of the tabernacle furniture here spe- 
 cified, it may be a matter of interest 
 and profit to furnish an illustration 
 of the most material of them. IT The 
 candlestick. For an account of the 
 candlestick, see Ex. xxv. 31 — 37. It 
 was made of pure gold, and had seven 
 branches, that is, three on each side 
 and one in the centre. These branches 
 had on the extremities seven golden 
 lamps, which were fed with pure olive 
 oil, and which were lighted " to give 
 light over against it;" that is, they 
 shed light on the altar of incense, the 
 table of show-bread, and generally on 
 the furniture of the holy place. These 
 branches were made with three 'bowls,' 
 'knops,' and 'flowers' occurring alter- 
 nately on each one of the six branches ; 
 while on the centre or upright shaft 
 there were four ' bowls,' ' knops,' and 
 'flowers' of this kind. These orna- 
 ments were probably taken from the 
 Almond, and represented the flower 
 of that tree in various stages. The 
 ' bowls' on the branches of the can- 
 dlestick probably meant the calyx or 
 cup of that plant from which the flow- 
 er springs. The ' knops' probably 
 referred to some ornament on the can- 
 dlestick mingled with the ' bowls' and 
 the 'flowers,' perhaps designed as an 
 imitation of the nut or fruit of the 
 almond. The ' flowers' were evidently 
 ornaments resembling t'le flowers oij 
 
ISd 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 the almond -tree, wrought, as all the 
 rest were, in pure gold. See Bush's 
 Notes on Exodus xxv. The forego- 
 ing beautiful cut, drawn on this sup- 
 position, will probably give a tolera- 
 bly correct view of the ancient can- 
 delabrum or candlestick. I introduce 
 this cut as being a fine illustration 
 furnished by Prof. Eusli of the can- 
 dlestick itself; with the views whicii 
 he has expressed of its spiritual refer- 
 ence, however, I have no sympathy. 
 The candlestick was undoubtedly de- 
 signed to furnish light in the dark 
 room of the tabernacle and temple ; 
 and in accordance with the general 
 plan of those edifices was ornamented 
 after the most eliaste and pure views 
 of ornamental architecture of those 
 times — but there is no evidence that 
 its branches, and bowls, and knops, 
 and flowers had each a peculiar typi- 
 cal significance. Tiie sacred writers 
 are wholly silent as to any such refer- 
 ence, and it is not well to attempt to 
 be * wise above that which is written.' 
 An expositor of the Scripture cannot 
 have a safer guide than the sacred 
 writers tliemsclves. How should any 
 uninspired man know that these things 
 had such a peculiar typical significa- 
 tion ? — The candlestick was placed on 
 
 the south, or left-hand side of the 
 holy place as one entered, the row of 
 lamps being probably parallel with 
 the wall. It was at first placed in the 
 tabernacle, and afterwards removed 
 into tile temple built by Solomon. 
 Its subsequent history is unknown. 
 Probably it was destroyed when the 
 temple was taken by the Chaldeans. 
 The form of the candlestick in the 
 second temple, whose figure is pre- 
 served on the ' Arch of Titus' in Rome, 
 was of somewhat different construe- 
 tion. But it is to be remembered 
 that the articles taken away from the 
 temple by Vespasian were not the 
 same as those made by Moses, and 
 Joscplius says expressly that tlie can- 
 dlcstiek was altered from its original 
 form. ^ And the table. That is, the 
 table on which the show-bread was 
 placed. This table was made of shit- 
 tim-wood, overlaid with gold. It was 
 two cubits long, and one cubit broad, 
 and a cubit and a half higli ; that is, 
 about three feet and a half in length, 
 one foot and nine inclies wide, and 
 two feet and a half in height. It was 
 furnished with rings or staples, 
 through which were passed staves, 
 by whicli it was carried. These staves, 
 we arc informed by Josephus, were 
 
A. D 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 189 
 
 removed when the table was at rest, 
 60 tliat they might not be in the way 
 of the priests as they officiated in the 
 tabernacle. It stood lengthwise east 
 and west, on the north side of the 
 holy place. ^ And the show-bread. 
 On the table just described. This 
 bread consisted of twelve loaves, 
 plated on the table, every Sabbath. 
 Tlic Hebrews affirm that they were 
 square loaves, having the four sides 
 covered with leaves of gold. They 
 were arranged in two piles, of course 
 with six in a pile. Lev. xxiv. 5 — 9. 
 Tlie number twelve was selected 
 with reference to the twelve tribes of 
 Israel. They were made without 
 leaven ; were renewed each Sabbath, 
 when the old loaves were then taken 
 away to be eaten by the priests only. 
 The Hebrew phrase rendered ' show- 
 bread' means properly ' bread of faces,' 
 or ' bread of presence.' The Lxx. ren- 
 der it apTovs ivij)Tziovi — -fdreplaced loaves. 
 In the New Testament it is, fi -Kpd&eats 
 tSv apToyv — the placi'"g of bread ; and 
 in Symmachus, 'bread of proposition,' 
 or placing. Why it was called ' bread 
 of presence' has been a subject on 
 which expositors have been ..:uch di- 
 vided. Some have held that it was 
 
 because it was before, or in the pre- 
 sence of the symbol of the divine pre- 
 sence in the tabernacle, though in 
 another department ; some that it was 
 because it was set there to be seen by 
 7Hen, rather than to be seen by God. 
 Others that it had an emblematic de- 
 sign, looking forward to the Messiah 
 as the food or nourishment of the soul, 
 and was substantially the same as the 
 table spread with the symbols of the 
 Saviour's body and blood. See Bush, 
 in loc. But of this last mentioned 
 opinion, it may be asked where is the 
 proof ? It is not found in the account 
 of it in the Old Testament, and there 
 is not the slightest intimation in the 
 New Testament that it had any such 
 design. The object for which it was 
 placed there can be only a matter of 
 conjecture, as it is not explained in 
 the Bible, and it is more diiScult to 
 ascertain the use and design of the 
 shew-bread than of almost any other 
 emblem of the Jewish economy. Cal- 
 met. Perhaps the true idea, after all 
 that has been written and conjectured 
 is, tliat the table and the bread were 
 for the sake of carrying out the idea 
 that the tabernacle was the dwelling, 
 place of God, and that there was a 
 
190 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 3 And after the second veil," 
 the tabernacle, which is called 
 the Holiest of all ; 
 
 a Ex. 2G. 31,33. 
 
 propriety that it should be fitted up 
 with the usual appurtenances of a 
 dwelling. Hence there was a candle- 
 stick and a tabic, becauSe these were 
 the common and ordinary furniture 
 of a room ; and the idea was to be 
 kept up constantly that that was the 
 dwelling-place of tlie Most High by 
 lighting and trimming the lamps every 
 day, and by renewing tlie bread on 
 the table periodically. The most 
 simple explanation of the phrase 
 ' bread effaces,' or ' bread of presence' 
 is, that it was so called because it was 
 set before the face, or in the presence 
 of God in the tabernacle. The various 
 forms wiiich it has been supposed 
 would represent the table of show-bread 
 may be seen in Calmct's Ijarge Dic- 
 tionary. The preceding cut is the 
 usual illustration of it. If the loaves 
 were piled above one another as they 
 are represented in the cut, they were 
 probably separated by tliin plates of 
 gold or some other substance to keep 
 them from moulding. Tlie Jews say 
 that they were separated by plates of 
 .gold. V Which is called the sanctuary. 
 Marg. ' Or, holy.'' That is, the holy 
 place. Tlic name sanctuary was com- 
 monly given to the whole cdiiicc, but 
 with strict propriety appertained only 
 to this first room. 
 
 3. And after the second veil. Tlicrc 
 were two veils to the tabernacle. The 
 one, which is described in Ex. xxvi. 
 36, 37, was called ' the hanging for 
 the door of the tent,' and was made 
 of ' blue, and purple, and scarlet, and 
 fine-twined linen,' and was suspended 
 on five pillars of shittim-wood, over- 
 laid with gold. This answered for a 
 door to the wliole tabernacle. Tlic 
 second or inner veil, here referred to, 
 divided tlie holy from the most holy 
 place. This is described in Ex. xxvi. 
 31 — 33. It was made of the same 
 materials as the other, though it would 
 Hceni in a more costly manner, and 
 
 4 Which had the golden cen- 
 ser, * and the ark' of the cove- 
 nant overlaid roupd about with 
 
 b Le. 16. 12. c Ex. 25. 10, ice. 
 
 with more embroidered work. On 
 this veil the figures of the cherubim 
 were curiously wrought. The design 
 of this veil was to separate the holy 
 from the most holy place ; and in re- 
 gard to its symbolical meaning we 
 can be at no loss, for the apostle Paul 
 has himself explained it in this chap- 
 ter. See Notes on vs. 8—14. ^ The 
 tabernacle. That is, the inner ta-bcr- 
 nacle ; or that which more properly 
 was called the tabernacle. The name 
 was given to either of the two rooms 
 into which it was divided, or to the 
 whole structure. T Which is called 
 the Holiest of all. It was called ' the 
 Most Holy place ;' ' the Holy of Ho- 
 lies;' or 'the Holiest of all.' It was- 
 so called because the symbol oj" tho 
 divine presence — the Shekinah — dwelt 
 there between the Cherubim. 
 
 4. Wliich had the golden censer. 
 The censer was a Jire-pan, made for 
 the purpose of carrying fire, in order 
 to burn incense on it in the place of 
 worship. The forms of the censer 
 were various, but the following cuts 
 will represent those which are most 
 common. Some dilficulty has been 
 felt respecting the statement of Paul 
 here that the ' golden censer' was in 
 the most holy place, from the fact 
 that no such utensil is mentioned by 
 Moses as pertaining to the tabernacle, 
 nor in the description of Solomon's 
 temi)k", which was modelled after the 
 tabernacle, is there any account of it 
 given. But the following considera- 
 tions will probably remove the difli 
 culty. (1.) Paul was a Jew, and was 
 familiar with what pertained to the 
 temple, and gave such a description 
 of it as would be in accordance with 
 what actually existed in his time. 
 Tiic fiict that .Moses docs not express- 
 ly mention it, docs not prove that in 
 fact no such censer was laid up in 
 the most holy place. (2.) Aaron and 
 his successors were expressly com 
 
A.. D. 64,] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 191 
 
 gold, wherein teas the golden " 
 pot that had manna, and Aaron's 
 
 a Ex. 16. 33. b Nu. 17. 10. 
 
 rod* that budded, and the ta- 
 bles " of the covenant ; 
 
 r Ex. 34. 29; 40. 20 ; De. 10. 2, 5. 
 
 manded to burn incense in a ' censer' 
 in the most holy place before the 
 mercy -seat. This was to be done on 
 the great day of atonement, and but 
 once in a year. Lev. xvi. 12, 13. (3.) 
 There is every probability that the 
 censer that was used on such an oc- 
 casion was made of gold. All the 
 implements that were employed in 
 the most holy place were made of 
 gold, or overlaid with gold, and it is 
 in the highest degree improbable that 
 the higii priest would use any other 
 on 80 solemn an occasion. Comp. I. 
 Kings vii. 50. (4.) As the golden 
 censer was to bo used only once in a 
 year, it. would naturally be laid away 
 in some secure situation, and none 
 would so obviously occur as the most 
 holy place. There it would be per- 
 fectly safe. No one was permitted 
 to enter there but the high priest, and 
 
 being preserved there it would be a., 
 ways ready for his use. The state- 
 ment of Paul, therefore, has the high, 
 est probability, and undoubtedly ac. 
 cords with what actually occurred in 
 the tabernacle and the temple. Tha 
 object of the incense burned in wor- 
 sliip was to produce an agreeable fra. 
 grancc or smell. See Notes on Luke 
 i. 9. If And the ark of the covenant. 
 This ark or chest was made of shittim- 
 wood, was two cubits and a half long, 
 a cubit and a half broad, and tlie same 
 in height. Ex. xxv. 10. It was com- 
 pletely covered with gold, and had a 
 lid, which was called the ' mercy- 
 seat,' on which rested the Shekinah, 
 the symbol of the divine presence, 
 between the outstretched wings of the 
 cherubim. It was called 'the ark of 
 the covenant,' because within it were 
 the two tables of the covenant, or the 
 law of God written on tables of stone. 
 It was a simple chest, coffer, or box, 
 with little ornament, though rich in 
 its materials. A golden crown or 
 moulding, ran around the top, and it 
 had rings and staves in its sides by 
 which it might be borne. Ex. xxv. 
 12 — 16. This ark was regarded as 
 the most sacred of all the appendages 
 of the tabernacle. Containing the 
 law, and being the place where the 
 symbol of the divine presence was 
 manifested, it was regarded as pecu- 
 liarly holy, and in the various wars 
 and revolutions in the Hebrew com. 
 monvvcalth, it was guarded with pe- 
 culiar care. After the passage over 
 the Jordan it remained for some time 
 at Gilgal (Josh. iv. 19), whence it was 
 removed to Shiloh. I. Sam. i. 3. From 
 hence the Israelites took it to their 
 camp, apparently to animate them in 
 battle, but it was taken by the Phil- 
 istines. I. Sam. iv. The Pliilistincs, 
 however, oppressed by the hand of 
 God, resolved to return it, and sent it 
 to Kirjath-Jearim. I. Sam. vii. 1. In 
 the reign of Saul it was at Nob. Da- 
 vid conveyed it to the house of Obcd- 
 
193 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 Edom, and thence to his palace on 
 Mount Zion. II. Sam. vi. At the 
 dedication of the temple it was placed 
 in the Holy of Holies by Solomon, 
 where it remained for many years. 
 Subsequently, it is said, the wicked 
 kings of Judah, abandoning them- 
 selves to idolatry, establislicd idols in 
 the most holy place itself, and the 
 priests removed the ark, and bore it 
 from place to place to secure it from 
 profanation. Calmet. When Josiah 
 ascended the tiirone he commanded 
 the priests to restore the ark to its 
 place in the sanctuary, and forbade 
 them to carry it about from one place 
 to another as tliey had before done. 
 II. Chron. xxxv. 3. The subsequent 
 history of the ark is unknown. It is 
 probable that it was either destroyed 
 when the city of Jerusalem was taken 
 by Nebucliadnczzar, or that it was 
 carried with other spoils to Babylon. 
 There is no good reason to suppose 
 that it was ever in tlic second temple, 
 and it is generally admitted by the 
 Jews that the ark of the covenant 
 was one of the things that were want- 
 ing there. Abarbanel says, that the 
 Jews flatter themselves that it will be 
 restored by the Messiah. If Wherein, 
 That is, in the ark — for so the con- 
 struction naturally requires. In I. 
 Kings viii. 9, however, it is said that 
 there was nothing in the ark, " save 
 the two tables of stone which Moses 
 put tliere at Horeb," and it has been 
 supposed by some that the pot of 
 manna and the rod of Aaron were not 
 in the ark, but that they were in cap- 
 sules, or ledges made on its sides for 
 their safe keeping, and that this 
 should be rendered ' by the ark.' But 
 the apostle uses the same language 
 respecting the pot of manna and the 
 rod of Aaron which he does about the 
 two tables of stone, and as they were 
 certainly in the ark, the fair con- 
 struction here is that the pot of manna 
 and the rod of Aaron were in it also. 
 The account in Ex. xvi. 32 — 34; 
 Num. xvii. 1 0, is, that they were laid 
 up in the most holy place, ' before the 
 testimony,' and tiiere is no improba- 
 tility whatever in the supposition 
 
 that they were in the ark. Indeed, 
 that would be the most safe place to 
 keep them, as the tabernacle was 
 olten taken down and removed from 
 place to place. It is clear from the 
 passage in I. Kings viii. 9, that they 
 were not in the ark in the temple, but 
 there is no improbability in the sup- 
 position that before the temple was 
 built they might have been removed 
 from the ark and lost. When the ark 
 was carried from place to place, or 
 during its captivity by the Philistines, 
 it is probable that they were lost, as 
 we never hear of them afterwards. 
 IT The golden pot. In Ex. xvi. 33, it 
 is simply 'a pot,' without specifying 
 the material. In the Septuagint it is 
 rendered 'golden pot,' and as the 
 other utensils of the sanctuary were 
 of gold, it may be fairly presumed 
 that this was also. V That had 
 manna. A small quantity of manna 
 which was to be preserved as a 
 perpetual remembrancer of the food 
 which they had eaten in their long 
 journey in the wilderness, and of the 
 goodness of God in miraculously sup- 
 plying their wants. As the manna, 
 also, would not of itself keep, (Ex. 
 xvi. 20), the fact that this .vas to be 
 laid up to be preserved from age to 
 age, was a perpetual miracle in proof 
 of the presence and faithfulness of 
 God. On the subject of the manna, 
 see Busli's Notes on Exodus xvi. 15. 
 IT And Aaron's rod that budded. That 
 budded and blossomed as a proof that 
 God had chosen him to minister to 
 him. The princes of the tribes were 
 disposed to rebel, and to call in ques- 
 tion the authority of Aaron. To settle 
 the matter, each one was required to 
 take a rod or staff of office, and to 
 bring it to Moses with the name of 
 the tribe to which it appertained 
 written on it. These were laid up by 
 Moses in the tabernacle, and it was 
 found on the next day that the rod 
 marked with the name of Levi had 
 budded, and blossomed, and produced 
 almonds. In perpetual remembrance 
 of this miracle, the rod was preserved 
 in the ark. Num. xvii. Its subse- 
 quent history is unknown- It was 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 199 
 
 5 And over it the cherubim" 
 of glory shadowing the mercy- 
 
 a Ex. 25. 18, 22. 
 
 not in tlie ark when the temple was 
 built, nor is there any reason to sup- 
 pose that it was preserved to that 
 time. 11 And the tables of the covenant. 
 The two tables of stone on which the 
 ten commandments were written. 
 They were expressly called ' the 
 words of the covenant' in Ex. xxxiv. 
 28. On the word covenant, see Notes 
 on vs. 1 6 and 1 7 of this chapter. These 
 two tables were in the ark at the time 
 the temple was dedicated. I. Kings 
 viii. 9. Their subsequent history is 
 unknown. It is probable that they 
 ehared the fate of the ark, and were 
 either carried to Babylon, cr were 
 destroyed vdien the city was taken 
 by Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 5. And over it. That is, over the 
 ark. IT The cherubim of glory. A 
 Hebrew mode of expression, meaning 
 the glorious cherubim. The word 
 cherubim is the Hebrew form of the 
 plural, of which cherub is the singu- 
 lar. The word glory used liere in 
 connexion with ' cherubim,^ refers to 
 the splendour, or magnificence of the 
 image, as being carved with great 
 skill, and covered v/ith gold. There 
 were two cherubim on the ark, placed 
 on the lid in such a manner that their 
 faces looked inward towards each 
 other,' and downward toward the 
 They stretched out their 
 high,' and covered the 
 or the lid of the ark. 
 -20. Comp. I. Kings 
 viii. 6, 7 ; I. Chron. xxviii. 18. In tlie 
 temple, the cherubim were made of 
 the olive tree, and were ten cubits 
 high. They were overlaid with gold, 
 and were so placed that the wing of 
 one touched the wall on one side of 
 the Holy of Holies, and that of the 
 other the other side, and their wings 
 met together over the ark. I. Kings 
 vi. 23 — 28. It is not probable, how- 
 ever, that this was the form used in 
 the tabernacle, as wings thus expand- 
 ed would have rendered it inconve- 
 
 mercy-seat. 
 wings 'on 
 mercy-seat, 
 Ex. XX v. 18- 
 
 seat; of which we cannot now 
 speak particularly. 
 
 nient to carry them from place to 
 place. Of the form and design of the 
 cherubim much has been written, and 
 much that is the mere creation of 
 fancy, and the fruit of wild conjec- 
 ture. Their design is not explained 
 in the Bible, and silence in regard to 
 it would have been wisdom. If they 
 were intended to be symbolical, as is 
 certainly possible, (comp. Ezek. x. 20 
 — 22), it is impossible now to deter- 
 mine the object of the symbol. Who 
 is authorized to explain it ? Who 
 can give to his speculations anything 
 more than the authority of pious con- 
 jecture ? And of what advantage, 
 therefore, can speculation be, where 
 the volume of inspiration says no 
 thing ? They who wish to examine 
 this subject more fully, with the va- 
 rious opinions that have been formed 
 on it, may consult the following 
 works, viz : Calmet's Dictionary, 
 Fragment No. 152, with the numer- 
 ous illustrations ; Bush's Notes on 
 Exodus XXV. 18 ; and the Quarterly 
 Christian Spectator, vol. viii. pp. 368 
 — 388. Drawings resembling the che- 
 rubim were not uncommon on ancient 
 
 17 
 
194 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 61. 
 
 a Nu. 28. 3. 
 
 6 Now when these things ' went always into the first ta- 
 were thus ordained, the priests" | bernacle, accomplishing the ser- 
 vice o/" God. 
 
 Tlie common rrprcsciitation of tlie 
 ark and cherubim is something like 
 the followingf, w liich may perhaps be as 
 correct as it is possible now to furnish. 
 
 sculptures. The preceding winged 
 figure taken from the sculpture at 
 Persepolis may perhaps have been a 
 rude image of tlie ancient cherub. 
 
 ■.^ ;lll l« lll u^ll l l ll ^m»^l ^w,u^l l' l^ l ui, ' M l'W vilu^Mlll"HH|l|ll'Hy 
 
 \ Shadowing. Stretching out its wings i 
 BO as to cover the mercy-seat. IT The ] 
 mercy-seat. Tlie cover of the ark on ; 
 which rested the cloud or visible sym- 
 liol of Uio divine presence. It was 
 called ' mercy-seat,' or propitiatory — j 
 IXaaTj/piov— because it was this which 
 was sprinkled over with the blood of I 
 atonement or propitiation, and be- ! 
 cause it was from tliis place, on which ! 
 the symbol of th(5 deity rested, that 
 God manifested himscli as propitious 
 to sinners. Tlie blood of the atone- 
 ment was lliat through or by means 
 of which he declared his mercy to the 
 guilty. Here God was supposed to 
 be seated, and from this place he was 
 Bupposcd to dispense mercy to man 
 when the blood of the atonement was 
 
 sprinkled there. Tiiis was undoubt- 
 edly designed to be a symbol of his 
 dispensing mere}' to men in virtue of 
 the blood which the Saviour shed as 
 the great sacrifice for guilt. See vs. 
 13, 14. If Of which we cannot now 
 speak particularly. That is, it 13 
 not my present design to speak par- 
 ticularly of these things. These mat- 
 tcrs were well understood by those to ' 
 whom he wrote, and his object did not 
 rc(|aire him to go into a fuller cxpla- 
 nation. 
 
 C. llTc/i these things were thus or- 
 dained. Thus arranged or appointed 
 Having shown what the tabernacle 
 iras,the a|)ostlc proceeds to show what 
 was done in it. ^ The priests went 
 always into the Jirst tabernacle. Tho 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 195 
 
 7 But into the second went 
 the high priest alone "once eve- 
 ry year, not without blood, 
 which he offered for * himself, 
 and for the errors of the peo- 
 ple : 
 
 a Ex. 30. 10 ; Le. 10. 2, &c. b c. 5. 3. 
 
 outer tabernacle called the holy place. 
 They were not permitted to enter the 
 Holy of Holies, that being entered 
 only once in a year by the High 
 Priest. The holy place was entered 
 every day to make the morning and 
 evening oblation. IT Accomplishing 
 the service of God. Performing the 
 acts of worship which God had ap- 
 pointed — burning incense, &c. Lulie 
 i. 9. 
 
 7. But into the second. The second 
 apartment or room, called the most 
 holy place. Ver. 3. IT Went the high 
 priest alone once every year. On the 
 great day of atonement. Ex. xxx. 1 0. 
 On that day he probably entered the 
 Holy of Holies three or four times, 
 first to burn incense. Lev. xvi. 12; 
 then to sprinkle the blood of the bul- 
 lock on the mercy-seat. Lev. xvi. 14; 
 then he was to kill the goat of the 
 sin-oifering, and bring that blood with- 
 in the veil and sprinkle it also on tJie 
 mercy-seat, and then, perhaps, he en- 
 tered again to bring out the golden 
 censer. The Jewish tradition is, that 
 lie entered the Holy of Holies four 
 times on that day. After all, how- 
 ever, the number of times is not cer- 
 tain, nor is it material, the only im- 
 portant point being that he entered it 
 only on one day of the year, while 
 the holy place was entered every day. 
 T Not loithont hlood. That is, he bare 
 with him blood to sprinkle on the 
 mercy-seat. Tliis was the blood of 
 the bullock and of the goat — borne in 
 at two different times. IT Which he 
 offered for himself. The blood of the 
 bullock was offered for himself and 
 for his house or family — thus keeping 
 impressively before his own mind and 
 the mind of the people tlie fact that 
 the priests even of tlie highest order 
 were sinners, and needed expiation 
 
 8 The Holy Ghost this sig-- 
 nifying-, That the way ' into 
 the holiest of all was not yet 
 made manifest, while as the 
 first tabernacle was yet stand- 
 ing: 
 
 e Jno. 14. 6 ; c. 10. 19, 20. 
 
 like others. Lev. xvi. 12. IT And for 
 the errors of the people. The blood 
 of the goat was offered for them. Lev. 
 xvi. 15. The word rendered errors — 
 ayvorina — denotes properly ignorance, 
 involuntary error ; and then error or 
 fault in general — the same as the He- 
 brew nJlK/p — from nJK' — to err. The 
 object was to make expiation for all 
 the errors and sins of the people, and 
 this occurred once in the year. The 
 repetition of these sacrifices was a 
 constant remembrancer of sin, and 
 the design was that neither the priests 
 nor the people should lose sight of the 
 fact that they were violators of the 
 law of God. 
 
 8. The Holy Ghost. Who appoint, 
 ed all this. The whole arrangement 
 in the service of the tabernacle is 
 represented as having been under the 
 direction of the Holy Ghost, or this 
 was one of his methods of teaching 
 the great truths of religion, and of 
 keeping them before the minds of 
 men. Sometimes that Spirit taught 
 by direct revelation ; sometimes by 
 the written word; and sometimes by 
 symbols. The tabernacle, with its 
 different apartments, utensils, and ser- 
 vices, was a permanent means of keep, 
 ing important truths before the minds 
 of the ancient people of God. IT This 
 signifying. That is, showing this 
 truth, or making use of this arrange- 
 ment to impress this truth on the 
 minds of men that the way into the 
 holiest of all was not yet made mani. 
 fest. IT That the way into the holiest 
 of all. Into heaven — of which the 
 Most Holy place in the tabernacle 
 was undoubtedly designed to be an 
 emblem. It was the place where the 
 visible symbol of God — the Shekinah 
 — dwelt ; where the blood of propitieu 
 
196 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 9 Which tons a figure for the 
 time then present, in which 
 were oH'ered both gifts and sa- 
 
 a Ps. 40. 6, 7 ; Ga. 3. 21 ; c. 10 1, H. 
 
 lion was sprinkled, and was, there- 
 fore, an appropriate cniblem of that 
 holy heaven where God dwells, and 
 whence pardon is obtained by the 
 blood of the atonement. If Was not 
 yet made manifest. The way to hea- 
 ven was not opened or fully under- 
 stood. It was not known how men 
 could appear before God, or how they 
 could come with the hope of pardon. 
 That way has now been opened by 
 the ascension of the Redeemer to hea- 
 ven, and by the assurance that all 
 who will may come in his name. 
 IT While as the Jirst tabernacle teas 
 yet standing. As long as it stood, 
 and the appointed services were held 
 in it. The idea is, that until it was 
 superseded by a more perfect system, 
 it was a proof that the way to heaven 
 was not yet fully and freely opened, 
 and that tiie Holy Ghost designed that 
 it should be such a proof. The apos- 
 tle does not specify in what the proof 
 consisted, but it may have been in 
 something' like the following. (1.) It 
 was a mere symbol, and not the real- 
 ity — showing that the true way was 
 not yet fully understood. (2.) It was 
 entered but once a year — showing 
 that there was not access at all times. 
 (3.) It was entered only by the High 
 Fricst — showing that there was not 
 free and full access to all the people. 
 (4.) It was accessible only by Jews — 
 showing that the way in which all 
 men might be saved was not then fully 
 revealed. The sense is, that it was 
 a system of types and shadows, in 
 which there were many burdensome 
 rites and many things to prevent men 
 from coming before the symbol of the 
 divinity, and was, therefore, an int. 
 perfect wystem. All these obstruc- 
 tions are now removed ; the Saviour 
 — the great High Priest of his people 
 — has entered heaven and ' opened it 
 to all true believers,' and all of every 
 nation may now have free access to 
 
 crifices, that could not » make 
 him that did the service perfect, 
 as pertaining to the conscience ; * 
 
 b Ps. 151. 16-19. 
 
 God. See vcr. 12. Comp. ch. x. 19 
 
 22. 
 
 9. Which was a figure for the time 
 then present. That is, as long as the 
 tabernacle stood. The word rendered 
 .figure — JTapaiioXl) — is not the same as 
 type — Tuirof — (Rom. v. 14; Acts vii. 
 43, 44 ; John xx. 25 ; I. Cor. x. 6. 1 1 ; 
 Phil. iii. 17, et al.) — but is the word 
 commonly rendered parable. Matt 
 xiii. 3. lU. 13. 18. 24,31.33—36. 53; 
 XV. 15, et sccpe, and means proi^erly a 
 placing side by side ; then a compa. 
 rison, or similitude. Here it is used 
 in the sense of image, or symbol — 
 something to represent other things. 
 The idea is, that the arrangements 
 and services of the tabernacle were a 
 representation of important realities, 
 and of things which were more fully 
 to be revealed at a future period. 
 There can be no doubt that Paul meant 
 to say that this service in general was 
 symbolical or typical, though this 
 will not authorize us to attempt to 
 spiritualize every minute arrange- 
 ment of it. Some of the things in 
 which it was typicil are specified by 
 the apostle himself, and wisdom and 
 safety in explaining the arrangements 
 of the tabernacle and its services con- 
 sist in adhering very closely to the 
 explanations furnished by the inspired 
 writers. An interpreter is on an open 
 sea, to be driven he knows not whi- 
 ther, when he takes leave of these 
 safe pilots. ^ Both gifts. Thank-of- 
 ferings. IT And sacrifices. Bloody of^ 
 ferings. The idea is, that all kinds 
 of offerings to God w^re made there. 
 If Thai could not make him that did 
 the service perfect. That could not 
 take away sin, and remove the stains 
 of guilt on the soul. Note ch. vii. 11 ; 
 comp. ch. viii. 7; vii. 27; x. 1. 11. 
 If As pertaining to the conscience. 
 They related mainly to outward and 
 ceremonial rites, and even when offer- 
 ings were made for sin the conscience 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 197 
 
 10 Which stood only in meats'^ 
 and drinks, and divers wash- 
 ings, * and carnal ' ordinances, ' 
 
 a Le 11. 2, &.c. b Nu. 19. 7, &c. 
 
 was not relieved. They could not 
 expiate guilt; they could not make 
 the soul pure ; they could not of them- 
 selves impart peace to the soul by re- 
 conciling it to God. They could not 
 fully accomplish vs^hat the conscience 
 needed to have done in order to give 
 it peace. Nothing will do this but 
 the blood of the Redeemer. 
 
 10. Which stood only in meats and 
 drinks. The idea is, that the ordi- 
 nances of the Jews, in connexion with 
 the services of religion, consisted 
 much of laws pertaining to what was 
 lawful to eat and drink, &:.c. A con- 
 siderable part of those laws related 
 to the distinction between clean and 
 unclean beasts, and to such arrange- 
 ments as were designed to keep them 
 externally distinct trom other nations. 
 It is possible also that there may be 
 a reference here to meat and drink 
 offerings. On the grammatical diffi- 
 culties of this verse, see Stuart on the 
 Hebrews, in loc. If And divers wash- 
 ings. The various ablutions which 
 were required in the service of the ta- 
 bernacle and the temple — washing of 
 the hands, of the victim that was to 
 be offered, &,c. It was for this pur- 
 pose that the laver was erected in 
 front of the tabernacle (Ex. xxx. 18 ; 
 xxxi. 9 ; XXXV. Iti), and that the bra- 
 zen sea and the lavers were constructed 
 in connexion with the temple of Solo- 
 mon. II. Chron. iv. 3 — 5; I. Kings 
 vii. 26. The Greek word here is bap- 
 tisms. On its meaning, see Notes on 
 Matt. iii. 6 ; Mark vii. 4. IT And carnal 
 ordinances. Marg. ' Or, riles, or cere- 
 monies.^ Gr. ' Ordinances of the fltsh ;' 
 that is, which pertained to the flesli, 
 or to external ceremonies. The ob- 
 ject was rather to keep them exter- 
 nally pure than to cleanse the con- 
 science and make them holy in heart. 
 IT Imposed on them. Laid on them — 
 iTHKcifieva. It does not mean that there 
 *vvas any oppression or injustice in re- 
 17* 
 
 imposed on them until the time 
 of reformation. 
 
 ll But Christ beincr come an 
 
 1 or, riles or ceremonies. 
 
 c Ep. 2. 15. 
 
 gard to these ordinances, but that 
 they were appointed for a temporary 
 purpose. If Until the time of reforma- 
 tion. The word here rendered refor- 
 mation — (5tdf)Sa)(r(j — means properly 
 emendation, improvement, reform. It 
 refers to putting a thing in a right 
 condition ; making it better ; or rais- 
 ing up and restoring that which is 
 fallen down. Passow. Here the re- 
 ference is undoubtedly to the gospel 
 as being a better system — a putting 
 things where they ought to he. Comp. 
 Notes on Acts iii. 21. The idea here 
 is, that those ordinances were only 
 temporary in their nature, and were 
 designed to endure till a more perfect 
 system should be introduced. They 
 were of value to introduce that better 
 system ; they were not adapted to pu- 
 rify the conscience and remove the 
 stains of guilt from the soul. 
 
 11. But Christ being come. Now 
 that the Messiah has come, a more 
 perfect system is introduced by which 
 the conscience may be made free from 
 guilt. If An high priest of good things 
 to come. See ch. x. 1. The apostle 
 having described the tabernacle, and 
 shown wherein it was defective in 
 regard to the real wants of sinners, 
 proceeds now to describe the Christian 
 system, and to show how that met 
 the real condition of man, and espe- 
 cially how it was adapted to remove 
 sin from the soul. The phrase ' high 
 priest of good things to come,' seems 
 to refer to those ' good things' which 
 belonged to the dispensation that i£ias 
 to come ; that is, the dispensation 
 under the Messiah. The Jews anti- 
 cipated great blessings in that time. 
 Tlicy looked forward to better tlun»« 
 than they enjoyed under the old dis- 
 pensation. They expected more sig. 
 nal proofs of tlie divine favour ; a 
 clearer knowledge of the way of par. 
 don ; and more eminent spiritual en- 
 joyments. Of these, the apostle savg 
 
ITO 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 high » priest of pootl * thinrrs 
 to come, by ;i greater' and more 
 perfect tabernacle, not ihade 
 
 a c. 3. 1. 6 c. 10. 1. 
 
 that Christ, wlio liad come, was now 
 tlie high priest. It was he by whom 
 they were procured ; and tiic time 
 had actually arrived when they might 
 enjoy the long-aulicipated good things 
 under the Messiaii. If By a greater 
 and more perfect tabernacle. The 
 meaning is, that Christ officiated as 
 high priest in a mucii more magnifi- 
 cent and perfect temple than cither 
 the tabernacle or the temple under 
 the old dispensation. lie performed 
 the great functions of his priestly of- 
 fice — the sprinkling of the blood of 
 the atonement — in heaven itself, of 
 which the most holy place in the ta- 
 bernacle was but the emblem. The 
 Jewish high priest entered tlie sanc- 
 tuary made with hands to minister 
 before God ; Christ entered into hea- 
 ven itself. The word ' by^ here — i3<u — 
 means probably through, and the idea 
 is, that Christ passed through a more 
 perfect tabernacle on his way to the 
 mercy-seat in heaven than the Jew- 
 ish high priest did when he passed 
 through the outer tabernacle (ver. "2), 
 and through the veil into the most 
 holy place. Probably the idea in the 
 mind of the writer was that of the 
 Saviour passing through the visible 
 heavens above us, to which the veil, 
 ' dividing the holy from the most holy 
 place in the temple, bore some resem- 
 blance. Many, however, have under- 
 stood the word ' tabernacle' here as 
 denoting the body of Christ (see Gro- 
 tius and Bloonifield in loc.) ; and ac- 
 cording to tills the idea is, that Christ 
 by means of his own body and l)lood 
 offered as a sacrifice, entered into the 
 most holy place in heaven. But it 
 seems to me that the whole scope of 
 ttle passage requires us to understand 
 it of the more perfect temple in hea- 
 ven where Christ performs his minis- 
 try, and of which tlie tabernacle of 
 the Hebrews was but the emblem. 
 Christ did not belong to the tribe of 
 Levi ; lie was not an high ]>riest of 
 
 with hands, that is to say, not 
 of this building, 
 
 I'J Neither by the blood of 
 
 e c. 8. 2, 
 
 the order of Aaron ; he did not enter 
 the holy place on earth, but he entered 
 the heaven.s, and perfects the work 
 of his ministry there. ^ Not made 
 with hands. A phrase that properly 
 describes heaven as being fitted up by 
 God himself. See Notes on II. Cor. 
 V. I. IT Not of this building. Gr. 'of 
 this creation — ktIccu)!. The meaning 
 is, that the place where he officiates 
 is not fitted up by human power and 
 art, but is the work of God. The ob- 
 ject is to show that his ministry is 
 altogether more perfect than that 
 which could be rendered by a Jewish 
 priest, and performed in a temple 
 which could not have been reared by 
 human skill and power. 
 
 12. Neither by the blood of goats 
 and calves. The Jewish sacrifice 
 consisted of the shedding of the blood 
 of animals. On the great day of the 
 atonement the high priest took with 
 him into the most holy place (1) the 
 blood of a young bullock (Lev. xvi. 3. 
 11), which is here called the blood of 
 a ' calf,' which he offered for his own 
 sin ; and (2) the blood of a goat, as 
 a sin-offering for others. Lev. xvi. 9, 
 15. It was by, or by means of — iia — 
 blood thus sprinkled on the mercy- 
 scat, that the high priest 'sought the 
 forgiveness of his own sins and the 
 sins of the people. IT But hy his own 
 blood. That is, by his own blood shed 
 for the remission of sins. The mean- 
 ing is, that it was in virtue of his own 
 blood, or hy means of that, that he 
 sought the pardon of his people. That 
 blood was not shed for himself — for 
 he had no sin — and consequently 
 there was a material difference be- 
 tween his otlering and that of the 
 Jewish high priest. The difference 
 related to such points as these. (1.) 
 The offering whicli Christ made was 
 wholly for others ; that of the Jewish 
 priest tor himself as well as for tlioni. 
 (2.) Tlie blood offered by the Jcv.ish . 
 priest was that of aiiini.ils; that offer. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 199 
 
 goats ° and calves, but by his 
 own* blood, he entered in once 
 into the holy place, ' having ob- 
 tained eternal redemption for 
 tis. 
 
 a c. 10. 4. 
 
 b Ac. 20.28; 1 Pe. 1. 18, 19; Re. 1.5. 
 
 ed by the Saviour was his own. (3.) 
 That offered by the Jewish priest 
 was only an emblem or type — for it 
 could not take away sin ; that offered 
 by Christ had a real efficacy, and re- 
 moves transgression from the soul. 
 IT He entered into the holy place. Hea- 
 ven. The meaning is, that as the 
 Jewish high priest bore the blood of 
 the animal into the Holy of Holies, 
 and sprinkled it there as the means 
 of expiation, so the offering which 
 Christ has to make in heaven, or the 
 consideration on which be pleads for 
 the pardon of his people, is the blood 
 which he shed on Calvary. Having 
 made the atonement, he now pleads 
 the merit of it as a reason why sin- 
 ners should be saved. It is not, of 
 course, meant that he literally bore 
 his own blood into heaven — as the 
 high priest did the blood of the bul- 
 lock and the goat into the sanctuary ; 
 or that he literally sprinkled it on the 
 mercy-seat there, but that that blood, 
 having been shed for sin, is now the 
 ground of his pleading and interces- 
 sion for the pardon of sin — as the 
 sprinkled blood of the Jewish sacrifice 
 was the ground of the pleading of the 
 Jewish high priest for the pardon of 
 himself and the people. "^ Having 
 obtained eternal redemption for us. 
 That is, by the shedding of his blood. 
 On the meaning of the word redemp- 
 tion, see Notes on Gal. iii. 13. The 
 redemption which the Lord Jesus 
 effected for his people is eternal. It 
 will continue for ever. It is not a 
 temporary deliverance leaving the re- 
 deemed in danger of falling into sin 
 and ruin, but it makes salvation 
 secure, and in its effects extends 
 through eternity. Who can estimate 
 the extent of that love which pur- 
 chased for us such a redemption ? 
 
 13 For if the blood of bulls 
 and of goats, and the ashes <* of 
 an heifer sprinkling the un- 
 clean, sanctifieth to the purify- 
 ing of the flesh ; 
 
 c c. 10. 19. 
 
 d Nu. 19. 2—17. 
 
 Who can be sufficiently grateful that 
 he is thus redeemed ? The doctrine 
 in this verse is, that the blood of 
 Christ is the means of redemption, 
 or atones for sin. In the following 
 verses the apostle shows that it not 
 only makes atonement for in, but 
 that it is the means of sanctifying or 
 purifying the soul. 
 
 13. For if the blood of bulls and of 
 goats. Referring still to the great 
 day of atonement, when the offering 
 made was the sacrifice of a bullock 
 and a goat. IT And the ashes of an 
 heifer. For an account of this, see 
 Numbers xix. 2 — 10. In ver. 9, it is 
 said that the ashes of the heifer, after 
 it was burnt, should be kept ' for a 
 water of separation; it is a purifica- 
 tion for sin.' That is, the ashes were 
 to be carefully preserved, and being 
 mixed with water were sprinkled on 
 those who were from any cause cere- 
 monially impure. The reason for 
 this appears to have been that the 
 heifer was considered as a sacrifice 
 whose blood has been offered, and the 
 application of the ashes to which she 
 had been burnt was regarded as an 
 evidence of participation in that sa- 
 crifice. It was needful, where the 
 laws were so numerous respecting 
 external pollutions, or where the mem 
 bcrs of the Jewish community were 
 regarded as so frequently ' unclean' 
 by contact with dead bodies, and in 
 various other ways, that there should 
 be some method in which they could 
 be declared to be cleansed from their 
 ' uncleanness.' The nature of tliose 
 institutions also required that Miis 
 should be in connexion with sacrijice, 
 and in order to this, it was arranged 
 that there should be this pei manent 
 sacrijice — the ashes of the heifer that 
 had been sacrificed — of which they 
 
200 
 
 IIKBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 14 How much more shall the 
 
 could avail themselves at any time, 
 without the expense and delay of 
 making a hloody otVcrin<r spceifically 
 for the occasion. It was, therefore, 
 a provision of convenience, and at 
 the same time was dcsig-ned to keep 
 up the idea, that all puritication was 
 somehow connected with the shed- 
 ding of blood. IT Sprinkling the vn. 
 clean. Mingled with water, and 
 sprinkled on the unclean. The word 
 unclean here refers to such as had 
 been defiled by contact with dead 
 bodies, or when one had died in the 
 family, &c. See Num. .\ix. 11—22. 
 ^ Sanctijieth to the purifying of the 
 flesh. Makes holy so far as the" flesh 
 or body is concerned. The unelean- 
 ness here referred to related to the 
 body only, and of course the means 
 of cleansing extended only to tlint. 
 It was not designed to give peace to 
 the conscience, or to expiate moral 
 offences. The offering thus made re- 
 moved the obstructions to the worship 
 of God so far as to allow him who had 
 been defiled to approach him in a re- 
 gular manner. Thus much the apos- 
 tle allows was accomplished by tlie 
 Jewish rites. They had an efficacy 
 in removing ceremonial uncleanness, 
 and in rendering it proper that he 
 who had been polluted should be per- 
 mitted again to approach and worship 
 God. Tlie apostle goes on to argue 
 that if they had such an efficacy, it 
 was fair to presume that tlie blood of 
 Christ would have far greater effi- 
 cacy, and would reach to the con- 
 science itself, and make tliat pure. 
 
 14. How much more shall the blood 
 of Christ. As being infinitely more 
 precious than the blood of an animal 
 could possibly be. If the blood of an 
 animal had any efficacy at all, even 
 in removing ceremonial pollutions, 
 how nmch more is it reasonable to 
 suppose may be effected by the blood 
 of the Son of God ! t Who through 
 the eternal Spirit. This expression is 
 very diflicult, and lias given rise to a 
 great variety of interpretation. — Some 
 
 blood of Christ, who " through 
 
 a 1 Vc. 3. 18. 
 
 MSS. instead of eternal here, read 
 holy, making it refer directly to the 
 Holy Spirit. See Welsiein. These va- 
 rious readings, however, are not re- 
 garded as of suthcient authority to 
 lead to a change in the text, and are 
 of importance only as showing that 
 it was an early opinion that the Holy 
 Spirit is here referred to. The prin- 
 cipal opinions whicli have been enter- 
 tained of the meaning of this phrase, 
 are the following. (1.) That which 
 regards it as relcrring to the Holy 
 Spirit, the tliird personof the Trinity. 
 This was the opinion of Owen, Dod- 
 dridge, and archbishop Tillotson. (2.) 
 That which refers it to the divine na- 
 ture of Christ. Among those who 
 have maintained this opinion, are 
 Bcza, Ernesti, Wolf, Vitringa, Storr, 
 and the late Dr. J. P. Wilson. MSS. 
 Notes. (3.) Others, as Grotius, Ro- 
 senmuller, Koppe, understand it as 
 meaning endless or immortal life, in 
 contradistinction from the Jewish sa- 
 crifices which were of a perishable 
 nature, and which needed so often to 
 be repeated. (4.) Otiiers regard it as 
 referring to the glorified person of the 
 Saviour, meaning tliat in his exalted, 
 or spiritual station in heaven, he pre- 
 sents the efficacy of his blood. (5.) 
 Others suppose that it means divine 
 influence, and tliat tlie idea is, tliat 
 Christ was actuated and filled with a 
 divine influence when he offered up 
 himself as a sacrifice ; an influence 
 wjiich was not of a temporal and 
 fleeting nature, but which was eter- 
 nal in its efficacy. This is tlie inter- 
 pretation preferred by Prof. Stuart, 
 For an examination of these various 
 opinions, see his ' Excursus, xviii.' on 
 tliis epistle. It is difficult, if not im- 
 possible, to decide what is the true 
 meaning of tiie passage amidst this 
 diversity of opinion ; but tiiere are 
 some reasons which seem to me to 
 make it prolxible that the Holy Spirit 
 is intended, and that the idea is, that 
 Christ made his great sacrifice under 
 the extraordinary influences of tliat 
 
A.. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 201 
 
 the eternal Spirit offered him- 
 self without ' spot to God : 
 purge " your conscience from 
 
 Eternal Spirit. Tlie reasons which 
 lead me to this opinion, are the fol- 
 lowing-. (1.) It is that which would 
 occur to the great mass of the readers 
 of the New Testament. It is pre- 
 sumed that the great body of sober, 
 plain, and intelligent readers of the 
 Bible, on perusing the passage, sup- 
 pose that it refers to the Holy Ghost, 
 the third person of the Trinity. There 
 are few better and safer rules for the 
 interpretation of a volume designed 
 like the Bible for the mass of man- 
 kind, than to abide by the sense in 
 which they understand it. (2.) This 
 interpretation is one which is most 
 naturally conveyed by the language of 
 the original. The phrase the spirit — 
 To-Kvivita — has so far a technical and 
 established meaning in tlie New 
 Testament as to denote the Holy 
 Ghost, unless there is something in 
 the connexion which renders such an 
 application improper. In this case 
 there is nothing certainly which ne- 
 cesaarily forbids such an application. 
 The high names and classical authori- 
 ty of those who have held this opinion, 
 are a sufficient guarantee of this. 
 (3.) This interpretation accords with 
 the fact that the Lord Jesus is repre- 
 sented as liaving been eminently en- 
 dowed with tlie influences of the Holy 
 Spirit. Comp. Notes on John iii. 34. 
 Though he was divine, yet he was 
 also a man, and as such was under 
 influences similar to those of other 
 pious men. The Holy Spirit is the 
 source and sustainer of all piety in 
 the soul, and it is not improper to sup- 
 pose that the man Christ Jesus was 
 in a remarkable manner influenced 
 by the Holy Ghost in his readiness to 
 obey God and to suffer according to 
 his will. (4.) If there was ever any 
 occasion on whicli we may suppose 
 he was influenced by the Holy Giiost, 
 that of his sufferings and death here 
 referred to may be supposed eminent- 
 ly to have been such an one. It was 
 
 dead works to serve " the living 
 God? 
 
 ] or, fault. a c. ]0. 22. b 1 Pe. 4. 2. 
 
 expressive of the highest state of piety 
 — of the purest love to God and man 
 — which has ever existed in the hu- 
 man bosom ; it was the most trying 
 time of his own life ; it was the pe- 
 riod when there would be the most 
 strong temptation to abandon his 
 work ; and as the redemption of the 
 whole world was dependent on tliat 
 act, it is reasonable to suppose that 
 the richest heavenly grace would be 
 there imparted to him, and that he 
 would then be eminently under the 
 influence of that Spirit which was 
 granted not '■by measure unto him.' 
 Notes John iii. 34. (5.) This repre- 
 sentation is not inconsistent with the 
 belief that the sufferings and death 
 of the Redeemer were voluntary, and 
 had all the merit which belongs to a 
 voluntary transaction. Piety in the 
 heart of a Christian now is not less 
 voluntary because it is produced and 
 cherished by the Holy Ghost, nor is 
 there less excellence in it because the 
 Holy Ghost imparts strong faith in 
 the time of temptation and trial. It 
 seems to me, therefore, that the mean- 
 ing of this expression is, that the 
 Lord Jesus was led by the strong in- 
 fluences of the Spirit of God to de- 
 vote himself as a sacrifice for sin. It 
 was not by any temporary influence ; 
 not by mere excitement ; it was by 
 the influence of the Eternal Spirit of 
 God, and the sacrifice thus ofi^ered 
 could, therefore, accomplish effects 
 which would be eternal in their char- 
 acter. It was not like the offering 
 made by the Jewish high priest which 
 was necessarily renewed every year, 
 but it was under the influence of one 
 who was eternal, and the effects of 
 whose influence might be everlasting. 
 It may be added, tliat if this is a cor- 
 rect exposition, it follows that the 
 Holy Ghost is eternal, and must, there- 
 fore, be divine. If Offered himself. 
 That is, as a sacrifice. H« did not 
 offer a bullock or a goat, but he offer- 
 
203 
 
 HKBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 cd himsflf. The sacrifice of one's ' 
 self is tliu liijrlicst orttring which lie 
 can make ; in this case it was the high- 
 est whicli the universe liad to make. 
 11 WilhoiU spot. Marg. ' Or fault.' 
 Tlie animal that was offered in the 
 Jewish sacrifices was to be without 
 b.emish. See Lev. i. 10 ; xxii. 19 — 
 22. It was not to be lame, or blind, 
 or diseased The word wliich is here 
 used and rendered ' without spot' — 
 0^(1)^0$ — refers to this fa( t — that there 
 was no defect or bleniish. The idea 
 is, that the Lord Jesus, the great sac- 
 rifice, was perfect. See ch. vii. 26. 
 IT Purge your conscience. That is, 
 cleanse, purify, or sanctify your con- 
 science. Tlie idea is, that this offer- 
 ing would take away whatever ren- 
 dered the conscience defiled or sinful. 
 The otferings of the Jews related in 
 the main to external purification, and 
 were not adapted to give peace to a 
 troubled conscience. They could ren- 
 der the worshipper externally pure so 
 that he might draw near to God and 
 not be excluded by any ceremonial 
 pollution or defilement; but the mind, 
 the heart, the conscience, they could 
 not make pure. They could not re- 
 move that which troubles a man wlien 
 he recollects that he has violated a 
 holy law and has offended God, and 
 when he looks forward to an awful 
 judgment-bar. The word conscience 
 here is not to be understood as a dis- 
 tinct and independent faculty of the 
 soul, but as the soul or 7nind itself re- 
 flecting and pronouncing on its own 
 acts. The whole expression refers to 
 a mind alarmed by the recollection 
 of guilt — for it is guilt only that dis- 
 turbs a man's conscience. Guilt ori- 
 ginates in the soul remorse and de- 
 spair ; guilt makes a man troubled 
 when he thinks of death and the 
 judgment; it is guilt onli/ which 
 alarms a man when lie tliinks of a 
 holy God ; and it is nothing but guilt 
 that makes the entrance into another 
 world terrible and awful. If a man 
 had no guilt he would never dread his 
 Maker, nor would the presence of his 
 God be ever painful to him (comp. 
 Gen. iii. 6 — 10); if a man had no 
 
 guilt he would not fear to die — for 
 what have the innocent to fear any. 
 where ? The universe is under the 
 government of a God of goodness and 
 truth, and, under such a government, 
 how can those who liave done no 
 wrong have anything to dread ? The 
 fear of death, tiie apprehension of 
 the judgment to come, and the dread 
 of God, are strong and irrefragable 
 proofs that everj' man is a sinner. 
 The only thing, therefore, which ever 
 disturbs tlie conscience, and makes 
 death dreadful, and God an object of 
 aversion, and eternity awful, is guilt. 
 If that is removed, man is calm and 
 peaceful ; if not, lie is the victim of 
 wretchedness and despair. If From 
 dead works. From works that are 
 deadly in their nature, or that lead to 
 death. Or it may mean from works 
 that have no spirituality and no life. 
 By ^works'" here the apostle does not 
 refer to their outward religious acts 
 particularly, but to the conduct of the 
 life, to what men do ; and the idea is, 
 that their acts are not spiritual and 
 saving but such as lead to death. See 
 Note ch. vi. i. IT To serve the living 
 God. Not in outward form, but in 
 sincerity and in truth ; to be his true 
 friends and worshippers. The phrase 
 ' the living God' is commonly used in 
 the Scriptures to describe the true 
 God as distinguished from idols which 
 are represented as dead, or without life. 
 Ps. cxv. 4 — 7. The idea in this verse 
 is, that it is only the sacrifice made 
 by Christ which can remove the stain 
 of guilt from the soul. It could not 
 be done by the blood of bulls and of 
 goats — for that did not furnish relief 
 to a guilty conscience, but it could be 
 done by the blood of Christ. The 
 sacrifice which he made for sin was 
 so pure and of such value, that God 
 can consistently jiardon the offender 
 and restore him to his favour. That 
 blood too can give peace — for Christ 
 poured it out in behalf of the guilty. 
 It is not that he took part with the 
 sinner against God ; it is not that he 
 endeavours to convince him who has 
 a troubled conscience that he is need- 
 lessly alarmed, or that sin is not as 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 203 
 
 15 And for this cause he is 
 the Mediator of the New Tes- 
 tament, that by means of death, 
 for the redemption of the trans- 
 gressions that were under the 
 
 bad as it is represented to be, or that 
 it does not expose the soul to danger. 
 Christ never took the part of the sin- 
 ner against God ; he never taught 
 that sin was a small matter, or that 
 it did not expose to danger. He ad- 
 mitted all that is said of its evil. But 
 he provides for giving peace to tiie 
 guilty conscience by shedding his 
 blood tliat it may be forgiven, and by 
 revealing a God of mercy vi'ho is will- 
 ing to receive the oft'ender into favour, 
 and to treat him as though he had 
 never sinned. Thus the troubled con- 
 science may find peace ; and thus, 
 though guilty, man may be delivered 
 from the dread of the wrath to come. 
 15. And for this cause. With this 
 view ; that is, to make an effectual 
 atonement for sin, and to provide a 
 way by which the troubled conscience 
 may have peace. IT He is the Media- 
 tor. See Notes on Gal. iii. 19, 20. 
 He is the Mediator between God and 
 man in respect to that new covenant 
 which he lias n).ade, or that new dis- 
 pensation by which men are to be 
 saved. He stands between God and 
 man — the parties at variance — and 
 undertakes the work of mediation and 
 reconciliation. ^ Of the New Testa- 
 merit. Not testament — for a testament, 
 or will, needs no mediator ; but of the 
 71CW covenant, or the new arrange- 
 ment or disposition of things under 
 which he proposes to pardon and save 
 the guilty. See Notes on vs. 16, 17. 
 IT That by means of death. His own 
 death as a sacrifice for sin. The old 
 covenant or arrangement also con- 
 templated death — but it v.-as the death 
 of an animal. The purposes of this 
 were to be effected by tlie death of 
 the Mediator himself; or this cove- 
 nant was to be ratified in his blood. 
 IT For the rtdenrption of the transgres- 
 sions that were under the Jirst testa- 
 ment. The covenant or arrangement 
 
 first testament, they which are 
 called might receive the pro- 
 mise of eternal inheritance : 
 16 For where a testament 
 
 under Moses. The general idea here 
 is, that these were offences for which 
 no expiation could be made by the 
 sacrifices under that dispensation, or 
 from which the blood then slicd could 
 not redeem. This general idea may 
 include two particulars. (1.) That 
 they who had committed transgres- 
 sions under that covenant, and who 
 could not be fully pardoned by the 
 imperfect sacrifices then made, would 
 receive a full forgiveness of all their 
 sins in the great day of account 
 through the blood of Christ. Though 
 the blood of bulls and goats could not 
 expiate, yet they offered that blood in 
 faith ; they relied on the promised 
 mercy of God ; they looked forward 
 to a perfect sacrifice — and now the 
 blood of the great atonement offered 
 as a full expiation for all tlieir sins, 
 would be the ground of their acquittal 
 in tlic last day. (2.) That the blood 
 of Christ would now avail for the re- 
 mission of all those sins which could 
 not be expiated by the sacrifices ofl 
 fered under the law. It not only 
 contemplated the remission of all the 
 offences committed by the truly pious 
 under that law, but would now avail 
 to put away sin entirely. No sacri- 
 fice wliich men could offer would 
 avail, but the blood of Christ would 
 remove all that guilt. IT That they 
 which are called. Alike under the 
 old covenant and tlie new. IT Might 
 receive the promise of eternal inherit- 
 ance. TJiat is, tlie fulfilment of the 
 promise ; or that they might be made 
 partakers of eternal blessings. That 
 blood is effectual alike to save those 
 under the ancient covenant and the 
 new — so tJiat they will be saved in 
 the same manner, and unite in the 
 same song of redeeming love. 
 
 1 6. For lohen a testament is. This 
 is the same word — SiaS/jKri — which in 
 eh. viii. 6 is rendered covenant. For 
 
204 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. CI. 
 
 is, there must also ot" neces- 
 
 1 or, be brougkl in. 
 
 the general signification of the word, 
 see Note on tliat verse. Tiiere is so 
 much depentliug, liowovcr, on the 
 meaning of the word, not only in tlie 
 interpretation of tliis passage, but also 
 of otiier parts of the Ijible, that it may 
 be proper to explain it here more at 
 length. Tlie word — iia^i'inn — occurs 
 in the New Testament thirty-tiirec 
 times. It is translated covenant in 
 the common version, in Luke i. 72 ; 
 Acts iii. 25 ; vii. 8 ; Rom. ix. 4 ; xi. 
 27; Gal. iii. 15. 17 ; iv. 24; Eph. ii. 
 12 ; Heb. viii. G. 8, 8, twice, 10 ; ix. 4, 
 twice; x. 16; xii. 24; xiii. 20. In 
 the remaining places it is rendered 
 testament. Matt. xxvi. 28 ; Mark xii. 
 24 ; Luke xxii. 20 ; I. Cor. xi. 25 ; IL 
 Cor. iii. 6. 14 ; Heb. vii. 22 ; xv. 15 — 
 17. 20 ; Rev. xi. 19. In four of those 
 insUnces (Matt. xxvi. 28 ; Mark xiv. 
 24 ; Luke xxii. 20, and I. Cor. xi. 25), 
 it is used with reference to the insti- 
 tution or celebration of the Lord's 
 Supper. In the Septuagint it occurs 
 not far from three hundred times, in 
 considerably more than two hundred of 
 which, it is the translation of tlic He- 
 brew word jT13 — Berith. In one in. 
 
 Btance (Zech. xi. 14) it is the trans- 
 lation of tlie word brotherhood ; once 
 (Deut. ix. 5), of "13T — word; once 
 
 T T 
 
 (Jer. xxiv. 18), of words of the cove- 
 nant;' once (Lev. xxvi. 11), of ta- 
 hernacle ; once (Exod. xxxi. 7), of 
 testimony ; it occurs once (Ezek. xxvi. 
 28), where the reading of the Greek 
 and Hebrew text is doubtful ; and it 
 occurs three times (I. Sam. xi. 2 ; xx. 
 8 ; I. Kings viii. 9), where there is no 
 corresponding word in the Hebrew 
 text. From this use of the word by 
 the authors of the Septuagint, it is 
 evident that they regarded it as the 
 proper translation of the Hebrew — 
 ri'13 — Berith, and as conveying tlie 
 
 same sense which that word docs. It 
 cajinot be reasonably doubted that 
 the writers of the New Testament 
 were led to the use of the word, in 
 
 sity ' be the death of the tes- 
 tator. 
 
 part, at least, by the fact that they 
 fomid It occurring so frequently in 
 the version in common use, but it 
 cannot be doubted also that they re- 
 garded it as fairly conveying the sense 
 of the word n'^J — Berith. On no 
 
 principle can it be supposed that in- 
 spired and honest men would use a 
 word in referring to transactions in 
 the Old Testament which did not 
 fairly convey the idea which the 
 writers of the Old Testament meant 
 to express. The use being thus re- 
 garded as settled, there are some facts 
 in reference to it which are of great 
 importance in interpreting the New 
 'I'estament, and in understanding the 
 nature of the ' covenant' which God 
 makes with man. These facts are 
 the following. (1.) The word c5taj-/;«rij 
 — diatheke — is not that which proper- 
 ly denotes compact, agreement, or co- 
 venant. That word is <rur^^<c^ — syn- 
 theke — or in other forms crvviccis and 
 aorSeciai ; or if the word diathtke is 
 used in that signification it is only 
 remotely, and as a secondary mean- 
 ing. See Passoio ; comp. the Scptua- 
 gint in Isa. xxviii. 15 ; xxv. 1 ; Dan. 
 xi. 6, and Wisdom i. 16; I. Mac x. 
 26 ; II. Mac. xiii. 25 ; xiv. -^6. It is 
 not the word which a Greek would 
 have employed to denote a compact or 
 covenant. He would have employed 
 it to denote a disposition, ordering, or 
 arrangement of things, whether of 
 religious rites, civil customs, or pro- 
 perty ; or if used with reference to a 
 compact, it would have been witli tlie 
 idea of an arrangement or ordering 
 of matters, not with the primary no- 
 tion of an agreement with another. 
 (2.) Tlie word properly expressive of 
 a covenant or compact — avv&ijKri — is 
 never used in tlic New Testament. 
 In all the allusions to the transactions 
 between Gad and man, this word 
 never occurs. From some cause, the 
 writers and speakers in the New Tes- 
 tament seem to have supposed that 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 205 
 
 the word would leave an impression 
 which they did not wish to leave. 
 Though it miglit have been supposed 
 that in speaking of the various trans- 
 actions between God and man they 
 would have selected this word, yet 
 with entire uniiormity they have 
 avoided it. No one of them — though 
 the word iiaSni"] — diatheke — has been 
 used by no less than six of them — has 
 been betrayed in a single instance 
 into the use of the word aw^iiKTi — Syn- 
 thike, or has differed from the other 
 writers in the language employed. 
 This cannot be supposed to be the 
 result of concert or collusion, but it 
 must have been founded on some rea- 
 son which operated equally on all 
 their minds. (3.) In like manner, 
 and with like remarkable uniformity, 
 the word aw^ifiKri — syntheke — is never 
 used in the Septuagint with reference 
 to any arrangement or ' covenant' be- 
 tween God and man. Once indeed in 
 the Apocrypha, and but once, it is 
 used in that sense. In the tlnee only 
 other instances in wliich it occurs in 
 the Septuagint, it is with reference to 
 compacts between man and man. Isa. 
 xxviii. 15 ; xxx. I ; Dan. xi. 6. This 
 remarkable fact that the authors of 
 that version never use the word to de- 
 note any transaction between God 
 and man, shows that there must have 
 been some reason for it which acted 
 on their minds with entire uniformity. 
 (4.) It is no less remarkable that nei- 
 ther in the Septuagint nor the New 
 Testament is the word iiaSi'/Kr; — dia- 
 theke — ever used in the sense of will 
 or testament, unless it be in the case 
 before us. Tliis is conceded on all 
 hands, and is expressly admitted by 
 Prof. Stuart (Com. on Heb. p. 439), 
 though he defends this use of the 
 word in this passage. — A very im- 
 portant inquiry presents itself here 
 which has never received a solution 
 generally regarded as satisfactory. 
 It is, why the word Sia^^^n — diathtke 
 — was selected by the writers of the 
 New Testament to express the nature 
 of the transaction between God and 
 man in the plan of salvation. It 
 might be said indeed that they fo\ind 
 18 
 
 this word uniformly used in the Sep. 
 tuagint, and that tJiey employed it as 
 expressing the idea which they wished 
 to convey, with sutRcient accuracy. 
 Eut this is only removing the ditii- 
 culty one step farther back. Wliy 
 did the Lxx. adopt this word ? Why 
 did they not rather use tlie common 
 and appropriate Greek word to ex- 
 press the notion of a covenant ? A 
 suggestion on this subject has already 
 been made in the Notes on ch. viii. 6. 
 Comp. Bib. Repository, vol. xx. p. 55. 
 Another reason may, however, be 
 suggested for this remarkable fact 
 which is liable to no objection. It is, 
 that in the apprehension of the au- 
 thors of the Septuagint, and of the 
 writers of the New Testament, the 
 word StaSiiKri — diatheke — in its origi- 
 nal and proper signification fairly 
 conveyed the sense of the Hebrew 
 word ^''^3 — Berith, and that the word 
 
 avvSnKi] — syntheke — or compact, agree, 
 ment, would not express that ; and 
 that they never meant to be understood 
 as conveying the idea either that God 
 entered into a compact or covenant 
 with man, or that he made a will. 
 They meant to represent him as mak- 
 ing an arrangement, a disposition, an 
 ordering of things, by which his ser- 
 vice might be kept up among his 
 people, and by which men might be 
 saved ; but they were equally remote 
 from representing him as making a 
 compact, or a will. In support of this 
 there may be alleged (1) the remark, 
 able uniformity in which tlie word 
 iia^fiKii — diatheke — is used, showing 
 that there was some settled principle 
 from which they never departed ; and 
 (2) used mainly the meaning of the 
 word itself. Prof. Stuart has, un- 
 doubtedly, given tile accurate original 
 senseof tlie word. "The real, genuine, 
 and original meaning of iia^iiK^i [dia. 
 theke] is, arrangement, disposition, or 
 disposal of a thing." p. 440. The 
 word from which it is derived — iiari- 
 ^Tifjii — means to place apart or asun- 
 der ; and then to set, arrange, dispose 
 in a certain order. Fassow. From 
 this original signifination is derived 
 
soc 
 
 HKBREWft. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 tlie use wliich the word has with sin- 
 gular unilbrmity in the Scriptures. 
 It denotes the arrangement, disposi- 
 tion, or orderinir of tliiujjs which God 
 made in rrhition to mankind, by 
 which lie dcsijrned to kcei) up liis 
 worship on earlli, and to save the soul. 
 It means neither covenant nor will ; 
 neither compact nor letracy ; neither 
 agreement nor testament. It is an 
 Krrangeinent of an entirely different 
 order from either of them, and the 
 sacred writers with an uniformity 
 which could have been secured only 
 by the presidinjj influence of the One 
 Eternal S])irit, have avoided the sug- 
 gestion that God made with man 
 either a compact or a will. We have 
 no word which precisely expresses 
 this idea, and hence our conceptions 
 are constantly floating between a 
 compact and a will, and the views 
 which we have are as unsettled as 
 they are unscriptural. The simple 
 idea is, that God has made an ar- 
 rangement by which his worship may 
 be celebrated and souls saved. Under 
 the Jewish economy this arrangement 
 assumed one form ; under the Chris- 
 tian another. In neitlicr was it a 
 compact or covenant between two 
 parties in such a sense that one party 
 would be at liberty to reject the terms 
 proposed ; in neither was it a testa- 
 ment or will, as if God had left a le- 
 gacy to man, but in both there were 
 some things in regard to the arrange- 
 ment such as are tbund in a covenant 
 or compact. One of those things — 
 equally appropriate to a compact be- 
 tween man and man and to this ar- 
 rangement, the apostle refers to here 
 — that it implied in all cases the death 
 of the victim. If tliese remarks are 
 well-founded, they should be allowed 
 materially to shape our views in the 
 interpretation of tlie Bible. Whole 
 treatises of divinity have been written 
 on a mistaken vicv^' of the meaning 
 of this word — understood as meaning 
 covenant. Volumes of angry contro- 
 versy have been published on the na- 
 ture of the " covenant" with Adam, 
 and on its influence on his posterity. 
 TJie only literal " covenant" which 
 
 can be supposed in the plan of re- 
 demption is that between the Father 
 •and the Son — though even the exist- 
 ence of such a covenant is rather the 
 result of devout and learned imagin- 
 ing than of any distinct statement in 
 the volume of inspiration. The sim- 
 ple statement there is, that God has 
 made an arrangement for salvation, 
 the execution of which he has entrust- 
 ed to his Son, and has proposed it to 
 man to be accepted as the only arrange- 
 ment by which man can be saved, and 
 which he is not at liberty to disregard. 
 — There lias been much difference of 
 opinion in reference to the meaning 
 of the passage here, and to the design 
 of the illustration introduced. If the 
 word used — itaS-z'/Kn — means testa- 
 ment, in the sense of a icill, then the 
 sense of that passage is that 'a will 
 is offeree only when he who made it 
 dies, for it relates to a disposition of 
 his property after his death.' The 
 force of the remark of the apostle 
 then would be, that the fact that the 
 Lord Jesus made or- expressed his 
 will to mankind, implied that he 
 would die to confirm it ; or that since 
 in the ordinary mode of making a 
 will, it was of force only when he 
 who made it was dead, therefore it 
 was necessary that the Redeemer 
 should die., in order to confirm and 
 ratify that which he made. But the 
 objections to this, whicb appears to 
 have been the view of our translators, 
 seem to me to be insuperable. They 
 are these. (1.) The word StaS^Kri — 
 diatheke — is not used in this sense in 
 the New Testament elsewhere. See 
 the remarks above. (2.) The Lord 
 Jesus made no such will. He had no 
 property, and the commandments and 
 instructions whieli he gave to his dis- 
 ciples were not of the nature of a will 
 or testament. (3.) Such an illustration 
 would not be pertinent to the design 
 of the apostle, or in keeping with his 
 argument. He is comparing the 
 Jewish and Christian disjjensations, 
 and the point of comparison in this 
 chapter relates to the question about 
 the etfieacy of sacrifice in the two ar- 
 rangements. He showed that the ar- 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 207 
 
 rang-ement for blood-shedding- by sa- 
 crifice entered into botli ; that the 
 high priest of botli oftered blood as an 
 expiation ; that the holy place was 
 entered with blood, and that conse- 
 quently there was death in both the 
 arrangements, or dispensations. The 
 former arrangement or dispensation 
 was ratified with blood, and it was 
 equally proper that the new arrange- 
 ment should be also. The point of 
 comparison is not that Moses made a 
 will or testament which could be of 
 force only when he died, and that the 
 same thing was required in the new 
 dispensation, but it is that the former 
 covenant was ratified by blood, or by 
 the death of a victim, and that it 
 might be expected that the new dis- 
 pensation would be confirmed, iind 
 that it was in fact confirmed in the 
 same manner. In this view of the 
 argument, what pertinency would 
 there be in introducing an illustration 
 respecting a will, and the manner in 
 which it became efficient. Com p. 
 Notes on ver. 18. It seems clear, 
 therefore, to me, that the word ren- 
 dered testament here is to be taken in 
 the sense in which it is ordinarily 
 used in the New Testament. The 
 opinion that the word here means 
 such a divine arrangement as is com- 
 monly denoted a " covenant," and not 
 testament, is sanctioned by not a few 
 names of eminence in criticism, such 
 as Pierce, Doddridge, Michaelis, 
 Steudel, and the late Dr. J. P. Wil- 
 son. Bloomfield says that the con- 
 nexion here demands this. The prin- 
 cipal objections to this view are, (1.) 
 that it is not proved that no covenants 
 or compacts were valid except such 
 as were made by the intervention of 
 sacrifices. (2.) That the word ren- 
 dered testator — iiaSifxtvoi — cannot re- 
 fer to the death of an animal slain 
 for the purpose of ratifying a cove- 
 nant, but must mean either a testator, 
 or a contractor, i. e., one of two con- 
 tracting parties. (3.) That the word 
 rendered dead (ver. 17) — vticpois — 
 means only dead vien, and never is 
 applied to the dead bodies of animals. 
 See Stuart on the Hcb. p. 443. These 
 
 objections to tlie supposition that the 
 passage refers to a covenant or com- 
 pact. Prof. Stuart says are in his view 
 insuperable, and they are certainly 
 entitled to grave consideration. Whe- 
 ther the view above presented is one 
 which can be sustained, we may be 
 better able to determine after an ex- 
 amination of the words and phrases 
 which the apostle uses. Those ob- 
 jections which depend wholly on the 
 philological argument derived from 
 the words used, will be considered of 
 course in such an examination. It is 
 to be remembered at the outset, (1) 
 that the word 6(aS-rjKri — diatheke — is 
 never used in the New Testament in 
 the sense of testament, or will, unless 
 in this place ; (2) that it is never used 
 in this sense in the Septuagint; and 
 (3) that the Hebrew word nnS— Be- 
 rith — never has this signification. This 
 is admitted. See Stuart on the Heb. 
 pp. 439, 440. It must require very 
 strong reasons to prove that it has 
 this meaning here, and that Paul has 
 employed the word in a sense differ- 
 ing from its uniform signification 
 elsewhere in the Bible. Comp., how- 
 ever, the remarks of Prof Stuart in 
 Bib. Repos. vol. xx. p. 364. ^ There 
 must also of necessity be. — avdyKr].—^ 
 That is, it is necessary in order to 
 confirm the covenant, or it would not 
 be binding in cases where this did not 
 occur. The necessity in the case is 
 simply to make it valid or obligatory. 
 So we say now there must ' necessa- 
 rily' be a seal, or a deed would not be 
 valid. The fair interpretation of this 
 is, that this was the common and es- 
 tablished custom in making a ' cove- 
 nant' with God, or confirming the 
 arrangement with him in regard to 
 salvation. To this it is objected (see 
 the first objection above), that " it is 
 yet to be made out that no covenants 
 were valid except those by the inter- 
 vention of sacrifices." In reply to 
 this, we may observe, (1.) that the 
 point to be made out is not that this 
 was a custom in compacts between 
 7nan and man, but between man and 
 his Maker. There is no evidence, as 
 
2oa 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4. 
 
 it Beems to me, that the apostle alludes 
 to a compact between man and man. 
 I'he mistake on this subject has 
 arisen partly from the use ol'tlie word 
 • teslamenV by our translators, in the 
 sense "of uJiH — supposing tiiat it tnust 
 refer to some transaction relating to 
 man only; and partly from tlie in- 
 sertion of tiie word '■men' in vcr. 17, 
 in the translation of the phrase — hi 
 vcKpols — ' upon the dead,' or ' over the 
 dead.' But it is not necessary to sup- 
 pose that there is a reference here to 
 any transaction between man and 
 man at all, as the whole force of the 
 illustration introduced by the apostle 
 will be retained if we suppose him 
 speaking only of a covenant between 
 man and God. Then his assertion 
 will be simply that in the arrange- 
 ment between God and man there 
 was a necessilt/ of the death of some- 
 thing, or of the shedding of blood in 
 order to ratify it. This view will save 
 the necessity of proof that the custom 
 of ratifying compacts between man 
 and man by sacriiice prevailed. Whe- 
 ther that can be made out or not, the 
 assertion of the apostle may be true, 
 that in the arrangement which God 
 makes with man, sacrifice was neces- 
 sary in order to confirm or ratify it. 
 (2.) The point to be made out is, not 
 that such a custom is or was univer- 
 sal among all nations, but that it was 
 the known and regular opinion among 
 the Hebrews that a sacrifice was ne- 
 cessary in a ' covenant' with God, in 
 the same way as if we should say that 
 a deed was not valid without a seal, 
 it would not be necessary to show 
 this in regard to all nations, but only 
 that it is the law or the custom in the 
 nation where the writer lived, and at 
 the time when he lived. Otlier na- 
 tions may have very diiforent modes 
 of confirming or ratifying a deed, and 
 the same nation may have different 
 methods at various times. The fact 
 or custom to wliicli I suppose there is 
 allusion here, is tiiat of sacrificing an 
 animal to ratify tlie arrangement be- 
 tween man and his Maker, commonly 
 called a 'covenant.' In regard to the 
 existence of such a custom, particu- 
 
 larly among the Hebrews, we may 
 make tiie following observations. It 
 was tiie connTion mode cf ratifying 
 the 'covenant' between Gcd and man. 
 That was done over a sacrifice, or by 
 the shedding of blood. So the cove- 
 nant with Abraham was ratified by 
 slaying an heifer, a she-goat, a ram, 
 a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. 
 The animals were divided and a 
 burning lamp passed between them. 
 Gen. XV. 9. 18. So tlie covenant made 
 with the Hebrews in the wilderness 
 was ratified in the same manner. E.x. 
 xxiv. G. scq. Thus in Jer. xxxiv. 18, 
 God speaks of the ' men that had 
 transgressed his covenant v/hich they 
 had made before him when they cut 
 tlie calf in twain, and passed hettceen 
 the parts thereof.^ See also Zech. ix. 
 11. Indeed all the Jewish sacrifices 
 were regarded as a ratification of the 
 covenant. It was never supposed that 
 it was ratified or confirmed in a pro- 
 per manner without such a sacrifice. 
 Instances occur, indeed, in which 
 there was no sacrifice offered wlien a 
 covenant was made between man and 
 man (see Gen. xxiii. 16; xxiv. 9; 
 Deut. XXV. 7. 9 ; Ruth iv. 7), but 
 these cases do not establish the point 
 tliat the custom did not prevail of ra- 
 tifying a covenant with God by the 
 blood of sacrifice. Further ; the terms 
 used in tiie Hebrew in regard to mak- 
 ing a covenant with God, prove that 
 it was understood to be ratified by 
 sacrifice, or that the death of a victim 
 was necessary.( — fl'IB m3 — karalh 
 
 Berith) 'to cut a covenant' — the 
 
 word n"13 karath meaning to cut; to 
 
 cut off; to cut down, and the allusion 
 being to the victims offered in sacra- 
 fice, and cut in pieces on occasion of 
 entering into a covenant. See Gen 
 xv. 10; Jer. xxxiv. 18, 19. The same 
 idea is expressed in the Greek phrases 
 opKta Tifiritv, Tqivciv CTTovSdi, and in the 
 Ij&i'in icere fadus. Comp, Virgil ,Ea. 
 viii. 641. 
 
 El ciesd jungebnnt foedera porca. 
 Tiicse considerations sliow that it waa 
 the common sentiment, alike among 
 the Hebrews and the heathen, that 
 
A. D. 04.] 
 
 CHAPTER Itv. 
 
 209 
 
 a covenant with God was to be rati- 
 fied or sanctioned by sacrifice ; and 
 the statement of Paul here is, that 
 the death of a sacrificial victim was 
 neediul to confirm or ratify such a 
 covenant with God. It was not se- 
 cure, or confirmed, until blood was 
 tlius shed. This was well understood 
 among the Hebrews, that all their 
 covenant transactions with God were 
 to be ratified by a sacrifice ; and Paul 
 says that the same principle must 
 apply to any arrangement between 
 God and men. Hence he goes on to 
 show that it was necessary that a sa- 
 crificial victim should die in the new 
 covenant which God established by 
 man through the Mediator. See vcr. 
 23. This I understand to be the 
 sum of the argument here. It is not 
 that every contract made between 
 man and man was to be ratified or 
 confirmed by a sacrifice — for the apos- 
 tle is not discussing that point ; but 
 it is that every similar transaction 
 ■with God must be based on such a 
 sacrifice, and that no covenant with 
 him Could be complete without such 
 a sacrifice. This was provided for 
 in the ancient dispensation by the sa- 
 crifices which were constantly ofier- 
 ed in their worship ; in the new, by 
 the one great sacrifice offered on the 
 cross. Hence all our approaches to 
 God are based on the supposition of 
 such a sacrifice, and are, as it were, 
 ratified over it. We ratify or confirm 
 such a covenant arrangement, not by 
 offering the sacrifice anew, but by re- 
 calling it in a proper manner when 
 we celebrate the death of Christ, and 
 when in view of his cross we solenmly 
 pledge ourselves to be the Lord's. 
 IT T/ie death of the testator. Accord- 
 ing to our common version, the death 
 of him who makes a will. But if the 
 views above expressed are correct, 
 this should be rendered the covenanter, 
 or ' the victim set apart to be slain.' 
 The Greek will admit of the transla- 
 tion of the word iia^ijuavos, diathcme- 
 nos, by the word covenanter, if the 
 word lta&>jKti — diatheke — is rendered 
 covenant. To such a translation here 
 as would make the word refer to a vic- 
 18* 
 
 tim slain in order to ratify a covenant, 
 it is objected that 'the word has no 
 such meaning anywhere else. It must 
 either mean a testator, or a contractor, 
 i. e. one of two covenanting parties. 
 But where is the death of a person 
 covenanting made necessary in order 
 to confirm the covenant ?' Prof. Stu- 
 art, in loc. To this objection I re- 
 mark respectfully, (1.) that the word 
 is never used in the sense of testator 
 either in the New Testament or the 
 Old, unless it be here. It is admitted 
 of the word iiaS-r'/Kt] — diatheke — by 
 Prof. Stuart himself, that it never 
 means will, or testament, unless it be 
 here, and it is equally true of the word 
 used here that it never means one 
 loho makes a will. If, therefore, it 
 sliould be that a meaning quite un- 
 common, or wholly unknown in the 
 usage of the Scriptures, is to be as- 
 signed to the use of the word here, 
 why should it be assumed that that 
 unusual meaning should be that of 
 making a will, and not that of con- 
 finning a covenant ? (2.) If the apos- 
 tie used the word StaSr'iKr, — diatheke — 
 in the sense of a covenant in this pas- 
 sage, nothing is more natural tlian 
 that he sliould use the corresponding 
 word iiaSiiitvog — diathemenos — in the 
 sense of that by which a covenant 
 was ratified. He wished to express 
 the idea that the covenant was al. 
 ways ratified by the death of a victim 
 — a sacrifice of an animal under the 
 law, and the sacrifice of the Redeemer 
 under the gospel — and no word would 
 so naturally convey that idea as the 
 one from wliich the word covenant was 
 derived. It is to be remembered also 
 that tliere was no word to express 
 that thought. Neither the Hebrew nor 
 the Greek furnished such a word ; nor 
 have we now any word to express 
 that tliought, but are obliged to use 
 circumlocution to convey the idea. 
 The word covenanter would not do it ; 
 nor the words victim, or sacrifice. 
 We can express the idea only by some 
 phrase like this — ' the victim set apart 
 to be slain to ratify the covenant.' 
 But it Was not an unusual thing for 
 the apostle Paul to make use of a 
 
210 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. CI. 
 
 17 For a testament is of force 
 after men arc dead; otlierwise 
 
 word in a sense quite peculiar to him- 
 self. Coinp. II. Cor. iv. 17. (3.) The 
 word ciaTihiin — diatilhimi — properly 
 means, to place apart, to set in order, 
 to arrange. It is rendered appoint in 
 Luke xxii. 29 ; made, and make, with 
 referenee to <a covenant, Acts iii. 25 ; 
 Heb. viii. 10; x. 16. It occurs no- 
 where else in the New Testament, 
 except in the passage before us. Tlie 
 idea of placing, laying, disposing, ar- 
 ranging, &LC., enters into tlie word — 
 as to place wares or merchandize for 
 sale, to arrange a contract, &:.c. Sec 
 Passow. Tlie fair meaning of the 
 word here, may be, whatever goes to 
 arrange, dispose, or settle the cove- 
 nant, or to make the covenant secure 
 and firm. If the reference be to a 
 compact, it cannot relate to one of 
 the contracting parties, because the 
 death of neither is necessary to con- 
 firm it. But it may refer to tliat 
 which was well-known as an esta- 
 blished opinion, that a covenant with 
 God was ratified only by a sacrifice. 
 Still, it must be admitted that this 
 use of the word is not elsewhere found, 
 and the only material question is, 
 whether it is to be presumed that the 
 apostle would employ a word in a 
 single instance in a peculiar signifi- 
 cation, where the connexion would 
 not render it difficult to be understood. 
 Tliis 7/iwst be admitted, that lie migiit, 
 whichever view is taken of the mean- 
 ing of this passage, for on the suppo- 
 sition that he refers here to a will, it 
 is conceded that he uses the word in 
 a sense wliicli does not onee occur 
 elsewhere either in the Old Testa- 
 ment or the New. It seems to me, 
 tlicrefore, that tlic word here may, 
 without impropriety, be regarded as 
 referring to Ihe iiiclim that was slain 
 in order to ratifija covenant leilli God, 
 and that the meaning is, that such a 
 covenant was not regarded as con- 
 firmed until the victim was slain. It 
 may be added that tlie authority of 
 Michaelis, JMacknight, Doddridge, 
 Dloomfield, and Dr. J. P. \V ilson, is a 
 
 it is of no strength at all while 
 the testator liveth. 
 
 proof that sucli an interpretation can- 
 not be a very serious departure from 
 the proper use of a Greek word. 
 
 17. For a testament. Sucli an ar- 
 rangemcnt as God enters into with 
 man. See the remarks on ver. 16. 
 If Is of force. Is ratified, or confirmed 
 — in the same way as a deed or com- 
 pact is confirmed by affi.xing a seal. 
 IT After men are dead. tVi vtKpoTj. 
 ' Over the dead.' That is, in accord- 
 ance witli the view given above, after 
 tlie animal is dead ; or over the body 
 of the animal slain for sacrifice, and 
 to confirm the covenant. " For a co- 
 venant is completed or confirmed 
 over dead sacrifices, seeing it is never 
 offeree as long as the victim set apart 
 for its ratification is still living." IMS. 
 Notes of Dr. J. P. Wilson. To this 
 interpretation it is objected, that 
 "vcKpois — nekrois — means only dead 
 men ; but men surely were not sacri- 
 ficed by the Jews, as a mediating sa- 
 crifice in order to confirm a cove- 
 nant." Prof. Stuart in loc. In regard 
 to this objection, and to the proper 
 meaning of the passage, we may re- 
 mark, (1.) that the word '7rtfn' is not 
 in the Greek, nor is it necessarily im- 
 plied, unless it be in the use of the 
 Greek word rendered dead. The 
 proper translation is, ' upon, or over 
 the dead.' The use of the word ' men' 
 here by our translators would seem 
 to limit it to the making of a will. 
 (2.) It is to be presumed, unless there 
 is positive proof tothe contrary, that 
 the Greeks and Hebrews used the 
 word dead as it is used by other peo- 
 ple, and that it might refer to deceased 
 animals, or vegetables, as well as to 
 men. A sacrifice that had been offered 
 was dead ; a tree that had fallen was 
 dead; an aniinil that had been torn 
 by other wild animals was dead. It 
 is possible that a people might have 
 one word to refer to dead tnen, and 
 another to dead animals, and another 
 to dead vegetables ; but what is the 
 evidence that the Hebrews or the 
 Greeks had su<fii words ? (3.) What 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 211 
 
 18 Whereupon neither the 
 
 • or, purified. 
 
 is the meaning of tliis very word — 
 veKpds — nekros — in ch. vi. 1; ix. 14 
 of tliis very epistle when it is applied 
 to works — ' dead works' — if it never 
 refer to anything but 7tien ? Comp. 
 James ii. 17. 20. 26; Eph. ii. 1.5; 
 Rev. iii. 1. In Eccl. ix. 4, it is applied 
 to a dead lion. I suppose, tJierefore, 
 that the Greek phrase here will admit 
 of the interpretation which the ' exi- 
 gency of the place' seems to demand, 
 and that the idea is, that a covenant 
 with God was ratified over the ani- 
 mals slain in sacrifice, and was not 
 considered as confirmed until the sa- 
 crifice was killed. IT Otherwise. Since 
 — lire}. That is, unless this takes place 
 it will be of no force. IT It is of no 
 strength. It is not strong — hx^si — it 
 is not confirmed or ratified. IT While 
 the testator liveth. Or while the ani- 
 mal selected to confirm the covenant 
 is alive. It can be confirmed only 
 by its being slain. A full examination 
 of the meaning of this passage (Heb. 
 \x. 16, 17) may be found in an article 
 in the Biblical Repository, vol. xx. pp. 
 51 — 71, and in Prof. Stuart's reply to 
 that article. Bib. Repos. xx. pp. 356 
 —381. 
 
 18. Whereupon. "Q^^v — Wlience. 
 Or since this is a settled principle, or 
 an indisputable fact, it occurred in 
 accordance with this, that the first 
 covenant was confirmed by the shed- 
 ding of blood. The admitted princi- 
 ple which the apostle had stated, that 
 the death of the victim was necessary 
 to confirm the covenant, was the rea- 
 son why the first covenant was rati- 
 fied with blood. If there were any 
 doubt about the correctness of the in- 
 terpretation given above, that vs. 16, 
 17, refer to a covenant, and not a will, 
 this verse would seem to be enough 
 to remove it. For how could the fact 
 that a will is not binding until he who 
 makes it is dead, be a reason why a 
 covenant should be confirmed by 
 blood? What bearing >vould such 
 a fact have on the quest. on whether 
 it ousfht or ouoflit not to Ire confirmed 
 
 first testament was ' dedicated 
 without blood. 
 
 in this manner ? Or how could that 
 fact, though it is universal, be given 
 as a reason to account for the fact 
 that the covenant made by the instru- 
 mentality of Moses was ratified with 
 blood ? No possible connexion can 
 be seen in such reasoning. But ad- 
 mit tiiat Paul had stated in vs. 16, 17, 
 a general principle that in all cove- 
 nant transactions with God, the death 
 of a victim was necessary, and every- 
 thing is plain. We then see why he 
 ofiered the sacrifice and sprinkled the 
 blood. It was not on the basis of such 
 reasoning as this : ' the death of a 
 man who makes a will is indispensa- 
 ble before the will is of binding force, 
 THEREFORE it was that Moses confirm- 
 ed the covenant made with our fa- 
 thers by the blood of a sacrifice ;' but 
 by such reasoning as this : ' It is a 
 great principle that in order to ratify 
 a covenant between God and his peo- 
 ple a victim should be slain, therefore 
 it was that Moses ratified the old co- 
 venant in this manner, and therefore 
 it was also that the death of a victim 
 was necessary under the new dispen- 
 sation.' Here the reasoning of Paul 
 is clear and explicit ; but who could 
 see the force of the former ? Prof. 
 Stuart indeed connects this verse with 
 ver. ] 5, and says that the course of 
 thought is, ' The new covenant of re- 
 demption from sin was sanctioned by 
 the death of Jesus ; consequently, or 
 wherefore (S^ev) the old covenant, 
 which is a type of the new, was sanc- 
 tioned by the blood of victims.' But 
 is this the reasoning of Paul? Does 
 he say that because the blood of a Me- 
 diator was to be shed under the new 
 dispensation, and because the old was 
 a type of this, that therefore the old 
 was confirmed by blood ? Is he not 
 rather accounting for the shedding 
 of blood at all, and showing that it 
 was necessary that the blood of the 
 Mediator should be shed, rather than 
 assuming that, and from that arguing 
 that a typical shedding of blood was 
 needful ? Besides, on this supposition 
 
212 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4. 
 
 19 For " when Moses had 
 spoken every precept to all the 
 
 a Ex. 24. 6, ice. ; Le. c. 14 & l(i. 
 
 wliy is tlic statement in vs. IG, 17, 
 introduced ? What bearing liave these 
 verses in the train of thougfht? What 
 are they but an inexplicable obstruc- 
 tion ? If The first testament. Or ra- 
 ther covenant — the word testament 
 being supplied by tlic translators. 
 ^ Was dedicated. Marg. Purified. 
 The word used to ratify, to confirm, 
 to consecrate, to sanction. Literally, 
 to renew. ^ Without blood. It was 
 ratified by the blood of the animals 
 that were slain in sacrifice. The 
 blood w'as then sprinkled on the prin- 
 cipal objects that were regarded as 
 holy under that dispensation. 
 
 19. For when Moses had spoken 
 every precept to all the people. When 
 lie had recited all the law, and had 
 given all the commandments entrust- 
 ed him to deliver. Ex. xxiv. 3. IT He 
 took the blood of calves and of goats. 
 This passage has given great perplex- 
 ity to commentators from the fact 
 tJiat Moses in his account of the trans- 
 actions connected with the ratifica- 
 tion of the covenant with the people, 
 (Ex. xxiv.), mentions only a part of 
 the circumstances liere referred to. 
 He says nothing of the blood of calves 
 and of goats ; nothing of water, and 
 scarlet-wool, and hyssop ; nothing of 
 sprinkling tlie book, the tabernacle, 
 or the vessels of the ministry. It 
 has been made a question, therefore, 
 whence Paul obtained a knowledge 
 of these circumstances ? Since the 
 account is not contained in the Old 
 Testament, it nmst have been cither 
 by tradition, or by direct inspiration. 
 The latter supposition is hardly pro- 
 bable, for (1) the information here 
 can hardly be regarded as of suffi- 
 cient importance to have required an 
 original revelation ; for the illustration 
 would liavc had sufficient force to 
 sustain his conclusion if the literal 
 account in Exodus only had been 
 given, tiiat Moses sprinkled the peo- 
 ple; but (2) such an original act 
 of inspiration here would not have 
 
 people according to the law, he 
 took the hlood of calves and of 
 
 ) 
 
 been consistent with the object of the 
 apostle. In that argument it was es- 
 .sontial tJiat he should state only the 
 facts about the ancient dispensation 
 which were admitted by the Hebrews 
 themselves. iVny statement of his 
 own about things which they did not 
 concede to be true, or which was not 
 well understood as a custom, might 
 have been called in question, and 
 would have done much to invalidate 
 the entire force of the argument. It 
 is to be presumed, therefore, that the 
 facts here referred to had been pre- 
 served by tradition ; and in regard to 
 this, and the authority due to such a 
 tradition, we may remark, (1) that it 
 is well known that the Jews had a 
 great number of traditions which they 
 carefully preserved ; (2) that there is 
 no improbability in the supi)osition 
 that many events in their history 
 would be preserved in this manner, 
 since in the small compass of a vo- 
 lume like the Old Testament it can- 
 not be presumed that all the events 
 of tlieir nation had been recorded ; 
 (3) though they had many traditions 
 of a trifling nature, and many which 
 were false (comp. Notes on ."\Iatt. xv. 
 2), yet they doubtless had many that 
 were true ; (4) in referring to those 
 traditions, there is no impropriety in 
 supposing that Paul may have been 
 guided by tlie Spirit of inspiration in 
 selecting only those which were true ; 
 and (o) notliing is more probable than 
 what is here stated. If Moses sprin- 
 kled 'the people ;' if he read 'the book 
 of the law' then (Ex. xxiv. 7), and if 
 tlii;: was regarded as a solemn act of 
 ratifying a covenant with God, no- 
 thing would be more natural than 
 that he should sprinkle the book of 
 the covenant, and even the taberna 
 cle and its various sacred utensils. 
 We are to remember also, that it was 
 common among the Hebrews to sprin- 
 kle blood for the purpose of conse- 
 crating, or as an emblem of purifyinp' 
 Thus Aaron and his sons and thch 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 213 
 
 goats, with water, and ' scarlet 
 wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled 
 
 1 or, purple. 
 
 garments were sprinkled with blood 
 when tliey were con3ecratcd to the 
 office of priests, Ex. xxix. 19 — 21 ; 
 the blood of sacrifices was sprinkled 
 on the altar, Lev. i. 5. 11 ; iii. 2. 13 ; 
 and blood was sprinkled before the 
 veil of the sanctuary, Lev. iv. 16, 17 ; 
 comp. Lev. vi. 27 ; vii. 14. So Jose- 
 phus speaks of the garments of Aaron 
 and of his sons being sprinkled with 
 " the blood of the slain beasts, and 
 with spring water." " Having con- 
 secrated them and their garments," 
 he says, " for seven days togetlier, lie 
 did tlie same to the tabernacle, and 
 the vessels thereto belonging, both 
 with oil and with the blood of bulls 
 and of rams." Ant. B. iii. ch. viii. 
 § 6. These circumstances show the 
 strong probability of the truth of what 
 is here affirmed by Paul, while it is 
 impossible to prove that Moses did 
 not sprinkle the book and the taber- 
 nacle in the manner stated. The 
 mere omission by Moses cannot de- 
 monstrate that it was not done. On 
 the phrase 'the blood of calves and 
 of goats,' see Note onver. 12. ^ With 
 water. Agreeably to the declaration 
 of Joseplius that ' spring water was 
 used.' In Lev. xiv. 49 — 51, it is ex- 
 pressly mentioned that the blood of 
 the bird that was killed to cleanse a 
 house from the plague of leprosy 
 should be shed over running water, 
 and that the blood and the water should 
 be sprinkled on the walls. It has 
 been suggested also (see Bloomfield), 
 that the use of water was necessary 
 in order to prevent tlie blood from 
 coagulating, or so as to make it pos- 
 sible to sprinkle it. IT And scarlet 
 wool. Marg. Purple. The word here 
 used denotes crimson, or deep-scarlet. 
 The colour was obtained from a small 
 insect which was found adhering to 
 the shoots of a species of oak in Spain 
 and in Western Asia, of about tlie 
 size of a pea. It was regarded as the 
 most valuable of the colours for dye- 
 ing, and wa& very expensive. Why 
 
 both the book, and all the peo- 
 ple. 
 
 the wool used by Moses was of this 
 colour is not known, unless it be be- 
 cause it was the most expensive of 
 colours, and thus accorded with every- 
 thing employed in the construction 
 of tlie tabernacle and its utensils. 
 Wool appears to have been used in 
 order to absorb and retain the blood. 
 H And hyssop. That is, a bunch of 
 hyssop intermingled with the wool, or 
 so connected with it as to constitute a 
 convenient instrument for sprinkling. 
 Comp. Lev. xiv. 51. Hyssop is a low 
 shrub, regarded as one of the smallest 
 of the plants, and hence put in con- 
 trast with the cedar of Lebanon. It 
 sprung out of the rocks or walls, I. 
 Kings iv. 33, and was used for pur- 
 poses of purification. The term seems 
 to have comprised not only the com- 
 mon hyssop, but also lavender and 
 other aromatic plants. Its fragrance, 
 as well as its size, may have suggest- 
 ed the idea of using it in the sacred 
 services of the tabernacle. The ap- 
 pearance of the hyssop is represented 
 by the cut on the following page. 
 ^ And sprinkled both the book. This 
 circumstance is not mentioned by 
 Moses, but it has been shown above 
 not to be improbable. Some exposi- 
 tors, however, in order to avoid the 
 difficulty in the passage, have taken 
 this in connexion with the word Aa/Jwv 
 — rendered 'Ae took^ — meaning, 'tak- 
 ing the blood, and the book itself;' 
 but the more natural and proper con- 
 struction is, that the book was sprin- 
 kled with the blood. ^ Aiid all the 
 people. Moses says, ' and sprinkled 
 it on the people.' Ex. xxiv. 8. We 
 are not to suppose that either Moses 
 or Paul designs to say that the blood 
 was actually sprinkled on each one 
 of the three millions of people in the 
 wilderness, but the meaning doubtless 
 is that the blood was sprinkled over 
 the people, though in fact it might 
 have fallen on a i'ew. So a man now 
 standing on an elevated place, and 
 surrounded by a large assembly, if 
 
214 
 
 IIKBUEWS. 
 
 [A. D. b4. 
 
 20 Saying, Thisis the blood ' 
 
 a Mat. 26. 28. 
 
 of the testament which God 
 hath enjoined unto you. 
 
 he should sprinkle water over tliem 
 from the place where he stood, might 
 bo said to sprinkle it on the people, 
 though in fact but {c\v miglit have 
 been touched by it. The act would 
 be equally significant whether the 
 emblem fell on few or niapy. 
 
 20. Saying, This is the blood of the 
 testament. Of the covenant. See 
 Notes on vs. 16, 17. That is, this is 
 the blood by which tlie covenant is 
 ratified. It was the moans used to 
 confirm it ; tlie sacred and solemn 
 form .by which it was made sure. 
 
 When tliis was done, the covenant 
 between God and the people was con- 
 firmed — as a covenant between man 
 and man is when it is sealed. ' 
 Which God hath enjoined tinto you. 
 In Ex. x.xiv. 8, "which God hath 
 made with you." Tlic language used 
 by Paul, ' whicli God hath enjoined' 
 — hiTziXaro — cummunded — shows that 
 he did not regard tliis as strictly of 
 tlie nature of a covenant, or compact. 
 Wlien a compact is made between 
 parties, one does not enjoin or com" 
 mand the other, but it is a mutual 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 215 
 
 21 Moreover " he sprinkled 
 likewise with blood both the 
 tabernacle, and all the vessels 
 of the ministry. 
 
 a Ex. 29. 12, 36. 
 
 agreement. In the transactions be- 
 tween God and man, though called 
 ri'ia — Berilh, or cia^/Jxi;, diatheke, the 
 idea of a covenant or compact is so far 
 excluded that God never loses his 
 right to command or evjoin. It is not 
 a transaction between equals, or an 
 agreement ; it is a solemn arrangement 
 on the part of God which he proposes 
 to men, and which he enjoins them 
 to embrace ; wliich they are not in- 
 deed at liberty to disregard, but which 
 when embraced is appropriately rati- 
 fied by some solemn act on their part. 
 Comp. Notes on ch. viii. 6. 
 
 21. He sprinkled — both the taber- 
 nacle. This circumstance is not stated 
 by Moses. On the probability that 
 this was done, see Notes on ver, 19. 
 The account of setting up the taber- 
 nacle occurs in Ex. xl. In that ac- 
 count it is said that Moses anointed 
 the tabernacle with the holy anoint- 
 ing oil. Vs. 9 — 11. Joscphus (Ant. 
 B. III. ch. viii. § 6), says that he con- 
 secrated it and the vessels thereto be- 
 longing with the blood of bulls and of 
 rams. This was undoubtedly the tra- 
 dition in the time of Paul, and no one 
 can prove that it is not correct. IT 
 And all the vessels of the ministrrj. 
 Employed in the service of God. The 
 altar, the laver, (Ex. xl. 10, 11), the 
 censers, dishes, bowls, &c., which 
 were used in the tabernacle. 
 
 22. And almost all things. It is a 
 general custom to purify everytliing 
 by blood. Tliis rule was not univer- 
 sal, for some things were purified by 
 fire and water, (Num. xxxi. 22, 23), 
 and some by water only. Num. xxxi. 
 24 ; Lev. xvi. 26. 28. But the excep- 
 tions to the general rule were few. 
 Almost everything in the tabernacle 
 and temple service, was consecrated 
 or purified by blood. IT And without 
 shedding of blood is no remission. Rc- 
 
 22 And almost all things are 
 by the law purged with blood ; 
 and without shedding of blood * 
 is no remission. 
 
 b Le. 17. n. 
 
 mission or forgiveness of sins. That 
 is, though some things were purified 
 by fire and water, yet when the mat- 
 ter pertained to the forgiveness of 
 sins, it was universally true that no 
 sins were pardoned except by the 
 shedding of blood. Some impurities 
 might be removed by water and fire, 
 but the stain of sin could be removed 
 only by blood. This declaration re- 
 ferred in its primary meaning, to the 
 Jewish rites, and the sense is, that 
 under that dispensation it was uni- 
 versally true that in order to the for- 
 giveness of sin blood must be shed. 
 But it contains a truth of higher order 
 and importance still. It is universally 
 true that sin never has been, and ne. 
 ver will be forgiven, except in connex- 
 ion with, and in virtue of the shedding 
 of blood. It is on this principle that 
 the plan of salvation by the atone- 
 ment is based, and on this that God 
 in fact bestows pardon on men. There 
 is not the slightest evidence that any 
 man has ever been pardoned except 
 through the blood shed for the remis- 
 sion of sins. The infidel who rejects 
 the atonement has no evidence that 
 his sins are pardoned ; the man who 
 lives in the neglect of the gospel, 
 though he has abundant evidence 
 that he is a sinner, furnishes none 
 that his sins are forgiven ; and the 
 Mussulman and the heathen can point 
 to no proof that their sins are blotted 
 out. It remains to be demonstrated 
 that one single member of the Imman 
 family has ever had the slightest evi- 
 dence of pardoned sin, except through 
 the blood of expiation. In the divine 
 arrangement there is no principle 
 better established than this, that all 
 sin which is forgiven is remitted 
 through the blood of the atonement ; 
 a principle which has never been de- 
 parted from hitherto, and which never 
 will be. It follows, therefore, (1) that 
 
!21G 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 23 It was therefore neces- 
 sary that the patterns of things 
 in the heavens shouhl be puri- 
 fied with these ; but the hea- 
 venly things themselves with 
 better sacrifices than these. 
 
 no sinner can hope for forgiveness 
 except through the blood of Christ ; 
 (~) that if men arc ever saved they 
 must be willing to rely on the merits 
 of that blood ; (3) that all men are 
 on a level in regard to salvation, since 
 all are to be saved in the same way; 
 and (4) that there will be one and the 
 same song in heaven — the song of 
 redeeming love. 
 
 23. The patterns of things in the hea- 
 vens. The tabernacle and its various 
 utensils. Sec Notes on eh. viii. 5. ^ Be 
 purijied with these. With water and 
 blood, and by these ceremonies. IT But 
 the heavenly things themselves. The 
 lieavenly tabernacle or sanctuary into 
 wiiich Christ has entered, and where 
 lie performs the functions of his min- 
 istry. The use of the word purijied 
 here applied to heaven, does not im- 
 ply that heaven was before unholy, 
 but it denotes that it is now made ac- 
 cessible to sinners ; or that they may 
 come and worship there in an accept- 
 able manner. The ancient tabernacle 
 was purified or consecrated by the 
 blood of the victims slain, so that men 
 might approach with acceptance and 
 worship ; the heavens by ])urcr blood 
 are rendered accessible to the guilty 
 The necessity for ' better sacrifices' in 
 regard to the latter was, that it was 
 designed to make the conscience pure, 
 and because the service in heaven 
 is more holy than any rendered on 
 earth. IT With better sacrijices than 
 these. To wit, the sacrifice- made 
 by the offering of the Lord Jesus on 
 the cross. This infinitely surpassed 
 in value all that had been offered 
 nnder the Jewish dispensation. 
 
 24. For Christ is not entered into 
 the holy places made with hands. Into 
 the temple or tabernacle. The Jewish 
 high priest ulonc entered into the most 
 
 24 For Christ is not entered 
 into the holy places made with 
 hands, which are the figures of 
 the true ; but into heaven itself, 
 now to appear " in the presence 
 of God for us: 
 
 a no. e. 24. 
 
 lioly place ; and the other priests into 
 the holy place. Jesus, being of the 
 tribe of Judah, and not of Levi, never 
 entered the temple proper. He had 
 access only to the courts of the temple, 
 in the same way as any other Jew had. 
 See Notes on Matt. xxi. 12. He has 
 entered into the true temple — heaven 
 — of which the earthly tabernacle was 
 the t}^pe. If Which are the Jigures of 
 the true. Literally, the antitypes — 
 avTiTVTra. The word properly means 
 that which is formed alter a model 
 pattern, or type ; and then that which 
 corresponds to something or answers 
 to it. The idea here is, that the type 
 or fashion — the true figure or form — 
 was shown to 3Ioses in the Mount, 
 and then the tabernacle was made 
 after that model, or corresponded to it. 
 The true original figure is heaven 
 itself; the tabernacle was an antitype 
 of that — or was so formed as in some 
 sense to correspond to it. That is, it 
 Corresponded in regard to the matters 
 under consideration — the most holy 
 place denoted heaven ; the mercy-scat 
 and the shekinah were symbols of 
 the presence of God, and of the fact 
 that he shows mercy in heaven ; the 
 entrance of the high priest was em- 
 blematical of the entrance of the Re- 
 deemer into heaven ; the sprinkling 
 of the blood there was a type of what 
 the Redeemer would do in heaven. 
 If Now to appear in the presence of God 
 for us. As the Jewish high priest 
 appeared before the shekinah, the 
 symbol of the divine presence in the 
 tabernacle, so Christ appears before 
 (iod himself in our behalf in heaven. 
 He has gone to plead for our salva- 
 tion ; to present the merits of his 
 blood as a permanent reason why we 
 should be saved. Notes Rom. viii. 34; 
 Heb. vii. 25. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 317 
 
 25 Nor yet that he should 
 offer himself often, as the high 
 priest entereth into the holy 
 place every year with blood of 
 others ; 
 
 26 For then must he often 
 have suffered since the founda- 
 
 a Ge. 3. 19. 
 
 tion of the world ; but now once 
 in the end of the world hath he 
 appeared, to put away sin by 
 the sacrifice of himself. 
 
 27 And as it is appointed" 
 unto men once to die, but after 
 this * the judgment ; 
 
 b Ec. 12. 14. 
 
 25. Nor yet that he should offer 
 himself often. The Jewish high priest 
 entered the most holy place with blood 
 once every year. In this respect the 
 offering made by Christ, and the 
 work which he performed, differed 
 from that of the Jewish high priest. 
 It was not needful that he should en- 
 ter the holy place but once. Having 
 entered there, he permanently remains 
 there. H With the blood of others. 
 That is, with the blood of calves, and 
 goats. This is a second point in 
 which the work of Christ differs from 
 that of the Jewish high priest. Christ 
 entered there with his own blood. 
 Notes on ver. 12. 
 
 26. For then must he often have 
 suffered. That is, if his blood had 
 no more efficacy than that which the 
 Jewish high priest offered, and which 
 was so often repeated, it would have 
 been necessary that Christ shouU 
 have often died. IT But vow ("ice. \ 
 Once for all ; once in the sense that 
 it is not to be repeated again — uTraf. 
 IT In the end of the world. In the last 
 dispensation or economy ; that under 
 which the affairs of the world will be 
 wound up. See the phrase fully ex- 
 plained in Notes ch. i. 2, and Acts ii. 
 1 7 ; I. Cor. X. 1 1 , a nd Isa. ii. 2. H Hath 
 he appeared. He has been manifested 
 IK human form. IT To put away sin. 
 (1.) To remove the punishment due 
 to sin, or to provide a way of pardon ; 
 and (2.) to remove the stain of sin 
 from the soul. See Notes on ver. 14. 
 IT By the sacrifice of himself. See 
 Notes on ch. i. 3; ii. 14 ; vii. 27. 
 
 27. And as it is appointed unto men 
 once to die. Or, ' since it is appointed 
 unto men to die once only'' The ob- 
 ject of this is to illustrate the fact 
 
 19 
 
 that Christ died but once for sin, and 
 that is done by showing that the most 
 important events pertaining to man 
 occur but once. Thus it is with death. 
 That does not, and cannot occur many 
 times. It is the great law of our being 
 that men die but once, and hence the 
 same thing was to be expected to oc- 
 cur in regard to him who made the 
 atonement. It could not be supposed 
 that this great law pertaining to man 
 would be departed from in the case 
 of him who died to make the atone- 
 ment, and that he would repeatedly 
 undergo the pains of death. The 
 same thing was true in regard to 
 the judgment. Man is to be judged 
 once, and but once. The decision is 
 to be final, and is not to be repeated. 
 In like manner there was a fitness 
 that the great Redeemer should die 
 but once, and that his death should, 
 without being repeated, determine the 
 destiny of -man. There was a remark, 
 able oneness in the great events which 
 most affected men ; and neither death, 
 the judgment, nor the atonement 
 could be repeated. In regard to the 
 declaration here that ' it is appointed 
 unto men once to die,' we may ob- 
 serve, (1.) that death is the result of 
 appointment. Gen. iii. 19. It ia not 
 the effect of chance, or hap-hazard 
 It is not a 'debt of nature.' It is 
 not the condition to which man was 
 subject by the laws of his creation. 
 It is not to be accounted for by the 
 mere principles of physiology. God 
 could as well have made the heart to 
 play for ever as for fifty years. Death 
 is no more the regular result of phy- 
 sical laws than the guillotine and the 
 gallows are. It is in all cases the 
 result of intelligent appointment, and 
 
218 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 61. 
 
 for an aderpiate cause. (2.) That cause, 
 or the rc.ison of that appointment, is 
 sin. Notes Rom. vi. 23. This is the 
 adequate cause ; tiiis explains the 
 whole of it. Holy beings do not die. 
 There is not the slightest proof that 
 an angel in heaven has died, or that 
 an}' perfectly holy being has ever died 
 except the Lord Jesus. In every 
 death, then, we have a demonstration 
 that the race is guilty ; in each ease 
 of mortality we have an affecting me- 
 mento tiiat we are individually trans- 
 gressors. (3.) Death occurs but once 
 in this world. It cannot be repeated 
 if we should desire to have it repeated. 
 Whatever truths or facts then pertain 
 to death ; whatever lessons it is cal- 
 culated to convc/, pertain to it as an 
 event which is not to occur again. 
 That which is to occur but once in an 
 eternity of existence acquires, from 
 that very fact, if there were no other 
 circumstances, an immense import- 
 ance. What is to be done but once, 
 we should wish to be done well. We 
 should make all proper preparation 
 for it ; we should regard it with sin- 
 gular interest. If preparation is to 
 be made for it, we should make all 
 which we expect ever to make. A 
 man who is to cross the ocean but 
 once ; to go away from his home never 
 to return, should make the right kind 
 of preparation. He cannot come back 
 to take that which he has forgotten ; 
 to arrange that which he has neg- 
 lected ; to give counsel \vhich he has 
 failed to do ; to ask forgiveness for 
 offences for wiiich he has neglected 
 to seek pardon. And so of death. A 
 man who dies, dies but once. He 
 cannot come back again to make pre- 
 paration if he has neglected it ; to re- 
 piL^r the evils which he lias caused by 
 a W'icked lite; or to implore pardon 
 for sins lor which he had failed to ask 
 ibrgiveness. Wiiatever is to be done 
 with reference to death, is to be done 
 once for all before he dies. (4.) Death 
 occurs to all. ' It is appointed unto 
 men' — to the race. It is not an 
 appointment for one, but for all. No 
 one is appointed by name to die ; and 
 not an individual is designated as one 
 
 wlio shall escape. No e.^ccption is 
 made in favour of youth, beauty, or 
 blood ; no rank or station is exempt ; 
 no merit, no virtue, no patriotiBm, no 
 talent, can purchase freedom from it 
 In every other sentence which goes 
 out against men tiicre may be some 
 hope of reprieve. Here there is none. 
 We cannot meet an individual who is 
 not under sentence of death. It is not 
 only the poor wretch in the dungeon 
 doomed to the gallows who is to 
 die, it is tlie rich man in his palace ; 
 the gay trillcr in the assembly room ; 
 the friend that we embrace and love ; 
 and she whom wc meet in the crowded 
 saloon of fashion with all the graces 
 of accomplishment and adorning. 
 Each one of these is just as much 
 under sentence of death as the poor 
 wretch in the cell, and the execution 
 on any one of them may occur be- 
 fore his. It is too for substantially 
 the same cause, and is as really de- 
 served. It is for sin that all are doom- 
 ed to death, and the fact that we must 
 die should be a constant remem- 
 brancer of our guilt, (o.) As death 
 is to occur to us but once, there is a 
 cheering interest in the reflection that 
 when it is passed it is passed /or eoer. 
 The dying pang, the chill, the cold 
 swcat,-are not to be repeated. Death 
 is not to approach us often — he is to 
 be allowed to come to us but once. 
 When we have once passed through 
 the dark valky, we shall have the as- 
 surance that wo shall never tread its 
 gloomy way again. Once, then, let 
 us be willing to dit — since we can 
 die but once ; and let us rejoice in 
 the assurance which the gospel fur- 
 nishes, that tlicy wlio die in the Lord 
 leave the world to go where death in 
 any form is unknown. ^ But after 
 t/iis the judgment. The apostle does 
 not say how long after death this will 
 b;', nor is it possible for us to know. 
 Acts i. 7 ; comp. Matt. xxiv. 36. Wc 
 may suppose, however, tliat there 
 will be two periods in which there 
 will be an act of judgment passed 
 on those wlio die. (1.) Immediately 
 after death when they pass into the 
 eternal world, when their dctiny wili 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 219 
 
 28 So Christ " was once of- 
 
 ol Pe. 2. 24; 3. 18; 1 Jiio. 3.5. 
 
 be made known to them. This seems 
 to be necessarily implied in the sup- 
 position that they will continue to 
 live, and to be happy or miserable 
 after death. This act of judg-ment 
 may not be formal and public, but it 
 will be such as to show them what 
 must be the issues of the final day, 
 and as the result of that interview 
 with God they will be made happy or 
 miserable until the final doom shall 
 be pronounced. (2.) The more public 
 and formal act of judgment, when 
 the whole world will be assembled at 
 the bar of Christ. Matt. xxv. The de- 
 cision of that day will not change or 
 reverse the former ; but the trial will 
 be of such a nature as to bring out all 
 the deeds done on earth, and the sen- 
 tence which will be pronounced will 
 be in view of the universe, and will 
 fix the everlasting doom. Then the 
 body will have been raised ; the af- 
 fairs of the world will be wound up ; 
 the elect will all be gathered in, and 
 the state of retribution will commence, 
 to continue for ever. The main 
 thought of the apostle here may be, 
 • that after death will commence a state 
 of retribution which can never change. 
 Hence there was a propriety that 
 Christ should die but once. In that 
 future world he would not die to make 
 atonement, for there all will be fixed 
 and final. If men, therefore, neglect 
 to avail themselves of the benefits of 
 the atonement here, the opportunity 
 will be lost for ever. In that change- 
 less state which constitutes the eter- 
 nal judgment no sacrifice will be 
 again olFered for sin ; there will be no 
 opportunity to embrace that Saviour 
 who was rejected here on earth. 
 
 28. So Christ was once offered. As 
 men are to die but once ; and as all 
 beyond the grave is fixed by the 
 judgment so that his death there 
 would make no change in the destiny, 
 there was a propriety that he should 
 die but once for sin. The argument 
 is, there is one probation only, and 
 therefore there was need of but one 
 
 fered to bear the sins of many ; * 
 
 b Is. 53. 12; Mat. 26. 28. 
 
 sacrifice, or of his dying' but once. 
 If death were to occur frequently in 
 the existence of each individual, and 
 if each intermediate period were a 
 state of probation, then there might 
 be a propriety that an atonement 
 should be made with reference to each 
 state. Or if beyond the grave there 
 were a state of probation still, then 
 also there might be a propriety that 
 an atoning sacrifice should be offered 
 there. But since neither of these 
 things is true, there was a fitness that 
 the great victim should die but once 
 ^ To bear the sins of many. To suffer 
 and die on account of their sins. See 
 Notes on Isa. liii. 6. 11 ; Gal. iii. 1.3. 
 The phrase does not mean (1) that 
 Christ wis a sinner — for that was in 
 no sense true. See ch. vii. 26. Nor (2) 
 that he literally bore the penalty due 
 to transgression — for that is equally 
 untrue. The penalty of the law for 
 sin is all which the law when exe- 
 cuted inflicts on the offender for his 
 transgression, and includes in fact 
 remorse of conscience, overwhelming 
 despair, and eternal punishment. But 
 Christ did not suffer for ever, nor did 
 he experience remorse of conscience, 
 nor did he endure utter despair. Nor 
 (3) does it mean that he was literally 
 punished for our sins. Punishment 
 pertains only to the guilty, An%ino- 
 cent being may suffer for what an- 
 other does, but there is no propriety 
 in saying that he is punished for it. 
 A father suffers much from the mis- 
 conduct of a son, but we do not say 
 that he is punished for it ; a child 
 suffers much from the intemperance 
 of a parent — but no one would say 
 that it was a punishment on the 
 child. Men always connect the idea 
 of criminality with punishment, and 
 when we say that a man is punish- 
 ed, we suppose at once that there 
 is guilt. The phrase here means 
 simply, that Christ endured suffer- 
 ings in his own person which, if 
 they had been inflicted on us, would 
 have been the proper punishment of 
 
220 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 and unto them that look " for 
 him sliall he appear ' the se- 
 tt Ti. 2. 13 ; 2 Pe. 3. 12. 
 
 sin. He who wa.s innocent interposed, 
 and received on himself what was de- 
 Bccnding to meet us, and consented 
 to be treated as he would have de- 
 served if he had been a sinner. Tims 
 he bore what was due to us ; and tliis 
 in Scripture phrase is what is meant 
 by bearing our iniquities. See Notes 
 Isa. hii. 4. IT And unto them that look 
 for him. To his people. It is one 
 of the characteristics of Christians 
 that they look for the return of their 
 Lord. Titus ii. 13; II. Pet. iii. 12; 
 comp. Notes I. Thess. i. 10. They 
 fully believe that he will come. They 
 earnestly desire that he will come. 
 II. Tim. iv. 8 ; Rev. xxii. 20. They 
 are waiting for his appearing. I. 
 Thess. i. 10. He left the world and 
 ascended to heaven, but he will again 
 return to the earth, and his people are 
 looking for that time as the period 
 when they shall be raised up from 
 'Jieir graves ; when they shall be pub- 
 Mcly acknowledged to be his, and 
 when they shall be admitted to hea- 
 ven. See Notes on John xiv. 3. IT Shall 
 he appear the second time. He first 
 appeared as the man of sorrows to 
 jiiake atonement for sin. His second 
 appearance will be as the Lord of 
 his people, and the Judge of the quick 
 and the dead. Matt. xxv. 31 ; see Notes 
 Acts i. 11. The apostle does not say 
 when this would be, nor is any inti- 
 mation given in the Scriptures when 
 it will occur. It is on the contrary 
 everywhere declared that this is con- 
 cealed from men (Acts i. 7 ; Matt. 
 xxiv. 36), and all that is known re- 
 specting the time is, that it will be 
 suddenly and at an unexpected mo- 
 ment Matt. xxiv. 42. 44. 50. H With. 
 out sin. That is, when he comes 
 again he will not make liimsclf a sin- 
 offering ; or will not come in order 
 to make atonement for sin. It is not 
 implied that when he came the first 
 time he was in any sense a sinner, 
 but that he came then with reference 
 
 cond time, without sin, unto* 
 salvation. 
 
 b Ac. 1. 11; Re. 1.7. c Is. 25. 9. 
 
 to sin, or that the main object of his 
 incarnation was to ' put away sin by 
 the sacrifice of himself.' VVhcn he 
 comes the second time, it will be with 
 reference to another object. IT Unto 
 salvation. That is, to receive his 
 friends and followers to eternal salva- 
 tion. He will come to save them fi"om 
 all their sins and temptations ; to 
 raise them from their graves ; to place 
 them at his right hand in glory, and 
 to confirm them in the everlasting in- 
 heritance which he has promised to 
 all who truly love him, and who wait 
 for his appearing. 
 
 In view of this anticipated return 
 of the Redeemer, we may remark — 
 
 (1.) There is a propriety that the 
 Lord Jesus should thus return. He 
 came once to be humbled, despised, 
 and put to death ; and there is a fit- 
 ness that he should come to be ho- 
 noured in his own world. 
 
 (2.) Every person on earth is intc 
 rested in the fact that he will return, 
 for "every eye shall see him." Rev. 
 i. ,7. All who are now in their graves, 
 and all who now live, and all who will 
 hereafter live, will behold the Re- 
 deemer in his glory. 
 
 (3.) It will not be merely to gaze 
 upon him, and to admire his magnifi. 
 cence that they will see him. It will 
 be for greater and more momentous 
 purposes — with reference to an eter- 
 nal doom, 
 
 (4.) The great mass of men are 
 not prepared to meet him. They do 
 not believe that he will return ; they 
 do not desire that he should appear ; 
 they are not ready for the 'Solemn in- 
 tervicw which they will have witli 
 him. His appearing now would over- 
 whi;lm them with surprise and horror. 
 There is nothing in the future which 
 they less expect and desire than the 
 second coming of the Son of God, 
 and in the present state of the world 
 his appearance would produce almost 
 universal consternation and despair. 
 
A. D. (54.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 221 
 
 It would be like the coining of the 
 flood of waters on the old world ; like 
 the sheets of flame on the cities of the 
 plain • "^r as death now comes to the 
 great mass of those who die. 
 
 (5.) Christians are prepared for his 
 coming. Tliey believe in it; they 
 desire it ; they are expecting it. In 
 this they are distinguished from all 
 tlie world besides, and they would be 
 ready to hail his corning as that of a 
 friend, and to rejoice in his appear- 
 ance as that of their Saviour. 
 
 (6.) Let us tlien live in habitual 
 preparation for his advent. To each 
 one of us he will come soon ; to all 
 he will come suddenly. Whether he 
 come to remove us by death, or whe- 
 ther in the clouds of heaven to judge 
 the world, the period is not far dis- 
 tant when we shall see him. Yes, 
 our eyes shall behold the Son of God 
 in his glory ! That which we have 
 long desired — a sight of our Saviour 
 who died for us, shall soon, very soon 
 be granted unto us. No Christian 
 begins a week or a day in which there 
 is not "a possibility that before its close 
 he may have seen the Son of God in 
 Jiis glory ; none lies down upon his 
 bed at night who may not, when the 
 morning dawns upon this world, be 
 gazing with infinite delight on the 
 glories of the Great Redeemer in the 
 heavens. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 The general subject of this chap- 
 ter is the sacrifice which Christ has 
 made for sin, and the consequences 
 which flow from the fact that he has 
 made a sufficient atonement. In chap- 
 ter IX. the apostle had shown that the 
 Jewish rites were designed to be tem- 
 porary and typical, and that the offer- 
 ings which were made under that 
 dispensation could never remove sin. 
 In this chapter lie shows that the true 
 sacrifice had been made by which sin 
 could be pardoned, and that certain 
 very important consequences followed 
 from that fact. The subject of sac- 
 rijice was the most important part of 
 tbfl Jewish economy, and was also 
 ]9* 
 
 the essential thing in the Christian 
 dispensation, and hence it is that the 
 apostle dwells upon it at so great 
 length. The chapter embraces the 
 following topics. 
 
 I. The apostle repeats what he had 
 said before about the inefficacy of the 
 sacrifices made under the law. Vs. 
 1 — 4. The law was a mere shadow 
 of good things to come, and the sacri- 
 fices which were made under it could 
 never render those who offered them 
 perfect, l^his was conclusively proved 
 by tlie fact tliat they continued con- 
 stantly to be ofl^ered. 
 
 II. Since this was the fact in re. 
 gard to those sacrifices, a better offer- 
 ing had been provided in the gospel 
 by the Redeemer. Vs. 5 — 10. A 
 body had been prepared him for this 
 work ; and when God had said that 
 he had no pleasure in the offerings 
 under the law, Christ had come and 
 offered ftis body once for all in order 
 that an effectual atonement might be 
 made for sin. 
 
 III. This sentiment the apostle fur. 
 ther illustrates by showing how this 
 one great oflfering was connected with 
 the forgiveness of sins. Vs. 11 — 18. 
 Under the Jewish dispensation sacri- 
 fices were repeated every day ; but 
 under the Christian economy when 
 the sacrifice was once made he who 
 had offered it sat down for ever on 
 the right hand of God, for his great 
 work was done. Having done this, 
 he looked forward to the time when 
 his work would have full effect, and 
 when his enemies would be made his 
 footstool. That this was to be the 
 effect of the offering made by the 
 Mcssiali, the apostle then sliows from 
 the Scriptures themselves, where it is 
 said (Jer. xxxi. 33, 34), that under 
 the gospel the laws of God would be 
 written on the heart, and sin would 
 be remembered no more. There must 
 then be, the apostle inferred, some 
 way by wliich this was to be secured, 
 and tliis was by the great sacrifice on 
 the cross, which had the effect of per. 
 fecting for ever those who were sanc- 
 tified. 
 
 IV. Since it was a fact that such 
 
l-i-l 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 FOR tho law, liuving a sha- 
 dow " of good things to 
 come, and not the very image 
 
 a Co. 2. 17. 
 
 of the things, can never with 
 those sacrifices ^vhich they of- 
 fered year by year continually 
 make the comers thereunto per- 
 fect. 
 
 an atonement had been made ; that 
 one great oifcriiig for sin liad been 
 presented to God which was never to 
 be repeated, there were certain con- 
 sequences which followed from that, 
 whicli the apostle proceeds to state. 
 Vs. 19—25. They wore these («), 
 the privilege of drawing near to God 
 with full assurance of faith (ver. 23) ; 
 (b) tlic duty of holding fast the pro- 
 fession of faith without wavering (ver. 
 23) ; (c) the duty of exhorting one 
 another to fidelity and to good works 
 (ver. 24); (d) the duty of assembling 
 for public worship, since they had a 
 High Priest in heaven, and might 
 now draw near to God. Ver. 25. 
 
 V. As a reason for fidelity in the 
 divine life, and for embracing the of- 
 fer of mercy now made through the 
 one sacrifice on the cross, the apostle 
 urges the consequence which must 
 follow from the rejection of that atone- 
 ment, and especially after having been 
 made acquainted with the truth. Vs. 
 26 — 31. The result, says he, must 
 be certain destruction. If that was 
 rejected, there could remain nothing 
 but a fearful looking for of judgment, 
 for there was no other way of salva- 
 tion. In support of this, the apostle 
 refers to what was the effect under 
 the law of Moses of disobedience, and 
 says that under the greater light of 
 the gospel much more fearful results 
 must follow. 
 
 VI. The chapter closes (vs. 32—39) 
 with an exhortation to fidelity and 
 perseverance. The apostle reminds 
 those to whom he wrote of what tiiey 
 h;id already endured ; encourages 
 them by the commend;ttion of wliat 
 tiiey had already done, and especiiilly 
 by the kindness wliich they had shown 
 to liiin ; says that tiicy had need only 
 of patience, and that the time of their 
 deliverance from all trial was not far 
 of!', for tiiat he who was to come would 
 
 come ; says that it was their duty to 
 love by faith, but that if any one drew 
 back, God could have no pleasure in 
 him. Having thus in the close of the 
 chapter alluded to the subject of faith, 
 he proceeds in the following chapter 
 to illustrate its value at length. The 
 object of the whole is to encourage 
 Christians to make strenuous efforts 
 for salvation ; to guard them against 
 the danger of apostasy ; and to exhort 
 them to bear their trials with patience 
 and with submission to the will of 
 God. 
 
 1. For the law, having a shadow. 
 That is, the whole of the Mosaic eco- 
 nomy was a shadow ; for so the word 
 law is often used. The word shadow 
 here refers to a rough outline of any- 
 thing, a mere sketch, such as a car- 
 penter draws with a piece of chalk, 
 or such as an artist delineates when 
 he is about to make a picture. He 
 sketches an outline of the object which 
 he designs to draw, which has some 
 resemblance to it, but is not the 
 ' very image ;' for it is not yet com- 
 plcte. The words rendered ' the very 
 image' refer to a painting or statue 
 which is finished, where every part is 
 an exact copy of the original. The 
 ' good things to come' here refer to 
 the future blessings which would be 
 conferred on man by the gospel. The 
 idea is, that under the ancient sacri- 
 fices there was an imperfect represent- 
 ation ; a dim outline of the blessings 
 which the gospel would impart to 
 men. They were a typical represent- 
 ation ; they were not such that it 
 could be pretended tiiat tl^y would 
 answer the jjurpose of the things 
 tliemselve-! wliich t'lcy were to repre- 
 sent, and would make those who offer- 
 ed them perilct. Such a rude outline; 
 such a mere sketch, or imperfect de- 
 lineation, could no more answer tlie 
 purpose of s ing the soul tiiun tlie 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 •2->;} 
 
 2 For then ' would they not 
 have ceased to be offered 1 be- 
 
 1 or, they would have. 
 
 rough sketch which an architect 
 makes would answer the purpose of 
 a house, or than the first outline which 
 a painter draws would answer the 
 purpose of a perfect and finished por- 
 trait. All that could be done by either 
 would be to convey some distant and 
 obscure idea of what the house or 
 the picture might be, and this was 
 all that was done by the law of Mo- 
 ses. TT Can never with those sacrifices 
 which they offered year by year con- 
 tinually. Tlie sacrifices here partic- 
 ularly referred to were those which 
 were offered on the great day of atone- 
 ment. These were regarded as the 
 most sacred and efficacious of all, and 
 yet the apostle says that the very fact 
 that they were offered every year 
 showed that there must be some defi- 
 ciency about them, or they would 
 have ceased to be offered. If Make 
 the comers thereunto perfect. They 
 could not free them from the stains 
 of guilt; they could not give ease 
 to a troubled conscience ; there was 
 in them no efficacy by which sin 
 could be put away. Comp. Notes on 
 ch. vii. 11 ; ix. 9. 
 
 2. For then would they not have 
 ceased to be offered? Marg. 'Or they 
 would have.' The sense is the same. 
 The idea is, that the very fact that 
 they were repeated showed that there 
 was some deficiency in them as to 
 the matter of cleansing the soul from 
 sin. If they had answered all the 
 purposes of a sacrifice in putting away 
 guilt, there would have been no need 
 of repeating them in this manner. 
 They were in this respect like medi- 
 cine. If that which is given to a pa- 
 tient heals him, there is no need of 
 repeating it ; but if it is repeated often 
 it shows that there" was some defi- 
 ciency in it, and if taken periodi- 
 cally through a man's life, and the 
 disease should still remain, it would 
 show that it was not sufficient to 
 effect his cure. So it was with 
 the offerings made by the Jews. 
 
 cause that the worshippers once 
 purged should have had no more 
 conscience of sins. 
 
 They were offered every year, and 
 indeed every day, and still tlie disease 
 of sin remained. The conscience 
 was not satisfied ; and the guilty felt 
 that it was necessary that the sacra- 
 fice should be repeated again and 
 again. ^ Because that the worshippers 
 once purged should have had no more 
 conscience of sins. That is, if their 
 sacrifices had so availed as to remove 
 their past sins, and to procure for- 
 p-iveness, they would have had no 
 more trouble of conscience on account 
 of them. They would not have felt 
 that it was necessary to make these 
 sacrifices over and over again in order 
 to find peace. When a man has full 
 evidence that an atonement has been 
 made which will meet all the de- 
 mands of the law, and which secures 
 the remission of sin, he feels that it is 
 enough. It is all that the case de- 
 mands, and his conscience may have 
 peace. But when he does not feel 
 this, or has not evidence that his sins 
 are all forgiven, those sins will rise 
 to remembrance, and he will be 
 alarmed. He may be punished for 
 them after all. Thence it follows 
 that if a man wants peace he should 
 have good evidence that his sins are 
 forgiven through the blood of the 
 atonement. No temporary expedient; 
 no attempt to cover them up ; no 
 effort to forget them will answer the 
 purpose. They tnust be blotted out 
 if he will have peace — and that can 
 be only through a perfect sacrifice. 
 By the use of the word rendered ' con- 
 science' here, it is not meant that he 
 who was pardoned would have no 
 consciousness that he was a sinner, 
 or that he would forget it, but that he 
 would have no trouble of conscience; 
 he would have no apprehension of 
 future wrath. The pardon of sin does 
 not cause itfo cease to be remembered. 
 He who is forgiven may have a deeper 
 conviction of its evil than he had ever 
 had before. But he will not be trou- 
 bled or distressed by it as if it were 
 
224 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 3 But in those sacrifices there 
 is a remembrance again made 
 of sins every year." 
 
 4 For it is not possible that 
 the blood of bulls and of goats 
 should take away sins.' 
 
 a Le. 16. 34. 6 Mat. 13. 31, 32. 
 
 to expose liim to the wrath of God. 
 The remembrance of it will humble 
 him ; it will serve to exalt his con- 
 ceptions of the mercy of God and the 
 glory of the atonement, but it will no 
 longer overwhelm the mind with the 
 dread of hell. This effect, the apostle 
 says, was not produced on the minds 
 of those who offered sacrifices every 
 year. The very fact that tliey did it, 
 showed that the conscience was not 
 at peace. 
 
 3. But in those sacrifices there is a 
 remembrance again made of sins every 
 year. The reference here is to the 
 sacrifices made on the great day of 
 atonement. This occurred once in a 
 year. Of course as often as a sacri- 
 fice was offered, it was an acknow- 
 ledgment of guilt on the part of those 
 for whom it was made. As these 
 sacrifices continued to be offered every 
 year, they who made the offering 
 were reminded of their guilt and their 
 desert of punishment. AH the cflicacy 
 which could be pretended to belong 
 those sacrifices, was that they made 
 expiation for the past year. Their 
 efliicacy did not extend into the future, 
 nor did it embrace any but those who 
 were engaged in offering them. These 
 sacrifices, therefore, could not make 
 the atonement which man needed. 
 They could not make the conscience 
 easy ; they could not be regarded as 
 a sufficient expiation for tne time to 
 come, so that tiic sinner at any time 
 could plead an offering which was 
 already made as a ground of pardon, 
 and they could not meet tlie wants of 
 all men in all lands and at all times. 
 These things are to be found only in 
 that great sacrifice made by the Re- 
 deemer on the cross. 
 
 4. For it is not possible that the 
 blood of bulls and of goats should take 
 
 5 \Vherefore, when he com- 
 eth into the world, he saith,* 
 Sacrifice and offering thou 
 %vouldest not, but a body hast 
 thou prepared ' me. 
 
 e Ps. 40. 6-8. 
 
 1 or, thou kaatfitted. 
 
 away sins. The reference here is to the 
 sacrifices which were made on the 
 great day of the atonement, for on that 
 day the blood of bulls and of goats alone 
 was offered. See Notes on ch. ix. 7. 
 Paul here means to say, doubtless, 
 that it was not possible that the blood 
 of these animals should make a com- 
 plete expiation so as to purify the 
 conscience, and so as to save the sin- 
 ner from deserved wrath. According 
 to the divine arrangement, expiation 
 was made by those sacrifices for 
 offences of various kinds against the 
 ritual law of Moses, and pardon for 
 such offences was thus obtained. But 
 the meaning here is, that there was no 
 efficacy in the blood of a mere ani- 
 mal to wash away a moral offence. 
 It could not repair the law ; it could 
 not do anything to maintain the jus- 
 tice of God ; it had no efficacy to 
 make the heart pure. The mere 
 shedding of the blood of an animal 
 never could make the soul pure. This 
 the apostle states as a truth which 
 must be admitted at once as indispu- 
 table, and yet it is probable that many 
 of the Jews had imbibed the opinion 
 that there was such efficacy in blood 
 shed according to the divine direction, 
 as to remove all stains of guilt from 
 the soul. See Notes ch. ix. 9, 10. 
 
 ~t. Wherefore. This word shows 
 thjit the apostle means to sustain 
 what he had said by a reference to 
 the Old Testament itself. Nothing 
 could be more opposite to the pre- 
 vailing Jewish opinions about the 
 efficacy of sacrifice, than what he had 
 just said. It was, therefore, of the 
 highest imj)ortance to defend the 
 position which he had laid down 
 by authority whicii they would not 
 presume to call in question, and 
 he therefore makes his appeal to 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 225 
 
 their own Scriptures. IT When he 
 Cometh into the world. When the 
 Messiah came, for the passage evi- 
 dently referred to liini. The Greek 
 is, ' Wherefore coming into the world, 
 he saith.' It has been made a ques- 
 tion when this is to be understood as 
 spoken — whether when he was born, 
 or when he entered on the work of 
 his ministry. Grotius understands it 
 of the latter. But it is not material 
 to a proper understanding of the pas- 
 sage to determine this. The simple 
 idea is, that since it was impossible 
 that the blood of bulls and goats 
 should take away sin, Christ coming 
 into the world made arrangements 
 for a better sacrifice. If He saith. 
 That is, this is the language denoted 
 by his great undertaking ; this is 
 what his coming to make an atone- 
 ment implies. We are not to suppose 
 that Christ formally used these words 
 on any occasion — for we have no re- 
 cord that he did — but this language 
 is that which appropriately expresses 
 the nature of iiis work. Perhaps also 
 the apostle means to say that it was 
 originally employed in the Psalm 
 from which it is quoted in reference 
 to him, or was indited by him with 
 reference to his future advent. IT Sa- 
 crifice and offering thou wouldest not. 
 This is quoted from Ps. xl. 6. 8. 
 There has been much perplexity felt 
 by expositors in reference to this quo- 
 tation, and after all which has been 
 written, it is not entirely removed. 
 The difficulty relates to these points. 
 (1.) To the question whether the 
 Psalm originally had any reference 
 to the Messiah. The Psalm appears 
 to have pertained merely to David, 
 and it would probably occur to no 
 one on reading it to suppose that it 
 referred to the Messiah, unless it had 
 been so applied by the apostle in this 
 place. (2.) There are many parts of 
 the Psalm, it has been said, which 
 cannot, without a very forced inter- 
 pretation, be applied to Christ. See 
 vs. 2. 12. 14—16. (3.) The argument 
 ol the apostle in the expression " a 
 body hast thou prepared me," seems 
 to be based on a false translation of 
 
 the Septuagint which he has adopted, 
 and it is dilHcult to see on what prin- 
 ciples he has done it. — It is not the 
 design of these Notes to go into an 
 extended examination of questions of 
 tins nature. Such examination must 
 be sought in more extended commen- 
 taries, and in treatises expressly re- 
 lating to points of this kind. On the 
 design of Ps. xl., and its applicability 
 to the Messiah, the reader may con- 
 sult Prof. Stuart on the Hebrews, Ex- 
 cursus XX. and Kuinoel in loc. After 
 the most attentive examination which 
 I can give of the Psalm, it seems 
 to me probable that it is one of the 
 Psalms which had an original and 
 exclusive reference to the Messiah, 
 and that the apostle has quoted it just 
 as it was meant to be understood by 
 the Holy Spirit, as applicable to him. 
 The reasons for this opinion are 
 briefly these. (1.) There are such 
 Psalms, as is admitted by all. The 
 Messiah was the hope of the Jewish 
 people ; he was made the subject o< 
 their most sublime prophecies, anc" 
 nothing was more natural than thai 
 he should be the subject of the songrt 
 of their sacred bards. By the spirj" 
 of inspiration they saw him in th'- 
 distant future in the various circum 
 stances in which he would be placed 
 and they dwelt with delight upon the 
 vision. Comp. Intro, to Isaiah, § 7. 
 iii. (2.) The fact that it is here ap- 
 plied to the Messiah, is a strong cir- 
 cumstance to demonstrate that it had 
 an original applicability to him. This 
 proof is of two kinds. First, that it 
 is so applied by an inspired apostle, 
 which with all who admit his inspira- 
 tion seems decisive of the question. 
 Second, the fact that he so applied it 
 shows that this was an ancient and 
 admitted interpretation. The apostle 
 was writing to those who had been 
 Jews, and whom he was desirous to 
 convince of the truth of what he was 
 alleging in regard to the nature of 
 the Hebrew sacrifices. For this 
 purpose it was necessary to appeal to 
 the Scriptures of the Old Testament, 
 but it cannot be supposed that ha 
 would adduce a passage for proof 
 
22G 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 whose relevancy would not be admit- 
 ted. The presiunption is, that tlie 
 passage was in fact coninionly ap- 
 plied as here, (3.) Tlie whole of 
 the Psalin may be referred to the 
 Messiah without anything forced or 
 unnatural. 'I'he Psahn throughout 
 seems to be made up of expressions 
 used by a suffering person, who had 
 indeed been delivered from some evils, 
 but who was expecting many more. 
 The principal ditiieultics in the way 
 of such an interpretation, relate to the 
 following points, (a) In ver. 2, the 
 speaker in the Psalm says, " He 
 brought me up out of an horrible pit, 
 out of the miry clay, and set my feet 
 upon a rock," and on the ground of 
 this he gives thanks to God. But 
 there is no real difficulty in supposing 
 that this may refer to the Messiah. 
 His enemies often plotted against his 
 life ; laid snares for him and endea- 
 voured to destroy him, and it may be 
 that he refers to some deliverance from 
 Buch machinations. If it is objected 
 to this tliat it is spoken of as having 
 been uttered ' when lie came into the 
 world,' it may be replied, that that 
 phrase does not necessarily refer to 
 the time of his birth, but that he ut- 
 tered this sentiment sometime during 
 the period of his incarnation. ' He 
 coming into the world for tlie purpose 
 of redemption made use of tliis lan- 
 guage.' In a similar manner we would 
 say of Laiiiyette, that ' lie, coming to 
 the United States to aid in the cause 
 of liberty, suffered a wound in battle.' 
 That is, during tiie period in which 
 he was engaged in this cause, he suf- 
 fered in this manner. (6.) Tiie next 
 objection or difficulty relates to the 
 application of ver. 12 to the Messiah. 
 ' Aline iniquities have taken hold upon 
 me, so that I am not able to look up ; 
 they are more tlian tlie hairs of my 
 licad ; therefore my heart tailutii me.' 
 To meet this, some have suggested 
 that he refers to the sins of men which 
 he took upon himself, and which he 
 here speaks of as his own. But it is 
 not true tliat tlie Lord Jesus so took 
 upon himself the sins of others that 
 they could be called his. They were 
 
 not his, for he was in every sense 
 'lioly, harmless, and undefiled.' The 
 true solution of this difficulty, probably 
 is, that the word rendered iniquity — 
 U^ — means calamity, misfortune, 
 trouble. Sec Ps. xxxi. 10 ; I. Sam. 
 .xxviii. 10; II. Kings vii, 9; Ps. 
 xxxviii. G ; comp. Ps. xlix. 5. The 
 proper idea in the word is that of 
 turning away, curving, making crook, 
 ed ; and it is thus applied to any- 
 thing which is perverted or turned 
 from the right way ; as when one is 
 turned from the path of rectitude, or 
 commits sin ; wiien one is turned 
 from the way of prosperity or happi- 
 ness, or is exposed to calamity. This 
 seems to be the idea demanded by the 
 scope of the Psalm, for it is not a pen- 
 itential Psalm, in which the speaker 
 is recountinghis sins, but one in which 
 he is enumerating his sorrows; prais- 
 ing God in the first part of the Psalm 
 for some deliverance already experi- 
 enced, and supplicating his interposi- 
 tion in view of calamities that he saw 
 to be coming upon him. This interpre- 
 tation also seems to be demanded in 
 ver. 12 of the Psalm by the parallel- 
 ism. In the former part of tiie verse, 
 the word to which ' iniquity' corre- 
 sponds, is not sin, but evil, i. e. ca- 
 lamity. 
 
 " For innumerable evils have compassed me 
 abxiit ; 
 Mine iniquities [calamities] have taken 
 hold upon me." 
 
 If tlid word, therefore, be used here 
 as it often is, and as the scope of the 
 Psalm and the connexion seem to de- 
 mand, there is no solid objection 
 against applying this verse to the 
 Messiah, (c.) A third objection to 
 tliis application of the Psvalm to the 
 Messiah is, that it cannot be supposed 
 that he would utter such imprecations 
 on his enemies as are found in vs. 14, 
 15. ' Let them be ashamed and cotv 
 founded ; let them be driven back- 
 ward ; let them be desolate.' To this 
 it may be replied, that such impreca- 
 tions are as proper in tlie mouth of 
 the Messiah as of David ; but particu- 
 larly, it may be said also, that they 
 
A. D, 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 227 
 
 are improper in the mouth of neither. 
 Both David and the Messiah did in 
 fact utter denunciations against the 
 enemies of piety and of God. God 
 does the same thing in his word and 
 by his Providence. There is no evi- 
 dence of any malignant feeling in 
 this; nor is it inconsistent with the 
 highest benevolence. The lawgiver 
 who says that the murderer shall die, 
 may have a heart full of benevolence ; 
 the judge who sentences him to death, 
 may do it with eyes filled with tears. 
 The objections, then, are not of such 
 a nature that it is improper to regard 
 this Psalm as wholly applicable to the 
 Messiah. (4.) The Psalm cannot be 
 applied with propriety to David, nor 
 do we know of any one to whom it 
 can be but to the Messiah. When 
 was it true of David that he said that 
 he ' had come to do the will of God in 
 view of the fact that God did not re- 
 quire sacrifice and oflferings ?' In 
 what ' volume of a book' was it writ- 
 ten of him before his birth that he 
 ' delighted to do the will of God ?' 
 When was it true that he had ' preach- 
 ed righteousness in the great congre- 
 gation ?' These expressions are such 
 as can be applied properly only to the 
 Messiah, as Paul does here ; and tak- 
 ing all these circumstances together 
 it will probably be regarded as the 
 most proper interpretation to refer the 
 whole Psalm at once to the Redeemer, 
 and to suppose that Paul has used it 
 in strict accordance with its original 
 design. The other difliculties referred 
 to will be considered in the exposition 
 of the passage. — The diiFerencc be- 
 tween sacrijice and offering is, that 
 the former refers to bloody sacrifices ; 
 the latter to any oblation made to God 
 — as a thank-offering ; an oflTering- of 
 flour, oil, &c. See Notes on Isa. i.ll. 
 When it is s;i id 'sacrifice and oftcr- 
 jng tlwu wouldesl not,' the meaning is 
 not that such oblations were in no 
 sense acceptable to God — for as his 
 appointment, and when offered with a 
 sincere heart, they doubtless were; but 
 that tliey were not us acceptable to him 
 as obedience, and especially as the ex- 
 pression is used here that they could 
 
 not avail to secure the forgiveness of 
 sins. They were not in their own 
 nature such as was demanded to make 
 an expiation for sin, and hence a body 
 was prepared for the Messiah by 
 which a more perfect sacrifice could 
 be made. The sentiment here ex- 
 pressed occurs more than once in the 
 Old Testament. Thus, I. Sam. xv. 
 22. " Behold, to obey is better than 
 sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat 
 of rams." Hos. vi. 6. " For I de- 
 sired mercy and not sacrifice ; and 
 the knowledge of God more than 
 burnt-offerings." Comp. Ps. li. 16, 
 17. "For thou desirest not sacrifice, 
 else would I give it ; thou delightest 
 not in burnt-offering. The sacrifices 
 of God are a broken spirit." This 
 was an indisputable principle of the 
 Old Testament, though it was much 
 obscured and forgotten in the com- 
 mon estimation among the Jews. In 
 accordance with this principle the 
 Messiah came to render obedience of 
 the highest order, even to such an ex- 
 tent that he was willing to lay down 
 his own life. V But a body hast thou 
 prepared me. This is one of the pas- 
 sages which has caused a difficulty 
 in understanding this quotation from 
 the Psalm. The difficulty is, that it 
 differs from the Hebrew, and that the 
 apostle builds an argument vpon it. 
 It is not unusual indeed in the New 
 Testament to make use of the lan- 
 guage of the Septuagint even where 
 it varies somewhat from the Hebrew ; 
 and -where no argument is based on 
 such a passage, there can be no difli. 
 culty in such a usage, since it is not 
 uncommon to make use of the lan- 
 guage of others to express our own 
 thoughts. But the apostle does not 
 appear to have made such a use of 
 the passage here, but to have applied 
 it in the way of argument. Tlie ar- 
 gument, indeed, does not rest wholly, 
 perhaps not principally, on the fact 
 that a ' body liad been prepared' for 
 the Messiah ; but still this was evi 
 dently in the view of the apostle an 
 important consideration, and this is 
 the passage on •which the proof of 
 this is based. The Hebrew (Ps. xl. 
 
228 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 6) is, ' Mine ears hast thou opened,' 
 or as it is in the margin, digged. The 
 idea there is, tliat the car had been, 
 as it were, excavated, or dujf out, so 
 as to be made to liear distinctly ; that 
 is, certain truths liad been clearly re- 
 vealed to the speaker ; or periiaps it 
 may mean that he hud been made 
 'readily and attentively obedient.' 
 Stuart. Comp. Isa. 1. 5. " The Lord 
 God hath opened mine ear, and I was 
 not rebellious." In the Psalm, tlie 
 proper connexion would seem to be, 
 that the speaker had been made obe- 
 dient, or had been so led that he was 
 disposed to do the will of God. Tliis 
 may be expressed by the fact that the 
 ear had been opened so as to be quick 
 to hear, since an indisposition to obey 
 is often expressed by the fact tliat the 
 ears are stopped. There is manifestly 
 no allusion here, as has been some- 
 times supposed, to the custom of bor- 
 ing through the ear of a servant with 
 an awl as a sign that he was willing 
 to remain and serve his master, Ex. 
 xxi. 6; Deut. xv. 17. In that case, 
 the outer circle, or rim of the ear was 
 bored through with an awl ; here the 
 idea is that of hollowing out, digging, 
 or excavating — a process to make tlie 
 passage clear, not to pierce the out- 
 ward ear. The Hebrew in the Psalm 
 the Septuagint translates, 'a body 
 hast thou prepared me,' and this ren- 
 dering has been adopted by the apos- 
 tle. Various ways have been resort- 
 ed to of explaining the fact that the 
 translators of the Septuagint render- 
 ed it in this manner, none of which 
 are entirely free from difficulty. Some 
 critics, as Cappell, Erncsti, and others 
 have endeavoured to show that it i» 
 probable that the Septuagjnt reading 
 
 in Ps. xl. C, was — un'or Karnprhu) fioi — 
 
 ' my ear thou hast prepared ;' that is, 
 for obedience. But of this tiicre is 
 no proof, and indeed it is evident that 
 the apostle quoted it as if it were 
 au>na, body. See ver. 10. It is pro- 
 bably altogether impossible now to 
 explain the reason why the transla- 
 tors of the Septuagint rendered the 
 phrase as they did ; 'and this remark 
 may be extended to many other places 
 
 of their version. It is to be admitted 
 here, beyond all doubt, whatever con- 
 sequences may follow, (1) that their 
 version does not accord with the He- 
 brew ; (2) that the apostle has quoted 
 their version as it stood, without at- 
 tempting to correct it; (3) that his 
 use of the passage is designed, to 
 some extent'at least, as /jroq/" of what 
 he was demonstrating. The leading 
 idea ; the important and essential 
 point in the argument, is, indeed, not 
 that a body was prepared, but that he 
 came to do the will of God ; but still 
 it is clear that the apostle meant to 
 lay some stress on the fact that a body 
 had been prepared for the Redeemer. 
 Sacrifice and offering by the bodies 
 of lambs and goats were not what was 
 required, but instead of that the Mes- 
 siah came to do the will of God by of- 
 fering a more perfect sacrifice, and in 
 accomplishing that it was necessary 
 that he should be endowed with a body. 
 But on what principle tire apostle has 
 quoted a passage to prove tliis which 
 differs from the Hebrew, I confess I 
 cannot see, nor do any of the expla- 
 nations offered commend themselves 
 as satisfactory. The only circum- 
 stances which seem to furnish any re- 
 lief to the difficulty are these two — 
 (1) tliat the main point in the argu- 
 ment of tlie apostle was not that ' & 
 body had been prepared,' but that the 
 Messiah came to do the ' will of God,' 
 and that the preparation of a body for» 
 that was rather an inciderttal circum- 
 stance ; and ("J) that the translation 
 by the Septuagint was not a material 
 departure from the scope of the whole 
 Hebrew passage. The main thought 
 — that of doing the will of God in the 
 place of offering sacrifice — was still 
 retained ; the opening of the ears, i. e. 
 rendering the person attentive and 
 disposed to obey, and the preparing 
 of a bcjdy in ord>.'r to obedience, were 
 not circumstances so unlike as to 
 make it necessary for the apostle to 
 re-translate the wliole passage in or. 
 der to the main end whicji he had ia 
 view. Still, I admit, that these con 
 siderations do not seem to me to be 
 wholly satisfactory, Those who are 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 229 
 
 6 In burnt-offerings and sa- 
 crifices for sins thou hast had 
 no pleasure : 
 
 disposed to examine the various opi- 
 nions which have been entertained of 
 this passage may find them in Kui- 
 noel, in loc, Rosenmiiller, Stuart on 
 the Hebrews, Excursus xx., and Ken- 
 nicott on Ps. xl. 7. Kennicott sup- 
 poses that there has been a change in 
 the Hebrew text, and that instead of 
 the present reading — D''JTN — oznaim, 
 
 ears, the reading was ^^J IN — oz, 
 
 gvph — then a body; and that these 
 words became united by the error of 
 transcribers, and by a slight change 
 then became as the present copies of 
 the Hebrew text stands. This con- 
 jecture is ingenious, and if it were 
 ever allowable to follow a mere con- 
 jecture, I should be disposed to do it 
 here. But there is no authority from 
 MSS. for any change, nor do any of 
 the old versions justify it, or agree 
 with this except the Arabic. 
 
 6. In burnt-offerings and sacrifices 
 for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 
 This is not quoted literally from the 
 Psalm, but the sense is retained. The 
 reading there is, " burnt-offering and 
 sin-offering hast thou not required." 
 The quotation by the apostle is taken 
 from the Septuagint, with the change 
 of a single word, which does not ma- 
 terially affect the sense — the word 
 6vK ivioK-naas — ouk eudukesas — 'thou 
 hast no pleasure,' instead of ouk h^iXt]- 
 aai — ouk ethelesas — ' thou dost not 
 will.' The idea is, that God had no 
 pleasure in them as compared with 
 obedience. He preferred the latter, 
 ■and they could not be made to come 
 in the place of it, or to answer the 
 same purpose. When they were per- 
 formed with a pure heart, he was 
 doubtless pleased with the offering. 
 As used here in reference to the Mes- 
 siah, the meaning is, that they would 
 not be what was required of him. 
 Such offerings would not answer the 
 end for which he was sent into the 
 20 
 
 7 Then said I, Lo, I come 
 (in the volume of the book it is 
 written of me) to do thy will, 
 OGod. 
 
 world, for that end was to be accom- 
 plished only by his being ' obedient 
 unto death.' 
 
 7. Then said I. I the Messiah. 
 Paul applies this directly to Christ, 
 showing that he regarded the passage 
 in the Psalms as referring to him as 
 the speaker. IT Lo, I come. Come into 
 the world. Ver. 5. It is not easy to 
 see liow this could be applied to Da- 
 vid in any circumstance of his life. 
 There was no situation in which he 
 could say that, since sacrifices and 
 offerings were not what was demand- 
 ed, he came to do the will of God in 
 the place or stead of them. The time 
 here referred to by the word ' then^ is 
 when it was manifest that sacrifices 
 and offerings for sin would not an- 
 swer all the purposes desirable, or 
 when in view of tliat fact the purpose 
 of the Redeemer is conceived as 
 formed to enter upon a work which 
 would effect what they could not. 
 If In the volume of the book, it is lorit- 
 ten of me. The word here rendered 
 ' volume' — KitpaKis — means properly a 
 little head ; and then a knob, and here 
 refers doubtless to the head or knob 
 of the rod on which the Hebrew ma- 
 nuscripts vi'ere rolled. Books were 
 usually so written as to be rolled up, 
 and when they were read they were 
 unrolled at one end of the manuscript, 
 and rolled up at the other as fast as 
 they were read. See Notes on Luke 
 iv. 17. The rods on which they were 
 rolled had small heads, either for the 
 purpose of holding them, or for orna- 
 ment, and hence the name head came 
 metapliorically to be given to the roll 
 or volume. But what volume is liere 
 intended ? And where is that written 
 which is here ref(*rred to ? If David 
 was the author of the Psalm from 
 which this is quoted (Ps. xL), tlien 
 the book or volume which was then 
 in existence must have been princi- 
 pally, if not entirely, the fij'e books 
 
830 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 8 Above, wlicn he said, Sa- 
 crifice and oflcriiig and burnt- 
 ofl'erings and offering for sin 
 
 of Moses, and perhaps tlie books of 
 Job, Joslma, and Judjrcs, with proba- 
 bly a few of the Psahns. It is inost 
 natural to understand this of the Pen- 
 tateuch, or the live books of Moses, 
 as the word ' volume' at that time 
 would undoubtedly have most natu- 
 rally suggested that. But plainly, 
 this could not refer to David himself, 
 for in wjiat part of the law of Moses, 
 >r in any of the volumes then extant, 
 ;an a reference of this kind be found 
 X) David ? There is no promise, no 
 intimation that he would,comc to ' do 
 ilie will of God' with a view to effect 
 that which could not be done by the 
 sacrifices prescribed by the Jewish 
 law. The reference of the language, 
 therefore, must be to the Messiah — 
 to some place where it is represented 
 that he would come to effect by his 
 obedience what could not be done by 
 the sacrifices and offerings under the 
 law. But still, in the books of Moses, 
 this language is not lilerally found, 
 and the meaning must be, that lliis 
 was the language which was there 
 implied respecting the Messiah ; or 
 this was the substance of the descrip- 
 tion given of liim, that he would come 
 to take the place of those sacrifices, 
 and by his obedience unto death would 
 accomplish what they could not do. 
 They had a reference to him ; and it 
 was contemplated in their appoint- 
 ment that their inefficiency would be 
 (iuch that there should be felt a ne- 
 cessity for a higher sacrifice, and 
 when he should come they would all 
 be done away. The whole language 
 of the institution of sacrifices, and of 
 the Mosaic economy, was, that a Sa- 
 viour would hereafter come to do the 
 will of God in making an atonement 
 for tlip "sin of the world. That there 
 are places in the books of Moses which 
 refer to the Saviour, is expressly af- 
 firmed by Christ himself (John v. 46), 
 and by tiie apostles (comp. Acts xxii. 
 23), and that the general spirit of the 
 
 thou wouldest rot, neither hadst 
 plea.sure therein; which are of- 
 fered by the law; 
 
 institutions of Moses had reference to 
 him is abundantly demonstrated in 
 this epistle. The meaning here is, 
 ' I come to do thy will in making iin 
 atonement, for no other offering would 
 expiate sin. That I would do this is 
 the language of the Scriptures which 
 predict my coming, and of the whole 
 spirit and design of the ancient dis- 
 pensation.' IT To do thy will, O God. 
 This expresses the amount of all that 
 the Redeemer came to do. He came 
 to do the will of God (1) by perfect 
 obedience to his law, and (2) b}' mak- 
 ing an atonement for sin — becoming 
 'obedient unto death.' Phil. ii. 8. The 
 latter is the principal thought here, 
 for the apostle is showing that sacri- 
 fice and offering such as were made 
 under the law would not put away 
 sin, and that Christ came in contra- 
 distinction from them to make a sa- 
 crifice that would be efficacious. 
 Everywhere in the Scriptures it is 
 held out as being the ' will of God' 
 that such an atonement should be 
 made. There was salvation in no 
 other way, nor was it possible that 
 the race should be saved unless the 
 Redeemer drank that cup of bitter 
 sorrows. Sec Matt, xxvii. 39. AVe are 
 not to suppose, liowever, that it was 
 by mere arbitrary icill that those suf^ 
 ferings were demanded. There were 
 good reasons for all that the Saviour 
 was to endure, though those reasons 
 are not all made known to us. 
 
 8. Above ichen he said. That is, 
 the Messiah. Tlie word ' above' re- 
 fers here to the former part of the 
 quotation. Tliat is, 'having in the 
 former part of what was quoted said 
 that God did not require sacrifices, in 
 the latter part he says that he came 
 to do the will of God in the place of 
 them.' ^ Sacrijice and offering, and 
 hurnl-offerinirs, <!tc. These words are 
 not all used in the Psalm from which 
 the apostle quotes, but the idea is, that 
 the specification there included ail 
 
k. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 231 
 
 9 Then said he, Lo, I come 
 to do thy will, O God. He 
 taketh away the first, that he 
 may establish the second. 
 
 10 By the which will we are 
 
 kinds of offerings. Tlie apostle dwells 
 upon it because it was important to 
 ehow that the same remark applied to 
 all the sacrifices which could be offer- 
 ed by man. When the Redeemer 
 made the observation about the inefli- 
 cacy of sacrifices, he meant that there 
 was none of them which would be 
 sufficient to take away sin. 
 
 9. Then said lie. In another part 
 of the passage quoted. When he had 
 said that no offering which man could 
 make would avail, then he said that 
 he would come himself. If He taketh 
 aii-ay the first. The word '■firsC here 
 refers to sacrifices and offerings. He 
 takes them away; tliat is, he shows 
 that they are of no value in removing 
 sin. He states their inefficacy, and 
 declares his purpose to abolish them. 
 1 That he may establish the second. 
 To wit, the doing of the will of God. 
 The two stand in contrast with each 
 other, and he shows the inefficacy of 
 the former, in order that tlie necessity 
 for his coming to do tlie will of God 
 may be fully seen. If they had been 
 efficacious, there would have been no 
 need of his coming to make an atone- 
 ment. 
 
 10. By the which will. That is, by 
 his obeying God in the manner spe- 
 cified. It is in virtue of his obedience 
 that we are sanctified. The apostle 
 immediately specifies what he means, 
 and furnishes the key to his whole 
 argument, when he says that it was 
 through the offering of the body of Je- 
 svs Christ. It was not merely his 
 doing the will of God in general, but 
 it was the specific thing of offering 
 his body in the place of the Jewish 
 sacrifices. Comp. Phil. ii. 8. What- 
 ever part his personal obedience had 
 in our salvation, yet the particular 
 thing here specified is, that it was 
 his doing the will of God by offering 
 
 sanctified, « through the offer- 
 ing * of the blood of Jesus 
 Clirist once for all. 
 
 11 And every priest standeth 
 daily " ministering, and offering 
 
 a Jno. 17. 19. b c. 9. 12. c Nu. 28. 3. 
 
 himself as a sacrifice for sin that was 
 the means of our sanctification. IT We 
 are sanctified. We are made holy. 
 The word here is not confined to the 
 specific work which is commonly 
 called sanctification — or the process 
 of making the soul holy after it is re- 
 newed, but it includes everything by 
 which wc are made holy in the sight 
 of God. It embraces, therefore, jus- 
 tification and regeneration as well as 
 what is commonly known as sancti- 
 fication. The idea is, tliat whatever 
 there is in our hearts which is holy, 
 or whatever influences are brought to 
 bear upon us to make us holy, is all 
 to be traced to the fact that the Re- 
 deemer became obedient unto death, 
 and was willing to offer his body as 
 a sacrifice for sin. IF Through the 
 offering of the body. As a sacrifice. 
 A body just adapted to such a pur- 
 pose had been prepared for him. Ver. 
 5. It v/as perfectly holy ; it was so 
 organized as to be keenly sensitive to 
 suffering ; it was the dwelling-place 
 of the incarnate Deity. If Once for 
 all. In the sense that it is not to be 
 offered again. See Notes on ch. ix. 28. 
 This idea is repeated here because it 
 was very important to be clearly un- 
 derstood in order to show the contrast 
 between the offering made by Christ, 
 and those made under the law. The 
 object of the apostle is to exalt the 
 sacrifice made by him above those 
 made by the Jewish liigh priests. 
 This he does by showing that such 
 \\a.s the efficacy of tiic atonement 
 made by him tliat it did not need to 
 be repeated ; the sacrifices made by 
 them, however, were to be renewed 
 every year. 
 
 11. And every priest standeth daily 
 ministering. That is, this is done 
 every day. It does not mean literally 
 that every Driest was daily concerned 
 
232 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 oftentimes the same sacrifices, | 13 From henceforth expect- 
 vvhichc:in never "take away sins: 
 12 But this man, after he 
 had offered one sacrifice for 
 sins, for ever sat * down on the 
 right hand of God ; 
 
 a Ps. 50. 8-13. la. 1. H. b Co. 3. 1. 
 
 in offering sacrifices, for they took 
 turns according to their courses, 
 (Notes on Luke i. 5), but that this 
 was done each day, and that every 
 priest was to take his regular place 
 in doing it. Num. xxviii. 3. The 
 object of the apostle is to prove that 
 under the Jewish economy sacrifices 
 were repeated constantly, showing 
 their imperfection, but that under the 
 Christian economy the great sacrifice 
 had been otfered once, which was 
 sutficient for all. If And offering 
 oftentimes the same sacrifices. The 
 same sacrifices were oftered morning 
 and evening every day. If Which 
 can never lake away sins. Notes ch. 
 ix. 9; X. 1. 
 
 12. But this man. The Lord Jesus. 
 The word man is not in the original 
 here. The Greek is literally ' but 
 this ;' to wit, this priest. The apostle 
 does not state here whether he was a 
 man, or a being of a higher order. 
 He merely mentions him as a priest 
 in contradistinction from the Jewish 
 priests. IT After he had offered one 
 sacrifice for sins. By dying on the 
 cross. This he did but once ; this 
 could not be repeated ; and need not 
 be repeated, for it was sufficient for 
 the sins of the world. If For ever sat 
 down. That is, he sat down then to 
 return no more for the purpose of 
 offering sacrifice for sin. He will no 
 more submit himself to scenes of 
 suffering and death to expiate human 
 guilt. It On the right hand of God. 
 See Notes on Matt. xvi. 19. Comp. 
 Notes on Eph. i. 20—22. 
 
 13. From henceforth expecting. Or 
 waiting. He wails there until this 
 shall be accomplished according to 
 the promise made to him that all 
 things shall be subdued under him. 
 
 ing till his enemies ' be made 
 his foot.stool. 
 
 14 For by one offering he 
 hath ■* perfected for ever thera 
 that are sanctified. 
 
 c Ps. no. 1. d ver.9. 
 
 See Notes on I. Cor. xv. 25—27. T 
 Till his enemies. There is an allusion 
 here to Ps. ex. 1, where it is said, 
 " The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit 
 thou at my right hand until I make , 
 thine enemies thy footstool." The 
 enemies of the Redeemer are Satan, 
 the wicked of the earth, and all the 
 evil passions of the heart. The idea 
 is, that all things are yet to be made 
 subject to his will — cither by a cheer- 
 ful and cordial submission to his au- 
 thority, or by being crushed beneath 
 his power. The Redeemer, having 
 performed his great work of redemp- 
 tion by giving himself as a sacrifice 
 on the cross, is represented now as 
 calmly waiting until this glorious tri- 
 umph is achieved, and this promise is 
 fulfilled. We are hot to suppose that 
 he is inactive, or that he takes no 
 share in the agency by which this is 
 to be done, but the meaning is, that 
 he looks to the certain fulfilment of 
 the promise. If His footstool. That 
 is, they shall be thoroughly and com- 
 pletely subdued. The same idea is 
 expressed in I. Cor. xv. 2.'5, by saying 
 that all his enemies shall be put under 
 his feet. The language arose from 
 the custom of conquerors in putting 
 their feet on the necks of their ene- 
 mies, as a symbol of subjection. See 
 Josh. X. 24. Notes Isa. xxvi. .5, 6. 
 
 14. For by one offering. By offer- 
 ing himself once on the cross. The 
 Jewish priest otfered his sacrifices 
 often, and still they did not avail to 
 put away sin ; the Saviour made one 
 sacrifice, and it was sufficient for the 
 sins of the world. If Ifc hath perfected 
 for ever. He hath laid tlic foundation 
 of the eternal perfection. The offer- 
 ing is of such a character that it 
 secures their final freedom from sin. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 233 
 
 15 Whereof the Holy Ghost 
 also is a witness to us ; for after 
 that he had said before, 
 
 16 This" is the covenant that 
 I will make with them after 
 those days, saith the Lord ; I 
 
 a Je. 31. 33, 34. 
 
 and will make them for ever holy. It 
 cannot mean that those for whom he 
 died are made at once perfectly holy, 
 for that is not true ; but the idea is, 
 that the offering was complete, and 
 did not need to be repeated ; and that 
 it was of such a nature as entirely to 
 remove the penalty due to sin, and to 
 lay the foundation for their final and 
 eternal holiness. The offerings made 
 under the Jewish law were so defec- 
 tive that there was a necessity for re- 
 peating them every day ; the offering 
 made by the Saviour was so perfect 
 that it needed not to be repeated, and 
 that it secured the complete and final 
 salvation of those who availed them- 
 selves of it. ^ Them that are sancti- 
 Jied. Those who are made holy by 
 that offering. It does not mean that 
 they are as yet wholly sanctified, but 
 that tliey have been brought under 
 the influence of that gospel which 
 sanctifies and saves. See ch. ii. 11; 
 ix. 13. The doctrine taught in this 
 verse is, that all those who are in any 
 measure sanctified will be perfected 
 for ever. It is not a temporary work 
 which has been begun in their souls, 
 but one which is designed to be car- 
 ried forward to perfection. In the 
 atonement made by the Redeemer 
 there is the foundation laid for their 
 eternal perfection, and it was with 
 reference to that, that it was offered. 
 Respecting this work and the conse- 
 quences of it, we may remark, that 
 there is (1) perfection in its nature, it 
 being of such a character that it needs 
 not to be repeated ; (2) there is perfec- 
 tion in regard to the pardon of sin — all 
 past sins being forgiven to those who 
 embrace it, and being for ever for- 
 given ; and (3) there is to be absolute 
 perfection for them for ever. They 
 20* 
 
 will put my laws into their 
 hearts, and in their minds will 
 I write them. 
 
 17 And ' their sins and in- 
 iquities will I remember no 
 more. 
 
 1 Some copies have, Tken he said, jlnd 
 their. 
 
 icill be made perfect at some future 
 period, and when tliat shall take 
 place it will be to continue for ever 
 and ever. 
 
 15 — 17. Whereof <^e Holy Ghost is 
 a witness to us. That is, the Holy 
 Ghost is a proof of the truth of the 
 position here laid down — that the one 
 atonemelit made by the Redeemer 
 lays the foundation for the eternal 
 perfection of all who are sanctified. 
 The witness of the Holy Ghost here 
 referred to, is that which is furnished 
 in the Scriptures, and not any wit- 
 ness in ourselves. Paul immediately 
 makes his appeal to a passage of the 
 Old Testament, and he thus shows 
 his firm conviction that the Scriptures 
 were inspired by the Holy Ghost. 
 IT For after that he had said before. 
 The apostle here appeals to a passage 
 which he had before quoted from Jer. 
 xxxi. 33, 34. See it explained in the 
 Notes on cli. viii. 8 — 12. The object 
 of tlie quotation in both cases is, to 
 show that the new covenant contern 
 plated the formation of a AoZy charac- 
 ter or a holy people. It was not to 
 set apart a people who should be ex- 
 ternally holy only, or be distinguished 
 for conformity to external rites and 
 ceremonies, but who should be holy 
 in heart and in life. There has been 
 some difficulty felt by expositors in 
 ascertaining what corresponds to the 
 expression ' after that he had said be- 
 fore,' and some have supposed that 
 the phrase ' tlien he saith' should be 
 understood before ver. 17. But proba- 
 bly tlie apostle means to refer to two 
 distinct parts of the quotation from 
 Jeremiah, the former of which ex- 
 presses the fact that God meant to 
 make a new covenant with his people, 
 and the latter expresses the nature of 
 
234 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 18 Now where remission of 
 these is, there is no more offer- 
 ing for sin. 
 
 1 or, liberty. 
 
 tliat covenant, and it is particularly 
 to the latter that he refers. Tliis is 
 seen more distinctly in the passage in 
 Jeremiah than it is in our translation 
 of the quotation in this epistle. Tiie 
 meaning is this, 'The Holy Ghost 
 first said, this is the covenant that I 
 will make with them :' and having 
 naid this, he then added, ' After those 
 days, I will put my laws into their 
 hearts, and in their minds will I write 
 them, and their sins and their iniqui- 
 ties will I remember no more.' The 
 first part of it expresses the purpose 
 to form such a covenant ; the latter 
 states what that covenant would be. 
 The quotation is not, indeed, literally 
 made, but the sense is retained. Comp. 
 Notes on ch. viii. 8 — 12. Still, it may 
 be asked, Jiow this quotation proves 
 tiie point for which it is adduced — 
 that the design of the atonement of 
 Christ was ' to perfect for ever them 
 that are sanctified ?' In regard to 
 this, we may observe, (1) that it was 
 declared that those who were inte- 
 rested in it Avould be holy, for the law 
 would be in their hearts and written 
 on their 7ninds ; and (2) that this 
 would be entire and perpetual. Their 
 sins would be wholly forgiven ; they 
 would never be remembered again — 
 and thus they would be ' perfected for 
 ever.' 
 
 18. Now where remission of these 
 is. Remission or forgiveness of sins; 
 that is, of the sins mentioned in the 
 previous verse. If There is no more 
 oJJ'ejing for sin. If those sins are 
 ■wholly blotted out, there is no more 
 need of sacrifice to atone for them, 
 any more than tiicre is need to ])ay a 
 debt again which has been once paid. 
 The idea of Paul is, that in the .Few- 
 ish dis|)ensation there was a constant 
 rej)eating of the remembrance of sins 
 by the sacrifices which were offered, 
 but that in reference to the dispensa- 
 tion under the Messiah, sin would be 
 
 19 Having therefore, breth- 
 ren, ' boldness to enter into the 
 holiest " by the blood of Jesus. 
 
 a c. 9. 8, 12. 
 
 entirely cancelled. There would be 
 one great and all-sufficient sacrifice, 
 and when there was faith in that of- 
 fering, sin would be absolutely for- 
 given. If that was the case, there 
 v/ould be no occasion for any further 
 sacrifice for it, and the offering need 
 not be repeated. This circumstance, 
 on which the apostle insists so much, 
 made a very important difference be- 
 tween the new covenant and the old. 
 In the one, sacrifices were offered 
 every day ; in the other, the sacrifice 
 once made was final and complete ; 
 in the one case, there was no such for- 
 giveness but that the offender was 
 constantly reminded of his sins by the 
 necessity of the repetition of sacrifice ; 
 in the other, the pardon was so com- 
 plete that all dread of wrath was taken 
 away, and the sinner miglit look up 
 to God as calmly and joyfully as if he 
 had never been guilty of transgression. 
 19. Having- therefore, brethren. Tlie 
 apostle, in tiiis verse, enters on the 
 hortatory part of his epistle, which 
 continues to the end of it. He had 
 gone into an extensive examination 
 of the Jewish and Christian systems ; 
 lie had compared the Founders of the 
 two — Moses and the Son of God, and 
 shown how far sujierior the latter was 
 to the former ; he had compared the 
 Christian Great High Priest with the 
 Jewish high priest, and shown his 
 superiority; he had compared the sa- 
 crifices under the two dispensations, 
 and showed that in all respects the 
 Cliristian sacrifice was superior to the 
 Jewish — that it was an offering that 
 cleansed from sin ; tliat it was swffi. 
 cient when once offered without being 
 repeated, while the Jewish offerings 
 were only typical, and were unable to 
 put away sin ; tmd ho had shown that 
 the great High Priest of the Christian 
 profession had opened a way to the 
 mercy-seat in heaven, and was liim- 
 self now seated tliere; and having 
 
K. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 235 
 
 20 By a new and living way " 
 which he hath ' consecrated for 
 
 a Jno. 14. 6. 
 
 shown this, he now exhorts Christians 
 to avail themselves fully of all their 
 advantages, and to enjoy to the widest 
 extent all the privileges now conferred 
 on them. One of the first of these 
 benefits was, that they had now free 
 access to the mercy-seat. ^ Boldness 
 to enter into the holiest. Marg. liberty. 
 The word rendered boldness — -na^lniaiav 
 — properly means boldness of speech, or 
 freedom where one speaks all that he 
 thinks (Notes, Acts iv. 13) ; and then 
 it means boldness in general, license, 
 authority, pardon. Here the idea is, 
 that before Christ died and entered 
 into heaven, there was no such access 
 to the throne of grace as man needed. 
 Man had no offering which he could 
 bring that would make him accept- 
 able to God. But now the way was 
 open. Access was free for all, and 
 all might come with the utmost free- 
 dom. The word holiest here is taken 
 from the holy of holies in the temple 
 (Notes on ch. ix. 3), and is there ap- 
 plied to heaven, of which that was 
 the emblem. The entrance into the 
 most holy place was forbidden to all 
 but the high priest ; but now access 
 to tlie real ' holy of holies' was granted 
 to all in the name of the great Higli 
 Priest of the Christian profession. 
 If By the blood of Jesus. The blood 
 of Jesus is the means by which this 
 access to heaven is procured. The 
 Jewish high priest entered the holy 
 of holies with the blood of bullocks 
 and of rams (Notes ch. ix. 7.) ; but the 
 Saviour offered his own blood, and 
 that became the means by which we 
 may have access to God. 
 
 20. By a neio and living loay. By 
 a new method or manner. It was a 
 mode of access that was till then un- 
 known. No doubt many were saved 
 before the Redeemer came, but the 
 method by which they approached 
 God was imperfect and difficult. The 
 word which is here rendered new — 
 ■Kp6cipaTov — occurs nowhere else in the 
 New Testament. It properly means 
 
 us through the veil, that is to 
 
 say, his flesh ; 
 
 or, new-made. 
 
 slain, or killed thereto; i. e. newly 
 killed, just dead ; and then fresh, re- 
 cent. Fassow. It does not so much 
 convey the idea that it is neio in the 
 sense that it had never existed before, 
 as new in the sense that it is recent, 
 or fresh. It was a way which was 
 recently disclosed, and which had all 
 the freshness of novelty. It is called 
 a ' living way,' because it is a method 
 that imparts life, or because it leads 
 to life and happiness. Doddridge ren- 
 ders it ' ever-living way,^ and sup. 
 poses, in accordance with the opinion 
 of Dr. Owen, that the allusion is to 
 the fact that underthe old dispensa- 
 tion the blood was to be offered as 
 soon as it was shed, and that it could 
 not be offered when it was cold and 
 coagulated. The way by Christ was, 
 however, always open. His blood 
 was, as it were, always warm, and as 
 if it had been recently shed. This 
 interpretation seems to derive some 
 support from the word which is ren- 
 dered 'new.' See above. The word 
 living, also, has often the sense of 
 perennial, or perpetual, as when ap- 
 plied to a fountain always running, in 
 opposition to a pool that dries up (see 
 Notes on John iv. 10), and the new 
 way to heaven may be called livmg 
 in all these respects. It is a way that 
 conducts to life. It is ever-living — as 
 if the blood which was shed always 
 retained the freshness of that which 
 is flowing from the vein. And it is 
 perpetual and constant — like a foun. 
 tain that always flows — for it is by a 
 sacrifice whose power is perpetual 
 and unchanging. IT Which he hath 
 consecrated for vs. Marg. ' or new 
 made.'' The word here used means 
 properly to renew, and then to initiate, 
 to consecrate, to sanction. The idea 
 is, that he has dedicated this way for 
 our use ; as if a temple or house were 
 set apart for our service. It is a path 
 consecrated by him for the service 
 and salvation of man ; a way of access 
 to the eternal sanctuary for the sinner 
 
236 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4 
 
 21 And having an high priest 
 over the liouse of God ; 
 
 22 Let us draw near with a 
 true heart, in '' full assurance 
 
 a c. 4. 14-16. b Ep. 3. 12. 
 
 which lias been set apart by the Re- 
 deemer for tliis service alone. If T/troufrh 
 the veil, llial is to say, hisjlesh. The 
 Jewish high priest entered into the 
 most holy place through the veil that 
 divided the holy from the most holy 
 place. That entrance was made by 
 his drawing the veil aside, and thus 
 the interior sanctuary was laid open. 
 But there has been much difficulty 
 felt in regard to the sense of the ex- 
 pression here used. The plain mean- 
 ing of the expression is, that the way 
 to lieaven was opened by means, or 
 through the medium of the flesh of 
 Jesus ; that is, of his body sacrificed 
 for sin, as the most holy place in the 
 temple was entered by means or 
 through tlie medium of the veil. We 
 are not to suppose, however, that the 
 apostle meant to say that there was 
 in all respects a rcsemblunce between 
 the veil and the flesh of Jesus, nor 
 that the veil was in any manner ty])i- 
 cal of his body, but there was a resem- 
 blance in the respect under considera- 
 tion — to wit, in the fact that the holy 
 place was rendered accessible by witli- 
 drawing the veil, and that heaven was 
 rendered accessible through the slain 
 body of Jesus. The idea is, that there 
 is by means both of the veil of the 
 temple, and of the body of Jesus, a 
 medium of access to God. God dwelt 
 in the most lioly place in the temple 
 behind tlic veil by visible symbols, 
 and was to be approached by remov- 
 ing the veil ; and God dwells in hea- 
 ven, in the most holy place there, and 
 is to be approached only through the 
 offering of the body of Christ. Prof. 
 Stuart supposes that the point of the 
 comparison may be, that liie veil of 
 the temple operated as a screen to 
 hide the visible symbol of the presence 
 of God from human view, and that in 
 like manner tlie body of Jesus migiit 
 bo regarded as a " kind of temporary 
 
 of faith, having our hearts sprin- 
 kled "^ from an evil conscience, 
 and our bodies washed with 
 pure water. 
 
 e Eze. 36. j25. 
 
 tabernacle, or veil of the divine nature 
 wliich dwelt within him," and that 
 " as the veil of the tabernacle con- 
 cealed the glory of Jehovah in the 
 holy of holies, from the view of men, 
 so Christ's flesh or body screened or 
 concealed the liighcr nature from our 
 view, which dwelt within this veil, as 
 God did of old witiiin the veil of the 
 temple." Sec tliis and otlicr views 
 explained at length in the larger com- 
 mentaries. It does not seem to me 
 to be necessary to attempt to carry 
 out the point of the comparison in all 
 respects. The simple idea which 
 seems to have been in the n^ind of 
 the apostle was, that the veil of the 
 temple, and the body of Jesus were 
 alike in this respect, that they were 
 the medium of access to God. It is 
 by the offering of the body of Jesus ; 
 by the fact that he was clothed with 
 flesh, and that in his body he made 
 an atonement for sin, and that with 
 his body raised up from the dead he 
 has ascended to heaven, that wc have 
 access now to the throne of mercy. 
 
 21. And having an High Priest 
 over the house of God. Over the spir- 
 itual house of God ; that is, the church. 
 Comp. Notes on ch. iii. I — 6. Under 
 tlie Jewish dispensation there was a 
 great high priest, and the same is true 
 under the Christian dispensation. 
 This the apostle had shown at length 
 in the previous part of the epistle. 
 The idea here is, that as under the 
 former dispensation it was regarded 
 as a privilege that the people of God 
 might have access to the mercy-seat 
 by means of the high priest ; so it 
 is true in a much higher sense that 
 wc may now have access to God 
 througii our greater and more glori- 
 ous iiigh Priest. 
 
 22. Let us draw near with a true 
 heart. In prayer and praise ; in every 
 act of coatidcnce and of worship. A 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 S3? 
 
 eincere heart was required under the 
 ancient dispensation ; it is always 
 demanded of men when they draw 
 near to God to worship him. See 
 John iv. 23, 24. Every form of reli- 
 gion which God has revealed requires 
 the worshippers to come with pure 
 and holy hearts. If In full assurance 
 of faith. See the word here used ex- 
 plained in the Notes on ch. vi. 11. 
 The 'full assurance of faith' means 
 unwavering confidence ; a fullness of 
 faith in God which leaves no room 
 for doubt. Christians are permitted 
 to come tims because God has reveal- 
 ed himself through the Redeemer as 
 in every way deserving their fullest 
 confidence. No one approaches God 
 in an acceptable manner who does 
 not come to him in this manner. 
 What parent would feel that a child 
 came with any right feelings to ask 
 a favour of him who had not the 
 fullest confidence in him ? If Having 
 our hearts sprinkled from an evil con- 
 science. By the blood of Jesus. This 
 was fitted to make the conscience 
 pure. The Jewish cleansing or sprink- 
 ling with blood related only to that 
 which was external, and could not 
 make the conscience perfect (ch. ix. 
 9), but the sacrifice ofi'ered by the 
 Saviour was designed to give peace 
 to the troubled mind, and to make it 
 pure and holy. An ' evil conscience' 
 is a consciousness of evil, or a con- 
 science oppressed with sin ; tliat is a 
 conscience that accuses of guilt. We 
 are made free from such a conscience 
 through the atonement of Jesus, not 
 because we become convinced that 
 we have not committed sin, and not 
 because we are led to suppose that 
 our sins are less than we had other- 
 wise supposed — for the reverse of both 
 these is true — but because our sins 
 are forgiven, and since they are freely 
 pardoned they no longer produce re- 
 morse and the fear of fiiturc wrath. 
 A child that has been forgiven may 
 feel that he has done very wrong, but 
 still he will not be then overpowered 
 with distress in view of his guilt, or 
 with the apprehension of punishment. 
 IT And our bodies washed with pure 
 
 water. It was common for the Jews 
 to wash themselves, or to perform va- 
 rious ablutions in tlieir services. See 
 Ex. xxix. 4; xxx. 19—21; xl. 12; 
 Lev. vi. 27 ; xiii. 54. .58 ; xiv. 8, 9 ; 
 XV. 16; xvi. 4. 24; xxii. 6. Comp. 
 Notes on Mark vii. .3. The same 
 thing was also true among the hea- 
 then. There was usually, at the en- 
 trance of their temples, a vessel placed 
 with consecrated water, in which, as 
 Pliny says (Hist. Nat. Lib. xv. c. 30), 
 there was a branch of laurel placed 
 with which the priests sprinkled all 
 who approached for worship. It was 
 necessary that this water should be 
 pure, and it was drawn fresh from 
 wells or fountains for the purpose. 
 Water from pools and ponds was re- 
 garded as unsuitable, as was also even 
 the purest water of the fountain, if it 
 had stood long. jEneas sprinkled him- 
 self in this manner, as he was about 
 to enter the invisible world (^n. vi. 
 635), with fresh water. Porphyry 
 says that the Essenes were accustom- 
 ed to cleanse themselves with the 
 purest water. Thus Ezekiel also says, 
 " Then will I sprinkle clean water 
 upon you, and you shall be clean." 
 Sea-water was usually regarded as 
 best adapted to this purpose, as the 
 salt was supposed to have a cleansing 
 property. The Jews who dwelt near 
 the sea, were thence accustomed, as 
 Aristides says, to wash their hands 
 every morning on this account in the 
 sea-water. Potter's Gr. Archae. i. 
 222. Rosenmiiller, Alte und Neue 
 Morgenland, in loc. It was from the 
 lieathen custom of placing a vessel 
 with consecrated water at the en- 
 trance of their temples, that the Ro- 
 man Catholic custom is derived in 
 their churches ''of placing ' holy wa- 
 ter' near the door, that those who wor- 
 ship there may ' cross themselves.' In 
 accordance with the Jewish custom, 
 the apostle says, that it was proper 
 that under the Christian dispensation 
 we sliould approach God having per- 
 formed an act emblematic of purity 
 by the application of water to the 
 body. That there is an allusion to 
 baptism is clear. The apostle is com- 
 
238 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 23 Let us hold fast the pro- 
 fession of our faith without wa- 
 
 paring the two dispensations, and his 
 aim is to sliow that in the Christian 
 dispensation there was everything 
 whieh was regarded as valuable and 
 important in tlie old. So he had shown 
 it to have been in regard to the fact 
 that there was a Lawgiver ; that there 
 was a great High Priest; and that 
 there were saeriHces and ordinances 
 of religion in tlie Christian dispensa- 
 tion as well as the Jewish. In regard 
 to each of these, he had shown that 
 they existed in the Christian religion 
 in a much more valuable and important 
 sense than under the ancient dispen- 
 sation. In like manner it was true, 
 that as they were required to come to 
 the service of God, iiaving performed 
 various ablutions to keep tliQ. body 
 pure, so it was with Christians. Wa- 
 ter was applied to the Jews as em- 
 blcrmatic of purity, and Christians 
 came, having liad it applied to them 
 also in baptism, as a symbol of holi- 
 ness. It is not necessary, in order 
 to see the force of this, to suppose 
 that water had been applied to the 
 whole of the body, or that they had 
 been completely immersed, for all the 
 force of the reasoning is retained by 
 the supposition that it was a mere 
 symbol or emblem of purification. The 
 whole stress of the argument here 
 turns, not on the fact that the body 
 had been washed all over, but that the 
 worshipper had been qualified for_thc 
 spiritual service -of the Most High in 
 connexion with an appropriate emble- 
 matic ceremony. The quantity of 
 water used for this is' not a material 
 point, any more tiian tlic quantity of 
 oil was in the ceremony of inaugu- 
 rating kings and priests. This was 
 not done in the Christian dispensa- 
 tion by washing the body frequently, 
 as in the ancient system, nor even 
 necessarily by washing the whole body 
 — whieh would no more contribute to 
 the purity of the heart than by appli- 
 cation of water to any part of tiic 
 
 vering ; (for he " is faithful that 
 promised ;) 
 
 a 1 Til. 5. 24. 
 
 body, but by the fact that water had 
 been used as emblematic of the puri- 
 fying of the soul. The passage be- 
 fore us proves, undoubtedly, (1) that 
 water should be applied under the 
 new dispensation as an ordinance of 
 religion ; and (2) that jmre water 
 should be used — for tliat only is a 
 proper emblem of the purity of the 
 heart. 
 
 23. Let us hold fast the profession 
 of our faith without wavering. To 
 secure this was one of the leading 
 designs of tins epistle, and hence the 
 apostle adverts to it so frequently. It 
 is evident that those to whom he wrote 
 were suflVring persecution (ch. .\ii.), 
 and tliat there was great danger that 
 they would apostatize. As these per- 
 secutions came probably from the 
 Jews, and as the aim was to induce 
 them to return to their former opin 
 ions, the object of the apostle is to 
 show that there was in the Christian 
 scheme every advantage of which the 
 Jews could boast ; everything pertain- 
 ing to the dignity of tlie great Found, 
 er of the system, the character of the 
 High Priest, and the nature and value 
 of the sacrifices olTered, and that all 
 this was possessed far more abun- 
 dantly in the permanent Cliristian 
 system than in that whieh was typical 
 in its character, and which were de- 
 signed soon to vanish away. In view 
 of all this, therefore, the apostle adds 
 that they should hold fast the profes- 
 sion of their faith without being sha- 
 ken by their trials, or by tiie argu- 
 ments of their enemies. VVie have the 
 same inducement to hold fast the pro- 
 fession of our faith — for it is the same 
 religion still ; we have the same Sa- 
 viour, and there is held out to us still 
 the same prospect of heaven. IT For 
 he is faithful that promised. To in- 
 duce them to hold fast their profes- 
 sion, the apostle adds this additional 
 consideration. God, who had pro- 
 raised eternal life to them, was faitii- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 2.39 
 
 24 And let us consider one 
 another, to provoke unto love 
 and to good works : 
 
 ful to all that he had said. The ar- 
 gument here is, (1.) That since God 
 is so faithful to us, we ought to be 
 faithful to him. (2.) The fact that 
 he is faithful is an, encouragement to 
 us. We are dependent on him for 
 grace to hold fast our profession. If 
 he were to prove unfaithful, we should 
 have no strength to do it. But this he 
 never does ; and we may be assured 
 that all that he has promised he will 
 perform. To the service of such a 
 God, therefore, we should adhere with- 
 out wavering. Comp. Notes on I. 
 Cor. X. 13. 
 
 24. And let us consider one another. 
 Let us so regard the welfare of others 
 as to endeavour to excite them to per- 
 severe in the Christian life. The idea 
 is, that much might be done in secur- 
 ing perseverance and fidelity by mu- 
 tual, kind exhortation. They were 
 not to be selfish ; they were not to re. 
 gard their own interests only (Notes 
 Phil. ii. 4) ; they were to have a kind 
 sympathy in the concerns of each 
 other. They had, as Christians have 
 now, the same duties to perform, and 
 the same trials to meet, and they 
 should strengthen each other in their 
 trials and encourage tliem in their 
 work. IT To provoke unto love. We 
 use the word provoke now in a some- 
 what different sense as meaning to 
 offend, to irritate, to incense ; but its 
 original meaning is to arouse, to ex. 
 cite, to call into action, and it is used 
 in this sense here.. The Greek is, 
 literally, ' unto a paroxysm of love' — 
 £(s napo^vandv ; — the Word paroxysm 
 meaning excitement or impulse, and 
 the idea is, that they were to endea- 
 vour to arouse or excite each other to 
 the manifestation of love. The word 
 is that which properly expresses ex- 
 citement, and means that Christians 
 should endeavour to excite each other. 
 Men are sometimes afraid of excite- 
 ment in religion. But there is no dan- 
 ger that Christians will ever be excited 
 
 25 Not forsaking the assem- 
 bling of ourselves together, as 
 the manner of some is; but 
 
 toJove each other too much, or to per- 
 form too many good works. 
 
 25. Not forsaking the assembling 
 of ourselves together. That is, for pur- 
 poses of public worship. Some expo- 
 sitors have understood the word here 
 rendered assembling — i:navvayu>y>)ii — 
 as meaning the society of Christians, 
 or the church ; and they have sup- 
 posed that the object of the apostle 
 here is, to exhort them not to aposta. 
 tize from the church. The arguments 
 for this opinion may be seen at length 
 in Kuinoel, in loc. But the more 
 obvious interpretation is that which 
 is commonly adopted, that it refers 
 to public worship. The Greek word 
 (the noun) is used nowhere else in 
 the New Testament, except in II. 
 Thess. ii. 1, where it is rendered ga. 
 thering together. The verb is used 
 in Matt, xxiii. 37 ; xxiv. 31 ; Mark i, 
 33 ; xiii. 27 ; Luke xii, 1 ; xiii. 34, iu 
 all which places it is rendered gather- 
 ed together. It properly means an 
 act of assembling, or a gathering to- 
 gelher, and is nowhere used in the 
 New Testament in the sense of an 
 assembly, or the church. The com- 
 mand, then, here is, to 7neet together 
 for the worship of God, and it is en- 
 joined on Christians as an important 
 duty to do it. It is implied, also, 
 that there is blame or fault where this 
 is 'neglected.' IT As the manner of 
 some is. Why those here referred to 
 neglected public worship, is not spe- 
 cified. It may have been from suck 
 causes as the following. (1.) Some 
 may have been deterred by tlie fear 
 of persecution, as those who were 
 thus assembled would be more expos- 
 ed to danger than others. (2.) Some 
 may have neglected the duty because 
 they felt no interest in it — as profess, 
 ing Christians now sometimes do. (3.) 
 It is possible that some may have had 
 doubts about the necessitj^ and pro- 
 priety of this duty, and on that ac- 
 count may have neglected it. (4.) Or 
 
240 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. Gl 
 
 exhorting one another: and so 
 
 a Ro. 13. H. 
 
 it may perhaps liavc been, though we 
 can hardly suppose that this reason 
 existed, that some may have negleot- 
 ed it from a cause which now some- 
 times operates — from dissatisfaction 
 with a preaclier, or with some mem- 
 ber or members of the church, or 
 witli some measure in the clmrch. 
 Wiiatever were the reasons, the apos- 
 tic says that they should not be allow- 
 ed to operate, but that Christians 
 should regard it as a sacred duty to 
 meet together for the worship of God. 
 None of the causes above suggested 
 should deter men from this duty. 
 With all who bear the Christian name ; 
 with all who expect to make advances 
 in piety and religious knowledge, it 
 should be regarded as a sacred duty 
 to assemble together for public wor- 
 shij). Religion is social ; and our 
 graces are to be strengthened and in- 
 vigorated by waiting together on the 
 Lord. There is an obvious propriety 
 that men should assemble together 
 for the worsJiip of the Most High, 
 and no Christian can hope that iiis 
 graces will grow, or that he can per- 
 Ibrm his duty to his Maker, without 
 uniting thus with those who love the 
 service of God. ^ But exhorting one 
 another. That is, in your assembling 
 together — a direction which proves 
 that it is proper for Christians to ex- 
 hort one another when they are ga- 
 thered together for public worship. 
 Indeed there is reason to believe that 
 the preaching in the early Christian 
 assemblies partook much of the char- 
 acter of mutual exhortation. IT And 
 so much the more as ye see the day 
 approaching. The term ' day' here 
 refers to some event which was cer- 
 tainly anticipated, and which was so 
 well understood by them that no par- 
 ticular explanation was necessary. It 
 was also some event that was expect- 
 -ed soon to occur, and in relation to 
 which there were indications then of 
 its speedily arriving. If it had not 
 been something which was expected 
 soon to happen, the apostle would 
 
 much the more as " ye see the 
 day approaching. 
 
 have gone into a more full explana- 
 tion of it, and would have stated at 
 length what these indications were. 
 There has been some diversity of 
 opinion about what is here referred 
 to, many conmientators supposing that 
 the reference is to the anticipated se- 
 cond coming of the Lord Jesus to set 
 up a visible kingdom on the earth ; 
 and others to the fact that the period 
 was approaching when Jerusalem was 
 to be destroyed, and when the ser- 
 vices of the temple were to cease. So 
 far as the language is concerned, the 
 reference might be to either event, for 
 the word a ' day' is applied to both 
 in the New Testament. The word 
 would properly be understood as re. 
 ferring to an expected period when 
 something remarkable was to happen 
 which ought to have an important 
 influence on their character and con- 
 duct. In support of the opinion that 
 it refers to the approaching destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, and not to the com- 
 ing of the Lord Jesus to set up a visi- 
 ble kingdom, we may adduce the fol. 
 lowing considerations. (L) The term 
 used — 'day' — will as properly refer 
 to that event as to any other. It is a 
 word which would be likely to sug- 
 gest the idea of distress, calamity, or 
 judgment of some kind, for so it is 
 often used in the Scriptures. Comp. 
 Ps. xxvii. 13; I. Sam. xxvi. 10; Jer. 
 XXX. 7 ; Ezek. xxi. 5 ; Notes Isa. ii. 
 12. (2.) Such a period was distinctly 
 predicted by the Saviour, and the in- 
 dications which would precede it were 
 clearly pointed out. See Matt, xxi v. 
 That event was then so near that 
 the Saviour said that ' that generation 
 would not pass' until the prediction 
 had been fulfilled. Matt, xxiv, 34. 
 (3.) The destruction of Jerusalem was 
 an event of great importance to the 
 Hebrews, and to the Hebrew Chris, 
 tians to whom this epistle was di- 
 rected, and it might be reasonable to 
 suppose that the apostle Paul would 
 refer to it. (4.) It is not improbable 
 that at the time of writing this epis* 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 241 
 
 26 For if * we sin wilfully 
 after that we have received the 
 
 a Nu. 15. 30. c. 6. 4. &c 
 
 tie there were indications that that 
 day was approacliing-. Those indi- 
 cations were of so marked a charac- 
 ter that when the time approached 
 they could not well be mistaken (see 
 Matt. xxiv. 6—12. 24. 26), and it is 
 probable that they had already begun 
 to appear. (5.) There were no sucli 
 indications that the Lord Jesus was 
 about to appear to set up a visible 
 kingdom . It was not a fact that tliat 
 was about to occur, as the result has 
 shown ; nor is there any positive 
 proof that the mass of Cliristians 
 were expecting- it, and no reason to 
 believe that the apostle Paul had any 
 such expectation. See II. Thess. ii. 
 1 — 5. (6.) The expectation that the 
 destruction of Jerusalem was refer- 
 red to, and was about to occur, was 
 just that which might be expected to 
 produce the effect on the minds of the 
 Hebrew Christians which the apostle 
 here refers to. It was to be a solemn 
 and fearful event. It would be a re- 
 markable manifestation of God. It 
 would break up the civil and ecclesi- 
 astical polity of the nation, and would 
 scatter them abroad. It would re- 
 quire all the exercise of their patience 
 and faith in passing through these 
 scenes. It might be expected to be a 
 time when many would be tempted to 
 apostatize, and it was proper, there- 
 fore, to exhort them to meet together, 
 and to strengthen and encourage each 
 ether as they saw that that event was 
 di awing near. The argument then 
 would be this. The danger against 
 which the apostle desired to guard 
 those to whom he was writing was, 
 that of apostasy from Christianity to 
 Judaism. To preserve them from 
 this, he urges the fact that the down- 
 fall of Judaism was near, and that 
 every indication which they saw of 
 its approach ought to be allowed to 
 influence them, and to guard them 
 fr'im that, danger. It is for reasons 
 such as these that I suppose the rcfcr- 
 21 
 
 knowledge of the truth, there 
 remaineth no more sacrifice for 
 sins, 
 
 ence here is not to the ' second ad- 
 vent' of the Redeemer, but to the ap- 
 proaching destruction of Jerusalem. 
 At the same time, it is not improper 
 to use this passage as an exhortation 
 to Christians to fidelity when they 
 shall see that the end of the world 
 draws nigh, and when they shall per- 
 ceive indications that the Lord Jesus 
 is about to come. And so of death. 
 We shotild be the more diligent when 
 we see the indications that the great 
 Messenger is about to come to sum- 
 mon us into the presence of our final 
 Judge. And who does not know that 
 he is approaching him with silent and 
 steady footsteps, and that even now 
 he may be very near ? Who can fail 
 to see in himself indications that the 
 time approaches when he must lie 
 down and die ? Every pang that we 
 suffer should remind us of this ; and 
 when the hair changes its hue, and 
 time makes furrows in the cheek, and 
 the limbs become feeble, we should 
 regard them as premonitions that he 
 is coming, and should be more dili- 
 gent as we see that he is drawing 
 near. 
 
 26. For if we sin wilfully after that 
 we have received the knowledge of the 
 truth. If after we are converted and 
 become true Christians we should 
 apostatize, it would be impossible to 
 be recovered again, for there would 
 be no other sacrifice for sin ; no way 
 by which we could be saved. This 
 passage, however, like ch. vi. 4 — 6, 
 has given rise to much difference 
 of opinion. But that the above is 
 the correct interpretation, seems evi- 
 dent to me from the following con- 
 siderations. (I.) It is the natural 
 and obvious interpretation, such as 
 v\'ould occur probably to ninety-nine 
 readers in a Imndred, if there were no 
 theory to support, and no fear that it 
 would conflict with some other doc- 
 trine. (2.) It accords with the scope 
 of the epistle, which is, to keep those 
 
243 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 whom the apostle adtlrcsscd from re- 
 turning again to the Jewish religion, 
 under the trials to which they were 
 Bubjcetcd. (3.) It is in accordance 
 with the fair meaning of the language 
 — the words 'after that we have re- 
 ceived tiic knowledge of the truth,' 
 referring more naturally to true con- 
 version than to any other state of 
 mind. (4.) The sentiment would not 
 be correct if it referred to any but 
 realCiiristians. It would not be true 
 that one who had been somewhat en- 
 lightened, and who then sinned ' wiU 
 fully,' nmst look on fearfully to the 
 judgment without a possibility of 
 being saved. There are multitudes 
 of cases wliere such ]X'rsons«>e saved. 
 They wilfully resist the Holy Spirit ; 
 they strive against him ; they for a 
 long time refuse to yield, but they are 
 brought again to reflection, and are 
 led to give their hearts to God. (5.) It 
 is true, and always will be true, that 
 if a sincere Christian should apos- 
 tatize he could never he converted 
 again. See Notes on ch. vi. 4 — 6. 
 The reasons are obvious. He would 
 have tried the only plan of salvation, 
 and it would have failed. He would 
 have embraced tiie Saviour, and there 
 would not have been eliieaey enough 
 in his blood to keep him, and there 
 would be no more powerful Saviour 
 and no more efficacious blood of atone- 
 ment. He would have renounced the 
 Holy Spirit, and would have shown 
 tha» his influences were not eflfectual 
 to keep liim, and there would be no 
 other agent of greater power to renew 
 and save him after he had apostatized. 
 For these reasons it seems clear to 
 me that this passage refers to true 
 Christians, and that the doctrine here 
 taught is, that il" such an one should 
 apostatize, he must look forward only 
 to the terrors of the judgment, and to 
 final condemnation. Whether tliis in 
 fact ever occurs, is quite another 
 question. In regard to that inquiry, 
 see Notes on ch. vi. 4 — 6. If this 
 view be correct, we may add, that the 
 passage should not be regarded as 
 applying to what is commonly known 
 as the ' sin ngainst tJ»e Holy Ghost,' 
 
 or ' the unpnrdonablc sin.' The word 
 rendered ' wilfully' — tKovaiuii — occurs 
 nowhere else in the New Testament, 
 except in I. Pet. v. 2, where it is ren- 
 dered icillinirli/ — 'taking the over, 
 sight-thereof [of the church] not by 
 constraint, but willingly.'' It properly 
 means, wiliingiy, voluntarily, oj our 
 own accord, and applies to cases 
 where no constraint is used. It i^ 
 not to be construed here atriclly, or 
 fnetaphysically, for all sin is voluntary, 
 or is committed willingly, but must 
 refer to a df liberate act, where a man 
 MEANS to abandon his religion, and ti> 
 turn away from God. If it were to 
 j be taken with metaphvsical exactness, 
 it would demonstrate that everyChris- 
 tian who ever does anything wrong, 
 I no matter how small, would be lost. 
 But this cannot, from the nature of 
 the case, be the meaning. The apos- 
 I tie well knew that Christians do com- 
 mit such sins (see Notes onRom.vii), 
 j and his object here is not to set forth 
 ' the danger of such sins, but to guard 
 I Christians against apostasy from their 
 religion. In the Jewish law, as is in 
 ; deed the case everywhere, a distinc- 
 tion is made between sins of oversight, 
 inadvertence, or ifritorance, (Lev. iv. 2. 
 ; 13. 22. 27; v. 15; Num. xv. 24. 27, 
 28, 29. Comp. Acts iii. 1 7 ; xvii. 30), 
 and sins of presumption ; sins that are 
 deliberately and intentionally commit- 
 ted. See Ex. xxi. 14; Num. xv. 30; 
 Deut. xvii. 12; Ps. xix. 13. The 
 apostle here has reference, evidentl}', 
 to such a distinction, and means to 
 speak of a decided and deliberate 
 purpose to break away from the re- 
 straints and obligations of the Chris- 
 tian religion, H There remaineth no 
 more sacrifice for sins. Should a man 
 do this, there is no sacriflce for sins 
 which could save him. He would 
 have rejected deliberately the only 
 atonement made for sin, and there 
 will be no other made. It is as if a 
 man should reject the only medicine 
 that could heal him, or push away 
 the only boat tliat could save him 
 when shipwrecked. See Notes eh. vi. 
 6. The saeriliee made for sin by the 
 Redeemer is never to be repeated. 
 
A. D. 04.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 343 
 
 27 But a certain fearful look- 
 ing for of judgment, and fiery » 
 indignation which shall devour 
 the adversaries. 
 
 a Zeph. 1. 18; 3.8. 
 
 and if that is deliberately rejected, 
 the soul must be lost. 
 
 27. But a certain fearful looking for 
 of judgment. The word ' certain'' here 
 does not meemjixed, sure, inevitable, 
 as our translation would seem to im- 
 ply. The Greek is the same as 'a 
 (r<s) fearful expectation,' &c. So it 
 is rendered by Tindall.' The idea is, 
 that if there was voluntary apostasy 
 after having embraced the Christian 
 religion, there could be nothing but an 
 expectation of the judgment to come. 
 There could be no other hope but 
 that through the gospel, and as this 
 would liave been renounced, it would 
 follow that the soul must perish. The 
 ' fearful apprehension' or expectation 
 here does not refer so much to what 
 would be in the mind itself, or what 
 would be experienced, as to what 
 must foUoiD. It might be that the 
 person referred to would have no re- 
 alizing sense of all this, and still his 
 situation be that of one who had no- 
 thing to expect but the terrors of the 
 judgment to come. ^ And fiery in- 
 dignation. Fire is often used in the 
 Scriptures as an emblem of fierce 
 punishment. The idea is, that the 
 person referred to could expect no- 
 thing but the wrath of God. IT Which 
 shall devour the adversaries. All who 
 become 1 he adversaries or enemies of 
 the Lord. Fire is often said to de- 
 vour, or consume, and the meaning 
 here is, that tliose who should thus 
 become the enemies of the Lord must 
 perisli. 
 
 28. He that despised Moses^ law. 
 That is, the apostate from the reli- 
 gion of Moses. It does not mean 
 that in all cases the offender against 
 the law of Moses died without mercy, 
 but only where offences were punish- 
 able with death, and probably tlic 
 apostle had in his eye particularly the 
 case of apostasy from the Jewish re- 
 
 28 He * that despised Moscs^ 
 law died without mercy under 
 two or three witnesses : 
 
 29 Of' how much sorer pun- 
 
 b Be. 17. 2-13. c c. 2. 3. 
 
 ligion. The subject of apostasy from 
 the Christian religion is particularly 
 under discussion here, and it was na- 
 tural to illustrate this by a reference 
 to a similar case under the law of 
 Moses. The law in regard to apos- 
 tates from the Jewish religion was 
 positive. There was no reprieve. 
 Deut. xiii. 6 — 10. IT Died without 
 tnercif. That is, there was no provi- 
 sion for pardon. ^ Under two or three 
 toilnesses. It w^as the settled law 
 among the Hebrews that in all cases 
 involving capital punishment, two or 
 three witnesses sliould be necessary. 
 That is, no one was to be executed 
 unless two persons certainly bore tes- 
 timony, and it was regarded as im- 
 portant, if possible, that three witness- 
 es should concur in the statement. 
 The object was the security of the 
 accused person if innocent. Tlie 
 principle in the law was, that it was 
 to be presumed that two or three per- 
 sons would be much less likely to 
 conspire to render a false testimony 
 than one would be, and that two or , 
 three would not be likely to be de- 
 ceived in regard to a fact which they 
 had observed, 
 
 29. Of how 7nuch sorer punishment, 
 suppose ye, shall he he thought vmthy. 
 That is, he who renounces Christian- 
 ity ought to be regarded as deserving 
 a much severer punishment than the 
 man who apostatized from the Jewish 
 religion, and if he ought to be so re- 
 garded he will be — for God will treat 
 every man as he ought to be treated. 
 This must refer to future purislimcnt, 
 for the severest punishment was in 
 flicted on the apostate from the Jew- 
 ish religion which can be in this 
 world — death; and yet the apostle here 
 says that a severer punishment than 
 that would be deserved by him who 
 should apostatize from the Christian 
 faith. The reasons why so much sp- 
 
044 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 ishment, suppose yc, shall he i blood of the covenant, where 
 be tiioui»ht worthy, wiio hath with he was sanctified, an un 
 
 trodden under foot the Son of 
 God, and hath counted the 
 
 vercr punishment would be deserved, 
 ure such as these : — the Author of the 
 Christian system was lar more ex- 
 alted tlian Moses, the founder of the 
 Jewish system ; he had revealed more 
 important trutlis ; he had increased 
 and confirmed tiie motives to iioli- 
 ness ; he had furnished more means 
 for leading a holy life ; he had given 
 himself as a sacrifice to redeem tlie 
 soul from death, and he had revealed 
 with far greater clearness the truth 
 that there is a heaven of glory and of 
 holiness, lie who should apostatize 
 from tlic Christian faith, the apostle 
 goes on to say, would also be guilty 
 of tl)C most aggravated crime of 
 which man could be guilty — the 
 crime of trampling under foot the Son 
 of God, of showing contempt tor 
 his holy blood, and despising the 
 Spirit of grace. If Who hath trodden 
 under foot the Son of God. Tliis lan- 
 guage is taken either from the custom 
 of ancient conquerors who were ac- 
 customed to tread on the necks of 
 their enemies in token of their being 
 subdued, or from the fact that men 
 tread on that wliich they despise and 
 contenm. The idea is, that he who 
 should apostatize from the Christian 
 faith would act as if he should indig- 
 nantly and contemptuously trample 
 on God's only Son. What crime 
 could be more aggravated than this ? 
 IT Aiid hath counted the blood of the 
 covenant. The blood of Jesus l)y 
 which the new covenant between God 
 and man was ratified. See Notes on 
 ch. ix. 16 — 20. Comp. Notes on Matt. 
 txvi. 28. II Wherewith he was sane- 
 lijied. Made holy, or set apart to the 
 service of God. The word sanctify is 
 used in both these senses. Prof. 
 Stuart renders it, ' by wliich expiation 
 is made;' and many others, in ac- 
 cordance with this view, have sup- 
 posed that it refers to the Lord Jesus. 
 
 holy thing, and hatii done de- 
 spite unto the Spirit" of grace! 
 
 a Mat. 12. 31, 32. 
 
 But it seems to me that it refers to 
 the person who is here supposed to 
 renounce the Christian religion, or to 
 apostatize from it. The reasons for 
 this are such as these. (1.) It is the 
 natural and proper meaning of the 
 word iicre rendered sanctified. This 
 word is commonly applii^fl to Chris- 
 tians in the sense that they are made 
 holy. See Acts xx. 3:2; xxvi. 18; I. 
 Cor. i. 2 ; Jude 1. Comp. John x. 36; 
 xvii. 17. (2.) It is unusual to apply 
 this word to the Saviour. It is true, 
 indeed, that he says (John xvii. ID), 
 'for their sakcs 1 sanctity myself,' 
 but there is no instance in which he 
 says that he was sanctified by his own 
 blood. And where is there an instance 
 in which the word is used as meaning 
 ' to make expiation ?' (3.) The sup- 
 position that it refers to one who is 
 liere spoken of as in danger of apos- 
 tasy, and not of the Lord Jesus, 
 agrees with the scope of the argument. 
 The apostle is showing the great guilt, 
 and the certain destruction, of one who 
 should apostatize from the Christian 
 religion. In doing this, it was natu- 
 ral to speak of the dishonour which 
 would thus be done to the means 
 which had been used for his sanctifi- 
 cation — the blood of tiie Redeemer. 
 It would be treating it as if it were a 
 common thing, or as if it might be 
 disregarded like anything else which 
 was of no value. ^ An unholy thing, 
 Gr.' common ; often used in the sense 
 of unholy. The word is so used be- 
 cause that which was holy was sepa- 
 rated from a common to a sacred use. 
 What was not thus consecrated was 
 free to all, or was for common use, 
 and hence also the word is used to 
 denote that which is uniioly. If And 
 hath done despite itnlo the spirit of 
 crrace. Tiie Holy Spirit, called 'the 
 Spirit of grace,' because he confers 
 favour or grace on men. The mean- 
 
A. D. G4.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 245 
 
 30 For we know him that 
 
 .hath said, Vengeance " belong- 
 
 cth unto me, I will recompense, 
 
 And again, ^ 
 
 b Ps. 135. 14. 
 
 saith the Lord. 
 
 a De. 32. S-l, 36. 
 
 ing- of the phrase ' done despite unto' 
 — Ivvljfiiaas — is, 'having reproached, 
 or treated with malignity, or con- 
 tempt.' The idea is, that it' they were 
 thus to apostatize, they would by such 
 an act treat the Spirit of God with 
 disdain and contempt. It was by him 
 that they had been renewed ; by him 
 that they had been brought to embrace 
 the Saviour and to love God ; by him 
 that they had any holy feelings or 
 pure desires ; and if tlicy now apos- 
 tatized from religion, such an act 
 would be in fact treating the Holy 
 Spirit with the highest indignity. It 
 would be saying that all his influences 
 were valueless, and that they needed 
 no help from him. From such con- 
 siderations, the apostle shows tliat if 
 a true Christian were to apostatize, 
 nothing would remain for him but 
 the terrific prospect of eternal condem- 
 nation. He would have rejected the 
 only Saviour; he would have in fact 
 treated him With tlie highest indig- 
 nity ; he would have considered his sa- 
 cred blood, shed to sanctify men, as 
 a common thing, and would have 
 shown the highest disregard for the 
 only agent who can save the soul — 
 the Spirit of God. How could such 
 an one afterwards be saved ? The 
 apostle does not indeed say that any 
 one ever would thus apostatize from 
 the true religion, nor is there any 
 reason to believe that such a case 
 ever has occurred, but if it should oc- 
 cur the doom would be inevitable. 
 IIow dangerous then is every step 
 which would lead to such a precipice ! 
 And how strange and unscriptural the 
 opinion held by so many that sincere 
 Christians may ' fall away' and be re- 
 newed, again and again ! 
 
 30. For we know him that hath said. 
 We know who has said this — God. 
 They knew this because it was re- 
 corded in their own sacred books. 
 21* 
 
 The Lord shall judge his peo- 
 ple. 
 
 31 It is a fearful thing to 
 fall into the hands of the living 
 God. 
 
 IT Vengeance belongeth vnto me, &c. 
 This is found in Deut. xxxii. 35. See 
 it explained in the Notes on Romans 
 xii. 19. It is there quoted to show 
 that we should not avenge ourselves ; 
 it is here quoted to show that God 
 will certainly inflict punishment on 
 those who deserve it. If any should 
 apostatize in the manner here referred 
 to by the apostle, they would, says he, 
 be guilty of great and unparalleled 
 wickedness, and would have the cer- 
 tainty that they must meet the wrath 
 of God. If And again, the Lord shall 
 judge his people. This is quoted from 
 Deut. xxxii. 36. That is, he will judge 
 them when they deserve it, and pun- 
 ish them if they ought to be punished. 
 The mere fact that they are his peo- 
 ple will not save them from punish- 
 ment if they deserve it, any more than 
 the fact that one is a beloved child 
 will save him from correction when 
 he docs wrong. This truth was abun- 
 dantly illustrated in the history of the 
 Israelites ; and the same great prin- 
 ciple would be applied should any 
 sincere Christian apostatize from his 
 religion. He would have before him 
 the certainty of the most fearful and 
 severe of all punishments. 
 
 31. It is a fearful thing to fall int 
 the hands of the living God. Thero 
 may be an allusion here to the request 
 of David to ' fall into the hands of the 
 Lord and not into the hands of men,' 
 when it was submitted to him for the 
 sin of numbering the people, whether 
 he would choose seven years of fa- 
 mine, or flee three months before his 
 enemies, or have three days of pcsti- 
 lence. II. Sam. xxiv. He preferred 
 ' to fall into the hands of the Lord,' 
 and God smote seventy thousand men 
 by the pestilence. The idea here -is, 
 tJiat to fall iuiO the hands of the Lord, 
 after having despised his mercy and 
 rejected his salvation, would be ter. 
 
346 
 
 HEBRKWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 32 But call to remembrance 
 the I'orinor days, in which, after 
 ye were illuminated, ye endured 
 a great iigiit of aillictions ; 
 
 rific ; and the fear of this should 
 deter from the coinmission of the 
 dreadful crime. The piirase ' living 
 God' is used in the Scripture in op- 
 position to idols. God always lives ; 
 iiis power is capable of being always 
 exerted. He is not like tlie idols of 
 wood or stone which have no life, and 
 which are not to be dreaded, but he 
 always lives. It is the more fearful 
 to liill into his hands because he will 
 live for ever. A man who inflicts 
 punishment will die, and the punish- 
 ment will come to an end ; but God 
 will never cease to exist, and tiie pun- 
 ishment which he is capable of iiiHict- 
 ing to-day he will be capable of in- 
 flicting for ever and ever. To fall 
 into his hands, therefore, /or the pur- 
 pose of punishment — which is the 
 idea here — is fearful, (1) because he 
 has all power, and can inflict just 
 what punishment he pleases ; (2) be- 
 cause he is strictly just, and will in- 
 flict the punishment which ought to 
 be inflicted ; (3) because he lives for 
 ever, and can carry on his purpose 
 of punishment to eternal ages, and (4) 
 because the actual inflictions of pun- 
 ishment which have occurred show 
 what is to be dreaded. So it was on 
 the old world ; on the cities of the 
 plain ; on Babylon, Idumea, Caper- 
 naum, and Jerusalem ; and so it is in 
 the world of wo — the eternal abodes 
 of dcsjjair where the worm never dies. 
 All men musi, in one sense, fall into 
 his hands. They must appear before 
 him. Tliey must be brought to his 
 bar when they die. How unspeak- 
 ably important it is then now to em- 
 brace his otfcrs of salvation, that we 
 may not fall into his iiands as a 
 rigiitcous, avenging judge, and sink 
 bcneatli his uplitled arm lor ever ! 
 
 '6'i. But call to remembrance the 
 former days. It would seem from 
 this, that at the time when the apos- 
 
 33 Partly, whilst ye were 
 made a gazing-stock, both by 
 reproaches and atilictions ; and 
 partly, whilst ye became " com- 
 
 a 1 Til. 2. 14. 
 
 tie wrote this epistle they were safFer. 
 ing some severe trials, in which they 
 were in great danger of apostatizing 
 from their religion. It is also mani- 
 fest that they had on some former 
 occasion endured a similar trial, and 
 had been enabled to bear it with a 
 Christian spirit, and with resignation. 
 The object of the apostle now is to 
 remind them that they were sustained 
 under those trials, and he would -en- 
 courage them now to similar patience 
 by the recollection of tlie grace then 
 conferred on them. ^Vhat was the 
 nature of their former trials, or of 
 that which they were then experi- 
 encing, is not certainly known. It 
 would seem probable, however, tiiat 
 the reference in both instances is to 
 some form of persecution by their own 
 countrymen. The meaning is, that 
 when we have been enabled to puss 
 through trials once, we are to make the 
 remembrance of the grace then be- 
 stowed an us a means of supporting 
 and encouraging us in future trials. 
 ^ After ye were illuminated. After 
 you became Christians, or were en- 
 lightened to see the truth. This phrase, 
 referring here undoubtedl}' to the fact 
 that they were Christians, may serve 
 to explain the disputed phrase in ch. 
 vi. 4. See Notes on that passage. 
 If A great fight of afjliclions. The 
 language here seems to be taken from 
 the Grecian games. The word ' fight' 
 means properly contention, combat, 
 such as occurred in the public games. 
 Here the idea is, that in tlie trials re- 
 ferred to, they had a great struggle ; 
 that is, a struggle to maintain their 
 faith without wavering, or against 
 those who would have led them to 
 apostatize fom their religion. Some 
 of the circumstances attending this 
 conflict are alluded to in the following 
 verses. 
 
 33. Partly. That is, your affliction 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 247 
 
 panions of them that were so 
 used. 
 
 34 For ye had compassion of 
 me in my bonds, and took joy- 
 fully the spoiling of your goods, 
 
 consisted partly in this. The Greek 
 is, ' this' — specifying one kind of af- 
 fliction that they were called to en- 
 dure. ^ Whilst ye were made a gaz- 
 ing-sloclc. Gr. Searpii^oiici'oi — you were 
 made a public spectacle, as if in a 
 theatre ; you were held up to public 
 view, or exposed to pulilic scorn. 
 When this was done, or in precisely 
 what mauner, we are not told. It 
 was not an uncommon thing, how- 
 ever, for the early Christians to be 
 held up to reproach and scorn, and 
 probably this reiers to some time 
 when it was done by rulers or ma- 
 gistrates. It was a common custom 
 among the Greeks and Romans to 
 lead criminals, before they were put 
 to death, through the theatre, and 
 thus to expose them to the insults and 
 reproaches of the multitude. See the 
 proofs of this adduced by Kuinoel on 
 this passage. The language here 
 seems to have been taken from this 
 custom, though there is no evidence 
 that the Christians to whom Paul re- 
 fers had been treated in this manner. 
 IT By reproaches. Reproached as being 
 the followers of Jesus of Nazareth : 
 probably as weak and fanatical. H And 
 afflictions. Ya.rious sufferings inflicted 
 on them. Tiiey were not merely re- 
 viled in words, but they were made 
 to endure positive sutTerings of va- 
 rious kinds. IT And partly, while ye 
 became companions of them that were 
 so used. That is, even when they 
 had not themselves been subjected to 
 these trials, they had sympathized 
 with those who were. They doubt- 
 less imparted to them of tlieir pro- 
 perty ; sent to them relief, and iden- 
 tified themselves with them. It is 
 not known to what particular occa- 
 sion the apostle here refers. In t'ue 
 next verse he mentions one instance 
 in which they had done this, in aid- 
 ing him when he was a prisoner. 
 
 knowing ' in yourselves that ye 
 have in heaven " a better and 
 an enduring substance. 
 
 1 or, that yc have in yourselves ; or, for 
 yourselves, 
 a Lu. 12. 33. 
 
 34. For ye had compassion of me in 
 my bonds. You sympathized with 
 me when a prisoner, and sent to my 
 relief. It is not known to what par- 
 ticular instance of imprisonment the 
 apostle here refers. It is probable, 
 liowever, that it was on some occasion 
 when he was a prisoner in Judea, for 
 the persons to wliom this epistle was 
 sent most probably resided there. 
 Paul was at one time a prisoner more 
 than two years at Cesarea (Acts xxiv. 
 27), and during this time he was kept 
 in the charge of a centurion, and his 
 friends had free access to him. Acts 
 xxiv. S3. It would seem not impro- 
 bable that this was the occasion to 
 which he here refers. IT And took 
 joyfully the spoiling of your goods. 
 The plunder of your property. It was 
 not an uncommon thing for the early 
 Christians to be plundered. This was 
 doubtless a part of the ' atflietions' to 
 which the apostle refers in this case, 
 The meaning is, that they yielded 
 their property not only without resist- 
 ance, but witii joy. They, in common 
 with all the early Christians, counted 
 it a privilege and honour to suffer in 
 the cause of their Master. See Notes 
 on Phil. iii. 10 ; Comp. I. Phil. iv. 13. 
 Men may be brought to such a state 
 of mind as to part witli their property 
 with joy. It is not usually tlie case ; 
 but religion will enable a man to do 
 it. II Knowing in yourselves. Marg. 
 ' or, that ye have in yourselves ; or, for 
 yourselves.'' The true rendering is, 
 ' knowing that ye have for yourselves.' 
 It does not refer to any internal know- 
 ledge which they liad of this, but to 
 the fict tliat they were assured that 
 tliey had laid up for themselves a bet- 
 ter inlieritance in heaven. "iT That ye 
 have in heaven a better and an endur- 
 ing substance. Better tlian any earth- 
 ly possession, and more pcTmanent. 
 It is (1.) better; it is worth more; it 
 
248 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 35 Cast not away therefore 
 your confidence, which hath 
 great " recompense of reward. 
 
 36 For ye have need of pa- 
 
 a Mat. 5. 12. 
 
 gives more comfort ; it makes a 
 man really richer. The treasure laid 
 up in heaven is worth more to a 
 man tlian all the wealth of Croesus. 
 It v/ill give him more solid peace 
 and comfort ; will better serve liis 
 turn in the various situations in which 
 he may be placed in life, and will 
 do more on the whole to make him 
 happy. It is not said here that pro- 
 perty is worth nothing to a man — 
 which is not true, if he uses it well — 
 but that the treasures of heaven are 
 worth more, (2.) It is more enduring. 
 Property here soon vanishes. Riches 
 take to themselves wings and fly 
 away, or at any rate all that we pos- 
 sess must soon be left. But in hea- 
 ven all is permanent and secure. 
 No calamity of war, pestilence, or fa- 
 mine ; no change of times ; no com- 
 mercial embarrassments ; no failure 
 of a crop, or a bank ; no fraud of 
 sharpers and swindlers, and no act 
 of a pick-pocket or highwayman can 
 take it away ; nor docs death ever 
 come there to remove the inhabitants 
 of heaven from their 'mansions.' 
 With this hope, therefore, Christians 
 may cheerfully see their earthly wealth 
 vanish, for they can look forward to 
 their enduring and their better inhe- 
 ritance. 
 
 35. Cast not away therefore your 
 confidence. Gr. ' your boldness ;' re- 
 ferring to their confident hope in God. 
 They were not to cast tiiis away, and 
 to become timid, disheartened, and 
 discouraged. They were to bear up 
 manfully under all their trials, and 
 to maintain a steadfast adherence to 
 God and to his cause. The command 
 is not to ' cast this away.' Nothing 
 could take it from them if they trusted 
 in God, and it could be lost only by 
 their own neglect or imprudence. 
 Rosenmiiller supposes (Alte und Neue 
 Morgcnland, in lac.) tliat there may 
 
 tience ; * that, after ye have 
 done the will of God, ye might 
 receive the promise. 
 
 37 For " yet a little while, 
 
 b Lu. 21. 19. 
 
 c Ha. 2. 3, 4. 
 
 be an allusion here to the disgrace 
 which was attached to the act of a 
 warrior if he cast away his shield. 
 Among the Greeks tliis was a crime 
 wliich was punishable with death. 
 Alexander ab Alexand. Gen. Dicr. L. 
 ii. c. 13. Among the ancient Ger- 
 mans, Tacitus says, that to lose the 
 shield in battle was regarded as the 
 deepest dishonour, and that those who 
 were guilty of it were not allowed to 
 be present at the sacrifices or in the 
 assembly of the people. Many, saya 
 he, who had suffered this calamity, 
 closed their ovvti lives with the halter 
 under the loss of honour. Tac. Germ, 
 c. 6. A similar disgrace would attend 
 the Christian soldier if he should cast 
 away his shield of faith. Comp. Notes 
 Eph. vi. 16. H Which hath great re- 
 compense of reward. It will furnish 
 a reward by the peace of mind which 
 it gives here, and will be connected 
 with the rewards of heaven. 
 
 36. F'or ye have need of patience. 
 They were then suffering, and in all 
 trials we have need of patience. We 
 have need of it because there is in us 
 so much disposition to murmur and 
 repine ; because our nature is liable 
 to sink under sufferings ; and because 
 our trials are often protracted. All 
 that Christians can do in such cases 
 is to be patient — to lie calmly in the 
 hands of God, and submit to his will 
 day by day, and year by year.- See 
 James i. 3, 4 ; Notes Rom. v. 4. 
 If That after ye have done the will of 
 God. That is, in bearing trials, for 
 the reference here is particularly to 
 afllictions. ^ Ye might receive the 
 promise. The promised inheritance 
 or reward — in heaven. It is implied 
 here that tiiis promise will not be re- 
 ceived unless we are patient in our 
 trials, and the prospect of this reward 
 should encourage us to endure them. 
 
 37. For yet a Utile tohile. There 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 249 
 
 and he that shall come will 
 come, and will not tarry. 
 
 38 Now the just shall live 
 
 seems to be an allusion here to what 
 the Saviour himself said, 'A little 
 while, and ye shall not see me ; and 
 again, a little while and ye shall see 
 me.' John xvi. 16. Or more proba- 
 bly it may be to Habak. ii. 3. " For 
 the vision is yet for an appointed time, 
 but at the end it shall speak, and not 
 lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; be- 
 cause it will surely come, it will not 
 tarry." The idea which the apostle 
 means to convey evidently is, that 
 the time of their deliverance from 
 their trials was not far remote. IT And 
 he that shall come will come. The 
 reference here is, doubtless, to the 
 Messiah. But what ' coming^ of his 
 is referred to, is more uncertain. Most 
 probably the idea is, that the Messiah 
 who was coming to destroy Jerusa- 
 lem, and to overthrow the Jewish 
 power (Matt, xxv.), would soon do 
 this. In this way he would put a pe- 
 riod to their persecutions and trials, 
 as the power of the Jewish people to 
 afflict them would be at an end. A 
 similar idea occurs in Luke xxi. 28. 
 " And when these things begin to 
 come to pass, then look up, and lift 
 up your heads ; for your redemption 
 draweth vigh." See Notes on that 
 passage. The Christians in Palestine 
 were oppressed, reviled, and persecut- 
 ed by the Jews. The destruction of 
 the city and the temple would put an 
 end to that power, and would be in 
 fact the time of deliverance for those 
 who had been persecuted. In the 
 passage before us, Paul intimates that 
 that period was not far distant. Per- 
 haps there were already 'signs' of his 
 coming, or indications that be was 
 about to appear, and he therefore 
 urges them patiently to persevere in 
 their fidelity to him during the little 
 time of trial that remained. The 
 same encouragement and consolation 
 may be employed still. To all the 
 afflicted it may be said that ' he that 
 Bhall come will come' soon. The 
 
 by faith : but if any man draw 
 back, my soul shall have no 
 pleasure in him. 
 
 time of affliction is not long. Soon 
 the Redeemer will appear to deliver 
 his afflicted people from all their sor- 
 rows ; to remove them from a world 
 of pain and tears ; and to raise their 
 bodies from the dust, and to receive 
 them to mansions where trials are 
 for ever unknown. Notes John xiv. 
 3; I. Thess. iv. 13—18. 
 
 38. Now the just shall live by faith. 
 This is a part of the quotation from 
 Habakkuk (ii. 3, 4), which was pro- 
 bably commenced in the previous 
 verse. See the passage fully ex- 
 plained in the Notes on Rom. i. 17. 
 The meaning in the connexion in 
 which it stands here, in pxcordance 
 with the sense in which it was used 
 by Habakkuk, is, that the righteous 
 should live by continued confidence in 
 God. They should pass their lives, 
 not in doubt, and fear, and trembling 
 apprehension, but in the exercise of a 
 calm trust in God. In this sense it 
 accords with the scope of what the 
 apostle is here saying. He is exhort- 
 ing the Christians whom he address- 
 ed, to perseverance in their religion 
 even in the midst of many persecu- 
 tions. To encourage this he says, 
 that it was a great principle that the 
 just, that is, all the pious, ought 
 to live in the constant exerci-se of 
 faith in God. They should not con 
 fide in their own merits, works, or 
 strength. They should exercise con- 
 stant reliance on their Maker, and he 
 would keep them even unto eternal 
 life. The sense is, that a persevering 
 confidence or belief in the Lord will 
 preserve us amidst all the trials and 
 calamities to which we are exposed. 
 IT But if any man draw back, my soul 
 shall have no pleasure in him. This 
 also is a quotation from Hab. ii. 4, 
 but from the Septuagint, not from the 
 Hebrew. Why the authors of the 
 Septuagint thus translated the pas- 
 sage, it is impossible now to say. 
 The Hebrew is rendered in the com- 
 
250 
 
 IIEBR?]\V.S. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 39 But we arc not of tlicm ! but of them that belieVe to the 
 
 who draw back " unto perdition, 
 a Ver. 26. 
 
 moil version, " Behold, his soul which 
 is lilled up is not uprifjlit in him ;" 
 or more literally, " Behold tiie scorn- 
 ful ; his mind siiall not bo happy" 
 (^Stuarl) ; or as Gcsenius renders it, 
 "See, he wliose soul is unbelieving 
 shall, on this account, be unhappy." 
 The sentiment there i.s, that the seorn- 
 er or unbeliever in that day would 
 be unhappy, or would not prosper — 
 mK?' X^. The apostle has retained 
 the general sense of the passage, and 
 the idea which he expresses is, that 
 the unbeliever, or lie who renounces 
 his religion, will incur the divine dis- 
 pleasure. He will be a man exposed 
 to the divine wrath ; a man on whom 
 God cannot look but with disapproba- 
 tion. By tills solemn consideration, 
 therefore, the apostle urges on them 
 the importance of perseverance, and 
 the guilt and danger of apostasy from 
 the Christian faith. If such a case 
 should occur, no matter what might 
 have been tlic former condition, and 
 no matter what love or zeal might 
 have been evinced, yet such an apos- 
 tasy would expose the individual to 
 the certain wrath of God. Ilis for- 
 mer love could not save him, any 
 more than the former obedience of the 
 angels saved them from tiie horrors of 
 eternal chains and dariincss, or than 
 the holiness in which Adam was cre- 
 ated saved liim and his postcrit}' from 
 tiie calamities which his apostasy in- 
 curred. 
 
 3D, But we are not of them, &c. 
 We who are true Christians do net 
 belong to such a class. In this the 
 apostle expresses the fullest convic- 
 tion that none of those to wliom he 
 wrote would apostatize. The case 
 which he had been describing was 
 only a supposable case, not one which 
 he believed would occur. lie liad 
 only been stating what must happen 
 if a sincere Christian should aposta- 
 tize. But lie did not mean to say 
 
 savinii of the soul. 
 
 that this would occur in regard to 
 tlicin, or in any case. He made a 
 statement of a general j)rinciple un- 
 dcr the divine administration, and he 
 designed that this should be a means 
 of keeping them in the path to life. 
 What could be a more eft'ectuil means 
 than the assurance that if a Christian 
 siiould apostatize he must inevitably 
 perish fur ever ? See the sentiment 
 in this verse illustrated at length in 
 the Notes on ch. vi. 4 — 10. 
 
 B EM ARES. 
 
 (1.) It is a subject of rejoicing that 
 we are brought under a more perfect 
 system than the ancient people of 
 God were. We have not merely a 
 rude outline — a dim and shadowy 
 sketch of religion, as they had. We 
 are not now required to go before a 
 bloody altar every day, and lead up a 
 victim to be slain. We may come to 
 the altar of God feeling that the great 
 sacrifice has been made, and that the 
 last drop of blood to make atonement 
 has been shed. A pure, glorious, 
 holy body was prepared for the Great 
 Victim, and in that body he did the 
 will of God and died for our sins. 
 Vs. I— 10. 
 
 (2.) Like that Great Redeemer, let 
 MS do the will of God. It may lead 
 us tlirough sutTerings, and we may 
 be called to meet trials strongly re- 
 sembling his. But the will of God 
 is to be done alike in bearing trials, 
 and in prayer and praise. Obedience 
 is the great tiling which he demands; 
 wiiich he has always sought. When 
 his ancient people led up, in faith, a 
 lamb to the altar, still he preferred 
 obedience to sacrifice ; and when his 
 Son came into the world to teach U9 
 iiow to live, and how to die, still th« 
 great thing was obedience. He came 
 to illustrate the nature of perfect con- 
 formity to the will of God, and he did 
 that by a most holy life, and by the 
 most patient submission to all the 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 251 
 
 trials appointed him in his purpose to 
 make atonement for the sins of the 
 world. Our model, alike in holy liv- 
 ing- and holy dying-, is to be tJie Sa- 
 viour ; and like him wc are required 
 to exercise simple submission to the 
 will of God. Vs. 1—10. 
 
 (3.) The Redeemer looks calmly for- 
 ward to the time when all his foes will 
 be brought in submission to his feet. 
 Vs. 11, 12. He is at the right hand 
 of God. His great work on earth is 
 done. He is to suffer no more. He 
 is exalted beyond the possibility of 
 pain and sorrow, and he is seated now 
 on high looking to the period when 
 all his foes shall be subdued and he 
 will be acknowledged as miiversul 
 Lord. 
 
 (4.) The Christian has exalted 
 advantages. He has access to the 
 mercy-seat of God.- He may enter 
 by faith into the " Holiest" — the 
 very heavens where God dwells. 
 Christ, his great High Priest, has en- 
 tered there ; has sprinkled over the 
 mercy-seat with his blood, and ever 
 lives there to plead his cause. There 
 is no privilege granted to men like 
 that of a near and constant access to 
 the mercy-seat. This is tlie privilege 
 not of a few ; and not to be enjoyed 
 but once in a year, or at distant in- 
 tervals, but which the most humble 
 Christian possesses, and whioli may be 
 enjoyed at all times, and in all places. 
 There is not a Christian so obscure, 
 so poor, so ignorant that he may not 
 come and speak to God ; and there 
 is not a situation of poverty, want, or 
 wo, where lie may not make his wants 
 known with the assurance tJiat his 
 prayers will be heard through faith 
 in tlie great Redeemer. Vs. VJ, 20. 
 
 (5.) When we come before God, let 
 our hearts be pure. Ver. 22. The 
 body has been waslicd with pure wa- 
 ter in baptism, emblematic of the ])u- 
 rifying influences of the Holy Spirit. 
 Let the conscience be also pure. Let 
 us lay aside every unholy thought. 
 Our worsliip will not be jieccptable ; 
 our prayers will not be heard, if it is 
 not so. ' If we regard iniquity in our 
 hearts the Lord will not hear us.' No 
 
 matter though there be a great High 
 Priest; no matter though he have 
 offered a perfect sacrifice for sin, and 
 no matter though the throne of God 
 be accessible to men, yet if there is 
 in tlifc hoart the love of sin ; if the 
 conscience is not pure, our prayers 
 will not be heard.' Is this not one 
 great reason why our worship is so 
 barren and unprofitable ? 
 
 (6.) It is the duty of Christians to 
 exhort one another to mutual fidelity. 
 Ver. 24. We should so tiir regard the 
 interests of each other, as to strive to 
 promote our nmtual advance in piety. 
 The clmrch is one. All true Chris- 
 tians are brethren. Each one has an 
 interest in the spiritual welfare of 
 every one who loves the Lord Jesus, 
 and should strive to increase his 
 spiritual joy and usefulness. A Chris 
 tian brother often goes astray and 
 needs kind admonition to reclaim 
 him ; or he becomes disheartened and 
 needs encouragement to cheer hiin on 
 his Christian way. 
 
 (7.) (;liristians should not neglect 
 to assemble together for the worship 
 of God. Ver. 25. It is a duty which 
 they owe to God to acknowledge liim 
 publicly, and their own growth in 
 piety is essentially connected with 
 public worship. It is impossible for a 
 man to secure the advancement of 
 religion in his soul who habitually 
 neglects public worship, and religion 
 will not flourish in any community 
 where this duty is not performed. 
 There are great benefits growing out 
 of the worship of God, wliich can be 
 secured in no other way. God has 
 made us social beings, and he in- 
 tends that tlie social principle shall be 
 called into exercise in religion, as 
 well as in other things. We have 
 common wants, and it is proper to 
 present them together before the 
 mercy-seat. We liave received com- 
 mon blessings in our creation, in the 
 Providence ofGod, and in redemption, 
 and it is proper that we should as- 
 semble together and render united 
 praise to our Maker for his goodness. 
 Besides, in any community, the pub. 
 lie worship of God does more to pro. 
 
252 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 mote intelligence, order, peace, har- 
 mony, triendship, neatness of apparel, 
 and purity and propriety of inter- 
 course between neiglibours, than any- 
 thing else can, and for wliich nothing 
 else can be a compensation. Every 
 Christian, and every other man, there- 
 fore, is bound to lend his influence in 
 thus keeping up the worship of God, 
 and should always be in his place in 
 the sanctuary. The particular thing 
 in tlie exliortation of tlie apostle is, 
 that this should be done even in the 
 face of persecution. The early Chris- 
 tians felt so nmch the importance of 
 tliis, that we are told tliey were ac- 
 customed to assemble at night. For- 
 bidden to meet in public houses 
 of worship, they met in caves, and 
 even when threatened with death they 
 continued to maintain the worship of 
 God. It may be added, that so im- 
 portant is this, that it should be pre- 
 served even when the preaching of 
 the gospel is not enjoyed. Let Cliris- 
 tians . assemble together. Let them 
 pray and offer praise. Let them read 
 the word of God, and an appropriate 
 sermon. Even this will exert an in- 
 fluence on them and on the commu- 
 nity of incalculable importance, and 
 will serve to keep the flame of piety 
 burning on the altar of their own 
 hearts, and in the community around 
 them. 
 
 (8.) We may see the danger of in- 
 dulging in any sin. Vs. 26, 27. None 
 can tell to what it may lead. No 
 matter how small and unimportant it 
 may appear at tiie time, yet if in- 
 dulged in it will prove that there is no 
 true religion, and will lead on to tliose 
 greater oftences which make ship- 
 wreck of the Ciiristian name, and 
 ruin the soul. He that ' wilfully' and 
 deliberately sins ' after he professes 
 to have received the knowledge of the 
 truth,' shows that his religion is but 
 a name, and that he has never known 
 any thing of its power. 
 
 (9.) We sliould guard with sacred 
 vigilance against everything which 
 might lead to apostasy. Vs. 26 — 29. 
 If a sincere Christiini should apostatize 
 from God, he could never be renewed 
 
 and saved. There would remain no 
 more sacrifice for sins ; there is no 
 other Saviour to be provided ; tliere is 
 no other Holy Spirit to be sent down 
 to recover the apostate. Since, tlieje- 
 fore, so fearful a punishment would 
 follow apostasy from the true religion, 
 we may see tlie guilt of everytliing 
 which has a tendency to it. That 
 guilt is to be measured by the fearJul 
 consequences which would ensue if it 
 were followed out ; and the Christian 
 should, therefore, tremble when he is 
 on the verge of committing any sin 
 whose legitimate tendency would be 
 such a result. 
 
 (10.) We may learn from the views 
 presented in this chapter (vs. 26 — 29), 
 the error of tliose who suppose that a 
 true Ciiristian may fall away and be 
 renewed again and saved. If there is 
 any principle clearly settled in the 
 New Testament, it is, that if a sincere 
 Christian should apostatize, he must 
 perish. There would be no possibility 
 of renewing him. He would have 
 tried the only religion which saves 
 men, and it would in his ease have 
 failed ; he would have applied to the 
 only blood which purifies the soul, 
 and it would have been found inefii- 
 cacious ; he would have been brought 
 under the only influence which re- 
 news the soul, and tiiat would not 
 have been sufficient to save him. 
 What hope could there be? What 
 would then save him if these would 
 not? To what would he apply — 
 to what Saviour, to what blood of 
 atonement, to what renewing and 
 sanctifying agent, if tiie gospel, and 
 the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit had 
 all been tried in vain ? There are 
 few errors in the community more 
 directly at variance with the express 
 teachings of the Bible than the belief 
 that a Christian may fall away and 
 be again renewed. 
 
 (II.) Christians, in their conflicts," 
 their trials, and their temptations, 
 should be strengthened by what is 
 past. Vs. .32 — 3.^. They sliould re- 
 member tiie days when tliey were 
 afflicted and God sustained them 
 when they were persecuted and he 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 253 
 
 N 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 OW faith is the ' substance 
 of things hoped for, the 
 
 brouglit Ihem relief. It is proper also 
 to remember for their own encourage- 
 ment now, the spirit of patience and 
 submission which they were enabled 
 to manifest in those times of trial, and 
 the sacrifices which they were enabled 
 to make. They may find in such 
 things evidence that they are the 
 children of God; and they should find 
 in their past experience proof that he 
 who has borne them through past 
 trials, is able to keep them unto his 
 everlasting kingdom. 
 
 (12.) We need patience — but it is 
 only for a little time. Vs. 36 — 39. 
 Soon all our confiicts will be over. 
 ' He that shall come will come and 
 will not tarry.' He will come to de- 
 liver his suffering people from all 
 their trials. He will come to rescue 
 the persecuted from the persecutor ; 
 the oppressed from the oppressor ; the 
 down-trodden from the tyrant ; and 
 the sorrowtiil and sad from their woes. 
 The coming of the Saviour to each 
 one of the afflicted is the signal of re- 
 lease from sorrow, and his advent at 
 the end of the world will be proof 
 that all the trials of the bleeding and 
 persecuted church are at an end. The 
 time too is short before he will appear. 
 In each individual case it is to be but 
 a brief period before he will come to 
 relieve the sufferer from his woes, 
 and in the case of the church at 
 large the time is not far remote when 
 the Great Deliverer shall appear to 
 receive ' the bride,' the church re- 
 deemed, to the ' mansions ' which he 
 has gone to prepare. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 In the close of the previous chap- 
 ter, the apostle had incidentally made 
 mention of faith (vs. 38, 39), and 
 said that the just should live by faith. 
 The object of the whole argument in 
 this epistle v/as to keep those to whom 
 it was addressed from apostatizing 
 22 
 
 evidence 
 seen. 
 
 of things " not 
 
 1 or, ground, or, confidence, 
 a Ro. 8. 24, 25. 
 
 from the Christian religion, and es- 
 pccially from relapsing again into 
 Judaism. They were in the midst 
 of trials, and were evidently suffering 
 some form of persecution, the tenden- 
 cy of which was to expose them to 
 the danger of relapsing. The indis- 
 pensable means of securing them from 
 apostasy was faith, and with a view 
 to show its efficacy in this respect, 
 the apostle goes into an extended ac- 
 count of its nature and effects, occu- 
 pying this entire chapter. As the 
 persons whom he addressed had been 
 Hebrews, and as the Old Testament 
 contained an account of numerous 
 instances of persons in substantially 
 the same circumstances in which they 
 were, the reference is made to the 
 illustrious examples of the efficacv of 
 faith in the Jewish history. The ob- 
 jeet is, to show that faith, or confi. 
 dence in the divine promises, has been 
 in all ages the means of perseverance 
 in the true religion, and consequently 
 of salvation. In this chapter, there- 
 fore, the apostle first describes or de- 
 fines the nature of faith (ver. 1 ), and 
 then illustrates its efficacy and power 
 by reference to numerous instances. 
 Vs. 2 — 40. In these illustrations he 
 refers to the steady belief which wc 
 have that God made the worlds, and 
 then to the examples of Abel, Enoch, 
 Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, 
 Joseph, Moses, and Rahab in particu- 
 lar, and then to numerous other exam- 
 ples without mentioning their names. 
 The object is to show tliat there is 
 power in faith to keep the mind and 
 heart in the midst of trials, and that 
 having these examples before them, 
 those whom he addressed should con- 
 tinue to adhere steadfastly to the 
 profession of the true religion. 
 
 I. Noio faith is the substance of 
 things hoped for. On the general na- 
 ture of faith, see Notes on Mark xvi. 
 IG. The margin here is, 'ground or 
 corifidence.'' There is scaicely anv 
 
254 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 04 
 
 verse of the New Testament more | 
 im])ortant tliun this, lur it states what ' 
 is the nature of all true faith, and is 
 the only dclinitiuu of it wliich is at- 
 tempted in the Scriptures. Eternal 
 lilc depends on tlie existence and ex- 
 ercise of faith (Mark xvi. 16), and 
 hence the iniport.incc of an accurate 
 understanding of its nature. The 
 word rendered substance — Indaraats — 
 occurs in the New Testament only in 
 the followin;r ])idces. In II. Cor. ix. 
 4; xi. 17; llib. iii. 14, where it is 
 rendered confident and confidence; 
 and in Heb. i. 3, where it is rendered 
 person, and in tiie p.issagc before us. 
 Comp. Notes on cli. i. 3. Prof. Stuart 
 renders it here confidence ; Chrysos- 
 tom, " Faith gives reality or substance 
 to things liopetl for." The word pro- 
 perly means that which is placed un- 
 der {GcrmMnterstellen); then ground, 
 basis, foundation, support. Then it 
 means also reality, substance, exist- 
 ence, in contradistinction from that 
 which is unreal, imaginary, or decep- 
 tive (t'duschung). Fassow. It seems to 
 me, therefore, that the word here has 
 reference to something which imparts 
 reality in the view of the mind to 
 those things which are not seen, and 
 which serves to distinguish them from 
 those things whicli are unreal and il- 
 lusive. It is that which enables us 
 to feel and act as if they were real, 
 or wiiieli causes them to exert an in- 
 fluence over us as if we saw them. 
 Faith does this on all other subjcets 
 as well as religion. A belief tliat 
 there is such a place as London or 
 Calcutta, leads us to act as if this 
 were so, if we iiavc occasion to go lo 
 either ; a belief tliat money may be 
 made in a certain undertaking, leads 
 men to act as if tliis were so ; a be- 
 lief in the veracity of another leads 
 us to act as if this were so. As long 
 as the faith continues, wiiether it be 
 well-founded or not, it gives all the 
 force of reality to that which is be- 
 lieved. We leel and act just as if 
 it were so, or as if we saw the object 
 before our eyes. Tliis, I think, is the 
 clear meaning here. We do not see 
 tlie tilings of eternity. We do not 
 
 see God, or heaven, or the angels, or 
 the redeemed in glory, or t!ic crowns 
 of victory, or the harps of praise ; but 
 we have faith in them, and this leads 
 us to act as if we saw them. And 
 this is, undoubtedly, the fact in re- 
 gard to all who live by faith and who 
 are fairly under its influence. ^ Of 
 things hoped for. In heaven. Faith 
 gives them reality in the view of the 
 mind. The Christian hopes to be ad- 
 mitted into heaven ; to be raised up 
 in the last day from the slumbers of 
 tiie tomb, to be made perfectly free 
 from sin ; to be everlastingly happy. 
 Under the influence of faith he allows 
 these things to control his mind as 
 if they were a most affecting reality. 
 IT The evidence of things not seen. Of 
 the existence of God ; of heaven ; of 
 angels ; of the glories of the world 
 prepared for the redeemed. The word 
 rendered evidence — cXcyxoi — occurs in 
 the New Testament only in this place 
 and in II. Tim. iii. 16, where it is 
 rendered reproof. It means properly 
 proof, or means of proving, to wit, 
 evidence ; then proof which convinces 
 another of error or guilt ; then vindi- 
 cation, or defence ; then summary or 
 contents. See Passow. The idea of 
 evidence which goes to demonstrate 
 the tiling under consideration, or 
 which is adapted to produce convic 
 tion in the mind, seems to be the ele- 
 mentary idea in the word. So when 
 a proposition is demonstrated ; when 
 a man is arraigned and evidence is 
 furnished of his guilt, or when he 
 establishes his innocence ; or when 
 one by argument refutes his adversa- 
 ries, the idea of convincing argument 
 enters into the use of the word ia 
 oach case. This, I think, is clearly 
 the meaning of tiie word here. ' Faith 
 in the divine declarations answers all 
 tlie purposes of a convincing argu- 
 ment, or is itself a convincing argu- 
 ment to tlie mind, of the real exist- 
 ence of those tilings which are not 
 seen.' But is it a good argument? 
 Is it rational to rely on such a means 
 of being convinced ? Is mere faith a 
 consideration which should ever con- 
 vince a rational mind ? The infidel 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XT, 
 
 255 
 
 2 For by it the elders ob- 
 tained a good report. 
 
 says no ; and we know there may be 
 a faith which is no argument of the 
 truth of what is believed. But when 
 a man who has never seen it believes 
 that there is such a place as London, 
 his belief in the numerous testimonies 
 respectingf it which he has heard and 
 read is to his mind a good and ra- 
 tional proof of its existence, and he 
 would act on that belief without hesi- 
 tation. When a son credits the de- 
 claration or the promise of a father 
 who has never deceived him, and acts 
 as though that declaration and pro- 
 mise were true, his faith is to him a 
 ground of conviction and of actioi}, 
 and he will act as if these things were 
 80. In like manner the Christian be- 
 
 lieves what God says. He has never' 
 seen heaven ; he has never seen an 
 angel ; he has never seen the Re- 
 deemer ; he has never seen a body 
 raised from the grave. But he has 
 evidence which is satisfactory to his 
 mind that God has spoken on these 
 subjects, and his very nature prompts 
 him to confide in the declarations of 
 his Creator. Those declarations are 
 to his mind more convincing proof 
 than anything else would be. They 
 are more conclusive evidence than 
 would be the deductions of his own 
 reason ; far better and more rational 
 than all the reasonings and declara- 
 tions of the infidel to the contrary. 
 He feels and acts, therefore, as if 
 these things were so — tor his faith in 
 the declarations of God has convinced 
 him that they are so. — The object of 
 the apostle, in this chapter, is not to 
 illustrate the nature of what is called 
 saving faith, but to show the power 
 of unwavering confidence in God in 
 Bustaining the soul, especially in times 
 of trial ; and particularly in leading 
 us to act in view of promises and of 
 things not seen as if they were so. 
 Saving faith' is the same kind of 
 confidence directed to the Messiah — 
 the Lord Jesus — as the Saviour of the 
 Koul. 
 
 3 Through faith we under- 
 stand " that the worlds were 
 
 a Ge. 1. 1; Ps. 33.6. 
 
 2. For by it. That is, by that faith 
 which gives reality to things hoped 
 for, and a certain persuasion to the 
 mind of the existence of ti)ose things 
 which are not seen. T The elders. 
 The ancients ; the Hebrew patriarchs 
 and fathers. T Obtained a good re. 
 port. Literally, ' were witnessed of;' 
 that is, an honourable testimony was 
 borne to them in consequence of their 
 faith. The idea is, that their acting 
 under the influence of faith, in the 
 circumstances in which they were, 
 was tlie ground of the honourable tes- 
 timony which was borne to them in 
 the Old Testament. See this use of 
 the word in ch. vii. 8, and in ver. 4 
 of this chapter. Also Luke iv. 22 ; 
 Acts XV. 8. In the cases which the 
 apostle proceeds to enumerate in the 
 subsequeitt part of the chapter, he 
 mentions those whose piety is parti- 
 cularly commended in the Old Testa- 
 ment, and who showed in trying cir- 
 cumstances that they had unwavering 
 confidence in God. 
 
 3. Through faith, we vudrrstand 
 that the worlds were framed. The 
 first instance of the strength of faith 
 which the apostle refers to is that by 
 which we give credence to the decla- 
 rations in the Scriptures about the 
 work of creation. Gen. i. L This is 
 selected first, evidently because it is 
 the first thing that occurs in the Bi- 
 ble, or is the first thing there narra- 
 ted in relation to which there is the 
 exercise of faith. He points to no 
 particular instance in which this faith 
 was exercised — for none is especially 
 mentioned — but refers to it as an il- 
 lustration of the nature of faith which 
 every one miglit observe in him- 
 self. The faith here exercised is 
 confidence in the truth of the divine 
 declarations in regard to the creation. 
 The meaning is, that our knowledge 
 on this subject is a mere matter of 
 faith in the divine testimony. It is 
 not that we could reason this out, and 
 demonstrate that the worlds were thus 
 
256 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 61. 
 
 framed by th&word of God, so ] not made of things which do 
 that things which are seen were 
 
 made; it is not tliat prolane liistory 
 goes back to that period and informs 
 us of it; it is simply tliat C»od has 
 told us so in his word. The strength 
 of the faith in this case is measured 
 (1) by the fact that it is tnere. faith — 
 that there is nothing else on which 
 to rely in the case, and (2) by the 
 greatness of the trutli believed. After 
 all the acts of faith which have ever 
 been exercised in tliis world, perhaps 
 there is none which is really more 
 strong, or which requires higher confi- 
 dence in God, than the declaration that 
 this vast universe has been brought 
 into existence by a word ! ^ We un- 
 derstand. We attain to the apprehen- 
 sion of; we receive and comprehend 
 the idea. Our knowledge of tliis fact 
 is deriwd only from faith, and not 
 from our own reasoning. H That the 
 worlds. In Gen. i. 1, it is ' the hea- 
 ven and the eartli.' The phrase which 
 tlie apostle uses denotes a plurality of 
 worlds, and is proof that he supposed 
 there were other worlds besides our 
 earth. How far his knowledge ex- 
 tended on this point, we have no 
 means of ascertaining, but there is 
 no reason to doubt tiiat he regarded 
 the stars as ' worlds' in some respects 
 like our own- On the meaning of 
 the Greek word used here, see Notes 
 on ch. i. 2. > Tiie plural form is used 
 there also, and in both cases, it seems 
 to me, not without design. IT Were 
 framed. It is observable that the 
 apostle does not here use the word 
 make or create. That which he does 
 use — KarapTi^fo — means to put in or- 
 der, to arrange, to complete, and may 
 be applied to that which before had 
 an existence, and which is to be put 
 in order, or re-fittcd. Matt. iv. 24 ; 
 Mark i. 19 ; Matt. xxi. G ; Heb. x. 5 ; 
 The meaning here is, that they were 
 set in order by the word of God. 
 This implies the act of creation, but 
 the specific idea is that of arraniring 
 them in the beautiful order in which 
 they are now. Doddridge renders it 
 ^ndiusted.^ Kuinoel, however, sup- 
 
 appear. 
 
 poses that the word is used here in 
 the sense of form, or make. It has 
 probably about the meaning which 
 we attach to the plirasc ^Jltting up 
 anythincr^'' as, for example, a dwelling, 
 and includes all the previous arrange- 
 ments, though the thing which is par- 
 ticularly denoted is not the making, 
 but the arrangement. So in the work 
 here referred to. ' We arrive at the 
 conviction that the universe was ^/it- 
 ted up or arranged in the present 
 manner by the word of God.' IT By 
 the word of God. This does not jnean 
 here, by the Logos, or the second per- 
 son of the Trinity, for Paul does not 
 use that term here or elsewhere. The 
 word which he employs is pnna — rema 
 — meaning properly a word spoken, 
 and in this place command. Comp. 
 Gen. i. 3. 6. 9. 11. 14. 20 ; Ps. xxxiii. 
 6. " By the word of the Lord were 
 the heavens made ; and all the host 
 of them by the breath of his mouth." 
 In regard to the agency of the Son 
 of God in the work of tlve creation, 
 see Notes on ch. i. 2 ; comp. Notes on 
 John i. 3. T So that things which are 
 seen. The point of the remark here 
 is, that the visible creation was not 
 moulded out of pre-existing materials, 
 but was made out of nothing. In 
 reference to the grammatical con- 
 straction of the passage, see Stuart, 
 Comm. in loc. The doctrine taught 
 is, that matter was not eternal ; that 
 the materials of the universe, as well 
 as tlic arrangement, were formed by 
 God, and that all this was done by a 
 simple command. The argument here, 
 so far as it is adapted to the purpose 
 of the apostle, seems to be, that there 
 was notliing w^hich appeared, or which 
 was to be seen, that could lay the 
 foundation of a belief that God made 
 the worlds; and in like manner our 
 faith now is not to be based on what 
 "■appears,^ by which we could infer or 
 reason out what w'ould be, but that 
 we must exercise strong confidence 
 in Ilim who had power to create the 
 universe out of nothing. If this vast 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 257 
 
 4 By faith Abel " offered unto 
 God a more excellent sacrifice 
 than Cain, by which he obtain- 
 
 a Ge. 4. 4, 5. i or, is yet spoken of. 
 
 ed witness that he was righte- 
 ous, God testifying of his gifts : 
 and by it he, being dead, ' yet 
 speaketh. 
 
 universe has been called into exist- 
 ence by the mere word of God, there 
 is nothing which we may not believe 
 he has ample power to perform. 
 
 4. By faith, Abel offered. See Gen. 
 iv. 4, 5. In the account in Genesis 
 of the offering- made by Abel, there is 
 no mention o£ faith — as is true also 
 indeed of most of the instances re- 
 ferred to by the apostle. The account 
 in Genesis is, simply, that Abel 
 " brouglit of the firstlings of his flock, 
 and the fat thereof, and that the Lord 
 had respect to Abel and his offering." 
 Men have speculated much as to the 
 reason why the offering of Abel was 
 accepted and that of Cain rejected ; 
 but such speculation rests on no cer- 
 tain basis, and the solution of the 
 apostle should be regarded as decisive 
 and satisfactory, tliat in the one case 
 there was faith, in the other not. It 
 could not have been because an offer- 
 ing of the fruits of the ground was not 
 pleasing to God, for such an offering 
 was commanded under the Jewish 
 law, and was not in itself improper. 
 Both the brothers selected that which 
 was to them most obvious ; which 
 they had reared vs^ith their ov?n hands ; 
 which they regarded as most valua- 
 ble. Cain liad cultivated the earth, 
 and he naturally brought what had 
 grown under his care ; Abel kept a 
 flock, and he as naturally brought 
 what he had raised : and had the tem- 
 per of mind in both been the same, 
 there is no reason to doubt that the 
 offering of each would have been ac- 
 cepted. To this conclusion we are 
 led by the nature of the case, and the 
 apostle advances substantially the 
 same sentiment, for he says that the 
 particular state of mind on which the 
 wliole turned was, that, the one had 
 faith and the other not. JIow the 
 apostle himself was informed of the 
 fact that it was faith which made the 
 difference, he has not informed us. 
 22* 
 
 The belief that he was inspired will, 
 however, relieve the subject of this 
 difficulty, for according to such a be- 
 lief, all his statements here, whether 
 recorded in the Old Testament or not, 
 are founded in truth. It is equally 
 impossible to tell with certainty what 
 was the nature of the faith of Abel. 
 It has been commonly asserted that 
 it was faith in Christ — looking for- 
 ward to his coming, and depending 
 on his sacrifice when offering that 
 which was to be a type of him. But 
 of this there is no positive evidence, 
 though from Heb. xii. 24, it seems to 
 be not improbable. Sacrifice, as a 
 type of the Redeemer's great offer- 
 ing, was instituted early in the his- 
 tory of the world. There can be 
 no reason assigned for the offering of 
 blood as an atonement for sin, except 
 that it had originally a reference to 
 the great atonement which was to be 
 made by blood ; and as the salvation 
 of man depended on this entirely, it 
 is probable that that would be one of 
 the truths which would be first com- 
 municated to man after the fall. The 
 bloody offbring of Abel is the first 
 of the kind which is definitely men- 
 tioned in the Scriptures (tliough it 
 is not improbable that such sacri- 
 fices were otfered by Adam, comp. 
 Gen. iii. 21), and consequently Abel 
 may be regarded as the recorded head 
 of the whole typical system, of lohich 
 Christ was the antitype and the fulfil- 
 ment. Comp. Notes ch. xii. 24. ^ A 
 more excellent sacrifice. nXtiova S^vaiav 
 — as rendered by Tindal, ' more plen 
 teous sacrifice ;' or as VVickliff" ren- 
 ders it more literally, ' a much more 
 sacrifice ;' that is, a more full or com- 
 plete sacrifice ; a better sacrifice. The 
 meaning is, that it had in it much 
 more to render it acceptable to God. 
 In the estimate of its value, the views 
 of him who offered it would be more 
 to be regarded than the nature of the 
 
258 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 offering itself. ' tiy which. By which 
 Baciificu 80 offered. The way in which 
 he obtained tlie testimony of divine 
 approbation was by the sacrifice of- 
 fered in tiiis manner. It was not 
 merely by faith, it was l)y the offering 
 of a sacrifice in connexion with, and 
 under the influence of faith. 1i He 
 obtained witness that he was righteous. 
 That is, from God. His offering 
 made in faith was the means of liis 
 obtaining- the divine testimonial that 
 he was a righteous man. Cornp. 
 Notes on ver. 2. This is implied in 
 what is said in Gen. iv. 4. " And the 
 Lord had respect unto Abel and his 
 offering ;" that is, he regarded it as 
 the offering of a righteous man. 
 IT God testifyina: of his gifts. In what 
 way tliis was done is not mentioned 
 either here or in Genesis. Commen- 
 tators iiave usually supposed that it 
 was by fire descending from heaven 
 to consume the sacrifice. But there 
 is no evidence of this, for there is no 
 intimation of it in the Bible. It is 
 true that this frequently occurred 
 when an offering was made to God, 
 (see Gen. xv. 17 ; Lev. ix. 24 ; Judges 
 vi. 21 ; I. Kings xviii. 38), but the 
 sacred writers give us no hint that 
 this happened in the case of tlie sacri- 
 fice made by Abel, and since it is ex- 
 pressly mentioned in other cases and 
 not iiere, the presumption rather is 
 that no such miracle occurred on the 
 occasion. So remarkable a fact — the 
 first one in all history if it v.'cre so — 
 could liardly have failed to be noticed 
 by the sacred writer. It seems to 
 me, therefore, that there was some 
 method by which God ' testified' his 
 approbation of the offering of Abel 
 which is unknown to us, but in re- 
 gard to what it was conjecture is 
 vain. If And by it he, being dead, yet 
 speakelh. Marg. Is yr.l spoken of. 
 Tills ditfercn^! of translation arises 
 from a difference of reading in tlie 
 MSS. Tliat from which the transla- 
 tion in the text is derived, is \i\h — 
 he spcnkfth. Tiiat from which the 
 rendering in the margin is derived, is 
 AuAcirai — is spoken of; that is, is prais- 
 ed or commended. The latter is the 
 
 common reading in the Greek texl^ 
 and is found in Walton, Wetstein, 
 Miitthoei, Tittnian, and Mill ; the 
 former is adopted by Griesbach, 
 Koppc, Knapp, Grotius, Hammond, 
 Storr, Rosenmiiller, Prof. Stuart, 
 Bloomfield, and Hahn, and is found 
 I in the Syriac and Cojitic, and is that 
 which is favoured by most of the 
 I Fatliers. See Wetstein. The au- 
 thority of MSS. is in flivour of the 
 reading XaXtirai — is spoken of. It is 
 impossible in this variety of opinion 
 to determine which is the true read- 
 ing, and this is one of the cases 
 where the original text must probably 
 be for ever undecided. Happily no 
 important doctrine or duty is depend- 
 ing on it. Either of the modes of 
 reading will give a good sense. The 
 apostle is saying that it is by faith 
 that the 'elders liave obtained a good 
 report' (ver. 2) ; he had said (ver. 4), 
 that it was by faith that Abel obtain, 
 ed the testimony of God in his favour, 
 and if the reading ' is spoken oP be 
 adopted, the apostle means that in 
 consequence of that offering thus 
 made, Abel continued even to his 
 time to receive an honourable men- 
 tion. This act was commended still ; 
 and the 'good report' of which it had 
 been tlie occasion, had been transmit- 
 ted from age to age. A sentiment 
 thus of great beauty and value w/y 
 be derived from the passage — that 
 true piety is the occasion of trans- 
 mitting a good report — or an honour- 
 able reputation, even down to the 
 latest generation. It is that which 
 will embalm the memory in tlie grate- 
 ful recollection of mankind ; that on 
 which they will reflect with pleasure, 
 and wliieh they will love to transmit 
 to future ages. But after all, it seems 
 to me to be probable that the true 
 sentiment in this passage is that 
 which is expressed in the common 
 version, ' he yet spcaketh.' The rea- 
 sons are briefly these. (1.) The au- 
 tiiorily of .MSS., versions, editions, and 
 critics, is so nearly equal, that it is 
 impossible from this source to deter- 
 mine the true reading, and we must, 
 therefore, form our judgment from 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 259 
 
 the connexion. (2.) The apostle had 
 twice in this vei ic expressed substan- 
 tially the idea that he was honourably 
 testified of by his faith, and it is 
 hardly probable that he would again 
 repeat it so soon. (3.) There seems 
 to be an allusion here to the language 
 used respecting Abel (Gen. iv. 10), 
 "The voice of thy brother's blood 
 crieth unto me from the ground ;" — 
 or utters a distinct voice — and the 
 apostle seems to design to represent 
 Abel as still speaking. (4.) In Heb. 
 xii. 24, he represents both Abel and 
 Christ as still speaking — as if Abel 
 continued to utter a voice of admoni- 
 tion. The reference there is to the 
 fact that he continued to proclaim 
 from age to age, even to the time of 
 the apostle, the great truth that salva- 
 tion was only hij blood. He had pro- 
 claimed it at first by his faith when he 
 offered the sacrifice of the lamb ; he 
 continued to speak from generation 
 to generation, and to show that it 
 was one of the earliest principles of 
 religion that there could be redemp- 
 tion from sin in no other way. (5.) 
 The expression ' yet speaketh^ accords 
 better with the connexion. The other 
 interpretation is cold compared with 
 this, and less fits the case before us. 
 Of the faith of Noah, Abraham, and 
 Moses, it might be said with equal 
 propriety that it is still commended 
 or celebrated as well as that of Abel, 
 but the apostle evidently means to say 
 that there was a voice in that of Abel 
 which was peculiar; there was some- 
 thing in his life and character which 
 continued to speak from age to age. 
 His sacrifice, his faith, his death, his 
 blood, till continued to lift up the 
 voice, and to proclaim the excellence 
 and value of confidence in God, and 
 to admonish the world how to live. 
 (6.) This accords with usage in clas- 
 sic writers, where it is common to say 
 of the dead that they continue to 
 speak. Comp. Virg. -^n. vi. 618. 
 
 Et maena testatur voce per umbras : 
 Discite jiistitiani moniti, et noii temnere 
 Divos. 
 
 If this be the true meaning, then the 
 sense is, tliat there is an influence 
 
 from the piety of Abel which con- 
 tinues to admonish all coming ages 
 of the value of religion, and especially 
 of the great doctrine of the necessity 
 of an atonement by blood. His faith 
 and his sacrifice proclaimed from age 
 to age that this was one of the first 
 great truths made known to fallen 
 man ; and on this he continues to 
 address the world as if he were still 
 living. Thus all who are pious con- 
 tinue to exert an influence in favour 
 of religion long after the soul is re- 
 moved to heaven, and the body con- 
 signed to the grave. This is true in 
 the following respects. (1.) They 
 speak by their example. The exam- 
 ple of a pious father, mother, neigh- 
 bour, will be remembered. It v/ill 
 often have an effect after their death 
 in influencing those over whom it had 
 little control wiiile living. (2.) They 
 continue to speak by their precepts. 
 The precepts of a father may be re- 
 membered, with profit, when he is 
 in his grave, though they were heard 
 with indifference when he lived ; the 
 counsels of a minister may be recol- 
 lected with benefit though they were 
 heard with scorn. (3.) They con- 
 tinue to speak from the fact that the 
 good are remembered with increasing 
 respect and honour as long as they 
 are remembered at all. The charac- 
 ter of Abel, Noah, and Abraham, is 
 brighter now than it was when they 
 lived, and will continue to grow 
 brighter to the end of time. ' The 
 name of the wicked will rot,' and the 
 influence which they had when living 
 will grow feebler and feebler till it 
 wholly dies away. Howard will be 
 remembered, and will proclaim from 
 age to age the excellence of a life of 
 benevolence ; the character of Nero, 
 Caligula, and Richard III, has long 
 since ceased to exert any influence 
 whatever in favour of evil, but ra- 
 ther shows the world, by contrast, the 
 excellence of virtue ; — and the same 
 will yet be true of Paine, and Voltaire, 
 and Byron, and Gibbon, and Hume. 
 The time will come when they shall 
 cease lo exert any influence in favour 
 of infidelity and &in, and when the 
 
200 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 5 By faith Enoch " was trans- 
 
 a Ge. 5. 22. 24. 
 
 world shall be so satisfied of the error 
 of their sentiments, and tjjc abuse of 
 tlicir talents, and the corruption of 
 their hearts, that their names, by con- 
 trast, will be made to promote the 
 cause of piety and virtue. If a man 
 wishes to exert any permanent influ- 
 ence at\er he is dead, he should be a 
 good man. — The strength of the faith 
 of Abel here com mended, will be seen 
 by a reference to a few circumstan- 
 ces. (1.) It was manifested sliortly 
 after the apostasy, and not long after 
 the fearful sentence had been pro- 
 nounced in view of the sin of man. 
 The serpent had been cursed ; the 
 earth had been cursed ; woe had been 
 denounced on the mother of mankind ; 
 and the father of the apostate race, 
 and all his posterity doomed to toil 
 and death. I'lie thunder of this curse 
 had scarcely died away ; man had 
 been ejected from Paradise and sent 
 out to enter on his career of woes, 
 and the earth was trembling mider the 
 malediction, and yet Abel maintained 
 his confidence in God. (2.) There 
 was then little truth revealed, and 
 only the slightest intimation of mercy. 
 The promise in Gen. iii. 15, that the 
 seed of the woman should bruise the 
 head of the serpent, is so enigmatical 
 and obscure that it is not easy even 
 now to see its exact meaning, and it 
 cannot be supposed that Abel could 
 have had a full understanding of what 
 was denoted by it. Yet this appears 
 to have been all the truth respecting 
 the salvation of man then revealed, 
 and on this Abel maintained his faitli 
 steadfast in God. (3.) Abel liad an 
 elder brother, undoubtedly an infidel, 
 a scoffer, a mocker of religion, lie 
 was evidently endowed witii a talent 
 for sarcasm, (Gen. iv. 9), and tliero is 
 no reason to doubt, that, like other in- 
 fidels and scotiers, lie would be dis- 
 posed to use that talent wiien occa- 
 sion offered, to liold up religion to 
 contempt. The power with wliich he 
 used this, and the talent witli which 
 
 lated that he should not see 
 death ; and was not found, be- 
 
 hc did this, may be seen illustrated ^B 
 probably with melancholy fidelity in ^ 
 Lord Byron's " Cain." iVo man ever 
 lived wlio could more forcibly express 
 the feelings that passed through the 
 mind of Cain — for there is too much 
 reason to think that his extraordinary 
 talents were employed on this occa- 
 sion to give vent to the feelings of his 
 own heart in the sentiments put into 
 the mouth of Cain. Yet, notwith- 
 standing the infidelity of his elder 
 brother, Abel adhered to God and his 
 cause. Whatever influence that in- 
 fidel brother might have sought to 
 use over liim — and there can be no 
 reason to doubt that sucli an influence 
 would be attempted — yet he never 
 swerved, but maintained with stead- 
 fastness his belief in rchgion, and his 
 faith in God. 
 
 5. By faith Enoch was translated. 
 The account of Enoch is found in 
 Gen. V. 21 — 24. It is very brief, and 
 is this, that ' Enoch walked with God, 
 and was not, for God took him.' 
 There is no particular mention of his 
 faith, and the apostle attributes tiiis 
 to him, as in the case of Ai)el, either 
 because it was involved in the very 
 nature of piety, or because tlie fact 
 was communicated to him by direct 
 revelation. In tlie account in Genesis, 
 there is nothing inconsistent with the 
 belief that P^noch was characterized 
 by eminent faitli, but it is rather im- 
 plied in the expression, ' he walked 
 witii God.' Comp. 11. Cor. v. 7. It 
 may also be implied in what is said 
 by tlie apostle Jude (vs. 14, 15), that 
 ' he prophesied saying, Behold the 
 Lord Cometh with ten thousand of his 
 saints,' &c. From this it would ap- 
 pear that he was a preacher ; that he 
 predicted the coining of the Lord to 
 judgment, and tliut he lived in the 
 firm belief of what was to occur in 
 future times. Moses does not say 
 expressly that Enoch was translated. 
 He says " he was not, for God took 
 him." The expression ' lie was not ' 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 261 
 
 cause God had translated him : 
 for before his translation he 
 
 means he was no more among men ; 
 or he was removed from the earth. 
 This language would be applicable to 
 any method by which lie was re- 
 moved, whether by dying, or by being 
 translated. A similar expression re- 
 specting Romulus occurs in Livy 
 (i. 16), Nee deinde in terris Romulus 
 fuit. Tiie translation of the Septua- 
 gint on this part of the verse in Gene- 
 Bis is, ou;^ ivpiaKCTo — ' was not found ;' 
 that is, he disappeared. The author- 
 ity for what the apostle says here that 
 he ' was translated,' is found in the 
 other phrase in Genesis, ' God took 
 him.' The reasons which led to the 
 statement that he was translated with- 
 out seeing death, or that show that 
 this is a fair conclusion from the 
 words in Genesis, are such as these. 
 (1.) There is no mention made of his 
 death, and in this respect the account 
 of Enoch stands by itself. It is, ex- 
 cept in this case, the uniform cus- 
 tom of Moses to mention the age 
 and the death of the individuals whose 
 biography he records, and in many 
 cases this is about all that is said of 
 them. But in regard to Enoch there 
 is this remarkable exception that no 
 record is made of his death — showing 
 that there was something unusual in 
 the manner of his removal from the 
 world. (2.) The Hebrew word used 
 by Moses, found in such a connexion, 
 is one which would rather suggest 
 the idea that he had been taken in 
 some extraordinary manner from the 
 world. That word — np7 — means to 
 
 take — with the idea of taking to one's 
 self. Thus Gen. viii. 20, 'Noah took 
 of all beasts and offered a burnt-offer- 
 ing.' Thus it is often used in the 
 sense of taking a wife — that is, to one's 
 self (Gen. iv. 19; vi. 2 ; xii. 19 ; xix. 
 14) ; and then it is used in the sense 
 of taking aioay. Gen. xiv. 12; xxvii. 
 35 ; Job i. 21 ; xii. 20 ; Ps. xxxi. 14 ; 
 Jer. XV. 15. The word therefore, would 
 naturally suggest the idea that he had 
 been taken by God to himself, or had 
 
 had this testimony, that he 
 pleased God. 
 
 been removed in an extraordinary 
 manner from the earth. This is con- 
 firmed by the fact that the word is 
 not used anywhere in the Scriptures 
 to denote a removal hy death, and that 
 in the only other instance in which it 
 
 (np7) is used in relation to a removal 
 
 from this v/orld, it occurs in the state- 
 ment respecting the translation of 
 Elijah. "And the sons of the prophets 
 that were at Bethel, came forth to 
 Elisha, and said to him, Knowest thou 
 that the Lord will take away (HDv) 
 thy master from thy head to-day?" 
 II. Kings ii. 3. 5 ; comp. ver. 1 1 . This 
 transaction, where there could be no 
 doubt about the manner of the re- 
 moval, shows in what sense the word 
 is used in Genesis. (3.) It was so un- 
 derstood by the translators of the 
 Septuagint. The apostle has used the 
 same word in this place which is em- 
 ployed by the Seventy in Gen. v, 24 — 
 jicTaTi^tjui, This word means to trans- 
 pose, to put in another place ; and 
 then to transport, transfer, translate. 
 Acts vii. 16; Heb. vii. 12. It pro- 
 perly expresses the removal to another 
 place, and is the very word which 
 would be used on the supposition that 
 one was taken to heaven without dy- 
 ing. (4.) This interpretation of the 
 passage in Genesis by Paul is in ac- 
 cordance with the uniform interpreta- 
 tion of the Jews. In the Targum of 
 Onkelos it is evidently supposed that 
 Enoch was translated without dying. 
 In that Targum the passage in Gen. 
 V. 24 is rendered, ' And Enoch walked 
 in the fear of the Lord, and was not, 
 for the Lord did not put him to death' — 
 " n'n' n'ON — ^^S. So also in Ec- 
 
 clesiasticus or the Son of Sirach (xlix. 
 ] 4), " But upon the earth was no man 
 created like Enoch ; for he was taken 
 from the earth." These opinions of 
 the Jews and of the early translators, 
 are of value only as showing that the 
 interpretation which Paul has put 
 
262 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64» 
 
 upon Gen. v. 2t ia the natural inter- I 
 pretalion. It is such as occurs to se- 
 parate writers, witliout collusion, and ; 
 this shows that this is the meaning' ' 
 most naturally suggested by the pas- 
 sage. ^ That he .should not see death. 
 That is, th.it he should not experience 
 death, or be made personally ac- 
 quainted witlj it. Tlie word tuste 
 ollen occurs in the s.imc sense. Ileb. 
 ii. 9. " That he should taste death for 
 every man." Comp. Matt. xvi. 28; 
 Mark ix. 1; Luke ix. 27. ^ And was 
 not found. Gen. v. 2-t. " And he was 
 not." TJiat is, he was not in the land 
 of tiic living. Paul retains t le word 
 used in the Hcptuagint. ^ He had this 
 teslivionij, that he pleased God. Im- 
 plied in tlie declaration in Gen. v. 22, 
 that he "walked with God." This 
 denotes a stale of friendship between 
 God and him, and of course implies 
 that his conduct was pleasing to God. 
 The apostle appeals here to the sense 
 of the account in Genesis, but does 
 not retain the very words. The mean- 
 ing here is not that the testimony re- 
 specting Enoch was actuall}' given 
 before his translation, but that the 
 testimony relates to his having ^/easerf 
 God before he was removed. Stuart. 
 In regard to tiiis instructive fragment 
 of history, and to the reasons why 
 Enoch was thus removed, we may 
 make the following remarks. (1.) The 
 age in which he lived was undoubt- 
 edly one of great wickedness. Enoch 
 is selected as the only one of that ge- 
 neration signalized by eminent piety, 
 and he appears to have spent his life 
 in publicly reproving a sinful genera- 
 tion, and in warning them of the ap- 
 proaching judgment. Judc 11, 1.5. 
 The wickedness whicii ultimately led 
 to the universal deluge seems already 
 to have commenced in the earth, and 
 Enoch, like Noah, his great-grand- 
 son, was raised up as a -preacher of 
 righteousness to reprove a sinful gen- 
 eration. (2.) It is not improbable that 
 the great truths of religion in that 
 age were extensively denied, and pro- 
 bably among other things the future 
 Btatc, the resurrection, the belief that 
 man would exist in another world, 
 
 and that it was maintained that deatli 
 was the end of being — was an eternal 
 sleep. If so, nothing could be better 
 adapted to correct the prevailing evils 
 than the removal of an eminent man, 
 without dying-, from the_world. His 
 departure would thus confirm the in- 
 structions of his life, and his removal, 
 like the death of saints often now, 
 would serve to make an impression 
 which his living instructions would 
 not. (3.) His removal is, in itself, 
 a very important and instructive fact 
 in history. It has occurred in no 
 other instance except that of Elijah ; 
 nor has any other living man been 
 translated to heaven except the Lord 
 Jesus. That fact was instructive in 
 a great many respects, (a) It showed 
 that there was a future state — another 
 world. (/>) It showed that the bodf 
 might exist in that future states 
 though doubtless so changed as to 
 adapt it to the condition of things 
 there, (c) It prepared the world to 
 credit the account of the ascension of 
 the Redeemer. If Enocli and Elijah 
 were removed thus without dying, 
 there was no intrinsic improbability 
 that the Lord Jesus would be removed 
 after having died and risen again. 
 
 (d) It furnishes a demonstration of 
 the doctrine that the saints will exist 
 iiereafter, which meets all the argu- 
 gumentsof the sceptic and the infidel. 
 One single //Iff overturns all the mere 
 speculations of philosopii}', and ren- 
 ders nugatory all the objections of the 
 sceptic. The infidel argues against 
 the truth of the resurrection and of 
 the future stale from the difficulties 
 attending the doctrine. A single case 
 of one who has been raised up from 
 the dead, or who has been removed 
 to heaven, annihilates all such argu- 
 ments — for how can supposed difficul- 
 ties destroy a well authenticated fact ? 
 
 (e) It is an encouragement to piety. 
 It shows that God regards his friends; 
 that their fidelity and holy living 
 please hiiii ; and that in the midst of 
 eminent tpiekedness and a scnj]in<r 
 world it is possible so to live as to 
 please God. The conduct of this holy 
 man, therefore, is an encouragement 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 263 
 
 6 But without faith it is im- 
 possible to please " him: for he 
 
 to us to do our duty though we stand 
 alone; and to defend the truth tliough 
 nil who live with us upon the earth 
 deny and deride it. (4.) The removal 
 of Enoch shows that the same thing 
 would be possible in the case of every 
 eaint. God could do it in other cases, 
 as well as in his, with equal ease. 
 That his friends, therefore, are suf- 
 fered to remain on the earth ; that 
 they linger on in enfeebled health, or 
 are crushed by calamity, or are 
 stricken down by the pestilence as 
 others are, is not because God could 
 not remove them as Enoch was with- 
 out dying, but because there is some 
 important reason why they should re- 
 main and linger, and suffer, and die. 
 Among- those reasons may be such as 
 the following, (o) The regular ope- 
 ration of the laws of nature as now 
 constituted, require it. Vegetables 
 die ; the inhabitants of the deep die ; 
 the fowls that fly in the air, and the 
 beasts that roam over hills and plains 
 die ; and man, by his sins, is brought 
 under the operation of this great uni- 
 versal law. It would be possible in- 
 deed for God to save his people from 
 this law, but it would require the in- 
 terposition of continued miracles, and 
 it is better to have the laws of nature 
 regularly operating, than to have them 
 constantly set aside by divine inter- 
 position. (6) The power of religion 
 is now better illustrated in the way 
 in which the saints are actually re- 
 moved from the earth, than it would 
 be if they were all translated. Its 
 power is now seen in its enabling us 
 to overcome the dread of death, and 
 in its supporting us in the pains and 
 sorrows of the departing hour. It is 
 a good thing to discipline the soul so 
 that it will not fear to die ; it shows 
 how superior religion is to all the 
 forms of philosophy, that it enables 
 the believer to look calmly forward 
 to his own certain approaching death. 
 It is" an important matter to keep this 
 up from age to age, and to show to 
 eacli generation that religion can 
 
 that Cometh to God must be- 
 
 o Ps. 106. 21, ZJ. 
 
 overcome the natural apprehension 
 of the most fearful calamity which 
 befalls a creature — death; and can 
 make man calm in the prospect of 
 lying beneath the clods of the valley, 
 cold, dark, alone, to moulder back to 
 his native dust, (c) The death of the 
 Christian does good. It preaches to 
 the living. The calm resignation ; 
 the peace ; the triumph of the dying 
 believer, is a constant admonition to 
 a thoughtless and wicked world. The 
 deathbed of the Christian proclaims 
 the mercy of God from generation to 
 generation, and there is not a dying 
 saint who may not, and who probably 
 does not do great good in the closing 
 hours of his earthly being, (d) It 
 may be added that the present ar- 
 rangement falls in with the general 
 laws of religion that we are to be in- 
 fluenced hy faith, not by sisrht. If all 
 Christians were removed like Enoch, 
 it would be an argument for the truth 
 of religion addressed constantly to the 
 senses. But this is not the way in 
 which the evidence of the truth of re- 
 ligion is proposed to man. It is sub- 
 mitted to his understanding, his con- 
 science, his heart ; and in this there 
 is of design a broad distinction be- 
 tween religion and other things. Men 
 act in other matters under the influ- 
 ence of the senses ; it is designed that 
 in religion they shall act under the 
 influence of higher and nobler consi- 
 derations, and that they shall be in- 
 fluenced not solely by a reference to 
 what is passing before their eyes but 
 to the things which are not seer 
 
 6. Bui loithout faith it is impossihlt 
 to please him. Without confidence in 
 God — in his fidelity, his truth, hia 
 wisdom, his promises. And this is 
 as true in other things as in religion. 
 It is impossible for a child to please 
 his father unless he has confidence in 
 him. It is impossible for a wife to 
 please her husband, or a husband a 
 wife, unless they have confidence in 
 each other. If there is distrust and 
 jealousy on either part, there is dis- 
 
264 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 lieve that he is, and that he is 
 a rewardcr of them that dili- 
 gently seek him. 
 
 7 By faith Noah, " being 
 
 cord and misery. We cannot be 
 pleased witli a professed friend unless 
 he has such confidence in us as to 
 believe our declarations and promises. 
 The same thing is true of God. He 
 cannot be pleased with the man who 
 lias no confidence in him ; w'>o doubts 
 the truth of liis declarations and pro- 
 mises ; who docs not believe that his 
 ways arc right, or that he is qualified 
 for universal empire. Tlie require- 
 ment of faitii or confidence in God is 
 not arbitrary ; it is just what we re- 
 quire of our children, and partners in 
 life, and friends, as the indispensable 
 condition of our being pleased witii 
 them. T For he that coineth to God. 
 In any way — as a worshipper. Tiiis 
 is alike required in public worship, 
 in the family, and in secret devotion. 
 IT Must believe that he is. That God 
 exists. This is the first thing required 
 in worship. Evidently we cannot 
 come to him in an acceptable manner 
 if we doubt his existence. We do not 
 see him, but we must believe that he 
 is; we cannot form in our mind a 
 correct image of God, but this should 
 not prevent a conviction that tliere is 
 such a Being. But the declaration 
 here implies more than that there 
 should be a general persuasion of the 
 truth that there is a God. It is ne- 
 cessary that we have this belief in 
 lively exercise in the act of drawing 
 near to him, and that we should real- 
 ize that we are actually in the pre- 
 sence of the all-seeing Jehovah. If And 
 that he is a rewarder of them that dili- 
 gently seek him. This is equally ne- 
 cessary as the belief that he exists. 
 If we could not believe that God would 
 hear and answer our praj'ors, there 
 could be no encouragement to call 
 upon him. It is not meant here that 
 tiie desire of the reward is to be the 
 motive for seeking God — for the apos- 
 tle makes no affirmation on that 
 (toint ; but that it is impossible to 
 
 warned of God of things not 
 seen as yet, ' moved with fear, 
 prepared an ark to the saving 
 
 a Ge. 6. 14-22. l or, being wary. 
 
 make an acceptable approach to him 
 unless we have this belief. 
 
 7. By faith Noah. It is less difTi- 
 cult to see that Noah must have been 
 influenced by faith than that Abel 
 and Enoch were. Everything which 
 Noah did in reference to the threat- 
 ened deluge, was done in virtue of 
 simple faith or belief of what God 
 said. It was not because he could 
 show from the course of events that 
 things were tending to such a catas- 
 trophe ; or because such an event had 
 occurred before, rendering it proba- 
 ble that it would be Hkely to occur 
 again ; or because this was the com- 
 mon belief of men, and it was easy 
 to fall into this himself. It was sim- 
 ply because God had informed him 
 of it, and he put unwavering reliance 
 on the truth of the divine declaration. 
 ^ Being warned of God. Gen. vi. 13. 
 The Greek word here used means 
 divinely admonished. Comp. ch. viii. 
 5. ^ Of things not seen as yet. Of 
 the flood which was yet future. The 
 meaning is, that there were no visi- 
 ble signs of it ; tliere was nothing 
 which could be a basis of calculation 
 that it would occur. This admoni- 
 tion was given an hundred and twenty 
 years before the deluge, and of course 
 long before there could have been any 
 natural indications that it would oc- 
 cur. IT Moved with fear. Marg. Be- 
 ing wary. The Greek word — cvXafin- 
 Sui — occurs only here and in Acts 
 xxiii. 10. "The chief captain /eor- 
 ing lest Paul," vSlc. The noun occurs 
 in Hcb. V. 7. " And was heard in that 
 he feared," (see Note on that place), 
 and in Heb. xii. 28. " With rever- 
 ence and godly fear." The verb pro- 
 perly means, to act with caution, to be 
 circumspect, and then to fear, to be 
 afraid. So far as the word is con- 
 cerned, it might mean here that Noah 
 was influenced by the dread of what 
 was coining, or it may mean that he 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 265 
 
 of his house ; by thf5 which he 
 condemned the world, and be- 
 
 was influenced by proper caution and 
 reverence for God. The latter mean- 
 ing agrees better with the scope of 
 Ihe remarks of Paul; and is probably 
 the true sense. His reverence and 
 respect for God induced Jiim to act 
 under the belief that what he had 
 said was true, and that the calamity 
 which he Jiad predicted would cer- 
 tainly come upon the world. IT Pre- 
 pared an ark to the saving of his house. 
 In order that his family might be 
 saved. Gen. vi. 14 — 22. The salva- 
 tion here referred to was preservation 
 from the flood. If By the which. By 
 which faith. IT He. condemned the 
 viorld. That is, the wicked world 
 around him. The meaning is, that 
 by his confidence in God, and his pre- 
 paration for the flood, he showed the 
 wisdom of his own coarse and the 
 folly of theirs. We have the same 
 phrase now in common use where 
 one who sets a good example is said 
 to ' condemn others.' He shows the 
 guilt and folly of their lives by the 
 contrast between his conduct and 
 theirs. The wickedness of the sin- 
 ner is condemned not only by preach- 
 ing, and by the admonitions and 
 threatenings of the law of God, but 
 by the conduct of every good man. 
 The language of such a life is as 
 plain a rebuke of the sinner as the 
 most fearful denunciations of divine 
 wrath. If And became heir of the 
 righteousness which is by faith. The 
 phrase ' heir of righteousness' here 
 means properly that he acquired, gain- 
 ed, or became possessed of that right- 
 eousness. It does not refer so much 
 to the mode by which it was done as 
 if it were by inheritance, as to the 
 fact that he obtained it. The word 
 heir is used in this general sense in 
 Rom. iv. 13, 14 ; Titus iii. 7 ; Heb. i. 
 2; vi. 17. Noah was not the heir to 
 that righteousness by inheriting it 
 from his ancestors, but in virtue of it 
 he was regarded as among the heirs 
 or sons of God, and as being a pos- 
 sessor of that righteousness which is 
 
 OQ 
 
 came heir of the righteousness 
 which is by faith. 
 
 connected with faith. The phrase 
 ' righteousness which is by faith' re- 
 fers to the fact that he was regarded 
 and treated as a righteous man. Notes 
 on Rom. i. 17. It is observable here 
 that it is not said that Noah had spe- 
 cific faith in Christ, or that his being 
 made heir of the righteousness of 
 faith depended on that, but it was in 
 connexion with his believing what 
 God said respecting the deluge. It 
 was faith or confidence in God which 
 was the ground of his justification, 
 in accordance with the general doc- 
 trine of the Scriptures that it is only 
 by faith that man can be saved, though 
 the specific mode of faith was not 
 that which is required now under the 
 gospel. In the early ages of the world, 
 when few truths were revealed, a cor- 
 dial belief of any of those truths 
 showed that there was real confidence 
 in God, or that the principle of faith 
 was in tlie heart ; in the fuller reve- 
 lation which we enjoy, we are not 
 only to believe those truths, but spe- 
 cifically to believe in him who has 
 made the great atonement for sin, and 
 by whose merits all have been saved 
 who have entered heaven. The same 
 faith or confidence in God which led 
 Noah to believe what God said about 
 the deluge would have led him to be- 
 lieve what he has said about the Re- 
 deemer ; and the same confidence in 
 God which led him to commit him- 
 self to his safe keeping in an ark on 
 the world of waters, would have led 
 him to commit his soul to the safe 
 keeping of the Redeemer, the true 
 ark of safety. As the principle of 
 faith, therefore, existed in the heart 
 of Noah, it was proper that he should 
 become, with others, an ' heir of the 
 righteousness by faith.' In regard to 
 the circumstances which show the 
 strength of his faith, we may make 
 the following remarks. (1.) It per- 
 tained to a very distant future event. 
 It looked forward to that which was 
 to happen afl;er a lapse of an hundred 
 and twenty year6. This was known 
 
26C 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 to Noah (Gen. vi. 3), and at this long 
 period bctorc it occurred, he was to 
 begin to build an ark to save himself 
 and family ; to act as thougii this 
 would be undoubtedly true. This is 
 a much longer period than man now 
 is required to exercise faith before 
 that is realized vvhicii is tlie object of 
 belief. Rare is it that three-score 
 years intervene between the time when 
 a man first believes in God and when 
 he enters into heaven ; much more 
 frequently it is but a few months or 
 days ; not an instance now occurs in 
 whicii tlic period is lengthened out to 
 an hundred and twenty years. (2.) 
 There was no outward evidence that 
 what Noah believed would occur. 
 There were no appearances in nature 
 which indicated that tl)ere would be 
 such a flood of waters at\cr more than 
 a century had passed away. There 
 were no breakings up of the fountains 
 of the deep ; no marks of the far-dis- 
 tant storm gathering on the sky which 
 could be the basis of the calculation. 
 The word of God was the only ground 
 of evidence ; the only thing to wliich 
 he could refer gainsaycrs and rcvilers. 
 It is so now. There are no visible 
 signs of the coming of tlie Saviour to 
 judge the world. Yet tiie true be- 
 liever feels and acts as if it were so 
 — resting on the sure word of God. 
 (3.) Tlie course of things was mucii 
 against the truth of what Noah be- 
 lieved. No such event had ever oc- 
 curred. There is no evidence tJiat 
 there had ever been a storm of rain 
 half sufficient to drown the world ; or 
 that there had ever been the breaking 
 up of the deep, or that there had been 
 ever a partial deluge. For sixteen 
 hundred years the course of nature 
 bad been uniform, and all the force 
 of this uniformity would be felt and 
 urged when it should bo alleged tiiat 
 this was to be disturbed, and to give 
 place to an entire new order of events. 
 Comp. II. Pet. iii. 4. The same thing 
 is now felt in regard to the objects of 
 the Cliristian faith. Tlie course of 
 events is uniform. The laws of na- 
 ture are regular and steady. The 
 dead do not leave their graves. Sea- 
 
 sons succeed cac.li other in regular 
 succession ; men are born, live, and 
 die as in former times; fire does 
 not wrap tlie eartii in flames; the 
 elements do not melt with fervent 
 heat; seed-time and harvest, cold 
 and heat, summer and winter follow 
 each other, and 'all things continue 
 as they were from the beginning of 
 the creation.' How many probabili- 
 ties arc there now, therefore, as there 
 were in the time of Noah, against that 
 which is the object of faith ! (4.; It is 
 not improbable that when Noah pro- 
 claimed the appfoaehing destruciion 
 of the world by a deluge, the possi. 
 bilily of such an event was strongly 
 denied by the pliilosophcrs of tfiat 
 age. Tlie fact that such an event 
 could have occurred has been denied 
 by infidel pliilo.soj)hers in our own 
 times, and atteinjits have been gravely 
 made to show that the earth did not 
 contain water enough to cover its sur- 
 face to the height mentioned in the 
 Scriptures, and that no condensation 
 of the vapour in the atmosphere could 
 produce sucli an eti'ect. It is not im- 
 probable that some such arguments 
 may have been used in the time of 
 Noah, and it is morally certain that 
 he could not meet those arguments by 
 any philosophy of his own. There is no 
 reason to think tiiat he was endowed 
 willi such a knowledge of chemistry 
 as to be able to show that such a 
 thing was possible, or tliat he had 
 such an acquaintance with the struc- 
 ture of the earth as to demonstrate 
 that it contained within itself the ele. 
 mejits of its own destruction. All 
 that he could oppose to sucii specula- 
 tions was the simple declaration of 
 God ; and the same thing is also true 
 now in regard to tlie cavils and phi. 
 lo^sopilical arguments of infidelity. 
 Objections drawn from philosophy arc 
 often made against the doctrine of" the 
 resurrection of the body ; the destruc- 
 tion of the earth by tlie agency of fire; 
 and even the existence of the soul 
 after death. These difficulties may 
 be obviated partly by science ; but the 
 proof that these events will occur, 
 docs not depend on science. It is » 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 267 
 
 matter of simple faith ; and all that 
 we can in fact oppose fo these objec- 
 tions is the declaration of God. The 
 result showed that Noah was not a 
 fool or a fanatic in trusting to the 
 word of God against the philosophy 
 of his age ; and the result will show 
 the same of the CJiristian in his con- 
 fiding in the truth of tlic divine de- 
 clarations against tlie philosophy of 
 his age. (5.) It is beyond all ques- 
 tion that Noah would be subjected to 
 much ridicule and scorn. He would 
 be regarded as a dreamer ; a fanatic ; 
 an alarmist ; a wild projector. The 
 purpose of making preparation for 
 such an event as the flood, to occur 
 after the lapse of an hundred and 
 twenty years, and when there were 
 no indications of it, and all appear- 
 ances were against it, would be regard- 
 ed as in the highest degree wild and 
 visionary. The design of building a 
 vessel wliich would outride the storm, 
 and which would live in such an open 
 sea, and which would contain all sorts 
 of animals with the food for them for 
 an indefinite period, could not but have 
 been regarded as eminently ridicu- 
 lous. When the ark was preparing, 
 nothing could have been a more hap- 
 py subject for scoffing and jibes. In 
 such an age, therefore, and in such 
 circumstances, we may suppose that 
 all the means possible would have 
 been resorted to, to pour conte'mpt on 
 such an undertaking. They who had 
 wit, would find here an ample subject 
 for its exercise; if ballads were made 
 then, no more fertile theme for a pro- 
 fane song could be desired tiian this; 
 and in the haunts of revelry, intem- 
 perance, and pollution, nothing would 
 furnish a finer topic to give point to 
 a jest, than the credulity and folly of 
 the old man who was building the 
 ark. It would require strong faith 
 to contend thus with the wit, the sar- 
 casm, the contempt, the raillery, and 
 the low jesting, as well as with tlie 
 wisdom and philosophy of a whole 
 world. Yet it is a fair illustration of 
 what occurs often now, and of the 
 strength of that faith in the Christian 
 heart which meets meekly and calmiy 
 
 the scoffs and jeers of a .wicked gene- 
 ration. (6.) All this would be height, 
 ened by delay. The time was distant. 
 What now completes four generations 
 would have passed away before the 
 event predicted would occur. Youth 
 grew up to manhood, and manhood 
 passed on to old age, and still thero 
 were no signs of the coming storm. 
 That was no feeble faith which could 
 hold on in this manner for an hun- 
 dred and twenty years, believing un- 
 waveringly that all which God had 
 said would be accomplished. But it 
 is an illustration of faith in the Chris- 
 tian church now. The church main- 
 tains the same confidence in God from 
 age to age — and regardless of all the 
 reproaches of scoffers, and all the ar- 
 guments of philosophy, still adheres to 
 the truths which God has revealed. 
 So witk individual Christians. They 
 look for the promise. They are ex- 
 pecting heaven. They doubt not that 
 the time will come when they will be 
 received to glory ; when their bodies 
 will be raised up glorified and im- 
 mortal, and when sin and sorrow 
 will be no more. In the conflicts 
 and trials of life the time of their de- 
 liverance may seem to be long de- 
 layed. The ■ world may reproach 
 them, and Satan may tempt them to 
 doubt whether all their hope of hea. 
 ven is not delusion. But their faith 
 fails not, and though hope seems de- 
 layed, and the heart is sick, yet they 
 keep the eye on heaven. So it is in 
 regard to the final triumphs of the 
 gospel. The Christian looks forward 
 to the time when the earth shall be 
 full of the knowledge of God as the 
 waters cover the sea. Yet that time 
 may seem to be long delayed. Wick- 
 edness triumphs. A large part of the 
 earth is still filled with the habita- 
 tions of cruelty. The pi ogress of the 
 gospel is slow. The church comes 
 up reluctantly to the work. The ene- 
 mies of the cause exult and rejoice, 
 and ask with scoffing triumpli where 
 is the evidence that the nations will 
 be converted to God ? They suggest 
 difficulties ; they refer to the num- 
 bers, and to the opposition of the eae* 
 
S68 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 8 By faith Abraham ° when 
 he was called to go out into a 
 place which he should after re- 
 
 a Ge. 12. 1, 4, See. 
 
 mies of the true religion ; lo the 
 might of kingdoms, and to the power 
 of fixed opinion, and to the liold 
 which idolatry has on mankind, and 
 they snccringly inquire at what pe- 
 riod will the world be converted lo 
 Christ ? Yet in the face of all dilli- 
 cultics, and arguments, and sneers, 
 faith confides in the promise of the 
 Father to the Son, that the ' heathen 
 shall be given lo him for an inherit- 
 ance, and the uttermost parts of the 
 earth for a possession.' Ps. ii. 8. The 
 faith of the true Christian is as strong 
 in the fulfilment of this promise, as 
 that of Noah was in the asSurance 
 that the guilty world would be de- 
 stroyed by a flood of waters. 
 
 8. By faith Abraham. There is no 
 difficulty in determining that Abra- 
 ham was influenced by faith in God. 
 The case is even stronger than that 
 of Noah, for it is expressly declared, 
 Gen. XV. 6, " And he believed in the 
 Lord ; and he counted it to him for 
 righteousness." Comp. Notes Rom. 
 iv. 1 — 5. In the illustrations of the 
 power of faith in this chapter, the 
 apostle appeals to two instances in 
 which it was exhibited by Abraham, 
 ' the father of the faithful.' Each of 
 these required confidence in God of 
 extraordinary strength, and eacli of 
 them demanded a special and honour- 
 able mention. The first was tiiat 
 when he left his own country to go 
 to a distant land of strangers (vs. 8 — 
 10) ; the other when he showed his 
 readiness to sacrifice his own son in 
 obedience to the will of God. Vs. 17 
 — 19. IT When he was called. Gen. 
 xii. 1. "Now the Lord had said unto 
 Abram, Get thee out of thy country, 
 and from thy kindred, and from tliy 
 father's house, unto a land that I will 
 show thee." IT Into a place which he 
 should after receive for an inheritance, 
 obeyed. To Palestine, or the land of 
 (Canaan, though tliatwas not indicated 
 
 ceive for an inheritance, obey- 
 ed ; and he went out, not know- 
 ing whither he went, 
 
 9 By faith he sojourned in 
 
 at the time. ^ And he went out not 
 knowing whither he went. Gen xii. 4. 
 Abraham at that time took with him 
 Sarai, and Lot the son of his brother, 
 and " the souls that they had gotten 
 in Ilaran." Tcrah, the father of 
 Abraham, started on the journey with 
 them, but died in Ilaran. Gen. xi. 31, 
 3'2. The original call was made to 
 Abraham, (Gen. xii. 1 ; Acts vii.2, 3), 
 but he appears to have induced his 
 father and his nephew to accompany 
 him. At this time he had no children 
 (Gen. xi. 30), though it seems proba- 
 ble that Lot had. Gen. xii. 5. Some, 
 however, understand the expression 
 in Gen. xii. 5, " and the souls they 
 had gotten in Haran," as referring to 
 the servants or domestics that they 
 had in various ways procured, and to 
 the fact that Abraham and Lot gra- 
 dually drew around tliem a train of 
 dependants and followers who were 
 disposed to imite with them, and ac. 
 company them wherever they went. 
 The Chaldee Paraphrast understands 
 it of the proselytes wliich Abraliam 
 liad made there — "All the souls which 
 he had subdued unto the law." When 
 it is said that Abraliam ' went out 
 not knowing wl:itlicr he went,' it 
 must be understood as meaning tliat 
 he was ignorant to what country he 
 would in fact be led. If it be sup- 
 posed that he had some general inti- 
 mation of the nature of tliat country, 
 and of the direction in which it was 
 situated, yet it must be remembered 
 that the knowledge of geography was 
 then exceedingly imperfect; that this 
 was a distant country ; that it lay 
 beyond a pathless desert, and that 
 probably no traveller had ever come 
 from that land to apprize hiin what 
 it was. All this serves to show what 
 was the strength of the faith of Abra- 
 ham. 
 
 9. By faith he sojourned in the land 
 oj promise, as in a strange country 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 269 
 
 Ihe land of promise, as in a 
 strange country, " dwelling in 
 tabernacles with Isaac and Ja- 
 cob, the heirs with him of the 
 same promise. 
 
 The land of Canaan that had been 
 promised to him and his posterity. 
 He resided there as if he were a stran- 
 ger and sojourner. He had no pos- 
 sessions there which he did not pro- 
 cure by honest purcliase ; he owned 
 no land in fee-simple except the small 
 piece which he bought tor a burial 
 place. See Gen. xxiii. 7 — 20. In all 
 respects he lived there as if he had 
 no peculiar right in the soil ; as if he 
 never expected to own it; as if he 
 were in a country wholly owned by 
 others. He exercised no privileges 
 which might not have been exercised 
 by any foreigner, and which was not 
 regarded as a right of common — that 
 of feeding his cattle in any unoccu- 
 pied part of tlie land ; and he would 
 have had no power of ejecting any 
 other persons excepting that which 
 any one might liavc enjoyed by the 
 pre-occupancy of tlic pasture-grounds. 
 To all intents and purposes he was a 
 stranger. Yet he seems to have lived 
 in tlie confident and quiet expectation 
 that that land would at some period 
 come into the possession of his pos- 
 terity. It was a strong instance of 
 faith that he should cherish this be- 
 lief for so long a time, when he was 
 a stranger there ; when he gained no 
 right in the soil except in the small 
 piece tliat was purchased as a burial- 
 place tor his wife, and when he saw 
 old age coming on and still the wliole 
 land in the possession of others. If 
 Dwelling in tabfrnacles. In tents — 
 the common mode of living in coun- 
 tries where the principal occupation 
 is that of keeping flocks and herds. 
 His dwelling thus in moveable tents 
 looked little like its being his perma- 
 nent possession. ^ With Isaac and 
 Jacob, the heirs with him of the same 
 promise. Tliat is, the same tiling oc- 
 curred in regard to them, which had 
 to Abraham. They also lived in tents. 
 23* 
 
 10 For he looked for a city * 
 which hath foundations, whose 
 builder" and maker is God. 
 
 a Ge. 13. 3. 18; ]8. 1.9. 
 
 b c. 12. 22 ; 13. 14. c Re. 21. 2, 10. 
 
 They acquired no fixed property, and 
 no title to the land except to the small 
 portion purchased as a burial-place. 
 Yet they were heirs of the same 
 promise as Abraham, that the land 
 would be theirs. Thougli it was still 
 owned by others, and filled with its 
 native inhabitants, yet they adhered 
 to the belief that it would come into 
 the possession of their families. In 
 tlieir moveable habitations ; in their 
 migrations from place to place, they 
 seem never to have doubted that the 
 fixed liabitation of their posterity was 
 to be there, and that all that had been 
 promised would be certainly fulfilled. 
 10. For he looked for a city, which 
 hath foundations. It has been doubted 
 to what the apostle here refers. Gro- 
 tins and some others suppose, that he 
 refers to Jerusalem, as a permanent 
 dwelling for his posterity, in contra- 
 distinction from the unsettled mode 
 of life wiiich Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Jacob led. But there is no evidence 
 that Abraham looked forward to the 
 building of such a city, for no promise 
 was made to him of this kind; and 
 this interpretation falls evidently be- 
 low the whole drift of the passage. 
 Com p. vs. 14 — 16; ch. xii. 22 ; xiii. 
 14. Phrases like that of' the city of 
 God,' ' a city with foundations,' 'the 
 new Jerusalem,' and ' the heavenly 
 Jerusalem' in the time of the apostle, 
 appear to have acquired a kind of tech- 
 nical signification. They referred to 
 heaven — of which Jerusalem, the seat 
 of the worship of God, seems to have 
 been regarded as the emblem. Thus 
 in ch. xii. 22, the apostle speaks of the 
 ' heavenly Jerusalem,' and in ch. xiii. 
 1 4, he says, ' here have we no con- 
 tinuing city, but w^e seek one to come.' 
 In Rev. xxi. 2, John says that he 
 ' saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, 
 coming down from God, out of hea- 
 ven,' and proceeds in that chapter and 
 
270 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 the following to give a most, beautiful 
 description of it. Even so early as 
 tlie time of Abraham, it would seem 
 tiiat the future blessedness of the 
 riglitcous was Ibretold under the im- 
 age of a splendid city reared on per- 
 manent foundations. It is remarkable 
 that Moses docs not mention this as 
 an object of the faith of Abraham, 
 and it is impossible to ascertain the 
 degree of distinctness whicli this had 
 in liis view. It is probable that the 
 apostle in speaking of his faith in 
 this particular did not rely on any 
 distinct record, or even any tradition, 
 but spoke of his piety in the lan- 
 guage which he would use to charac- 
 terize religion of any age, or in any 
 individual. He was accustomed, in 
 common witii others of iiis time, to 
 contemplate the future blessedness of 
 the righteous under the image of a 
 beautiful city ; a place where the 
 worship of God would be celebrated 
 for ever — a city of which Jerusalem 
 was the most striking representation 
 to the mind of a Jew. It was natural 
 for him to speak of strong piety in 
 this manner wherever it existed, and 
 especially in suoli a case as tliat of 
 Abraham, who left his own habita- 
 tion to wander in a distant land. 
 This fact showed that he regarded 
 himself as a stranger and sojourner, 
 and yet he had a strong expectation 
 of a fixed habitation, and a permanent 
 inheritance. He must, therefore, have 
 looked on to the permanent abodes of 
 the riglitcous ; the heavenly city ; — 
 and tiiough he had an undoubted con- 
 fidence that the promised land would 
 be given to his posterity, yet as lie 
 did not possess it himselfj he must 
 have looked for iiis own permanent 
 abode to the fixed residence of the 
 just in heaven. This passage seems 
 to me to prove that Abraiiam had an 
 expectation of future liap])incss af\er 
 death. There is not the slightest evi- 
 dence that he supposed there would 
 be a magnificent and glorious c ipitiil 
 where the Mcssiali would personally 
 reign, and wiicre the righteous dead, 
 raised lirom tlieir graves, would dwell 
 in the sccoa i advent of the Redeemer. 
 
 All that the passage fairly implies is, 
 tliat wliile Abraham expected the 
 possession of the promised land for his 
 posterity, yet his faith looked beyond 
 tills for a permanent home in a future 
 world. If Whose builder and maker is 
 God. Which would not be reared by the 
 agency of man, but of which God was 
 the immediate and direct architect. 
 This shows conclusively, I think, that 
 the reference in this allusion to the 
 " city" is not to Jerusalem, as Grotius 
 supposes; but the language is just 
 sucli as will appropriately describe 
 heaven, represented as a city reared 
 without human hands or art, and 
 founded and fashioned by the skill 
 and power of the Deity. Comp. Notes 
 on II. Cor. V. I. The language here 
 applied to God as the ' architect' or 
 framcr of the universe, is often used 
 in the classic writers. See Kuinoel 
 and Wetstcin. The apostle here com- 
 mends the faith of Abraham as emi- 
 nently strong. The following hints 
 will furnish topics of reflection to 
 those wlio are disposed to inquire more 
 fully into its strength. (1.) The jour- 
 ney which he undertook was then a 
 long and dangerous one. The dis- 
 tance from Haran to Palestine by a 
 direct route was not less than four 
 hundred miles, and tliis journey lay 
 across a vast desert — a part of Ara- 
 bia Descrta. Tliat journey has al- 
 ways been tedious and perilous ; but 
 to see its real ditliculty, we must put 
 ourselves into tlic position in which 
 the world was four thousand years 
 ago. There was no knowledge of 
 the way ; no frequented patli ; no fa- 
 cility for travelling ; no turnpike or 
 rail-way ; and such a journey then 
 must have appeared incomparably 
 more perilous tiian almost any which 
 could now be undertaken. (2.) He 
 was going among strangers. Who 
 they were he knew not ; but the im- 
 pression could not but have been made 
 on his mind that they were strangers 
 to religion, and tliat a residence among 
 them would be anything but desira- 
 ble. (.3.) He was leaving country, and 
 home, and friends ; the place of his 
 birth and the graves of his fathers. 
 
A D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 271 
 
 11 Through faith also Sarah " 
 herself received strength to con- 
 ceive seed, and was delivered 
 of a child when she was past 
 
 a Ge. 21. 1, 2. 
 
 with the moral certainty that he would 
 see them no more. (4.) He had no 
 right to the country which he went 
 to receive. He could urge no claim 
 on the ground of discovery, or inher- 
 itance, or conquest at any former pe- 
 riod ; but though he went in a peace- 
 ful manner, and with no power to 
 take it, and could urge no claim to it 
 whatever, yet he went with the utmost 
 confidence that it would be his. He 
 did not even expect to buy it — for he 
 had no means to do tliis, and it seems 
 never to have entered his mind to bar- 
 gain for it in any way, except for the 
 small portion that he needed for a bu- 
 rying.gromid. (5.) He had no means 
 of obtaining possession. He had no 
 wealth to purchase it ; no armies to 
 conquer it ; no title to it which could 
 be enforced before the tribunals of 
 the land. The prospect of obtaining 
 it must have been distant, and probably 
 he saw no means by which it was 
 to be done. In such a case, his only 
 hope could be in God. (6.) It is not 
 impossible that the enterprise in that 
 age might have been treated by the 
 friends of the patriarch as perfectly 
 wild and visionary. The prevailing 
 religion evidently was idolatry, and the 
 claim which Abraham set up to a spe- 
 cial call from the Most High, might 
 have been deemed entirely fanatical. 
 To start off on a journey through a 
 pathless desert ; to leave his country 
 and home, and all that he held dear, 
 when he himself knew not whither 
 he went ; to go with no means of con- 
 quest, but with the expectation that 
 the distant and unknown land would 
 be given him, could not but liave been 
 regarded as a singular instance of 
 visionary hope. The whole transac- 
 tion, therefore, was in the highest de- 
 gree an act of simple confidence in 
 God, where there was no human ba- 
 sis of calculation, and where all the 
 
 age, because she judged him 
 faithful * who had promised. 
 
 12 Therefore spi'ang there 
 even of one, and him as good 
 
 b c. 10. 23. 
 
 principles on which men commonly 
 act would have led him to pursue jiist 
 the contrary course. It is, therefore, 
 not without reason that the faith of 
 Abraham is so commended. 
 
 1}. Through faith also Sarah her- 
 self received strength to conceive seed. 
 The word ' herself here — avr!) — im- 
 plies that there was something re- 
 markable in the fact that she should 
 manifest this faith. Perhaps there 
 may be reference here to the incredu- 
 lity with which she at first received 
 the announcement that she should 
 have a child. Gen. xviii. 11. 13. Even 
 her strong incredulity was overcome, 
 and though everything seemed to 
 render what was announced impos- 
 sible, and though she was so much 
 disposed to laugh at the very sugges- 
 tion at first, yet her unbelief was over- 
 come, and she ullimately credited the 
 divine promise. The apostle does not 
 state the authority for his assertion 
 that the strength of Sarah was deriv 
 ed from her faith, nor ichen particu- 
 larly it was exercised. The argu- 
 ment seems to be, that here was a 
 case where all human probabilities 
 were against what was predicted, and 
 where, therefore, there must have 
 been simple trust in God. Nothing 
 else but faith could have led her to 
 believe that in her old age she would 
 have borne a son. If When she, was 
 past age. She was at this time more 
 than ninety years of age. Gen. xvii. 
 17. Comp.Gen.xviii.il. '^Because 
 she judged him faithful who had pro- 
 mised,. She had no other ground of 
 confidence or expectation. All hu- 
 man probability was against the sup- 
 position that at her time of life she 
 would be a motlier. 
 
 12. Therefore sprang there even of 
 one. From a single individual. What 
 is observed here by the apostle as wor- 
 thy of remark is, that the whole Jew- 
 
272 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 as dead, so many " as the stars 
 of the sky in multitude, and as 
 the sand which is by the sea 
 shore innumerable. 
 
 13 These all died ' in faith, 
 not having received the pro- 
 
 a Ge. 22. 17 ; Ro. 4. 17. 
 
 ish people sprang from one man, and 
 that as the reward of his strong faith 
 he was made the fatlier and founder 
 of a nation. ^ And him as good as 
 dead. So far as the subject under 
 discussion is concerned. To human 
 appearance there was no more proba- 
 bility that he would have a son at 
 that period of life than that the dead 
 would have. II So many as the stars 
 in the sky, &,c. An innumerable mul- 
 titude. This was agreeable to the 
 promise. Gen. xv. 5 ; xx. 17. The 
 phrases here used are often employed 
 to denote a vast multitude, as nothing 
 appears more numerous than the stars 
 of heaven, or than the sands that lie 
 on the shores of the ocean. The 
 strength of faith in this case was, that 
 there was simple confidence in God 
 in the fulfilment of a promise where 
 all human probabilities were against 
 it. This is, therefore, an illustration 
 of the nature of faith. It does not 
 depend on human reasoning ; on anal- 
 ogy; on philosophical probabilities; on 
 the foreseen operation of natural laws ; 
 but on the mere assurance of God — 
 no matter what may be the difficul- 
 ties to human view, or the improba- 
 bilities against it. 
 
 13. These all died in faith. That 
 is, those who had been just mentioned 
 — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah. 
 It was true of Abel and Noah also 
 that they died in faitli, but they are 
 not included in this declaration, for 
 the ' promises' were not particularly 
 entrusted to them, and if tlie word 
 'these' be made to include them it 
 must include Enoch also, who did not 
 die at all. The phrase here used, 
 * these all died in faith,'' does not mean 
 that they died in the exercise or pos- 
 session of religion, but more strictly 
 that they died not having possessed 
 
 mises, but having seen them 
 afar off, and were persuaded 
 of them, and embraced them, 
 and confessed * that they were 
 strangers and pilgrims on the 
 earth. 
 
 1 according to. b 1 Cli. 2D. 15 ; 1 Pe. 2. 11. 
 
 what was tlie object of their faitli. 
 They had been looking for something 
 future, which they did not obtain 
 during their lifetime, and died believ- 
 ing that it would yet be theirs. H Not 
 having received the promises. That is, 
 not having received the fulfilment of 
 the promises ; or the promised bless- 
 ings. The promises themselves they 
 had received. Comp. Luke xxiv. 4'J ; 
 Acts i. 4. 11. 33 ; Gal. iii. 14, and vs, 
 33. 3'J of this chapter. In all these 
 places the word promise is used by 
 Metonymy for the thing promised. 
 IT But having seen them afar off. Hav- 
 ing seen that they would be fulfilled 
 in future times. Conip. John viii. 56. 
 It is probable that the apostle here 
 means that they saw the entire fulfil- 
 ment of all that the promises embraced 
 in the future — that is, the bestowment 
 of the land of Canaan, the certainty 
 of a numerous posterity, and of the 
 entrance into the heavenly Canaan 
 — the world of fixed and permanent 
 rest. According to tiic reason injr 
 of the apostle here tlie ' promises' to 
 which they trusted included all these 
 tilings. ^ And were persuaded of 
 them. Had no doubt of their reality. 
 If And embraced them. This word 
 implies more than our word embrace 
 frequently does; that is, to receive as 
 true. It means properly to draw to 
 one's self; and then to embrace as one 
 does a friend from whom he has been 
 separated. It then means to greet, 
 salute, Welcome, and here means a 
 joyful greeting of those promises ; or 
 a pressing them to the heart as we do 
 a iiicnd. It was not a cold and for- 
 mal reception of tliem, but a warm 
 and hearty welcome. Such is the na- 
 ture of true faith when it cmbr.aces 
 the promises of salvation. No act of 
 pressing a friend to the bosom is ever 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAKFER XI. 
 
 273 
 
 14 For they that say such 
 things, declare plainly that they 
 seek a country. 
 
 15 And truly if they had been 
 
 more warm and cordial. ^ Atid con. 
 fessed that they v;ere strangers. Tlius 
 Abraham said (Gen. xxiii. 4), " I am 
 a stranger and a sojourner with you." 
 That is, he regarded himself as a fo- 
 reigner ; as having no home and no 
 possessions there. It was on this 
 ground that he proposed to buy a bu- 
 rial-place of the sons of Heth. IT And 
 pilgrims. This is the word — Trape-ni&ij- 
 lioi — which is used by Abraham, as 
 rendered by the Lxx. in Gen. xxiii. 4, 
 and which is there translated 'so- 
 journer' in the common English ver- 
 sion. The word -pilgrim means pro- 
 perly a ivanderer, a traveller, and par- 
 ticularly one who leaves his own 
 country to visit a holy place. This 
 sense does not quite suit the meaning 
 here, or in Gen. xxiii. 4. The Hebrew 
 word — 3iyin — means properly one 
 
 who dioells in a place, and particularly 
 one who is a mere resident without 
 the rights of a citizen. The Greek 
 word means a hy-resident ; one who 
 lives by another ; or among a people 
 not his own. This is the idea here. 
 It is not that they confessed them- 
 selves to be wanderers, or that they 
 had left their home to visit a holy 
 place, but that they resided as mere 
 sojourners in a country that was not 
 theirs. What might be their ultimate 
 destination, or their purpose, is not 
 implied in the meaning of the word. 
 They were such as reside awhile 
 among another people, but have no 
 permanent home there. IT On the earth. 
 The phrase here used — 1-1 r^j yni — 
 might mean merely o;i the land of 
 Canaan, but the apostle evidently uses 
 it in a larger sense as denoting the 
 earth in general. There can be no 
 doubt that this accords with the views 
 which the patriarclis had — regarding 
 themselves not only as strangers in 
 he land of Canaan, but feeling that 
 -ho same thing was true in reference 
 
 mindful of that country from 
 whence they came out, they 
 might have had opportunity to 
 have returned : 
 
 to their whole residence upon the 
 earth — that it was not their permanent 
 home. 
 
 1 4. For they that say such things, &i,c. 
 That speak of themselves as having 
 come into a land of strangers; and 
 that negotiate for a small piece of 
 land, not to cultivate, but to bury their 
 dead. So we should think of any 
 strange people coming among us now 
 — who lived in tents; who frequently 
 changed their residence ; who be- 
 came the purchasers of no land ex 
 cept to bury their dead, and who never 
 spake of becoming permanent resi- 
 dents. We should think that they 
 were in search of some place as their 
 home, and that they had not yet found 
 it. Such people were the Hebrew 
 patriarchs. They lived and acted just 
 as if they had not yet found a perma- 
 nent habitation, but were travelling 
 in search of one. 
 
 15. And. truly if they had been mind' 
 ful of that country, &c. If they had 
 remembered it with sutficient interest 
 and affection to have made them de- 
 sirous to return. If They might have 
 had opportunity to have returned. The 
 journey was not so long or perilous 
 that they could not have retraced their 
 steps. It would have been no more 
 ditHcult or dangerous for them to do 
 that than it was to make the journey 
 at first. This shows that their re- 
 maining as strangers and sojourners 
 in the land of Canaan was voluntary. 
 They preferred it, witii all its incon- 
 veniences and hardships, to a return 
 to their native land. The same thing 
 is true of all the people of God now. 
 If they choose to return to the world, 
 and to engage again in all its vain 
 pursuits, there is nothing to hinder 
 them. There are 'opportunities' 
 enough. There are abundant induce- 
 ments held out. There are numerous 
 gay and worldly friends who would 
 regard it as a matter of joy and tri- 
 
274 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 16 But now they desire a 
 better country, that is, an hea- 
 venly : wherefore God is not 
 
 a Ex. 3. 6. 15. 
 
 urnph to have them return to vanity 
 and folly ajrain. Tiiey would welcoruc 
 tlicin to thuir society ; rejoice to have 
 tiieni participate in their pleasures ; 
 and be willing- that they should share 
 in the lionours and the wealth of 
 the world. And they might do it. 
 Tiiere arc multitudes of" Christians 
 who could grace, as they once did, 
 the ball-room ; who could charm the 
 social party by song and wit ; who 
 could rise to the highest posts of of- 
 fice, or compete successfully with 
 others in tlie race for the acquisition 
 of fame. They have seen and tasted 
 enough of the vain pursuits of tiie 
 world to satisfy them with their va- 
 nity ; they are convinced of the sin- 
 fulness of making these things the 
 great objects of living ; tlicir affec- 
 tions are now fixed on higher and 
 nobler objects, and they choose not to 
 return to those pursuits again, but to 
 live as strangers and sojourners on 
 the earth — for there is nothing more 
 voluntary than religion. 
 
 16. But now they desire a better 
 country, that is, an heavenly. That is, 
 at the time referred to when they con- 
 fessed that they were strangers and 
 sojourners, they showed tiiat they 
 sought a better country than the one 
 which they had left. Tiiey lived as 
 if they had no expectation of a per- 
 manent residence on earth, and were 
 looking to another world. The argu- 
 ment of the apostle here appears to 
 be based on what is apparent from 
 the whole Jiistory, that they had a 
 confident belief tjiat the land of Ca- 
 naan would be given to their posterity, 
 but as for themselves they had no ex- 
 pectation of permanently dwelling 
 there, but looked to a home in the 
 heavenly country. Hence they formed 
 no plans for con(iuest ; they laid cl.iim 
 to no title in the soil ; tliey made no 
 purchases of farms for cultivation ; 
 they lived and died without owning 
 
 ashamed to be called theirGod;" 
 for he hath prepared for them a 
 city.* 
 
 6 ver. 10. . 
 
 any land except enough to bury their 
 deud. All this appears as if they 
 looked for a final home in a ' better 
 country, even a heavenly.' ^ Where, 
 fore God is not ashamed to be called 
 thf.ir God. Since they had such an 
 elevated aim, he was willing to speak 
 of himself as their God and Friend. 
 They acted as became his friends, 
 and he was not ashamed of the rela- 
 tion which he sustained to them. The 
 language to which the apostle evi- 
 dently refers here is that which is 
 found in Ex. iii. 6, " I am the God of 
 Abraham, the God of Isaac, and tho 
 God of Jacob." We are not to sup. 
 pose that God is ever asAa/netZ of any- 
 thing that he does. Tlie meaning 
 here is, that they liad acted in such 
 a manner that it was fit that iie should 
 show towards them tlie character of 
 a Benefactor, Protectoi-, and Friend. 
 If For he hath prepared for them a city. 
 Such as they had expected — a hea- 
 venly residence. Ver. 10. There is 
 evidently here a reference to heaven, 
 represented as a city — the New Jeru- 
 salem — prepared for Jiis people by God 
 himself. Comp. Notes on Matt. xxv. 
 34. Thus they obtained what they 
 had looked for by faith. The wan- 
 dering and unsettled patriarchs to 
 whom tlie promise was made, and 
 who showed all their lives that they 
 regarded themselves as strangers and 
 pilgrim.^, were admitted to the home 
 of permanent rest; and their poste- 
 rity was ultimately admitted to the 
 possession of tjie promised land. No- 
 thing could more certainly demon- 
 strate that the patriarchs believed in 
 a future state than this passage. 
 They did not expect a permanent 
 home on earth. They made no efforts 
 to enter into the possession of the pro 
 mised land themselves. They quietly 
 and calm!}' waited for tlie time when 
 God vi'ould give it to their posterity, 
 and in the meantime for themsclvea 
 
A< D. 04.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 275 
 
 17 By faith Abraham, when " 
 he was tried, offered up Isaac ?' 
 and he that had received the 
 
 a Ge. 22. 1, Sue; Ja. 2. 21. 
 
 they looked forward to their perma- 
 nent home in the lieavens. Even in 
 this early period of tlie world, there- 
 fore, there was the confident expecta- 
 tion of the future state. Comp. Notes 
 on Matt. xxii. 31, 32. We may re. 
 mark, that the life of the patriarchs 
 was, in all essential respects, such as 
 we should lead. They looked forward 
 to heaven ; they sought no permanent 
 possessions here ; they regarded tliem- 
 selves as strangers and pilgrims on 
 the earth. So should we be. In our 
 more fixed and settled habits of life ; 
 in our quiet homes ; in our residence 
 in the land in which we were born, 
 and in the society of old and tried 
 friends, we should yet regard our- 
 selves as ' strangers and sojourners.' 
 We have here no fixed abode. The 
 houses in which we dwell will soon 
 be occupied by others ; the paths in 
 which we go will soon be trod by the 
 feet of others; the field.s which we 
 cultivate will soon be ploughed and 
 sown and reaped by others. Others 
 will read the books which we read ; 
 sit down at the tables where we sit; 
 lie on the beds where we repose; 
 occupy the chambers where we siiall 
 die, and from whence we shall be 
 removed to our graves. If wc have 
 any permanent home, it is in heaven ; 
 and that we have, the faithful lives 
 of the patriarchs teach us, and the 
 unerring word of God everywhere 
 assures us. 
 
 17. By faith Abraham. The apos- 
 tle had stated one strong instance of 
 the faith of AbraiiLini, and he now re- 
 fers to one still more remarkable — 
 the strongest illustration of faitli, un- 
 doubtedly, whicli has ever been evinced 
 in our world. "^ When he was tried. 
 The word here used is rendered tempt- 
 ed, in Matt. iv. 1. 3; xvi. 1 ; xix. 3; 
 xxii. 18. 3.5, and in twenty -two other 
 places in the Nevv^ Testament; prove, 
 in John vi. 6 ; hath gone about, in Act.-^ 
 
 promises, offered up his only- 
 begotten son, 
 
 18 ' Of whom it was said, '' 
 
 • or, To. b Ge. 21. 12. 
 
 xxiv. 6 ; examine, II. Cor. xiii. 5 ; and 
 tried, in Rev. ii. 2. 10 ; iii. 10. It 
 does not mean here, as it often does, 
 to place inducements before one to 
 lead him to do wrong, but to subject 
 his faith to a trial in ord,er to test its 
 genuineness and strength. The mean- 
 ing here is, that Abraham was placed 
 in circumstances wliich showed what 
 was the real strength of his confi- 
 dence in God. If Offered vp Isaac, 
 That is, he showed that he was ready 
 and willing fo make the sacrifice, and 
 would have done it if he had not 
 been restrained by the voice of the 
 angel. Gen. xxii. 11, 12. So far as 
 tJic intention of Abraham was con- 
 cerned, the deed was done, for he had 
 made every preparation for the offer- 
 ing, and was actually about to take 
 the life of his son. ^ And he that 
 had received the promises offered up 
 his only-begotten son. The promises 
 particularly of a numerous posterity. 
 The fulfilment of those promises de- 
 pended on him whom he was now 
 about to offer as a sacrifice. If Abra- 
 ham had been surrounded with child- 
 ren, or if no special promise of a nu- 
 merous posterity had been made to 
 him, this act would not have been so 
 remarkable. It would in any case 
 have been a strong act of faith ; it 
 was peculiarly strong in his case from 
 tlie circumstances that he had an only 
 son, and that the fulfilment of the pro- 
 mise depended on his life. 
 
 18. Of whom it icas said, that in 
 Isaac shall thy seed be called. Gen. 
 xxi. 12. A numerous posterity had 
 been promised to him. It was there 
 said expressly tliat tliis promise was 
 not to be fulfilled through the son of 
 Abraham by the bond-woman Hagar, 
 but through Isaac. Of course, it was 
 implied th.at Isaac was to reach man- 
 hood, and yet notwithstanding this, 
 and notwithstanding Abraham fully 
 believed it, he prepared deliberately, 
 
276 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4, 
 
 That in Isaac shall thy seed be 
 called : 
 
 19 Accounting that God was 
 
 in obedience to tue divine command, 
 to put him to death. Tlie phrase ' tJiy 
 seed bo called' means, that his poster- 
 ity was to be named after Isaac, or 
 was to descend only from him. The 
 word ^called'' in the Scriptures is of- 
 ten equivaleiit to the verb to be. See 
 Isa. Ivi, 7. To name or call a thing 
 was the same as to say tiiat it was, 
 or that it existed. It docs not mean 
 here that his spiritual children were 
 to be called or selected from among 
 the posterity of Isaac, but that the 
 posterity promised to Abraham would 
 descend neither from Ishmael nor the 
 sons of Keturah, but in the line of 
 Isaac. This is a strong circumstance 
 insisted on by the apostle to show 
 the strength of Abraham's faith. It 
 was shown not only by Jiis willing, 
 ness to offer up the child of his old 
 age — his only son by his beloved wife, 
 but by his readiness, at the command 
 of God, to sacrifice even him on 
 whom the fulfilment of the promises 
 depen(^ed. 
 
 19. Accounting that God was able 
 to raise him up, even from the dead. 
 And that he would do it ; for so Abra- 
 ham evidently believed, and this idea 
 is plainly implied in the whole narra- 
 tive. There was no other way in 
 which the promise could be fulfilled ; 
 and Abraham reasoned justly in the 
 case. He had received the promise 
 of a numerous posterit}'. He liad 
 been told expressly that it was to be 
 through this favourite child. He was 
 now commanded to put liim to death 
 as a sacrifice, and lie prepared to do 
 it. To fulfil these promises, there- 
 fore, there was no other way possible 
 but for him to be raised up from the 
 dead, and Abraham fully bLlieved 
 that it would be done. The child had 
 been given to him at first in a super- 
 natural manner, and he was prepared, 
 therefore, to believe that he would be 
 restored to him again by miracle. He 
 did not doubt that he who had given 
 
 able to raise him up, even from 
 the dead ; from whence also he 
 received him in a figure. 
 
 iiim to him at first in a manner so 
 contrary to all human probability, 
 could restore him again in a method 
 as extraordinary. He, therefore, an- 
 ticipated that he would raise him up 
 immediately from the dead. That 
 this was tlie expectation of Abraham 
 is apparent from the narrative in Gen. 
 xxii. 5. " And Abraham said unto 
 his young men, Abide ye here with 
 the ass ; and I and the lad will go 
 yonder and worship, and come again 
 
 to you-;' in the plural— DD''^X nj^Jl 
 — ' and we will return ;' that is, I and 
 Isaac will return, for no other persons 
 went with them. Ver. 6. As Abra- 
 ham went with the full expectation 
 of sacrificing Isaac, and as he expect- 
 ed Isaac to return with him, it fol- 
 lows that he believed that God would 
 raise him up immediately from the 
 dead. IT Frc>?i whence also he leceived 
 him in a Jigure. There has been 
 great difference of opinion as to the 
 sense of this passage, but it seems to 
 me to be plain. I'he obvious inter- 
 pretation is, that he then received 
 liim by his being raised up from the 
 altar as if from the dead. He was 
 to Abraham dead. He had given him 
 up. He had prepared to offer him as 
 a sacrifice. He lay there before liim 
 as one who was dead. From that 
 altar he was raised up by direct di- 
 vine interposition, as if he was rais- 
 ed trom the grave, and tliis was to 
 Abraham a Jigure or a representa- 
 tion of the resurrection. Other inter- 
 pretations may be seen in Stuart in 
 loc. — The following circumstances 
 will illustrate the strength of Abra- 
 ham's faith in this remarkable trans- 
 action. (1.) The strong persuasion 
 on his mind that God had command- 
 ed tliis. In a case of this nature — 
 where such a sacrifice was required 
 — how natural would it have been for 
 a more tbeblc faith to have doubted 
 whether the command came from God ! 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 277 
 
 It might have been suggested to such 
 a mind that this 7nust be a delusion, 
 or a temptation of Satan ; that God 
 could not require such a thing ; 
 and that whatever might be the ap- 
 pearance of a divine command in the 
 case, there must be some deception 
 about it. Yet Abraham does not ap- 
 pear to have reasoned about it at all, 
 or to have allowed the strong feelings 
 of a father to come in to modify his 
 cor.viction that God had commanded 
 him to give up his son. What an 
 example is this to us ! And how rea- 
 dy should we be to yield up a son — 
 an only son — when God comes him- 
 self and removes him from us. (2.) 
 The strength of his faith was seen 
 in the fact that in obedience to the 
 simple command of God, all the strong 
 feelings of a father were overcome. 
 On the one hand tlicre were his warm 
 affections for an only son ; and on the 
 other there was the simple command 
 of God. They came in collision — 
 but Abraham did not hesitate a mo- 
 ment. The strong paternal feeling was 
 sacrificed at once. What an example 
 this too for us ! When the command 
 of God and our own attachments 
 come into collision, we should not hes- 
 itate a moment. God is to be obeyed. 
 His command and arrangements are 
 to be yielded to, though most tender 
 ties are rent asunder, and though the 
 heart bleeds. (3.) The strength of 
 his faith was seen in the fact, that, in 
 obedience to the command of God, he 
 resolved to do what in the eyes of the 
 world would be regarded as a most 
 awful crime. There is no crime of a 
 higher grade than the murder of a 
 son by the hand of a father. So it is 
 now estimated by the world, and so 
 it would have been in the time of 
 Abraham. All the laws of God and 
 of society appeared to be against the 
 act which Abraham was about to com- 
 mit, and he went forth not ignorant 
 of the estimate which the world would 
 put on this deed if it were known. 
 How natural in such circumstances 
 would it have been to argue that God 
 could not possibly give such a com. 
 mand ; that it was against ail the laws 
 24 
 
 of heaven and earth ; that there was 
 required in this what God and man 
 alike must and would pronounce to 
 be wrong and abominable ! Yet Abra- 
 ham did not hesitate. The command 
 of God in the case was to his mind a 
 sufficient proof that tliis was right — 
 and it should teach us that whatever 
 our Maker commands us should be 
 done — no matter what may be the 
 estimate affixed to it by human laws, 
 and no matter how it may be regard- 
 ed by the world. (4.) The strength 
 of his faith was seen in the fact that 
 there was a positive promise of God 
 to himself which would seein to be 
 frustrated by what he was about to 
 do. God had expressly promised to 
 him a numerous posterity, and had 
 said that it was to be through this 
 son. How could this be if he was 
 put to death as a sacrifice ? And how 
 could God command such a thing 
 when his promise was thus positive ? 
 Yet Abraham did not hesitate. It 
 was not for him to reconcile these 
 things ; it was his to obey. He did 
 not doubt that somehow all that God 
 had said would prove to be true ; and 
 as he saw but one way in which it 
 could be done — by his being immedi- 
 ately restored to life — he concluded 
 that that was to be the way. So when 
 God utters his will to us, it is ours 
 simply to obey. It is not to inquire 
 in what way his commands or reveal-' 
 ed truth can be reconciled with other 
 things. He will himself take care 
 of that. It is ours at once to yield 
 to what he commands, and to believe 
 that somehow all that he has required 
 and said will be consistent with every- 
 thing else which he has uttered. (5.) 
 The strength of the faith of Abra- 
 ham was seen in his belief that God 
 would raise his son from the dead. 
 Of that he had no doubt. But what 
 evidence had he of that ? It had not 
 been promised. No case of the kind 
 had ever occurred; and the subject 
 was attended with all the difficulties 
 which attend it now. But Abraham 
 believed it; for, first, there was no 
 other way in which the promise of 
 God could be fulfilled; and second. 
 
278 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. (-.1. 
 
 20 By faith Isaac " blessed 
 Jacob and Esau concerning 
 tilings to come. 
 
 21 By faith Jacob, when he 
 
 a Gc. 27. 27-40. 
 
 such a thing would be no more re- 
 markable than what had already oc- 
 curred. It was as easy for God to 
 raise him from the dead as it was to 
 give him at first contrary to all tiie 
 probabilities of the case, and lie did 
 not, therefore, doubt that it would be 
 so. Is it less easy for us to believe 
 the doctrine of tlie resurrection tlian 
 it was for Abraham ? Is the subject 
 attended with more diiHculties now 
 tlian it was then ? The faith of jV^tra- 
 hani in this remarkable instance shows 
 us that the doctrine of tlie resurrec- 
 tion of the dead, notwithstanding the 
 limited revelations then enjoyed, and 
 all the obvious difficulties of the case, 
 was early believed in the world ; and 
 as those dilKcaltics are no greater 
 now, and as new light has been shed 
 upon it b}' subsequent revelations, and 
 especially as in more than one in- 
 stance the dead have been actually 
 raised, those difficulties should not be 
 allowed to make us doubt it now. 
 
 20. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob 
 and Esau concernins things to come. 
 See Gen. xx.vii. 26 — 40. The mean- 
 ing is, that he pronounced a blessing 
 on them in respect to their future 
 condition. This was by faith in God 
 wlio had communicated it to him, 
 and in full confidence that he would 
 accomplish all that was here predict- 
 ed. The act of faith here was simply 
 that which believes that all that God 
 says is true. There were no human 
 probabilities at the time when these 
 prophetic announcements were made, 
 which could have been the basis of 
 Jiis calculation, but all that he said 
 must have rested merely on the be- 
 lief that God had revealed it to him. 
 A blessing was pronounced on each, 
 of a very different nature, but Isaac 
 liad no doubt that both would be ful- 
 filled 
 
 was a dying, blessed * both the 
 sons of Joseph ; and worship- 
 ped, leaning " upon the top of 
 his staff. 
 
 »Ge. 48. &-20. eGe.47. 31. 
 
 21. Bi/ faith Jacob, when he was a 
 dying. Gen. xlvii. 31 ; xlviii. 1 — 20. 
 That is, when he was about to die. 
 He saw his death near when he pro- 
 nounced this blessing on Ephraim 
 and Manassch, the sons of Joseph. 
 ^ And worshipped, leaning upon the 
 top of his slajf. This is an exact 
 quotation from the Septuagint in Gen. 
 xlvii. 31. The English version of 
 that place is, " and Israel bowed him- 
 self upon the bed's head," which is a 
 proper translation, in the main, of the 
 word n£3?D — mitleh. That word, how- 
 ever, with different points — DtSO 
 
 malleh, means a branch, a bough, a 
 rod, a staff, and the translators of tlie 
 Septuagint have so rendered it. The 
 Masoretic points are of no authority, 
 and either translation, therefore, would 
 be proper. The word rendered ' head' 
 in Gen. xlvii. 31. — 'bed's AeatZ'-^jy^T 
 — rosh, means properly head, but 
 may there mean the lop of anything, 
 and there is no impropriety in apply- 
 ing it to the head or top of a staff. 
 The word rendered in Gen. xlvii. 31. 
 bowed — ■inr\K'''1 — implies properly tlie 
 
 idea of worshipping. It is bowing, or 
 prostration for tlie purpose of worship 
 or homage. Though the Septuagint 
 and the apostle here have, therefore, 
 given a somewhat different version 
 from that commonly given of the He- 
 brew, and sustained by the Masoretic 
 pointing, yet it cannot be dcmonstrat- 
 ed that the version is unauthorized, 
 or that it is not a fair translation of 
 the Hebrew. It has also the proba- 
 bilities of the case in its favour. Ja- 
 cob was tenderly alfocted in view of 
 the goodness of God, and of the assu- 
 rance that he would be conveyed from 
 Egypt wlien he died, and buried in 
 the land of his fathers. Deeply im- 
 pressed with this, nothing was mors 
 
A.. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 279 
 
 22 By faith Joseph, " when 
 he died, made ' mention of the 
 departing of the children of 
 Israel ; and gave commandment 
 concerning his bones. 
 
 a Ge. 50. 24, 25. 1 or, remembered. 
 
 b Ex. 2. 2. c Ex. 1. ItJ, 22. 
 
 natural than that the old man should 
 lean reverently forward and incline 
 his head upon the top of his staff, and 
 adore the covenant faithfulness of his 
 God. Such an image is much more 
 natural and probable than that lie 
 should ' bow upon his bed's head' — a 
 phrase which at best is not very in- 
 telligible. If this be the true account, 
 then the apostle does not refer here 
 to what was done when he ' blessed 
 the sons of Joseph,' but to an act ex- 
 pressive of strong faith in God which 
 had occurred just before. The mean- 
 ing then is, ' By faith when about to 
 die he blessed the sons of Joseph ; 
 and by faith also he reverently bowed 
 before God in the belief that when he 
 died his remains would be conveyed 
 to the promised land, and expressed 
 his gratitude in an act of worship, 
 leaning reverently on the top of his 
 staff.' The order in which these 
 things are mentioned is of no conse- 
 quence, and thus the whole difficulty 
 in the case vanishes. Both the acts 
 here referred to were expressive of 
 strong confidence in God. 
 
 22. By failh Joseph when he died. 
 When about to die. See Gen. 1.* 24, 
 25. IT Made mention of the departing 
 of the children of Israel. Marg. 're- 
 membered.'' The meaning is, that he 
 called this to their mind ; he spake 
 of it. " And Joseph said unto liis 
 brethren, I die ; and God will surely 
 visit you, and bring you out of this 
 land unto tlie land which he sware to 
 Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." 
 This prediction of Joseph could have 
 rested only on faith in the promise of 
 God. There were no events then oc- 
 curring which would be likely to lead 
 to this, and nothing which could be a 
 basis of calculation that it would be 
 
 23 By faith Moses, when he 
 was born, was hid * three 
 months of his parents, because 
 they saw he was a proper child ; 
 and they were not afraid of the 
 king's commandment.' 
 
 so, except what God had spoken. 
 The faith of Joseph, then, was simple 
 confidence in God ; and its strength 
 was seen in his firm conviction that 
 what had been promised would be 
 fulfilled, even when there were no ap- 
 pearances that to human view justi- 
 fied it. ^ And gave commandment 
 concerning his bones. Gen. 1. 25. 
 " And Joseph took an oath of the 
 children of Israel, saying, God will 
 surely visit you, and ye shall carry 
 up my bones from hence." He had 
 such a firm belief that they would 
 possess the land of promise, that he 
 exacted an oath of them that they 
 would remove his remains with them, 
 that he might be buried in the land 
 of his fathers. He could not have 
 exacted this oath, nor could they have 
 taken it, unless both he and they had 
 a sure confidence that what God. had 
 spoken would be performed. 
 
 23. By faith Moses, lohen he was born. 
 That is, by the faith of his parents. 
 The faith of Moses himself is com- 
 mended in the following verses. The 
 statement of the apostle here is, that 
 his parents were led to preserve his 
 life by their confidence in God. They 
 believed that he was destined to some 
 great purpose, and that he would be 
 spared, notwithstanding all the proba- 
 bilities against it, and all the difficul- 
 ties in the case. IT Was hid three 
 months of his parents. By his parents. 
 In Ex. ii. 2, it is said that it was done 
 by his mother. The truth doubtless 
 was, that the mother was the agent 
 in doing it — since the concealment, 
 probably, could be better effected by 
 one than where two were employed — 
 but that the father also concurred in 
 it is morally certain. The conceal 
 ment was, at first, probably in their 
 
280 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 24 By faith Moses, " when he 
 was come to years, refused to 
 
 a Ex.2. 10, II. 
 
 own house. The coinina.nd seems 
 to have been ^Ex. i. 2:2), that the child 
 should be cast into the river as soon 
 as born. This child was concealed 
 in the hope that some way might be 
 found out by which liis lite might be 
 spared. ^ Because they saw he was 
 a proper child. A fair, or beautiful 
 child — aiTTtiov. The word properly 
 means pertaining to a city — (from 
 aarv, a city ;) then urbane, polished, 
 elegant; then fair, beautiful. In Acts 
 vii. 20, it is said that he was ^fiiir to 
 God^ (Marg.) ; that is, exceedingly 
 fair, or very handsome. His extra- 
 ordinary beauty seems to have been the 
 reason which particularly influenced 
 his parents to attempt to preserve 
 him. It is not impossible tiiat they 
 supposed that his uncommon beauty 
 indicated that he was destined to some 
 important service in life, and that 
 they were on that account the more 
 anxious to save him. 'i And they 
 were not afraid of the king''s com- 
 mandment. Requiring that all male 
 children should be given up to be 
 thrown into the Nile. That is, they 
 were not so alarmed, or did not so 
 dread the king, as to be induced to 
 comply with the command. The 
 strength of the faitii of the parents of 
 Moses, appears (1.) because the com- 
 mand of Pharaoh to destroy all tiie 
 male children was positive, but tliey 
 had so much confidence in God as to 
 disregard it. (2.) Because tiicre was 
 a strong improbability that their child 
 could be saved. They themselves 
 found it impossible to conceal him 
 longer than three months, and wlien 
 it was discovered, there was every 
 probability that the law would be en- 
 forced and that the child would be 
 put to death. Perhaps there was 
 reason also to apprehend that the pa- 
 rents would be punished for disre- 
 garding the authority of the king. 
 (3.) Because they probably believed 
 tliat their child was destined to some 
 
 be called the son of Pharaoh's 
 daughter ; 
 
 important work. They thus commit* 
 ted him to God instead of complying 
 witii the command of an earthly 
 monarch, and against strong proba- 
 bilities in the case, they believed that 
 it was possible that in some way he 
 might be preserved alive. The re- 
 markable result showed that their 
 faith was not unfounded. 
 
 24. By faith Moses. He had con- 
 fidence in God when he called him to 
 be the leader of his people. He be- 
 lieved that he was able to deliver 
 them, and he so trusted in him that 
 he was willing at his command to 
 forego the splendid prospects which 
 opened before him in Egypt. If When 
 he was come to years. Gr. ' being 
 great ;' that is, when he was grown 
 up to manhood. He was at that time 
 forty years of age. See Notes on 
 Acts vii. 2.3. He took this step, 
 therefore, in the full maturity of his 
 judgment, and when there was no 
 danger of being influenced by the ar- 
 dent passions of youth. IT Refused 
 to be called the son of Pharaoh^s 
 daughter. When saved from the ark 
 in which he was placed on the Nile, 
 he was brouglit up for the daughter 
 of Pharaoh. Ex. ii. i). He seems to 
 have been adopted by her, and trained 
 up as her own son. WJiat prospects 
 this opened before him is not certainly 
 known. There is no probability that 
 he would be the heir to the crown of 
 Egypt, as is often aihrmcd, for there 
 is no proof that tlie crown descended 
 in the line of daughters ; nor if it did, 
 is tiiere any probribility that it would 
 descend on an adopted son of a dauo-h- 
 ter. But his situation could not but 
 be regarded as highly honourable, 
 and as attended with great advanta- 
 ges. It gave him tlie opportunity of 
 receiving the best education which 
 the times and country atibrded — an 
 opportunity of wliicli he seems to 
 have availed himself to the utmost 
 Notes, Acts vii. 22. It would doubt 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 231 
 
 25 Choosing " rather to suf- 
 fer affliction with the people of 
 
 a Pf. 84. 10. 
 
 less be connected with important 
 offices in the state. It furnished the 
 opportunity of a life of ease and 
 pleasure — such as they commonly 
 delight in who reside at courts. And 
 it doubtless opened before him the 
 prospect of wealth — for there is no 
 improbability in supposing that he 
 would be the heir of the daughter of a 
 rich monarch. Yet all this, it is said, 
 he ' refused.' There is indeed no ex- 
 press mention made of his formally 
 and openly refusing it, but his leaving 
 the court, and identifying himself 
 with his oppressed countrymen, was 
 in fact a refusal of these high honours, 
 and of these brilliant prospects. It 
 is not impossible that when he be- 
 came acquainted with his real history, 
 there was some open and decided re- 
 fusal on his part, to be regarded as 
 the son of the daughter of this hea- 
 then monarch. 
 
 25. Choosing rather to suffer afflic- 
 tion with the people of God. With 
 those whom God had chosen to be his 
 people — the Israelites. They were 
 then oppressed and down-trodden ; 
 but they were the descendants of 
 Abraham, and were those whom God 
 had designed to be his peculiar peo- 
 ple. Moses saw that if he cast in 
 his lot with them, he must expect 
 trials. They were poor, and crushed, 
 and despised — a nation of slaves. If 
 he identified himself with them, his 
 condition would be like tlieirs — one 
 of great trial ; if he sought to elevate 
 and deliver them, such an undertak- 
 ing could not but be one of great 
 peril and hardship. Trial and dan- 
 ger, want and care would follow from 
 any course which he could adopt, and 
 he knew that an effort to rescue them 
 from bondage must be attended with 
 the sacrifice of all the comforts and 
 honour wliich he enjoyed at court. 
 Yet he ' chose'' this. He on the whole 
 preferred it. He left the court, not 
 because he was driven away ; not be- 
 cause there was nothing there to grat- 
 24* 
 
 God, than to enjoy the plea- 
 sures of sin for a season ; 
 
 ify ambition or to be a stimulus to 
 avarice ; and not on account of harsh 
 treatment — for there is no intimation 
 that he was not treated with all the 
 respect and honour due to his station, 
 his talents, and his learning, but be- 
 cause he deliberately preferred to 
 share the trials and sorrows of the 
 friends of God. So every one who 
 becomes a friend of God and casts 
 in his lot with his people, though he 
 may anticipate that it will be attend- 
 ed with persecution, with poverty, and 
 with scorn, prefers this to all the plea- 
 sures of a life of gaiety and sin, and 
 to the most brilliant prospects of 
 wealth and fame which this world 
 can offer. IT TTian to enjoy the plea- 
 sures of sin for a season. We are 
 not to suppose that Moses, even at the 
 court of Pharaoh, was leading a life 
 of vicious indulgence. The idea is, 
 that sins were practised there such 
 as tliose in which pleasure is sought, 
 and that if he had remained tliere it 
 must have been because he loved the 
 pleasures of a sinful court and a sin- 
 ful life rather tlian the favour of God. 
 We may learn from this (1 .) that there 
 is a degree of pleasure in sin. It does 
 not deserve to be called happiness, and 
 the apostle does not call it so. It is 
 ^pleasure,' excitement, hilarit)', mer- 
 riment, amusement. Happiness is 
 more solid and enduring than ^ plea, 
 sure ;' and solid happiness is not 
 found in the ways of sin. But it can- 
 not be denied that there is a decree 
 of pleasure which may be fount] m 
 amusement ; in the excitement of the 
 ball-room ; in feasting and revelry ; 
 in sensual enjoyments. All which 
 wealth and splendour ; music and 
 dancing; sensual gratifications, and 
 the more refined pursuits in the cir- 
 cles of fashion, can furnish, may be 
 found in a life of irreligion ; and if 
 disappointment, and envy, and sick, 
 ness, and mortified pride, and be- 
 reavements do not occur, the chil 
 dren of vanity and sin can find no 
 
282 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 26 Esteeming the reproach ' 
 of " Clirist greater riches than 
 
 I or, fur. 
 
 a c. 13. 13. 
 
 incon.sidcrablc enjoyment in these 
 things. Tliey say they do; and there 
 is no reason to doubt the truth of their 
 own testimony in tlie case. 1'licy 
 call it a ' life of pleasure ;' and it is 
 not proper to withhold from it the 
 appellation wiiich they ehoose to give 
 it. It is not the most pure or eleva- 
 ted kind of enjoyment, but it would 
 be unjust to deny that there is any 
 enjoyment in sucii a course. (2.) It 
 is only ' for a season.' It will all soon 
 pass away. Had Moses lived at the 
 court of Pharaoh all his days, it would 
 have been only for a little 'season.' 
 These pleasures soon vanish, for (a) 
 life itself is short at host, and if a 
 career of 'pleasure' is pursued through 
 the whole of the ordinary period al- 
 lotted to man, it is very brief. (6) 
 Those who live for pleasure often 
 abridge their own lives. Indulgence 
 brings disease in its train, and the 
 votaries of sensualit}' usually die 
 young. The art has never been yet 
 discovered of combining intemperance 
 and sensuality with length of days. 
 If a man wishes a reasonable pros- 
 pect of long life, he must be temper- 
 ate and virtuous. Indulgence in vice 
 wears out the nervous and muscular 
 system, and destroys the powers of 
 lilb — just as a machine without bal- 
 ancc-wiieel or governor would soon 
 tear itself to pieces, (c) Calamity, 
 disappointment, envy, and rivalship 
 mar such a life of pleasure — and he 
 who enters on it, from causes which 
 lie cannot control, finds it very short. 
 And, ((/) compared with eternity, O 
 how brief is the longest life spent in 
 the ways of sin ! Soon it must be 
 over — and then the unpardoned sin- 
 ner enters on an immortal career 
 wlicre pleasure is for ever unknown I 
 (3.) In view of all the 'pleasures' 
 which sin can furnisii, and in view of 
 the most brilliant prospects which 
 this world can hold out, religion cna- 
 
 the treasures in Egypt: for he 
 had respect unto the recom- 
 pense * of the reward. 
 
 b c. 10. 35. 
 
 bles man to pursue a different path. 
 They who become tlio friends of God 
 are wilhng to give up all those fair 
 and glittering anticipations, and to 
 submit to whatever trials may be in- 
 cident to a life of self-denying piety. 
 Religion, with all its privations and 
 sacrifices, is preferred, nor is there 
 ever occasion to regret the choice. 
 Moses deliberately made that choice : 
 — nor in all the trials which succeed- 
 ed it — in all the cares incident to his 
 great office in conducting the child, 
 ren of Israel to the promised land — 
 in all tlieir ingratitude and rebellion 
 — is there the least evidence that he 
 ever once wished himself back again 
 that he might enjoy ' the pleasures of 
 sin' in Egypt. 
 
 26. Esteeming the reproach of Christ. 
 Marg. ' For ;' tliat is, on account of 
 Christ. This means either that he 
 was willing to bear the reproaches 
 incident to his belief that the Mes- 
 siah would come, and that he gave 
 up his fair prospects in Egypt with 
 that expectation ; or that he endured 
 sucJi reproaches as Ciirist suffered ; 
 or the apostle uses the expression as 
 a sort of technical phrase, well under- 
 stood in ills time, to denote sufferings 
 endured in the cause of religion. 
 Cliristians at tliat time would natural- 
 1}' describe all sufferings on account 
 of religion as endured in the cause 
 of Christ; and Paul, therefore, may 
 have used this phrase to denote suffer- 
 ings in the cause of religion — mean- 
 ing that Moses suffered what, when 
 the apostle wrote, would be called 
 'the reproaches of Christ.' It is not 
 easy, or perhaps possible, to deter 
 mine which of these interpretations 
 is the correct one. The most respect- 
 able names may be adduced in fivour 
 of each, and every reader must be 
 ! Icfl to adopt liis own view of that 
 I which is correct. The original will 
 I admit of either of them. Tlie gene- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 283 
 
 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, 
 not fearing " the wrath of the 
 
 a Ex. 10.28,29; 12.31. 
 
 ral idea is, that he would be reproach- 
 ed for the course which he pursued. 
 He could not expect to leave the splen- 
 dours of a court and undertake what 
 he did, without subjecting himself to 
 trials. He would be blamed by the 
 Egyptians for his interference in free- 
 ing their ' slaves,' and in bringing so 
 many calamities upon their country, 
 and he would be exposed to ridicule 
 for his folly in leaving his brilliant 
 prospects at court to become identi- 
 fied with an oppressed and despised 
 people. It is rare that men are zeal- 
 ous in doing good witliout exposing 
 themselves both to blame and to ridi- 
 cule. If Greater riches. Worth more ; 
 of greater value. Reproach itself is 
 not desirable ; but reproach, when a 
 man receives it in an effort to do good 
 to others, is worth more to him than 
 gold. I. Pet. iv. 13, 14. The scars 
 which an old soldier has received in 
 the defence of his country are more 
 valued by him than his pension ; and 
 the reproach which a good man re- 
 ceives in endeavouring to save others 
 is a subject of greater joy to him 
 than would be all the wealth which 
 could be gained in a life of sin. 
 IT Tfian the treasures in Egypt. It 
 is implied here, that Moses had a 
 prospect of inheriting large treasures 
 in Egypt, and that he voluntarily 
 gave them up to be the means of de- 
 livering his nation from bondage. 
 Egypt abounded in wealth ; and the 
 adopted son of the daughter of the 
 king would naturally be heir to a great 
 estate. IT For he had respect urito 
 the recompense of the reward. The 
 ' recompense of the reward' here re- 
 ferred to must mean tlie blessedness 
 of heaven — for he had no earthly re- 
 ward to look to. He had no prospect 
 of pleasure, or wealth, or honour, in 
 his undertaking. If he had sought 
 these, so far as human sagacity could 
 foresee, he would have remained at 
 tlie court of Pharaoh. The decla ra- 
 
 king : for he endured, as seeing 
 him * who is invisible. 
 
 b 1 Ti. 1. 17. 
 
 tion here proves that it is right to 
 have respect to the rewards of hea- 
 ven in serving God. It does not prove 
 that this was the only or the main 
 motive which induced Moses to aban- 
 don his prospects at court ; nor does 
 it prove that this should be our main 
 or only motive in leading a life of 
 piety. If it were, our religion would 
 be mere selfishness. But it is right 
 that we should desire the rewards 
 and joys of heaven, and that we 
 should allow the prospect of those re- 
 wards and joys to influence us as a 
 motive to do our duty to God, and to 
 sustain us in our trials. Comp. Phil, 
 iii. 8— 11. 13. 14. 
 
 27. By faith he forsook Egypt. 
 Some have understood tliis of the first 
 time in whicli Moses forsook Egypt, 
 when he fled into Midian, as record- 
 ed in E.v. ii. ; the majority of exposi- 
 tors liave supposed that it refers to 
 the time when he left Egypt to con- 
 duct the Israelites to the promised 
 land. That the latter is the time re- 
 ferred to is evident from the fact that 
 it is said that he did ' not fear the 
 wrath of the king.' When Moses 
 first fled to the land of Midian it is 
 expressly said that he went because 
 he did fear the anger of Pharaoh for 
 his liaving killed an Egyptian. Ex. 
 ii. 14, 15. He was at that time in 
 fear of his life; but when he left 
 Egypt at the head of the Hebrew 
 people, he had no such apprehensions. 
 God conducted him out with ' an high 
 hand,' and throughout all the events 
 connected with that remarkable de- 
 liverance, he manifested no dread of 
 Pharaoh, and had no apprehension 
 from what he could do. He went 
 forth, indeed, at the head of his peo- 
 ple when all the power of the king 
 was excited to destroy them, but he 
 went confiding in God : and this is 
 I the faith referred to here. IT For he 
 j endured. He persevered, amidst all 
 1 the trials and difficulties connected 
 
384 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4 
 
 23 Through faith he kept 
 the passover, " and the sprink- 
 
 a Ex. 12.21,&c. 
 
 with his leading forth tlie people from 
 bondage. H As seeing him who is in- 
 visible. As if he saw God. He had 
 no more doubt that God had called 
 him to ihis work, and that he would 
 sustain him, than if he saw him with 
 his bodily eyes. This is a most ac- 
 curate account of the nature of faith. 
 Comp. Notes on vcr. I. 
 
 28. Through faith he kept the pass- 
 over. Greek, ' he made — TrcKairjKt — the 
 passover,' which means more, it seems 
 to mc, than that he merely kept or 
 celebrated it. It implies that he insti- 
 tiiled this rite, and made the arrange- 
 ments ibr its observance. Tliere is 
 reference to the special agency, and 
 the special faith which he had in its 
 institution. The faith in the case 
 w;is conjidence that this would be the 
 means of preserving the first-born of 
 the Israelites, when the angel should 
 destroy the first-born of the Egyp- 
 tians, and also that it would be cel- 
 ebrated as a perpetual memorial of 
 this great deliverance. On the Pass- 
 over, see Notes on Matt. xxvi. 2. 
 ^ And the sprinkling of blood. The 
 blood of the paschal lamb on the lin- 
 tels and door-posts of the houses. Ex. 
 xii. 22. II Lest he that destroyed the 
 Jirst-born should touch them. The 
 first-born ofthe Egyptians. Ex. xii. 23. 
 The apostle has tlms enumerated 
 some of the things wliich illustrated 
 the faith of Moses. The strength of 
 his faith may be seen by a reference 
 to some of the circumstances which 
 characterized it. (1.) It was such con- 
 fidence in God as to lead him to tor- 
 sake the most flattering prospects 
 of worldly enjoyment. I see no evi- 
 dence, indeed, that he was the heir to 
 the throne ; but he was evidently heir 
 to great wealth ; he was encompassed 
 witli all the means of worldly plea- 
 sure ; he had every opportunity for a 
 life of literary and scientific pursuits ; 
 he was eligible to high and important 
 trusts ; he had a rank and station 
 
 ling of blood, lest he that de- 
 stroyed the first-born should 
 touch them. 
 
 which would be regarded as one of 
 the most honoured and enviable on 
 earth. None of those who are men- 
 tioned before in this chapter were re- 
 quired to make just such sacrifices as 
 this. Neither Abel, nor Noah, nor 
 Enoch, was called to forsake so bril- 
 liant worldly prospects ; and though 
 Abraham was called to a higher act 
 of iaitli when commanded to give up 
 his beloved son, yet there were some 
 circumstances of trial in the case of 
 Moses illustrating the nature of faith 
 whicli did not exist in the case of 
 Abraham. Moses, in the maturity 
 of liic, and with everything around 
 him that is usually regarded by men 
 as objects of ambition, was ready to 
 forego it all. So wherever true faith 
 exists, there is a readiness to abandon 
 the hope of gain, and brilliant pros- 
 pects of distinction, and fascinating 
 pleasures, in obedience to the com- 
 mand of God. (2.) Moses entered on 
 an undertaking wholly beyond the 
 power of man to accomplish, and 
 against every human probability of 
 success. It was no less than that of 
 restoring to freedom two millions ol 
 down-trodden, oppressed, and dispir 
 ited slaves, and conducting aged 
 and feeble men, tender females, help- 
 less children, with numerous flocks 
 and herds, across barren wastes to a 
 distant land. He undertook this 
 against tlie power of probably tho 
 most mighty monarch of his time; 
 from the midst of a warlike nation ; 
 and when the whole nation would be 
 kindled into rage at the loss of so 
 many slaves, and when he might ex 
 pcct tliat all the power of their wratli 
 would descend on him and his undis 
 ciplined and feeble hosts. He did thi» 
 when he had no wealth that he could 
 employ to furnish provisions or tho 
 means of defence ; no armies at his 
 command to encircle his jMiople on 
 their march ; and even lio influenca 
 among the peoplo himself, and with 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 285 
 
 29 By faith they passed ° 
 through the E-ed Sea as by dry 
 
 a Ex. 14. a-s.-sg. 
 
 every probability that they would dis- 
 regard him. Comp. Ex. iii. 11 ; iv. 1. 
 He did this when the whole Hebrew 
 people were to be aroused to willing- 
 ness to enter on the great undertak- 
 ing ; when there was every probabi- 
 lit}' that they would meet with formi- 
 dable enemies in the way, and when 
 tlicre was nothing human whatever 
 on which the mind could fix as a basis 
 of caleulation of success. If tliere 
 ever was any undertaking commenced 
 opposed to every human probability 
 of success, it was that of delivering 
 the Hebrew people and conducting 
 them to the promised land. To human 
 view it was quite as hopeless and im- 
 practicable as it would be now for a 
 stranger from Africa, claiming to be 
 a native prince there, and to have a 
 commission from God, to liberate the 
 two and a half millions of slaves in 
 this country, and conduct them to the 
 land of their fathers. In all the diffi- 
 culties and discouragements of the 
 undertaking of Moses, therefore, his 
 only hope of success must have arisen 
 from his confidence in God. (3.) It 
 was an undertaking where there were 
 many certain trials before him. The 
 people whom he sought to deliver 
 were poor and oppressed. An attempt 
 to rescue them would bring down the 
 wrath of the mighty monarch under 
 whom they were. They were a peo- 
 ple unaccustomed to self-government, 
 and as the result proved, prone to in- 
 gratitude and rebeUion. The journey 
 before him lay through a dreary 
 ■waste, where there was every pros- 
 pect that there would be a want of 
 food and water, and where he might 
 expect to meet with formidable ene- 
 mies. In all these things his only 
 hope must have been in God. It was 
 he only who could deliver them from 
 the grasp of the tyrant; who could 
 conduct them through the wilderness ; 
 who could provide for their wants in 
 the desert ; and who could defend a 
 vast multitude of women and children 
 
 land: which the Egyptians as- 
 saying to do, were drowned. 
 
 from the enemies which they would 
 be likely to encounter. (4.) There 
 was nothing in this to gratify ambi. 
 tion, or to promise an earthly re- 
 ward. All these prospects he gave 
 up when he left the court of Pharaoh. 
 To be the leader of a company of 
 emancipated slaves through a path- 
 less desert to a distant land, had no- 
 thing in itself that could gratify the 
 ambition of one who had been bred 
 at the most magnificent court on 
 earth, and who had enjoyed every ad- 
 vantage which the age afforded to qual- 
 ify him to fill any exalted ofliice. The 
 result showed that Moses never de- 
 signed to be himself the king of the 
 people whom he led forth, and that he 
 had no intention of aggrandizing his 
 own family in the case. 
 
 29. By faith they passed through 
 the Red Sea, as hy dry land. Ex. xiv. 
 22. 2.9. That is, it was only by con- 
 fidence in God tliat they were able to 
 do this. It was not by power which 
 they had to remove the waters and to 
 make a passage for themselves ; and 
 it was not by the operation of any 
 natural causes. It is not to be sup- 
 posed that all who passed through 
 the Red Sea had saving faith. The 
 assertion of the apostle is, that the 
 passage was made in virtue of strong 
 confidence in God, and that if it had 
 not been for this confidence the pas- 
 sage could not have been made at all. 
 Of this no one can entertain a doubt 
 who reads the history of that remark- 
 able transaction. IT Which the Egyp- 
 tians assaying to do, were drowned, 
 Ex. xiv, 27, 28. Evidently referred 
 to here as showing the effects of not 
 having faith in God, and of what 
 must inevitably have befallen the Is- 
 raelites if they had had no faith. The 
 destruction of the Egyptians by the 
 return of the waters in accordance 
 with natural laws, showed that the 
 Israelites would have been destroyed 
 in the passage, if a divine energy 
 had not been imployed to prevent 
 
386 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4 
 
 30 By faith the walls of Je 
 richo " fell down, after they 
 
 31 By Aiith the harlot Ra- 
 hab * perished not with them 
 
 were compassed about seven i that ' believed not, when she 
 
 days. 
 
 a Jo». 6. 12-20. b Jos. 6. 23 ; Ja. 2. 25. 
 1 or, were disobedient. c Jos. 2. 4. &c. 
 
 it. On the passage through the Red 
 Sea, see Robinson's liiblical Re- 
 searches, vol. i. pp. 81 — 86. 
 
 30. By faith the walls of Jericho 
 fell down,'&.c. Josli.vi. 12— -20. That 
 is, it was not by any natural causes, 
 or by any means that were in them- 
 selves adapted to secure siicli a result. 
 It was not because tiicy icll of them- 
 selves; nor because they were assailed 
 by the hosts of the Israelites; nor 
 was it because there was any natural 
 tendency in the blowing of horns to 
 cause them to fall. None of these 
 things were true ; and it was only by 
 confidence in God that means so little 
 adapted to such a purpose could have 
 been employed at all ; and it was only 
 by continued faith in him thai tliey 
 could have been persevered in day by 
 day, when no impression whatever 
 was made. The strength of the faith 
 evinced on tliis occasion appears from 
 such circumstances as these: — Ihat 
 there was no natural tendency in the 
 means used to produce the effect; 
 that there was great apparent impro- 
 bability that the effect would follow ; 
 that they might be exposed to nuieh 
 ridicule from those within the city 
 for attempting to demolish their 
 strong walls in this manner, and from 
 the fact tliat the city was encircled 
 day after day without producing any 
 result. This may teach us the pru- 
 prieiy and necessity of faith in simi- 
 lar circumstances. Ministers of the 
 gospel often preach where there seems 
 to be as little prospect of beating 
 down the opposition in the human 
 heart by the message which they de- 
 Hver, as there was of demolisliing tlie 
 walls of Jericho by the blowing of 
 ram's horns. They blow the gospel 
 trumpet from week to week and 
 month to month, and there seems to 
 be no tendency in the strong citadel 
 
 had received the spies 
 peace. 
 
 with 
 
 of the heart to yield. Perhaps tlio 
 only apparent result is to excite ridi- 
 cule and scorn. Yet let them not 
 despair. Let them blow on. Let 
 them still lift up their voice with faith 
 in God, and in due time the walls of 
 tiie citadel will totter and fall. God 
 has power over the human heart as he 
 had over Jericho ; and in our darkest 
 day of discouragement let us remcm- 
 bcr that we are never in circumstan- 
 ces indicating less probability of suc- 
 cess from any api)areiit tendency in 
 the means used to accomplish the re- 
 sult, than tliose were who encompass- 
 ed this heathen city. With similar 
 confidence in God we may hope for 
 similar success. 
 
 31. By faith the harlot Rahab. Sho 
 resided in Jericho. Josh. ii. 1. When 
 Joshua crossed tlie Jordan, he sent 
 two men as spies to lier house, and 
 she saved them by concealment from 
 the enemies that would have destroy- 
 ed their lives. For this act of hospi- 
 tality and kindness, they assured lier 
 of safety when the city should be de- 
 stroyed, and directed her to give an 
 indication of her place of abode to the 
 invading Israelites, that her house 
 might be spared. Josh ii. 18, 19. In 
 the destruction of the city, she was 
 accordingly preserved. Josh. vi. The 
 apostle seems to have selected this 
 ease as illustrating the nature of 
 faitii, i>artly because it occurred at 
 Jericho, of which he had just made 
 mention, and partly to sliow that 
 strong faith had been exercised not 
 oidy by the patriarchs, and by those 
 who were confessed to be great and 
 ' good, but by those in humble life, 
 I iind whose earlier conduct had been 
 far from tlie ways of virtue. Calvin, 
 Much perplexity has been felt in 
 reference to this case, and many at- 
 tempts have been made to remove the 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 287 
 
 difficulty. The main difficulty has 
 been that a woman of this character 
 should be enumerated among those 
 who were eminent ibr piety, and many 
 expositors have endeavoured to show 
 that the word rendered harlot docs not 
 necessarily denote a woman of aban- 
 doned character, but may be used to 
 denote a hostess. This definition is 
 given by Schleusner, who says that 
 the word may mean one who prepares 
 and sells food, and who receives 
 strangers to entertain them. Others 
 have supposed that tlie word means 
 an idolatress, because those devoted 
 to idolatry were frequently of aban- 
 doned character. But there are no 
 clear instances in which the Greek 
 word and the corresponding Hebrew 
 word — njl? — is used in this sense. 
 The usual and the fair meaning of 
 the word is that which is given in 
 our translation, and there is no good 
 reason wliy that signification should 
 not be retained here. It is not im- 
 plied by the use of the word here, 
 however, that Rahab was an harlot 
 at the time to which the apostle re- 
 fers ; but the meaning is, that this 
 had been her character, so that it was 
 proper to designate her by this ap- 
 pellation. In regard to this case, 
 therefore, and in explanation of the 
 difficulties which have been felt in re- 
 ference to it, we may remark, (1.) that 
 the obvious meaning of this word 
 here and of the corresponding place 
 in Josh. ii. vi. is, that she had been a 
 woman of abandoned character, and 
 that she was known as such. That 
 she might have been also a hostess, 
 or one who kept a house of entertain- 
 ment for strangers, is at the same 
 time by no means improbable, since 
 it not unfrequently happened in an- 
 cient as well as modern times, that 
 females of this character kept such 
 houses. It might have been the fact 
 that her house was known merely as 
 a house of entertainment that led the 
 spies who went to Jericlio to seek a 
 lodging there. It would be natural 
 that strangers coming into a place 
 should act in this respect as all other 
 
 travellers did, and should apply for 
 entertainment at what was know'n as 
 a public house. (2.) There is no im- 
 probability in supposing that her 
 course of life had been changed either 
 before their arrival, or in consequence 
 of it. Tiiey were doubtless wise and 
 holy men. Men would not be select- 
 ed for an enterprise like this, in whom 
 the leader of4,he Hebrew army could 
 not put entire confidence. It is not 
 unfair then to suppose that they were 
 men of eminent piety as well as sa- 
 gacity. Nor is there any improbability 
 in supposing that they would acquaint 
 this fiimale with the history of their 
 people, with their remarkable deliver- 
 ance from Egypt, and with the design 
 for which they were about to invade 
 the land of Canaan. There is evidence 
 that some such representations made 
 a deep impression on her mind, and led 
 to a change in her views and feelings, 
 for she not only received them with 
 the usual proofs of hospitality, but 
 jeoparded her own. life in their de- 
 fence, when she might easily have 
 betrayed them. This fact showed 
 that she had a firm belief tliat they 
 were what they professed to be — the 
 people of God, and that she was wil- 
 ling to identify her interests with 
 theirs. (3.) This case — supposing 
 that she had been a woman of bad 
 character but now was trulj' convert- 
 ed — does not stand alone. Other 
 females of a similar character have 
 been converted, and have subsequent- 
 ly led lives of piety ; and thougli the 
 number is not comparatively great, 
 yet the truth of God has shown its 
 power in renewing and sanctifying 
 some at least of this, the most aban- 
 doned and degraded class of human 
 beings. " Publicans and harlots" 
 said the Saviour, " go into the king- 
 dom of God." Matt. xxi. 31. Rahab 
 seems to have been one of them ; and 
 her ease shows tliat such instances 
 of depravity are not hopeless. This 
 record, therefore, is one of encourage- 
 ment for the most abandoned sinners; 
 and one too which shows tliat stran- 
 gers, even in a public house, may do 
 good to those who have wandered far 
 
288 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 32 And what shall I more 
 Bay? for the time would fail 
 me to tell of" Gedeon, and of 
 Barak, * and of Samson, ' and 
 
 aJu. c. 6&7. 6 Ju. 4. C, &c. 
 
 from God and virtue, and that we 
 eiiould never despair of saving the 
 most abandoned of our race. (4.) 
 'J'here is no need of supposing that the 
 apostle in commending this woman 
 approved of all that slic did. That 
 Bhe was not perfect is true. That 
 she did some things which cannot be 
 vindicated is true also — and vi'iio does 
 not ? But admitting all that may be 
 said about any imperfection in her 
 character, (comp. Josh. ii. 4), it was 
 Btill true that slie had strong faith — 
 and that is all (/lat the apostle com- 
 mends. We an under no more ne- 
 cessity of vindicating all that she did, 
 than we are all that David or Feter 
 did — or all that is now done by those 
 who have the highest claims to virtue. 
 (5.) She had strong faith. It was only 
 a strong belief that Jehovah was the 
 true God, and that tlie children of Is- 
 rael were his people, which would have 
 led her to screen these strangers at the 
 peril of her own life ; and when the 
 city was encompassed, and the walls 
 fell, and the tumult of battle raged, 
 she showed her steady confidence in 
 their fidelity, and in God, by using 
 the simple means on which she was 
 told the safety of herself and her fa- 
 mily depended. Josh. vi. 22, 23. IT 
 With them that believed not. The in- 
 liabitants of the idolatrous city of 
 Jericho. The margin is, ' were diso- 
 bedient.^ The more correct rendering, 
 however, is, as in the text, believed 
 not. They evinced no such faith as 
 Rahab had, and they were therefore 
 destroyed. "IT Received the spies with 
 pence. With friendliness and kind- 
 ness. Josh ii. 1, seq. 
 
 32. And what shall I more say ? 
 'There are numerous other instances 
 showing the strength of faith which 
 there is not time to mention.' IT For 
 the lime would fail me to tell. To re- 
 count all that tiiey did ; all the illus- 
 
 of Jephthae ; '' of David ' also, 
 and Samuel, ■'' and of the pro- 
 phets. 
 
 c Ju. c. 1.5 & 16. 
 e I Sa. 17. 45, Sec. 
 
 d Ju. U. 32, &c. 
 / 1 Sa. 7. 9, &.C. 
 
 trations of the strength and power of 
 faith evinced in their lives. ^ Of 
 Gedeon. The history of Gideon is 
 detailed at length in Judges vi. vii., 
 and there can be no doubt that in his 
 wars he was sustained and animated 
 by strong confidence in God. If And 
 of Barak. Judges iv. Barak, at the 
 command of Deborah the prophetess, 
 who summoned him to war in the 
 name of the Lord, encountered and 
 overthrew the hosts of Sisera. His 
 yielding to her summons, and his 
 valour in battle against the enemies 
 of the Lord, showed that he was 
 animated by faith. IT And of Sam- 
 son. See the history of Samson in 
 Judges xiv — xvi. It is not by any 
 means necessary to suppose that in 
 making mention of Samson, the 
 apostle approved of all that he 
 did. All that he commends is his 
 faith, and though lie was a very 
 imperfect man, and there were many 
 things in his lite which neither 
 sound morality nor religion can ap- 
 prove, yet it was still true that he 
 evinced on some occasions remarka- 
 ble confidence in' God, by relying on 
 the strength which he gave him. This 
 was particularly true in the instance 
 where he made a great slaughter of 
 the enemies of the Lord and of his 
 country. See Judges xv. 14 ; xvi. 28. 
 IT And of Jephthae. The story of Jeph- 
 tha is recorded in Judges xi. Tke 
 mention of his name among those 
 wlio were distinguished for faith, has 
 given occasion to much perplexity 
 among expositors. Tliat a man of 
 so harsh and severe a character, a 
 man who sacrificed his own 
 ter in consequence of a 
 should be numbered among those who 
 were eminent for piety as if he were 
 one distiiiguiijhed for piety also, has 
 seemed to be wholly inconsistent and 
 improper. The same remark, how- 
 
 da ugh- 
 rash vow, 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 289 
 
 33 Who through faith sub- 
 ever, may be made respecting- Jeph- 
 tha which has been made of Samson 
 and others. The apostle does not com- 
 mend all which they did. He does 
 not deny that they were very imper- 
 fect men, nor that they did many 
 things which cannot be approved or 
 vindicated. He commends only one 
 thing — their faith ; and in these in- 
 stances jie particularly alludes doubt- 
 less to their remarkable valour and 
 success in delivering their country 
 from their foes and from the foes of 
 God. In this, it is implied, that they 
 regarded themselves as called to this 
 work by the Lord, and as engaged in 
 his service ; and that they went forth 
 to battle depending on his protection 
 and nerved by confidence in hiin as 
 the God of their country. Their 
 views of God himself might be very 
 erroneous ; their notions of religion 
 — as was the case with Jephtha — very 
 imperfect and obscure ; many things 
 in their lives might be wholly incon- 
 sistent with what toe should now re- 
 gard as demanded by religion, and 
 still it might be true that in their ef- 
 forts to deliver their country, they re- 
 lied on the aid of God, and were ani- 
 mated to put forth extraordinary ef- 
 forts, and were favoured with extra- 
 ordinary success from their confidence 
 in him. In the case of Jephtha, all 
 that it is necessary to suppose in order 
 to see the force of the illustration of 
 the apostle is, that he had strong con- 
 fidence in God — the God of his na- 
 tion, and that, under the influence of 
 this, he made extraordinary eflSbrts in 
 repelling his foes. And this is not 
 unnatural, or improbable, even on the 
 supposition that he was not a pious 
 man. How many a Greek, and Ro- 
 man, and Goth, and Mohammedan 
 has been animated to extraordinary 
 courage in battle, by confidence in 
 the gods which they worshipped ! 
 That Jephtha had this, no one can 
 doubt. See Judges xi. 29 — 39. Even 
 in the great and improper sacrifice 
 of his only daughter, which the obvi- 
 ous interpretation of the record re- 
 25 
 
 dued kingdoms, wrought right- 
 
 specting him in Judges xi. 39, leads 
 us to suppose he made, he did it as 
 an offering to the Lord, and under 
 these mistaken views of duty, ha 
 showed by the greatest sacrifice which 
 a man could make — that of an only 
 child — that he was disposed to do what 
 ,he believed was required by religion. 
 A full examination of the case of 
 Jephtha, and of the question whether 
 he really sacrificed his daughter, may 
 be found in Warburton's Divine Le- 
 gation of Moses, Book ix. Notes ; in 
 Bush's Notes on Judges xi. ; and in 
 the Biblical Repository for January 
 1843. It is not necessary to go into 
 the much litigated inquiry here whe- 
 ther he really put his daughter to 
 death, for whether he did or not, it is 
 equally true that he evinced strong con- 
 fidence in God. If he did do it, in obe- 
 dience as he supposed to duty and to 
 the divine command, no higher in- 
 stance of faith in God as having a 
 right to dispose of all that he had, 
 could be furnished ; if he did not, his 
 eminent valour and success in bat- 
 tie show that he relied for strength 
 and victory on the arm of Jehovah. 
 The single reason why the piety of 
 Jephtha has ever been called in ques- 
 tion, has been the fact that he sacri- 
 ficed his own daughter. If he did 
 not do that, no one will doubt his 
 claims to an honoured rank among 
 those who have evinced faith in God 
 ^ Of David also. Commended justly 
 as an eminent example of a man who 
 had faitji in God, though it cannot be 
 supposed that all that he did was ap- 
 proved. IT And Samuel. In early 
 youth distinguished for his piety, and 
 manifesting it through his life. See 
 I. Sam. If And of t?te prophets. They 
 were men who had strong confidence 
 in the truth of what God directed 
 them to foretell, and who were ever 
 ready, depending on him, to make 
 known the most unwelcome truths to 
 their fellow-men, even at the peril of 
 their lives. 
 
 33. Whothroughfaith subdued king- 
 doms. That is, those specified in the 
 
290 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 eousncss, obtained promises, " 
 stopped the mouths of lions, ' 
 
 34 Quenched the violence 
 of fire, ' escaped "^ the edge of 
 the swordjOutof weakness were 
 
 a Ga. 3. 16. 
 
 c Da. 3. 25. 
 
 6 Da. 6. 22. 
 
 previous verses, and others like them. 
 The meaning is, tliat some of them 
 subdued kingdoms, others obtained 
 promises, &.e. Thus, Joshua subdued 
 the nations of Canaan ; Gideon the 
 Midianitcs ; Jephtha the Ammonites ; 
 David the Philistines, Amalekites, Je- 
 bu.sitcs, Edomites, &c. ^ Wrought 
 righteousness. Carried the laws of 
 justiee into exceution, partieularly on 
 guilty nations. Tiicy cxceuted the 
 great purposes of God in punishing 
 the wicked, and in cutting off his foes. 
 IT Obtained promises. Or obtained 
 promised blessings {Bloomjield, Stu- 
 art) ; that is, they obtained, as a re- 
 sult of their faith, promises of bless- 
 ings on their posterity in future times. 
 If Stopped the 7nouths of lions. As 
 Samson, Judges xiv. 16; David, I. 
 Sam. xvii. 34, seq. ; and particularly 
 Daniel. Dan. vi. 7, seq. To be able 
 to subdue and render harmless the 
 king of the forest — the animal most 
 dreaded in early times — was regarded 
 as an eminent achievement. 
 
 34. Quenched the violence of fire. 
 As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedne- 
 go did, Dan. iii. 15 — 26. ^ Escaped 
 the edge of the sword. As Elijah did 
 when he fled from Ahab, I. Kings 
 xi.x. 3 ; as Elijali did wlien he was 
 delivered from the king of Syria, II. 
 Kings vi. 16; and as David did when 
 he fled Irom Saul. ^ Out of lorak. 
 nesa xoere made strong. Enabled to 
 perform exploits beyond their natural 
 strengtli, or raised up from a state of 
 bodily infirmity and invigorated lor 
 conflict. Such a case as liiat of Sam- 
 son may be referred to, Judges xv. 
 15 ; xvi. 26 — 30 ; or as that of Ileze- 
 kiah, II. Kings xx., who was restored 
 from dangerous sickness by the im- 
 mediate interposition' of God. Sec 
 Notes on Isa. xxxviii. If Waxed va- 
 
 made strong, waxed valiant in 
 fight, turned to flight the armies 
 of the aliens. 
 
 35 Women ' received their 
 
 dead raised to life 
 
 again 
 
 d 1 K. 19. 3 ; 2 K. 6. 16. 
 c 1 K. 17. '■a ; 2 K. 4. 35. 36. 
 
 and 
 
 liant in Jight. Became valiant. Like 
 Joshua, Barak, David, &c. Tlie books 
 of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings 
 supply instances of this in abundance. 
 f Turned to flight the armies of the 
 aliens. The foreigners — as the in- 
 vading Philistines, Ammonites, Mo- 
 abites, Assyrians, &c. 
 
 35. Women received their dead rais- 
 ed to life again. As in the case of the 
 woman of Zarephath, whose child 
 was restored to life by Elijah, I. Kings 
 xvii. 19 — 22; and of the son of tho 
 Sliunamite woman, whose child was 
 restored to life by Elisha. II. Kings 
 iv. 18 — 37. If And others were tor- 
 tured. The word which is here used 
 — rii//77ai'i^u( — to tympanize, refers to a 
 form of severe torture which was 
 sometimes practised. It is derived 
 from TVjjinavov — tympanum — a drum, 
 tabret, timbrel ; and the instrument 
 was probably so culled from resem- 
 bling the drum or the timbrel. This 
 instrument consisted in the East of a 
 thin wooden rim covered over with 
 skin, as a tambourine is with us. See 
 it described in the Notes on Isa. v. 12. 
 The engine of torture here referred 
 to probably resembled the drum in 
 form, on which the body of a crimi- 
 nal was bent so as to give greater se- 
 verity to tlie wounds which were in- 
 flicted by scourging, l^he lash would 
 cut deeper when the body was so ex- 
 tended, and the open gashes exposed 
 to the air would increase the torture. 
 Sec II. Mac. vi. VJ—2D. The pun- 
 ishmint iierc referred to seems to iiave 
 consisted of two things — the stretcli- 
 ing upon the instruuK^nt, and the 
 scourging. See Robinson's Lex., and 
 Stuart in loc. Blooinfield, however, 
 supposes tliat the mode of the torture 
 can be best learned from the original 
 meaning of the word Tfimavov—tijm- 
 
A.. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 291' 
 
 others were tortured, not accept- 
 ing ." deliverance ; that they 
 might obtain a better resurrec- 
 tion : 
 
 36 And others had trial of 
 
 a Ac. 4. 19. 
 
 6 Ge. 39. 20. 
 
 panum — as meaning' (1) a beating-- 
 stick, and (2) a beating-post, which 
 was in the form of a T, thus suggest- 
 ing the posture of the sufferer. This 
 beating, says he, was sometimes ad- 
 ministered with sticks or rods ; and 
 sometimes with leather tliongs inclos- 
 ing pieces of lead. The former ac- 
 coimt, however, better agrees with 
 the usual meaning of the word. If Not 
 accepting deliverance. When it was 
 offered them ; that is, on condition 
 that they would renounce their opin- 
 ions, or do what was required of them. 
 This is the very nature of the spirit 
 of martyrdom. IT That they might 
 obtain a better resurrection. That is, 
 when they were subjected to this kind 
 of torture they were looked upon as 
 certainly dead. To hav<; accepted de- 
 liverance then, would have been a kind 
 of restoration to life, or a species of re- 
 surrection. But they refused this, and 
 looked forward to a more honourable 
 and glorious restoration to life ; a re- 
 surrection, therefore, which would be 
 better than this. It would be in it- 
 self more noble and honourable, and 
 would be permanent, and therefore 
 better. No particular instance of this 
 kind is mentioned in the Old Testa- 
 ment; but amidst the multitude of 
 cases of persecution to which good 
 men were subjected, there is no im- 
 probability in supposing that this may 
 liave occurred. The case of Eleazer, 
 recorded in II. Tvlac. vi., so strongly 
 resembles what the apostle says liere, 
 that it is very possible he may have 
 had it in his eye. The passage be- 
 fore us proves tliat the doctrine of the 
 resurrection was understood and be- 
 lieved before the coming of the Saviour, 
 and tliat it was one of the doctrines 
 which sustained and animated those 
 who were called to suffer on account 
 of their religion. In the prospect of 
 
 cruel mockings and scourglngs, 
 yea, moreover, of bonds * and 
 imprisonment. ' 
 
 37 They were stoned, "^ they 
 were sawn asunder, were tempt- 
 
 c Je. 20. 2. d Ac. 7. 59. 
 
 death uiyler the infliction of torture 
 on account of religion, or under the 
 pain produced by disease, nothing 
 will better enable us to bear up under 
 the suffering than the expectation that 
 tlic body will be restored to immortal 
 vigour, and raised to a mode of life 
 where it will be no longer suscepti- 
 ble of pain. To be raised up to that 
 life is a ' better resurrection' than to 
 be saved from death when persecuted, 
 or to be raised up from a bed of pain. 
 
 36. And others had trial of cruel 
 mockings. Referring to the scorn and 
 derision which the ancient victims of 
 persecution experienced. This ba3 
 been oflen experienced by martyrs, 
 and doubtless it was the case with 
 those who suffered on account of their 
 religion before the advent of the Sa- 
 viour as well as afterwards. Some 
 instances of this kind are mentioned 
 in the Old Testament (II King. ii. 
 23 ; I. Kings xxii. 24) ; and it was 
 frequent in the time of the Maccabees. 
 IT And scourging. Whipping. This 
 was a common mode of punishment, 
 and was usually inflicted before a 
 martyr was put to death. See Notes 
 on Matt. X. 17; xxvii. 26. For in- 
 stances of this, see Jer. xx. 2 ; II. Mac. 
 vii. 1 ; V. 17. If Of bonds. Chains. 
 Gen. xxxix. 20. IT And imprisonment. 
 See I. Kings xxii. 27 ; Jer. xx. 2. 
 
 37. They were stoned. A common 
 method of punishment among the 
 Jews, See Notes on Matt. xxi. 35. 44. 
 Thus Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada 
 the priest, was stoned. See II. Chron. 
 xxiv. 21 ; comp. I. Kings xxi. 1 — 14. 
 It is not improbable that this was 
 often resorted to in times of popular 
 tumult, as in the case of Stephen, 
 Acts vii. 59 ; comp. John x. 31 ; Acta 
 xiv. 5. In the time of the terrible 
 persecutions under Antioclms Epiph- 
 anes, and under Manasseh, such in 
 
S9d 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 04. 
 
 ed, were slain with the sword : 
 they wandered about in sheep- 
 
 etanccs also probably occurred. ^ They 
 were sawn asunder. It is coininonly 
 supposed that Isaiah was put to deatli 
 in this manner. For the evidence of 
 this, sec Introduction to Isaiah, § *J. 
 It is known that this mode of punish- 
 ment, lliough not common, did exist 
 in ancient times. Among the Ko- 
 mans, the laws of the twelve tablc.s 
 affixed this as tiie punishment of cer- 
 tain crimes, Lrnt this mode of execu- 
 tion was very rare, since Aulius Gcl- 
 lius says that in his time no one re- 
 membered to have seen it practised. 
 It appears, however, from Suetonius 
 that the emperor Calig-ula often con- 
 demned persons of rank to be sawn 
 through the middle. Calmct, writing 
 above a hundred years ago, says, " I 
 am assured that the punishment of 
 the saw is still in use among the Swit- 
 zers, and that they put it in practice 
 not many 3'ears ago upon one of their 
 countrymen, guilty of a great crime, 
 in the plain of Grenelles, near Paris. 
 They put him into a kind of coffin, 
 and sawed him lengthwise, beginning 
 at the head, as a piece of wood is 
 sawn." Fict. Bib. It was not an un- 
 usual mode of punishment to cut a 
 person asunder, and to suspend the 
 different parts of the body to walls 
 and towers as a warning to the liv- 
 ing. Sec I. Sam. xxxi. 10, and JVIo- 
 ricr's Second Journey to Persia, p. 96. 
 IT Were tempted. On this expression, 
 which has given much perplexity to 
 critics, see the Notes of Prof Stuart, 
 Bloomfield, and Kuinoel. Tlicre is a 
 great variety of reading in the MSS. 
 and editions of the New Testament, 
 and many have regarded it as an in- 
 terpolation. The difficulty vvhicli has 
 been felt in reference to it has been, 
 that it is a much 7nilder word tiian 
 those just used, and that it is hardly 
 probable that the apostle would enu- 
 merate this among those which he 
 had just specified, as if to be templed 
 deserved to be mentioned among suf- 
 ferings of so severe a nature. But it 
 
 skins and goatskins ; being des- 
 titute, afflicted, tormented ; 
 
 seems to rac there need be no real 
 difficulty in the case. The apostle 
 here, among other sufferings which 
 they were called to endure, may have 
 referred to the temptations which were 
 presented to the martyrs when about 
 to die to abandon their religion and 
 live. It is very possible to conceive 
 tliat this might have been among the 
 highest aggravations of their suffer- 
 ings. We know that in later times 
 it was a common practice to offer life 
 to those who were doomed to a horrid 
 death on condition that they would 
 throw incense on the altars of a hea- 
 then god, and we may easily suppose 
 that a temptation of that kind, art- 
 fully presented in the midst of keen 
 tortures, would greatly aggravate their 
 sufferings. Or suppose when a father 
 was about to be put to death for his 
 religion, his wife and children were 
 placed before Aim and should plead 
 with him to save his life by abandon- 
 ing his religion, we can easily ima- 
 gine that no pain of the rack would 
 cause so keen torture to the soul as 
 their cries and tears would. Amidst 
 the sorrows of martyrs, therefore, it 
 was not improper to say that they 
 were tempted, and to place this among 
 their most aggravated woes. For in- 
 stances of this nature, see II. Mac. vi, 
 21, 22; vii. 17. 24. f Were slain with 
 the sword. As in the case of tlie 
 eighty-five priests slain by Doeg ([. 
 Sam. xxii. 16); and the prophets, of 
 whose slaughter by the sword Elijah 
 complains. I. Kings xix. 10. ^ Theif 
 wandered about in sheepskins and 
 goatskins. Driven away from their 
 homes, and compelled to clothe them- 
 selves in this rude and uncomfortable 
 manner. A dress of tiiis kind, or a 
 dress made of hair, was not uncom- 
 mon with the prophets, and seems in- 
 deed to have been regarded as an ap- 
 propriate badge of their o!^lce. Sec II. 
 Kings, i. 8 ; Zecn. xiii. 4. ^ Being 
 destitute, afflicted, tormented. Tl)e 
 word tormented here means tortured. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 293 
 
 38 (Of whom the world was 
 not worthy :) they wandered in 
 deserts, and in mountains, and 
 in dens and caves of the earth. 
 
 39 And these all, having ob- 
 tained a good report through 
 
 1 or, foreseen. 
 
 The apostle expresses here in general 
 what in the previous verses he had 
 specified in detail. 
 
 38. Of whom the world was not 
 worthy. The world was so wicked 
 that it had no claim that such holy 
 men should live in it. These poor, 
 despised, and persecuted men, living 
 as outcasts, and wanderers, were of a 
 character far elevated above the world. 
 This is a most beautiful expression. 
 It is at once a statement of their emi- 
 nent holiness and of the wickedness 
 of the rest of mankind. "^ They wan- 
 dered in deserts, &c. On the Scrip- 
 ture meaning of the word desert or 
 wilderness, see Notes on Matt. iii. 1. 
 Tliis is a description of persons driven 
 away from their homes, and wander- 
 ing about from place to place to pro- 
 cure a scanty subsistence. Comp. I. 
 Mac. i. 53 ; II. Mac. v. 27 ; vi. 7. 
 The instances mentioned in the Books 
 of Maccabees are so nmch in point, 
 that there ip no impropriety in sup- 
 posing that Paul referred to some 
 such cases, if not these very cases. 
 As there is no doubt about their his- 
 toric truth, there was no impropriety 
 in referring to them, though they are 
 not mentioned in the canonical books 
 of Scripture. One of those cases may 
 be referred to as strikingly illustrating 
 what is here said. " But Judas Mac- 
 cabeus with nine others, or thereabout, 
 withdrew himself into the wilderness, 
 and lived in the mountains after the 
 manner of beasts, with his company, 
 V/ho fed on herbs continually, lest 
 they should be partakers of the pollu- 
 tion." II. Mac. V. 27. 
 
 39. And these all, having obtained 
 a good report, through faith. I'hey 
 were all commended and approved on 
 account of tlieir confidence in God. 
 See Notes on ver. 2. ^ Received not 
 
 25* 
 
 faith, received not the pro- 
 mise : 
 
 40 God having ' provided 
 some better thing for us, that 
 they without ° us should not be 
 made perfect. 
 
 a Re. 6. 11. 
 
 the promise. That is, did not receiva 
 the fulfilment of the promise ; or did 
 not receive all that was promised. 
 They all still looked forward to some 
 future blessings. Notes, ver. 13. 
 
 40. God having provided some bet- 
 ter thing for us. Ma.rg. foreseen. That 
 is, ' God having provided, or deter- 
 mined on giving some better thing 
 than any of them realized, and which 
 we are now permitted to enjoy.' That 
 is, God gave them promises ; but 
 they were not allowed to see their 
 fulfilment. We are permitted now to 
 see what they referred to, and in part, 
 at least, to witness their completion; 
 and tliough the promise was made to 
 them, the fuljiiment more particularly 
 pertains to us. IT That they without 
 us should not be made perfect. That 
 is, cmnplete. The whole system of 
 revelation was not complete at once, 
 or in one generation. It required 
 successive ages to make the system 
 complete, so that it might be said that 
 it wols finished, or perfect. Our exist- 
 ence, therefore, and the developments 
 in our times, were as necessary to the 
 perfection of the system as the pro- 
 mise made to the patriarchs. And 
 as the system would not have been 
 complete if the blessings had been 
 simply conferred on us without the 
 previous arrangements, and the long 
 scheme of introductory measures, so 
 it would not have been complete if 
 the promises had been merely given 
 to tlieni without the corresponding 
 fulfilment in our times. They are 
 like the two parts of a tally. The 
 fathers had one part in the pro- 
 mises, and we the other in the fulfil- 
 ment, and neither would have been 
 complete without the other. The 
 ' better things' then referred to here 
 as possessed by Christians, are the 
 
294 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 61. 
 
 privilege of seeing those promises 
 fulfilled in the Messiah ; the blessings 
 resulting from the atonement; the 
 more expanded views whieh they 
 have under the gospel ; the brighter 
 hopes of heaven itself, and the elearer 
 apprehension of what lieaven will be, 
 which they are permitted to enjoy. 
 This, therefore, aecords entirely with 
 the argument wliieh the apostle is 
 pursuing — which is, to show that the 
 Christians whom he addressed should 
 not apostatize from their religion. 
 The argument is, that in numerous 
 instances, as specified, the saints of 
 ancient times, even under fiery trials, 
 were sustained by faith in God, and 
 that too when they had not seen the 
 fulfilment of the promises, and when 
 they had much more obscure views 
 than we are permitted to enjoy. If 
 they, under the influence of the mere 
 promise of future blessings, were en- 
 abled thus to persevere, how much 
 more reason is there for us to perse- 
 vere who have been permitted, by the 
 coming of the Messiah, to witness 
 the perfection of the system ! 
 
 There is no part of the New Tes- 
 tament of more value than this chap- 
 ter ; none which deserves to be more 
 patiently studied, or which may be 
 more frequently applied to the cir- 
 cumstances of Christians. These in- 
 valuable records are adapted to sus- 
 tain us in times of trial, temptation, 
 and persecution ; to show us what 
 faith has done injlays that are past, 
 and what it may do still in similar 
 circumstances. Nothing can better 
 show the value and the power of faith, 
 or of true religion, than the records 
 in this chapter. It has done what 
 nothing else could do. It has enabled 
 men to endure what nothing else 
 would enable them to bear, and it has 
 shown its power in inducing tlicin to 
 give up, at tlie command of God, what 
 the human heart holds most dear. 
 And among the lessons which we 
 may derive from the study of this 
 portion of divine truth, let us learn 
 from the example of .\bel to continue 
 to oflTcr to God the sacrifice of true 
 piety which Iv: requires, though we 
 
 may be taunted or opposed by oiii 
 nearest kindreil ; from that of Enoch 
 to walk with God, though surrounded 
 by a wicked world, and to look to the 
 blessed translation to heaven which 
 awaits all the righteous ; from that 
 of Noah to comply with all the direc- 
 tions of God, and to make all needful 
 preparations for the future events 
 which he has predicted, in which we 
 are to be interested — as death, judg- 
 ment, and eternity — though the events 
 may seem to be remote, and though 
 there may be no visible indications 
 of their coming, and though the world 
 may deride our faith and our fears; 
 from that of Abraham to leave coun- 
 try, and home, and kindred, if God 
 calls us to, and to go just where he 
 commands, through deserts and wilds, 
 and among strange men, and like 
 him also to be ready to give up the 
 dearest objects of our earthly affec- 
 tion, even when attended with all tliat 
 can try or torture our feelings of af- 
 fection — feeling that God who gave 
 has a right to require their removal 
 in his own way, and that however 
 much we may fix our hopes on a dear 
 cliikl, he can fulfil all his purposes 
 and promises to us thougli such a 
 child should be removed by death ; 
 from that of Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Jacob, to regard ourselves as stran- 
 gers and pilgrims on earth, having 
 here no permanent home, and seek- 
 ing a better country ; from that of 
 Moses to be willing to leave all the 
 pomp and splendour of the world, all 
 our brilliant prospects and hopes, and 
 to welcome poverty, reproach, and 
 suffering, that we may identify our- 
 selves with the people of God ; by the 
 remembrance of the host of worthies 
 who met danger, and encountered 
 mighty foes, and vanquished them, 
 let us learn to go forth in our spiritual 
 conflicts against the enemies of our 
 souls and of the church, assured of 
 victory ; and from the example tif, 
 those who were driven from the 
 abodes of men, and exposed to tlie 
 storms of persecution, let us learn to 
 bear every trial, and to be ready at 
 any moment to lay down our lives in 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 295 
 
 tlie cause of truth and of God. Of 
 all those holy men who made these 
 sacrifices, which of them ever regret- 
 ted it, when he came calmly to look 
 over his life, and to review it on the 
 borders of the eternal world ? None. 
 Not one of tliem ever expressed re- 
 gret that he had given up the world ; 
 or that he had obeyed the Lord too 
 early, too faithfully, or too long. Not 
 Abraham who lelt his country and 
 kindred ; not Moses who abandoned 
 his brilliant prospects in Egypt ; not 
 Noah who subjected himself to ridi- 
 cule and scorn for an hundred and 
 twenty years ; and not one of those 
 ■who were exposed to lions, to fire, to 
 the edge of the sword, or who were 
 driven away from society as outcasts 
 to wander in pathless deserts or to 
 take up their abodes in caverns, ever 
 regretted the course which they had 
 chosen. And who of them all now 
 regrets it ? Who, of these worthies, 
 now looks from heaven and feels that 
 he suifered one privation too much, 
 or that he has not had an ample re- 
 compense for all the ills he experi- 
 enced in the cause of religion ? So 
 we shall feel when from the bed of 
 death we look over the present life, 
 and look out on eternity. Whatever 
 our religion may have cost us, we 
 shall not feel that we began to serve 
 God too early, or served him too faith- 
 fully. Whatever pleasure, gain, or 
 splendid prospects we gave up in or- 
 der to become Christians, we shall 
 feel that it was the way of wisdom, 
 and shall rejoice that we were able to 
 do it. whatever sacrifices, trials, 
 persecution, and pain, we may meet 
 with, we shall feel that there has been 
 more than a compensation in the con- 
 solations of religion, and in the hope 
 of heaven, and that by every sacrifice 
 we have been the gainers. When we 
 reach heaven, we shall see that we 
 have not endured one pain too much, 
 and that through whatever trials we 
 may have passed, the result is w^orth 
 all which it has cost. Strengthened 
 then in our trials by the remembrance 
 of what faith has done in times that 
 are past; recalling the example of 
 
 those who through faith and patience 
 have inherited the promises, let us go 
 cheerfully on our way. Soon the 
 journey of trials will be ended, and 
 soon whaX are now objects of faith 
 will become objects of fruition, and 
 in their enjoyment how trifling and 
 brief will seem all the sorrows of our 
 pilgrimage below ! 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 The apostle having illustrated the 
 nature and power of faith in the pre- 
 vious chapter, proceeds in this to ex- 
 hort those to whom he wrote to apply 
 the same principles to their own case, 
 and to urge them to manifest the 
 same steady confidence in God and 
 perseverance in their holy walk. For 
 tliis purpose, he adverts to the follow- 
 ing arguments or considerations : 
 
 I. He represents the ancient wor- 
 thies who had so faithfully persevered 
 and so gloriously triumphed, as wit- 
 nesses of their strife in the Christian 
 race, and as cheering them on to vie- 
 tory. Ver. 1. 
 
 II. He appeals to the example of 
 the .Saviour. Vs. 2 — 4. This was a 
 more illustrious instance than anv of 
 those which had been adverted to, and 
 is not referred to loith theirs, but is 
 adduced as deserving a separate and 
 a special specification. The circum- 
 stances in his case which are an en- 
 couragement to perseverance in the 
 Christian conilict, are these. (1.) He 
 endured the cross, and is now exalted 
 to the right hand of God. (2.) He 
 bore the contradiction of sinners 
 against himself, as those were called 
 to do to whom Paul wrote. (3.) H3 
 went beyond them in his trials and 
 temptations — beyond anything which 
 they could have reason to apprehend 
 — for he had 'resisted unto blood, 
 striving against sin.' 
 
 III. He encourages them by show- 
 ing that their trials would result in 
 their own good, and particularly that 
 the hand of a Father was in them. 
 Vs. 5 — 13. Particularly he urges (1) 
 that God addressed those who suffer- 
 ed as his sons, and called on them not 
 
296 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 WHEREFORE seeing we 
 also are compassed about 
 
 to receive witli improper feeling the 
 chastening of the Lord, vcr. 5 ; (2) 
 that it was a general prinelplc that 
 the Lord chastened tliose whom lie 
 loved, and the fact that we received 
 chastening was to be regarded as evi- 
 dence that we are under his paternal 
 care, and that he has not forsaken us, 
 vs. 6 — 8 ; (3) that they had been sub- 
 ject to the correction of earthly fa- 
 thers and had learned to be submis- 
 Bive, and that there was much higher 
 reason for submitting to God, vs. 9, 
 10 ; (4) and that however painful chas- 
 tisement might be at present, yet it 
 would ultimately produce important 
 benefits. Vcr. 11. By these consid- 
 erations he encourages them to bear 
 their trials with patience, and to as- 
 sume new courage in their efforts to 
 live a Christian life. Vs. 12, 13. 
 
 IV. He exhorts them to persever- 
 ance and fidelity by the fact that if 
 they should become remiss, and re- 
 nounce their confidence in God, it 
 would be impossible to retrieve what 
 was lost. Vs. 14 — 17, In illustrat- 
 ing this, he appeals to the case of 
 Esau. For a trifling consideration, 
 when in distress, he parted with an 
 invaluable blessing. When it was 
 gone, it was impossible to recover it. 
 No consideration could induce a 
 change, though he sought it earnestly 
 with tears. So it would be with Cliris- 
 tians, if, under the power of tempta- 
 tion, they should renounce their reli- 
 gion, and go back to their former 
 state. 
 
 V. He urges them to perseverance 
 by the nature of the dispensation un- 
 der which they were, as compared 
 with the one under which they had 
 formerly been — the Jewish. Vs. 18 
 — 29. Under the former, evcrytliing 
 was fitted to alarm and terrify the 
 soul. Vs. 18 — 21. Tlie new dispen- 
 sation was of a different character. 
 It was adapted to encourage and to 
 win the heart. The real Mount Zion 
 
 with 60 great a cloud of wit- 
 nesses, let us lay aside " every 
 
 a 2 Co. 7. 1. 
 
 — the city of the living God — the New 
 Jerusalem — the company of the an- 
 gels — the church of the first-born — 
 the Judge of all — the great Mediator 
 — to wiiich they had come under the 
 new dispensation, all these were fitted 
 to encourage the fainting heart, and 
 to win the affections of the soul. Vs. 
 22 — 21. Yet, in proportion to the 
 sacredness and tenderness of tlieso 
 considerations, and to the light and 
 privileges which they now enjoyed, 
 would be their guilt if they should 
 renounce tlieir religion — for under 
 this dispensation, as under tlie old, 
 God was a consuming fire. Vs. 25 
 —29. 
 
 1. Wlierefore. In view of what 
 has been said in the previous chap- 
 ter. ^ Seeing we also are compassed 
 about with so great a cloud of wit- 
 nesses. The apostle represents those 
 to whom he had referred in the pre- 
 vious chapter as looking on to witness 
 the efforts which Christians make, 
 and the manner in which they live. 
 There is allusion here, doubtless, to 
 the ancient games. A great multitude 
 of spectators usually occupied the cir- 
 cular seats in the amphitheatre, from 
 which they could easily behold the 
 combatants. See Notes on I. Cor. 
 ix. 21 — 27. In like manner, the 
 apostle represents Christians as en- 
 compassed with the multitude of wor- 
 thies to whom he had referred in the 
 previous chapter. It cannot be fairly 
 inferred from this that he means to 
 say that all those ancient worthies 
 were actually looking at the conduct 
 of Christians, and saw their conflicts 
 It is a figurative representation, such 
 as is common, and means tliat we 
 ought to act as if they were in sight, 
 and cheered us on. How tar the 
 spirits of the just who are departed 
 from tills world are permitted to be- 
 hold what is done on earth — if at all 
 — is not revealed in tiic Scriptures 
 The phrase 'a cloud of witnesses,' 
 
A. D. C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 297 
 
 weight, and the sin which doth 
 so easily beset us, and let us 
 
 means many witnesses, or a number 
 so great that they seem to be a cloud. 
 The comparison of a multitude of per- 
 sons to a cloud is common in the 
 classic writers. See Homer, II. iv. 
 274, xxiii. 133; Statius, i. 340, and 
 other instances adduced in Wetstein, 
 in loc. Comp. Notes on I. Thes. iv. 
 17. IT Let us lay aside every weight. 
 The word rendered weight — oyKov — 
 means that which is crooked or hook- 
 ed, and thence anything- tliat is at- 
 tached or suspended by a hook — that 
 is, by its whole weight, and hence 
 means weight. See Fassow. It does 
 not occur elsewhere in the New Tes- 
 tament. The word is often used in 
 the classic writers in the sense of 
 swelling, tumour, pride. Its usual 
 meaning is that of weight or burden, 
 and there is allusion here, doubtless, 
 to the runners in the games who were 
 careful not to encumber themselves 
 with anything that was heavy. Hence 
 their clothes were so made as not to 
 impede their running, and hence they 
 were careful in their training not to 
 overburden themselves with food, and 
 in every way to remove what would 
 be an impediment or hindrance. As 
 applied to the racers, it does not mean 
 that they began to run with anything 
 like a burden and then threw it away 
 — as persons sometimes aid their 
 jumping by taking a stone in their 
 hands to acquire increased momen- 
 tum — but that they were careful not 
 to allow anything that would be a 
 weight or an encumbrance. As ap- 
 plied to Christians, it means that 
 they should remove all which would 
 obstruct their progress in the Chris- 
 tian course. Thus it is fair to apply 
 it to whatever would be an impedi- 
 ment in our efforts to win the crown 
 of life. It is not the same thing in 
 all persons. In one it may be pride ; 
 in another vanity ; in another world- 
 liness ; in another a violent and al- 
 most ungovernable temper; in an- 
 other a corrupt imagination ; in an- 
 
 run with patience the race that 
 is set before us, 
 
 other a heavy, leaden, insensible heart; 
 in another some improper and unholy 
 attachment. Whatever it may be, 
 we are exhorted to lay it aside ; and 
 this general direction may be applied 
 to anything which prevents our mak> 
 ing the highest possible attainment 
 in the divine life. Some persons 
 would make much more progress if 
 they would throw away many of their 
 personal ornaments ; some if they 
 would disencumber themselves of the 
 heavy weight of gold which they are 
 endeavouring to carry with them. 
 So some very light objects, in them, 
 selves considered, become material 
 encumbrances. Even a feather or a 
 ring — such may be the fondness for 
 these toys — may become such a 
 weight that they will never make 
 much progress towards the prize. V 
 And the sin which doth so easily beset 
 us. The word which is here rendered 
 ' easily beset' — iv-KepiaTaTov — euperista- 
 ton — does not elsewhere occur in the 
 New Testament. It properly means, 
 ' standing well around ;' and hence 
 denotes that which is near, or at 
 hand, or readily occurring. So Chrys- 
 ostom explains it. Passow defines it 
 as meaning, ' easy to encircle.' Tin- 
 dal renders it ' the sin that hangeth 
 on us.' Theodoret and others explain 
 the word as if derived from ntpiaraais 
 — peristasis — a word which some- 
 times means affliction, peril — and 
 hence regard it as denoting that 
 which is full of peril, or the sin which 
 so easily subjects one to calamity, 
 Bloomfield supposes, in accordance 
 with the opinion of Grotius, Crellius, 
 Kype, Kuinoel and others, that it 
 means " the sin which especiallj' 
 winds around us and hinders our 
 course," with allusion to the long 
 Oriental garments. According to 
 this, the meaning would be, that as a 
 runner would be careful not to en- 
 cumber himself with a garment which 
 would be apt to wind around his legs 
 in running and hinder him, so it 
 
298 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. Cl. 
 
 2 Lookinor unto Jesus the 
 
 I or, be/finncr. 
 
 a Lii. 24. 26. 
 
 should be with the Christian, wiio es- 
 pecially ought to lay aside everything 
 which resembles this ; that is, all sin 
 whicli must impede his course. The 
 former of these interpretations, how- 
 ever, is most commonly adopted, and 
 best agrees with the established sense 
 of the word. It will then mean 
 that we are to lay aside every encum- 
 brance, particularly or especially — 
 for so the word xai ' and,'' should be 
 rendered here — the sins to which we 
 are most exposed. Such- sins are ap- 
 propriately called ' easily-besetting 
 sins.' They are those to which we 
 are particularly liable. They are 
 6uch sins as the following. (I.) Those 
 to which we are particularly exposed 
 by our natural temperament, or dis- 
 position. In some this is pride, in 
 others indolence, or gaiety, or levity, 
 or avarice, or ambition, or sensuality. 
 (2.) Those in which we freely indulged 
 before we became Christians. Tliey 
 will be likely to return with power, 
 and wo are far more likely, from the 
 laws of association, to fall into them 
 than into any other. Thus a man 
 who has been intemperate, is in spe- 
 cial danger from that quarter ; a man 
 who has been an infidel, is in special 
 danger of scepticism ; one who has 
 been avaricious, proud, ga}', or ambi- 
 tious, is in special danger, even after 
 conversion, of again committing these 
 sins. (3.) Sins to which we are ex- 
 posed by our profession, by our re- 
 lations to otiiers, or by our situation 
 in lite. They whose condition will 
 entitle them to associate with what 
 aro regarded as the more elevated 
 classes of society, are in special dan- 
 ger of indulging in the methods of 
 living and of anmsemcnt that are 
 common among tlicm ; they who are 
 prospered in the world are in danger 
 of losing the simplicity and spirit- 
 uality of their religion; they wiio 
 liold a civil ollicc are in danger of be- 
 coming mere politicians, and of losing 
 tlie very form and substance of piety. 
 (4.) Sins to which we arc exposed 
 
 ' author and finisher o(our faith ; 
 who, for the " joy that was set 
 
 from some peculiar weakness in our 
 character. On some points we may 
 be in no danger. \Vc may be consti- 
 tutionally so firm as not to be espe- 
 cially liable to certain forms of sin. 
 But every man has one or more weak 
 points in his character ; and it is 
 there that lie is particularly exposed. 
 A bow may be in the main very 
 strong. All along its length there 
 may be no danger of its giving way 
 — save at one place where it has been 
 made too thin, or where the material 
 was defective — and if it ever breaks, 
 it will of course be at that point. That 
 is the point, therefore, which needs 
 to be guarded and strengthened. So 
 in reference to character. There is 
 always some W'Cak point which needs 
 specially to be guarded, and our prin- 
 cipal danger is there. Self-knowledge, 
 so necessary in leading a holy life, 
 consists much in searching out those 
 weak points of character where we 
 are most exposed ; and our progress 
 in the Christian course will be deter- 
 mined much by the fidelity with 
 which we guard and strengthen them. 
 If And let us run with patience the 
 race that is set before us. The word 
 rendered 'patience' rather means in 
 this place perseverance. We are to 
 run the race without allowing our- 
 selves to be hindered by any obstruc- 
 tions, and without giving out or faint- 
 ing in the way. Encouraged by the 
 example of the multitudes who have 
 run the same race before us, and who 
 arc now looking out upon us from 
 heaven where they dwell, we are to 
 persevere as they did to the end. 
 
 2. Looking unto Jesus, -^s a farther 
 inducement to do this, the apostle ex- 
 horts us to look to the Saviour. We 
 are to look to his holy life ; to his pa- 
 tience and perses-orance in trials ; to 
 what he endured in order to obtain 
 the crown, and to his irjial success 
 and triumph. IT The author andjin- 
 isher of our faith. The word ' our'' 
 is not in the original here, and ob- 
 scures tlic sense. Tlic meaning is. 
 
A. D C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 beforts hirn, endured the cross, 
 despising the shame, and is set 
 
 he 's the first and the last as aa 
 example of faith, or of confidence in 
 God — occupying in this, as in all other 
 things, the pre-eminence, and being 
 the most complete model that can be 
 placed before us. The apostle had 
 not enumerated him among those 
 who had been distinguished tor their 
 faith, but he now refers to him as 
 above them all ; as a case that de- 
 served to stand by itself. It is pro- 
 bable that there is a continuance here 
 of the allusion to the Grecian games 
 which the apostle had commenced in 
 the previous verse. The word author 
 — apX''>'°'' — (marg. beginner) — means 
 properly the source, or cause of any 
 thing ; or one who makes a begin- 
 ning. It is rendered in Acts iii. 15, 
 V. 31, Prince ; in Heb. ii. 10, Captain ; 
 and in the place before us, Author. It 
 does not elsewhere occur in the New 
 Testament. The phrase ' the begin- 
 ner of faith,' or the leader on of faith, 
 would express the idea. He is at the 
 head of all those who have furnished 
 an example of confidence in God, for 
 he was himself the most illustrious 
 instance of it. The expression, then, 
 does not mean properly that he pro- 
 duces faith in us, or that we believe 
 because he causes us to believe — what- 
 ever may be the truth about that — but 
 that he stands at the head as the most 
 eminent example that can be referred 
 to on the subject of faith. We are 
 exhorted to look to him, as if at the 
 Grecian games there was one who 
 stood before the racer who had pre- 
 viously carried away every palm of vic- 
 tory; vvhohad alwaysbeen triumphant, 
 ind with whom there was no one who 
 fould be compared. The word yinisA- 
 ar — Ti'XctwTriv — corresponds in mcan- 
 ixig with the word author. It means 
 that he is the completer as well as the 
 beginner; the last aswell a.s t\ic first. 
 As there has been no one hitlierto 
 who could be compared Vv'itli him, so 
 there will be no one hereafter. Comp. 
 Rev. i. 8. 11. "I am Alpha and Ome- 
 ga, the beginning and the ending the 
 
 down at the right 
 throne of God. 
 
 299 
 hand of the 
 
 first and the last." The word does 
 not mean that he was the ' finisher' 
 of faith in the sense that he makes 
 our faith complete or perfects it • 
 whatever may be true about that — 
 but that he occupies this elevated po- 
 sition of being beyond comparison 
 above all others. Alike in the com- 
 mencement and the close, in the be- 
 ginning of faith and in its ending, he 
 stands pre-eminent. To this illustri- 
 ous model we should look — as a racer 
 would on one who had been always 
 so successful that he surpassed all 
 competitors and rivals. If this be the 
 meaning, then it is not properly ex- 
 plained, as it is commonly (see Bloom- 
 field and Stuart in loc), by saying that 
 the word here is synonymous with 
 rewardcr, and refers to the figaiiEvrfu 
 — brabeutes — or the distributor of the 
 prize. Comp. Notes on Coll. iii. 15. 
 There is no instance where the word 
 is used in this sense in the New Testa- 
 ment (comp. Passow), nor would such 
 an interpretation present so beautiful 
 and appropriate a thought as the one 
 suggested above. H Who for the joy 
 that was set before him. That is, who 
 in view of all the honour which he 
 would have at the right hand of God, 
 and the happiness which he would ex- 
 perience from the consciousness that 
 he had redeemed a world, was willing 
 to bear the sorrows connected with 
 the atonement. IT Endured the cross. 
 Endured patiently the ignominy and 
 pain connected with the suffering of 
 death on the cross. H Despising the 
 shame. Disregarding the ignominy 
 of such a mode of death. It is diffi- 
 cult for us now to realize the force of 
 the expression, ' enduring tlie shame 
 of the cross,' as it was understood in 
 the time of the Saviour and the apos- 
 tles. The views of the world have 
 changed, and it is now diiBcult to di- 
 vest the ' cross' of the associations of 
 honour and glory which the word 
 suggests, so as to appreciate the ideas 
 which encompassed it then. There 
 ia a degree of dishonour which we 
 
300 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 8 For consider him that en- 
 dured such contradiction of sin- 
 attach to the guillotine, but the igno- 
 miny of a death on the cross was 
 greater tlian that; tlicre is disgrace 
 attached to the block, but the igno- 
 miny of the cross was greater than 
 that ; there is a much deeper infamy 
 attached to tiie gallows, but the igno- 
 miny of the cross was greater than 
 that. And that word — the cross — 
 which when now proclaimed in tlie 
 ears of the retincd, the intelligent, and 
 even the gay, excites an idea of ho-, 
 nour, in the ears of the people of 
 Athens, of Corinth, and of Rome, ex- 
 cited deeper disgust than the word 
 gallows does with us — for it was re- 
 garded as tiie appropriate punishment 
 of the most infamous of mankind. 
 We can now scarcely appreciate these 
 feelings, and of course the declaration 
 that Jesus ' endured the cross, despis- 
 ing the shame,' does not make tlie 
 impression on our minds in regard to 
 the nature of his sufierings and the 
 value of his example which it should 
 do. When we now think of the ' cross,' 
 it is not of the multitude of slaves, 
 and robbers, and tliievcs, and rebels, 
 who have died on it, but of the one 
 great Victim whose death lias enno- 
 bled even this instrument of torture, 
 and encircled it with a halo of glory. 
 We have been accustomed to read of 
 it as an unperial standard in war in 
 the days of Constantine, and as the 
 banner under which armies have 
 marched to conquest ; it is intermin- 
 gled with the sweetest poetry ; it is a 
 sacred tiling in the most magnificent 
 cathedrals ; it adorns the altar, and 
 is even an object of adoration ; it is 
 in the most elegant engravings ; it is 
 worn by beauty and piety as an orna- 
 ment near the heart ; it is associated 
 with all tliat is pure in love, great in 
 self-sacrifice, and holy in religion. 
 To see the true force of the expression 
 here, therefore, it is necessary to di- 
 vest ourselves of these ideas of glory 
 which encircle the ' cross,' and to 
 place ourselves in the times and lands 
 in which, when tlie most infamous of 
 
 ners against himself, lest ye bo 
 wearied and faint in your minds. 
 
 mankind were stretched upon it, it 
 was regarded for such men as an ap- 
 propriate mode of punishment. That 
 infamy Jesus was willing to bear, 
 and the strength of his confidence in 
 God, liis love for man, and the depth 
 of liis humiliation, was shown in the 
 readiness and firmness with which 
 he went forward to such a death. 
 If And is set down at the right hand 
 of the throne of God. Exalted to the 
 highest place of dignity and honour 
 in the universe. Notes, Mark xvi. 19 ; 
 Eph. i. 20 — 22. The sentiment here 
 is, ' Imitate the example of the great 
 Author of our religion. He, in view 
 of the honour and joy before him, en- 
 dured the most severe sufferings to 
 which the human frame can be sub- 
 jected, and the form of death which 
 is regarded as the most shameful. So 
 amidst all the severe trials to which 
 you are exposed on account of reli- 
 gion, patiently endure all — for the 
 glorious rewards, the happiness and 
 the triumph of heaven, are before 
 you.' 
 
 3. For consider him. Attentively 
 reflect on his example that you may 
 be able to bear your trials in a proper 
 manner. IT That endured such con- 
 tradiction of sinners. Such opposition. 
 The reference is to the Jews of the 
 time of the Saviour, who opposed his 
 plans, perverted his sayings, and ridi 
 culed his claims. Yet, regardless ot 
 their opposition, he persevered in the 
 course which he had marked out, and 
 went patiently forward in the execu- 
 tion of his plans. The idea is, that 
 we are to pursue the path of duty and 
 follow the dictates of conscience, let 
 the world say wliat they will about 
 it. In doing this we cannot find a 
 better example than the Saviour. No 
 opposition of sinners overturned him 
 from tlie way which he regarded as 
 right; no ridicule ever caused him to 
 abandon any of his plans ; no argu- 
 ment, or expression of scorn, ever 
 caused him tor a moment to deviate 
 from his course, V Lest ye be wearied 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 301 
 
 4 Ye have not yet resisted 
 
 and faint in your minds. The mean- 
 ing is, that there is great danger of 
 being disheartened and wearied out 
 by the opposition which you meet 
 with. But with the bright example 
 of one who was never disheartened, 
 and who never became weary in doing 
 the will of God, you may persevere. 
 The best means of leading a faithful 
 Christian life amidst the opposition 
 which we may encounter, is to keep 
 the eye steadily fixed on the Saviour. 
 4. Ye have not yet resisted unto 
 blood, striving against sin. The gen- 
 eral sense of tJiis passage is, ' you 
 have not yet been called in your Chris- 
 tian struggles to the highest kind of 
 sufferings and sacrifices. Great as 
 your trials may seem to have been, yet 
 your faith has not yet been put to the 
 severest test. And since this is so, 
 you ought not to yield in the conflict 
 with evil, but manfully resist it.' In 
 the language liere used there is un- 
 doubtedly a continuance of the allu- 
 sion to the agonistic games — the atrug- 
 glings and wrestlings for mastery 
 there. In those games, the boxers 
 were accustomed to arm themselves 
 for the fight with the ccestus. This 
 at first consisted of strong leathern 
 thongs wound around the hands, and 
 extending only to the wrist, to give 
 greater solidity to the Jist. After- 
 wards these were made to extend to 
 the elbow, and then to the shoulder, 
 and finally, they sowed pieces of lead 
 or iron in them that they might strike 
 a heavier and more destructive blow. 
 The consequence was, that those who 
 were engaged in the fight were often 
 covered with blood, and that resist- 
 ance ' unto bloqd' showed a determin- 
 ed courage, and a purpose not to yield. 
 But though the language here may 
 be taken Irom this custom, the fact to 
 which the apostle alludes, it seems to 
 me, is the struggling of the Saviour 
 in the garden of Gethsemane, wlien 
 his conflict was so severe that great 
 drops of blood fell down to the ground. 
 See Notes on Matt. xxvi. 42—44. It 
 2fi 
 
 unto blood, striving against 
 sin. 
 
 is, indeed, commonly understood to 
 mean that they had not yet been call- 
 ed to shed their blood as martyrs in 
 the cause of religion. See Stuart, 
 Bloomfield, Doddridge, Clarke, Whit- 
 by, Kuinoel, &c. Indeed, I find in 
 none of the commentators what seems 
 to me to be the true sense of this pas- 
 sage, and what gives an exquisite 
 beauty to it, the allusion to the suf- 
 ferings of the Saviour in the garden. 
 The reasons which lead me to believe 
 that there is such an allusion, are 
 briefly these. (1.) The connexion. 
 The apostle is appealing to the exam- 
 ple of the Saviour, and urging Chris- 
 tians to persevere amidst their trials 
 by looking to him. Nothing would 
 be more natural in this connexion, 
 than to refer to that dark night, 
 when in the severest conflict with 
 temptation which he ever encoun- 
 tered, he so signally showed his 
 own firmness of purpose, and the 
 effects of resistance on his own bleed- 
 ing body, and his signal victory — in 
 the garden of Gethsemane. (2.) The 
 expression ' striving against sin' 
 seems to demand the same interpre- 
 tation. On the common interpreta- 
 tion, the allusion would be merely to 
 their resisting persecution; but here 
 the allusion is to some struggle in 
 their minds against committing sin. 
 The apostle exhorts them to strive 
 manfully and persevering ly against 
 sin in every form, and especially 
 against the sin of apostasy. To en- 
 courage them he refers them to the 
 highest instance on record where there 
 was a ' striving against sin' — the 
 struggle of the Redeemer in the gar- 
 den with the great enemy who there 
 made his most violent assault, and 
 where the resistance of the Redeemer 
 was so great as to force the blood 
 through his pores. What wds the 
 exact form of the temptation there, 
 we are not informed. It 7nay have 
 been to induce him to abandon his 
 work even then and to yield, in view 
 of the severe sufferings of his ap. 
 
302 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 5 And ye have forgotten the 
 exhortation » which speaketh 
 unto you as unlo children, My 
 
 a Pr. 3. 11, 13. 
 
 proacliing death on tlie cross. If 
 tliere ever was a point wlierc tempta- 
 tion would be powerful, it would be 
 there. Wlieii a man is about to be 
 put to death, how strong is the in- 
 ducement to abandon his purpose, his 
 plans, or liis principles, if he may 
 save his life ! How many, of feeble 
 virtue, iiave yielded just there ! If to 
 this consideration we add the thought 
 tiiat the Redeemer was engaged in a 
 work never before undertaken ; that 
 he designed to make an atonement 
 never before made ; that he was about 
 to endure sorrows never before endur- 
 ed ; and that on the decision of that 
 moment depended the ascendency of 
 sin or holiness on the earth, the tri- 
 umph or the fall of Satan's kingdom, 
 the success or the defeat of all the 
 plans of the great adversary of God 
 and man, and that, on such an occa- 
 sion as this, the tempter would use 
 all his power to crush the lonely and 
 unprotected man of sorrows in the 
 garden of Gethsemane, it is easy to 
 imagine what may have been the ter- 
 ror of that fearful conflict, and what 
 virtue it would require in him to re- 
 sist the concentrated energy of Satan's 
 might to induce him even then to 
 abandon his work. The apostle says 
 of those to whom he wrote, that they 
 had not yet reached that point. Comp. 
 Notes on ch. v. 7. (3.) This view 
 furnishes a proper climax to the ar- 
 gument of the apostle for persever- 
 ance. It presents the Redeemer be- 
 fore the mind as the great example ; 
 directs the mind to him in various 
 scenes of his lilc — as looking to the 
 joy before him — disregarding the 
 ignominy of his sufferings — enduring 
 the opposition of sinners — and then 
 in the garden as engaged in a con- 
 flict with his great foe, and so resist- 
 ing sin that rather than yield he en- 
 dured that fearful mental struggle 
 which was attended with such re- 
 
 son, despise not thou the chas- 
 tening of the Lord, nor faint 
 when thou art rebuked of him : 
 
 markable consequences. This is the 
 highest consideration which could be 
 presented to the mind of a believer to 
 keep him from yielding in the con- 
 flict with evil ; and if we could keep 
 him in the eye resisting even unto 
 blood rather than yield in the least 
 degree, it would do more than all 
 other tilings to restrain us from sin. 
 How different his case from ours! 
 How readily we yield to sin ! We 
 offer a faint and feeble resistance, and 
 then surrender. We think it will be 
 unknown ; or that others do it ; or 
 that we may repent of it ; or that we 
 have no power to resist it ; or that it 
 is of little consequence, and our reso- 
 lution gives way. Not so the Re- 
 deemer. Rather than yield in any 
 form to sin, he measured strength 
 with the great adversary when alone 
 with him in the darkness of the night, 
 and gloriously triumphed ! And so 
 would we always triumph if we had 
 the same settled purpose to resist sin 
 in every form even unto blood. 
 
 5. And ye have forgotten the. exhor- 
 tation. This exhortation is found in 
 Prov. iii. II, 12. The object of the 
 apostle in introducing it here is, to 
 show that afflictions were designed on 
 the part of God to produce some hap- 
 py effects in the lives of his people, 
 and that they ought, therefore, to bear 
 them patiently. In the previous 
 verses, he directs them to the exam- 
 pie of the Saviour. In this verse and 
 the following, for tlie same object he 
 directs their attention to the design 
 of trials, sliowing that they are ne- 
 cessary to our welfare, and that they 
 are in fact proof of the paternal care 
 of God. This verse might be render- 
 ed as a question. ' And have ye for- 
 gotten ?'<kc. Tliis mode of render- 
 ing it will agree somewhat better with 
 tlie design of the apostle. IT Which 
 speaketh unto you. Which may be 
 regarded as addressed to you ; or 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 303 
 
 6 For " whom the Lord lov- 
 eth he chasteneth, and scourg- 
 
 a Re. 3. 19. 
 
 which invokes a principle as applica- 
 ble to you as to others. He does not 
 mean that when Solomon used the 
 words, he had reference to them par- 
 ticularly, but that he used them with 
 reference to the children of God, and 
 they might therefore be applied to 
 them. In this way we may regard 
 the language of the Scriptures as ad- 
 dressed to us. IT As unto children. 
 As if he were addressing children. 
 The language is such as a father uses. 
 IT My son. It is possible that in these 
 ■words Solomon may have intended to 
 address a son literally, giving him 
 paternal counsel ; or he may have spo- 
 ken as the Head of tiie Jewish peo- 
 ple, designing to address all the pious, 
 to whom he sustained, as it were, tlie 
 relation of a father. Or it is possi- 
 ble also that it may be regarded as 
 the language of God himself address- 
 ing his children. Whichever suppo- 
 sition is adopted, the sense is substan- 
 tially the same. If Despise not thou 
 the chastening of the Lord. Literally, 
 ' Do not regard it as a small matter, 
 or as a trivial thing, — dXiyoJpci. The 
 Greek word here used does not occur 
 elsewhere in the New Testament. 
 The word here rendered chastening — 
 'Trai&ua — and also in vs. 6, 7, 8, and in 
 ver. 9, ' corrected' — TtaiScvras — does 
 not refer to affliction in general, but 
 that kind of affliction which is de- 
 signed to correct us for our faults, or 
 which is of the nature of discipline. 
 The verb properly relates to the train- 
 ing up of a child — including instruc- 
 tion, counsel, discipline, and correc- 
 tion (see this use of the verb in Acts 
 vii. 22 ; II. Tim. ii. 25 ; Titus ii. 12), 
 and then especially discipline, or cor- 
 rection for faults — to correct, chastise, 
 chasten. I. Cor. xi. 32 ; II. Cor. vi. 
 9 ; Rev. iii. 19. Tliis is the meaning 
 •here; and tlic idea is, not that God 
 will afflict his people in general, but 
 that if they wander away he will cor- 
 rect them for their faults. He will 
 Jjring calamity upon them as a piin- 
 
 eth every son whom he receiv- 
 eth. 
 
 ishment for their offences, and in or- 
 der to bring them back to himself. 
 He will not suffer them to wander 
 away unrebuked and unchecked, but 
 will mercifully reclaim them though 
 by great sufferings. Afflictions have 
 many objects, or produce many happy 
 effects. That referred to here is, that 
 they are means of reclaiming the 
 wandering and erring children of 
 God, and are proofs of his paternal 
 care and love. Comp. II, Sam. vii. 
 14; xii. 13, 14; Ps. Ixxxix. 31—34; 
 Prov. iii. 11, 12. Afflictions, which 
 are always sent by God, should not 
 be regarded as small matters, for these 
 reasons. (1.) The fact that they are 
 sent by God. Whatever he does is 
 of importance, and is worthy the pro- 
 found attention of men. (2.) They 
 are sent for some important purpose, 
 and they should be regarded, there- 
 fore, with attentive concern. Men 
 despise them when (1) they treat them 
 with affected or real unconcern ; (2) 
 when they fail to receive them as di- 
 vine admonitions, and regard them as 
 without any intelligent design ; and 
 (3) when they receive them with ex. 
 pressions of contempt, and speak of 
 them and of the government of God 
 with scorn. It should be a matter of 
 deep concern when we are afflicted 
 in any manner, not to treat the mat- 
 ter lightly, but to derive from our tri- 
 als all the lessons which they are 
 adapted to produce on the mind. 
 If Nor faint, &c. . Bear up patiently 
 under them. This is the second duty. 
 We are first to study their character 
 and design ; and secondly, to bear up 
 under them, however severe they may 
 be, and however long they may be 
 continued. " Avoid the extremes of 
 proud insensibility and entire dejec. 
 tion.'' Doddridge. 
 
 6. For whom the Lord loveth he 
 chasteneth. This is also a quotation 
 from Proverbs iii. It means that it 
 is a universal rule that God sends tri- 
 als on those whom he truly loves. It 
 
304 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 7 If ye endure chastening, 
 God dealeth with you as with 
 sons ; for" what son is he whom 
 the lather chasteneth not? 
 
 a Pr. 13. 24. 
 
 8 But if ye be without chas- 
 tisement, whereof ail are par- 
 takers, then are ye bastards, 
 and not sons. 
 
 does not, of course, mean that lie 
 sends chastisement which is not de- 
 served ; or that lie sends it for the 
 inere purpose of inflicting pain. Tliat 
 cannot be. But it means that by his 
 chastisements he shows tiiat he has 
 a paternal care for us. He does not 
 treat us with neglect and unconcern, 
 as a father often does his illegitimate 
 child. The very fact that he corrects 
 us shows that he has towards us a 
 father's feelings, and exercises to- 
 wards us a paternal care. If he did 
 not, he would let us go on without 
 any attention, and leave us to pursue 
 a course of sin that would involve us 
 in ruin. To restrain and govern a 
 child ; to correct him when he errs, 
 shows that there is a parental solici- 
 tude for him, and that he is not an 
 outcast. And as there is in the life 
 of every child of God something that 
 deserves correction, it happens that it 
 is universally true that ' whom the 
 Lord loveth he chasteneth.' ^ And 
 scourgelh every son whom he receiveth. 
 Whom he receives or acknowledges 
 as his child. This is not quoted lite- 
 rally from the Hebrew, but from the 
 Septuagint. The Hebrew is, 'even 
 as a father the son in whom he de- 
 lighteth.' The general sense of the 
 passage is retained, as is often the 
 case in the quotations from the Old 
 Testament. The meaning is the 
 same as in the former part of the 
 verse, that every one who becomes a 
 child of God is treated by him with 
 that watchful care which shows that 
 he sustains towards him the paternal 
 relation. 
 
 7. If ye endure chastening. That 
 is, if you undergo, or arc called to 
 experience correction. It docs not 
 mean here, ' if you endure it i):iticnt- 
 ly ; or if you bear up under it ;' but, 
 * if you are chastised or corrected by 
 God.' The affirmation does not re- 
 
 late to the manner of bearing it, but 
 to the fact that we are disciplined. 
 TT God dealeth with you as with sons. 
 He does not cast you off and regard 
 you as if you were in no way related 
 to him. IT For what son is he whom 
 the father chasteneth not. That is, ho 
 evinces towards his son the care wliich 
 shows that he sustains the relation of 
 a father. If he deserves correction 
 he corrects him ; and he aims by all 
 proper means to exhibit the appropri- 
 ate care and character of a father. 
 And as we receive such attention from 
 an earthly parent, we ought to expect 
 to receive similar notice from our Fa- 
 ther in heaven. 
 
 8. But if ye be without chastisement. 
 If you never meet with anything that 
 is adapted to .correct your faults; to 
 subdue your temper; to chide your 
 wanderings, it would prove that you 
 were in the condition of illegitimate 
 children — cast otF and disregarded by 
 their father. U Whereof all are par- 
 takers. All who are the true children 
 of God. If Then are ye bastards and 
 not sons. The reference here is to 
 the neglect with which such childrea 
 are treated, and to the general want 
 of care and discipline over them : 
 
 " Lost in the world's wide range ; enjoin'd 
 no aim, 
 Prescrib'd no duty, and as3ign'd no 
 name." Savage. 
 
 In the English law, a bastard is termed 
 nullius ^filius. Illegitimate children 
 are usually abandoned by their father. 
 The care of them is left to the mother, 
 and the father endeavours to avoid all 
 responsibility, and usually to be con- 
 cealed and unknown. His own child he 
 does not wish to recognize ; lie neither 
 provides for him; nor instructs him; 
 nor governs him ; nor disciplines him. 
 A father, who is worthy of the name, 
 will do all these things. So Paul says 
 it is with Christians. God ha.s not 
 
A. D. (54.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 305 
 
 9 Furthermore, we have had 
 fathers of our flesh, which cor- 
 rected us : and we gave them 
 
 cast them oiF. In every way he 
 evinces towards them the character 
 of a father. And if it should be 
 that they passed along through life 
 without any occurrence that v/ould 
 indicate the paternal care and atten- 
 tion designed to correct their faults, 
 it would show that they never had 
 been his children, but were cast off 
 and wholly disregarded. This is a 
 beautiful argument ; and we should 
 receive every affliction as full proof 
 that we are not forgotten by the High 
 and Holy One who condescends to 
 sustain to us the character, and to 
 evince towards us, in our wanderings, 
 the watchful care of a Father. 
 
 9. Furthermore. As an additional 
 consideration to induce us to receive 
 chastisement with submission. The 
 argument in this verse is derived from 
 the difference in the spirit and design 
 with which we are corrected by God 
 and by an earthly parent. In God 
 everything is without any intermin- 
 gling of passion or any improper feel- 
 ing. In an earthly parent there is 
 often much that is the result of hasty 
 emotion, of an irascible temper, per- 
 haps of the mere love of power. There 
 is much that is inflicted without due 
 reflection, and that produces only pain 
 in the bosom of the parent himself in 
 the recollection. Yet with all this 
 imperfection of parental government, 
 we were patient and unmurmuring. 
 How much more should we submit 
 to one whose paternal discipline is 
 caused by no excited feeling ; by no 
 love of power ; by no want of reliec- 
 tion, and which never furnishes occa- 
 sion for regret ! IT Fathers of our 
 Jlesh. Earthly fathers ; those from 
 whom we have derived our being here. 
 They are contrasted here with God, 
 who is called ' the Father of spirits,' 
 not because the father does not sus- 
 tain the paternal relation to the soul 
 as well as the body, but to designate 
 26* 
 
 reverence : shall we not much 
 rather be in subjection unto the 
 Father "of spirits, and live? 
 
 a Nu. 16. 22 ; 27. IC. 
 
 the nature of the dominion over us. 
 The dominion of God is that which 
 pertains to a spiritual kingdom, hav- 
 ing more direct reference to the dis- 
 cipline of the soul, and being designed 
 to prepare us for the spiritual world ; 
 that of the earthly father pertains 
 primarily to our condition here, and 
 the discipline is designed to subdue 
 our unruly passions, to teach us to 
 restrain our appetites, to inculcate 
 maxims of health and prosperity, and 
 to prevent those things which would 
 impede our happiness in the present 
 world. See, however, many curious 
 instances of the manner in which 
 these phrases were used by the Jew- 
 ish writers, collected by Wetstein. 
 IT We gave them reverence. We sub- 
 mitted to them ; honoured them ; 
 loved them. Painful at the time as 
 correction may have been, yet when 
 we have fully understood the design 
 of it, we have loved them the more. 
 The effect of such discipline, properly 
 administered, is to produce real vene- 
 ration for a parent — for he who in a 
 timely and appropriate manner re- 
 strains liis child is the only one who 
 will secure ultimate reverence and 
 respect. If Shall loe not much rathei 
 be in subjection. Since God's govern- 
 ment is so much more perfect ; since 
 he has so much better right to con- 
 trol us ; and since his administration 
 is free from all the defects which at- 
 tend parental discipline on earth, 
 there is a much higher reason for 
 bowing with submission and reve- 
 rence to hin(. IT The Father of spirits. 
 Thus in Numbers xvi. 22, God is 
 called "the God of the spirits of all 
 flesh." So also Num. xxvii. 16; comp. 
 Job xxxiii. 4. The idea seems to be 
 that, as the soul is the most important 
 part of man, this name is given to 
 God by way of eminence, or he is 
 eminently and supremely our Father 
 It was his to create the inunortal 
 
30C 
 
 HKBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 10 For they verily for a few 
 days chastened us ' after their 
 
 ' or, as seemed good, or, meet, lo them. 
 
 part, and to tliat spirit which is never 
 lo die he sustains the relation of Fa- 
 ther. The eartlily father is parent to 
 the man as mortal ; God is the Father 
 of man as inunortal. God is himself 
 a spirit. Angels and human souls 
 therefore, may be represented as pe- 
 culiarly his offspring. . It is the 
 highest designation which could be 
 given to God to say that he is at the 
 head of the universe of mind; not 
 implying that he is not also at the 
 head of the material universe, but de- 
 signing to bring into view this high 
 characteristic of the Almighty, that 
 all created minds throughout the uni- 
 verse sustain to him the relation of 
 children. To this Great Being we 
 should, therefore, more cheerfully sub- 
 ject ourselves than to an earthly pa- 
 rent. TT Aiid live. Meaning that his 
 fatherly chastisements are adapted to 
 secure our spiritual life. He corrects 
 us that he may promote our final 
 happiness, and liis inflictions are the 
 means of saving us from eternal 
 death. 
 
 10. For they verily for a few days. 
 That is, with reference to a few days 
 (Tp^s) ; or it was a chastisement that 
 had reference mainly to this short 
 life. The apostle seems to bring in 
 this circumstance to contrast the deal- 
 ings of earthly parents with those of 
 God. One of the circumstances is, 
 that the corrections of earthly parents 
 had a much less important object 
 than those of God. They related to this 
 life — a life so brief that it may be said 
 to continue but a ' few days.' Yet, 
 in order to secure the benefit to be 
 derived for so short a period from fa- 
 therly correction, we subjnittcd with- 
 out murmuring. Much more checr- 
 i'ully ought we to submit to tliat dis- 
 cipline from tiie liandof our heavenly 
 Fatlicr which is designed to extend 
 its benefits through eternity. This 
 seems to me to afl'ord a better sense 
 than that adopted by Prof. Stuart and 
 others, that it means ' during our 
 
 own pleasure : but he for our 
 profit, that we might be partak- 
 ers of his holiness. 
 
 childhood or minority ;' or than that 
 proposed by Doddridge, that it refers 
 bolli to our earthly parents and to our 
 heavenly Father. IT After their own 
 pleasure. Marg. ' as seemed good, or 
 incct to them.' .Meaning that it was 
 sometimes done arbitrarily, or from 
 caprice, or under the influence of pas- 
 sion. This is an additional reason 
 why we should submit to God. We 
 submitted to our earthly parents, 
 though their correction was some- 
 times passionate, and was designed 
 to gratify their own pleasure rather 
 than to promote our good. There is 
 much of this kind of punishment in 
 families ; but there is none of it under 
 the administration of God. ^ But be 
 for our profit. Never from passion, 
 from caprice, from the love of power 
 or superiorit}', but always for our 
 good. The exact benefit which he 
 designs to produce we may not be 
 able always to understand, but we 
 may be assured that no other cause 
 influences him than a desire to pro- 
 mote our real welfare, and as he can 
 never be mistaken in regard to the 
 proper means to secure that, we may 
 be assured that our trials arc always 
 adapted to that end. If That we inighl 
 be partakers of his holiness. Become 
 so holy that it may be said that we 
 are partakers of tlie very holiness of 
 God. Comp. II. Pet. i. 4. This is tlie 
 elevated object at which God aims by 
 our trials. It is not tliat he deligJils 
 to produce pain ; not that he envies 
 us and would rob us of our little com- 
 forts ; not that he needs what we 
 prize to increase his own enjoyment, 
 and therefore rudely takes it away; 
 and not that he acts from caprice — 
 now conferring a blessing and then 
 withdrawing it without auy reason : 
 it i.s, that he may make us more pure 
 and holy, and thus promote our own 
 best interest. To be holy as God is 
 holy ; to be so lioly that it maj' l»e 
 I said that we 'are partakers of his 
 J holiness,' ia a richer blessing than 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 307 
 
 11 Now no chastening for 
 the present seemeth to be joy- 
 ous, but grievous ; neverthe- 
 less, afterward it yieldeth the 
 
 als. ;K2. 17; Ja. 3. 18. 
 
 health, and property, and friends with- 
 out it ; and when by the exchange of 
 the one we acquire the other, we have 
 secured infinitely more than we have 
 lost. To obtain the greater good we 
 should be willing to part with the 
 less ; to secure the everlasting friend- 
 ship and favour of God we should be 
 willing, if necessary, to surrender the 
 last farthing of our property ; the last 
 friend that is left us ; the last feeble 
 and fluttering pulsation of life in our 
 veins. 
 
 II. Now no chastening for the pre- 
 sent seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. 
 It docs not impart pleasure, nor is 
 this its design. All chastisement is 
 intended to produce pain, and the 
 Christian is as sensitive to pain as 
 others. His religion does not blunt 
 his sensibilities and make him a stoic, 
 but it rather increases his susceptibi- 
 lity to suffering. The Lord Jesus, 
 probably, felt pain, reproach, and con- 
 tempt more keenly than any other 
 human being ever did ; and the Chris- 
 tian feels the loss of a child, or bodily 
 suffering, as keenly as any one. But 
 while religion does not render him 
 insensible to suffering, it does two 
 things — (1) it enables him to bear the 
 pain without murmuring ; and (2) it 
 turns the affliction into a blessing on 
 his soul. ^ Nevertheless afterward. 
 In future life. The effect is seen in 
 a pure life, and in a more entire dc- 
 votedness to God. We are not to 
 look for the proper fruits of affliction 
 while we are suffering, but afterwards. 
 IT /( yieldeth the peaceable fruit of 
 righteousness. It is a tree that bears 
 good fruit, and we do not expect the 
 fruit to form and ripen at once. It 
 may be long maturing, but it will be 
 rich and mellow when it is ripe. It 
 frequently requires along time before 
 all the results of affliction appear — as 
 it requires months to form and ripeix 
 
 peaceable fruit « of -righteous- 
 ness unto them whicli are exer- 
 cised thereby. 
 
 12 Wherefore lift * up the 
 
 b Is. 35. 3. 
 
 fruit. Like fruit it may appear at 
 first sour, crabbed, and unpalatable ; 
 but it will be at last like the ruddy 
 peach or the golden orange. When 
 those fruits are ripened they are (1) 
 fruits ' of righteousness.' They make 
 us more holy, more dead to sin and 
 the world, and more alive to God. 
 And they are (2) ^peaceable.' They 
 produce peace, calmness, submission 
 in the soul. They make the heart 
 more tranquil in its confidence in 
 God, and more disposed to promote 
 the religion of peace. The apostle 
 speaks of this as if it were a universal 
 truth in regard to Christians who are 
 afflicted. And it is so. There is no 
 Christian who is not ultimately bene- 
 fited by trials, and who is not able at 
 some peaod subsequently to say, " It 
 was good for me that I was afflicted. 
 Before I was afflicted I went astray ; 
 but now have I kept tliy word." 
 When a Christian comes to die, he 
 does not feel that he has had one trial 
 too many, or one which he did not 
 deserve. He can then look back and 
 see the effect of some early trial so 
 severe that he once thought he could 
 hardly endure it, spreading a hallowed 
 influence over iiis future years, and 
 scattering its golden fruit all along 
 the pathway of life. I have never 
 known a Christian who was not bene- 
 fited by afflictions ; I have seen none 
 who was not able to say that his 
 trials produced some happy effect on 
 his religious character and on hia 
 real happiness in life. If this be so, 
 tlien no matter how severe our trials, 
 we should submit to them without a 
 murmur. The more severe they are, 
 the more we shall yet be blessed — on 
 earth or in heaven. 
 
 12. Wherefore. In view of the 
 facts which liave been now stated — ■ 
 that afflictions are sent from God, 
 and are evidences of his paternal 
 
308 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. C4. 
 
 hands which hang down, and I which is lame be turned out of 
 the feeble linees: I the way ; but ' let it rather be 
 
 13 And make ' straight " 
 paths for your feet, lest that 
 
 1 or, even. 
 
 a Pr. 4. 26, 27. 
 
 watclil'ulness. 
 
 which hang down 
 
 IT Lift up the hands 
 As if from weari- 
 ness and exhaustion. Renew your 
 courage ; make a new effort to bear 
 llicm. Tlie iiands fall by the side 
 when we arc exhausted with toil, or 
 worn down by disease. See Notes on 
 Isa. XXXV. 3, from which place this 
 cxliortation is taken. IT And the feeble 
 knees. The knees also become en- 
 feebled by long- effort, and tremble as 
 if their strength were gone. Courage 
 and resolution may do much, how- 
 ever, to make them firm, and it is to 
 tills that the apostle exhorts those to 
 whom he wrote. They were to make 
 every effort to bear up under their 
 trials. The hope of victory will do 
 much to strengtiien one almost ex- 
 liausted in battle; tlie desire to reach 
 home invigorates the frame of the 
 weary traveller. So it is with the 
 Ciiristian. In persecution and sick- 
 ness and bereavement, he may be 
 ready to sink under his burdens. 
 The hands fall, and the knees trem- 
 ble, and the heart sinks within us. 
 But confidence in God, and the hope 
 of heaven, and the assurance that all 
 this is for our good, will reinvigorate 
 the enfeebled frame, and enable us to 
 bear what we once supposed would 
 crush us to the dust. A courageous 
 mind braces a feeble body, and hope 
 makes it fresh for new conflicts. 
 
 13. And make straight paths for 
 your feet. Marg. even. The word 
 here used means properly straight, 
 in the sense of upright, erect. Acts 
 xiv. 10 ; but it is here used in the sense 
 of straight horizontally, that is, level, 
 plain, smooth. The meaning is, that 
 they were to remove all obstacles out 
 of the way, so that they need not 
 stumble and fall. There is probably 
 an allusion here to Frov. iv. 25 — 27. 
 " Let thine eyes look right on, and 
 let tlime eyelids look straight before 
 
 healed. 
 14 Follow 
 
 6 Ga. 6. 1. 
 
 peace ' with all 
 
 c Ps. 34. ;4. 
 
 thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, 
 and let all thy ways be established. 
 Turn not to the right hand nor to 
 tlie left; remove thy foot from evil." 
 The idea is, that by every proper 
 means, they were to make the way 
 to heaven as plain and easy as possi- 
 ble. They were to allow no obstruc- 
 tions in the path over which the lame 
 and feeble migiit fall, li Lest lliat 
 which is lame he turned out of the way. 
 A lame man needs a smooth path to 
 walk in. The idea is here, that every- 
 thing which would prevent those in 
 the church who were in any danger 
 of falling — the feeble, the unestablish- 
 edj the weak — from walking in the 
 path to heaven, or which might be an 
 occasion to them of falling, should be 
 removed. Or it may mean, that in a 
 road that was not level, those who 
 were lame would be in danger of 
 spraining, distorting, or wrenching a 
 lame limb; and the counsel is, that 
 whatever would have a tendency to 
 this should be removed. Divested of 
 the figure, the passage means, that 
 everything should be removed which 
 would hinder any one from walking 
 in the path to life. ^ But let it rather 
 be healed. As in the ease of iamC' 
 ness, pains should be taken to heal it 
 rather than to suffer it to be increased 
 by careless exposure to a new sprain 
 or fracture, so it should be in our re- 
 ligious and moral character. What- 
 ever is defective we should endeavour 
 to restore to soundness, rather than 
 to suffer the defect to be increased. 
 Whatever is feeble in our faith or 
 hope ; whatever evil tendency there 
 is in our hearts, we should endeavour 
 to strengthen and amend, lest it 
 sliould become worse and we should 
 entirely fall. 
 
 1 4. Follow peace with all men. Do 
 not give indulgence to those passions 
 which lead to litigations, strifes, wars. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 309 
 
 men, and holiness, without " 
 which no man shall see the 
 Lord : 
 
 15 Looking diligently * lest 
 
 a Mat. 5.8; Ep. 5.5. 6 2 Pe. 1. 10. 
 
 See Notes on Rom. xiv. 19. The con- 
 ne.xion here requires us to understand 
 this mainly of persecutors. The 
 apostle is referring to the trials which 
 those whom he addressed were ex- 
 periencing. Those trials seem to 
 have arisen mainly from persecution, 
 and he exhorts them to manifest a 
 spirit of kindness towards all — even 
 though they were engaged in perse- 
 cuting them. This is the temper of 
 tlie gospel. We are to make war 
 with sin, but not with men ; with bad 
 passions and corrupt desires, but not 
 with our fellow-worms. IT And holi- 
 ness. Instead of yielding to contend- 
 ing passions and to a spirit of war ; 
 instead of seeking revenge on your 
 persecutors and foes, make it rather 
 your aim to be holy. Let that be tlie 
 object of your pursuit; the great pur- 
 pose of your life. Men might in such 
 cases counsel them to seek revenge ; 
 the spirit of religion would counsel 
 them to strive to be holy. In such 
 times they were in great danger of 
 giving indulgence to evil passions, 
 and hence the special propriety of tlie 
 exhortation to endeavour to be holy. 
 IT Without which no man shall see the 
 Lord. That is, shall see him in peace ; 
 or shall so see him as to dwell with 
 him. All will see him in the day of 
 judgment, but to ' see' one is often 
 used in the sense of being with one ; 
 dwelling with one ; enjoying one. 
 See Notes on Matt. v. 8. The prin- 
 ciple here stated is one which is never 
 departed from. Rev. xxi. 27 ; Isa. 
 XXXV. 8; lii. 1 ; Ix. 21; Joel iii. 17; 
 Matt. xiii. 41 ; I. Cor. vi. 9, 10. No 
 one has ever been admitted to heaven 
 in his sins ; nor is it desirable that 
 any one ever should be. Desirable 
 as it is that lost men should be happy, 
 yet it is benevolence which excludes 
 the profane, the impious, and the un- 
 believing from heaven — just as it is 
 
 any man fail ' of the grace of 
 God ; lest any ' root of bitter- 
 ness springing up trouble you, 
 and thereby many be defiled ; 
 
 I or, fall from. c Be. 29. 18. 
 
 benevolence to a family to exclude 
 profligates and seducers, and as it is 
 benevolence to a community to con- 
 fine thieves and robbers in prison. 
 This great principle in the divine ad- 
 ministration will always be adhered 
 to ; and hence they who are expect- 
 ing to be saved without holiness or 
 religion, are destined to certain dis- 
 appointment. Heaven and earth will 
 pass away, but God will not admit 
 one unrepenting and unpardoned sin. 
 ner to heaven. It was the importance 
 and the certainty of this principle 
 which made the apostle insist on it 
 here with so much earnestnes.s. 
 Amidst all their trials ; when ex- 
 posed to persecution ; and when every- 
 thing might tempt them to the indul- 
 gence of feelings which were the 
 opposite of holiness, they were to 
 make it their great object to be like 
 God. For this they were to seek, to 
 strive, to labour, to pray. Tliis with 
 us in all our trials should also be the 
 great aim of life. How deeply affect- 
 ing then is the inquiry whether we 
 have that holiness which is indispen- 
 sable to salvation ! Let us not deceive 
 ourselves. We may have many things 
 else — many things which are in them- 
 selves desirable, bnt without this one 
 thing we shall never see the Lord in 
 peace. We may have wealth, genius, 
 learning, beauty, accomplishments, 
 houses, lands, books, friends — but 
 without religion they will be all in 
 vain. Never can we see God in peace 
 without a holy heart ; never can we 
 be admitted into heaven without that 
 religion which will identify us with 
 the angels around the throne ! 
 
 15. Looking diligently. This phrase 
 implies close attention. It is implied 
 that there are reasons why we should 
 take special care. Those reasons are 
 found in the propensities of our hearts 
 to evil ; in the temptations of the 
 
310 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64 
 
 16 Lest there be any forni- 1 Esau, who * for one nnorsel of 
 cator, " or profane person, as meat sold his birth-right. 
 
 a 1 Co. 6. 13, 18. b Ge. 25. 33. 
 
 world ; in the allurements to apostasy 
 presented by tlic great adversary of 
 our souls. ^ Lest any innnfail. As 
 every man is in danger, it is his per- 
 sonal duty to see to it that his salva- 
 tion be secure. If Fail of the ^race 
 of God. Marg. fall from. Tlie Greek 
 is, ' lest any one be wanlirifT or lack- 
 ins;' — varepiav. Tlicre is no intimation 
 in the words used here that tlicy al- 
 ready fiad grace and niigkt fall away 
 — whatever might be true about that 
 — but that there was danger that tlicy 
 miglit be f )und at last to be deficient 
 in tliat religion which was necessary 
 to save them. Whether this was to 
 be by losing the religion which they 
 now had, or by the fact tliat tlicy ne- 
 ver had any — however near they may 
 have come to it — the apostle does 
 not here intimate, and this passage 
 should not be used in the discussion 
 of the question about falling from 
 grace. It is a proper exhortation to 
 be addressed to any man in the 
 church or out of it, to inquire dili- 
 gently whether there is not reason to 
 apprehend that when he comes to ap- 
 pear before God he will be found to 
 be wholly destitute of religion. ^ 
 Lest any root of bitterness springing 
 up. Any bitter root. There is doubt- 
 less an allusion here to Deut. xxix. 
 18. " Lest there should be among 
 you man, or woman, or family, or 
 tribe, whose heart turneth away this 
 day from the Lord our God, to go 
 and serve the gods of these nations ; 
 /est there should be among you a root 
 that bcareth gall and wormwood." 
 The allusion tliere is to those who 
 were idolators, and who instead of 
 bearing the fruits of righteousness, 
 and promoting the piety and happi- 
 ness of the nation, would bear the 
 fruits of idolatry, and spread abroad 
 irrcligion and sin. The allusion, in 
 both cases, is to a bitter plant spring- 
 ing up among those that were culti- 
 vated for ornament or use, or to a 
 
 tree bearing bitter and poisonous 
 fruit, among those that produced 
 good fruit. The reference of tlie 
 apostle is to some person who should 
 produce a similar effect in the church 
 — to one who should inculcate false 
 doctrines ; or who should apostatize ; 
 or who should lead an unholy life, 
 and thus be the means of corrupting 
 and destroying others. They were 
 to be at especial pains that no such 
 person should start up from among 
 themselves, or be tolerated by them. 
 IT Trouble you. By his doctrines and 
 exam[)le. H And thereby many be 
 defiled. Led away from the faith and 
 corrupted. One wicked man, and es- 
 pecially one hypocrite in the church, 
 may be the means of destroying many 
 others. 
 
 16. Lest there be any fornicator. 
 The sin here referred to is one of 
 those which would spread corruption 
 in the church, and against which 
 they ought to be especially on their 
 guard. Allusion is made to Esau as 
 an example, who, himself a corrupt 
 and profane man, for a trifle threw 
 away the highest honour which as a 
 son he could have. jMany have re- 
 garded tJic word here used as refer- 
 ring to idolatry, or defection from the 
 true religion to a false one — as the 
 word is otlen used in the Old Testa- 
 ment — but it is more natural to un- 
 derstand it literally. The crime here 
 mentioned was one which abounded 
 everywhere in ancient times, as it 
 docs now, and it was important to 
 guard the church against it. See 
 Notes on Acts xv. 20; I. Cor. vi. 18. 
 ^ Or profane person. The word pro- 
 fane here refers to one who by word 
 or conduct treats religion with con- 
 Icmpt, or has no reverence for that 
 which is sacred. This may be shown 
 by words ; by the manner ; by a 
 sneer ; by neglect of religion ; or 
 by openly renouncing the privileges 
 whicli might be connected with our 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 311 
 
 17 For ye know how that af- 
 terward, when " he would have 
 inherited the blessing, he was 
 
 a Ge. 27. 34-38. 
 
 salvation. The allusion here is to 
 one who should openly cast off all the 
 hopes of religion for indulgence in 
 temporary pleasure, as Esau gave up 
 his birthright for a trifling gratifica- 
 tion. In a similar manner the young, 
 for temporary gratification, neglect 
 or despise all the privileges and hopes 
 resulting from their being born in the 
 bosom of the church ; from being 
 baptized and consecrated to God ; and 
 fi-om being trained up in the lap of 
 piety. ^ As Esau. It is clearly im- 
 plied here that Esau sustained the 
 character of a fornicator and a pro- 
 fane person. The former appellation 
 is probably given to him to denote 
 his licentiousness shown by his mar- 
 rying many wives, and particularly 
 foreigners, or the daughters of Ca- 
 naan. See Gen. xxxvi. 2 ; conip. 
 Gen. xxvi. 34, 35. The Jewish wri- 
 ters abundantly declare that that was 
 his character. See Wetstein, in loc. 
 In proof that the latter appellation — 
 that of a profane person — belonged to 
 hnn, see Gen. xxv. 29 — 34. It is 
 true that it is rather by inference, 
 than by direct assertion, that it is 
 known that he sustained this charac- 
 ter. The birth-right, in his circum- 
 stances, was a high honour. The 
 promise respecting the inheritance of 
 the land of Canaan, the coming oftlie 
 Messiah, and the preservation of the 
 true religion, had been given to Abra- 
 ham and Isaac, and was to be trans- 
 mitted by them. As the eldest son, 
 all the honour connected with this, 
 and which is now associated with the 
 name Jacob, would have properly ap- 
 pertained -to Esau. But he under- 
 valued it. He lived a licentious life. 
 He followed his corrupt propensities, 
 and gave the reins to indulgence. In 
 a time of temporary distress, also, he 
 showed how little he really valued all 
 this by bartering it away for a single 
 meal of victuals. Rather than bear 
 
 rejected ; for he found no place ' 
 of repentance, though he sought 
 it carefully with tears. 
 
 • or, way to change his mind. 
 
 the evils of hunger for a short period, 
 and evidently in a manner implying 
 a great undervaluing of the honour 
 which he held as the first-born son 
 in a pious line, he agreed to surren- 
 der all the privileges connected with 
 his birth. It was this which made 
 the appellation appropriate to him ; 
 and this will make the appellation 
 appropriate in any similar instance. 
 11 Who for one morsel of meat. The 
 word meat here is used, as it is com- 
 monly in the Scriptures, in its primi- 
 five sense in English to denote food. 
 Gen. xxv, 34. The phrase here, 'mor- 
 sel of meat,' would be better rendered 
 by ' a single meal.' IT Sold his birth, 
 right. The birth-right seems to have 
 implied the first place or rank in the 
 family ; the privilege of offering sa- 
 crifice and conducting worship in the 
 absence or death of the father ; a 
 double share of the inheritance, and 
 in this instance the honour of being 
 in the line of the patriarchs, and 
 transmitting the promises made to 
 Abraham and Isaac. What Esau 
 parted with, we can easily understand 
 by reflecting on the honours which 
 have clustered around the name of 
 Jacob. 
 
 17. For ye know how that afterward, 
 &LC. When he came to his father, 
 and earnestly besought him to reverse 
 the sentence which he had pronounc- 
 ed. See Gen. xxvii. 34 — 40. The 
 ' blessing' here referred to was not 
 that of the birth-right, which he knew 
 he could not regain, but that pro- 
 nounced by the father Isaac on him 
 whom he regarded as his first-born 
 son. Tins Jacob obtained by fraud, 
 when Isaac really meant to bestow it 
 on Esau. Isaac appears to have been 
 ignorant wholly of the bargain which 
 Jacob and Esau had made in regard 
 to the birth-right, and Jacob and hia 
 mother contrived in this way to have 
 that confirmed which Jacob had ob« 
 
313 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. Ct. 
 
 18 For ye are not come unto 
 the- mount that might be touch- 
 
 a Ex. 19. 12-19. 
 
 tained of Esau by contract. The 
 sanction of the father, it geems, was 
 necessary, before it could be made 
 sure, and Rebecca and Jacob under- 
 stood that the dying blessing of the 
 aged patriarch would establish it all. 
 It was obtained by dishonesty on tlie 
 part of Jacob ; but so far as Esau was 
 concerned, it was an act of righteous 
 retribution for the little regard he had 
 shown for the honour of his birth. 
 If For he found no place of repent- 
 ance. Marg. ' Way to change his 
 mind.^ That is, no place for repent- 
 ance in the mind of Isaac, or no way 
 to change his mind. It does not mean 
 that Esau earnestly souglit to repent 
 and could not, but that when once the 
 blessing had passed the lips of his 
 father, he found it impossible to change 
 it. Isaac firmly declared that he had 
 pronounced the blessing, and though 
 it had been obtained by fraud, yet as 
 it was of the nature of a divine pre- 
 diction it could not now be changed. 
 He had not indeed intended that it 
 should be thus. He had pronounced 
 a blessing on another which had been 
 designed for him. But still the benedic- 
 tion liad been given. The prophetic 
 words had been pronounced. By di- 
 vine direction the truth had been spo- 
 ken, and liow could it be changed ? 
 It was impossible now to reverse the 
 divine purposes in the case, and hence 
 the ' blessing' must stand as it had 
 been spoken. Isaac did, however, all 
 that could be done. He gave a bene- 
 diction to his son Esau, though of far 
 inferior value to that wiiich he had 
 pronounced on the fraudulent Jacob. 
 Gen. xxvii. 39, 40. IT Though he 
 sought it carefully with tears. Gen. 
 xxvii. 34. He sought to change the 
 purpose of his iatiier, but could not 
 do it. The meaning and bearing of 
 this passage, as used by the apostle, 
 may be easily understood. (1.) The 
 decision of God on the human char- 
 acter and dertiny will soon be pro- 
 
 ed, and that burned with fii'e 
 nor unto blackness, and dark 
 ness and tempest, 
 
 nounced. That decision will be ac 
 cording to truth, and cannot be chang- 
 ed. (2.) If we should despise our 
 privileges as Esau did his birtli-right, 
 and renounce our religion, it would 
 be impossible to recover what we had 
 lost. There would be no possibility 
 of changing the divine decision in the 
 case, for it would be determined for 
 ever. This passage, therefore, should 
 not be alleged to show that a sinner 
 cannot repent, or that he cannot find 
 ' place f()r repentance,' or assistance 
 to enable him to repent, or that tears 
 and sorrow for sin would be of no 
 avail, for it teaches none of these 
 things ; but it should be used to keep 
 us from disregarding our privileges, 
 from turning away from the true re- 
 ligion, from slighting the favours of 
 the gospel, and from neglecting reli- 
 gion till death comes ; because when 
 God has once pronounced a sentence 
 excluding us from his favour, no tears, 
 or pleading, or etfort of our own can 
 change him. The sentence which he 
 pronounces on the scoffer, the impen- 
 itent, the hypocrite, and the apostate, 
 is one that will abide for ever with- 
 out change. This passage, therefore, 
 is in accordance with the doctrine 
 more than once stated before in this 
 epistle, that if a Christian should re- 
 ally apostatize it would be impossible 
 that he should be saved. See Notes 
 on ch. vi. I — 6. 
 
 18. For ye are not come. To en- 
 force the considerations already urged, 
 the apostle introduces this sublime 
 comparison between the old and now 
 dispensations. Vs. 18 — 24. The ob- 
 ject, in accordance with the principal 
 scope of the epistle is, to guard them 
 against apostasy. To do this, he 
 shows that under the new dispensation 
 there was much more to bind them 
 to fidelity, and to make apostasy dan- 
 gerous, than there was under the old. 
 The main point of the comparison is, 
 that under the Jewish dispensation, 
 
A.. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 313 
 
 19 And the sound of a trum- 
 pet, and the voice of words ; 
 which » voice they that heard, 
 \entrtjated that the word should 
 jot be spoken to them any more : 
 
 a Ex. 20. 18. 19. * Ex. 19. 13. 16. 
 
 ■sverything was adapted to av/e the 
 mind, and to restrain by the exhibi- 
 tion of grandeur and of power ; but 
 that under the Christian dispensation, 
 while there was as much that was 
 subhme, there was much more that 
 was adapted to win and hold the af- 
 fections. Tiiere were revelations of 
 higher trutks. There were more af- 
 fecting motives to lead to obedience. 
 There was that of which the former 
 was but the type and emblem. There 
 was the clear revelation of the glo- 
 ries of heaven, and of the blessed so- 
 ciety there, all adapted to prompt to 
 the earnest desire that they might be 
 our own. The considerations present- 
 ed in this passage constitute the cli- 
 max of the argument so beautifully 
 pursued through this epistle, showing 
 that the Christian system was far supe- 
 rior in every respect to the Jewish. In 
 presenting this closing argument, the 
 apostle first refers to some of the cir- 
 cumstances attending the former dis- 
 pensation which were designed to 
 keep the people of God from aposta- 
 sy, and then tlie considerations of su- 
 perior weight existing under the Chris- 
 tian economy. ^ The mount that 
 might he touched. Mount Sinai. The 
 meaning here is, that that mountain 
 was palpable, material, touchable — in 
 contradistinction from the Mount 
 Zion to which the church had now 
 come, which is above the reach of the 
 external senses. Ver. 22. The apos- 
 tle does not mean that it was permit- 
 ted to the Israelites to touch Mount 
 Sinai — for this was strictly forbidden, 
 Ex. xix. 12 ; but he evidently alludes 
 to that prohibition, and means to say 
 that a command forbidding them to 
 toucV the mountain, implied that it 
 was a material or palpable object. 
 The sense of the passage is, that 
 every circumstance that occurred 
 27 
 
 20 (For they could not en- 
 dure that which was command- 
 ed, And * if so much as a beast 
 touch the mountain, it shall be 
 stoned, or thrust through with a 
 dart. 
 
 there was fittted to fill the soul with 
 terror. Everything accompanying 
 the giving of the law, the setting of 
 bounds around the mountain which 
 they might not pass, and the darkness 
 and tempest on the mountain itselfj 
 was adopted to overawe the soul. The 
 phrase ' the touchable mountain' — if 
 such a phrase is proper — would ex- 
 press the meaning of the apostle here. 
 The ' Mount Zion' to which the church 
 now has come, is of a different char- 
 acter. It is not thus visible and pal- 
 pable. It is not enveloped in smoke 
 and flame, and the thunders of the 
 Almighty do not roll and re-echo 
 among its lofty peaks as at Horeb; 
 yet it presents stronger motives to 
 perseverance in the service of God. 
 If And that burned with fire. Ex. xix. 
 18. Comp, Deut, iv. 11 ; xxxiii. 2. 
 IT Nor unto blackness, and darkness, 
 and tempest. See Ex. xix. 16. 
 
 19, And the voice of a trumpet. 
 Ex. xix. 1 9. The sound of the trum- 
 pet amidst the tempest was fitted to 
 increase the terror of the scene. T 
 And the voice of words. Spoken by 
 God. Ex. xix. 19. It is easy to con- 
 ceive what must have been the awe 
 produced by a voice uttered from the 
 midst of the tempest so distinct as to 
 be heard by the hvmdreds of thou- 
 sands of Israel, when the speaker 
 was invisible. ^ Which voice they 
 that heard, &c. Ex. xx. 18, 19. It 
 was so fearful and overpowering that 
 the people earnestly prayed that if 
 they must be addressed, it might be 
 by the familiar voice of Moses and 
 not by the awful voice of the Deity. 
 
 20. For they could not endure that 
 which was commanded. They could 
 not sustain the awe produced by the 
 fact that God uttered his commands 
 himself. The meaning is not that 
 the commands themselves w^ere intol 
 
314 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 61. 
 
 21 And so terrible was the 
 sight, that Moses said, I exceed- 
 ingly fear and quake :) 
 
 erable, but that tlie manner in which 
 they were communicated inspired a 
 terror wliich they could not bear. 
 They feared that tliey should die. 
 Ex. XX. 19. If And if so much as a 
 beasC touch the mottntain, it shall he 
 atoned. Ex. xix. 13. Tiic i)rohibi- 
 tion was, tliat neither beast nor man 
 should touch it on pain of death. The 
 punishment was to be cither by ston- 
 ing, or being- " shot through." TF Or 
 thrust through icith a dart. Ex. xix. 
 13. "Or shot through." This phrase, 
 however, though it is found in the 
 common editions of tiie New Testa- 
 ment, is wanting in all the more valua- 
 ble manuscripts; in all the ancient 
 versions; and it occurs in none of tlie 
 Greek ecclesiastical writers, with one 
 exception. It is omitted now by al- 
 most all editors of the New Testa- 
 ment. It is beyond all doubt an ad- 
 dition of later times, taken from the 
 Septuagint of Ex. xix. 13. Its omis- 
 sion does not injure the sense. 
 
 2\j^And so terrible teas the sight, 
 that Moses said, &c. This is not re- 
 corded in the account of the giving 
 of the law iu Exodus, and it lias btcn 
 made a question on what authority 
 the apostle made this declaration re- 
 specting Moses. In Dcut. ix. 19, Mo- 
 ses indeed says, of himself, after he 
 had come down from the mountain, 
 and had broken the two tables of 
 stone that were in his hand, that he 
 was greatly afraid of the anger of 
 tlie Lord on account of the sin of the 
 people. " I was afraid of the anger 
 and liot displeasure wherewith the 
 Lord was wroth against you to des- 
 troy you ;" and it has been supposed 
 by many that this is the passage to 
 which the apostle here alludes. But 
 it is very evident that was spoken on a 
 different occasion from the one which 
 is referred to in the passage before 
 us. Tliat was after the law was pro- 
 mulgated, and Moses liad descended 
 from the mount ; »nd it was not said 
 
 22 But ye are come unto 
 Mount Sion, and unto the city " 
 
 a Ue. 3. 12. 
 
 in view of the terrors of the scene 
 when the law was given, but of the 
 apprehension of the wrath of God 
 against the people for their sin iu 
 making the golden calf I know not 
 how to cxjjlain this, except by the 
 supposition that the apostle here re- 
 iers to some tradition that the scene 
 produced this effect on his mind. 
 In itself it is not improbable that 
 Moses thus trembled with alarm 
 (comp. Ex. xix. 16), nor that the re- 
 membrance of it should have been 
 handed down among the numerous 
 traditions which the Jews transmit- 
 ted from age to age. Tliere must 
 have been many things that occurred 
 in their journey through the wilder- 
 ness which are not recorded in the 
 Books of Moses. Many of them 
 would be preserved naturally in the 
 memory of the people, and transmit- 
 ted to their posterity ; and though 
 those truths might become intermin- 
 gled with much that was fabulous, 
 yet it is not irrational to suppose that 
 an inspired writer may have adduced 
 pertinent and true examples from 
 these traditions of what actually oc- 
 curred. It was one method of pre- 
 serving the truth, thus to select such 
 instances of what actually took place 
 from the mass of traditions which 
 were destined to perish, as would be 
 useful in future times. The circum- 
 stance here mentioned was greatly 
 fitted to increase the impression of 
 the sublimity and fearfuluess of .ho 
 scene. 3Ioses was accustomed to 
 commune with God. He had met 
 him at tlic 'bush,' and had been ad. 
 dressed by him face to face, and ye* 
 so awful were the scenes at Horeb 
 that even he could not bear it with 
 composure. What may we then sup- 
 pose to have been the alarm of the 
 body of the people, when the mind 
 of the great leader liimself was tlius 
 overpowered ! 
 
 23. But yc are come unto Mount 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 315 
 
 of the living God, the heavenly 
 
 a Ps. 68. 17. 
 
 Sion. You who are Christians ; all 
 who are under the new dispensation. 
 The design is to contrast the Chris- 
 tian dispensation with the Jewish, 
 and to sliow that its excellencies and 
 advantages were far superior to the 
 religion of their fathers. It had more 
 to win the affections ; more to elevate 
 the soul ; more to inspire v^'ith hope. 
 It had less that was terrific and alarm- 
 ing ; it appealed less to the fears and 
 more to the hopes of mankind ; but 
 still apostasy from this religion could 
 not be less terrible in its consequences 
 than apostasy from the religion of 
 Moses. In tlie passage before us, the 
 apostle evidently contrasts Sinai with 
 Mount Zion, and means to say that 
 there was more about the latter that 
 was adapted to win the heart and to 
 preserve allegiance than there was 
 about the former. Mount Zion lite- 
 rally denoted the Southern hill in Je- 
 rusalem, on which a part of the city 
 was built. That part of the city was 
 made by David and his successors the 
 residence of the court, and soon the 
 name Zion was given familiarly to 
 the whole city. Jerusalem was the 
 centre of religion in the land ; the 
 place where the temple stood, and 
 where the worship of God was cele- 
 brated, and where God dwelt by a 
 visible symbol, and it became the type 
 and emblem of the holy abode where 
 He dwells in lieaven. It cannot be 
 literally meant here that they had 
 come to the Mount Zion in Jerusalem, 
 for that was as true of the whole Jew- 
 ish people as of those whom the apos- 
 tle addressed, but it must mean that 
 they had come to the Mount Zion of 
 which the holy city was an emblem ; 
 -to the glorious mount which is reveal- 
 ed as the dwelling-place of God, of 
 angels, of saints. That is, they had 
 ' come' to this by the revelations and 
 hopes of the gospel. They were not 
 indeed literally in heaven, nor was 
 that glorious city literally on earth, 
 but the dispensation to which they 
 had been brouglit was that which 
 
 Jerusalem, and to an innumer- 
 able company of angels, " 
 
 conducted them directly up to the city 
 of the living God, and to the holy 
 mount where he dwelt above. The 
 view was not confined to an earthly 
 mountain enveloped in smoke and 
 flame, but opened at once on the jioly 
 place where God abides. By the 
 phrase 'ye are come,' the apostle 
 means that this was the characteristic 
 of the new dispensation that it con- 
 ducted them there, and that they were 
 already in fact inhabitants of that 
 glorious city. They were citizens of 
 the heavenly Jerusalem (comp. Note 
 Phil. iii. 20), and were entitled to its 
 privileges. If And unto the city of the 
 living God. The city where the liv- 
 ing God dwells — the heavenly Jeru- 
 salem. Comp. Notes on ch. xi. 10. 
 God dwelt by a visible symbol in the 
 temple at Jerusalem — and to that his 
 people came under the old dispensa- 
 tion. In a more literal and glorious 
 sense his abode is in heaven, and to 
 that his people have now come. IT The 
 heavenly Jerusalem. Heaven is not 
 unfrequently represented as a mag- 
 nificent city where God and angels 
 dwell ; and the Christian revelation 
 discloses this to Christians as certain, 
 ly their final home. They should re- 
 gard themselves already as dwellers 
 in that city, and live and act as if 
 they saw its splendour and partook 
 of its joy. In regard to this repre- 
 sentation of heaven as a city where 
 God dwells, the following places may 
 be consulted. Heb. xi. 10. 14 — 16; 
 xii. 28 ; xiii. 14 ; Gal. iv. 26 ; Rev. iii. 
 12; xxi. 2. 10—27. It is trufe that 
 Christians have not yet seen that city 
 by the bodily eye, but they look to it 
 with the eye of faith. It is revealed 
 to them ; they are permitted by anti- 
 cipation to contemplate its glories, 
 and to feel that it is to be their eter- 
 nal home. They are permitted to 
 live and act as if they saw the glori- 
 ous God whose dwelling is there, and 
 were already surrounded by the an- 
 gels and the redeemed. The apostle 
 does not represent tliem as if they 
 
316 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 c Ge. 18. 25. 
 
 d 1 Co. IS. 49, S4. 
 
 23 To the general assembly I and to God the Judge ' of all, 
 and church of the first-born, " and to the spirits of just rnen "* 
 which are ' written ' in lieaven, made perfect, 
 
 a Re. 14. 4. » or, enrolled. b Lu. 10. 20. 
 
 were expecting that it would be visi- 
 bly set up on the earth, but as being 
 now actually dwellers in that city, 
 and bound to live and act as if they 
 were amidst its splendours. H And 
 to an innumerable company of angels. 
 The Greek here is, ' to myriads [or 
 ten thousands] of angels in an assem- 
 bly or joyful convocation.' Tiie 
 phrase ' tens of thousands' is often 
 used to denote a great and indefinite 
 number. The word rendered ' gene- 
 ral assembly,' (ver. 22) — Tzavtjyvpis — 
 refers properly to 'an assembly or 
 convocation of the whole people in 
 order to celebrate any public festival 
 or solemnit}', as the public games or 
 sacrifices.' Rob. Lex. It occurs no- 
 where else in the New Testament, 
 and refers here to the angels viewed 
 as assembled around the throne of 
 God and celebrating his praises. It 
 should be regarded as connected with 
 the word angels, referring to their 
 convocation in heaven, and not to tlie 
 church of the first-born. This con- 
 Btruction is demanded by the Greek. 
 Our common translation renders it as 
 if it were to be united witJi the churcli 
 —'to the general assembly ant/ churcli 
 of the first-born ;' but the Greek will 
 not admit of this construction. The 
 interpretation which unites it with 
 the angels is adopted now by almost 
 all critics, and in almost all the edi- 
 tions of the New Testament. On the 
 convopation of angels, see Notes on 
 Job i. 6. The writer intends doubt- 
 less to contrast that joyful assem- 
 blage of the angels in heaven with 
 those who appeared in the giving of 
 the law on Mount Sinai. God is al- 
 ways represented as surrounded by 
 hosts of angels in heaven. See Dcut. 
 xx.xiii. 2 ; I. Kings xxii. 19 ; Dan. vii. 
 10; P«. litviii. 17; comp. Notes Heb. 
 xii. 1 ; soc also Rev. v. ii ; Matt. xxvi. 
 53 ; Luke ii. 13. The meaning is, 
 that under the Christian dispensation 
 
 Christians in their feelings and wor- 
 ship become united to this vast host 
 of holy angelic beings. It is, of 
 course, not meant that they are visi. 
 ble, but they are seen by the eye of 
 faith. Tiie argument here is, that as, 
 in virtue of the Christian revelation, 
 we become associated with those pure 
 and happy spirits, we should not apos- 
 tatize li-om such a religion, for we 
 should regard it as honourable and 
 glorious to be identified with them. 
 
 23. To the general assembly. See 
 Notes on ver. 22. ^ And church of 
 the Jirst-born. That is, you are united 
 with the church of the first-born. 
 They who were first-born among the 
 Hebrews enjoyed peculiar privileges, 
 and especially pre-eminence of rank. 
 See Notes on Coll. i. 15. The refer- 
 ence here is, evidently, to those saints 
 who had been distinguished for their 
 piety, and who may be supposed to 
 be exalted to peculiar honours in lica- 
 ven — such as the patriarchs, prophets, 
 martyrs. The meaning is, that by 
 becoming Christians, we have become 
 in fact identified with that happy and 
 honoured churcli, and that this is a 
 powerful motive to induce us to per- 
 severe. It is a consideration which 
 should make us adhere to our religion 
 amidst all temptations and persecu- 
 tions, that we are identified with the 
 most eminently holy nicii who have 
 lived, and that we are to share their 
 honours and their joys. The Chris- 
 tian is united in feeling, in honour, 
 and in destiny, with the excellent of 
 all the earth and of all times. He 
 should feel it, therefore, an honour to 
 be a Christian ; he should yield to no 
 temptation which would induce him 
 to part from so goodly a fellowship. 
 If Which are written in heaven. Marg. 
 enrolled. The word here was em- 
 ployed by the Greeks to denote that 
 one was enrolled as a citizen, or enti- 
 tled to the privileges of citizenship. 
 
A. D C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 317 
 
 24 And to Jesus the media- 
 tor ' of the new covenant, ' and 
 to the blood * of sprinkling, that 
 
 a c. 8. 6. ' or, testament. 
 
 Here it means, that the names of the 
 persons referred to were registered or 
 enrolled among the inhabitants of the 
 heavenly world. See Notes, Luke x. 
 20. ^ And to God the judge of all. 
 God, who will pronounce the final 
 sentence on all mankind. The object 
 of the reference here to God as judge 
 does not appear to be to contrast the 
 condition of Christians with that of 
 the Jews, as is the case in some of 
 the circumstances alluded to, but to 
 bring impressively before their minds 
 the liict that they sustained a pecu- 
 liarly near relation to him from wliom 
 all were to receive their final allot- 
 ment. As the destiny of all depended 
 on him, they should be careful not to 
 provoke his wrath. The design of the 
 apostle seems to be to give a rapid 
 glance of what there was in heaven, 
 as disclosed by the eye of faitii to the 
 Christian, which should operate as a 
 motive to induce hnn to persevere in 
 his Christian course. Tlie thought 
 that seems to have struck his mind 
 in regard to God was, that he would 
 do right to all. They had, therefore, 
 everything to fear if they revolted 
 from him ; they had everything to 
 hope if they bore their trials with pa- 
 tience, and persevered to the end. 
 TT And to the spirits of just men made 
 perfect. Not only to the more emi- 
 nent saints — the ' church of tlie first- 
 born' — but to all who were made per- 
 fect in heaven. They were not only 
 united with the imperfect Christians 
 on earth, but with those who have 
 •become completely delivered from sin, 
 and admitted to the world of glory. 
 This is a consideration which ought 
 to influence the minds of all believers. 
 They are even now united with all 
 the redeemed in heaven. They should 
 so live as not to be separated from 
 tliem in the final day. Most Chris- 
 tians have among the redeemed al- 
 ready not a few of their most tenderly 
 beloved friends, A father may be 
 27* 
 
 speaketh better things than 
 that of Abel. « 
 
 h Ex. 24. 8. c Ge. 4. 10. 
 
 there ; a mother, a sister, a smiling 
 babe. It should be a powerful motive 
 with us so to live as to be prepared 
 to be reunited with them in heaven. 
 
 24. And to Jesus the Mediator of 
 the new covenant. This was the 
 crowning excellence of the new dis- 
 pensation in contradistinction from 
 the old. They had been made ac 
 quainted with the true Messiah; they 
 were united to him by faith ; they 
 had been sprinkled with his bloodv 
 See Notes on ch. vii. 22, and ch. viii. 6. 
 The highest consideration which can 
 be urged to induce any one to perse- 
 vere in a life of piety is the fact that 
 the Son of God has come into the 
 world and died to save sinners. Com p. 
 Notes on vs. 2 — 4 of this chapter. 
 IT And to the blood of sprinkling. The 
 blood which Jesus shed, and which is 
 sprinkled upon us to ratify the cove- 
 nant. See Notes on ch. i.\. 18 — 23. 
 V That speaketh better things than that 
 of Abel. Gr. ' Than Abel ;' the words 
 ' that of being supplied by the trans- 
 lators. In the original there is no re- 
 ference to the blood of Abel shed by 
 Cain, as our translators seem to have 
 supposed, but the allusion is to the 
 faith of Abel, or to the testimony 
 which he bore to a great and vital 
 truth of religion. The meaning here 
 is, that the blood of Jesus speaks bet- 
 ter things than Abel did ; that is, that 
 the blood of Jesus is the reality of 
 which the offering of Abel was a type 
 Abel proclaimed by tlic sacrifice which 
 he made the great truth that salva- 
 tion could be only by a bloody offer 
 ing — but lie did this only in a typical 
 and obscure manner ; Jesus proclaim- 
 ed it in a more distinct and better 
 manner by the reality. The object 
 here is to compare the Redeemer with 
 Abel, not in the sense that the blood 
 shed in either case calls for vengeance, 
 but that salvation by blood is mora 
 clearlj" revealed in the Christian plan 
 than in the ancient history ; and 
 
'JI8 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 6J. 
 
 25 See that ye refuse not 
 him that speaketh. For if they 
 escaped not who refused him 
 that spake on earth, much more 
 
 hence illustrating, in accordance with 
 the desijjn of this epistle, tlie superior 
 excellency of the Christian sciieine 
 over all which had preceded it. There 
 were other points of resemblance be- 
 tween Abel and the Redeemer, but on 
 theni the apostle docs not insist. Abel 
 'vas a martyr, and so was Christ; 
 \bel was cruelly mordcrcd, and so 
 • /as Christ ; there was ag^gravatcd 
 guilt in the murder of Abel by his 
 brother, and so there was in that 
 of Jesus by his brethren — his own 
 countrymen ; the blood of Abel called 
 for vengeance, and was followed by 
 a fearful penalty on Cain, and so was 
 the death of the Redeemer on his mur- 
 derers — for they said, "his blood be on 
 us and on our cliildren," and are yet 
 suffering under the fearful maledic- 
 tion then invoked ; — but the point of 
 contrast here is, that the blood of Je- 
 sus makes a more full, distinct, and 
 clear proclamation of the truth that 
 salvation is by blood than the offering 
 made by Abel did. The apostle al- 
 ludes here to what he had said in ch. 
 xi. 4. See Notes on that verse. Such 
 is the contrast between the former 
 and the latter dispensations ; and such 
 the motives to perseverance presented 
 by both. In the former, the Jewish, 
 all was imperfect, terrible and alarm- 
 ing. In the latter, everything was 
 comparatively mild, winning, allur- 
 ing, animating. Terror was not the 
 principal element, but heaven was 
 opened to the eye of faith, and the 
 Christian was permitted to survey the 
 Mount Zion ; the New Jerusalem; 
 the angels ; the redeemed ; the blessed 
 God ; the glorious Mediator, and to 
 feel tliat that blessed abode was to be 
 his home. To that hapjjy world he 
 was tending; and with all these pure 
 and glorious beings he was identified. 
 Having stated and urged this argu- 
 ment, the apostle in the remainder 
 of the chapter warns those whom he 
 
 shall not we escape if we turn 
 away from him that speaketh 
 from heaven : 
 
 26 Whose voice then shook 
 
 addressed in a most solemn manner 
 against a renunciation of their Chris- 
 tian faith. 
 
 25. See that ye refuse not. 71iat 
 you do not reject or disregard. ^ Hitn 
 that speaketh. That is, in the gospel. 
 Do not turn away from him who has 
 addressed you in the new dispensa- 
 tion, and called you to obey and serve 
 him. The meaning is, that God had 
 addressed theni in the gospel as really 
 as he had done the Hebrews on Mount 
 Sinai, and that there was as much to 
 be dreaded in disregarding his voice 
 now as tliere was then. He does not 
 speak, indeed, amidst lightnings, and 
 thunders, and clouds, but ho speaks 
 by every message of mercy ; by every 
 invitation ; by every tender appeal. 
 He spake by his Son (ch. i. 1); he 
 speaks by the Holy Spirit, and by all 
 his calls and warnings in the gospel. 
 IT For if they escaped not. If they 
 who heard God under tiie old dispen- 
 sation, who refused to obey him, were 
 cut off. Notes ch. x. 28. IT Wio re. 
 fused him that spake on earth. Tliat 
 is, Moses. The contrast here is be- 
 tween Moses and the Son of God— 
 the head of the Jewish and the head 
 of the Christian dispensation. Moses 
 was a mere man, and spake as such, 
 though in the name of God. The Son 
 of God was from above, and spake as 
 an inhabitant of heaven. IT Much 
 more, &,c. See Notes on ch. ii. 2, 3 ; 
 ix. 29. 
 
 26. Whose voice then shook the earth. 
 When he spake at Mount Sinai. Th^ 
 meaning^ is, that the mountain and 
 the region around quaked. Ex. xix. 
 1 8. The ' voice' hero referred to is 
 that of God speaking from the holy 
 mount. ^ Bui vow hath he promised, 
 saying. The words here quoted are 
 taken from Haggai ii. 6, where they 
 refer to the changes which would take 
 place under the Messiah. The mean- 
 ing is, tliat there would be great re- 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 the earth 
 promised, 
 
 CHAPTER Xll. 
 
 : but now he hath 
 saying, " Yet once 
 
 a Hag. 2. 6. 
 
 volutions in his coming, as if the 
 universe were shaken to its centre. 
 The apostle evidently applies this 
 passag-e as it is done in Haggai, to 
 the first advent of the Redeemer. If 
 J shake not the earth only. This is not 
 quoted literally from the Hebrew, but 
 the sense is retained. In Haggai it 
 is, " Yet once, it is a little while, and 
 I will shake the heavens, and the 
 earth, and the sea, and the dry land ; 
 and I will shake all nations, and the 
 desire of all nations shall come." The 
 apostle lays emphasis on the fact that 
 not only the earth vv'as to be shaken 
 but also heaven. The shaking of the 
 earth here evidently refers to the 
 commotions among the nations that 
 would prepare the way for the com- 
 ing of the Messiah. IT But also hea- 
 ven. This may refer either (1) to the 
 extraordinary phenomena in the hea- 
 vens at the birth, the death, and the 
 ascension of Christ ; or (2) to the re- 
 volutions in morals and religion 
 which would be caused by the intro- 
 duction of the gospel, as if everything 
 were to be changed — expressed by 
 ' a shalting of the heavens and the 
 earth ;' or (3) it may be more literally 
 taken as denoting that there was a re- 
 markable agitation in the heavens — in 
 the bosoms of its inhabitants — arising 
 from a fact so wonderful as that the 
 Son of God should descend to earth, 
 suffer, and die. I see no reason to 
 doubt that the latter idea may have 
 been included here ; and the meaning 
 of the wliole then is, that while the 
 giving of the law at Mount Sinai, 
 fearful and solemn as it was, was an 
 event that merely shook the earth in 
 the vicinity qf the holy Mount, the in- 
 troduction of the gospel agitated the 
 universe. Great changes upon the 
 earth were to precede it ; one revolution 
 was to succeed another preparatory 
 to it, and the whole universe would 
 be moved at an event so extraordinary. 
 The meaning is, that the introduction 
 
 319 
 earth 
 
 more I shake not the 
 only, but also heaven. 
 
 27 And this word, Yet once 
 
 of the gospel was a much more solemn 
 and momentous thing than the giving 
 of the law — and that, therefore, it was 
 much more fearful and dangerous to 
 apostatize from it. 
 
 27. And this word. Yet once more. 
 That is, this reference to a great agi- 
 tation or commotion in some future 
 time. This is designed as an expla- 
 nation of the prophecy in Haggai, 
 and the idea is, that there would be 
 such agitations that ever)^thing which 
 was not fixed on a permanent and im- 
 movable basis would be thrown down 
 as in an earthquake. Everything 
 which was temporary in human in- 
 stitutions ; everything which was 
 wrong in customs and morals ; and 
 everything in the ancient system of 
 religion which was merely of a pre- 
 paratory and typical character would 
 be removed. What was of permanent 
 value would be retained, and a king- 
 dom would be established which no- 
 thing could move. The effect of the 
 gospel would be to overturn every- 
 thing which was of a temporary 
 character in the previous system, and 
 everything in morals which was not 
 founded on a solid basis, and to set up 
 in the place of it principles which no 
 revolution and no time could change. 
 The coming of the Saviour, and the 
 influence of his religion on mankind, 
 had this effect in such respects as the 
 following. (1.) All that was of a 
 sound and permanent nature in the 
 Jewish economy was retained ; all 
 that was typical and temporary was 
 removed. The whole mass of sacri- 
 fices and ceremonies that were de- 
 signed to prefigure the Messiali of 
 course then ceased ; all that was of 
 permanent value in the law of God, 
 and in the principles of religion, was 
 incorporated in the new system and 
 perpetuated. (2.) The same is true in 
 regard to morals. There was much 
 truth on the earth before the time of 
 the Saviour ; but it was intermingled 
 
320 
 
 more, sijjnifielh the removing 
 of those things that are ' sha- 
 ken, as of things that are made, 
 that those things which cannot 
 be shaken may remain. 
 
 with much that was false. The effect 
 of his coming has been to distinguish 
 wliat is true and what is false ; to 
 give permanency to the one, and to 
 cause the other to vanish. (3.) The 
 same is true of religion. There are 
 some views of religion \vliich men 
 have by nature which are correct ; 
 there are many which are false'. Tiie 
 Christian religion gives permanence 
 and stability to the one, and causes 
 the other to disappear. And in gene- 
 ral, it may be remarked, tliat tlie 
 effect of Christianity is to give sta- 
 bility to all that is founded on truth, 
 and to drive error from the world. 
 Christ came that he might destroy all 
 the systems of error — that is, all that 
 covld be shaken on earth, and to con- 
 firm all that is true. The result of 
 all will be that he will preside over a 
 permanent kingdom, and that his 
 people will inherit "a kingdom which 
 cannot be moved." Ver. 28. H Tfie 
 removing of those things that are sha- 
 ken. Marg. more correctly " may be." 
 The meaning is, that those principles 
 of religion and morals wliich were 
 not founded on truth, would be re- 
 moved by his coming. ^ As of things 
 that are made. Much perplexity has 
 been felt by expositors in regard to 
 this phrase, but the meaning seems 
 to be plain. The apostle is contrast- 
 ing the things which are fixed and 
 stable with those which are temporary 
 in their nature, or which are settled 
 on no firm foundation. The former 
 he speaks of as if they were uncreated 
 and eternal principles of truth and 
 righteousness. The latter he speaks 
 of as if they were created, and there- 
 fore liable, like all things which are 
 ' made,' to decay, to change, to disso- 
 lution. If That those things which ctn- 
 not be shaken may remain. The eter- 
 nal principles of trutli, and law, and 
 righteousness. These would enter 
 
 HEBREWS. [A. D. 64. 
 
 28 Wherefore we receiving 
 a kingdom which cannot be 
 moved, let us have grace, 
 whereby we may serve God 
 
 1 or, may be. 2 or, holdfast. 
 
 into the new kingdom which was to 
 be set up, and of course that king- 
 dom would be permanent. These are 
 not changed or modified by time, 
 circumstances, human opinions or 
 laws. They remain the same from 
 age to age, in every land, and in all 
 worlds. They have been permanent 
 in all the fluctuations of opinion ; in 
 all the varied forms of government 
 on earth; in all the revolutions of 
 states and empires. To bring out 
 these is the result of the events of di- 
 vine Providence, and the object of the 
 coming of the Redeemer; and on 
 these principles that great kingdom 
 is to be reared which is to endure 
 for ever and ever, 
 
 28. Wherefore we receiving a king 
 dom lohich cannot he moved. We who 
 are Christians. We pertain to a king- 
 dom that is permanent and unchang- 
 ing. Tiie meaning is, that the king- 
 dom of the Redeemer is never to pass 
 away. It is not, like the Jewish dis- 
 pensation, to give place to another, 
 nor is there anj' power that can de- 
 stroy it. See Notes on Matt. xvi. 18. 
 It has now endured for eighteen 
 hundred years amidst all the revolu- 
 tions on earth, and in spite of all the 
 attempts which have been made to 
 destroy it ; and it is now as vigorous 
 and stable as it ever was. The past 
 has shown tliat there is no power of 
 earth or hell that can destroy it, and 
 that in line midst of all revolutions 
 this kingdom still survives. Its great 
 principles and laws will endure on 
 earth to the end of time, and will 
 be made permanent in Jieaven. This 
 is the only kingdom in which we 
 can be certain that tiiere will be no 
 revolution ; tiie only empire \vliich 
 is destined never to fill. ^ Let ua 
 have grace whereby we may serve 
 God. Marg. 'let us hold fast.* 
 The Greek is, literally, let us have 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 331 
 
 acceptably with reverence and 
 godly fear. 
 
 grace ; the meaning is, ' let us hold 
 fast the grace or favour which we 
 have received in being' admitted to 
 the privileges of that iiingdom.' The 
 object of the apostle is, to keep them 
 in the reverent fear and service of 
 God. The argument which he pre- 
 sents is, that this kingdom is perma- 
 nent. There is no danger of its being 
 overthrown. It is to continue on 
 earth to the end of time ; it is to be 
 esUablished in heaven for ever. If it 
 were temporary, changeable, liable to 
 be overthrown at any moment, there 
 would be much less encouragement 
 to perseverance. But in a kingdom 
 like this there is every encourage- 
 ment, for there is the assurance (1) 
 that all our interests there are safe ; 
 (2) that all our exertions will be 
 crowned with ultimate success ; (3) 
 that the efforts which we make to do 
 good will have a permanent influence 
 on mankind, and will bless future ages ; 
 and (4) that the reward is certain. A 
 man subject to a government about 
 whose continuance there would be 
 the utmost uncertainty, would have 
 little encouragement to labour with a 
 view to any permanent interest. In 
 a government where nothing is set- 
 tled ; where all policy is changing, 
 and where there are constantly va- 
 cillating plans, there is no indace- 
 ment to enter on any enterprise de- 
 manding time and risk. But where 
 the policy is settled; where tlic prin- 
 ciples and the laws are firm ; where 
 there is evidence of permanency, 
 there is the highest encouragement. 
 The highest possible encouragement 
 of tliis kind is in the permanent and 
 established kingdom of God. All 
 other governments may be revolu- 
 tionized; this never will be: — all 
 others may have a changeful policy ; 
 this has none: — all others will be 
 overthrown ; this never will. IT With 
 reverence and godly fear. With true 
 veneration for God, and with pious 
 devotedness. 
 
 29 For " our God is a con- 
 
 suming fire. 
 
 a De. 4. 24. 
 
 29. For our God is a consuming 
 fire. This is a further reason why 
 we should serve God with profound 
 reverence and unwavering fidelity. 
 The quotation is made from Deut. iv. 
 24. " For the Lord thy God is a con- 
 suming fire, even a jealous God." 
 The object of the apostle here seems 
 to be, to show that there was the same 
 reason for fearing the displeasure of 
 God under the new dispensation which 
 there was under the old. It was the 
 same God who was served. There 
 had been no change in his attributes, 
 or in the principles of his government. 
 He was no more the friend of sin novjr 
 than he was then ; and the same per- 
 fections of his nature which would 
 then lead him to punish transgression 
 would also lead him to do it now. 
 His anger was really as terrible, and 
 as much to be dreaded as it was at 
 Mount Sinai ; and the destruction 
 which he would inflict on his foes 
 would be aS terrible now as it was 
 then. The fearfulness with which 
 he would come forth to destroy the 
 wicked might be compared to a fire 
 that consumed all before it. See 
 Notes, iVIark ix. 44 — 46. The image 
 here is a most fearful one, and is in 
 accordance with all the representa 
 tions of God in the Bible, and with 
 all that we see in the divine dealings 
 with wicked men, that punishment 
 as inflicted by him is awful and over- 
 whelming. So it was on the old 
 world ; on the cities of the plain ; on 
 the hosts of Sennacherib ; and on Je- 
 rusalem — and so it has been in the 
 calamities of pestilence, war, flood, 
 and famine witli which God has visit, 
 ed guilty men. By all these tender 
 and solemn considerations, therefore, 
 the apostle urges the friends of] God 
 to perseverance and fidelity in his ser- 
 vice. His goodness and mercy ; the 
 gifl of a Saviour to redeem us ; the 
 revelation of a glorious world ; the 
 assurance that all may soon be united 
 I in fellowship with the angels and the 
 
3-22 
 
 IIKBREVVS. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LET brotlicily " love continue. 
 2 Be not lorgetlul to en- 
 tertain strangers : for thereby 
 
 u 1 Pe. l.ii; 1 JiKi. 4. 7, ao. 
 
 redeemed ; the certainty that the king- 
 dom of the Saviour is cstablislied on 
 a permanent basis, and the apprehen- 
 sion of tlic dreadful wrath of God 
 against the guilty, all should lead us 
 to persevere in the duties of our Chris- 
 tian calling, and to avoid those things 
 wiiich would jeopard the eternal in- 
 terests of our souls. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 
 
 The closing chapter of this epistle 
 is made up almost entirely of exhor- 
 tations to the performance of various 
 practical duties. The exhortations 
 relate to the following points : bro- 
 therly love, ver. 1 ; hospitality, ver. 2 ; 
 sympathy with those in bonds, ver. 
 3; fidelity in the marriage relation, 
 ver. 4 ; contentment, vs. 5, G ; sub- 
 mission to those in authority, vs. 7, 
 8 ; stability in the doctrmcs of reli- 
 gion, vs. y — 15 ; benevolence, ver. IG ; 
 obedience to those entrusted with of- 
 fice, ver. 17; and si)ecial prayer for 
 him who wrote this epistle, vs. 18, 19. 
 The epistle then closes with a beau- 
 tiful and impressive benediction, vs. 
 20, 21 ; with an entreaty that tliey 
 would receive with favour what had 
 been written, ver. 22 ; with the grate- 
 ful announcement that Timothy, in 
 whom they doubtless felt a great in- 
 terest, was set at liberty, ver. 23 ; and 
 with a salutation to all the saints, vs. 
 24, 25. 
 
 1. Let brotherly love continue. Im- 
 plying that it now existed among 
 them. Tiie apostle had no occasion 
 to reprove them for the want of it, as 
 he had in regard to some to whom he 
 wrote, but he aims merely to impress 
 on them the importance of this vir- 
 tue, and to caution them against the 
 danger of allowing it ever to be in- 
 terrupted. Sec Notes on John xiii. 
 
 34. 
 
 2. Be not forgetful to entertain 
 
 some * have entertained angels 
 unawares. 
 
 3 Ileniember them that are 
 
 " b Ge. 18. 3. 19. 2. 
 
 strangers. On the duty of hospital- 
 ity, see a full explanation in the Notes 
 on Rom. xii. 13. If For thereby some 
 have entertained angels unawares. 
 Without knowing that they were an- 
 gels. As Abraham (Gen. xviii. 2, 
 seq.), and Lot did. Gen. xix. The 
 motive here urged for doing it is, that 
 by entcrtaniing the stranger we may 
 perhaps be honoured with the prS- 
 ence of those whose society will be 
 to us an honour and a blessing. It 
 is not well for us to miss the oppor- 
 tunity of the presence, the conversa- 
 tion, and the prayers of the good. 
 'I'he influence of such guests in a fam- 
 ily is worth more than it cdsts to en 
 tertain them. If there is danger that 
 we may sometimes receive those of 
 an opposite character, yet it is not 
 wise on account of such possible dan- 
 ger, to lose the opportunity of enter- 
 taining those whose presence would 
 be a blessing. Many a parent owes 
 the conversion of a child to the infliu- 
 cnee of a pious stranger in his fami 
 ly ; and the hope that this rnay occur, 
 or that our own souls may be blessed, 
 should make us ready, at all proper 
 times, to welcome the feet of the 
 stranger to our doors. Many a man, 
 if he had been accosted as Abraham 
 was at the door of his tent by stran- 
 gers, would have turned them rudely 
 away ; many a one in the situation 
 of Lot would have sent the unknown 
 guests rudely from his door ; but who 
 can estimate wiiat would have been 
 the results of such a course on the 
 destiny of those good men and their 
 flimilics ? For a great number of in- 
 stances in which the heathen were 
 supposed to liave entertained the gods, 
 though unknown to them, see Wet- 
 stein in loc. 
 
 3. Remember them that are in bonds. 
 All who are bound; whether prison- 
 ers of war ; captives in dungeons ; 
 those detained in custody for trial ; 
 
A. D. U.] 
 
 CHAPTER XUI. 
 
 323 
 
 in bonds, " as bound with them ; 
 and them which suffer adversi- 
 
 a Mat. 25. 36. 
 
 those who are imprisoned for righte- 
 ousiiess' sake ; or tliose lield in slave- 
 ry. The word used liere will include 
 all instances where bonds, shackles, 
 chains were ever used. Perhaps there 
 is an immediate allusion to their fel- 
 low-Christians who were suffering 
 imprisonment on account of thrir re- 
 ligion, of whom there were doubtless 
 many at that time, but the principle 
 will apply to every case of those who 
 are imprisoned or oppressed. The 
 word remember implies more than 
 that we are merely to think of them. 
 Comp. Ex. XX. 8; Eccl. xii. 1. It 
 means that we are to remember thein 
 wilh appropriate sympathy; or as we 
 should wish others to remember us if 
 we were in their circumstances. That 
 is, we are (1) to feel deep compassion 
 for them ; (2) we are to remember 
 them in our prayers ; (3) we are to 
 remember them, as far as practicable, 
 with aid for their relief. Christianity 
 teaches us to sympathize with all the 
 oppressed, the suffering, and tlie sad ; 
 and there are more of tiiis class than 
 we commonly suppose, and they have 
 stronger claims on our sympathy than 
 we commonly realize: In this land 
 there are not far from ten thousand 
 confined in prison — the father sepa- 
 rated from his children ; the husband 
 from his wife ; the brother from his 
 sister ; and all cut off from the living 
 world. Their fare is coarse, and their 
 couches hard, and the ties which bound 
 them to the living world are rudely 
 snapped asunder. Many of them are 
 in solitary dungeons; all of them arc 
 sad and melancholy men. True, they 
 are there for crime ; but they are men 
 — they are our brothers. They have 
 still the feelings of our common hu- 
 manity, and many of them feel their 
 separation from wife and chikhen and 
 home as keenly as we would. That 
 God who has mercifully made our lot 
 s different from theirs has commanded 
 us to sympathize with them — and we 
 ehould sympathize all the more when 
 
 ty, as being yourselves also in 
 the body. 
 
 we remember that but for his restrain- 
 ing grace we should have been in the 
 same condition. There are in this 
 land of 'liberty' also nearly three 
 millions who are held in the hard 
 bondage of slavery. There is the 
 father, the mother, 1 he child, the bro- 
 ther, the sister. 1 hey are held as 
 property ; liable to be sold ; having 
 no right to the avails of their own 
 labour ; exposed to the danger of 
 having the tenderest ties sundered at 
 the will of their mas ter ; shut out from 
 the privilege of reading the Word of 
 God ; fed on coarsj fare ; living in 
 wretched hovels; a id often subjected 
 to the painful infl. ctions of the lash 
 at the caprice of a passionate driver. 
 Wives and daughters are made the 
 victims of degrading sensuality with- 
 out the power of resistance or re- 
 dress ; the security of home is un- 
 knovi'n ; and they are dependent on 
 the will of another man whether they 
 shall or shall not worship their Crea- 
 tor. We should remember them, and 
 sympathize with them as if they 
 were ovr fathers, mothers, sisters, bra* 
 thers, or sons and daughters. Though 
 of different colour, yet the same blood 
 flows in their veins as in ours (Acts 
 xvii. 26) ; they are bone of our bone, 
 and flesh of our flesh. By nature they 
 have the same right to ' life, liberty, 
 and the pursuit of happiness' Vi^hich 
 we and our children have, and to de- 
 prive them of that right is as unjust 
 as it would be to deprive us and ours 
 of it. Tliey have a claim on our sym- 
 pathy, for they are oui brethren. They 
 need it, for they are poor and helpless. 
 They should have it, for the same 
 God who has kept us from that hard 
 lot has commanded us to remember 
 them. That kind remembrance of 
 them should be shown in every prac- 
 ticable way. By prayer ; by plans 
 contemplating their freedom ; by efl 
 forts to send tliem the gospel ; by 
 diffusing abroad the principles of lib- 
 erty and of the rights of man ; by using 
 
124 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. G4. 
 
 4 Marriage ° is honourable 
 in all, and the bed undefiled : 
 but * whoremongers and adulte- 
 rers God will judge, 
 
 a Pr. 5. 15-2 3. ft 1 Co. 6. 9 ; Re. 22. 15. 
 
 our influence to arouse the public 
 mind in their behalf, we should en- 
 deavour to relieve those who are in 
 bonds, and to ha.stcn the time when 
 *the oppressed shall go free.' On 
 this subject see Notes on Isa. eh. 
 Iviii. G. H As bound with them. There 
 is great force and beauty in this 
 expression. Religion teaches us to 
 identify ourselves with all who are 
 oppressed, and to /eel what they suf- 
 fer as if we endured it ourselves. In- 
 fidelity and atheis n are cold and dis- 
 tant. They stand aloof from the op- 
 pressed and the sad. But Christianity 
 unites all hearts in one ; binds us to 
 all the race, and reveals to us in the 
 case of each one oppressed and in- 
 jured, a brother. ^ And them which 
 suffer adversity. The word here used 
 refers properly to those who are mal- 
 treated, or who are injured by otiiers. 
 It does not properly refer to those who 
 merely experience calamity. ^ As 
 being yourselves also in the body. As 
 being yourselves exposed to persecu- 
 tion and suffering, and liable to be 
 injured. That is, do to them as you 
 would wish them to do to you if you 
 ■were the sufferer. When we see an 
 oppressed and injured man, we should 
 remember that it is possible that we 
 may be in the same circumstances, 
 and that then we shall need and de- 
 sire the sympathy of others. 
 
 4. Marriage is honourable in all. 
 The object here is to state that honour 
 is to be shown to tiie marriage rela- 
 tion. It is not to be undervalued by 
 the pretence of the superior purity of 
 a state of eelibac}',as if marriage were 
 improi)er for any class of men or any 
 condition of lite ; and it should not 
 be dishonoured by any violation of the 
 marriage contract. The course of 
 things lias shown that there was abun- 
 dant reason for the apostle to assert 
 with emphasis that ' marriage was an 
 
 5 Let your conversation be 
 without covetousness ; and be 
 contend with such things as ye 
 
 c Mat. G. 25, 34. 
 
 honourable condition of life.' There 
 has been a constant effort made to 
 show that celibacy was a more holy 
 state ; that there was something in 
 marriage that rendered it dishonour' 
 able for those who were in the min- 
 istry, and for those of either sex who 
 would be eminently pure. This sen- 
 timent has been the cause of more 
 abomination in the world than any 
 other single opinion claiming to have 
 a religious sanction. It is one of the 
 supports on which the Papal system 
 rests, and has been one of the princi- 
 pal upholders of all the corruptions 
 in monasteries and nunneries. The 
 apostle asserts, without any restric- 
 tion or qualification, that marriage is 
 honourable in all ; and this proves 
 that it is lawful for the ministers of 
 religion to marry, and that the whole 
 doctrine of the superior purity of a 
 state of celibacy is false. See this 
 subject examined in the Notes on I. 
 Cor. vii. ^ And the bed undefiled. 
 Fidelity to tlic marriage vow. IT But 
 ichorcmongers and adulterers God 
 will judge. All licentiousness of life, 
 and all violations of the marriage co- 
 venant, will be severely punished by 
 God. See Notes on I. Cor. vi. 9. The 
 sins here referred to prevailed every- 
 where, and hence there was the more 
 proi)riety for the frequent and solemn 
 injunctions to avoid them which we 
 find in the Scriptures. 
 
 5, Let your conversation. Your 
 conduct — for so the word conversation 
 is used in the Scriptures. Notes, Phil, 
 i. 27. If Be without covetousness. 
 Notes on Eph. v. 3 ; Col. iii. 5. H And 
 be content with such things as ve have. 
 See Notes on Phil. iv. U, 12'; Matt, 
 vi. 25 — 31. The particular reason 
 here given for contentment is, that 
 God has promised never to leave hia 
 people. Compare with this the beau- 
 tiful argument of the Saviour in Matt. 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 32S 
 
 have : for he hath said, " I will 
 never leave thee, nor forsake 
 thee. 
 
 6 So that we may boldly say, * 
 
 a Ge. 28. 15 ; De. 31. 6, 8 ; 1 Cli. 28. 20. 
 6 Ps. 27. 1. 
 
 vi. 25, seq. IT For he hath said. That 
 is, God has said. ^ I will never leave 
 thee nor forsake thee. See Deut. xxxi. 
 6 ; Josh. i. 5 ; I. Chron. xxviii. 20. 
 Substantially the same expression is 
 found in each of those places, and all 
 of them contain the principle on which 
 the apostle here relies, that God will 
 not forsake his people. 
 
 6. So that we may boldly say. With- 
 out any hesitation or doubt. In all 
 times of perplexity and threatening 
 want ; in all times when v/e scarcely 
 know whence the supplies for our ne- 
 cessities are to come, we may put our 
 trust in God, and be assured that he 
 will not leave us to suffer. In the 
 facts which occur under the providen- 
 tial dealings, there is a ground for 
 confidence on this subject which is 
 not always exercised even by good 
 men. It remains yet to be shown 
 that they who exercise simple trust 
 in God for the supply of their wants 
 are ever forsaken. Comp. Ps. xxxvii. 
 25. If The Lord is my helper. Sub- 
 stantially this sentiment is found in 
 Ps. xxvii. 1, and Ps. cxviii. 6. The 
 apostle does not adduce it as a quota- 
 tion, but as language which a true 
 Christian may employ. The senti- 
 ment is beautiful, and full of consola- 
 tion. What can we fear if we have 
 the assurance that the Lord is on our 
 side, and that he will help us ? Man 
 can do no more to us than he permits, 
 and of course no more than will be 
 for our own good ; and under what- 
 ever trials we may be placed, we need 
 be under no painful apprehensions, 
 for God will be our protector and our 
 friend. 
 
 7. Remember them which have the 
 rule over you. Marg. ' are the guides.^ 
 The word here used means properly 
 leaders, guides, directors. It is often 
 applied to military commanders. Here 
 28 
 
 The Lord is my helper, and 1 
 will not fear what man shall do 
 unto me. 
 
 7 Remember them which 
 ' have the rule over you, who 
 
 1 or, are the guides. 
 
 it means teachers — appointed to lead 
 or guide them to eternal life. It does 
 not refer to them so much as rulers 
 or governors, as teachers, or guides 
 In ver. 17, however, it is used in the 
 former sense. The duty here enjoined 
 is that of remembering them ; that is, 
 remembering their counsel ; their in- 
 structions ; their example. If Who have 
 spoken to you the word of God. Preach- 
 ers ; either apostles or others. Re- 
 spect is to be shown to the ministerial 
 office by whomsoever it is borne. 
 IT Whose faith follow. That is, imi 
 tate. See Notes on ch. vi. 12. If Con 
 sidering the end of their conversation 
 Of their conduct ; of their manner of 
 lile. The word here rendered '<Ac 
 end'—^KJiaais — occurs only here and 
 in I. Cor. x. 1 3, where it is rendered 
 • a waj/ of escape.' It properly means, 
 a going out, an egress, and is hence 
 spoken of as a going out from life, or 
 of an exit from the world — death. 
 This is probably the meaning here. 
 It does not mean, as our translation 
 would seem to imply, that Jesus 
 Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, 
 and for ever, was the aim or end for 
 which they lived — for the Greek will 
 not bear that construction ; but it 
 means that they were attentively to 
 contemplate the end or the issue of 
 tiie conduct of those holy teachers — 
 the close or going out of all that they 
 did ; to wit, in a peaceful death. Their 
 faith sustained them. They were en- 
 abled to persevere in a Christian 
 course, and did not faint or fail. There 
 is allusion, doubtless, to those who 
 had been their religious instructors, 
 and who had died in the faith of the 
 gospel, either by persecution, or by 
 an ordinary death, and the apostle 
 points to them as examples of that to 
 which he would exhort those whom 
 he addressed — of perseverance in the 
 
32G 
 
 iiebrp:\v.s. 
 
 [A. D. C4. 
 
 have spokon unto you the word 
 of God : vvliose laitli " follow, 
 considering tlie end of their 
 conversation : 
 
 a c 6. 13. 
 
 faith until death Tlius explained, 
 this Verse docs not refer to the duty 
 of Ciiristians towards living teachers, 
 but toward those who arc dead. Their 
 duty towards living te;icliers is en- 
 forced in ver. 17. Tlic sentiment here 
 is, that the proper remembrance of 
 those novv^ deceased who were once 
 our spiritual instructors and guides, 
 should be allowed to have an import- 
 ant influence in inducing us to lead 
 a holy life. We should remember 
 them with affection and gratitude ; 
 we should recal the truths which they 
 taught, and the exliortations which 
 they addressed to us ; we should che- 
 risli with kind affection the memory 
 of all that they did for our welfare, and 
 we should not forget the effect of the 
 trutiis which they taught in sustaining 
 their own souls when tlicy died. 
 
 8, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, 
 &c. As this stands in our common 
 translation it conveys an idea whicli 
 is not in the original. It would seem 
 to mean that Jesus Christ, the un- 
 changeable Saviour, was the end or 
 aim of the conduct of those referred 
 to, or that they lived to imitate and 
 glorify him. But this is by no means 
 the meaning in the original. There it 
 stands as an absolute proposition, that 
 ' Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, 
 to-day, and for ever ;' that is, that 
 he is unchangeable. The evident de- 
 sign of this independent proposition 
 here is, to encourage them to perse- 
 vere by showing tliat their Saviour 
 was always the same ; tliat he wlio 
 had sustained his people in former 
 times was the same still, and would 
 be the same for ever. The argument 
 liere, therefore, for perseverance is 
 founded on tJie immutability of the 
 Redeemer. If he were fickle, vacil- 
 lating, changing in his character and 
 plans ; if to-day he aids his people 
 and to-morrow will forsake them ; if 
 
 8 Jesus Christ the same * 
 yesterday, and to-day, and for 
 ever. 
 
 9 Be 'not carried about with 
 
 b Re. 1. 4. c\ Jno. 4. 1. 
 
 at one time he loves the virtuous and 
 at another equally loves the vicious 
 if he formed a plan yesterday which 
 he has abandoned to-day ; or if he lA 
 ever to be a different being from what 
 he is now, there would be no encou- 
 ragement to effort. VV^ho would knoMT 
 what to depend on ? Who would know 
 what to expect to-morrow ? For who 
 could have any certainty that ha 
 could ever please a capricious or 9 
 Vacillating being? Who could know 
 liow to shape his conduct if the prin- 
 ciples of the divine administration 
 were not always the same ? At the 
 same time, also, that this passage fur- 
 nishes the strongest argument for 
 fidelity and perseverance, it is an irre- 
 fragable proof of the divinity of the 
 Saviour. It asserts immutability — 
 sameness in the pist, the present, and 
 to all eternity — but of whom can this 
 be aflirmed but God ? It would not 
 be possible to conceive of a dccla- 
 ration which would more strongly 
 assert immutability than this. 
 
 1). Be not carried about with divers 
 and strange doctrines. That is, they 
 should have settled and fixed points 
 of belief, and not yield to every new 
 opinion which was started. The apos- 
 tie does not exhort them to adhere to 
 an opinion merely because they }iad 
 before held it, or because it was an 
 old opinion, nor does he forbid their 
 following the leadings of truth though 
 tliey might be required to abandon 
 what they had before held ; but he 
 cautions them against that vacillating^ 
 spirit, and tliat easy credulity, which 
 would lead them to yield to any no- 
 velty, and to embrace an opinion be- 
 cause it was new or strange. Probablj 
 the principal reference here is to the 
 Judaizing teachers, and to their va- 
 rious doctrines about their ceremonial 
 observances and traditions. But the 
 exhorUition is applicable to Christians 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 327 
 
 divers and strange doctrines : 
 for it is a good thing that the 
 heart be established with grace ; 
 not with meats, which iiave not 
 
 at all times. A religious opinion, 
 once embraced on what was reg-arded 
 a good evidence, or in which we have 
 been trained, should not be abandoned 
 for slight causes. Truth indeed should 
 always be followed, but it should be 
 only after careful inquiry. IT For it 
 is a good thing thai the heart be esta- 
 blished with grace. This is the proper 
 foundation of adherence to the truth. 
 The heart should be established with 
 the love of God, with pure religion, 
 and then we shall love the trutli, and 
 love it in tlie right manner. If it is the 
 head merely which is convinced, the 
 consequence is bigotry, pride, narrow- 
 mindedness. If the belief of the truth 
 has its seat in the heart, it will be ac- 
 companied with charity, kindness, 
 good-will to all men. In such a be- 
 lief of the truth it is a good thing to 
 have the heart established. It will 
 produce (1) firmness and stability of 
 character ; (2) charity and kindness 
 to others ; (.3) consolation and support 
 in trials and temptations. Wiicn a 
 man is thrown into trials and tempta- 
 tions, he ought to have some settled 
 principles on which he can rely ; some 
 fixed points of belief that will sustain 
 his soul. T Not with meats. The 
 meaning is, that it is better to have 
 the heart established with grace, or 
 with the principles of pure religion, 
 than with the most accurate know- 
 ledge of the rules of distinguishing 
 the clean from tlie unclean among the 
 various articles of food. Many such 
 rules were found in the law of Moses, 
 and many more had been added by 
 the refinements of Jewish rulers and 
 by tradition. To distinguish and re- 
 member all these, required no small 
 amount of knowledg-e, and the Jewish 
 teachers, doubtless, prided themselves 
 much on it. Paul says that it would 
 be much better to have the principles 
 of grace in the heart than all this 
 
 profited them that have been 
 occupied therein. 
 
 10 We have an altar, whereof 
 they have no right to eat which 
 serve the tabernacle. 
 
 knowledge ; to have the mind settled 
 on the great truths of religion than 
 to be able to make the most accurate 
 and learned distinctions in this matter. 
 The same remark may be made about 
 a great many other points besides the 
 Jewish distinctions respecting meats. 
 The principle- is, that it is better to 
 have the heart established in the grace 
 of God than to have the most accurate 
 knowledge of the distinctions which 
 are made on useless or unimportant 
 subjects of religion. This observation 
 would extend to many of the shibbo- 
 leths of party ; to many of the meta- 
 physical distinctions in a hair-split- 
 ting theolog}' ; to many of the points 
 of controversy which divide the Chris- 
 tian world. H Which have not profited, 
 &c. Which have been of no real be- 
 nefit to their souls. See Notes on I. 
 Cor. viii. 8. 
 
 10. We have an altar. We who are 
 Christians. The Jews had an altar 
 on which their sacrifices were offered 
 which was regarded as sacred, and 
 of the benefit of which no others might 
 partake. The design of the apostle 
 is to show that the same thing sub- 
 stantially, so far as privilege and 
 sanctifying influence were concerned, 
 was enjoyed by Christians. The ' al- 
 tar' to which he here refers is evi. 
 dently the cross on which the great 
 sacrifice was made. H Whereof they 
 hane no right to eat which serve the 
 tabernacle. A part of the meat offered 
 in sacrifice among the Jews became 
 the property of the priests and Levites, 
 and they had, by the law, a right to 
 this as a part of tJieir support. See 
 Lev. vi. 25, 2G ; Num. xviii. 9, 10. 
 But the apostle says that there is a 
 higher and more valuable sacrifice of 
 wiiich they have no right to partake 
 while they remain in the service of 
 the ' tabernacle' or temple ; that is, , 
 while they remain Jews. The parti- 
 
32S 
 
 ITETIREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 11 For the bodies of those 
 beasts, whose blood is brought 
 into the sanctuary by the high 
 priest for sin, are burned with- 
 out" tiie camp. 
 
 cipjj.tion in the great Christian sacri- 
 fice appertained only to those who 
 were tlie friends of the Redeemer, and 
 however much they might vahje them- 
 selves on the privilege of partaking 
 of the sacritiecs otfered under the 
 Jewish law, that of partaking of tiie 
 great sacrifice made by the Son of 
 God was much greater. ^ Which serve 
 the tabernacle. Notes eh. ix. 2, 3. The 
 Jewish priests and Levites. 
 
 ]1. For the bodies of those beasts, 
 &.C. The word here rendered '■for^ — 
 ■yap — would be here more properly 
 rendered ' moreover.^ Stuart. The 
 apostle is not urging a reason for what 
 he had said in the previous verse, but 
 is suggesting a new consideration to 
 excite those whom he addressed to 
 fidelity and perseverance. In the pre- 
 vious verse the consideration was, 
 that Christians are permitted to par- 
 take of the benefits of a higher and 
 more perfect sacrifice than the Jews 
 were, and therefore should not relapse 
 into that religion. In this verse the 
 consideration is, that the bodies of the 
 beasts that were burnt were taken 
 without the camp, and that in like 
 manner the Lord Jesus suffered with- 
 out the gate of Jerusalem, and that 
 we should be willing to go out with 
 him to that sacrifice, whatever re- 
 proach or siiame it might be attended 
 with. If Whose blood is brought into 
 the sanctuary, &,c. Sec Notes on ch. 
 ix. 7. 12. ^ Are burned without the 
 camp. Lev. iv. 12. 21 ; xvi. 27. The 
 ' camp' here refers to the time when 
 the Israelites were in the wilderness, 
 and lived in encampments. The same 
 custom was observed after the temple 
 was built by conveying the body of 
 tlie animal slain frr a sin-otTering on 
 the great day of atonement beyond 
 the walls of Jerusalem to be consumed 
 there. ' Whatever,' says Grotius, ' was 
 not lawful to be done in the campi. 
 
 12 Wherefore Jesus also, 
 that he migiit sanctify the peo- 
 ple with his own blood, suffered 
 without'' the gate. 
 
 a Lr. 16 27. 6 Jiio. 19. 17. 18. 
 
 afterwards was not lawful to be done 
 in the city.' 
 
 12. Wherefore, Jesus also, that he 
 might sanctify the people with his own 
 blood. That there might be a con- 
 formity between his death for sin and 
 the sacrifices vdiich typified it. It is 
 implied here that it was voluntary on 
 the part of Jesus that he suffered out 
 of the city ; that is, it was so ordered 
 by Providence that it should be so 
 This was secured by his being put to 
 death as the result of a judicial trial, 
 and not by popular tumult. See Notes 
 on Isa. liii. 8. If he had been killed 
 in a tumult, it is possible that it might 
 have been done as in other cases 
 (comp. the case of Zacharias son of 
 Barachias, Matt, xxiii. 35), even at 
 the altar. As he was subjected, how- 
 ever, to a judicial process, his death 
 was effected with more deliberation, 
 and in the usual form. Hence he was 
 conducted out of the city, because no 
 criminal was executed within tho 
 walls of Jerusalem. IT Without the 
 gate. Without the gate of Jerusalem. 
 John xix. 17, 18. The place where 
 he was put to death was called Gol- 
 gotha, the place of a scull, and hence 
 the Latin word which we commonly 
 use in speaking of it, Calvary. Luke 
 xxiii. 33; comp. Notes on ."Matt, xxvii. 
 33. Calvary, as it is now shown, is 
 within the walls of Jerusalem, but 
 there is no reason to believe that 
 this is the place where the Lord 
 Jesus was crucified, for that was out- 
 side of the walls of the city. The 
 precise direction from the city is not 
 designated by the sacred writers, nor 
 are there any historical records, or 
 traditional marks by which it can now 
 be known where the exact place was. 
 All that we know on the subject from 
 the New Testament is, that the name 
 was Golgotha ; that the place of the 
 crucifixion and sepulchre were near 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER Xm. 
 
 329 
 
 13 Let us go forth therefore 
 unto him without the camp, 
 bearing " his reproach : 
 
 14 For here ' have we no 
 continuing city, but we seek 
 one to come. 
 
 each other ; that they were without 
 the gate and nigh to the city, and that 
 they were in a frequented spot. John 
 xix. 20. " This would favour the con- 
 clusion that the place was probably 
 upon a great road leading from one 
 of the gates ; and such a spot would 
 only be found upon the western or 
 northern sides of the city, on the roads 
 leading towards Joppa or Damascus." 
 See the question about the place of 
 the crucitixion examined at length in 
 Robinson's Bibli. Research., vol. ii. 
 pp. 69 — 80, and Bibliotheca Sacra, 
 No. 1. 
 
 13. Let us go forth therefore unto 
 him, without the camp.' As if we 
 were going forth with him when he 
 was led away to be crucified. He 
 was put to death as a malefactor. He 
 was the object of contempt and scorn. 
 He was held up to derision, and was 
 taunted and reviled on his way to 
 the place of death, and even on the 
 cross. To be identified with him 
 there ; to follow him ; to sympathize 
 with him ; to be regarded as his 
 friend, would have subjected one to 
 similar shame and reproach. The 
 meaning here is, that we should be 
 willing to regard ourselves as identi- 
 fied with the Lord Jesus, and to bear 
 the same shame and reproaches which 
 he did. When he was led away 
 amidst scoffing and reviling to be put 
 to death, would we, if we had been 
 there, been willing to be regardisd 
 as his followers, and to have gone 
 out with him as his avowed disci- 
 ples and friends ? Alas, how many 
 are there wlio profess to love him 
 when religion subjects them to no re- 
 proach, who would have shrunk from 
 following him to Calvary ! IT Bearing 
 his reproach. Sympathizing with him ; 
 or bearing such reproach as he did. 
 28* 
 
 15 By him ' therefore let us 
 offer the sacrifice of praise to 
 God continually, that is, tiie 
 fruit '' of ovr lips, ' giving 
 thanks to his name. 
 
 c Ep. 5. 20 
 
 a Ac. 5. 41 
 d Ho. 14. 2, 
 
 b Mi. 2. 10. 
 1 confessijtg: 
 
 See I. Pet. iv. 13. Comp. Notes on 
 ch. xii. 2 ; Phil. iii. 10 ; Col. 1. 24. 
 
 14. For here we have no continuing 
 city, &c. We do not regard this as 
 our final home, or our fbced abode, 
 and we should be willing to bear re- 
 proaches during the little time that 
 we are to remain here. Comp. Notes, 
 ch. xi. 10. 13, 14. If, therefore, in 
 consequence of our professed attach- 
 ment to the Savioui', we should be 
 driven away from our habitations, 
 and compelled to wander, we should - 
 be willing to submit to it, for our per- 
 manent home is not here, but in hea- 
 ven. The object of the writer seems 
 to be to comfort the Hebrew Chris- 
 tians on the supposition that they 
 would be driven by persecution from 
 the city of Jerusalem, and doomed to 
 wander as exiles. He tells them that 
 their Lord was led from that city to 
 be put to death, and they should be 
 willing to go forth also ; that their 
 permanent home was not Jerusalem, 
 but heaven, and they should be will- 
 ing in view of that blessed abode to 
 be exiled from the city where they 
 dwelt, and made wanderers in tho 
 earth. 
 
 15. By him, therefore. The Jews 
 approached God by the blood of the 
 sacrifice and by the ministry of their 
 high priest. The exhortation of the 
 apostle here is founded on the general 
 course of argument in the epistle. 
 ' In view of all the considerations 
 presented respecting the Christian 
 High Priest — his dignity, purity, and 
 love ; his sacrifice and his interces- 
 sion, let us persevere in offering 
 through liim praise to God.' That is, 
 let us persevere in adherence to our 
 religion. IT The sacrifice of praise. 
 For all the mercies of redemption. 
 The Jews, says Rosenmiiller (Alte u. 
 
SJO 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 IG But to do good, and to 
 communicate, • forget not : for 
 with such * sacrifices God is 
 well pleased. 
 
 17 Obey ' them that have 
 the rule over you, and submit 
 
 a Ro. ii. 13. ft Pli. 4. 18. c 1 Tli. 5. 12, 13. 
 
 ncue Morgenland, in loc), had a spe- 
 cies of offering's wliicli they called 
 peacf-offtringSyOTfriendship-oJf Brings. 
 They were designed not to produce 
 peace or fricndsliip with God, but to 
 preserve it. Burnt-offerings, sin-offer- 
 ings, and trespass-offerings, were all 
 on account of transgression, and were 
 designed to remove transgression. 
 But in their peace-offerings, the 
 offerer was regarded as one who 
 stood in the relation of a friend with 
 God, and tlic oblation was a sign of 
 thankful acknowledgment for favours 
 received, or they were conncctedswith 
 vows in order that further blessings 
 might be obtained, or they were 
 brouglit voluntarily as a means to 
 continue themselves in the friendship 
 and favour of God. Lev. vii. 11, 12. 
 Comp. Jenning's Jew. Ant. i. 335. 
 ^ TItat is, the fruit of our lips. The 
 phrase ' fruit of the lips,' is a Hebra- 
 ism, meaning what the lips produce ; 
 that is, words. Comp. Prov. xviii. 20; 
 Hos. xiv. 2. T Giving thanks to his 
 name. To God ; the name of one 
 being often put for the person him- 
 Belf. Praise now is one of the great 
 duties of tlie redeemed. It will be 
 their employment for ever. 
 
 16. But to do good, and to commu- 
 nicate, forget not. To communicate 
 or impart to others ; that is, to share 
 with them what wc have. The Greek 
 word means having in common with 
 others. The meaning is, that they 
 were to show liberality to those who 
 were in want, and were to take spe- 
 cial pains not to forget this duty 
 We are prone to think constantly of 
 our own interests, and there is great 
 danger of forgetting the duty wliich 
 we owe to tlie poor and the needy. On 
 the duty here enjoined, see Notes on 
 Gal. vi. 10. ^ For with such sacriji- 
 
 yourselves: for they watch ^ for 
 your souls, as they that must 
 give account: that they may do 
 it with joy, and not with grief : 
 for that is unprofitable for 
 you. 
 
 1 or, guide. d Eze. 3. 17. 
 
 ces God is well pleased. He is pleased 
 with the sacrifices of praj'er and of 
 praise; with the offerings of a broken 
 and a contrite heart ; but he is espe- 
 cially pleased with the religion which 
 leads us to do good to others. This 
 was eminently the religion of his Son, 
 the Lord Jesus ; end to tliis all true 
 religion prompts. The word 'sacri- 
 fices' here is not taken in a strict 
 sense, as denoting that which is offer- 
 ed as an expiation for sin, or in the 
 sense that we are by doing good to 
 attempt to make atonement for our 
 transgressions, but in the general 
 sense of an offering made to God. 
 God is pleased with this, (1) because 
 it shows in us a right state of heart ; 
 (2) because it accords with his own 
 nature. He does good continually, 
 and he is pleased with all who evince 
 the same spirit. 
 
 17. Obey them that have the rule 
 over you. Marg. guide. See Notes 
 on ver. 7. The reference here is to 
 their religious teachers, and not to civil 
 ralers. They were to show thera 
 proper respect, and to submit to their 
 authority in tJie cinirch, so far as it 
 was administered in accordance with 
 the precepts of the Saviour. Tlie ob- 
 ligation to obedience docs not, of 
 course, extend to anything which is 
 wrong in itself, or which would bo a 
 violation of conscience. The doctrine 
 is, tliat subordination is necessary to 
 the welfare of the church, and that 
 there ought to be a disposition to yield 
 all proper obedience to those wlio are 
 set over us in the Lord. Comp. Notes 
 on L Thcss. v. 12, 13. IT And submit 
 yourselves. That is, to all which they 
 enjoin tliat is lawful and right. Tiiero 
 are in relation to a society (1.) those 
 things which God has positively com- 
 raandcd — which are always to be 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 331 
 
 18 Pray for us : for we trust 
 we have a good conscience, " in 
 all things willing to live ho- 
 nestly. 
 
 obeyed. (2.) Many things which 
 have been agreed on by the society 
 as needtul for its welfare — and these 
 are to be submitted to unless they 
 violate the rights of conscience ; and 
 (3.) many things which are, in tiiem- 
 selves, a matter of no express divine 
 command, and of no formal enactment 
 by tlie comnmnity. They are matters 
 of convenience ; things that tend to 
 the order and harmony of the com- 
 munity, and of the propriety of these, 
 * rulers' in the church and elsewhere 
 should be allowed to judge, and we 
 should submit to them patiently. 
 Hence in the church, we are to sub- 
 mit to all the proper regulations for 
 conducting public worship ; for the 
 promotion of religion ; and for the 
 administration of discipline. IT For 
 they ivatchfor your souls. They have 
 no selfish aim in this. They do not 
 seek ' to lord it over God's heritage.' 
 It is for your own good that they do 
 this, and you should therefore submit 
 to these arrangements. And this 
 shows, also, the true principle on 
 which authority should be exercised 
 in a church. It should be in such a 
 way as to promote the salvation of the 
 people ; and all the arrangements 
 should be with that end. The mea- 
 sures adopted, therefore, and the obe- 
 dience enjoined, should not be arbi- 
 trary, oppressive, or severe, but should 
 be such as will really promote salva- 
 tion. IT As they that must give ac- 
 count. To God, The ministers of 
 religion must give account to God for 
 their fidelity. For all that they teach, 
 and for every measure which they 
 adopt, they must soon be called into 
 judgment. There is, therefore, the 
 best security that under the influence 
 of this solemn truth they will pursue 
 only that course which will be for 
 your good. IT That they may do it 
 with joy, and not with grief. Gr. in) 
 vTcvd^ovTcs — not sighing, or groaning; 
 
 19 But I beseech you the 
 rather to do this, that I may be 
 restored to you the sooner. 
 
 o Ac. 24. 16. 
 
 as they would who had been unsue- 
 cessful. The meaning is, that they 
 should so obey, that when their teach- 
 ers came to give up their account 
 they need not do it with sorrow over 
 their perverseness and disobedience. 
 If For this is unprojitablefor you. That 
 is, their giving up their account iu 
 that manner — as unsuccessful in their 
 efforts to save j-ou — would not be of 
 advantage to you, but would be highly 
 injurious. I'his is a strong mode of 
 expressing the idea that it must be 
 attended with imminent peril to their 
 souls to have their religious teachers 
 go and give an account against 
 them. As they would wish, there- 
 fore, to avoid that, they should render 
 to them all proper honour and obe- 
 dience. 
 
 18. Pray for us. This is a request 
 which the apostle often makes in his 
 own behalf and in behalf of his fellow- 
 labourers in the gospel. See I. Thes. 
 v. 25. Notes, Eph. vi. 18, 19. IT For 
 we trust we have a good conscience, 
 &c. See Notes on Acts xxiv. 16. 
 The apostle here appeals to the up- 
 rightness of his Christian life as a 
 reason why he might claim their 
 sympathy. He was conscious of an 
 aim to do good ; he sought the welfare 
 of the church; and having this aim he 
 felt that he might appeal to the sym- 
 pathy of all Christians in his behalf. 
 It is only when we aim to do right, 
 and to maintain a good conscience, 
 that we can with propriety ask the 
 prayers of others, or claim their sym- 
 pathy. And if we are ' willing in all 
 things to live honestly,' we may ex- 
 pect the sympathy, the prayers, and 
 the affections of all good men. 
 
 19. That I may be restored to you 
 the sooner. It is here clearly implied 
 that the writer was deterred from 
 visiting them by some adverse cir 
 cumstances over which he had nc 
 control. This might be either by im 
 
332 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 20 Now the God " of peace, 
 that * brougljt again from the 
 dead our Lord Jesus, that great 
 Shepherd 'of the sheep, ''through 
 the blood of the everlasting ' 
 covenant. 
 
 a 1 Th. 5. 23. 
 e Eze. 34. 23. 
 1 tentament. 
 
 b I Pe. 1.21. 
 d Zee. 9. 11. 
 
 prisoiinient, or sickness, or the want 
 of a convenient opportunity of reach- 
 ing them. The probability is, judg- 
 ing particularly from the statement 
 in ver. 23, that he was then a prisoner, 
 and that his detention was on that 
 account. See Intro. § 4. (6.) The 
 language here is such as Paul would 
 use on the supposition that he was 
 then a prisoner at Rome, and this is 
 a slight circumstance going to show 
 ,the probability that the epistle was 
 composed by him. 
 
 20. Now the God of peace. God 
 who is the Author, or the source of 
 peace. Notes, I. Thess. v. 23. The 
 word peace in the New Testament is 
 used to denote every kind of blessing 
 or happiness. It is opposed to all that 
 would disturb or trouble the mind, 
 and may refer, therefore, to recon- 
 ciliation with God ; to a quiet con- 
 science ; to the evidence of pardoned 
 sin ; to health and prosperity, and to 
 the hope of heaven. See Notes on 
 John xiv. 27. IT That brought again 
 from the dead our LordJesus. Notes, 
 Acts ii. 32 ; I. Cor. xv. 15. It is only 
 by the fact of the resurrection of the 
 Lord Jesus that we have peace, for it 
 is only by him that we have the pros- 
 pect of an admission into heaven. IT 
 That great shepherd of the sheep. 
 Notes, John x. 1. 14. The idea here 
 is, that it is through the tender care 
 of that great Shepherd that true hap- 
 piness is bestowed on the people of 
 God. IT Through the blood of the ever- 
 lasting covenant. The blood shed to 
 ratify the everlasting covenant that 
 God makes with his people. Notes, 
 ch. ix. 14 — 23. Tills phrase, in the 
 original, is not connected, as it is in 
 our t'anslation, with his being raised 
 
 21 Make you perfect ' in eve- 
 ry good work to do his will, * 
 working ^ in you that which 
 is well-pleasing in his sight, 
 through Jesus Christ ; to whom 
 be glory for ever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 e 1 Pe. 5. 10. 
 
 / Ph. 2. 13. 
 
 2 or, doing. 
 
 from the dead, nor should it be so 
 rendered, for what can be the sense 
 of ' raising Christ from the dead by 
 the blood of the covenant V In the 
 Greek it is, ' The God of peace, who 
 brought again from the dead the 
 shepherd of the sheep, great by the 
 blood of the everlasting covenant, our 
 Lord Jesus,' &,c. The meaning is, 
 that he was made or constituted the 
 great Shepherd of the sheep — the 
 great Lord and Ruler of his people, 
 by that blood. That which makes 
 him soeminently'distinguished ; that 
 by which he was made superior to all 
 others who ever ruled over the people 
 of God, was the fact that he otfered 
 the blood by which the eternal cove- 
 nant was ratified. It is called ever- 
 lasting or eternal, because (1) it was 
 formed in the councils of eternity, or 
 has been an eternal plan in the divine 
 mind ; and (2) because it is to con- 
 tinue for ever. Through such a cove- 
 nant God can bestow permanent and 
 solid ' peace' on his people, for it lays 
 the foundation of the assurance of 
 eternal happiness. 
 
 21. Make you perfect. The apos- 
 tle here does not affirm that tliey were 
 then perfect, or that they would be 
 in this life. The word here used — 
 KOTapr^u) — means to make fully ready, 
 to put in full order; to make com. 
 plele. The meaning hero is, that Paul 
 prayed that God would fully endow 
 them with wh.atever grace was neces- 
 sary to do iiis will and to keep his 
 commandments. See the word ex- 
 plained in the Notes on ch. xi. 3. It 
 is an appropriate prayer to be otfered 
 at all times, and by all who lovo the 
 church, that God would make all hia 
 people perfectly qualified to do all hi» 
 
A. D» C4.] 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 333 
 
 22 And I beseech you, bre- 
 thren, suffer the word of exhor- 
 tation : for I have written a let- 
 ter unto you in few words. 
 
 will. T Working in you, Marg-. Do- 
 ing. The idea here is, that the only 
 hope that they would do the will of 
 God was, that he would, by his own 
 agency, cause them to do what was 
 well-pleasing- in his sight. Comp. 
 Notes on Phil. ii. 12. It is not from 
 any expectation that man would do 
 it himself. IT Through Jesus Christ. 
 The idea is, that God does not direct- 
 ly and by his own immediate agency 
 convert and sanctify the heart, but it 
 is through the gospel of Christ, and 
 all good influences on the soul must 
 be expected through the Saviour. ^ 
 To whom he glory for ever and ever. 
 That is, to Christ ; for so the connex- 
 ion evidently demands. It is not un- 
 common for the apostle Paul to intro- 
 duce doxologies in this way in the 
 midst of a letter. See Notes Rom. 
 ix. 5. It was common among the 
 Jews, as it is now in the writings and 
 conversation of the Mohammedans, 
 when the name of God was mention- 
 ed to accompany it with an expres- 
 sion of praise. 
 
 22. Suffer the word of exhortation. 
 Referring to the arguments and comi- 
 sels in this whole epistle, which is in 
 fact a practical exhortation to perse- 
 veraiice in adhering to the Christian 
 religion amidst all the temptations 
 which existed to apostasy. IT For I 
 have written a letter unto you in few 
 words. This does not mean that this 
 epistle is short compared with the 
 others that the author had written, 
 for most of the epistles of Paul are 
 shorter than this. But it means, that 
 it was brief compared with the im- 
 portance and difficulty of the subjects 
 of which he had treated. The topics 
 introduced would have allowed a much 
 more extended discussion, but in 
 handling them he had made use of 
 as few words as possible. No one 
 can deny this who considers the sen- 
 tentious manner of this epistle. Ab 
 
 23 Know ye that otir brothei 
 Timothy is set at liberty ; with 
 whom, if he come shortly, I will 
 see you. 
 
 an illustration of this, perhaps we 
 may remark, that it is easy to expand 
 the thoughts of this epistle into am- 
 pie volumes of exposition, and that 
 in fact it is difficult to give an expla- 
 nation of it without a commentary 
 that shall greatly surpass in extent 
 the text. None can doubt, also, that 
 the author of this epistle could have 
 himself greatly expanded the thoughts 
 and the illustrations if he had chosen. 
 It is with reference to such considera- 
 tions, probably, that he says that the 
 epistle was brief, 
 
 23. Know ye that our brother Tim- 
 othy is set at liberty. Or, is sent away. 
 So it is rendered by Prof. Stuart, and 
 others. On the meaning of this, and 
 its importance in determining who 
 was the author of the epistle, see the 
 Intro. § 2, (5) 4, and Prof Stuart's 
 Intro. § 19. This is a strong circum- 
 stance showing that Paul was the au- 
 thor of the epistle, for from the first 
 acquaintance of Timothy with Paul 
 he is represented as. his constant com- 
 panion, and spoken of as a brother. 
 Notes II. Cor. i. 1 ; Phil. i. 1 ; Col. 
 i. 1 ; Phil. i. There is no other one 
 of the apostles who would so natu. 
 rally have used this term respecting 
 Timothy, and this kind mention is 
 made of him here because he was so 
 dear to the heart of the writer, and 
 because he felt that they to whom he 
 wrote would also feel an interest in 
 his circumstances. As to the mean- 
 ing of the word rendered ' set at lib- 
 erty' — aTToXcXvuivov — there has been 
 much difference of opinion, whether 
 it means ' set at liberty from confine- 
 ment,' or ' sent away on some mes- 
 sage to some other place.' That the 
 latter is the meaning of the expres- 
 sion appears probable from these con- 
 siderations. (1.) The connexion seems 
 to demand it. The writer speaks of 
 him as if he were now away, and as 
 if he hoped that he might soon re- 
 
334 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 [A. D. 64. 
 
 24 Salute all them that have 
 (ne rule over you, and all the 
 saints. They of Italy salute 
 you. 
 
 turn. ' With whom, if he come short- 
 ly, I will see you.' This is language 
 which would be used rather of one 
 who had been sent on some embassy 
 tiian of one who was just released 
 from prison. At all events, lie was 
 at this lime away, and there was 
 some expectation tliat lie might soon 
 return. But on the supposition that 
 the expression relates to release from 
 imprisonment, tiiere would be an en- 
 tire incongruity in the language. It 
 is not, as we should tlien suppose, 
 ' our brother Timothy is now released 
 from prison, and therefore I will come 
 soon with him and see you;' but, 
 'our brother Timothy is now sent 
 away, and if he return soon, I will 
 come with him to you.' (2.) In Phil, 
 ii. 19. 23, Paul, then a prisoner at 
 Rome, speaks of the hope which he 
 entertained that he would be able to 
 Bend Timothy to then), as soon as he 
 ehould know how it would go with 
 him. He designed to retain him un- 
 til that point was settled, as his pres- 
 ence with him would be important 
 until then, and then to send him to 
 give consolation to the Philippians, 
 and to look into the condition of the 
 church. Now the passage before us 
 agrees well with the supposition that 
 that event had occurred — that Paul 
 had ascertained with sufficient clcar- 
 licss that he would be released so that 
 he might be permitted yet to visit 
 the Hebrew Christiana ; that he had 
 ecnt Timothy to Philippi and was 
 waiting for his return ; that as soon 
 as he sboutd return he would be pre- 
 pared to visit them ; and that in the 
 mean time, while Timothy was ab- 
 eent, he wrote to them this epistle. 
 (3.) The supposition agrees well with 
 the meaning of the word here used — 
 anoXvdi. It denotes properly, to let 
 loose from; to loosen; to unbind; to 
 release, to let go free ; to put away 
 or divorce ; to dismiae simply, or let 
 
 25 Grace be with you all. 
 Amen. 
 
 Written to the Hebrews from 
 Italy by Timothy. 
 
 go, or send away. See Matt. xiv. 15. 
 22. 23 ; XV. 32. 39 ; Luke ix. 12, et 
 al. Conip. Rob. Lex. and Stuart's In- 
 tro. § 19. The meaning, then, I take 
 to be this, that Timothy was then 
 sent away on some important embas. 
 sage ; that the apostle expected hrs 
 speedy return ; and that then he trust- 
 ed that he would be able with him to 
 visit those to whom this epistle was 
 written. 
 
 24. Salute all them. See Notes oa 
 Rom. xvi. 3, scq. It was customary 
 for the apostle Paul to close his epis- 
 tles with an afFcctionate salutation, 
 ir That have the rule over you. Notes 
 vs. 7. 17. None are mentioned by 
 name, as is usual in the epistles of 
 Paul. The cause of this omission is 
 unknown. ^ And all the saints. The 
 common name given to Christians in 
 the Scriptures. See Notes on Rom, 
 i. 7, ^ T^i^y of Italy salute you. The 
 
 ' saints or Christians in Italy. Show- 
 \ ing that the writer of the epistle was 
 
 then in Italy. He was probably in 
 
 Rome. See the Intro. § 2. 
 
 25. Grace be with you all. Notes 
 Rom. xvi. 20. 33, 
 
 The subscription at the close of 
 the epistle, ' written to the Hebrews 
 from Italy by Timothy,' like the other ^ 
 subscriptions, is of no authority. See 
 I Notes at the end of I Cor. It is de- 
 monstrably erroneous here, for it is 
 expressly said by the author of the 
 epistle that at the time he wrote it, 
 Timothy was absent. Ch. xiii. 23. 
 In regard to the time and place of 
 writing it, see the Intro. § 4. 
 
 At the close of tliis exposition, it is 
 
 not improper to refer the reader to the 
 
 remarks on its design at the end of 
 
 the Introduction, ^ 6. Having pass- 
 
 , ed through the exposition, we may 
 
 I see more clearly the importance of 
 
 the views there presented. There is 
 
 j no book of the New Testament more 
 
 ; important than this, and of course 
 
A. D. 64.] 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 335 
 
 none whose want would be more per- ] 
 ceptible in the canon of tlie Scriptures. 
 Every reader of the Old Testament 
 needs such a guide as this epistle, 
 written by some one who had an inti- 
 mate acquaintance from childhood 
 with the Jewish system ; who had all 
 the advantages of the most able and 
 faithful instruction, and who was un- 
 der the influence of inspiration, to 
 make us acquainted with the true na- 
 ture of those institutions. Nothing 
 was more important than to settle the 
 principles in regard to the nature of 
 the Jewish economy ; to show what 
 was typical, and how those institu- 
 tions were the means of introducing 
 a far more perfect system — the sys- 
 tem of the Christian religion. If we 
 hate right feelings, we shall have sin- 
 cere gratitude to God that he caused 
 the Christian religion to be prefigured 
 by a system in itself so magnificent 
 and grand as that of the Jewish, and 
 higher gratitude for that sublime sys- 
 tem of religion of which the Jewish, 
 with all its splendour, was only the 
 shadow. There was much that was 
 beautillil, cheering, and sublime in 
 the Jewish system. There was much 
 that was grand and awful in the giv. 
 ing of the law, and much that was 
 ' imposing in its ceremonies. In its 
 palmy and pure days, it was incom- 
 parably the purest and noblest system 
 of religion then on earth. It taught 
 the knowledge of the one true God ; 
 inculcated a pure system of morals ; 
 preserved the record of the truth on 
 
 the earth, and held up constantly be- 
 fore man the hope of a better system 
 still in days to come. But it was ex- 
 pensive, burdensome, precise in its 
 prescriptions, and wearisome in its 
 ceremonies. Acts xv. 10. It was 
 adapted to one people — a people who 
 occupied a small territory, and who 
 could conveniently assemble at the 
 central place of their worship three 
 times in a year. It was not a system 
 adapted to the whole world ; nor was 
 it designed for the whole world. When 
 the Saviour came, therefore, to intro- 
 duce whom was the design of the Jew- 
 ish economy, it ceased as a matter of 
 course. The Jewish altars were soon 
 thrown down ; the temple was rased 
 to the ground, and the city of their 
 solemnities was destroyed. The reli- 
 gion of the Hebrews passed away to 
 be revived no more in its splendour 
 and power, and it has never liv«d 
 since, except as an empty form. 
 
 This epistle teaches us why it pass- 
 ed away, and why it can never be 
 restored. It is the true key with 
 which to unlock the Old Testament ; 
 and with these views, we may remark 
 in conclusion, that he who would un- 
 derstand the Bible thoroughly should 
 make himself familiar with this epis-. 
 tie ; that the canon of Scripture would 
 be incomplete without it ; and tiiat, 
 to one who wishes to understand the 
 Revelation which God has given, there 
 is no portion of the volume whose loss 
 would be a more irreparable calamity 
 than that of the Epistle to the Hebrews. 
 
 THT ENP. 
 
BS2775.B2611848 
 
 Notes, explanatory and practical on the 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Speer Library 
 
 1 1012 00069 6254 
 
 I 
 
 J 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 AUG 2 ^'wJ. ■ 
 
 GAYLORD 
 
 #3523PI Printed in USA