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HE

EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS

AN EXPOSITION

Author of " Christ and the Scriptures."1
" The Divine Unity of the Scriptures," etc., etc.

VOL. I.

NEW YORK :
GOSPEL PUBLISHING HOUSE,

D. T. BASS, Manager,
24 & 26 WEST 22d STREET.

CONTENTS.
VOL. I.

PAG

Introduction .......... i

CHAPTER I.

Comparison and Contrast between the Old and New
Covenant ; the Perfect and Ultimate Revelation in
the Son .......... 20

CHAPTER II.
The Glory of the Son of God 44

CHAPTER III.
Christ above the Angels ....... 70

CHAPTER IV.
Christ above the Angels (continued) 94

CHAPTER V.
Jesus, the Son of Man, made lower than the Angels, for

the Suffering of Death 118

CHAPTER VI.
Jesus, in All Things like unto His Brethren, through

Sufferings and Death our High Priest .... 142

CHAPTER VII.
Christ the Lord, and Moses the Servant . . . .167

CHAPTER VIII.
Unbelief in the Wilderness 188

CHAPTER IX.
Fear and Rest 209

iv Contents.

CHAPTER X. PAOE.

The Word of God, Judging the Christian below ; the

great High Priest's Sympathy and Help above . . 232

CHAPTER XT.
Christ, as Son of Man, Called and Perfected to Be our

High Priest 253

CHAPTER XII.
Growth in Grace and Knowledge 278

CHAPTER XIII.
The Danger of Apostasy ; the Patience of Faith and the

Anchor of Hope 308

CHAPTER XIV.
The Argument from Melchizedek ; and the Inspiration of

Scripture 338

CHAPTER XV.
Melchizedek a Type ........ 363

CHAPTER XVI.
The Word of the Oath and the Son Perfected for Evermore 397

CHAPTER XVII.
Retrospect .......... 416

INTRODUCTION

TO

AMERICAN EDITION

To produce a satisfactory exposition of one of the most
wonderful books of the New Testament, the Epistle to
the Hebrews, is no small task. More than any other
Epistle this Epistle goes to the Old Testament Scrip
tures, the Levitical institutions, historical events, and to
the Psalms, and shows from all not only the fulfillment
of types, sacrifices, prophecies, but proves throughout
the completeness, perfection and glory of the New Cov
enant. It is the Epistle of Perfection, and the Perfection
which it unfolds is Jesus Christ entered into the Holy of
Holies, a Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Ephe.
sians makes known to the heart the heavenly possessions
which are ours in Christ Jesus, and Hebrews bids us to

vi Introduction to American Edition.

enter into the Holiest of all and worship there. The
Epistle looks back to the blood which was shed, and
shows all accomplished through it. However, it does not
linger there, but its chief aim is the place in the High
est Heavens, where He lives — Jesus Christ the same yes
terday, to-day and forever. Nor is this all. That Christ
is coming again is a well known doctrine of the Word of
God, and the Epistle to the Hebrews unfolds this pre
cious Hope as many of the others do. The first and
second chapters make it so clear that only one, who will
fully turns away from the light does not see it. The
first begotten is to be brought in again into the habitable
earth (i : 6). The second chapter shows Him as Son of
Man from the eighth Psalm, and that all things are yet
to be put under His feet. Later in the Epistle we find
the statement that He who was offered once, He who ap
pears now in the presence of God for us, is to come the
second time, without sin, to them that wait for Him.
The exhortation in the tenth chapter (x : 22-25) has for
its basis the approaching of the day, and the comfort for
the tried and persecuted Hebrew Christians is in the
same chapter : ' ' For yet a little while and He that shall
come will come and will not tarry."

Introduction to American Edition. vii

The man who goes into this Epistle, this inexhaustible
mine of God's revelation, to make known its unsearcha
ble riches, must therefore be well furnished. He must
have full grasp of the entire Old Testament Scriptures,
especially the L,evitical. institutions. He must have heart
knowledge of the Person and the Work of our Lord
Jesus Christ, His work for us on the cross, His work for
us in the Holy of Holies, and His future Glory. With
out the knowledge of the latter the Melchizedek Priest
hood of Christ (still future in its exercise), a Priest upon
His throne, can hardly be understood.

Nor is this all. The Epistle was written primarily to
Hebrew Christians, who were peculiarly situated, sur
rounded still by the shadows of a dispensation past and
gone. It is almost impossible to understand certain parts
of the Epistle, except the conditions and circumstances
of these Hebrew Christians are understood and taken in
to consideration. It is here where many expositors
have failed. This is especially the case with the vi. and
x. chapters. Arminianism has built much of its un-
scriptural theory of ' ' falling from Grace ' ' upon the well
known statements contained in these chapters. Many
others are kept from a real enjoyment of the assurance

viii Introduction to American Edition.

of salvation by a misapplication of the exhortations con
tained in these two chapters. A correct understanding
of the primary meaning makes these passages clear.

And now the man, who under God was fitted to unfold
this Epistle and write a solid scriptural and spiritual
exposition of it, we do not hesitate to say is Adolph
Saphir.

Adolph Saphir, whose voice is no longer heard in the
earth, was a Hebrew by birth. Brought up in an orthodox
family, he had from childhood a good knowledge of
the oracles of God committed to the Jews (Rom. iii:3).
When quite young he was saved by Grace and the dead
letter became spirit and life in him. He soon developed
through the Grace of God, into the man as he has often
been described, "a man mighty in the Scriptures." His
" Christ and the Scriptures" and " the Divine Unity of
the Scriptures" are unanswerable arguments for the
verbal inspiration of the Word of God. As a Hebrew
Christian he had a grasp of Scripture, and of God's pur
poses such as few Gentile minds acquire. His exposition
of Hebrews is a masterpiece in which all the wonderful
knowledge of the Scriptures given to him by the Head
in Glory is brought out. It is a joy to read this

Introduction to American Edition. ix

book. It has a freshness about it which refreshes.
It is simple, clear, its language not only interesting, but
eloquent.

The exposition was delivered in form of lectures in
England during 1872 and 1873. Large crowds of all de
nominations, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Metho
dists, Baptists, and others attended them, and won
derful blessing came through the lectures, which were
shortly after issued in book form.

The English edition in one volume being exhausted
it has been made possible to issue from the plates, im
ported into this country, a new edition in two volumes,
and we shall not be at all surprised if the value and
beauty of this exposition is once discovered, that
other editions will become necessary. We bespeak a
large sale for, and great blessing in the edification of the
body of Christ through this work.

We like to call the attention of the reader to the in
troductory remarks. These ought to be carefully studied
and read a number of times, for these remarks will greatly
help in the understanding of the entire Epistle In these
remarks he gives a short sketch of the Epistle and dwells
especially on the Jewish Christians and their situation in

x . Introduction to American Edition.

Jerusalem. We do not think another man has grasped
so forcefully the circumstances in which these Hebrew
Christians were when the Epistle was written by the
Holy Spirit. He clearly shows them in their national
relation, loving and hopeful, with an apostate Judaism
fast ripening for its complete overthrow. They were still
going to the ceremonial worship and upholding L,evitical
institutions. It was a transition period in which they
lived. It was difficult to realize for them the new age of
the church and all it meant. Thus we read in these in
troductory remarks : ' ' Surrounded by temptations of a
peculiarly sifting character, tested by persecution and
reproach most fitted to shake their faith and loyalty to
the Messiah, rejected by the nation, the apostle speaks
to them, in language of intense and piercing earnest
ness, of the fearful danger of apostasy, and points out to
them that it was a mark of the true Israel, and a neces
sary sign of the follower of Jesus, to be despised and
persecuted — that the proper position of the God- chosen
saint, of the believer, was outside the camp, bearing re
proach, enduring the cross, and despising the shame." We
put the above words in italics because it seems to us
they are heading up all the exhortations contained in the

Introduction to American Edition. xi

Epistle. After all the doctrinal statements and proofs of
the greater glory of the New Covenant and the passing
of the old dispensation of shadow things, the Holy Spirit
exhorts to go out of the camp, to have done with earthly
tabernacles and earthly ceremonies. We call attention
to this because of late both in Europe and America the
teaching has been given, that a believing Hebrew should
even now, not sever his connection with his nation and
still continue with the law of Moses and practice certain
ceremonies, as well as keep the seventh day. • That such
a position and teaching is altogether unscriptural and
untenable needs hardly to be demonstrated here. The
transition period is past long ago, the new age has come
and is drawing to its close, but as long as it lasts and
the church is being gathered out, it is no longer ' ' to the
Jew first," nor is there a distinction between Jew and
Gentile in the body of Christ. The church complete
and caught up to meet her Lord in the air, there will be
once more a Jewish-believing remnant in the earth, which
remnant is not a part of the one body, and that remnant,
like the Hebrews in the transition period before the de
struction of Jerusalem, will cling to the national Hope
and they will not be disappointed. The believing Jew

xii Introduction to American Edition.

in Christ has no national Hope. His Hope is the blessed
Hope of a coming Christ for His own.

Adolph Saphir brings this out very strongly in his ex
position. Nor does he confine himself to the Jewish
phase, but he is very pronounced against Judaistic Chris
tendom. One of the finest and strongest passages in
this exposition is the following : ' ' Before the coming of
Jesus the shadows symbolized truth to believing wor
shippers. After the coming of Jesus it must fade and
vanish befote the substance. If this is true of the L,e-
vitical priesthood, which was of divine appointment, how
much more fearful is the assumption of any priestly
title, position and function during the new dispensation.
All Christians are priests. To imitate a revival of that
which God Himself has set aside by a fulfillment,
perfect and glorious, is audacious, and full of peril
to the souls of men. It is not even the shadow
of a substance, but the unauthorized shadow of a
departed shade"

There are a few interpretations, touching, however,
none of the essential doctrines of the Bible, from which
some of our readers may differ ; to enter into some of
these in a short preface would hardly be advisable. We

Introduction to American Edition. xiii

fully believe, and know others share this belief with us,
that Saphir on Hebrews is the best work on this Epistle
in print.

Again and again in reading through the book the
thought came to us how it is possible for other Hebrews
to read such a sublime exposition of their Scriptures by
one of their own and to remain indifferent. We hope and
pray that through this new edition not only the body of
Christ may be edified, but that some Hebrews may find
Him of whom Moses and the Prophets speak.

May the blessing of our Lord rest upon it all.

A. C. GAEBELEIN.

80 Second Street, New York,
June, 1902.

Cj)c Epistle to % Jjrbrctos*

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

/COMMENCING in the style of a doctrinal
^-"' treatise, but constantly interrupted by fervent
and affectionate admonitions, warnings, and en
couragements, this grand and massive book con
cludes in the epistolary form, and in the last
chapter the inspired author thus characterizes his
work : " I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word
of exhortation ; for I have written a letter unto
you in few words."

We are attracted and riveted by the majestic
and sabbatic style of this epistle. Nowhere in the
New Testament writings do we meet language of
such euphony and rhythm. A peculiar solemnity
and anticipation of eternity breathe in these pages.
The glow and flow of language, the stateliness
and fulness of diction, are but an external mani
festation of the marvellous depth and glory of
spiritual truth, into which the apostolic author is
eager to lead his brethren. The epistle reminds

2 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

us in this respect of the latter portion of tli3
prophet Isaiah,"" in which, out of the abundance of
an enraptured heart, flows such a mighty and
beautiful stream of consoling revelations. In both
Scriptures we behold the glory which dwelleth in
Immanuel's land ; we breathe the Sabbatic air of
Messiah's perfect peace. Both possess the same
massiveness ; both describe things which are real
and substantial, the beauty and strength of which
is eternal ; in both is the same intensity of love,
and the same comprehensiveness of vision.

The central idea of the epistle is the glory of
the New Covenant, contrasted with and excelling
the glory of the old dispensation ; and while this
idea is developed in a systematic manner, yet the
aim of the writer throughout is eminently and
directly practical. Everywhere his object is ex
hortation. He never loses sight of the dangers
and wants of his brethren. The application to
conscience and life is never forgotten. It is rather
a sermon than an exposition. Thus he himself
describes the aim of his letter, and thus the
Apostle Peter, writing to the same Hebrew
Christians, refers to our book when he says, "And
account that the longsuffering of our Lord is sal-
valion ; even as our beloved brother Paul also
according to the wisdom given unto him hath
written unto you." -j-

* Isaiah xl.-lxvi. Remark of Delitzsch. t 2 Peter iii. 15.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 3

In all his argument, in every doctrine, in every
illustration, the central aim of the epistle is kept
prominent — the exhortation to steadfastness. Sur
rounded by temptations of a peculiarly sifting
character, tested by persecution and reproach most
fitted to shake their faith and their loyalty to the
Messiah, rejected by the nation, the apostle speaks
to them, in language of intense and piercing ear
nestness, of the fearful danger of apostacy, and
points out to them that it was a mark of the true
Israel, and a necessary sign of the follower of
Jesus, to be despised and persecuted, — that the
proper position of the God-chosen saint, of the
believer, was outside the camp, bearing reproach,
enduring the cross, and despising the shame.
Representing to them the awful danger of draw
ing back, and the glory and blessedness of the
cross, he entreats them, by the whole spirit of
their history, and all the mercies of Jehovah,
which in Jesus find their perfect manifestation and
eternal fulfilment, to hold fast the beginning of
their confidence unto the end, and to continue
steadfast in the faith, an4 wait for the joy set
before them.

It is worthy of notice and thought, that when
the Hebrews were in such a dangerous condition
of mind, when the apostle was afraid of their
yielding to the strong temptations and persecu
tions of the temple, so that he felt it necessary to

4 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

remind them that if after being enlightened they
fell away, it was impossible for them to be
renewed, that the method, which he adopts in
his epistle, is to enter into the depth of Christian
truth, to unfold before them all the glory of the
eternal High Priest and the heavenly sanctuary,
to leave behind the elementary doctrine, and to
launch forth into the deep ocean of New Testa
ment mysteries.'5' Thus it appeared to apostolic
wisdom, that lukewarm, languid, and tempted
Christians are to be roused, strengthened, and
revived. The milk of simple gospel truth was
not sufficient. It was necessary to declare unto
them the whole counsel of God. As in the
epistle which the exalted Saviour sends unto the
church of Laodicea, there is the most glorious
description of the person of Jesus, and of His
overflowing and tender love, as in all His seven
epistlest the self- revelation of Jesus is the basis
and source of exhortation, thus in every age of
the Church the renewal of strength, the rekindling
of love, the deliverance from languor and inertness,
bordering on death and destruction, can only
proceed from a fuller and deeper knowledge of

* The apostle leads us also into the depths of Christ's humili
ation. Nowhere in Scripture is the humanity of Christ so fully
revealed ; nowhere are we so fully taught the sufferings through
which the Son was made perfect, and the experiences of His
earthly life, on which His sympathy with us is based.

t Rev. ii. and iii.

77/t' Epistle to the Hebrews. 5

the Lord and His truth, from a renewed behold
ing of His countenance and of His glory. When
the love of the majority shall wax cold, when
iniquity shall abound, and the last struggle prepare,
then let the church go on unto perfection, and
behold with open face the glory of Christ ; and,
gazing on His brightness, she will be strong and
courageous, and remain steadfast unto the end.

The circumstances in which the Hebrew be
lievers were, at the time when this epistle was
written to them, claim our attentive consideration.
Perhaps Scripture is sometimes obscure to us,
because we neglect the ordinary rules which are
observed in the reading of uninspired books.
We forget the human and historical element. We
do not read consecutively and with the expecta
tion, as well as the aim, to understand the scope
and import of a whole book. And eager to arrive
immediately at what we consider a practical ap
plication to our own circumstances, we do not
sufficiently consider the primary meaning and
bearing of the inspired Word.

The condition of the Hebrew Christians in the
period of apostolic history, of which we now
speak, is peculiarly difficult for Gentile believers
in the present day to realise. As it was difficult
for the believing Jews to realise during the tran
sition period the new approaching age of the
Church, of a body in which Jew and Gentile are

6 The Epi'tlc to the Hebrews.

united, which while different from and a contrast
to the Theocracy (and yet filled with the same
Spirit and glorifying the same Messiah), was to
manifest its life and power apart from the law of
Moses and the Jewish economy, so it is difficult
for us now to think of the apostles Peter and
John, and of thousands of Jews, observing the
law of Moses, worshipping in the temple, and in
every respect identifying themselves with the
nation and her hope.

Jesus had, through suffering and death, entered
into glory. Rejected by His people, He was
exalted according to the promise to the right hand
of God. He sent His apostles to Israel. They
preached the death, resurrection, and exaltation
of Jesus, and His second coming to judgment, and
to establish His kingdom. They declared the
gospel unto the nation, exhorting and beseeching
them to turn to Jesus, who was sent first to them
to bless them, by turning every one from their
iniqu:ties. Between the cross and the glory, when
the Messiah would fulfil the promises unto the
fathers, the apostles stood and testified to Israel.
Their aim, their hearts' desire, their constant
appeal, was Israel s national repentance and laith
in Jesus. Thus was it becoming, and in accord
ance with the whole dealings of God. Thus the
Saviour Himself came to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel, as the minister of the circum-

TJie Epistle to the Hebrews. 7

cision. Thus in the marvellous love of God
another opportunity was given to Jerusalem, even
after her rejection of the divine Lord. And only
when the Jews rejected the counsel of God, the
apostles turned unto the Gentiles. Nor was it
without difficulty that they entered into the full
understanding of the divine counsel, according to
which for a season Israel as a nation is left to
itself, and the church, in which there is neither
Jew nor Greek, receives the testimony and the
blessing of God.:::

While the apostles were thus as Jews preaching
Jesus to the nation, many believed in the crucified
Messiah. We read that when the apostle Paul
and his companions came to Jerusalem, James,
who was a pillar of the church, and all the elders
received them, and said unto him, " Thou seest,
brother, how many thousands (/xupiaSes, ten thou
sands) of Jews there are which believe ; and they
are all zealous of the law : and they are informed
of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are
among the Gentiles to forsake Moses." It is
evident that those believing Jews observed the
statutes and ordinances of the law with great zeal
and earnestness. They went daily into the
temple ; they appeared to the ordinary Jews as
most diligent and scrupulous in their obedience to
the p ecepts of Moses. And this observance of

* Acts iii. 26 ; xxvii. 25, &c. ; Rom. xv. 8 ; Eph. iii.

8 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the law did not conflict with their exclusive and
explicit trust in Jesus as their Saviour. David
and all the godly Israelites were saved by faith,
and knew the grace of God, and righteousness
without works,' though it was God's will that unto
them the law should be the rule and form of life.*
Nor must we be astonished, that even to these
believing Jews it was difficult to receive such
glimpses into the then future church dispensation
as were given by the proto-martyr Stephen in his
teaching about the temple, and the approaching
crisis in Jewish history. After the death of
Stephen, and the bitter persecution which then
broke forth against the believing Jews, a lull
seems to have succeeded. James, the brother of
our Lord, according to tradition, revered by all
the Jews as a just and devout man, Peter and
John were pillars of the church at Jerusalem.
Rejoicing in the work among the Gentiles, and
acknowledging their freedom from the law of
Moses, the apostles of the circumcision saw no
reason and no right to alter the customs and
observances of the Jewish believers. And the
apostle Paul followed their Suggestions, and
showed to the Jews, both believers and unbe
lievers, his reverence for the law. That same
apostle who, when the liberty of the Gentile
Christians was concerned, and the truth of the

* Acts xxi. 20 ; Acts ii. 46 ; Rom. iv 6

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 9

gospel doctrine was endangered, withstood the
apostle Peter, observes the law when he is among
Jews ; for herein he does not lose his liberty, but
uses it. He became a Jew unto the Jews, as
under the law, to them that were under the law ;
at all times and everywhere living in the love and
liberty of the Son of God.*

Then arose another persecution of the believers,
especially directed against the apostle Paul.
Festus died about the year 63, and under the
high priest Ananias, who favoured the Sadducees,
the Christian Hebrews were persecuted as trans
gressors of the law. Some of them were stoned
to death ; and though this extreme punishment
could not be frequently inflicted by the Sanhedrim,
they were able to subject their brethren to suffer
ings and reproaches which were felt most keenly.
It was a small thing that they confiscated their
goods ; but they banished them from the holy
places. Hitherto they had enjoyed the privileges
of devout Israelites ; they could take part in the
beautiful and God-appointed services of the sanc
tuary ; but now they were treated as unclean and
apostates. Unless they gave up faith in Jesus,
and forsook the assembling of themselves together,
they were not allowed to enter the temple ; they
were banished irom the altar, the sacrifice, the
high priest, the house of Jehovah.

•Acts xv.; Gal. ii. 14; I Cor. ix. 20-22.

io The Epistle to the Hebrews.

We can scarcely realize the piercing sword
which thus wounded their inmost heart. That
by clinging to the Messiah they were to be
severed from Messiah's people was indeed a great
and perplexing trial ; that for the hope of Israel's
glory they were banished from the place which
God had chosen, and where the divine Presence
was revealed, and the symbols and ordinances of
His grace had been the joy and strength of their
fathers ; that they were to be no longer children
of the covenant and of the house, but worse than
Gentiles, excluded from the outer court, cut off
from the commonwealth of Israel, — this was
indeed a sore and mysterious trial. Cleaving to
the promises made unto their fathers, cherishing
the hope in constant prayer that their nation
would yet accept the Messiah, it was the severest
test to which their faith could be put, when their
loyalty to Jesus involved separation from all the
sacred rights and privileges of Jerusalem.

The apostolic writer of the epistle enters fully
and lovingly into their difficulties, and comforts
them in his exhortation (-Trapa^o-t?) by showing
them the unspeakably greater glory of the new
covenant, in which they now stood by faith in the
Saviour. Hence the subjects spoken of here are
the priesthood, the sacrifice, the altar, the holy of
holies. It is not, as in the epistles to the Galatians
and Colossians, a question about circumcision,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. n

about things which are not lawful to eat, about
ordinances — " Touch not, taste not, handle not."
The Sanhedrim did not, and could not, interfere
with their domestic and private religious life: it is
the question of their Jewish citizenship — -of their
connection with the temple and its services — of
their relation to the beloved city, and the chosen
nation.

In order to establish and comfort them in this
temptation, the apostle unfolds the glory of the
new covenant ; reminding them both of the unity
and connection, and the contrast which subsists
between the two dispensations.

He tells them that they are the true Israel,
listening to the same God who spake of old by
th& prophets to the fathers, who had sent the
perfect and ultimate revelation of Himself in His
Son, who is Lord above all. Children of the law,
which was given by the administration of angels,
they were now reconciled and ruled over by the
royal High Priest, whom the Father hath exalted
above all principalities and powers. The disciples
of Moses, who was faithful as a servant in all
God's house, they were now partakers of Him
who is the Lord and Master of the house, the
Son, who abideth for ever. Brought into the
promised land by Joshua, they had now, through
faith, entered into rest, of which their history was
but the shadow and imperfect type. And while

12 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the priesthood of Aaron was precious, as a picture
and pattern of atonement and sympathy, Jesus
was the true High Priest, who offered a perfect
sacrifice, whose intercession is all-prevailing, whose
compassionate love is boundless, and whose power
and glory are the substantial and infinite fulfil
ment of the prophecy of Melchisedec The
tabernacle, with its symbols and services, was
indeed glorious ; but how much more glorious is
the heavenly sanctuary, into which Christ has
entered ! and how much greater is the perfection,
nearness, and liberty of worship, which He gives
unto all His believers !

" We. have," the apostle says so frequently,
because the Hebrews imagined that they had lost
treasures and blessings. Though deprived of the
temple, with its priesthood, and altar, and sacrifice,
the apostle reminds them, " We have " the real
and substantial temple, the great High Priest, the
true altar, the one sacrifice, and with it all offerings,
the true access into the very presence of the Most
High.

And having thus reminded them that the glory
which pertaineth unto Israel (Rom. ix. 4) was
truly and fully theirs, he exhorts them to steadfast
ness, and encourages them by their whole past
history, throughout which for thousands of years
the one golden thread of faith and the scarlet
thread of reproach and suffering marked the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 13

presence of Jehovah. Nay, from the beginning
of the world the true people of God were despised
and persecuted. Righteous Abel believed the
sacrifice, and beqame a sacrifice. Enoch testified
to an ungodly generation. Noah was the only
one. who saved himself and his household.
Abraham and all the patriarchs were strangers
and pilgrims ; they had to leave their home and
kindred ; they had to sacrifice what was dearest ;
Moses had to suffer the reproach of Christ ; all
your ancestors and prophets lived and suffered in
faith, waiting for the city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God. And He who
is the crown of Israel, as well as Israel's Lord,
Jesus, the root and offspring of David, in whom
all Israel's history culminates, the glory of the
temple, the Lord of the Sabbath, the messenger
of the covenant; Jesus the Lord Himself was
rejected by His people, and as a malefactor, as
one unworthy to live in the beloved city, He was
cast outside the camp, and there He was crucified
and nailed to the accursed tree. If you are the
true children of Abraham, if you are the true
disciples of Jesus, do not wonder that your place
is also outside the camp ; that you also are called
to endure the cross and to despise the shame.
Yet yours is even now the substance, and yours
will be hereafter the joy.

Hence in this epistle the peculiarly large and

14 The Epistle to the Hebrews,

full meaning of the word faitJi. Throughout
Scripture faith means more than trust in Jesus for
personal safety. This is the central point, but we
must take care that we understand it in a true and
deep manner. Faith, as the apostle explains in
the epistle to the Corinthians, is looking at. the
things which are not seen and temporal ; it is pre
ferring spiritual and eternal realities to the things
of time, sense, and sin ; it is leaning on God and
realizing His word ; it is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Thus every doctrine and illustration of this
epistle goes straight to the heart and conscience,
appeals to life, addresses itself to faith. It is one
continued and sustained fervent and intense appeal
to cleave to Jesus, the High Priest; to the sub
stantial, true, and real worship; a most urgent and
loving exhortation to be steadfast, patient, hopeful,
in the presence of God, in the love and sympathy
of the Lord Jesus, in the fellowship of the great
cloud of witnesses.

Whoever is the author of this epistle, its value
and authority remain the same. " We may com
pare it to a painting of perfect beauty, which had
been regarded as a work of Raphael. If it should
be proved that it was not painted by Raphael, we
have thereby not lost a classical piece of art, but
gained another master of first rank."* But let us see

* Thiersch.

The Epistle to the Hebrews, 15

hov/ far the supposition of the Pauline authorship
meets the circumstances.

The apostle Paul, according to his own testi
mony, which is abundantly borne out by his life
and sufferings, cherished an affection for his
brethren which finds its equal only in the devotion
ol Moses, and was surpassed only by the Lord,
from whom all love descends into human hearts.
Though he rejoiced in the calling and faith of
the Gentiles, his heart was continually with Israel.
It was no doubt a trial to him that Christian
Hebrews regarded him with something like

o o

suspicion. Much as he desired to confirm and
comfort them, he could not write to them as an
apostle. We see how very modestly lie justifies
his writing an epistle to the Romans ; in the same
tone the author of the epistle to the Hebrews
writes, " I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word
of exhortation." Hence it appears natural that
the a1 ostle Paul should sink his individuality and
apostleship as much as possible, and in harmony
with the key-note struck in the first verse, " God
spake," be to the Hebrews as the voice of one
speaking truth and comfort to them in their hour
of need and trial. In the concluding chapter it is
difficult not to recognize the apostle Paul. A few
expressions (as Heb. ii. 3) :: seem such, as could

* According to a statement of Clement, Pantaenus, head of the
Alexandrian school, held the apostle Paul to be the author, and

1 6 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

not have come from his pen,* and it is not un
natural to suppose that some Tertius was entrusted
with more than the mere mechanical writing-, with
the formal and verbal arrangement of the argu
ment.

But when we think of the depth and breadth of
the epistle, when we remember the wisdom g-iven
to the apostle Paul, when we bear in mind that
on this special point, the relation between the old
and the new covenant, none was so fitted and

explained this difficulty by saying that he who was the apostle of
the Gentiles could not speak of himself as apostle of the Hebrews,
as the Lord Himself was the apostle of God to Israel.

* The question of the authorship of our epistle is difficult and
complicated. The opinion that the apostle Paul is the author,
though not the writer and composer, seems on the whole the most
probable. The testimony of the ancient Eastern Churches is im
portant. It is true that style and diction differ from that of the Pauline
epistles, excelling it in purity, regularity, and smoothness. But
this and other difficulties would be sufficiently accounted for by
the supposition, already referred to, that the epistle was Pauline
in thought, design, and argument, but not Pauline in its actual
form. With regard to doctrine, the parallels with (other) Pauline
epistles are striking and numerous, although the epistle contains
several peculiarities of doctrinal statement. In no other portion of
Scripture (not merely Pauline) is Christ represented as High Priest
(the isolated passages, Psalm ex. and Zech. iii., excepted). The
emphasis with which the humanity and the sympathy of our blessed
Lord are mentioned requires also notice, as well as the peculiar
importance attached to the ascension of Christ and the heavenly
sanctuary. But the epistle itself accounts for these peculiarities,
which are moreover in full harmony with the teaching of the apostle
Paul.

The hypothesis, first started by Luther, that Apollos wrote the
epistle, is ingenious, and meets to a large extent the difficulties
real or supposed. But there is no historical foundation for it

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 17

gifted to teach the church as he,* we find it diffi
cult to waver in our decision, especially as so
many collateral proofs seem to point to the same
result. We have referred already to the testi
mony of the apostle Peter. We notice also the
concluding benediction-mark of all Pauline epistles.
Neither the Epistles of Peter, or John, or Jude,
or James, conclude with words like these : Grace

Resemblances between our epistle in thought and expression and
the writings of Luke have been pointed out.

The first impression of the simple reader, that he is listening to
the words of him whom we so naturally call the apostle, is likely
correct, though the question of the actual writer may remain un
solved. The following incidental remarks of Mallet are forcible :
" Where do we find beside the apostle a theologian who could
have written this epistle ? Who beside him would have ventured
to write it with such decided apostolic authority ? And who had
greater reason to write anonymously to Israel than the apostle
who loved his people so fervently, and who was so hated by them
that they refused to listen to his voice and to read his writings?"
Although the authorship of Isaiah xl.-lxvi. is much more clearly
and fully established, we may say both of that prophetic section
and the epistle to the Hebrews, how could the authors of such
writings, transcendently beautiful and glorious even among Biblical
books, remain anonymous?

* " Comparing the manner of argument," says Lightfoot, "with
the Talmuds Zohar, and Rabboth, and such like, you might easily tell
with whom he is dealing, though the epistle was not inscribed to
the Hebrews ; the very style of it may argue the scholar of Gamaliel/'
And we may add the matter of it marks one " who had profited in
the Jews' religion more than many ;" and in my mind this suffi
ciently accounts for the writer's name being suppressed, not because
the apostle of the Gentiles desired to address the Jews anonymously,
but because he wished to sink his apostolic authority, and to argue
with the Jews upon their acknowledged principles." — GEORGE VlS-
COUNT MANDKVILLE, Horac Hebraicae. pp. 5 and 6.

1 8 The Epi'.tlr to the Hebrews.

be with you all. (2 Thess. iii. 17.) The tradition
of the Church in the East, where the Epistle was
first received, is unanimous in asserting the author
ship of the apostle Paul. And thus we believe,
that according to the word of the Lord Jesus,
when He appeared unto this chosen vessel, the
apostle Paul, after testifying to the Gentiles and
to kings, last of all in this epistle unfolds to the
children of Israel the glory of the Messiah and
His kingdom. However this may be, the epistle
is in full and striking harmony with all Pauline
teaching ; it is in full harmony with all other por
tions of the Scripture ; for it is not the word of
man, but written by inspiration of God.

It is an epistle which enters deeply into the
truth as it is in Jesus. It offers strong meat to them
that are of full age ; it goes on unto perfection.
Let us approach this portion of the divine word
with reverence, and with a deep sense of our de
pendence on the teaching and influence of the
Holy Ghost. Our very weakness, and the pecu
liar trial of the present time, render this epistle
more suitable to our need, and encourage us to
hope that it will prove a word of exhortation to
our hearts, establishing them in faith and love.
Above all, let us bear in mind .that, as the true
difficulty throughout Scripture is our unwillingness
to deny ourselves and to take up our cross, so this
epistle, throughout, bears the inscription, " Outside

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 19

the Camp." Every step of true progress is a step
"outside the camp" with Jesus, who was crucilied
outside the gate. If we know the cross of Jesus,
not merely as a doctrine, but a power of life, we
possess the golden key which opens the treasuries
of revelation."

Jesus, the Son of God, exalted above all, in
finitely high above us, and unspeakably near us in
the power and sympathy of His High-priestly
intercession, is set before us in this solemn and
heart-stirring epistle. To look constantly and
steadfastly unto Him, and with Him to be sepa
rated from the world, waiting for the glory of His
second coming ; — behold, here is wisdom and
the patience of the saints.

* " The veil which is spread over the Scriptures for the Jews is
also there for false Christians, and for all who do not hate them
selves. But only let a man be sincerely disposed to hate himself,
and how eager will he be to understand them, and to obtain the
knowledge of Jesus Christ." — PASCAL'S PensJes.

THE

EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

CHAPTER I.

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST BETWEEN THE OLD AND

NEW COVENANT; THE PERFECT AND ULTIMATE

REVELATION IN THE SON.

HEBREWS i. 1-4.

I ^HE first four verses contain, as it were, an

•*- epitome of the whole epistle, and therefore

it will be necessary for us to dwell more minutely

on their weighty sentences. We consider the

first and part of the second verse :

"God, who at sundry times and in divers man
ners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us
by the Son."*

* Literally God, who in many portions and in many ways spake
in ancient times unto the fathers (or for the fathers) in the prophets.
In many portions refers more to the matter, in many ways to the
methods, of revelation. The Greek word XaXiJo-as denotes a con
fiding expression of inward thought, sentiment, and will.

The expression, in the prophets, reminds us of the condescension

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 2 1

The great object of the epistle is to describe
the contrast between the old and the new cove
nant. But this contrast is based upon their unity.
It is impossible for us rightly to understand the
contrast unless we know first the resemblance.
The new covenant is contrasted with the old
covenant, not in the way in which the light of the
knowledge of God is contrasted with the darkness
and ignorance of heathenism, for the old covenant
also is of God, and is therefore possessed of divine
glory. Beautiful is the night in which the moon
and the stars of prophecy and types are shining;
but when the sun rises, then we forget the hours
of watchful expectancy, and in the calm and joyous
light of day there is revealed to us the reality and
substance of the eternal and heavenly sanctuary.
Great is the glory of the old covenant; yet greater
is the glory of the new dispensation, when in the
fulness of time God sent forth His own Son and
gave unto us the substance of those things of
which in the old times He had shown types and
prophecy. When the apostle says it is God, the
same God "who spake at sundry times and in
divers manners unto the fathers by the prophets,
who hath in the last days spoken unto us by His

of God, who clothed His thoughts in the garment of the prophet's
individuality, and adapted His word to the peculiar character of
the time and messenger. Hence in the prophetic books the words
of the Lord and of the prophet frequently succeed one another an.
alternate.

22 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Son," he confirms and seals the doctrine which
was held by the Hebrews, that unto them had
been committed the oracles of God; and that in
the writings of Moses and the prophets they pos
sessed the Scripture, which could not be broken,
in which God had disclosed unto them His will—
the counsels and purposes of His grace, "Unto
them," as the apostle declares to us in the epistle
to the Romans, "were committed the oracles'" (or
the outspeakings) "of God." And, as Jesus
Christ Himself continually testifies, Moses and
the prophets spake of Him. The Scriptures
were that complete and infallible record of the
revelation of God, from which all our knowledge
of the grace and will of the Most High is derived.
This solemn acknowledgment of the funda
mental importance and divine authority of the
Scripture is from the very outset to gain the
confidence and to establish the hearts of the
Hebrew brethren. It is to give them the assured
and trustful feeling of home. Thus the gospel
narrative commences with a summary of Old
Testament history, from Abraham to David and
the Babylonian captivity, and to Jesus, the Im-
manuel predicted by Isaiah. Christ, or Messiah, is
the comprehensive word, ot which Moses and
the prophets are the preparatory and expository
heralds. The Saviour identifies Himself con
stantly with the Jewish Scripture — with the God

TJic Epistle to the Hebrews. 23

of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He, of whom the
Jews confessed that He was their covenant God,
was according to the declaration of the Lord His
Father. And as the apostle of the Gentiles testi
fies to all churches, and most emphatically to the
Church which was in the metropolis of the world,
Rome, that unto Israel was entrusted the word of
God, that Israel is the root, that the Jewish
prophets and apostles are the foundation, so was
it necessary and natural to remind the Hebrews
that the God who spoke to their fathers was now
speaking to them, that they heard the same voice,
and were blessed by the same love.

"God hath spoken unto the fathers;" and by
that expression " unto the fathers " the apostle
reminds us that without a church, without a union
of believers, without a manifestation of God in
grace, historically, among a people whom He had
set apart for His service, there would have been
no Scripture; and that there was a congregation
of the Most High from the very beginning of the
world. "Unto the fathers" whom He had chosen
that they might have fellowship with Him, that
they might worship Him and rejoice in His name,
God spake in old times, even as in the last times
unto the Church — unto those who are called both
from among Jews and Gentiles— He has made
t ully known His purpose in Christ Jesus.

This, then, is the great resemblance. The same

24 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

God in the old covenant and in the new covenant.
He spake unto His church or unto His people.
The Father is the author of revelation in both.
The Messiah is the substance and centre of the
revelation in both. The glory of God's name in
a people brought nigh unto Him, to love and to
worship Him, is the end of the revelation in both.
The two are one. Martin Luther has quaintly
compared it to the two men who brought the
branch with the cluster of grapes from the pro
mised land. They were both bearing the same
fragrant fruit; but one of them saw it not, yet he
knew what he was carrying. The other saw both
the fruit and the man who was helping him. Thus
is it, that the prophets who came before Jesus
testified of Him, although they did not yet behold
Him; and we who live in the fulness of times see
both the Christ of whom they testified, and them
selves who were sent by God to witness of Him.

But let us consider the marvellous unity of the
two covenants.

" God hath spoken." This is the first point.
Oh, how little do we think of the grandeur and
majesty and all-importance of this simple declara
tion, " God hath spoken." A living God and a
loving God must needs speak."" The god of the
philosophers is a silent God, for he hath neither

* Compare my remarks on the necessity of Revelation in Christ
Crucified. — . ccture v.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 25

life nor affection ; but our God, who created the
heavens and the earth, who is and who loves,
must speak. Even in the creation, which is an
act of the condescension of God, He utters His
thoughts ; and when He created man as the con
summation of the world, it was for this purpose,
that man should hear Him and love Him, and
should rejoice in His light and in His life.
When sin enters into the world silence ensues.
Man dreads God, and the melody of praise and
prayer ceases ; but the need of a revelation re
mains continually the same. God has created
man, that out of the fulness that is in God, man
may have living water .wherewithal to satisfy his
thirst. When man forsakes the fountain of living
water he cannot get rid of the thirst, and he cannot
divest himself of the nature with which God has
endowed him ; so that there is still within man
the same absolute and utter necessity for a revela
tion of God from on high. He sees God's works
in nature ; he sees God's dealings in history ; and
when he examines his own mind, heart, and con
science, he reads there, although the letters seem
almost obliterated, the record of the holiness and
of the all-sufficiency of the only true and living
God. Yet it is impossible for him to find in nature,
history, or within himself that authoritative, living,
and clear revelation and unfolding of the mind of
God in which alone light and life can be brought

26 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

to him. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered the heart of man" the things, which

O '

alone can satisfy the immortal spirit, whom God
has created for the very purpose, that he should
hear and with gladness obey the voice of God.
Therefore it is necessary that God should speak.

And God does speak. It is a very simple
declaration of Scripture that God has spoken, a
grand truth expressed in simplest words, in order
that we all may understand it. Often we read
the words and do not realise what marvel of
condescending love they reveal, what great and
central mystery they unfold. " And God said to
Abraham, to Moses, to the people of Israel."
" The word of the Lord came unto the prophet."
" Thus saith the Lord." Take a little child that
has begun to think and to will, and even the
thoughts and volitions of that little child remain
an impenetrable mystery to you — an unknown
land — unless that child chooses to express his
thoughts and to utter his desires. And if this is
true of a child, how much more is it true of Him
who is unsearchable, the ever blessed and eternal
God ? Who knoweth the things that are in man
except the spirit that is in man ? And who
knoweth the thoughts of God except the Spirit
that is in God ? For God's thoughts are not as
our thoughts. As the heavens are higher than
the earth, so much are God's thoughts higher

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 27

than our thoughts. Who, then, can find out the
Almighty by his own cogitations ? or who can
search the counsel of the Most High by the
penetrating glance of his own intellect? Unless
God speaks we do not know the thoughts of
God.

But notice, secondly, man having by his own
sin fallen away from God, and silence reigning
now, it is only the infinite compassion and love of
God that induces him to speak. If there was no
redemption, there would be no revelation. If
there was no blood of the Lamb, there would not
be a single syllable uttered unto man by the Most
High. It is because God is the God of edemp-
tion, that He is the God of revelation. It is be
cause in Jesus Christ there is an atonement that
God began to say to Adam in love, " Where art-
thou ?" The love of the Father, and the blood
of Jesus Christ, and the inspiration of the Holy
Ghost ; behold, these are the three necessary
foundations upon which the Scripture rests. God,
the Triune Covenant God, hath spoken.

And that God ha-h spoken is a very awful
thing, full of power and life. We have got
accustomed to it, to believe that we have the
thoughts of God embodied in His word, and that
He who is almighty and ever blessed in Himself,
and against whom we have sinned, hath in His
infinite love uttered unto us the thoughts of His

28 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

compassion and of His mercy; but God Himself
is astonished at it, and commendeth His love, and
saith, " Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth :
for the Lord hath spoken." And saith again,
" For as the rain cometh down, and the snow
from heaven, and returneth not thither, but water-
eth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud,
that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to
the eater : so shall my word be that goeth forth
out of my mouth : it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent
it." And again, that He has magnified His
word above all His name. And again, that He
will come as a Redeemer unto His people, and
that He will manifest Himself unto them by
speaking. " I who speak am He. ' " Therefore
my people shall know my name ; therefore they
shall know in that day that I am He that doth
speak." (Isa. Hi. 6 ; comp. John viii. 25.) And
throughout all the Scripture this wonderful indica
tion is given unto us, that there is one who is the
Word of God, and yet a person equal with Him
self, the bearer of all His thoughts and purposes,
His beloved, His only begotten Son. God hath
spoken : in old times unto the fathers by the
prophets; fully and perfectly unto us by His
Son. In both dispensations the same God, on
account of the same sacrifice, impelled by the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 29

same love and for the same sublime and gracious
purpose.

Both Old and New Testaments are of God ;
the New Testament as the Church - father
Augustine said, is ^folded in the Old, and the
Old Testament is unfolded in the New.* Nor
can we, who live in the times of fulfilment, dis
pense with the record of the preceding dispensa
tion, t As an old author writes : " As the
brilliancy of the sun appears far greater when
contrasted with the darkness of the shade, so this
epistle compares the light of the gospel with the
shadows and types of the Old Testament, and
by this means displays the glory of the gospel
in full relief; for as shadows are images of bodies,
so the ancient shadows are images of. Jesus
Christ, of His power and of His graces, and
assist us to recognise more and more the substance
and the truth ; but from hence we derive also this
additional advantage, that although the shadows
of other bodies serve only to obscure them, the
shadows of the Old Testament are so many
reflectors, contributing light to the gospel."

* In Vetere Testamento Novum latet, in Novo Vetus patet.
" What is the law, but the gospel foreshadowed ? What the gospel,
but the law fulfilled?" — HOOKER.

t This thought is more fully stated in my book, Christ and the
Scriptures ; and in chap. v. of my Lectures on The Apostolic Com
mission.

Is not this epistle another illustration of the truth, that they
only who accept with reverence and faith the Old Testament under-

30 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

But now let us consider the contrast. Jesus
Christ was not born till four thousand years after
the creation of the world. He came in the fulness
of time. Why were so many ages allowed to elapse
before the Word was made flesh ? Herein also is
revealed the condescension of God. When it is
said that " in the fulness of time God sent forth
His Son, born of a woman," you must remember
that this "born of a woman" refers also to the
four thousand years, in which His goings forth
were from of old to the whole history of
the woman — of the daughter of Zion — of the
Jewish nation. During all these years He who
in the fulness of time came, and was born of the
Virgin Mary, was going forth out of the human
race — out of the chosen family — out of Israel,
the covenant people of God, making Himself a
little sanctuary unto us, as it were, condescending
to our limited capacity, teaching us line upon
line and precept upon precept, developing truth
as the history of the nation developed. " At
sundry times and in divers manners" did God
speak unto the fathers by the prophets.

stand fully the peculiar glory of the New Covenant ? Compare
2 Cor. iii. The neglect of the ancient Scriptures necessarily leads
to a dim apprehension of the fulness, liberty, and joy of the gospel.
While, therefore, the intention of many is to exalt the New Testa
ment, they must necessarily fail unless they adopt the method of
our Lord and of His apostles, which is to teach according to the
Scriptures.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 31

He chose prophets to be His messengers. The
meaning of a prophet is one who is directly com
missioned by God ; one who, whatever his tribe,
position, and dignity may be, is chosen by God
according to His good pleasure, and is gifted
with the Holy Ghost, and is entrusted with the
message of God to utter it to the people.
These three things constitute a prophet : direct
commission from God Himself, gift of the Holy
Ghost, and being entrusted with the very thoughts
and words of the Most High. It is not merely
by the prophets, that God spake. They were
chosen not merely as the channels of separate and
isolated revelation. God spake in them. They
were the personal bearers of the message, the
representatives and exponents of divine truth.
Their words and typical actions were inspired,
and in them the word of the Lord came unto
Israel. When God in His infinite condescension
sent prophets unto His people from the very
beginning of the world (for by "prophets" we
must understand all the messengers that God

o

sent),"" this was a great, good, and perfect gift in
itself ; and not only for one age, but for all gene
rations, for the instruction and guidance of the
whole Church.

* " God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since
the world began." (Acts iii. 21.) "Yea, and all the prophets from
Samuel and those that follow after." (z/. 24.) "And Enoch also,
the seventh from Adam, prophesied." (Jude 14.)

32 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Yet let us consider what were the imperfections
of these messengers.

The first imperfection was this — that they were
numerous ; they were many. One succeeded
another. They lived in different periods. Another
imperfection was, that it was " in divers manners,"
in dreams, in similitudes, in visions, in symbols.
Each prophet had his peculiar gift and character.
Their stature and capacity varied. They were
men of different temperament and tone of mind.
The manner in which the revelation of God was
given to them varied ; even in the case of the
same prophet the One Spirit appeared in various
manifestations. Highest stands Moses, who there
fore predicts, as in type so by direct announce
ment, the "prophet like unto me," to whom GOG
spake not in vision, or in a dream, or in dark
speeches. (Deut. xviii. ; Num. xii.) Another im
perfection was that they were sinful men. When
Isaiah beheld the glory of God, he said, "Woe, is
me ! for I am undone : I am a man of unclean
lips." When Daniel, the " man greatly beloved,"
enjoyed communion with God, he felt and con
fessed that he had sinned, and transgressed, and
done wickedly. All of them, from the greatest
downwards, were men full of infirmities and sins.
Another imperfection was that they did not possess
the Spirit constantly. Of a sudden, after a long
pause, the Spirit of God came upon them. God

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 33

spake unto them, and gave unto them His message.
But it was not like a continuous river. The word
came to them from time to time ; they did not
possess the word. Another imperfection was this,
that of that message that was entrusted to them
they did not understand the heights and the depths.
They themselves had to search diligently, and to
enquire what the Spirit that was in them did sig
nify of the sufferings and glory that should come.
Another imperfection was, that, as they did not
understand adequately that portion of the message
that was given unto them, they could still less
comprehend and contain the whole message. They
saw only one aspect of it, only one portion of it
in connection with the peculiar history and the
peculiar trials of the people at the period to which
chey were sent. Another imperfection was, that
f1iey all testified, like John the Baptist, " I am
not the light. I am only sent to witness of the
light." They were only finger-posts directing the
pilgrim, as he was in pursuit of the heavenly city,
to go on further, until he would come to the
pearly gates of the new Jerusalem.

We notice the imperfect and fragmentary charac
ter of the old dispensation, when we consider not
merely the words, but the types, which are living
prophecies. There was not a single one which
could stand by itself, it had always to be supple
tnented, Abel shows to us that the righteous

34 The Epistle to the Hebreivs.

shepherd was to suffer and die ; Enoch that the
man of God would be lifted up into the heavens ;
Noah that there will be a Righteous One who
will save not merely himself, but others, out of the
destruction and judgment which sin draws down
from a holy God. If we want to have an idea of
the salvation of God we must combine the three
— Abel, Enoch, and Noah — in one person ; the
Righteous Man, who suffers, saves, and enters into
glory. Moses is a type of a mediator, prophet,
priest, and king ; but to obtain a view of the true
Redeemer you must combine him with Joshua, for
only Joshua leads the people into the promised
land. Melchizedek is a priest and king, but we
must combine him with Aaron in order to have
an idea of atonement and of intercession, as well
as of blessing and rule. David is a shepherd
meek and lowly, a man who does not lift up him
self above his brethren, and rules in love and in
justice ; but we must combine him with Solomon
to get the idea of the kingship, both in its gentle
ness, sympathy, and suffering, and in its glory and
extensiveness. Wherever we go we find it is in
fragments. There is an altar ; there is a sacrifice.
There is a fourfold sacrifice, a sin-offering, a burnt-
offering, a peace-offering, a meat-offering. There
is a high priest ; there is a tabernacle ; there is a
holy of holies ; there is a candlestick ; there is a
shewbread ; there is a veil. Everything a frag-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 35

ment ; everything in itself showing unto us some
aspect of truth, some portion of the treasure,
without which we would be poor ; but we must
combine them all to see the full and blessed
truth.

The old dispensation was imperfect. This is evi
dent from the very fact that the message was sent
in sundry fragmentary portions and in many dif
ferent ways. It appears also from the nature of
the chosen men, in whom the Lord spake. They
were not merely finite and limited in their capa
cities, but sinful and fallen ; and they witnessed
of the perfect, ultimate, and all-comprehensive
revelation of the light of Jehovah in the latter
days. Great was the glory of the old covenant ;
for it was God who spoke. It was the Lord
God of the covenant, of redeeming and sanc
tifying love, who for the sake of Christ and in
Christ spoke unto His chosen people, and in the
marvellous wisdom of His educating fatherly
guidance taught them by a variety of types and
of gradually unfolding prophecies.

But now the time of fragmentary, imperfect, and
temporary revelation is past. God speaks to us
now in another and more glorious manner.

Look now at the contrast. The whole contrast
is in one word — in our language in one syllable —
"by the Son" The prophets were many: the
Son is one. The prophets were servants : the

36 The Epistle to the Hi brews.

Son is the Lord. The prophets were temporary :
the Son abideth for ever. The prophets were
imperfect : the Son is perfect, even as the Father
is perfect. The prophets were guilty : the Son is
not merely pure, but able to purify those that
are full of sin and pollution. The prophets point
to the future : the Son points to Himself, and
says, " Here am /." God has spoken to us "by
His Son."" He is the only Prophet. God
asks, "Who is like unto me ?" To whom then
will ye liken me, or shall I be equal ? " Who
hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being
His counsellor hath taught Him?" "With whom
took He counsel, and who instructed Him,
and taught Him in the path of judgment, and
taught Him knowledge, and showed to Him the
way of understanding ?" God asks proud man,
" Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of
the earth ?" Who is there that knows God, or is
equal unto Him ? None but the Son. He was
with Him before the foundations of the world
were laid. The eternal, uncreated Word was
with God before the morning stars sang together
and the angels shouted for joy. He is the true
and faithful witness ; for He speaks of that which
He hath seen, and testifies of that which He

* Or more correctly in One who is Son. Notice here also the
in. For the whole message of God is only in Christ ; and Him
we only seek to know (Phil. iii. 10), and know only e/e ptyovs in part.
(l Cor. xiii.)

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 37

knows. " No man knoweth the Father but the
Son. No man hath seen the Father. The only
begotten of the Father He hath declared Him."
He is the true and faithful witness, whose testi
mony is co-extensive, if I may so say, with the
counsel and the things of God : the Prophet
whose mind is adequate to understand the mind
of the Father. He is not merely the true and
faithful witness because He is from everlasting,
He is also the beloved of God. Notice this in the
word "Son." "The only begotten," says John,
" who was in the bosom of the Father," who
is His treasure and delight, the infinite object
of His love, in whom from all eternity was His
rejoicing, who shares with Him all His counsels.
This beloved one of God — oh. surely He is the
true messenger who will reveal all the secrets of
the Father's heart, and who will tell unto us all
the fulness of His counsel, and all the purposes of
His grace! Gocl hath spoken to us by His Son.

Now contrast Him with the prophets. Were
the prophets sinful? Behold our blessed Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy
Ghost, true man, yet growing up from His infancy
in the love and fear and knowledge of God, with
out spot and blemish, not merely sinless but gifted
with every perfection, showing forth true humanity
according to the mind of God. Were the other
prophets dependent upon momentary visits of the

38 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Holy Ghost? Look at Jesus. You never read in
the gospels that the Spirit came upon Jesus, or
that the word of God came unto Him. The Spirit
was always in Him ; for He had the gift of the
Spirit without measure. The word of God was
alw ys in Him, abiding, living. Oh, how beauti
ful is that expression of the apostle Peter, "Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life." Not, "Thou utterest the words of
eternal life;" but, "Thou hast them: they are thy
property, thy possession. Thou art Lord of the
words, master of the words, fountain of the words."
Notice again, the prophets say, "Thus saith the
Lord." Jesus says, "Verily, verily, I say unto
you ;" and yet He spake nothing except what He
heard the Father say ; for He is the Son of the
Father. The Son, and therefore equal; the Son,
and therefore subordinate ; yet whether the Father
speaks or Jesus speaks, it is one voice, one love.

And not merely does He say, "Verily, verily, I
say unto you ;" but He Himself is His message.
Not like the prophets does He testify of one that
was to come after Him ;"" but He says of Himself,

* Jesus does indeed speak of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost.
But what is the mission of the Comforter? Is it not to glorify
Christ ? to bring to the remembrance of the disciples all that the
Saviour had taught ? to take of the things of Christ and of the
Father, and to show them unto us ? The Holy Ghost is not a
substitute for Jesus, but by Him the real presence and indwelling
of the Father and the Son are vouchsafed. Jesus is the Son,
manifesting fo-th His glory. (John ii.)

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 39

" I am the bread of life. I am the resurrection
and the life. I am the way, the truth, and the
life. I give unto every one that cometh unto me
reut and the water of life." And thus, dear
friends, we ascend to the marvellous truth, that
Jesus, the Son of God, not merely declares unto
us the message of the Father, but He Himself is
the message of the Father. All that God has to
say unto us is Jesus. All the thoughts and gifts
and promises and counsels of God are embodied
in Jesus. He is the Light, the Peace, the Life,
the Way, and the End. And this leads us still
higher. How is it that the message and the gift
are one ? Because Jesus is the Word of God.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God." How
mysterious and intimate is the union, how deep
and essential the relation between the Son of
God and the revelations of God in Him and in
the Scripture ! Christ, the Son, is the real, sub
stantial, eternal Word, by whom the worlds were
made, by whom all things are upheld, by whom
God speaks unto us, and reveals His saving love.
Christ is the Word of the written Word,::: the
substance and spirit, the centre and life of Scrip
ture ; and as the Word He quickens and blesses

* " The Scriptures and the Lord
Bear one most holy name :
The written and the incarnate Word
In all things are the same.'

40 TJiC Epistle to the Hebrews.

us with eternal blessing's. How comprehensive
and simple is the declaration, "God speaks in His
Son."

Let me remind you how in the Son all the
message of God is contained. I appeal to your
remembrance of the teaching of Scripture. You
who know the Scripture, and you especially who
have come through the law unto the gospel, will
understand me when I say that if the sinner knew
nothing else but this, " God has sent a messenger,
and this messenger is His own Son," he might
discover in this the whole gospel, good news, glad
tidings \for, in order to send unto us condemnation,
in order to give unto us the knowledge of our sin
and of our desert, in order to send unto us the
message of impending judgment, His own Son
is not needed. Any angel would suffice for
this work ; any servant could proclaim this
message. Moses is able to utter it ; even our own
conscience is sufficient messenger. When God
Sends His own Son into the world, when God
makes the stupendous sacrifice of allowing His
only begotten to take upon Him our flesh and
blood, there can be only one meaning in it —
SALVATION.* It can only have one purpose — our

* It need scarcely be added that the teaching and the life of the
Lord Jesus, and even His death on the cross, proclaim the law of
God, and reveal to us our guilt and lost condition ; and that in one
aspect, the Father sent Jesus to Israel as a preacher of repentance,
" peradventure they will reverence my Son." But the primary, as

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 41

redemption. It can only have one motive — the
overwhelming love of God. In the fulness of
time God sent His own Son — to teach, to preach,
to announce judgment ? Oh, no, a thousand times
no. God sent His Son to redeem us. Behold, I
declare unto you tidings of great joy. Unto you
is born this day a Saviour. Eternal life is in
Christ Jesus the Son before the world began.
These two ideas are always connected in the
teaching of the apost'^ Paul — the law and time-
that which passes away and man, the gospel and
eternity, and the Son of God and the everlasting
counsel. So Paul says " in promise of eternal
life which God gave unto us before the foundation
of the world," because it is not human, but divine;
not temporary, but eternal ; not connected with
man and his works and efforts, but entirely and
exclusively connected with the mission of the Son
of God. God has spoken to us by His Son, and
therefore we know that He has spoken peace to
us. *

But notice, secondly, as the Sonship is the be
ginning of the gospel, so it is also the end and

well as the ultimate object of His mission, was to seek and to save
that which is lost, to preach the glad tidings of salvation.

* To preach Jesus is to preach peace, joy, life. The evangelist,
that is, the bearer of the glad tidings, " opens his mouth, and be
ginning at (whatever) Scripture, preaches Jesus." (Acts viii. 35.)
"The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching
Peace by Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)." (Acts x. 36.)

42 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

purpose of God's message. God, speaking to us by
His Son, shows unto us that we also are to become
the sons of God. He that receiveth a prophet in
a prophet's name shall receive a prophet's reward ;
he that receiveth Him in a righteous man's name,
a righteous man's reward ; but he that receiveth
the Son of God as the Son of God shall become a
son of God. Jesus will give him power to become
a son of God, born of the Spirit unto eternal
glory. "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is
the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he
in God." Such is the marvellous declaration of
the apostle John. " Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God," was the confession of Simon
Bar-jona. Jesus replies, "Flesh and blood have
not revealed this unto thee, but my Father
which is in heaven." So great a thing is it for a
poor sinner to know that the only begotten of the
Father was made flesh and dwelt among us, and
died for our salvation, that whenever any one
among the Jews or the idolaters said, " I believe
that Jesus is the Son of God," the apostles said :
" Come, let us baptize him. What need we more?
He has discovered the secret. The secret has
been revealed to his soul. God has come to him :
God dwelleth in him, and he in God. Let us
baptize him." This is the rock upon which the
Church is built — " Thou art the Christ, the Son of
the living God." God has spoken to us by the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 43

Son, and in knowing the Son we receive sonship,
the adoption. And this is the peculiar glory of
the new covenant, this the distinguishing feature
of the Pentecostal Church. In the Incarnate Son
the Father has brought many sons unto glory.
The only begotten of the Father has, after His
death on the cross, become the firstborn among
many brethren. The Holy Ghost, coming through
the glorified humanity of Jesus, unites us to Him,
who is the beloved Son, and in whom the eternal
and infinite love of tlu Father rests upon all His
believing people. In the Son we know and have
the Father ; in the Son we also are the children
of God.

Lastly, brethren, remember this is the ultimate
revelation. There can be nothing higher; there
can be nothing further. In "these last days" He
hath spoken unto us. " Little children, it is the last
time." The Saviour testifies in the book of Reve
lation: "These things must shortly come to pass."
Surely, I come quickly. We are hastening unto
the coming of Christ. Oh that we may know
Him who is coming, — as the Son of God! If

o7

Christ is our life, then, when the Son of God shall
appear, we also who are the sons of God — now in
weakness, suffering, temptation — shall be made
manifest with Him in glory. Amen.

CHAPTER II.

THE GLORY OF THE SON OF GOD.
HEB. i. 1-4.

\7[ 7"E have considered the contrast between

* * the Old and New Dispensation, which is
brought before us in the words of the first and
second verses, God speaking in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets, and God speaking
in these last days* unto us by His Son. When

* The contrast between the time before the first advent and the
last days will be again referred to in connection with ii. 5. The
expression, " last days," occurs Gen. xlix. i. ; Jer. xxiii. 20 ; Ezek.
xxxviii. 16 ; Hosea iii. 5 ; Micah iv. I ; Isaiah ii. 2 ; Daniel ii. 18.
•According to the Jewish canon of interpretation, the last days denote
the days of the Messiah. Now, according to the perspective of Old
Testament prophecy, whenever some obstacle which stood in the
way of the fulfilment of the Messianic promise was removed, the
immediate advent of the time of blessedness was expected, and
then anew revelation was given which disclosed some further delay,
and enlarged the vista of God's expectant people. Thus 2 Sam. vii.
[joints to a son of David ; Daniel ix. to seventy sevens after the
return from exile. But since the day of Pentecost the apostles

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 45

the apostle arrives at that word, " by His Son," he
has reached the central and culminating point of
all the revelations of God. The Son of God has
come. In this all things are summed up. For what
other purpose could the Son of God come but for
salvation ? Judgment, the preaching of the law,
mere teaching, are works indeed high and impor
tant, but which may be executed by any creature
chosen and sent by God. The message of law needs
only human and angelic mediators. But when the
Son of God Himself comes, surely it must be for the
purpose of a newcreation ; it must be for the purpose
of the manifestation of infinite love and boundless
compassion, bringing deliverance and life. Again, if
the gift is salvation, who else can bring it but the

knew with a perfectly assured clearness that the days of Messiah
had commenced, as the exposition o/ Joel's prophecy by the apostle
Peter distinctly declares. (Acts ii. 17.)

In " these last times " the beginning, or the first advent, and the
consummation, or the second coming of the Lord, are viewed
sometimes as coincident, or at least as lying very close together,
and this in harmony with Old Testament representation ; for
instance, Isaiah Ixi., the acceptable year of the Lord and the day
of vengeance of our God. And at other times the two advents are
viewed as separated by the period of the Church, and the second
coming of Christ is viewed as the transition between our days and
the " world to -come." Thus in one sense we live in the day of
fulfilment ("the darkness is past, the true light now shineth") ; in
another sense, in the days of expectation and waiting, the Son of
God Himself on His Father's throne expecting and looking
forward. While we are thus contrasted with the fathers of old we
are also like them (and like God's ancient people at present),
looking forward to the Hope of Israel. (Acts xxvi. 6.)

46 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Son of God ? Prophets have announced the will of
God. Moses has declared unto us His holy com
mandments. By the law cometh the knowledge
of sin and condemnation. By the prophets is
kindled the hope of redemption. But no man,
no angel, no creature, can restore us. If we
know the depths of the fall, we know also the
grandeur of the remedy that is needed. As
soon as we hear the Son of God is come, we may
expect salvation ; as soon as it is announced to
us that salvation is to appear, we may expect none
but the Most High can bring it ; for Jehovah is
Redeemer ; He only is our salvation. Not like a
gift from heaven, as sunshine, and rain, and bread ;
not as a servant, or angel, or messenger, does
Jesus come to this earth, but the Son of the
Father, equal with Him in glory and majesty ; the
Lord from heaven, unto whom all things belong,
who abideth in the house for evermore. Thus was
it that the apostle Paul, from the very commence
ment of his Christian life, from the very moment
of his conversion, saw these two ideas combined.
He is Lord from heaven above all ; He is Jesus,
who died for the sinner, and identifies Himself
with the church. And therefore, throughout all

o

his epistles, as throughout the whole experience
of the children of God, these two wonderful facts
are seen together. How can we sufficiently adore
Him who is the Son of God! How can we

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 47

sufficiently love Him who shed His precious blood
to deliver us !

The moment he says "the Son," the apostle
has reached a mountain -height from which a
vast and most extensive view opens before his
eye. We are accustomed, in the epistles of the
apostle Paul, to have him take us, with the
mighty wings of faith and love, unto high, lofty
peaks, and show unto us the wonderful land of
Immanuel, boundless and infinite, as well as full
of beauty and sweetness, and perpetual harvest.

Thus is it in the epistle to the Ephesians, where
he begins by ascribing praise to God the Father,
who hath "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Having gained
this wonderful position, " with Christ Jesus in the
heavenly places," he shows unto us the eternity
before the foundation of the world, when God
chose us in Him ; and he points out to us the
ages that are to come, when God shall be glorified
in Christ Jesus, and in the church whom He has
given unto His Son, when we who first trusted
in Christ shall be to the praise of the glory of His
grace. Thus is it in the epistle to the Colossians .
(chap. i. 14—29). The moment he speaks of the
redemption which we have through faith in the
blood of Jesus, He opens unto us the glory of the
Lord Jesus who died for us, and leads us back to
the very beginning of things, when all things

48 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

were made in Him, and to the end of things, when
all things shall be summed up in Him. God's
eternity has become our home. All things are
ours, because in Jesus we behold the Son of God.

But accustom yourselves always, when you hear
of Jesus, to think of Hi.n as divine and human
— two natures in one person. When you hear
of the Son of God, think of that glorious and
loving One who was born of the Virgin Mary ;
who lived for thirty-three years upon earth in
poverty and lowliness ; who died upon the accursed
tree ; who rose with the self-same body out of the
grave, and appeared unto His disciples, and spoke
unto them, and ate with them broiled fish and of
an honeycomb ; who ascended in His body into
heaven, and who shall so come again — the man
Christ Jesus, the Son of God — to reign upon the
throne of His father David, and to show iorth
the majesty and the love of God throughout all
His creation.

It is of the incarnate Son of God that the apostle
speaks; and showing unto us His glory, he leads us,
<'n the first place, to the end of all history, He
is appointed the heir of all things ; (2) to the
beginning of all history, in Him God made the
ages ; (3) before all history, He is the bri htness
of His glory, and the express image of His being ;
(4) throughout all history, H • upholdeth all things
by the word of His power.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 49

(i) The end of all history. The Father has ap
pointed the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, the heir
of all things. Him, the Son of Abraham and the
Son of David, the theocratic Son, the Messiah ;
not in His abstract Deity, but as the Son who be
came man ; as the Word made flesh ; as the Lord
God, visiting and redeeming His people; as the
Son who became the servant to fulfil all Jehovah's
good pleasure. Thus He promised unto Abraham
that his seed should be the heir. Thus He pro
mised unto the Son of David, who is also David's
Lord, and the only-begotten of the Father. " Ask
of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine
inheritance, and the uttermost ends of the earth
for thy possession." He ratified it through all
the prophets ; and finally the angel who appeared
unto the Virgin Mary declares unto her that the
holy child shall be called the Son of the Most
High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of His father David, and He shall
reign over the house of Judah for ever ; and of
His kingdom there shall be no end. The Father
hath appointed Him, in the everlasting covenant,
according to the good pleasure of His will, in
the infinite love and delight which He had to
Him who is. His equal, to be "heir of all things."
What great expressions these are in Scripture !
What wonderful conceptions, far transcending any
thing that men ever could have imagined !

The Old Testament speaks of neaven and earth,
summing- up all things by these two words. The
New Testament speaks of the creation of God —
all things which He by the word of His power
and in His wisdom hath called forth ; or it
speaks of the ages — ages upon ages, worlds upon
worlds, in which the manifold fulness of the
divine thoughts come gradually into existence.
All things He hath given unto Jesus to inherit;"
as the Messiah, the theocratic Son, according to
the promise to the fathers, and this only on the
basis of His eternal and essential sonship. Because
He is the Son of God, therefore is He the Messiah.
" The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all
things into His hands." According to His deity
there is no necessity for any gift, reward, or trans
fer. According to His deity incarnate, the Messiah,
in the everlasting covenant, is appointed Heir, and
a1! things are given into His hand.

What are these "all things"? It is clear that
there is nothing excepted that is not given unto

* Compare Rom. iv. 13; viii. 17; Gal. iii. 29; Zech. iii. 7. The
Lord has not yet entered fully into the actual possession of the in
heritance which, according to the Father's eternal counsel, and as
a reward of His obedience unto the death of the cross (Phil, ii.), is
appointed unto Him. Notice how the promise is given unto Him,
as our Saviour and Head. We are joint-heirs with Him. He and
His people will be glorified together, according to tne blessed mys
tery that we were crucified together with Christ. What glory ! and
yet a glory which always reminds us of our sin and unworthiness,
and of the grace and love of the Lamb that was slain.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 51

Him. So said the risen Saviour, — "All power
is given unto me in heaven and on earth." In
His intercessory prayer before His sufferings He
had said, "Thou hast given Him power over
all flesh." This is the first thing. The whole
human race is given unto Him. Since He took
upon Him our flesh and blood, God has given
unto Him the whole human race — power over all
flesh. And out of this whole human race, which
belongs unto Him by eternal right, and by the
right of His incarnation, by the right of His
perfect and holy humanity, by the right of His
unspeakable love, and of His death,— out of this
whole world of humanity God has chosen in Him
a people, that the Son should give eternal life to
"as many as thou hast given Him." " Thine they
were, and thou gavest them me." All these are
His in a special sense. That innumerable multi
tude which no man can number from among all
nations, peoples, and kindreds, and tongues — the
chosen family in whom God has manifested His
love, who have been renewed by the Holy Ghost,
who have been washed in the blood of Jesus, who
have been trained, educated, sanctified — all the
lively stones, who by the Spirit have been built
on the only foundation, who have been chiselled,
beautified, perfected by the all - loving Divine
Spirit, through experiences and sufferings most
precious, appointed by perfect wisdom and grace,

52 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

who have become the members of His wonderful
mystical body, they all are His. He not merely
rules over them ; He lives, He moves in them.
He thinks, and they think ; He feels, and they
feel. His will is the power which energizes in
them. As a man who is in perfect health and
strength has control over all the members of his
body, so the whole church is the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ, each member in his separate
sphere, each according to his peculiar preparation
and gift of nature and grace, each shadowing forth
some feature of Christ's beauty, and echoing some
syLable of the Divine Word — all perfect, all beau
tiful — organized into one harmonious, living, and
glorious whole — " the fulness of Him that filleth
all in all." They belong unto Jesus. God has
given us unto Him as His inheritance.

And this church Jesus Christ has obtained as
the first and central part of His inheritance. As
the material sun is placed in the firmament to be
a source of light and heat and joy unto the rest
of the creation of God, so God appoints the
church to be the first-fruits of His creatures — the
body of Christ, wherewith He influences and
blesses, whereby He guides and controls all
things. Even over angels they shall rule: even
unto powers and principalities more ancient and
majestic than our race He shows forth by them
the good pleasure of His will and the fulness of

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 5^

His counsel and love. And the material creation
which God hath made in Jesus Christ He hath
also given unto His Son, that Jesus, through the
glorified church, and by the angels in heavenly
places, as well as through Israel and the nations
dwelling on earth, should be glorified in the whole
realm, which is His portion and His inheritance.
How rich is our adorable Jesus ! The blessed
Lord, when He was upon the cross, had nothing.
He had not where to lay His head; even His
very garments were taken from Him. He was
buried in a grave which belonged not to Him or
to His family. On earth He was poor to the
very last; none so absolutely poor as He. He
rose again, and then declared that all power is
given unto Him by the Father in heaven and in
earth. He has appointed Him the "heir of all
things." As man, He is to inherit all things; as
Jesus, God and man in one person. All angels,
all human beings upon the earth, all powers in
the universe, when asked, "Who :.: Lord of all?"
will answer, "Jesus, the Son of Mary." Our poor
earth, Bethlehem- Ephratah, little amidst the thou
sands of this world, has been chosen that out of
us should come He who is the heir of all things.

"All things." Nothing shall be lost. You
remember that apparently startling word in the
parable of the talents, "Take from him that hath
the one talent, and give it unto him that hath the

54 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

ten talents." What is the meaning of it? What
ever has been dispensed in the kingdom of grace —
whatever seed has gone forth from the divine
sower — whatever thought, whatever beauty, what
ever element that is valuable, and good, and true —
can never be lost. The unfaithfulness of man will
never lose it to Jesus and to His beloved church.
It must remain in the family; it must be secure
and permanent. The one talent that the unfaithful
steward did not use is not to be wasted and to be
lost unto the commonwealth ; but it is to enrich
the chosen people ; for all things are given unto
Jesus. He has appointed Him heir of all things.
And lest any one should mistake or misinterpret
the truth of God, as if any passage in Scripture
encouraged the hope that all beings should be
finally brought unto happiness and into the love
of God, let us remember that the "all things"
includes also that dark and fearful region of which
we know so little (enough only to be filled with
terror and dismay) — that awful region where the
light and the love of God can never penetrate,
where there is uttermost darkness. Even under
the earth, in hell, in the abyss, Jesus has power.
(Phil, ii.) He has power over death, and shall ulti
mately destroy it. He has power over Satan, and
shall ultimately bruise him under our feet, banish
him and imprison him where he can no more send
forth the influences of sin and of injury. And all

The Epistle to Hie Hebrews, 55

everywhere — friends and toes, saved and lost—
shall acknowledge that Jesus is Lord ; for He
who has power in heaven and on earth has also
the keys of Hades and of death. He is "ap
pointed heir of all things."

All things are His. And this is so natural ;
because, in the second place, God has made "all
ages," or "all worlds,"* by Him. It is natural
that He who is the Alpha should also be the
Omega. Scripture teaches us creation as the
work of the triune God. God is triune, and
therefore in everything that God does we behold
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. You
read, in the rirst article of the creed, of " God, the
Creator of heaven and earth ;'' in the second, of
Jesus as the Redeemer; in the third, of the Holy
Ghost. But as in Jesus, the Redeemer, we must
behold the Father, even as we receive through
Him the Holy Ghost; as when we speak of the
Holy Ghosu we must behold the Father and the
Son, of wnom the Spirit testifies, and by whom

* " By alwvfs ages is meant the same as by the ' all things.'
Scripture has various modes of expressing the idea of the universe.
In the Old Testament there is no comprehensive word ; there the
two great divisions are mentioned heaven and earth. In the New
Testament we have the terms — creation (im'<r«, Mark x. 6; xiii. 19;
2 Peter iir. 4 ; Rev. iii. 14), the world being viewed as created by
God ; all things (i Cor. viii. 6 ; xv. 27) as the totality of all finite
being, ages, or (cu'uifes) as that which exists and moves in time.
The most common expression is kosmos, but without reference to
the classical idea of an artistic work." — KAHNIS' Dogmatik, i. 247.

56 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

He is sent ; so when we think of the Creator, we
must not think merely of the Father, but we
must think of the Word by whom and the Spirit
through whom all things were made. " The Word
was with God," equal with God, and in love and
continual intercourse and communion with the
Father. And this Word was the beginning of the
creation of God (Rev. iii. ; Col. i.), Himself eternal
and uncreated ; that is to say, in the Son of God
all the creation was planned and summed up from
all eternity. In Him was life; in Him was light;
and God in Him beheld all things that were to
come into existence. He is bef ^re all things (not
merely as before and above time, but) as the idea
and cause ol all things. He is that eternal wisdom
of which we read in the book of Proverbs, which
was with God before the foundations of the world
were laid. God has made all things by Christ
according to Christ, and for Christ. What more
natural, then, that He by whom and in whom all
things were made should be also the inheritor of

o

all things ?

(3) But the apostle goes still further. Before
all history He is " the brightness of the Father's
glory, and the express image of His being."
Wherever He looks He sees Christ, the light.
Without Christ, there is darkness. Think of the
end of history, and you are lost in amazement ;
think of the beginning of the world, and you are

The Epistle to the Hebrews. ^7

I \J I

lost in ignorance ; think of before the beginning,
and you are altogether lost in an element trans
cendent and incomprehensible, because it is not
for our finite minds to contemplate such wondrous
heights until the heavenly, divine light of revela
tion comes to our aid. And who is the light ?
Christ is the light. The eternal, infinite God
reveals Himself in Christ. The Son is the light,
which maketh manifest; God is manifest in Him.
Christ is "the brightness of His glory, and the
express image of His being." By the glory of
God, His own inapproachable, infinite light is
understood.* We must not imagine that Jesus
Christ is the light illumining something which
is not light ; for God is light. The Father is
light, yet not to us without the mediation of the
light, which is Christ. Without Christ He is dark
ness by excess of brightness. It is because that
Sun is so exceeding glorious, so exceeding bright,

* aTraifyaoyja, occurs only in this passage. (Compare 2 Cor. iv. 6 ;
Col. i. 15.) In Christ we behold Him, whom none can see. But
Christ is not merely a reflection of the Father, but is Himself light.
God covers Himself with light, as with a garment ; but the apostle
speaks here of the essential glory of God, which appears to us in
the person of His Son. The two aspects of truth, that the Son is
equal with the Father, and that the Son is begotten of the Father,
are expressed in the old creed " Light of light." The Father hath
life in Himself, and hath given unto the Son to have life in Him
self. (John v.) "Who is so void of understanding as to doubt
concerning the eternal being of the Son ? for where has one seen
light without effulgence?" (ATHANASIUS) "The Sun is never
seen without effulgence, nor the Father without the Son."
(THEOPHYLACT./

58 The Epistle to the Hebrews

so exceedingly unbearable in its majesty, that it
shines forth in another sun — and yet not another,
but one with Him — which God, in His wonderful
wisdom and power, hath given unto all worlds ;
that in this sun they may behold the brightness,
the effulgence, the outflow of His glory. The
glory of the God of Israel appeared between
the cherubim ; the tabernacle itself was called the
glory ; and when the tabernacle was removed,
God's people exclaimed, " Ichabod"- - the glory
has departed. These were symbols, but when
Jesus was born ol the Virgin Mary, we beheld the
glory of the only-begotten — the glory of God in
the face of His Son Jesus Christ *

And this brightness of the glory is the express,
substantial, true, living image of His being; so
that he that seeth the Son seeth the Father. In
[esus we behold infinite power, wisdom, goodness,
holiness, compassion, truth. All things that are

• Compare Erek. L 26 and 28, x. 4, xliii. 2 : Exod. xxiv. 16 ;
where glory of the Lord appears evidently to be a person. Thus
the Messianic promise is often expressed, as in Isaiah xl. 5 : " The
glory of Jehovah shall be revealed." In Exod. xxiv. 16, after stating
that the glory of Jehovah abode upon mount Sinai, the verse con
tinues, "And He called unto Moses." Notice also (Exodus
xxxiii. 19) the request of Moses, " Show me thy glory," is answered
" I will make all my goodness pass before thee. This harmonises
beautifully with the Scripture teaching, that in the Son, the Saviour,
glory is beheld, as the full manifestation of grace; as, for in
stance, " The Word was made flesh and tabernacled among us,
and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth."

The Epistle to the Hebreivs. 59

in the Father are in the Son. The divine sub
stance is revealed to us in the Son, who is the
image of the invisible God. It is as the Son that
the eternal life, which was with the Father, was
manifested unto us. He who declares unto us
God, whom none hath seen, the Word, is God
(John i.), He is truth, substance ; and the beloved
disciple testifies of Him : He is the true God
and eternal life.

And as the Lord Jesus is the heir, the end and
consummation of all things and the beginning of
all things, and the eternal Word before all things,
the apostle Paul tells us (4) that throughout
the course of history, in providence, he beareth
all things with the word of his power.* If it
was not for Jesus and for the atonement, if
it was not for the Lamb foreordained from the
foundation of the world, the history of this world
would never have been continued after the fall of
man. The reason why God in patience and long-
suffering continues the ages, delays judgment, and
sends forth the gracious and life-sustaining in
fluences of His Spirit to arrest the process of
decay and disintegration ushered in by sin, is that
Jesus the Lord is the restorer ; and it is the good
pleasure of the Father's will to reconcile in Him
all things to Himself, having made peace through
the blood of His Cross. But not merely are all

* " The Son of God is a person ; for He has the word." (BENGEL.)

60 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

things upheld for the sake of Christ, but also
through and in Him. He by whom all things
were made is the life of all things. " My Father
worketh hitherto, and I also work." He is the
inherent energy, truth and beauty of all things.
He is as it were the spirit, the symmetry, the
logic and substance of all that exists. By Him
princes rule and senators decree justice. In Him
every truth is rooted. By Him everything that
is firm stands. By Him all things are continued ;
for He is the Word of God — the expression of the
eternal thoughts and truths of the Most High.

Although the history of Israel is in many respects
unique, yet it is also to be viewed as a specimen
of the history of all mankind. If we had an in
spired record of the history of nations, we should
see that in all history Christ is the centre and
the moving as well as the upholding power.
Moses saw from the beginning that the heathen
would not possess this light of knowledge, and
would ascribe to themselves what is manifestly
only the work of Jehovah. (Deut. xxxii. 27-38.)
Thus it happened literally in the case of Ashur,
which ought to have recognised the hand of
Jehovah in their victory over the surrounding
nations and their gods, as well as over Israel and
Juda, but who ascribed glory to themselves, and
boasted in their praise. (Isaiah x. 8-15.) The
examples of Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, and Cyrus

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 61

show how the heathen might have traced the
guidance of Jehovah in their own history."'' It is
easy for us to see how the great victories of the
Greeks, by which they conquered the Eastern
Power, before which the whole world trembled,
how the establishment of the Roman Empire, and
the unity and communication thereby established
among many nations — how all the great move
ments of the past were subservient to the spread
of Christ's gospel and the gathering of His
church. All nations must be evangelised (Matt,
xxiv. 14) ; and hence doors, which for centuries
seemed hopelessly closed, are opened through
events which apparently are quite secular in
origin and spirit, but which are only instruments
in the hands of Him \vho openeth, and no man
shutteth. f

It is the Lord Jesus who is moving all things,
carrying on by His wisdom and power the deve
lopment and progress of all things, restraining and
overruling, guiding and blessing, that the purpose
of God may be accomplished, and that ultimately
the kingdom may come.

Christ is Lord of all The whole universe
centres in Him. A star appears at the time of the
Messiah's advent. The sun loses his splendour

* BAUMGARTEN, Apostelgeschichte, i. 350.

t Think, for instance, of the way in which China, only a tew
years ago, was opened to the Christian missionaries.

62 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

when Jesus Christ dies upon the cross. There
shall be again wonders and signs in the heavens
when the Son of man shall come in power. In
the material world we know that there have been
many and great cycles of development. And both
science and revelation teach us to look forward to a
new earth. It is the Lord Jesus who shall make all
things new. And all developments are borne up and
moved by the word of His power. Oh, I know that
the general conception which the world has of J esus
is that He is Lord of a spiritual realm, of thought
and sentiment, bishop and head of ministers and
pastors for edifying souls ! But the world does not
know that He is moving all things by the word of
His power; that all politics, all statesmanship, all
history, all physics, all art, all science, everything
that is — all that has substance, truth, beauty, all
things apait from that cancer of sin which has
attached itself to it, consist by Jesus the Son of
God.

Now, when the apostle has given us this idea
of the wonderful glory of the Lord Jesus, the Son
whom God has appointed Heir of all things, by
whom He has made the worlds, who is "the
brightness of His glory, and the express image of
His being," who "upholdeth" and moveth "all
things by the word of His power," He continues
by stating something stiii more marvellous. Why
has this wonderful and glorious being, in whom all

The Efiistfe to the Hebrews. 63

things are summed up, and who is before all things
the Father's delight and the Father's glory ; why
has this infinite light, this infinite power, this in
finite majesty, come down to our poor earth ? For
what purpose ? To shine ? To show forth the
splendour of His majesty ? To teach heavenly
wisdom ? To rule by His just and holy might?
No! He came to purge our sins. What height
of glory ! what depth of abasement! Infinite is
His majesty, and infinite is His self-humiliation,
and the depth of His love. What a glorious Lord!
And what an awful sacrifice of unspeakable love,
to purge our sins by Himself!

Sin has brought Him down from heaven. Our
defilement has drawn Him from the height of His
glory. Oh, what an expression, what a climax !
" Who being the brightness of His glory, and the
express image of His being, and upholding all
things by the word of His power, when He had
by Himself purged 02ir sins!'

Sin may be viewed as a transgression of God's
good, just, and holy law, deserving punishment,
and bringing down the curse of God. Sin
may be viewed as a disease unto death which
requires healing. Sin is also defilement, and this
view seems both the deepest and the most painful.
Her - perhaps we see most clearly and feel most
painfully the difficulty, the utter impossibility, as
far as man or angel is concerned, of being delivered

64 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

from sin, and brought nigh unto the source of life,
love, and blessedness.

Sin is a great and heavy burden. It is a
departure from the Father's house into a far
country. It is ingratitude and rebelliousness, yea,
even hatred of God. Power can lift and remove
a burden. Compassion can seek the wayward and
lost sheep, and follow it across hill, and moor, and
wilderness until it finds it. Grace can stoop to
declare unto an enemy the message of peace and
good will. But sin is defilement. It is that which
is loathsome to God, which fills His inmost being
with repulsion. Think of our sins as defilement.
Think of their number, of their heinousness !
Who will remove this fearful and utte ly loath
some iniquity which separates us hopelessly and
infinitely from God in His holy and righteous
love ? Who will touch the leprosy ? Who can
take it out of the way, and cleanse the sinners, so
that they appear pure and spotless in God's sight?
The Son of God came to make the purification
of our sins ; and this, oh marvel of marvels ! by
Himself. Not like the high priest in Israel, offer
ing something as a sacrifice ; not with the blood,
the life of another, but by Himself. He came into
contact with this sin. He was the only one who
could properly understand the true nature, depth,
and guilt of sin. God of God, Son of the Father,
He perfectly sympathized with the Father in His

The Epistle to the Hebrews, 6^

loathing and abhorrence of sin ; but having be
friended us, and having become one with us, He
could not bear the thought of our being lost. So
this loathsomeness of our iniquity, as loathsome
to Jesus as to the Father, He takes upon Himself,
as Joshua the high priest is seen by the prophet
Zechariah. Jesus, perfect in His love to the holy
and righteous Father, perfect in His love to the
sinful and guilty people whom He came to save,
with infinite hatred of sin and with infinite love of
the sinner, enters, alone and unassisted, into that
awful wilderness where, as our substitute and sin-
bearer, He feels the Father's face turned away
from Him. As the expression of His agony, in
which faith and love endured all things and
triumphed, He utters the cry, "My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me ? " Then J esus the
Son of God purged by Himself our sins.

The manner and power of this purification
form the subject of this whole epistle. But in
this short expression, " By Himself He purged
our sins," all is summed up. By Himself: the Son
of God, the eternal Word in humanity. Himself:
the priest, who is sacrifice, yea, altar, and every
thing that is needed for full and real expiation and
reconciliation. Here is fulfilled what was pre
figured on the day of atonement, when an atone
ment was made for Israel, to cleanse them from
all sin, that they may be clean from all their sins

66 The Epistle to the Hebreivs.

before the Lord. (Lev. xvi. 30.) Thus our great
High Priest saith unto us, Ye are clean this day
before God from all your sins. He is the fulfil
ment and reality, because He is the Son of God.
" The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us
from all sin." (i John i. 7.) The church is purchased
by the blood of Him who is God. (Acts xx. 28,
with His own blood.) Behold the perfection of
the sacrifice in the infinite dignity of the incarnate
Son!*

Sin is taken away. Oh, what a wonderful thing
is this ! When once you see that Jesus the Son of
God died upon the cross, and purged your sins,
and that because of His obedience unto death
God hath exalted Him at His right hand, that,
having effected by Himself this purification, He
entered into heavenly glory, you have no more
conscience of sin. You do not require day by
day, as it were, to receive the forgiveness of
your sins. You have been washed, you have
been made clean, you have received full absolu
tion and remission. Nay, more. In the heavenly
sanctuary where Jesus is, sin no more can rise ;
and as you were crucified and buried with Him,
so you are raised with Him, and seated together

* Although the addition by Himself might at first sight seem
superfluous, the thought being already indicated by the medial form
iron?(reiyuei/oj, yet this full and emphatic declaration is most frequent
in the apostolic writing, and both befitting the importance of the
subject as well as confirmatory to our faith. (Corn, i Peter ii. 24.)

The Epistle to tke Hebrews. 67

with Him in heavenly places. You need only
to confess day by day, and with great humility,
and contrition and sorrow, your continual trans
gressions and trespasses, that your feet may be
washed. " He that is washed needeth not save to
wash his feet, but is clean every whit : and ye are
clean." But conscience of sin you have no longer.
And although, as Christ becomes clearer and
dearer, we see and feel more our sinfulness and
unworthiness, although with increasing sorrow and
mourning we confess our unbelief and ingratitude,
we have no longer conscience of sin, the con
science is free from the burden, and purified from
the defilement of sin. As forgiven and accepted,
as pure and spotless, as worshippers within the
holiest of all, we appear before God : in the light
of His love we behold, and acknowledge our sin.

Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb that was
slain, is our High Priest, our Righteousness.

What other — man-invented and appointed-
priest will intrude here ? What other sacrifice can
be mentioned ? What works, offerings, or tears
of our own can be thought of? Jesus, the Son of
God, the Son of man, by Himself hath cleansed
us from our sins.

The apostle has thus spoken of the greatness
of Christ. Why does Jesus reveal His majesty
and His glory ? Not that we should tremble, and
not merely that we should reverence and adore,

68 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

but that our hearts should be drawn out to Him
in love. The wo ds of Jesus Himself in Matthew
xi. are quite a parallel to our passage. Jesus first
shows that no man knoweth the Father but the
Son, and no man knoweth the Son but the Father,
and that all things are given into His hands. Why
does He say this ? Why does He, as it were, exalt
Himself, and reveal His dignity, and His divine
authority over all creation ? It is only that He
may embrace us in His arms ; it is only that He
may add immediately, " Come unto me, all ye that
are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you
rest." Oh, the more majestic and glorious Jesus
appears to us, the sweeter will be our peace, and
the more childlike our confidence ! This great,
this infinite, this glorious Jesus was attracted by
your very sin, and by your very guilt, and by
your very helplessness. It was to purge our
iniquities that He came down from heaven. Let
us know, that we have obtained mercy, and
that we have received the forgiveness of our
sins, even through the redemption by the blood
of Christ. Let us know it, that henceforth we
may no longer be the servants of sin, that hence
forth we may no longer walk in darkness ; but,
being delivered from all fear, and brought nigh
unto God in Jesus, we may walk in love even as
the Saviour God has loved us, and that we who
have obtained mercy may show in our daily walk

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 69

that we are merciful, forgiving one another, and
forbearing one another, and introducing into every
branch of our life and every sphere of our activity
the new principle of love, even the holy, forgiving,
and renewing love of God. Amen.

CHAPTER III.

CHRIST ABOVE THE ANGELS.
HEB. i. 3-6.

" \ ^ 7 HEN He had by Himself purged our sins,
* * He sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high ; being made so much better than
the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a
more excellent name than they. For unto which
of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my
Son, this day have I begotten Thee ? And
again, I will be to Him a Father, and He
shall be to me a Son ? And again, when He
bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, He
saith,"" And let all the angels of God worship
Him."

* Literally, when He shall have brought in again the first-
begotten into the habitable earth. The time is future ; and the
place, not the world in general, but this earth of ours, which is the
chosen sphere, where Christ is to be manifested and to reign.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 71

The opening verses of this epistle contain, as it
were, a summary of doctrine.* They set forth the
glory of the Son of God. We behold Him as the
Christ, the true Prophet, in whom is the perfect
and ultimate revelation of God ; the true Priest,
not merely fulfilling all that was prefigured by
Aaron (who purged by Himself our sins), but also
fulfilling that which was prefigured by Melchizedec,
king of righteousness, at Salem, seated in heavenly
glory, and crowned with majesty at the right hand
of the Power on high, exalted above all angels
and principalities. We behold in these verses
the nature of Christ. He is the Son, the bright
ness of the Father's glory, and the express image
of the Father's being. We behold the work of
the Son: by Him all worlds were created; by
Him all things are upheld ; by Him the atone
ment was made ; and as He is appointed the heir
of all things, history shall find its consummation
in His manifestation and kingdom. And here

* They contain a summary of the first chapter and the germ of
all truths expounded in this epistle. The following analysis of
Bengel is useful. " His Majesty is set forth (i) Absolutely by the
very name ' Son,' and by three glorious predicates, ' Whom He
hath appointed/ ' By whom He made the worlds,' ' Who sat down
on the right hand of the Majesty on high;' thus His course is de
scribed from the beginning of all things till He reached the goal
(yv. 2, 3). (2) Relatively, in comparison with the angels (v. 4) :
the confirmation of this follows, and the very name ' Son' is proved
at verse 5; the 'heirship,' verses 6-9; the 'making the worlds,'
verses 10-12 ; the ' sitting at the right hand' of God, verses 13, 14."

72 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

we behold also the exaltation and the future glory
of the incarnate Son, given unto Him as the fruit
of His obedience. He is seated at the right
hand of the Father, and all things are put in sub
jection under Him.

Is it more wonderful to see the Son of God in
Bethlehem as a little babe, or to see the Son of
Man at the right hand of the Father ? Is it more
marvellous to see the Counsellor, the Wonderful,
The mighty God, The Prince of Peace, the ever
lasting Father, a child born unto us, and a Son
given unto us — or to see the Son of Man, and in
Him the dust of earth, seated at the right hand
of God ? The High Priest entered once a year
into the holy of holies ; but who would have
ventured to abide there, or to take up his position
next to the Cherubim, where the glory of the Most
High was revealed ? But Jesus, the Son of Man,
ascended, and by His own power, and in His
own right, as well as by the appointment of the
Father, He is enthroned, crowned with glory
and majesty. On the wings of omnipotent love
He came down from heaven ; but to return to
heaven, omnipotence and love were not sufficient.
It was comparatively easy (if I may use this ex
pression of the most stupendous miracle) for the
Son of God to humble Himself, and to come
down to this earth ; but to return to heaven, it
was necessary for Him to be baptized with the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 73

baptism of suffering, and to die the death upon
the accursed tree. Not as He came down did
He ascend again ; for it was necessary that He
who in infinite grace had taken our position
should bear and remove our burden and overcome
our enemies. Therefore was His soul straitened
to be baptized with His baptism; and therefore,
from the first moment that He appeared in
Jerusalem, He knew that the temple of His
sacred body was to be broken, and He looked
forward to the decease which He should ac
complish on that mount. Not as He came did
He ascend again ; for He came as the Son of
God ; but He returned not merely as the Son
of God, but as the Son of God incarnate, the
Son of David, our brother and our Lord. Not
as He came did He ascend again ; for He
came alone, the Good Shepherd, moved with
boundless compassion when He thought of the
lost and perishing sheep in the wilderness ; but
He returned with the saved sheep upon His
shoulder, rejoicing and bringing it to a heavenly
and eternal home. He went back again, not
merely triumphing, but He who had gone forth
weeping, bearing precious seed, who Himself had
been sown, by His sacrifice unto death, returned,
bringing His sheaves with Him. There had been
given unto Him in His resurrection the Bride,
the Church ; she was raised with Him to be

74 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

seated with Himself in heavenly places. It was
when He had by Himself purged our sins that He
sat down at the right hand of God ; by the power
of His blood He entered into the holy of holies;
as the Lamb slain God exalted Him, and gave
Him a name which is above every name.

"The Father said unto Him, Sit thou at my
right hand." But it is equally true that the Lord
Jesus Himself ascended, entered into the most
holy sanctuary, and took His place at the right
hand of God. He sat down : this expression
shows that it was not merely the exaltation by
the Father, but His own act and right; for
Scripture is careful to teach us not only the sub
ordination of the Son, but also His equality with
the Father. Thus are we taught that the Father
raised up Jesus, and also that Jesus had power to
lay down His life, and He had power to take it
again : " The Good Shepherd giveth His life for
the sheep." "No man taketh it from me, but I
lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again."

For this purpose the Son of God came down
to earth, that through suffering, and after having
purged our sins, He might return to glory, that
in His transfigured humanity He should have the
glory, which as the Son He had with .the Father
before the foundation of the world. The cross
was the only way to the throne. The session at

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 75

the right hand of God is spoken of in Scripture
exclusively as of the Messiah, the Son of David,
the Lord, who is God and man. And now, the
God-Man, the Son of God incarnate, Jesus who is
the Christ, being exalted to the right hand of the
Father, the apostle teaches us that God has given
to Him a more excellent name than the angels,
and that He has obtained this name by inheritance.
He does not speak here merely of the Son of
God in His deity; for if He spoke of Him as
the Son of God meiely, would it not only be
superfluous, but would it not be also blasphemous
and irreverent, to speak of Him who is Lord
over all as greater than the angels ? But when
he speaks of Jesus the Son of God and the
Son of Man, then is it necessary, salutary, and
comforting for us to know that this Jesus, who
was born of the Virgin Mary, formed in fashion
as a man, in all things tempted like as we are,
yet without sin, that Jesus in His humanity is
now exalted, and that a name is given to Him
above all angels. We who live in the West
think a name of slight importance ; but God
always taught His people to attach great import
ance to names. The first petition in the Lord's
Prayer is, "Hallowed be Thy name ;" and all the
blessings and privileges which God bestowed
upon Israel are summed up in this, that God
revealed unto them His name. The name is the

76 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

outward expression and the pledge and seal of all
that a person really and substantially is ; and
when it says that the Son of God has received a
higher name than the angels, it means that, not
only in degree, but in kind, He is high above
them. He has obtained it by inheritance ; that is
to say, God decreed from all eternity to give that
name unto Him, as the Son and Mediator.

In the book of Revelation we are told that the
Son has a name which no man knoweth. There
is an infinite, incomprehensible depth and mystery
in the Son as there is in the Father ; and as no
man knoweth the Father save the Son, so no
man knoweth the Son but the Father. But an
excellent name, a name which is above every
name, has been revealed unto us ; and such is
the loving -kindness of God, that Christ's highest
name and His sweetest name are identical ; even
Jesus, "who saves His people from their sins."

Now, in order to prove this truth, the apostle
reminds the Hebrews of a number of passages in
which the Messiah is spoken of. And here let us
briefly consider the method according to which
the quotations are given. We must notice that
the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews always
quotes the Scriptures as the Word of God. He
does not say, ' as David says,' or ' as Isaiah says/
or ' as Moses says/ but whenever he quotes from
Moses and the prophets he always quotes their

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 77

words as the words of God, or "as the Holy
Ghost saith," or "as One saith ;" because among
the Hebrews it was well known and firmly
believed that " all Scripture was given by inspira
tion of God," and that every word of God is
pure. Our Saviour, when He quotes the Scrip
tures, sometimes says "the Scripture,'' sometimes
" the prophets," sometimes " David," sometimes
" Isaiah." And so also the apostles do not always
introduce quotations from Scripture in the same
manner. The human and the divine character of
the word must both be acknowledged and remem
bered. According to the spiritual condition of
the persons addressed, and according to the
purpose of the speaker, is the manner in which
the words are introduced as God's or the words of
Moses, &c. Sometimes the words, which are
manifestly the utterance of Jehovah, are quoted:
Well doth Isaiah say, and Isaiah is very bold, and
this both by the Lord Jesus and the apostles.
So fully and freely is the human channel in all
its individuality and spontaneity acknowledged,
though the divine authority and the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost are always maintained and pre
supposed. Our Lord appeals even to the books
of Moses as "your law;" when Israel does not
recognise the Word incarnate, He refers them to
the document which they held as their own, and
in which they trusted, not knowing its power and

78 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

spirit. To him who has not the word abiding in
him, the books of Isaiah, Matthew, Paul, are
simply the writings of these men. To us they
are the word of God. In this epistle all quota
tions are traced direct to the Lord Himself, thus
corresponding with, and carrying out, the key-note
struck in the first verse of this epistle : " God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
hath in these last days spoken unto us by His
Son."

Jesus, after His resurrection, opened unto His
disciples the Scriptures. He spoke of Moses
and of the prophets, and specially mentioned the
Psalms ; and we read, " Then opened He their
understandings that they might understand the
Scriptures ;" and after the day of Pentecost the
Holy Ghost brought all things to their remem
brance, all the words and instructions He had
given to them ; and we see from the Acts of the
Apostles that they saw, as it were, the whole
edifice of Scripture in the grandeur and symmetry
of its structure. Now they were full of light.
These very men who before were not able to
understand what they saw with their own eyes,
still less to comprehend His words, remembered
and understood now that all these things happened
that the Scripture might be fulfilled. (John ii. 22;
xx. 9.) The infallible instructions of the Son of

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 79

Man were brought back to their remembrance by
the Great Teacher's aid. And shall we not there
fore attach the greatest value and the greatest
importance, as well as the most implicit and docile
faith, to the explanations given in the Acts of the
Apostles, in the Epistles, and in the Revelation,
of quotations from the Scriptures ? We are bound
by a blessed tie to their interpretations.*

David is called a " patriarch" on account of the
position which he held in the history of Israel ;
a " prophet" because, as he tells us, " The Spirit
of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in
my tongue." (2 Sam. xxiii. 2.) But he was also
a type in his own character and history of that
One who was to come. Many people read the
Scriptures without considering the perspective
of Scripture. It appears to them as a picture,
so to speak, upon a flat surface, in which there is
no perspective; they do not see the gradual un
folding and development ; they do not perceive
the historical basis upon which prophecies rest,
and the varying shades and tints which their
peculiar position and distance in reference to the

* Notwithstanding many plausible objections to and limitations
of this assertion, I cannot think and say otherwise. I believe also
in the inexhaustible, many-sided, and eternal meaning of Scripture
above the capacity and measure of the prophet, or of any indi
vidual or any period of the church. This has been expressed by
Stier as the " Vollsinn," and by another in the quaint and some
what paradoxical sentence — Whatever Scripture can mean, it does
mean.

8o The Epistle to the Hebrews.

fulfilment gives them. They do not remember
that the Lord Jesus Christ had His goings
forth from of old, from everlasting; that His
condescension goes back far into the ages, and
that the whole Jewish nation was, as it were,
the mother out of which the Messiah proceeded.
Thus their history not only contained prophecy,
but their history is prophecy. The evangelist
Matthew gives us the key to the whole Jewish
history in the first chapter, when he tells us that
the infant Jesus was taken by Joseph and His
mother Mary into Egypt, " that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son."
Israel and Israel's history are typical ; they are
instalments as well as shadows of the great
history.

It is very wonderful how, in God's ways, fixed
necessity and liberty go hand in hand. In a way
which we cannot understand, but which we can
admire and adore, God's counsel must stand fast;
while His people act and move in perfect liberty,
and His enemies are left to freedom and dealt
with in patience and justice. From all eternity
Jesus is appointed the Son of David ; but the
development of history goes through liberty, the
exercises of faith, of hope, of patience, of love, of
joy, of suffering. Everything that is human is
in sweetest harmony with that unfailing and un-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 81

changeable purpose of God's love which must
surely come to pass, even as in the greatest
sin — the crucifixion of our Lord — -the determin
ate counsel of God was fulfilled ; and yet it
was "with wicked hands," and of their own free
choice, that the Jews crucified the divine and
loving Saviour. This same blending of liberty and
necessity is seen in the history of the patriarch.
By a free choice of faith Abram, who was chosen
to be the father of Israel, and of all who are
blessed in the Messiah, left his father's house, and
followed God. By faith he received the promise
of Isaac, and, as a reward of his implicit confi
dence in the truth of God and in his death-con
quering power, the eternal promise was renewed
and sealed to him. And the inward clinging of
the soul to the word of the Redeemer God, which
amidst many struggles and failings characterized
Jacob, who is Israel, breaks forth, interrupting the
inspired (objective) predictions, when on his death
bed he exclaims, I have waited for thy salvation.
Quietly and gently God fulfilled His counsel,
hidden as yet to David, when the son of Jesse
was taken from the sheep-folds. He did not
know the wonderful significance of that morning
when Samuel came to his father's house, and all
his brothers passed before him, and David, in
the simplicity and unconsciousness of his youth,
was chosen and anointed to be king over Israel.

82 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

It took some time — it took many years of bitter
sorrow, of painful conflicts — before the meaning of
that act was explained to David himself. And at
last, when through all the varied and profound
discipline which he underwent, and by the inward
teaching and the heart-renewing work of the Holy
Ghost, God brought out in David, according to
his limited and human measure, what in perfection
is only in the Son and Lord of David, he went
forth a true king of Israel — a man after the heart
of God, strong in faith and love to the Most
High, gentle and meek toward men, anointed by
the Spirit, upheld by loyal and free Israelites, who
loved him intensely and were willing to die for
him, and yet not lifting up his heart above his
brothers, but desiring to rule with the. righteous
ness of meekness, and to show forth judgment
and truth ; to found his kingdom upon the word
of God, upon knowledge and light, justice and
love, concord and brotherly affection ; building
his dominion more upon the hundred golden
pillars (as we might call them) of the Psalms,
founding his throne on the firm foundation of his
union with all the godly in the land, of their
harmony in the praise and joy of Jehovah. Think
of him thus as a parable, as it were. Think of
this shepherd king, by the grace of God and the
loving and free choice of God-fearing men — a
king whose power rests upon invisible pillars, not

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 83

upon outward authority, and pomp, and splen
dour. He gathered round about him not that
which was high and lofty and lifted up ; he looked
not, like Saul, to that which seemed strong and
mighty, but to the meek of the earth, the excellent,
who put their trust in Jehovah, those who knew
how to praise and to serve the God of their fathers.
Thus was David a true king after the heart and
mind of God ; and when he thought of building
a house of God, then God sent unto him the
prophet Nathan, and confirmed to him the pro
mise, that as he was king over Israel, so his seed
was to rule after him ; that the throne of David
was to be an everlasting throne. Of that seed
of David it was also said that God would be a
Father unto him,* and he should be God's son.
David is quite overcome with the condescension

* 2 Samuel vii. A very important chapter ; commencement of a
new phase of Israel's history ; one of those turning-points with
which commences a new period. The promise refers primarily to
Solomon, who built the temple, who reigned in peace, and who
extended the kingdom in manifested and acknowledged glory. The
typical character of Solomon is set forth clearly in Psalm Ixxii.,
where the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the Divine King and Lord
is described, and his reign of truth and prosperity. In i Chron.
xvii. 17 also it is evident that David knew the fulfilment was in the
distant future : " Thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for
a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the
estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God." Luther translates,
" Thou hast regarded me in der Gestalt eines Menschen, der in
der Hohe Gott der Herr ist," in the appearance of a man, who in
the height is God the Lord. Stier renders, "And ^his is the manner
of a man, who is God the Lord."

84 The Epistle to the Hebreivs.

and love of God, and, being filled with the Spirit,
he saw that Solomon was not the completion of
this prediction, and that he to whom God had
thus promised to be a Father was to be One
infinitely greater and higher than himself or his
own children ; that God spake of that One for
whom all the fathers looked, and waited as the
revelation and full realization of God's salvation.
I may say of David as it was said of John the
Baptist — "He was not that Light, but was sent to
bear witness of that Light"-— He was not that
King, but was sent to witness and to prefigure that
King — the Son of the Most High. And thus, in
all the sufferings and exaltations of David, in all
the events and experiences of his life, he felt and
saw that the lowest and deepest foundation of his
own life was the Messiah, Christ Himself; that
his own sufferings were ultimately to be fulfilled
in the Son, who was above all. And therefore it
is that in the Psalms of David we find David ;
his very heart and soul, the man himself; but we
find also Christ. David and Christ are completely
identified. David, according to his limited measure,
is an instalment of Christ. He is a type of Christ ;
and therefore that psalm which was an expression
of David's experience, in which he cried, " My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" is
also the expression of the experience which no
finite mind can fathom; the Lord Jesus on the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 85

cross utters these very words ! What marvellous
poetry is here, not in words merely, but in life
and history! What wonderful condescension! He
who is Jehovah, David's Lord, is mirrored forth
by the son of Jesse. David's Son is none other
than the Son of God, and He shall rule over
Israel for ever. " I will give you the sure mercies
of David." There is no other man in Scripture
thus identified with Jesus Christ ;* and therefore
He is emphatically called "the Son of David." It
is in this light that we must read the expressions
quoted here by the apostle from the second psalm.

Most majestic is the book of Psalms. Very
significant and striking is the commencement of
this book, so grand and sweet, so precious to all
the children of God, even as it was peculiarly
near and dear to the Lord Jesus during His life
on earth. The book of Psalms commences with
two psalms, which have no superscription. The
first chapters in the books of Scripture are often,
as it were, the expressive announcement of the sub
sequent chapters ; the countenance of the whole ;
the short, compressed key-note is struck ; out of
the abundance of the heart the inspired author
seems to utter immediately the sum and substance
of his commission.

In the first two psalms we have a summary of

* David therefore often stands for Messiah. Hosea iii. 5 ; Ezekiel
xxxiv. 23, &c.

86 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the whole book. The first word is ' Blessed,' and
the conclusion of the second psalm is, " Blessed are
all they that trust in Him." * For God's thoughts
are always thoughts of love. And though by
reason of our disobedience, and the corruption of
our heart, we cannot obtain the blessing which
the law promises to all who keep it (Psalm i.), the
promise of David's son was given in order to
bring unto us new and greater blessing through
the marvels of redemption. (Psalm ii.) As the
apostle Peter said, " Unto you first, God, having
raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you''
All the thoughts and purposes of God toward
His people are blessings.t

The psalmist represents in the second psalm all
the world united against God; He describes their
determined, inward, and zealous opposition to
Him. He describes God in His holy calmness,
in His quiet majesty. He has laid the foun
dation, He has ordered the method, rule, and

* Psalm i. was viewed as a prologue of the whole collection.
Comp. Acts xiii. 33, where the words, "Thou art my Son," are
quoted as the first psalm. The ancient Jewish view is expressed in
the beautiful saying — The first psalm begins and ends with blessing.
That is because the first and second psalms are one. The first
psalm is didactic, a response, as it were, to the law of Moses
(David's Bible) ; the second prophetic, Messiah's kingdom.

t Luther on Psalm ii. 7 : " Here the whole law is abrogated, and
the office of Christ most clearly and distinctly described. He
teaches not what iue are ; for this the law doeth ; but He teaches
who He is, the Son of God, that we may receive Him, and use His
gifts with rejoicing and delight."

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 87

triumph of His house from all eternity. He can
afford to give centuries and thousands of years to
His enemies to mature all their plans, to utter all
their thoughts, to bring forth all their objections,
and to try all their experiments. He is patient
also, and long-suffering ; not willing that any
should perish, but that sinners should turn unto
Him and live. But He has anointed His holy
King. He has appointed One— that wonderful
person, Who is His representative and the sceptre
of His might — God and man, through Whom the
power and the pleasure of the Lord are to be
established on the earth. And this Son is now
declaring to us the decree, the counsel according
to the good pleasure of His will, the purpose
which cannot be changed, the promise which
standeth firm from eternity to eternity : " Thou
art my Son ; this day have I begotten Thee."

Now what this passage means is evident from
the exposition given to us by the apostles. It
refers to the resurrection of Jesus. He was the
Son of God before the incarnation. We must
ever hold fast the fundamental truth of the eternal,
essential sonship of our Lord. It was the Son
who was sent into the world, and given unto us by
the Father. Thus Scripture teaches ; and not that
He who was sent and was born of the Virgin
Mary thus and then became the Son. At the
incarnation the Son of God became man. (Gal.

The Epistle to the Hebrews.

iv 4.) But the truth specially taught here is, that
the Son of David, the Theocratic King, the
Messiah, who is to subdue all ungodliness on the
earth, and to exalt all who trust in Him, is
" declared to be the Son of God with power."

Let us consider the apostolic interpretations of
this psalm. In the book of Acts (xiii. 32) the
apostle Paul, speaking of the resurrection, said :
"And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that
the promise which was made unto the fathers, God
hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in
that He hath raised up Jesus again ; as it is also
written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son,
this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning
that He raised Him up from the dead, now no
more to return to corruption, He said on this wise,
I will give you the sure mercies of David." Here
the general and comprehensive view is taken of
Jesus as the Messiah and fulfiller of all God's
promises ; and the " to-day" of the second psalm
is refe-Ted to the resurrection. In like manner
the apostle writes to the Romans, with evident
reference to our psalm : "His Son Jesus Christ
our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh ; and declared to be the
Son of God with power, according to the Spirit
of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."
Analysing now the comprehensive term Messiah
into its constituent parts — Prophet, Priest, and

The Epistle to the Hebrews, 89

King — we notice, besides the above reference to
His kingship, that Peter in his address to the Jews
quotes the prophecy of Moses — " A Prophet shall
the Lord your God raise up unto you of your
brethren" (Acts iii. 22); even, as he says, that
" God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him
to bless you." (v. 26.) And as to the priestly
office, Paul declares that Christ glorified not Him
self to be made a High Priest, but He that said
unto Him, "Thou art my Son; this day have I
begotten thee."

Thus in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, when
as Messiah He was fully brought into His pro
phetic, priestly, and regal dignity, was fulfilled the
word — " Thou art my Son." Unto which of the
angels said God this at any time ? What angel
has a name like this name ? What angel can be
compared with our Lord, the Man Christ Jesus,
who was crucified and liveth for evermore ?

The apostle passes on to another passage, which
has no reference to the first coming, but to Christ's

* In Rev. ii. 27 we see that the second psalm, though applying
directly to the resurrection, extends to the time of the second
advent, when Messiah shall declare the decree to the Gentiles.
" Now" (Psalm ii. 10) the time of grace, "then" (v. 5) the day oi
judgment. Although the words are thus connected with the resurrec
tion of Christ, we must still view them as referring also (implicitly and
fundamentally) to the eternal, essential sonship. Both aspects, the
eternal and historical, are found in the prophetic writings : Prov.
viii. contains the germ of the doctrine of the eternal generation of
the Son. " To-day " is thus viewed by the church fathers to refer
to the timeless and eternal generation.

go The Epistle to the Hebrews.

second advent, when God shall bring in again into
the inhabited earth the First Begotten. The 9yth
Psalm speaks of the (return or) coming of J ehovah
to the earth to subdue His enemies, and to be the
rejoicing of His people.

The psalm commences with a call to the in
habitants of the land, and to all the earth, with the
multitude of isles, to rejoice at the coming of the
Lord Jehovah, who shall reign and deliver the
godly, and manifest His glory. It is the advent
in which, as Zechariah almost in the same words
predicts, Jehovah shall be King overall the earth.
(Zech. xiv.) The period between the first and
second advent is not beheld by the prophetic
psalmist. The world during this interval seeth
Jesus no more. He is hid. The heavens con
tain Him, and only His people see Him by faith,
and know His presence by the indwelling Spirit.
He is ruling the world ; but He is not known,
not recognized. But God shall bring Him in
again, He shall bring Him into sight and
manifestation. Not as the only-begotten, mark ;
for as the only-begotten He came in His incar
nation (John i.), but as the first-begotten ; that
is, as the risen Lord, the second Adam, the first-
begotten of the dead, the first-born among many
brethren. Thus the prophet is supplemented
by the apostle. Jehovah, of whom the psalmist
speaks, is identified by the apostle with the risen

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 91

Jesus, the Son of God. Now at His coming (the
second, as we Christians know, not coincident with
the first, as according to the prophetic perspective
ancient Israel believed) the world is divided into
the righteous, the upright in heart, who worship
and love God ; and idolaters, that serve graven
images, and boast themselves of idols Just as
in the Apocalypse we read the world is divided
into thj saints of God, and those who worship the
beast and his image, and receive his mark upon
their foreheads and in their hands.

The advent of Jehovah brings judgment and
confusion to the idolaters, and a harvest of light
and joy to the godly, (v. 1 1.)

Now, bringing in the glorified Son, God the
Father, who alone has the right to command crea
tures to perform acts of worship and adoration,
saith unto the angels, "Worship Him."'1

Thus is humanity in the person of Messiah
exalted far' above any creature. Thus the consum
mation of all history, and the perfect manifestation
of God's glory to the rejoicing adoration of angels
and men, will be in the Lord Jesus, who is not
ashamed to call us brethren, who is one with us
by a link which can never be severed.

Who then is like unto Jesus ? Who like Him

* The angels are mentioned frequently in connection with the
second advent. (Matt. xvi. 27 ; xxv. 31 ; I Thess. iv. 16 ; 2 Thess.
i. 17.)

92 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

is adorable ? Holiness and goodness are worthy
of adoration only in their essence and source. He,
whom holy angels are called by God to worship,
must be essential holiness, goodness, love — must
be none other but the infinite and eternal, the ever
blessed and coequal Son of the Most High.*

How near is Jesus unto us, although He is so
high above us ! This is the very reason why God
has exalted Him. This is the reason why He is
so high above everything, above all powers and
dominions ; that He who has all power and love
may be visible and accessible ; that every one
may see Him, and draw near to Him; that out
of the lowest depths we may behold Him ; and
that from the utmost corner of the land we may
cry unto Him, and be saved. Jesus is exalted
for the very purpose of being a Prince and a
Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins.
If Jesus was not so high, would He be so nigh ?
He who is omniscient, omnipotent, all- wise, all-
loving, whose sympathy is full of human tender
ness, is in the holy of holies for the very purpose
that He may succour, comfort, and uphold us
during the clays of our trial and sorrow, that He
may be a present help in time of trouble. Jesus
is exalted above all, that He may fill us with His

* We shall consider m our next lecture the reason why the
apostle Paul institutes this comparison between the incarnate Son
of God and the angelic creation.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 93

power and love. He is high above us, that, look
ing unto Him, the author and finisher of faith,
unto Him who through the cross entered into
glory, seeing Him constantly above us, the Lamb
in the midst of the throne, we may run with
patience the race set before us. With all the holy
angels and all the saints of God we look unto
Him, we worship and rejoice as an old father of
the German Church says — "Jesus is in heaven;
therefore it is easy for a poor sinner to have his
heart in heaven. Let Jesus dwell in the heart,
and then heaven will be in the heart." Amen.

CHAPTER IV.

CHRIST ABOVE THE ANGELS.
HEB. i. 5-ii. 4.

T CONTINUE the argument of the apostle to
•*- prove that Jesus is exalted above the angels.
He began with the second psalm, in which, based
upon the promise which God gave unto David,
and which is recorded in the second book of
Samuel, the glory of the Messiah, as the omni
potent King of all nations, appointed and upheld
by the Father, is described, founded as it is upon
the eternal and essential Sonship which was mani
fested in His resurrection from the dead. Well
known was this psalm among the Jews, and well
understood was it that it spoke of the divine
dignity of the Messiah ; for it was in the light of
this psalm that Nathanael, as soon as Jesus mani
fested Himself unto Him as the searcher of hearts,
exclaimed, " Rabbi, thou art the Son of God ;

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 95

thou art the King of Israel." It was on the basis
of this psalm that the high priest adjured Jesus
to tell him whether He was the Christ, the Son of
the living God.:|: Nathanael and all Israelities
knew that the Messiah, who was to be King,
was to be in the dignity and glory of the Son
of God. As in the second Psalm the Son of
David is addressed in a way in which God
never spoke to any of the angels, so in the 97th
Psalm, which describes the coming, or in New
Testament light the return, of Messiah to earth,
He is said to be Lord and King, and all angels
are commanded to worship Him. The 97th
Psalm speaks of the advent of the Messiah, which
is yet in the future, to which both the believing
synagogue and the Church of the Lord Jesus
Christ are looking, when He is to be manifested
in great power, and to be acknowledged as King

* Hales says the sole application of this illustrious prophecy
to the Messiah was the unquestionable doctrine of the primitive
Jewish Church. He adds a few quotations : " Our masters
deliver, that the blessed God said unto Messiah, Son of David
(who is shortly to be revealed in our days), ' Ask of me somewhat,
and I will give it thee,' as it is said in Psalm ii. 7, 8." The
Midrash Tillim understands the Gentiles of Gog and Magog, and
states that Messiah is styled "my Son," and not "a Son to me;"
that is, absolutely and not relatively, as in Nathan's prophecy.

Jarchi affirms, that whatever is sung in this psalm our masters
interpreted of Messiah the King ; but "according to the sound of
the words, and for the confusion of the heretics (i.e. Christians), it
is convenient that we expound it of David." — From Vise. MANDE-
VILLE'S Horce Hebraicce.

96 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

of the whole earth. Fire and darkness go before
Him, and He shall execute judgment upon the
nations, and divide the idolaters from the faithful,
and the wicked from the godly. For in this
psalm the world is described as in the same con
dition as that referred to in the book of the Reve
lation. When Jehovah comes, the man who is to
be the Lord and King of the whole earth (as is
said also in Zechariah and all the prophets), then
shall all idolaters be confounded, and they that
are upright in heart shall enter into the harvest of
light. And so in the book of Revelation, His
own people are they who have not worshipped
the beast and yielded to idolatry ; whereas all the
rest of the world shall have fallen away both
from the Son and from the Father. In our own
day, religious questions begin to concentre on this
point — Is God the Creator ? or is there no God ?
Men who deny that Jesus is the Son, begin to
deny the Father also.

The apostle reminds us, that while Jesus is thus
spoken of, as the Son, the angels are only the
swift and penetrating messengers in obedience to
the power and will of God. He proceeds to
another psalm, the 45th, and he asks the ques
tion : " To which of the angels said He at any
time, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever :
a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy
kingdom?" That 45th Psalm is unique among

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 97

all the Psalms of David. It is the germ of the
Song of Solomon. If there is a doubt whether
the Song of Solomon refers to Jehovah in His
covenant relation to His people, then it must
likewise be doubtful whether this 45th Psalm
refers to the Bridegroom, who is to be the
divine Man, the Lord of Israel ; and if not, it is
impossible to explain how this psalm finds its
way into a collection of hymns, whose great and
constant theme is God as King and Lord of Israel
and the nations. But we see from the opening
verses that it is a mysterious psalm, and that
here, as in all the Scriptures, we have to search
and dig below the surface, that we may discover
the hidden treasure of pure gold which rewards
those who pray to behold the wonders of God's
teaching.

The author of the psalm is himself astonished
at the wonderful, beautiful, and multitudinous
thoughts which rose within his heart, and looks
upon them as given to him by a higher power,
he feels that he is carried away by a mighty
afflatus, by a powerful tide, that he is only the
pen of a ready writer ; and he begins to consider
the thoughts which are in him, but not of him.
His heart is overflowing with the abundance of
the revelation which the Lord God is giving unto
him. Then he beholds in the Spirit one who is
beautiful and fair, a true and real man, yet free

98 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

from all imperfection and all defilement ; in whom
there is that true beauty of holiness and upright
ness which manifests itself in words of truth and
grace, poured into His lips. And this holy and
lovely One, although He belongs to the human
race, is yet not of them, but stands quite by Him
self, and towers high above them, even as heaven
is above earth. He is One with us, yet above all
the children of Adam. He is also the mighty One,
El Gibbor, the mighty God, who (compare Isa. ix.
6) subdues all enemies by that meekness and
righteousness which He introduces into the world.
And because He loved righteousness and hated
iniquity, therefore God anointed Him with the oil
of gladness above His fellows ; or, in New Testa
ment language, "because He was obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross, therefore
God highly exalted Him." The Son of man is
the Christ; He is anointed with the Holy Ghost,
the oil of gladness, above all His equals. As He
speaks also in the prophet Isaiah, " The Spirit of
the Lord God is upon me, because He hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor ; He
hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to pro
claim liberty to the captives ; to give to them that
mourn beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourn
ing, the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi
ness." The psalm thus reveals unto us the mys
tery of the Trinity — the Son, God and man in one

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 99

person, " fairer than any of the children of men,"
obe lient unto death, exalted by the Father, and
anointed by the Holy Ghost. God the Father
thus addresses the Son of man — •" Thy throne, O
God, is for ever and ever ; a sceptre of righteous
ness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." *

To which of the angels was ever language
addressed as unto this One, who indeed is born
of a woman, the Son of man, a descendant of
David, who lived upon earth the servant of God,
honouring the law of Moses, and obedient to all
the commandments of God ? But to Him the
Father has given a throne and a sceptre for ever,
and speaks to Him as His equal from all eternity
unto all ages.

But the apostle continues by quoting another
psalm. Christ is in all the psalms ; they speak of
Him. The divinity and humanity of the Lord
are set forth in all the Scriptures. It is the delight
of the Father, in all the Word, to honour the Son,
even as it is the delight of the Son continually to

* There is abundant evidence to prove that the Jews applied this
psalm to Messiah. Stier says : " We cannot enter into controversy
with those who see in this psalm only a marriage song or hymn
to an earthly king, without first discussing the general principles
of Scripture faith. . . ." This psalm is not isolated in the Bible.
(Comp. Isa. liv. 5; Ixii. 5; Jer. iii. i; Ezek. xvi. 8; Hosea and
Canticles passim; John iii. 29; Matt. ix. 25; Matt. xxii. xxv. ;
Eph. v. 32 ; 2 Cor. xi. 2 ; Rev. xix. 21.)

Gibbor is a title of Messiah. He is migh'y to save.

Compare also with verse 6 the Jewish tradition : " We have heard
that Christ abideth for ever." (John xii. 34.)

ioo The Epistle to the Hebrews.

point to the Father that we may see His glory.
The apostle refers to the iO2nd Psalm — a psalm
which, without apostolic teaching, I doubt if any
of us would have had the boldness so to apply ;
for in many respects it is the most remarkable cf
all the psalms — the psalm of the afflicted One
while His soul is overwhelmed within Him in
great affliction, and sorrow, and anxious fear. He
has been righteous, He has been holy; but men
persecute Him. He is forsaken, His tears are
His meat day and night, and yet God had exalted
Him. God had shown unto Him that He was
His chosen One ; God had prospered Him up to
a certain point; He upheld Him, carried Him
through, sustained and honoured Him, caused
His work to prosper and His word to bring forth
fruit. But then, instead of entering into glory,
He felt that His path was shut up, that all His
people forsook Him and rejected Him ; that in
stead of light there was darkness ; that instead of
a throne there was the cross before Him. God had
lifted Him up, given Him power, given Him the
hearts of His people. God had for thirty- three
years continually said unto Him, "Thou art my
Son. Thou art my servant, whom I uphold; mine
elect, in whom my soul is well pleased ;" and at
last, in the middle of His days, before His work
was completed, He was to be cut off. Persecu
tion and dismay, and the unbelief of the people,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 101

m_t Him; and His soul was "exceeding sorrow
ful, even unto death." The shadow of the cross
fell into His heart, and His soul was straitened
within Him.

Thus, in the I2th chapter of the gospel of
John, we read that His soul was sorrowful in the
anticipation of that hour, for the sake of which
He had come into the world. Thus it was in the
garden of Gethsemane, and yet He knew and
believed that God would deliver Him. And
when this afflicted One pours out His heart He
says, " Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon
Zion. The time to favour her, the appointed
time, will come." He rests with firm faith on the
promises of God, in which light and glory are
secured to Israel. God's counsel must stand, His
counsel must be fulfilled. Then it is that God the
Father replies to Him, " Thou, Lord, in the be
ginning hast laid the foundation of the earth ;
and the heavens are the works of thine hands.""
Then it is that God the Father replies with this
word of assurance to this afflicted, mourning, dis
tressed One, reminding Him that although for
a little season He has become a servant, and
entered into darkness and sorrow, though He

* Stier : The Messiah receives here the mighty answer of God,
'It is impossible for Thee to succumb; for Thou art the Living
One with me from all eternity.' Christ is here presented as
Creator ; He is Lord (Jehovah) ; the earth is His and the fulness
thereof.

IO2 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

has humbled Himself, and feels like David, " I
am a worm and not a man," yet is He none other
but the Lord, the Word, the Creator of heaven and
earth. He was in the beginning with the Father,
when the word went forth from God to lay the foun
dations of the earth. By Him also the heavens
were framed. He is the Eternal, the First and
the Last, who shall remain the same for ever.
Although the elements shall melt away, and the
heavens and earth be moved ; although the world
in its present phase shall pass away and be put
off like an old vesture, yet this suffering One is
the Lord; He is the same, and His years fail
not. "

How marvellous is this ! how incomprehensible
this union of divine and human, of eternity and
time, sadness and omnipotence ! Do not wonder
that such language of anguish, faintness, and sor
row, of agonising faith, is attributed by the Holy
Ghost to Jesus. Remember that the life of Jesus
was a life of faith, a real, true, and earnest conflict ;

* In Horce Hebraic<z, alrea 'y quoted, interesting extracts are
given (pp. 100-102) to prove that the ancient Jews referred this
psalm to Messiah and His days. On verse 27," But thou art He,"
the Jews say that Ani and Attah and Hu, I and Thou and He, are
names of God denoting three persons ; and their anthem, publicly
sMng on the last day of their feast of tabernacles, is, " For thy
sake, O our Creator Hosanna ; for thy sake, O our Redeemer
Hosanna ; for thy sake, O our Seeker Hosanna!" as if, says
Bishop Patrick, they beseeched the blessed Trinity to save them
and send them help.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 103

that "He is the author and finisher of faith ;" and
that, although He continually took firm hold of
the promises of God, yet His feeling of sorrow,
His sense of His utter dependence on God, His
anxious looking forward to His last sufferings,
all this was a reality. He gained the victory
by faith; He knew that He was through suffering
returning to the Father ; He knew that as Son of
man and Redeemer of His people He would be
glorified with the glory which He had with the
Father before the foundations of the world were
laid. To which of the angels said God at any
time, as He said to the meek and lowly Jesus,
" Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foun
dations of the earth " ? *

And lastly the apostle quotes the short but
most comprehensive i loth Psalm. Of all the
psalms it is most frequently quoted in the New
Testament. Martin Luther says this is " Der
Haupt Psalm" — the chief psalm, the head psalm,
the psalm which was the greatest strength and
consolation to him, as it ought to be to all God's
people. " The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou
at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool."

* Kurtz sums tip the contrast between the angels and the Lord
Jesus : (i) The angels are servants in the kingdom ; the Son has a
throne, and is therefore Ruler. (2) They work in the shape or
power of the lower elements (wind and fire) ; He by the moral
power of righteousness. '3) Their work is changing and transitory ;
Christ's rule immutable and eternal.

IO4 The Epistle to the Plebrews.

The Jews in the time of Jesus all knew that
this psalm referred to the Messiah. There was
not the slightest doubt about this. Hence our
blessed Saviour asks them this question — How is
it that David, speaking of the Messiah, in the
Spirit, by the Holy Ghost, calls Him Lord, if
He is his Son ? Here was a dilemma. The
noth Psalm refers to the Messiah; how then
does David call Him Lord ? In three of the
gospels is this passage quoted ; and the question
of our Saviour is so important and so much a
leading central one that all the (synoptic) evan
gelists reported it. Christ always referred the
Scripture unto the Holy Ghost, and in this pas
sage He does so explicitly — " David in the
Spirit;" that is to say, when by the Holy Ghost
there were revealed to him eternal truths. It was
impossible for man's mind, unassisted, to know
what is declared in this psalm, to rise to this
height, and to have the comprehensive view
opened to us here. Peter, in his sermon on the
day of Pentecost (and it is to be noticed that that
great model and typical sermon was nothing else
but unfolding of Scripture), says to the Jews,
" David did not ascend into the heavens." The
Jews regarded David with the most profound
veneration. They felt that Messiah was, in a
peculiar sense, connected with their great king.
The apostle is almost afraid to refer to David's

The Epistle to tke Hebrews. 105

death and burial. And therefore he says, " Let
me freely speak unto you of our father David ;
that he is dead and buried, and his sepulchre is
with us unto this day." But as a prophet, and
knowing the promise of the Son of David — the
Messiah — he said, " The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou at my right hand." This is the passage*
that ths apostle Paul afterwards expounds so fully
in our epistle, showing from it the peculiar glory of
the priesthood of Jesus as the true Melchizedec.
On this psalm are based the expressions of
the epistles on the ascension of Christ, f What
does it mean ? That the Son of man, the Son
of David, was to be exalted by God high
above all things, and that He was to be placed
upon the throne as His equal, endowed with all
might and all dominion. And thus it is that our
blessed Saviour says, " All power is given unto
me in heaven and in earth ;" and thus is it that

* "A Moonshee in India noticed that David, though himself a
prophet and king, spoke here of another as his Lord. He was
anxious to know who was meant. He afterwards read in Isaiah of
One who suffered on account of our sins. He was anxious to know
who was meant by this description. When some time after he read
the creed of the Christian Church — ' Crucified, dead, and buried ;
the third day He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, sitteth
at the right hand of God,' it flashed across his mind that Jesus
is He of whom David speaks in the i loth Psalm." — Quoted in
RICHTER'S Hausbibel. (Ps. ex.)

t Eph. i. 20: "When He raised Him from the dead, and set
Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places." And again,
I Cor. xv. 27 — " For He hath put all things under His feet."

io6 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

He ascended high above all heavens, in order
that in His humanity as well as in His divinity
He might govern and fill all things. " Unto
which of the angels said He at any time, as unto
Jesus, Sit thou on my right hand ?"

But now you may ask, Why does the apostle
speak about the angels ? He has shown from the
2nd Psalm, from the 9;th Psalm, from 2 Samuel
vii., from Chronicles, from the i loth Psalm, most
clearly that this man Jesus is none else but God,
Lord, of infinite and eternal Majesty ; and that,
therefore, in His humanity also He is highly
exalted above all angels. But what is the point
of this comparison ? what is its importance and
the inference to be drawn from it ? The argu
ment is simply this : the old dispensation, the
law, was given by the mediation and adminis
tration of angels. I Jesus was above angels,
then His dispensation, the new covenant, His
priesthood, are high above that of the law.

The Jews thought much about the angels.
As Stephen said, and the apostle teaches in
the epistle to the Galatians, the angels were
connected with the giving of the law : " The
chariots of God are twenty thousand, even
thousands of angels. The Lord is among them,
as in the holy place of Sinai." The chariots of
God do not consist of anything that is material
and inanimate. Intelligent living worshippers,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 107

loving and obedient spirits, are the chariots upon
which God moves. Thus, in the ancient prayer
of the synagogue, the angels are called the Opha-
nim, or the zu/ieels. Stephen says, " You have
received the law by the disposition of angels." In
the epistle to the Galatians, Paul reminds them
that " the law was given through the adminis
tration of angels."

Scripture speaks often of the angels. Let me
remind you of some of the doctrines which the
Bible contains concerning them.

In the first place, human beings know nothing
about angels, except what God pleases to tell
them. Hence all that human poets have imagined
about them is of no importance or value, un'ess
it agrees with the record of the divine Scripture.

With regard to the angels, I may notice three
tendencies to error. The first tendency to error
we see in the epistle to the Colossians, and we
may call it " the Gnostic error," when men, fol
lowing their own speculative reason, endeavour
to penetrate mysteries which are not revealed
to us, and form erroneous views of the angels as
to their nature, and their relation to God and to
Christ.

Secondly, the Romish error, according to which
the angels are placed in a false mediatory position,
and are invoked, when men rely upon their inter
cession, or call upon their aid. The only case

IF

io8 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

recorded in Scripture of the angels being invoked
in any way is when Davi \ calls upon them to
bless the Lord, and with His other creatures to
exalt Him, their God and our God. And the
third tendency is what I may call the Protestant
one — to think too rarely and in too isolated a
manner about them ; not to consider sufficiently
what is said about them in Scripture, and not to
feel and remember vividly that they are constantly
with us, that we and they are members of one
great Family, and that the angelic worship and
the worship of the church are harmonious.

Now Scripture Lells us of the angels only, as it
were, incidentally. It is as if some one who
dwells in a great and vast realm, but who does not
think it wise, necessary, or salutary to give us
full and systematic knowledge of it, occasionally,
as we require it, lifts the curtain, and gives us a
glimpse of the perfect and harmonious whole of
that world in which He is enthroned.

Notice the multitude of angels : " We have
come to an innumerable company of angels." In
the book of Revelation it speaks of " myriads,
tens of thousands, and thousands of thousands,"
millions of angels. In the gospel of Luke "the
multitude of the heavenly host" praise God, and
announce in songs of gladness the Saviour's birth
to the shepherds. An immense, countless multi
tude of angels ! Let our minds expand to the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 109

idea. Let the innumerable company of angelic
beings who have loved and served God for thou
sands of years show us how grand is that world in
which we live, and in which this poor earth, on
account of the blood of Jesus — the Son of God — -
which redeemed it, is the dearest spot. This in
numerable multitude is a polity, a state. There
are gradations in it, groups, orders, legions of
angels. "Jacob called the name of the place
Mahanaim." There are the cherubim and the
seraphim ; thrones and dominions. There is
Michael the defender, the champion of God's
people, especially called forLi in the latter days.
We read of the archangel, whose voice shall be
heard when the Lord Himself shall descend from
heaven. There is a kingdom with gradations,
with order. This kingdom is intimately connected
with the kingdom of grace. Jesus tells us
every day to think of this connection and har
mony. He teaches us to pray, " Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven'' When a sinner is converted, the angels
rejoice; and when Jesus comes again, the angels
will come with Him. There is only one kingdom
of angels and men ; and all that God has created
form one wonderful united whole. We cannot
see the angels ; not because they are invisible ; for
we could see them at this moment if God saw fit
to open our eyes. The things which are true,

no The Epistle to the Hebrews.

substantial, lasting, and real, are things as yet in
visible, and apprehended only by faith. They
will last for ever, though they are not yet seen by
us ; and when all that is unreal and shadowy
shall disappear, then they shall be made visible
at the appearing of our great God and Saviour.
Whenever there is a crisis in the history of God's
kingdom the angels appear, as at the giving of
the law, and at the incarnation of the Son of God.
Thus we read of angelic manifestations before
and after the birth of Jesus. The Son of man
often speaks of and always beholds the angels.
In the garden of Gethsemane an angel appears to
strengthen Him, and angels appear to the dis
ciples at the resurrection and at the ascension of
the Saviour. When He comes again multitudes
of angels shall come with Him and separate the
evil from the good ; before the angels Jesus shall
confess His people.

Angels are connected not merely with salvation
and with the spiritual kingdom of God, but with
all the kingdom of God ; with all physical phe
nomena. There was an earthquake at His resur
rection. Why ? Because angels had been and
rolled away the stone. The Pool of Siloam had
miraculous powers ; " for an angel came down at
certain seasons and troubled the water," and
endowed it with healing power. The angels carry
on every development in nature. God does not

The Epistle to the Hebrews. ill

move and rule the world merely by laws and
principles, by unconscious and inanimate powers,
but by living beings full of light and love. His
angels are like flames of fire ; they have charge
over the winds, and the earth, and the trees,
and the sea. Through the angels He carries on
the government of the world. And these angels,
whom God has made so glorious, who excel in
strength, hearken to the voice of His command
ment and obey Him, while they in worship
continually behold the countenance of the Father.
They are always ascribing glory and praise, and
constantly adoring with joy and wonder the glory
of God as it is revealed in the Lamb that was
slain, and made manifest in the Church of Christ.
For as Christ is the centre, so the church is
exalted in Him, that in the church the manifold
wisdom of God may be made known to prin
cipalities and powers.

Now, glorious as the angels are, they are in
subjection to Jesus as man; for in His human
nature God has enthroned Him above all things.
Their relation to Jesus fixes also their relation to
us. In a great iiuuse uicre may De many servants
who are honoured, trusted, and beloved ; but the
position of the little child who is the heir is differ
ent, though as yet he is inferior in knowledge,
strength, and attainments. " Are they not all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those

112 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

who shall be heirs of salvation ?" You who are
the children of God, begotten by the Holy Ghost,
you are the brethren of Jesus ; for "He took not
hold of angels, but in His great love He took
hold of the seed of Abraham." You are the future
kings and rulers, and unto man in Christ all things
are put in subjection, as it is said in the 8th Psalm :
" Are they not all ministering spirits ?" They love
us. We know it, because they showed a most
unselfish and tender interest in our salvation.
When Jesus descended from heaven, and visited
our earth, so far from being filled with envy, they
rejoiced, and with great alacrity came down and
brought the glad tidings to the shepherds. With
joy they also announced that Jesus is risen, that
He is exalted, that Son of man whom — O
mystery of mysteries ! — they had seen agonizing
in the garden, who was then strengthened by an
angel; whom they had beheld on the cross. How
glad were they to roll away the stone ; how re
joiced when they saw Him exalted above the
heavens ; how tenderly they expressed their sym
pathy with the sorrowing women ; " for I know-
that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is
not here: for He is risen, as He said." We
know they love us ; for they rejoice when a poor,
fallen, degraded sinner turns from ungodliness and
takes hold of salvation as it is in Jesus. They
watch us in our dangers, in our difficulties. " God

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 1 1 3

has given His angels charge over us, to keep us
in all our ways, lest we dash our foot against a
stone." They are astonished, and marvel when
they see Lazarus in his poverty, in pain, in dis
tress, despised and forgotten by man. Day by
day they watch his patience, his faith, his trustful
cleaving unto God, and eagerly they learn from
him more and more of the mystery of suffering,
and of man's fellowship with Jesus ; and lovingly
they wait for the appointed hour, when, delivered
from the body of pain and death, they carry him
safely, and gently, and swiftly into Abraham's
bosom. And after having ministered unto God's
people to the end of this age, they shall rejoice
when they hear His voice saying unto the chil
dren, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world."

For Jesus' sake, "are they not all ministering
spirits ?" Oh, how great is Jesus ! How great
is the covenant of grace ! How great is the glory
of the Son, and how wonderful is our position as
children of the Father !

And now, brethren, the apostle is not able to
continue his argument without first giving vent to
his feeling of solemn anxiety about our salvation,
and exhorting us earnestly and affectionately. We
ought to give the more earnest heed to the things
which we have heard. So great a salvation has

H4 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

been revealed to us ; salvation which has its origin
in eternal depths of love ; salvation which is built
upon the rock, even the sufferings and resurrection
of Jesus the Son of God ; salvation which is con
summated in glory, greater and higher than that
of the angels, by which the highest position is
given to us among all creatures in the kingdom
of God. If so great salvation is neglected — I do
not say rejected or treated with contempt and un
belief; but if it is neglected ; if we do not rise to
the height of this argument ; if the love of God
does not melt our hearts ; if we do not think sal
vation the one thing that is necessary, important,
essential ; if we do not devote to it our whole
heart, our whole soul, all our energies; if we do
not strive to grasp it with all our might, concen
trating all our earnestness and strength, how shall
we escape? Jesus has Himselt declared and
brought it ; God the Father has ratified it and
sealed it; the Holy Ghost has confirmed it with
His gifts and wonders. It is the ultimate revela
tion of God ; it is the unspeakable gift of His
love, according to His eternal purpose.

Have we this first chapter? Is it ours? Do
we possess it ? Can we say, " I will go with this
into eternity ; " I believe it from my heart ; it is a
treasure to my own soul ; I stand upon this rock ;
I hear His voice in the Son, and therefore I can
eo to Him with child-like confidence? Let me

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 115

sum up, and apply the teaching of this chapter in
four questions. Do we worship Jesus ? In this
chapter He is called by divine names, the Son,
Lord, God. Divine works are assigned to Him ;
the creation of the world, the upholding of all
things, the atonement upon the cross, and the
government now from the right hand of the
Majesty. ' Divine attributes are given to Him ;
He is omniscient, He is omnipotent, He is un
changeable, He is eternal. Divine worship is
accorded to Him. God the Father Himself
commands the angels to worship Him. Do you
worship Jesus, Jesus the Son of David, who was
crucified upon the cross ? Have you learnt, like
Thomas, to say unto Him, " My Lord and my
God"?

The second question is this : Do you know
truth ? Do you belong unto the generality,
the majority of this world, who think that one
religion is as good and true as another, one re
ligious opinion not more valuable or certain than
another ? Have you the truth, the one truth ?
Do we know that God, who has spoken in times
past by the prophets, has now spoken unto us
fully, clearly, and finally in His Son ? Jesus saith :
" I am the truth ; " we have received the true,
real, full, perfect, ultimate revelation of the mind
of God in Jesus Christ His Son. Oh, what a
blessed thing it is when, instead of being tossed
to and fro by every wind of doctrine, and instead

1 1 6 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

of depending upon the wisdom and ingenuity of
human reason, we have this rock — God hath
spoken ; in Jesus hath God spoken !

The third question I ask — Are you free from
all your sins ? Are they all forgiven ? Are you
forgiven ? Jesus has purged away our sins by
one sacrifice upon the cross. " The blood of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, cleanseth from all sin."
Of Him all the prophets witness, all the apostles
witness, and the angels witness, and God the
Father, God the Son, and the Holy Ghost wit
ness, that "Whosoever belie veth in Him has,"
that moment, " the perfect absolution, remission,
and forgiveness of all sins," and is pure and spot
less in the sight of God. Do you believe that Jesus
who died on the cross is now at the right hand
of God ? Oh, then, understand also the full
meaning of David's word — " With God is for
giveness of sins, that He may be feared!" As
we were crucified together with Jesus, so, in conse
quence of our justification, Jesus was raised and
we are accepted in the Beloved. We are now
free from sin, and in the presence of God. In
Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of
sins. He hath taken away all our transgressions.

Lastly, Do you know that Jesus, your Saviour,
your Lord, your God, is at the right hand of God,
and that you are the brethren of Jesus and the
children of the Father, and the heirs of the king
dom ? Do you live in the hope that you will

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 117

behold Him, that you will see Jesus as He is, and
that then you will be like Him ? And having
this hope in you, do you purify yourselves even
as He is pure ? Oh, live in the love of God !
Live on the love of God ! Live from the love
of God ! Start with the fulness of God's love in
Jesus Christ ! Never be tempted to go back again
to the terrors or to the method of the law !
Never be tempted to look again to anything else
but the blood of Jesus, which taketh away all sin !
And each time you go to the Lord's table and
commemorate the dying love of Christ, say to
yourself, " Now I am showing to all the world
the death of the Lord ; that He has finished the
work, that salvation is perfect, tint He has offered
a complete, all-sufficient, and full atonement."
Rejoice that Christ is here who was crucified, yea,
rather, who is risen again, and that we who be
lieve are the body of Christ, one with Him for
evermore. Who is he that will condemn or that
will separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus ? He who died for us is none else
than the Son of the Most High !

May the Lord grant unto us " that we may
know Jesus, and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings ; that we may
be made conformable unto His death;" and that
we may attain unto the glory cf the first resur
rection when the heirs of salvation shall be made
manifest with Jesus Himself. Amen.

CHAPTER V.

JF.SUS, THE SON OF MAN, MADE LOWER THAN THE
ANGELS, FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH.

HEB. ii. 5-10.

" I "HE apostle now enters into the holy of holies.
-^ He approaches the great subject of the
epistle — Jesus Christ exalted through sufferings;
by death, even by His own blood, entering as a
great High Priest into the heavenly sanctuary.
He has reminded us already that Jesus as the Son
of God hath by inheritance obtained a more
excellent name than the angels. He now wishes
to show us what humiliation and sufferings He
endured upon earth, and that these did not merely
not interfere with His glory, but are the meri
torious cause of his exaltation.

" Unto whom hath God put in subjection the
world to come of which we speak ?" The world

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 119

to come was a topic of instruction and conver
sation among all God-fearing Jews; and when
they came to believe in Jesus, their attention was
still more directed to the fulfilment of prophecy,
and their affections more deeply interested in
that future of which all the prophets had
testified. Jesus Himself had spoken of the re
generation of the world, when the twelve apostles
should " sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel." The world to come
evidently does not mean heaven, because heaven
is a present kingdom, in which the glory of
God is manifested, and in which the worship of
the angelic and the beatified hosts continually
ascends to the throne of God. It is evident from
Psalm viii., in which the world to come is described,
that it has reference to earth and to the future
dominion of Messiah, the Son of man. The
world to come does not mean the gospel dispen
sation ; for that began with the preaching of Jesus
and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the
day of Pentecost. But this world to come is
something future, to which all the apostles were
looking ; for Peter testifies, " We look for new
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth right
eousness ;" and again, that the heavens must
receive Jesus ''until the times of the restitution
of all things." The world to come, according to
the opinion of the ancient synagogue, means the

I2O The Epistle to the Hebrews.

renovated earth under the reign of the Messiah ;
it means the time predicted in the prophets,
when the kingdom shall be given to the Son of
David, and Israel shall dwell in their own land
in peace and righteousness, and all the heathen
nations shall walk before Him and worship the
God of Jacob; when abundance of food and
raiment shall be for all the poor and needy ; when
oppression shall cease on the earth, and the voice
of cruelty shall no longer be heard ; when even
the outward creation shall manifest the presence
of the peace of God and of the blessing of the
Most High; when from the river even unto the
great sea the King shall reign; when war shall be
learnt no more by the nations ; when the will of
God shall be done upon earth as it is done in
heaven.

This world to come, which is so fully described
in the prophets, must be under subjection, under
the government, and under the rule of some one.
It has not been put in subjection unto the angels ;
but, as the word of God teaches us continually, it
has been put in subjection under the Messiah, the
Son of David, the Son of God. He it is who is
to be the beloved of God, to reign upon earth,
fulfilling the whole counsel of God ; in whom all
the promises given unto the fathers were to be
" yea and Amen."

Now the testimony of one concerning this reign

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 121

upon earth in the world to come is given in Psalm
viii., and in speaking of it the apostle does not
say " David said ;" for, as we have already noticed,
all his quotations in this epistle are given in this
impersonal way, and reference is immediately made
to the source of all Scripture, even the Lord God
Himself. Although it is very instructive for us
to know what David saw, and what Isaiah thought
and felt, and in what peculiar circumstances they
were placed historically when the predictions were
given to them, yet it is important for us to see the
higher truth, that these men were the medium
and channel of a higher revelation which they
themselves did not fully understand.

The apostle Paul reminds us that these things
happened and were written for our instruction.
The apostle Peter reminds us that the prophets
enquired diligently into the things they were -en
abled to write, and that they described them not
for themselves, but for us, to whom the gospel is
now preached in clear fulness. Scripturejs thus
spirit-breathed and eternal; and it is for us to enter
in faith and reverence, and meditate on the breadth,
and length, and depth, and height of the counsel
of God. How marvellous, when we remember
that David and Isaiah did not understand fully
what through their inspired lips was uttered !
How wonderful when we think of it, that all the
great periods of the church, from the first to the

122 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

second coming of Jesus, were to a very large
extent hidden from them, so that they saw the
first coming in suffering and the second in glory,
as if they were two continuous events, scarcely
separated by any interval, and that they beheld at
Messiah's cor. ing, Israel on the restored earth in
peace and blessedness. And the Gospels, and
Acts of the Apostles, nnd the Revelation, fill up
that great and wonderful interval, during which
Christ gathers from Jews and Gentiles a body for
Himself. And, notwithstanding this great dis
tinction between the prophetic and apostolic
writings, there is such a harmony of truth and of
sentiment, such, a oneness of spirit, such an inter-
penetration of the two portions of Scripture, that,
wherever we go in this grand and spacious temple
of God's word, we see the one central idea and the
one pervading thought; we feel that the Builder is
the Lord of ages, who was, and is, and is to come.
What is it that we see ? The glory of God H imself.
In the_ morning of the world's history, in the early
dawn, all was mysterious, dark, and dim. The
truth was only given in a fragmentary manner,
yet the manifestation of the glory was continually
assuming more distinct features. Glimpses are
given unto us of a wonderful human countenance,
like the son of Abraham, Isaac, suffering in meek
ness ; like Joseph, entering through humiliation
anto glory ; like David, ruling in lowliness, be-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 123

loved, though* persecuted. We behold a heavenly,
divine One, appearing as the Messenger of the
covenant; the Angel, in whom is the Name, the
Rock that followed them in the wilderness ; the
Captain of the host of Israel ; the Son of David ;
until in the gospel of Matthew we see the glory
of God "in the face of Jesus Christ" — the same
countenance and the same character ; all these
various luminous streaks breaking through the
darkness ; all these various and occasional approxi
mative manifestations ; all these beams of light, if
I may so speak, condensing themselves at His
appearing, and showing themselves at last in per
fect distinctness and brightness ; so that what
many prophets and kings desired to see and to
look into is, in God's great condescension, come
unto us. We behold unveiled, what they beheld
afar off.

If such is the unity of Scripture, it is a very
important subject to dwell upon. We can easily
understand the difficulties which outsiders find in
perceiving how thoroughly convinced we are of
the truth of Scripture ; how no shadow ever
crosses our minds about the divine authority of
the word of God ; how the objections and dis
crepancies which science and criticism bring for
ward, and the difficulties in the interpretation of
the word of God do not affect our faith ; how we
have an inward perception and conviction of the

124 The Epistle to the Hebrews,

inspiration by beholding the perfect unity of the
Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation. " One "-
whether David, or Zechariah, or king Solomon —
one in a certain place "testifies." He is a witness
to what God has revealed.

Now, what is the testimony of Psalm viii. ?
Look at the psalm. What does it mean ? David
praises the goodness of God, and the condescen
sion of God to man. The name of God is known
all over the earth ; the glory of God is high above
the heavens. He who has made the heavens, and
the moon, and the stars, condescends to frail and
feeble man, and to the son of man. He is mindful
of him, only placed a little below the angels, but
crowned with glory and honour. He has given
him power over all things in the world, over the
beasts, and over the cattle, and over the fowls of
the air. This psalm is evidently responsive to
the original investiture of man with power when
first created by God. God created him in His
image, and appointed him to be the ruler upon
earth. But does this explain the psalm ? Let us
look candidly, and say if this key is sufficient 10
open it. God's name is not now known over the
whole earth ; and this man, of whom the psalmist
speaks as ruler, is it Adam ? It cannot be Adam,
because he does not speak of man, but the "son of
man." He speaks evidently of the descendants of
Adam. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 125

thou hast perfected praise." Is it fallen man?
True, he is lower than the angels, inasmuch as he
inhabits a mortal body, and is limited and finite in
many ways. But where is his power over crea
tion ? As it says in the epistle to the Hebrews,
" We do not see all things yet put under him."
But the apostle gives to us the key, that the
psalmist speaks of the world to come, and of
Jesus the Son of man ; and when we think that
this psalm is written by the Holy Ghost, and when
we take in connection all the passages referring to
it in the word of God, we shall understand that
this is one of the most comprehensive and far-
reaching predictions that the word of God con
tains.*

God created man to be the ruler of the earth ;
he was to be the representative of God and king
here below. All things were to be subject to

* Luther : " This psalm speaks entirely of the sufferings of Christ,
and the glory which He obtained through suffering, as Heb. ii. 9
clearly testifies." It is quoted as referring to Christ : (i) Matt.
xxi. 16 ; (2) i Cor. xv. 27 ; (3) Eph. i. 20-22 ; (4) Heb. ii. Luther
has beautiful remarks on the spiritual teaching and consolation of
this psalm. On verse 3 hf adduces i Cor.ii. i ; i. 21-23; on verse
6 the glory and honour of Christ. (Isaiah liii., Ixi. ; Psalm xlv.)

The designation " son of man" is given, with the exception of
Ezekiel, to none but Messiah. In Daniel vii. 13 the expression is
Ben-Enosh, which brings before us more vividly that He who was
crucified through weakness is now exalted and glorified. In this
psalm Ben -Adam is more appropriate — " the Adam above," " the
Adam on high, who has dominion over all things," an expression
occurring in the Talmudic writings and the Zohar. Compare also
Rom. v. and i Cor. xv.

126 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

him. This is the very idea of a king, as we find
in the book of Daniel. " Thou, O king, art a
king of kings : for the God of heaven hath given
thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the
beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven
hath he given into thine hand, and hath made
thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of
gold." (ii. 37, 38.) The idea of kingship is that
it is not an authority entrusted to man by man.
It does not come from below. It is a power and
sovereignty given by the supreme Lord of heaven
and earth Himself. And the kingship of Nebu
chadnezzar, as it comes from God direct, so it
involves everything upon earth. Not merely are
all peoples and nations and languages to render
allegiance to him, but the beasts of the field and
the fowls of the air, which move on and over
his territory, are also subject to him. He is
invested with power by God Himself, and over
all things is his dominion. Now this kingship
which Adam lost by his sin is to be given unto
one who is called the "Son of man." Jesus our
Lord evidently referred to this passage also, when
He called Himself the Son of man. It is in this
expression that the passages in Daniel are rooted.
" From henceforth ye shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven." He is called
the Son of man because He is the sum and sub-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 127

stance of the human race, the representative and
restorer of humanity — the man Christ Jesus. He
is the second Adam; in Him there is a new
commencement of humanity given unto us. He
is the Son of man not merely in that He is a
partaker of flesh and blood, and that, born of a
woman and appearing in the likeness of sinful
flesh, He has become one with our race ; but
because it is given to Him to be the head of the
new humanity : He is to be Lord and Ruler, the
King of the earth. This Son of man, made a little
lower than the angels, is to be the King ; and
through Him the knowledge, love, and life of God
shall be brought to the ends of the earth. All
people that on earth do dwell, all people to the
furthest islands of the sea, shall know and worship
the God of Israel. God's name shall be excellent
on the earth while He has exalted His glory
above the heavens; that is, the whole earth shall
see the manifestation of grace in the church which
is to the praise and glory of His name ; the mani
festation of salvation-glory, which is above all
angels and all things belonging to the first
creation.

" Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou
hast perfected praise." This was fulfilled at the
time when the children sang "Hosanna" to the
Lord ; it is a symbol, and it is fulfilled now con
tinually when out of the mouth of babes are

128 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

declared the mysteries the Father reveals to them
(Matt, xi.) ; and it shall be fulfilled when it shall
be found that by the foolishness, and weakness,
and nothingness of believers, God brings to nought
the wisdom of the wise, and the power and glory
of the world.

But this Son of man whom God chose for
Himself was made a little lower than the angels
that He might taste death ; for through this death
was He to enter into the glory and honour with
which the Father decreed to crown Him for His
obedience and humiliation.

Let us consider what it is that the Son of man,
humbling Himself for us, has endured. There
are two expressions used— -to suffer death, and to
taste death. Let us remember that between
Jesus, as He was in Himself, and death there
subsisted no connection. He was conceived by
the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary.
He was without sin, without spot and blemish.
He had never transgressed the law. In Him
Satan could find nothing. Death had no personal
or direct relation to. Him. Do we look upon
death as being the punishment of the transgres
sion of the law ? Christ fulfilled all righteousness.
The Lord Jesus Christ, as far as His humanity
was concerned, was free from the power of death.
No power could kill the Lord Jesus Christ. " No
man taketh my life from me ; but I lay it down of

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 129

myself." The Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of
Life, of His own power and will, laid down His
life. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ in this
respect is different from the death of any human
being ; it was the free, voluntary, spontaneous act
and energy of His will. When the Lord Jesus
Christ died He put forth a great energy. He
willed to die. And so in one sense we may say
that His death was a great manifestation of His
power.

Let us consiuer that the Lord tasted death. A
man may die in a moment, and then he does not
taste death. John the Baptist was beheaded ; it
was in the twinkling of an eye that the severance
took place between body and spirit. Men may
die in a moment of excitement, and, as extremes
meet, almost in unconsciousness, or with calm
ness and intrepidity, with lion- like courage, as
many a warrior ; but that is not tasting death.
The death of our Lord Jesus Christ was a slow
and painful death ; He was " roasted with fire,"
as was prefigured by the Paschal Lamb. But it
was not merely that it lasted a considerable time,
that it was attended with agony of mind as well
as pain of body ; but that He came, as no other
finite creature can come, into contact with .death.
He tasted death ; all that was in death was con
centrated in that cup which the Lord Jesus Christ
emptied on the cross. During His liletime He

130 The Epistte to the Hebrews.

felt a burden, sorrow, grief; He saw the sins and
sorrows of the people ; He had compassion, and
wept. In the garden of Gethsemane He realized
what was the cup which He would have to drink
upon Golgotha. He was in great agony, not in
stead of us, but because He shrank from that im
pending substitution on the accursed tree. There
is no substitution and expiation in the garden —
the anticipation of the substitution was the cause of
His agony ; but on the cross He paid the penalty
for the sins of men in His own death. But what
was it that He tasted in death ? Death is the
curse which sin brings, the penalty of the broken
law, the manifestation of the power of the devil,
the expression of the wrath of God ; and in all
these aspects the Lord Jesus Christ came into
contact with death, and tasted it to the very last.
He tasted it as the consequence of sin, though He
knew no sin in Himself personally; but He, as the
perfect, pure, and spotless Son of God, and Son
of man, had an infinite appreciation of the evil of
sin in its loathsomeness, in its cruelty, in its
apostas) from God, in its contrariety to the will
of the Holy One. He saw the true nature of
sin Godwards and manwards ; upwards to the
throne of holiness, and downwards to the bottom
less abyss ; in its depths, and in its everlasting
consequences, did He perceive it. We do not
see the real consequences of sin, not knowing the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 131

exceeding sinfulness of sin. We find it difficult
to realize that such awful infinite results should
come from it ; but He saw sin in all its mystery,
in all its reality.

Death is the penalty of the transgression of
God's law. He had magnified the law and ful
filled the law all the time that He was upon earth.
In His heart the law was written as upon the
tables in the ark of the covenant. He delighted
in the will of God, not as something external to
Him, but as something that lived within Him, the
music and rhythm of His soul. He saw death as
the result of the transgression of the law, and tiie
curse and punishment of the law. He was made
under the law, and now He was made a curse for
us.

Satan has the power of death. Jesus says,
" This is your hour, and the power of darkness ; "
and it was Satan, the prince and the power of
darkness, whom Jesus vanquished upon the cross.
He came into contact with the prince and the
power of darkness, whose right it was to insist
upon the hand-writing of ordinances, which is
against the transgressors, and who can fix the
sting of death by applying it with the strength
of law. (i Cor. xv. 56.)

And last of all, and most fearful of all, it was
the expression of the wrath of God. The just
displeasure and indignation of God against sin

132 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

makes itself felt in death. Death is being for
saken of God ; it is the expression of the with
drawal of God's favour and strength Death is
to be left without God. The Lord Jesus Christ
came into contact with death as the wrath of
God. He tasted death with full and perfect con
sciousness. Therefore He said, at the end of the
three mysterious hours during which the Sun lost
his light,* " My God, my God, v/hy hast thou
forsaken me?" With fulness of faith He con
tinued clinging to God ; for in all this He ac
knowledged the truth, the righteousness, and the
faithfulness of God, and called Him " my God."
Thus did He taste death. Thus did He who
was life itself come into contact with death ; thus
did He who was holiness itself come into contact
with sin ; and thus His love to God and to man
was sublimated, as it were, to the highest perfec
tion. Thus He satisfied the holiness, justice,
truth, and faithfulness of God ; and thus He took
away the sting of death as the penalty of sin and
the strength of Satan.

Christ was made a curse for us ; He was for
saken of God, and left alone with the power of
darkness. But though He emptied the cup of
wrath, though all the billows and waves of death

* " These were three mysterious hours. The time of this deser
tion corresponds with the 4th verse of Psalm viii., in which the Sun
is not mentioned (Matt, xxvii. 45)."— BENGEL, Gnomon.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 133

went over Him, He continued to live, to trust, to
love, to pray: He gained the victory in the lowest
depth of His agony. His love was stronger than
death, and in His death He brought life to all
those whose sins He bore. He tasted death by
the grace of God. It was the grace of God that
gave Him up unto death. " It pleased the Lord
to bruise Him." The ultimate reason of Christ's
death is the love of God to Jesus and the children
given to Him ; its ultimate purpose, the mani
festation of God to angels and to men. " That
He, by the grace of God, should taste death for
every one." Scripture throughout refers to the
sacrifice of Jesus as the consequence of the love
of God ; and as the manifestation of divine love
' God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
Himself." It is only the enemy, the unbe
liever, who represents the Scripture doctrine to
be that the anger and the wrath of God the
Father had to be appeased by Jesus, in whom
there is greater clemency and mercy than in the
Father. This is a false witness. It is the love
of God that Jesus revealed ; nay, it is God's love
that Jesus died for the guilty. Christ did not die
in order that God might love the world ; but it
was because God loved the world that Jesus died.
Through Christ crucified we behold God as
Father.

But what love would it be if Christ's death

134 • The Epistle to the Hebrews.

was only an example ? What if there had been
no necessity for that unspeakable gilt — for that
stupendous sacrifice ? What if sin could be for
given without the character of God being vindi
cated ? without the manifestation of His justice,
truth, and holiness ? if the law could have been
set aside, and its penalty and condemnation passed
over ? if the favour of God could rest immediately
on the sinner who recognizes the love of God,
and the real obstacles between God and the
transgressor remain as they were, untouched,
unremoved ? And these objective obstacles are
the hatred of God against sin, the wrath of God
against evil — wrath as a necessary and essential
manifestation of love, which is in perfect holiness
and justice — the condemnation of God's law,
which is holy, just, and good, the power of death,
and Satan, the prince of darkness. The subjective
obstacles (in man) are not less real — his hard
ness, hatred against God, and death in trespasses
and sins. If Jesus died only as a martyr and
example, or as manifesting the love of God, who
was willing to receive repentant sinners, we can
not understand the reason of agony and sacrifice
so awful and of miracle so transcendent as the
incarnation. Nor would such a death bring us
nigh unto God. There would still be the in
finite distance between God and the conscience ;
and the mountains of our guilt, the condemnation

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 135

and curse ot the law, and the righteous displea
sure of God, would still separate between Him
and us. Christ would be no mediator ; for He
would, on this supposition, never have entered
into our real position, difficulty, and death. The
lost sheep would still be in the wilderness, and
the Good Shepherd would have only shown His
willingness to rescue it, His compassion, self-
denial, love, but would not actually have found
and saved it. Only when we believe the Scripture
testimony, that He laid down His life for and
instead of us — that He became sin and a curse
in our stead — that His blood was shed as a ran
som for the remission of our sins- — only then do we
see that in Jesus we have che love, favour, and
blessing of God, that in Him we have redemption,
and are brought nigh to the Father.

And notice, He tasted death by the grace of
God for every one. We speak about the pardon
of sins. We are pardoned ; but all our sins have
been punished. God forgives us, but our sins He
never forgives, never pardons, in the sense of
remitting their punishment. All our sins were
laid upon Jesus, every one was punished. "God
condemned sin in the flesh." He executed judg
ment upon all our sins, for every one of us, for all
the children of God. For each of them Jesus
tasted death. Here there is not merely the for
giveness of sin, but there is the actual putting

136 The Epistle to tJie Hebrews.

away of all our sins ; and the apostle explains to
us that this great and marvellous mystery of the
death of Jesus as our Substitute, bearing our sins,
bearing our curse, enduring the penalty of our
sins, and overcoming all our enemies (that is the
law, and Satan, and death), that this is in order
to manifest unto us the fulness of the perfection
of God.

" For it became Him, of whom are all things,
and by whom are all things, to make the Captain of
our salvation perfect through sufferings." What
a marvellous declaration ! " It became Him."
It is in accordance with the divine perfections.
All divine attributes are harmonised here — His
wisdom and His mercy, His justice and His holi
ness, His power and His truth. "It became Him
because of His love, it became His justice, it
became His wisdom that thus it should be. There
was in it no triumph of one attribute over another,
no prodigality which infinite wisdom could re
prove, no facility which infinite holiness could
challenge ; there was a common rejoicing of all
God's attributes in their common and harmonious
exercise." God's attributes (we speak humanly
and with great imperfection) are all simultaneous.
They all move together, because they are all-
perfect and all-glorious. In His mercy He must
be righteous, in His justice merciful ; in His
wisdom there is strength, in His power patience.

The Epistle to tfu Hebrews. 137

Everything that is in God is beautiful and perfect.
"Of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all
things;" and that in which He has concentrated
the revelation of Himself must become Him. The
more we look upon Jesus as our Redeemer, and
contemplate the atonement upon the cross, the
more do our thoughts expand, and the more do
we see the image and glory of the Most High ;
the more do we dread sin, the more do we enter
into the knowledge of God and into fellowship
with Him. Who brings out the perfection of
God but the Lamb slain ? Well then may it be
said, "It became Him to make the Captain of our
salvation perfect through sufferings."

If I may so say, God is never so Godlike as
when He reveals Himself in Jesus crucified for
sins. Oh, how did the Jews shrink from the
mystery of the Crucified One ! How did every
thought in them rebel against the idea of their King
being hanged upon the tree ! How hard is it for
them to believe that the Messiah was the Crucified
One! They turn away from the cross of Jesus,
and rest, in what they believe a spiritual faith, in
the one incomprehensible, invisible, glorious God.
They forget that throughout the Old Testament
times God revealed His glory, and that the pro
mise is the appearing of the glory, the manifes
tation of Jehovah. They do not understand the
n^ystery — God revealed and glorified in the death

138 The Epistle to the Hebrew*.

of His Son. It became Him, in bringing many
sons to glory, to make the Captain of their salva
tion perfect through sufferings. He brings many
children to glory. We use the word glory often
in a superficial and thoughtless way. What is
glory ? What glory do we possess ? Are our
bodies glorious ? Soon they will be in the grave,
the food of worms. Are our minds glorious ?
We may, in a moment, lose the light of reason,
and forget all the information we have acquired,
and be unable to think connectedly. Are our
hearts glorious ? They are polluted with sin. Are
'our souls glorious ? We have no strength or life
in ourselves. Then what is the glory ? What
glory is ours ? What do you expect when you
are laid in the grave ? You remember that Jesus
said to Martha at the grave of Lazarus, when the
signs of corruption were so evident and repulsive,
" Only believe, and thou shalt see the glory of God"
Ah! God's glory. Not the glory of Lazarus. Not
our glory, but His own glory. " We rejoice in
hop^ of the glory of God." Now see how easy
it is to believe that there is no other righteousness
but God's righteousness. A mortal, sinful, and
weak creature, I expect glory, though my body
is laid in the grave, and mind and heart fail me.
The glory I hope for is Christ's — -to be glorified
together with Him. It is divine glory. We rejoice
in hope of the glory of God. What righteousness

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 139

have I ? I have no righteousness but Christ's

o

righteousness. Just as God will give me His
glory, so He hath given me His righteousness;
not the righteousness which is by the works of the
law, the fruit of my own endeavours, not partly
mine, and partly the result of looking to the Lord
Jesus Christ. The sinner is guilty, lost, and im
perfect ; but, clothed in the righteousness which is
from above— God's righteousness — he is perfect,
glorious, beautiful. Then I understand what the
apostle Paul says — "Whom He justified, them
He also glorified." If He has given me Jesus as
my righteousness, then He has also given me
Jesus as my glory. It is His purpose to bring
many children unto glory, and it was necessary
to make the Captain of their salvation perfect
through sufferings. The apostle touches here only
briefly on what forms one of the chief themes of
the epistle to the Hebrews — the connection be
tween Christ's sufferings and glory.

Without entering now on this truth, I conclude
with this remark : Most of us last Lord's-day
commemorated the dying love of Jesus. The
Lord's Supper is the connecting link between
the first and second coming of Christ. Looking
back we see the finished work of Jesus, the sacri
fice which He has made ; by which one sacrifice,
once for all, He hath perfected for ever them
that are sanctified. By faith we are sanctified,

K

140 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

separated unto God ; our sins are f rgiven, our
righteousness is divine, we are complete in Christ.
Looking forward, we expect the world to come ;
we show the death of the Lord till He come.
That same Jesus whom now, in His personal
absence, though we see Him not, we love and
trust, in whom we rejoice, and who is specially
with us while we commemorate His dying love,
shall return to take the kingdom and the power.
Now during the interval we live by and on what
Jesus has done for us when He died upon the
cross. We are always celebrating the Lord's
Supper. And this is His wondrous love, that
day by day He gives us His body to eat, which
is meat indeed, and His blood, which is drink
indeed. This is outwardly expressed at the
Lord's table. The daily, hourly, secret but most
real life of the Christian, which is nothing else
but eating Christ and living by Him, even by
Him who gave His body and shed His blood for
us ; this is manifested to ourselves, the Church,
and the world, by the ordinance of the Lord's
Supper, in which the union between Christ and
the believer is renewed, confirmed, and sealed.
The spiritual Lord's Supper is for every day
and all the day ; for this is our life, to feed on
Jesus, who died for us. This is the glorious
consequence of His death — " I am He that liveth,
and was dead; and, behold, I am alve for ever-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 141

more." And this is, if I may so speak, His
blessed occupation now — to feed and strengthen
the children until He shall come again in glory.
He continually renews and imparts to us that love
which died for us upon the cross.

Oh that we may know what it is to be justified
and what it is to be glorified ! that we may be
clothed with God's righteousness now, and that
we may be glorified together with Christ at His
coming ! Let us take the cup of salvation, be
hold Christ crucified, but now exalted, our right
eousness and glory. Amen.

CHAPTER VI.

JESUS, IN ALL THINGS LIKE UNTO HIS BRETHREN, -

THROUGH SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OUR

HIGH PRIEST.

HEB. ii. 11-18.

JESUS CHRIST as the Son of God, and
J according to that glory into which in His
humanity He has entered through His sufferings
and death, is high above the angels. It was ne
cessary for Him to pass through sufferings and
through death ; it was in accordance with the
divine plan, and in harmony with all the divine
attributes and perfections. Through His sufferings
and death He glorified the Father. He put away
sin ; He abolished death ; He destroyed the power
of the devil ; and for Himself, and for all those
who are His, He has obtained that high position
in which, as the 8th Psalm testifies, all things are
put under His feet; and not merely this, but He
Himself has become a merciful and faithful High

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 143

Priest, able to succour us who are tempted, and
to sympathise with us in all our sorrow and in all
our trial.

Now, the first truth which is brought before us
in the verses which we have read is, that Jesus,
who is not ashamed to call Himself brother, and
us His brethren, is one with us. We who are
sanctified by Him, and He who sanctifies, are of
one. Christ is He who sanctifies. The source
and power of sanctification are in Jesus the Son
of God, our Saviour, We who were to be brought-
into glory were far from God, in a state of con
demnation and death. What can be more different
than our natural condition and the glory of God
which we are awaiting ? Condemned on account
of our transgression of the law, we lived in sin,
alienated from God, and without His presence
of light and love. We were dead ; and by dead
I do not mean that modern fancy which ex
plains death to mean cessation of existence, but
that continuous, active, self-developing state of
misery and corruption into which the sinner has
fallen by his disobedience. Dead in trespasses
and sins, wherein we walked ; dead while living in
pleasing self. (Eph. ii. 1,2; i Tim. v. 6.) What
can be more opposed to glory than the state in
which we are by nature ? And if we are to be
brought into glory, it is evident we must be
brought into holiness ; we must be delivered and

144 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

separated from guilt, pollution, and death, and
brought into the presence of God — in which is
favour, light, and life — that His life may descend
into our souls, and that we may become partakers
of the divine nature.

Christ is our sanctification. " By one offering
He hath perfected for ever them that are sancti
fied." By the offering up of His body as the
sacrifice for sin He has sanctified all that put their
trust in Him. To sanctify is to separate unto
God ; to separate for a holy use. We which
were far off are brought nigh by the blood of
Christ. And although our election is of God the
Father (who is thus the author of our sanctifica-
tion, Jude i.), and the cleansing and purification
of the heart is generally attributed to the Holy
Ghost (Titus iii. 4, 5); yet as it is in Christ
that we were chosen, and from Christ that we
receive the Spirit, and as it is by the constant
application of Christ's work and the constant
communication of His life that we live and grow,
Christ is our sanctification.

We are sanctified through faith that is in Him.
(Acts xxvi. 1 8.) By His offering of Himself He
has brought us into the presence of God. By the
Word, by God's truth, by the indwelling Spirit,
He continually sanctifies His believers. He gave
Himself for the Church, "that He might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 145

Word." (Eph. v. 26.) " Sanctify them through thy
truth." (John xvii. 17 ; xv. 3.) Through sanctinca-
tion of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ, (i Peter i. 2.)

Christ Himself is the foundation, source, method,
and channel of our sanctification. We are ex
horted to put off the old man and to put on the
new man day by day, to mortify our members
which are upon earth. But in what other way or
method can we obey the apostolic exhortations,
but by our continually beholding Christ's perfect
sacrifice for sin as our sufficient atonement ? In
what other way are we sanctified day by day, but
by taking hold of the salvation which is by Him,
"the Lamb that was slain"? Jesus is He that
sanctifieth. The Holy Ghost, the Comforter, is
sent by Christ to glorify Him, and to reveal and
appropriate to us His salvation. We are con
formed to the image of Christ by the Spirit as
coming from Christ in His glorified humanity.

" He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified
are all of one ;" namely, of God the Father. And
here we are reminded of the teaching of Scripture,
that all things are of the Father, and to His glory.
Christ is the vine, we are the branches ; but the
Father is the husbandman. Christ is the bride
groom, and we are the church, the bride ; but it is
the Father who is the King, which made a mar
riage for His Son. Christ is the head, we are the

146 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

members ; but as we are Christ's, so Christ is God's.
" The head of Christ is God." (i Cor. xi. 3.) " He
that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of
one." Christ is of the Father ; we are of the Father.
As the Lord Jesus Christ Himself says, " Thine
they were, and thou gavest them me ; " and as in
the epistles of John, we are taught that we are of
God, and the seed of God abideth in us. What a
wonderful brotherhood is this, rooted in the mys
terious election of eternal love ! Christ, the only
begotten of the Father, and we who by nature
are children of wrath and disobedience, are eter
nally and indissolubly united with Him. Therefore
He is not ashamed to call us brethren. As it is
said also in the 22nd Psalm, in which the sufferings
of Jesus upon the cross and His exaltation are
described : " I will declare thy name unto my
brethren : in the midst of the church will I sing
praise unto thee." Notice how literally that was
fulfilled; for it was immediately after His resur
rection, and in reference to this Psalm, that Jesus
said, " Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I
ascend unto my Father, and your Father ; and to
my God, and your God." The risen Saviour, as
the first-born among many brethren, hastens to
declare the name Father unto His disciples, and
to assure them, that He who sanctifieth and they
who are sanctified are both of one.

Christians, if Jesus is our brother ; if Jesus and

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 147

we are both of one ; it Jesus says, " I will sing
thy praise in the midst of the congregation ; " if
He is the leader of our prayers and praises before
the throne of God, then we may approach the
Father without fear and without doubt ! Christ s
peace is our peace, and our worship is the worship
of perfect acceptance, of perfect trust and love in
union with the Head of the Church, Jesus crowned
with glory after His sufferings. Thus do we praise
and pray in the name of Christ ; thus does Christ
Himself praise and pray in the midst of the con
gregation. Where is doubt now ? For is Jesus
in doubt of His acceptance with the Father ?
Is not His atonement upon Golgotha most glo
rious in the sight of God ? It is Jesus who is our
representative and spokesman. As on that night
on which He was betrayed He sang the hallelujah
with His disciples, so now He presents to the
Father our sacrifice of thanksgiving, our adoration,
our petitions, and the Father hears the voice of
Jesus in the voice of the church.

The apostle illustrates the relationship which
subsists between the Lord Jesus and His people
by another typical prediction. The prophet Isaiah
is not merely an eminent evangelist of the Old
Testament, but his position in the important
crisis of Jewish history is typical. The judgment
which was then threatening Israel, the judicial
blindness and hardness of heart which fell upon

148 The Epistle to the Hebrews,

the great majority of the nation, was a type of
that culminating sin and obstinate rejection of
Jehovah which is described in touching and solemn
words in Matthew xiii. 13-15, John xii. 37-41,
and Acts xxviii. 25-27. But Jehovah promises
protection and grace to those who trust in Him.
The prophet by faith has his refuge in God, and
looks with confidence to the future. He and the
children whom God has given unto him are types
of the Redeemer and His people. The children
of the prophet are signs and wonders. The ap
plication of this typical prediction by the apostle
to Christ and His people is bold, but beautiful,
and in harmony with the whole spirit and scope
of the prophecy.

The Lord Jesus all the time He was on earth
exercised faith in the living Father. Even His
enemies bore witness at the crucifixion, " He
trusted in God." All His lifetime He was one of
those peculiar people who, instead of being guided
by what is called " common sense," instead of
being influenced by public opinion, prudence, and
the power of the world, was always beholding Him
who is invisible ; was always walking with God,
and doing His will. "I am not alone, because
the Father is with me." He was continually
leaning upon the Father. Thus we understand
these two quotations : " I will trust in Him," and
" Behold I and the children whom thou hast given

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 149

me." Christ is represented as Brother and as
the everlasting Father. The promise was giver,
to the Messiah : — " He shall see His seed.
Who shall declare His generat'on ?" Christ who
sanctifies and we who are sanctified are both of
one — the Lord Jesus, who is not ashamed to cal)
us brethren, who hastened to declare to us the
Father's name after His resurrection, who during
His lifetime exercised to the fullest extent faith
in God, at the last shall acknowledge us as the
children given to Him of the Father. Brotherhood
is row the relationship subsisting between Him
and us, a relationship which can never be altered.
We may lose friendship ; but brotherhood is fixed
and unchangeable. Thus our Lord Jesus and we
are rooted and united in God the Father.'

Christ is the Elect of God, and we. are chosen
of the Father in Christ Jesus. In Him we are
predestinated unto the adoption of children. Of
God are we in Christ ; and of God Christ is made
unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifica-
tion, and redemption. God the Father gave us
to Jesus, even as the Father gave Jesus to us.
And because Jesus and the Father are one, the
union between the Lord Jesus, given unto us by
the Father and the children, given unto Jesus by
the Father, can never be broken.

The Son of God being appointed to be the
Captain of our salvation, it was necessary that

150 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

He should become partaker of flesh and blood.
"Inasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh
and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of
the same." What is the meaning of " flesh and
blood" ? The human race, in its creature de
pendence and weakness, is described in Scripture
by " flesh." " O Thou that hearest prayer, unto
Thee shall all flesh come." Christ said in His
prayer, " As Thou hast given Him power over all
flesh." " Flesh and blood" describe us in our
present earthly condition. " Flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God." A change
must take place to fit us for the heavenly region.
The flesh and blood which the Lord Jesus Christ
took shows that He became truly and really man.
" The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us." This seems a wonderful contrast. The Word,
eternal, all-perfect, all-glorious, the Son of the
Most High, who was with God from the begin
ning, and was God, He became flesh, He was
born of the Virgin Mary. "The ilesh" shows the
weakness of which the Lord Jesus Christ became
partaker. It is written that He was crucified
through weakness ; that He came in the likeness
of sinful flesh. When people saw Him, they did
not notice in His outward appearance anything
superhuman, glorious, free from earthly weakness
and dependence. He did not come in splendour
and power. He did not come in the brightness

77ie E pis fie to t/ie Hebrews. 1 5 1

and strength which Adam possessed before he
fell. " In all things He became like unto us." In
everything; in His body, for He was hungry and
thirsty; overcome with fatigue, He slept. In His
mind, for it developed. He had to be taught ;
He grew in wisdom concerning the things around
Him ; He increased, not merely in stature, but in
mental and moral strength. In His affections,
He loved. He loved the young man who came
unto Him, and was not willing to give up his
riches. He loved Lazarus, Mary, and Martha—
the disciple who leaned on His bosom. He was as
tonished ; He marvelled at men's unbelief, and said
to the Syro-Phcenician woman, "O woman, great
is thy faith." Sometimes He was glad, and "re
joiced in spirit ;" sometimes angry and indignant,
as when He saw the hypocrisy of the Jews, who
accused Him of having broken the Sabbath. Zeal,
like fire, burned within .Him: "The zeal for the
house of God consumed me ;" and He showed a
vehement fervour in protecting the sanctity of
God's temple. He was grieved ; He trembled with
emotion ; his soul was straitened in Him. Some
times He was overcome by the waves of feelings
when He beheld the future that was before Him.
In all things He was made like unto us. Do not
think of Him as merely appearing a man, or as
being a man only in His body, but as man in body,
soul, and spirit. He exercised faith ; He read the

152 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Scriptures for His own guidance and encourage
ment ; He prayed the whole night, especially
when He had some great and important work to
do, as before setting apart the apostles. He
sighed when he saw the man who was dumb ;
tears fell from His eyes when at the tomb of
Lazarus He saw the power of death and of Satan.
He wept over Jerusalem, as He foresaw the fear
ful results of their grievous sin. His supplications
were with strong crying and tears ; His sou! was
exceedingly sorrowful ; He was sorely pressed,
and He agonized in Gethsemane.

o

"He suffered being tempted." The temptation
was a reality to Him. He felt most keenly and
painfully the weight and the pressure of the test.
His soul was full of love to Israel, and eager to
gather children of Jerusalem. The broad road,
easy and attractive to the flesh, would have led
to immediate recognition and reception by Israel ;
the way of humility and obedience, of faith and
suffering, was narrow to Jesus also. He felt
hunger, reproach, hatred ; Satan was permitted to
test Christ's most sensitive heart, with the most
penetrating and painful trial.

When His sweat was as it were great drops of
blood falling down to the ground, His soul was
shrinking from the awful cup of Golgotha; and to
strengthen Him in this most real, and to us un
fathomable, conflict, an angel from heaven appeared

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 153

unto Him. The world also was a temptation to
Him. The spirit of the world was enmity against
Him, and came into collision with Him every
moment. His own brothers said, "Why do you
not go up to the feast and shew yourself?" His
own disciples said, " Far be it from thee to
suffer, Lord." But He saw Satan in all this ; and
said, " Get thee behind me, Satan." Not for a
single moment did He yield — erect He stood.
But, nevertheless, and by this very perfection
of His victory, He felt every moment all the
burden of the weight. If He had given in, that
very moment the pressure would have been re
lieved. Because He remained without sin, He
suffered being tempted. Jesus, as Messiah, felt
the sorrow of love rejected, of instruction refused,
by the people to whom He came in mercy infi
nite ; He felt keenly the pain of being called a
blasphemer in His own beloved city. As the
prophet describes it, He mourned and wept before
God, that He had spent His strength and labour
in vain. He felt that Satan could give unto Him
the allegiance of the nations, if He would only
yield to him on one point. The narrowness of
the path He chose was a reality to Him. "He
suffered being tempted;" and His suffering was
again a temptation to Him. " This," He said, "is
your hour, and the power of darkness." In the
garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross, He saw

154 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

in His sufferings the power of Satan's temptation
He felt the fearful strength of the adversary, en
deavouring to make Him swerve from His loyalty
to God. " He that sanctifieth, and they that are
sanctified, are one." Mysterious brotherhood !
" He became in all things like unto His brethren."
" He suffered being tempted," and was tempted
in all His sufferings.

Now we advance a step further. By death He
took away the power of him who has the power
of death, that is, Satp.n. We considered the ex
pression, Christ tasted death, — that He did not
merely die, as it were, in a moment of enthusiasm,
as many a warrior has lost his life courageously.
But, laying down His life, He came into contact
with the whole sting of death ; measured its length
and breath and intensity, the power of Satan, the
wrath of God, the condemnation of the law. How
clear it is from this passage what Jesus Christ
suffered in death !

But which death did He die ? That death of
which the devil has the power. Satan wielded
that death. He it was who had a just claim
agai sr us that we should die. There is justice
in the claim of Satan. ::: He stands upon the

* It is quite true that Satan is only a usurper ; but in saving
men God deals in perfect righteousness, justice, and truth. Ac
cording to the Jewish tradition the fallen angels often accuse men,
and complain before God that sinful men obtain mercy. Our
redemption is in harmony with the principles of righteousness and

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 155

justice of God ; upon the inflexibility of the law ;
upon the true nature of our sin. But when
Christ died our very death, when He was made
sin and a curse for us, then all the power of
Satan was gone. It was of the grace of God
that He tasted death for every one. This is often
set before us in Scripture, lest we should imagine
that the Lord Jesus loved us more than the Father
loves us, or that the Father did not love Him with
the most intense love at the very moment He hid
His face from Him as our Substitute. In the
expiatory death of Jesus all the attributes of God
are in sweetest harmony ; but grace shines bright
est through all. " By the grace of God He tasted
death."

And now what can Satan say? The justice,
majesty, and perfection of the law are vindicated,
more than if all the human race were lost for
ever. In the sufferings of Christ there was not
merely punishment endured, but there was faith
and love ; the highest and deepest obedience ; the
law was magnified. There was a burnt-offering
in this sin-offering. The penalty due to the

equity, on which God has founded all things. The prince of the
world is judged; he is conquered not merely by power, but by the
power of justice and truth. That Messiah is to vanquish the angel
of death was held by the Jews, according to Isaiah xv. 8 : " When
Satan saw Messiah he was afraid, and fell upon his face and said,
He is the Messiah, who shall cast me and all nations into hell ;
as it is written, The Lord will swallow up death for ever."

L

156 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

broken law Jesus endured, and now, as the lav/
is vindicated, sin put away, death swallowed
up, Christ has destroyed the devil. In connection
with this word, I must refer to the extraordinary
delusion of supposing that "destroy" means to
annihilate. Christ did not annihilate the devil ;
Satan still exists, and will exist for ever and
ever. But the Lord has taken his power from
him : He " bruised his head." Satan, we are
taught here, has th2 power of death, even as Satan
introduced sin into the world. While we are
without Christ we are under the power of dark
ness (Col. i. 13) ; we walk according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience. (Eph.
ii. 3.) But when we come to believe, by Jesus
we are delivered from the power of Satan, and
brought into the liberty of the children of God.
(Acts xxvi. 1 8.) Only through the death of our
Lord esus Christ upon the cross can men be de
livered from Satan. As we are delivered from
the dominion of Satan, who has the power of
death, we are also delivered from the fear of
de'ith. And this is to some extent the special
privilege of believers living in the new cove
nant. Now, being delivered out of the hand of
our enemies, we may serve God without fear.
The children of God in the old dispensation had
faith in God and the Messiah, and lived in the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 157

hope of everlasting blessedness. They enjoyed the
peace of God, yet it was natural they should be
afraid of the darkness and gloom of the grave ;
and many passages in the Psalms and prophets,
referring to the realm of death before the advent
of Messiah, appear sad and mournful. This is
natural ; but when Messiah comes, they expected
God would put all things under Him : joy will
come in the morning, and Israel will then see the
salvation of God. But the intermediate period
was to them a time of great darkness. But how
different is it now that the true light shineth.
Jesus has abolished death. He has the keys of
death and of hades. In His resurrection we have
obtained the victory. The Christian can look
death in the face, and say, "O death," and ask the
question : " Where is thy sting ? " We know that
to depart and to be with Christ, to die, is gain.
Absent from the body, present with the Lord.
"Are you afraid of death?" said a friend to a
German pastor. " Which death do you mean ? "
replied the dying man. " Jesus my Saviour saith,
1 He that belie veth in me hath eternal life. He
that believeth in me shall not see death.' Why
should I be afraid of what I shall not even see?
The real death is past. Outward death, separa
tion of body and soul, we have to endure, and God
gives us grace and strength in this last trial ; but
the sting of death has been taken away."

158 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

The apostle now states the result and fruit of
the Lord's condescension and work. The Son of
God became man ; He took hold of the seed of
Abraham ; He became in all things like unto us,
He was tempted, He suffered, He died, He saved
us; and now, by virtue of His incarnation, obedi
ence, sufferings — through all the experiences of
His earthly life, and perfected in His death — -He
has become "a merciful and faithful High Priest
in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people." In no book of the
New Testament is our Saviour called the High
Priest, except in the epistle to the Hebrews ; not
even in the book of Revelation, where the
heavenly sanctuary and its worship are disclosed
to us. How precious is this epistle to us in
revealing the whole rich cluster of truths and
consolations which gather round this central word,
High Pries c.

In the iioth Psalm it is said, "Thou art a
priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek ;"
and in the prophet Zechariah, Messiah, the Branch;
that is, Jehovah's servant, who shall build the
temple, is called a priest upon the throne. But
the full exposition of the fulfilment of Levitical
type, and of the eternal Melchizedek priesthood
of the Lord Jesus, we possess only in this pro
found and precious portion of Scripture.

Believe then that Jesus, by His experience, by

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 159

His sufferings, and above all by His death, has
become a merciful and faithful High Priest. We
are now on earth, in the flesh, sin around, and
alas, within us. How can the Holy God look on
us, and grant us blessings ? How can there be
communion between heaven and earth ? Jesus is
ascended, and having put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself, presents us to the Father ; and we are
holy and unblameable before Him ; and Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost are able to send down the
fulness of blessings, of grace and strength ; to
have communion with us, notwithstanding all our
sin and defilement. Christ is a merciful High
Priest ; not merely full of pity, compassion, and
grace, but full of sympathy. He knows what is
in man, He understands fully all our sorrows, and
is able to measure the strength of all our tempta
tions. He is most lovingly and earnestly anxious
that we should always obtain the victory and suffer
no injury ; for having gone through all the conflict
Himself, without a single moment's wavering or
surrender, He wishes us to be found continually
in Him, and to conquer continually. He is faithful
in bringing down to us all the gifts of God ; all
the counsel, will, and blessings of the Most High ;
faithful in taking up to God all our need and trial ;
all our petitions, fears, and tears ; all our suffer
ings and all our works. What deep and infinite
sympathy is in Jesus ! And how much we should

160 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

dwell upon it, and strengthen ourselves in the
Lord. For He wishes to succour us ; to take us by
the hand when we are sad, weary, and exhausted ;
to help and encourage us ; to cheer and gladden
us who are still in manifold temptations and suffer
ings. He is Immanuel, God with us, as the Man
Christ Jesus. We are comforted and upheld when
we remember the humanity of Jesus now enthroned
in glory, even as He in His dealings with us re
members what He endured upon earth. And thus
we can say to Him, " O Thou, who art not ashamed
to call us brethren, who Thyself didst suffer in
being tempted, fulfil in us the good pleasure of
Thy will, that in nothing we may yield to the
adversary ; however heavy our trials, however
overwhelming our afflictions, and however painful
our experiences in a world of sin and unbelief, O
do Thou grant of Thine infinite faithfulness that
through it all we may be kept looking unto Thee
and following Thee, that we may always have
peace and joy in Thee, and never waver in our
childlike confidence in the Father ! "

Nowt dear friends, what else can I say in con
clusion but what the apostle says, "Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, Christ Jesus." Think of Him; gaze
stedfastly on the Lord Jesus. Consider; ponder.
Let your mind be filled with Christ. Make not

The Epistfe to the Hebrews. 161

your sanctification the object of your contempla
tion, the theme of your meditation. What is it ?
Do you wish to ornament yourselves, and to come
before God beautiful, or as a sinner ? Do you
wish to say from time to time, I have made great
progress ; I have advanced many steps in my
heavenward journey ; I have got into the higher
Christian life, as people call it ? Do you wish
to come before God beautified ? or do you wish
to humble yourself, and ascribe glory unto the
Lamb that was slain ? . . . Where do we see
Christ ? Are we beholding the image of Christ
reflected in our own hearts, in our own disposi
tions, states, and phases of faith ? Then it will be
reflected in troubled and muddy waters ; and
unstable and uncertain shall be the features which
meet our eye there. Or shall we behold Jesus in
the glory of His excellence, in the perfection of
His holiness, in the beauty with which God has
adorned Him ? Are we not to look off unto Him in
heaven, and to know that we are seated together
in heavenly places, and complete in Him ? Shall
we say, "Oh, if I was only more holy, less selfish,
more patient! if I could only see more of Jesus
reflected in me!" Or shall we say, "Oh, if I
could always behold the Man who died upon the
cross! if I could always see Jesus, the Lamb of
God that was slain ! if I could always remember
that I am bought with a price ; and that He was

1 62 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

wounded for my transgressions, and bruised for
my iniquities !" *

I will ask you still further, Why do you wish
to be holy ? Is it to depend more on Christ, or
to be less dependent on Christ ? To think more
of the sacrifice which Jesus made upon the cross,
and to know and feel—

" Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling !"

Have you not detected it in yourself, that
sometimes, when you have given way to tempta
tion, fallen into sin you wished to avoid — when
you have in the performance of duty stumbled
over the same difficulty as before, that a feeling
of distrust, disappointment, and despondency
comes over you, a feeling of wounded pride,
and vanity, of impatience and irritation, and you
say, " I am not making progress ; it is really too
bad ; I am always falling into the same low state ?"
And then the lowest depth of self-abasement and
humiliation is to go to God and to find no change
in Him; the same Fatherly love, the same High
Priestly compassion and grace, the same Com
forter patient and gentle, and you discover, that
in your best moments as well as in your worst,
you depend exclusively and entirely on the grace

* Gossner, in Berlin, wrote a beautiful tract : Mir isfs, als otfs
Charfreitag tvdr — I feel as if it was Good Friday ; in which he
shows that the one thing we ought to desire and aim at is, to
behold constantly Christ crucified for us.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 163

of God, which saves the chief of sinners. In fact,
you have only stood by grace through the blood
shed for vile sinners. How much we need to
avoid the snare of cultivating vanity and self-
seeking even in our sanctification ! How apt we
are to make a Saviour of self! I am anxious and
troubled about the unscriptural view of the Chris
tian life, of which we hear. Look at it. What
was it in the Church of Rome that for so many
centuries made the cross of Christ of none effect ?
They did not wish to ignore or reject Christ's
salvation, and to make Christ of none effect. . Do
not imagine that grievous errors and heresies
began as it were in a bad and wicked purpose.
How was it for centuries in the Church of Rome ?
Christ was put in the background, and the Re
formers had to dig very deep, and put away a
great amount of rubbish that had accumulated—
the gold and silver and precious stones lay buried
among wood and hay and stubble— till at last
they found that Christ in whom alone we must
rejoice. Look at the theology of such a book
as, for instance, Thomas a Kempis, in which
there is much that is excellent, but which suffers
from the radical error of not distinguishing Christ
for us, and Christ in us. These good men began
to be exclusively thinking of Christ in them.
All their attention was centred in that aspect of
truth. They said, " It is true, Christ died for us ;

164 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

but now we must go higher ; and according as wt
realize Christ in us, we rest and have peace." It
was by this well-meant praising of Christ in us
that they forgot Christ for us. They saw that
a hypocritical and superficial trust in the merits
of Christ was a dead thing, which brought torth
no fruit, which gained no victory over sin and the
world. They therefore were anxious to see life
and power. But they did not perceive clearly
that our only power, peace, and life are in Christ,
who died for us, and in whom we have perfection.
By looking to their love to Jesus, to their imi
tation of His perfect example, to their resemblance
to His holy image, they never could have true,
perfect peace.

As a Christian never loses comfort but by
breaking the order and method of the gospel,
looking on his own and looking off Christ's per
fect righteousness, so he that sets up his sanctifi-
cation to look at, sets up the greatest idol, which
will ultimately strengthen his fears and doubts,
though at first it may soothe his feelings and
please his imagination.

The young Christian is especially apt to fall
into error. After his first zeal and love, after the
spring and dawn of his spiritual life, when he is
full of praise and strength, when prayer is fervent,
when joy and praise abound, when love to the
Saviour is ardent, when work for Christ seems

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 165

refreshment, there generally succeeds a period of
languor and of darkness, when he is led into the
experience, painful but salutary, that even after his
renewal, the old man, the flesh, is enmity against
the Spirit, and that our all-sufficiency is of God.
Now it is for him to enter more deeply into the
valley of humiliation, to see more clearly the need
and the preciousness of the blood of Christ, to
ascribe more cordially and with greater contrition
all glory to the God of salvation. He is, however,
tempted to ciioose the path of what appears pro
gress, victory, strength, and beauty ; whereas
God's saints say — Christ must increase ; I must
decrease. Christ is comely ; I am black. Christ is
strength ; I am weakness. In Christ is all good ;
in me, that is, in my flesh, there is nothing good.
The saints of God find, that instead of progress
ing from one degree of perfection to another, they
discover in themselves daily more that sin which
is exceeding sinful ; they behold themselves vile,
and cling with all intensity of faith to Jesus, who
saith unto them, " My grace is sufficient for thee."
They are saved by grace ; they know Christ only
as their righteousness and perfection ; and even
at the end of their earthly journey, of their
labours and sufferings, they grasp " the faithful
saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, of whom I
am chief."

1 66 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Rest in the Lord, and in Him alone. Consider
the Apostle and great High Priest, Christ Jesus.
Place your confidence and have your joy only in
the Lamb slain. Call Jehovah, Jehovah-Tsidkenu.
Day by day you are a burden to Jesus, and His
grace alone upholds you, while you stand only in
His perfection. You would not have it otherwise.
And while you are looking off unto Him, you will
run with patience the race set before you. You
will fight the good, but real and painful, fight of
faith ; you will crucify daily the old man, who to
our last breath is enmity against God ; you will
have no confidence in the flesh, but rejoice in
Christ Jesus; and your life will be hid with Him
in God. And at last Christ will present His
children unblameable in body, soul, and spirit.
Then shall we be like Him ; then shall we have
no more conflict, and no more sin. Faithful is
He who hath promised, who also will perform it.
Amen.

169

Tesus
v<^'

O

CHAPTER VII.

CHRIST THE LORD, AND MOSES THE SERVANT.
HEB. iii. 1-6.

\ \ 7E commence the second section of the epistle
* * to the Hebrews. It extends from the begin
ning of the third chapter to the fourteenth verse
of the fourth chapter. The contents of this sec
tion may be stated briefly thus : That the Lord
Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant, is
high above Moses, the mediator of the old dispen
sation, inasmuch as Jesus is the Son of God, and
Lord over the house ; whereas Moses is the servant
of God, who was faithful in the house. And upon
this doctrinal statement is based the exhortation,
that we should not harden our hearts lest we fail to
enter into that rest of which the possession of the
promised land was only an imperfect type.

This section consists of two parts — a doctrinal

1 66 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

.&ment, which forms the basis, and an exhorta
tion resting upon it.

The doctrinal statement, contained in the first
six verses of the third chapter, is the subject of
our meditation this morning.

Before the apostle advances in the argument,
and shows the glory of the great High Priest by
contrasting Him with the glory of Moses, the
mediator of the old covenant, he recapitulates in
an exhortation the teaching of the preceding
chapters, and he admonishes the " holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling," to be con-
\ tinually, perseveringly, and earnestly looking unto
"the Apostle and High Priest of their profession,
Christ Jesus." He does not say my brethren,
because in this epistle he keeps himself in the
background ; and when he speaks of them as
" brethren," he evidently refers to the blessed
truth just announced, that Jesus, the Son of God,
is not ashamed to call us brethren. He means
therefore those who by the Spirit of God have
been born again, and who can call God their
Father. He addresses those who of God are in
Christ Jesus, who were quickened together with
Him; for when He rose from the dead He was
"the first-born among many brethren." He calls
them " holy brethren," because upon this fact of
brotherhood is based their sanctification. "He
that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 169

are all of one." Set apart by the blood of Jesus
unto the service and love of God, they are sancti
fied for ever by that one sacrifice which Jesus
offered upon the cross. He reminds them of the
" heavenly calling" which they have received now,
and of which the earthly calling unto Canaan was
only a type ; " heavenly'' because God the Father
and Jesus the exalted High Priest are in heaven,
and because the Holy Spirit who brought the glad
tidings of salvation came down from the heavenly
sanctuary to dwell among men ; " heavenly "
because the end of their calling is, that as the
many children of God they shall be brought unto
glory; "heavenly" because while waiting upon
earth their citizenship is in heaven, and the whole
spirit, character, and aim which characterise them
is not according to this world, but according to
that sanctuary and city where is their hope.

It is therefore for us to "consider" or (as the very
expressive word implies), to look carefully unto
"the Apostle and High Priest of our profession."
This is the only Scripture in which Jesus is called
the apostle, yet, though the word is not used, the
thought is of frequent occurrence. Often Jesus
testified that the Father sent Him, that He came
obedient to the mission and will of His heavenly
Father, that His whole life was only a fulfilment
of the mission entrusted to Him ; and as He was
called in the Old Testament times " the Angel or

170 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Messenger of the Covenant," so it is in accordance
with the whole teaching of Scripture that He is
called here by the name " apostle." * Of Christ
the Head are all energies and ministrations in the
body. If there are bishops, it is because Christ is
the Bishop ; if there are pastors or shepherds, it
is because Christ is " the Shepherd of the flock ;"
if there are evangelists, it is because Christ came
and brought to mankind the glad tidings ; if there
are apostles, it is because He is the Apostle, the
head of all apostolic dignity and work. He is the
Apostle sent by God to us men ; the High Priest,
as representing us before the Father. t Him we
are to consider in faith ; for herein is all our safety:
looking unto Jesus, we have peace and joy; for
this is the joy of our life, that all perfection is
in Christ. And in prayer ; for can we see Him in
His holiness without the petition rising in our
hearts, " O that I might be conformed unto Him!"

* Compare Heb. ii. 3, where Christ is likewise represented as the
Messenger, the Proto-Apostle : dmwT-AXeu' is applied to Christ's
coming in Matt. x. 40, xv. 24; Luke iv. 18 ; John iii. 17, iv. 9, 10.
Christ is the Messenger of the Covenant, Mai. iii. 2 ; Exod. xxiii.
2, 3. The remark already quoted with reference to Heb. ii. 3, 4
(page 15) is applicable to this passage also. The apostle Paul, if,
as we think, he is the writer, sinks his own apostleship, and points
the Hebrews to the One Lord and Head.

t According to Bengel's simple distinction airbo-ToXos, qui Dei
causam apud nos agit ; dpx<.epevs, qui nostram causam apud Deum
agit- But notice also the essential connection between the two
ideas ; He who was sent, KO.T f^o-^v, was sent in order by His sa
crifice to become the High Priest. Lo, I come — (dTnJoroAos) to do
thy will (a-P

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 171

We are to look upon Him as a painter looks
upon a model, with the full intention and desire
of imitating Him. We are to keep constantly in
sight of Him, as our only infallible Guide upon
earth. All this is included in that one word, that
one expression, " consider." Gaze upon, meditate
upon, " the Apostle and High Priest of our pro
fession, Christ Jesus."

Let us look at the word " profession." We are
very apt to undervalue things with which abuse
and danger are connected, and which may be easily
counterfeited. There is such a thing as a mere
outward, erppty, hypocritical profession ; but is
that a reason why we should not attach import
ance to confessing Christ ? Jesus says, " Whoso
ever shall confess me before men, him will I Confess
before my Father, and before the angels. And
whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I
also deny." With the heart we are to believe unto
righteousness, and with the mouth we are to con
fess that Jesus is the Lord. It may be merely an
outward thing, a mere lip-utterance, to say, " I
believe in Jesus;" it may be only a form to sit
down at the Lord's table;" but as the outward
expression of an inward reality, it is a great and
blessed fact. Let us not be secret disciples ; let
us not come to Jesus merely by night, ashamed to
bear testimony to the gospel. Let us not despise
the outward and visible, church, although, alas !

172 The Epistle to the flebrews.

there is much error and sin connected therewith.
Our confession of Christ in the outward church,
in the congregation of professed disciples, in the
ordinances of Christ's institution, let us not under
value it ! Remember with gratitude that you have
publicly professed Christ ; that into the Church of
Christ you have been received by baptism, and
acknowledged at the Lord's Supper as a brother
and partaker of the heavenly calling. Let the
remembrance of this be to us continually helpful,
and stimulate us to adorn the doctrine of the gospel
by a Christ-like life and walk.

The Hebrews are exhorted to look unto the
Apostle and High Priest Jesus, to Him of whose
glory (chap, i.) and of whose sufferings and death
(chap, ii.) they had been reminded; they are to
look unto the Man Christ Jesus, the Son, who
through His self-humiliation on earth became the
merciful and faithful High Priest, having finished
the work which the Father sent Him to do. And
in order to show to the Hebrews the exceeding
great glory of Jesus, who was faithful to Him
who appointed Him* Mediator of the new cove-
nan ", he contrasts the Lord with Moses, the ser
vant of God. t

* Troi-/iffavTi, literally made. But not in the sense of created, but who
appointed, ordained and furnished Him with all that was necessary
to carry out His great mission. "A body hast thou prepared for
me." (Heb. x. 5.) Comp. also Mark iii. 14, original.

t " The servant of Jehovah, the King Messiah, will be greater

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 173

To speak of Moses to the Jews was always a
very difficult and delicate matter. It is hardly
possible for Gentiles to understand or realize the
veneration and affection with which the Jews
regard Moses, the servant of God. All their re
ligious life, all their thoughts about God, all their
practices and observances, all their hopes of the
future, everything connected with God, is with
them also connected with Moses. Moses was the
great apostle unto them, the man sent unto them
of God, the mediator of the old covenant ; and
we cannot wonder at this profound, reverential
affection which they feel for Moses. You read in
the gospels and in the book of the Acts with
what joy and pride they said, "We are the dis
ciples of Moses." It was their glory and boast;
and we cannot wonder at this when we think of
Moses, of his marvellous history, of his grand
character, of the unique position assigned to him
in the history of God's people, and the wonderful
work given him to perform.

Think of the history of Moses. It was won
derful from the very commencement. Sheltered
in his tender infancy from the cruelty of Pharaoh,
courageously tended by his God-trusting parents,
watched over by the angels and rescued from the
persecution of his enemies, he was brought up at

than Abraham, more exalted than Moses, higher than all the angels
of ministry." — Ancient Synagogue's Comment on ha. Hi. 13.

1 74 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the very court of Pharaoh. Trained and educated
by the Egyptian sages, he became learned in all
the wisdom of the most advanced nation of the
age. When he was a young man he was the only
free man of his people; and of his own voluntary
choice, by faith, he esteemed the reproach of Israel
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. And
afterwards, when his fiery zeal, not yet chastened
by the grace of God, brought him into conflict
with Pharaoh, he was led into quiet and obscurity
for forty years, that, leading a shepherd's life, he
might learn the wisdom and patience of the saints.
Then, called by the mysterious appearance of God
in the burning bush, he was appointed to be Israel's
deliverer, and endowed by God with power, he
went forth. By faith he led his people out of Egypt,
and through the Red Sea ; and after ruling over
the children of Israel for forty years, after a life
of prayer and self-denial, of unparalleled trial and
suffering, and of heroic patience and strength ; after
forty years of divine manifestations, blessings, and
miracles, see him at last ascending mount Nebo; his
eye was not yet dim, nor his natural force abated.
He beheld the land, and died, and the Lord buried
him, so that no man knoweth of his sepulchre.
No doubt the angels who had watched him in his
cradle on the waves of the Nile were there, ready
to carry him into his place of rest, and with awe
witnessing the conflict between Michael the arch-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 175

angel and the great adversary. (Jude.) What a
marvellous history is the life of Moses ! And
look at his character. There is no man in the
whole history of the Jews to compare with him,
until you come to Him who is Lord of all,
the Lord of glory, and to that chief of apostles,
who was able to say, "Be ye followers of me, as
I am of Christ." How wonderful is his faith in
God ! his zeal for the glory of God, and for the
honour of Jehovah! his importunate prayer and
wrestling with the Most High ! his love for his
nation, which makes him willing to die, and be
blotted out of the book of life, rather than that
Israel should be destroyed ! his never-wearied
patience and meekness! His whole life was a
sacrifice of love and of obedience to the God of
his fathers Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, who
appeared to him in the burning bush ; a life of self-
denial and affection to the people of his choice.

Look at his peculiar position. He was mediator
of the covenant, the ambassador (apostle) and
plenipotentiary (as it were) of God. All God's
dealings with Israel were transacted through him.
He was a prophet, priest, and king in one person,
and united all the great and important functions
which had afterwards to be distributed among a
plurality of persons. As a prophet he was dif
ferent from all other prophets ; for God spake to
him face to face ; and therefore he said, " A pro

1 76 . The Epistle to the Hebrews.

phet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you
of your brethren, like unto me" Jesus in His
prophetic office is foreshadowed by all the pro
phets ; but none of them except Moses could
describe Jesus as a prophet like unto me. Through
Moses the whole of the Levitical dispensation was
instituted. The learned Bengel says — " While
two chapters in Genesis are given to tell us how
the world was created, there are sixteen chapters
to tell us how the tabernacle was to be built. For
the world was made for the sake of the Church ;
and the great object of all creation is to glorify
God in the redemption and sanctification of His
people." It is frequently and emphatically stated
that Moses obeyed God fully, and made all
things as he saw the pattern on the mount. As
a prophet, arid in the priestly spirit of love and
meekness, he ruled over Israel, and showed them
God's mighty wonders.

Look again at the work Moses accomplished,
at the great things which the grace of God per
formed through him. Through him God brought
Israel out of Egypt, and led them through the
Red Sea ; He gave the Ten Commandments
and the whole law by him ; by him the whole
national life of Israel was organized; through him
God laid the foundation of the theocracy, and all
subsequent revelations of God have their root
in the work which was wrought by Moses.

The Epistle to tJie Hebrews. \ 7 7

Even in the future, restored Israel will remem
ber and honour him, and be guided by the law
given through him. God bears witness to His
servant that he was faithful in all God's house.
In every department of this great and complicated
building Moses obeyed the Lord implicitly and
fully ; according to everything that God told him,
he performed it. Faithfulness is what God marks,
loves, and honours ; a perfect, sincere, and con
stant desire to obey the will of God in all that is
entrusted to our care.

But after admitting fully the grandeur and ex
cellence of Moses, the apostle proceeds to show
the still greater glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It must have struck you that in many respects
Moses was a type of Jesus. Both were as infants
threatened by cruel rulers, and both were mar
vellously sheltered by the living God. So in
after life Moses was in some respects like Christ
Moses was the only freeman who espoused the
cause of the nation; and Jesus was the only FYee
and Holy One who could take up the cause of the
leper. But yet, what a difference ! The zeal of
Moses was not free from earth-born elements, and
had to be purified. But there was nothing in
Jesus that was of the earth earthy; no sinful
weakness of the flesh was in Him who conde
scended to come in the likeness ot sinjul flesh.
His love was always pure, His zeal holy, His

178 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

aim single. Moses spake face to face with God,
and was the mediator between God and Israel.
The Lord Jesus is Prophet, Priest, and King in
one person, but He is perfectly and eternally the
true Revealer, Reconciler, Ruler, as the Son of
God. Moses was willing to die for the nation ;
the Lord Jesus actually died, and not for the
nation only, but to gather all the children of God
into one. Moses brought the law on tables of
stone ; the Lord Jesus by His Spirit, even the
Holy Ghosi:, writes the lav/ on our hearts.

But notice the imperfection of Moses as a ser
vant. The one sin of, his life, which is mentioned
as the cause of his not being permitted to enter
the promised land, seems at first sight not to merit
such a severe punishment. Moses was doubtless
guilty of other sins ; but why is this one sin singled
out ? Not merely because he was impatient, but
because he did not sanctity the name oi God
among the people. Whereas God was willing to
show pure mercy, Moses was not able to rise to
the height of this great argument, and showed the
vehemence of his anger and displeasure. How
different was Jesus ! He declared the full, perfect,
and free love of Gocl. He exclaimed on the
cross : " Father, forgive them : for they know
not what they do." And the message He now
sends is nothing but salvation for the lost and
guilty.

Tlie Epistle to the Hebrews. \ 79

The house, the building, means the children of
God, who by faith, as lively stones, are built upon
Christ Jesus the foundation, and who are filled
with the Holy Ghost ; in whom God dwells, as in
His temple, and in whom God is praised and
manifested in glory. The illustration is very
simple and instructive. We are compared unto
stones, and as every simile is defective, we must
add, not dead stones, but lively stones, as the
apostle in his epistle to the Ephesians speaks of
the building growing. The way in which we are
brought unto the Lord Jesus Christ and united
with Him is not by building, but by believing. The
builders rejected the " chief corner stone " (Psalm
cxviii. 22) ; but " coming unto Christ " (i Peter ii.),
simply believing, " ye also, as lively stones, are
built up a spiritual house." When we go about the
works of the law we are trying to build, and as long
as we Liiild we are not built. When we give up
working, then by faith the Holy Ghost adds us to
Christ, and grafts us into the living Vine, who is
also the Foundation. We are rooted and grounded.
The house is one, and all the children of God are
united in the Spirit. Some are strong and are
pillars, others are weak and rest upon those whom
God has appointed to be strong, and to support and
encourage the feeble. "None liveth unto himself;"
and " if one member suffer, all the members suffer
with it." If one grows and rejoices, it is for the

i8o The Epistle to the Hebrews.

good of the whole. The glory of the Lord is
to show itself in the whole church, thus united
by the indwelling Spirit. But not merely does
God dwell in the church as a whole, it is the
peculiarity of everything spiritual that every part
of it is again a whole.* Not only is it true,
that " wheresoever two or three are gathered to
gether" in Christ's name, He is in the midst of
them ; but if a single person loves Him, the Father
will love him, and will come and make His abode
with him. An individual is thus also a temple, a
habitation filled with the Holy Ghost. The Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ dwell in him. Israel
could understand this because it was symbolized
by the temple, and the reality and substance of the
symbol was also promised to them in the days of
the Messiah. For what was the promise of the
new covenant ? " I will dwell in them, and they in
me." What a marvellous idea is here presented
to us ! A Christian is like the tabernacle ; he is
a sanctuary. There is the holy of holies, the holy
place, and the outer court. But in all the glory of
God is to be revealed ; the holiness of God to be
shown forth. His body is the Lord's; the mem
bers of his body are Christ's members. His eyes,
his lips, his feet, all the physical energies which
God has given unto him, are a part of the house
in which the Father and the Lord Jesus, through

* Oetinger.

The Epistle to tkc Hebrews. 181

the Holy Ghost, take up their abode. His reason,
memory, imagination, affections, will, conscience,
all that is in him, behold, it is a house where God
is to dwell. God is to walk in it, to dwell in it,
to rest in it. He is to be not merely a visitor, but
an indwelling guest, " abiding in him." Sometimes
God will convert this wonderful dwelling-place
into His temple, and there will be heard the voice
of prayer and praise. Sometimes He changes it
into a banqueting-hall, and there will be heard the
voice of rejoicing and the melody of thanksgiving,
the assurance of that love which is better than
wine. Sometimes it becomes a battle-field, and
the Lord is a man-of-war, and conquers the
enemies of the worm Jacob, and succours the
saint who is tempted.

How manifold are the mansions in which He
dwells ! As there are many mansions in the Father s
house above, as there are many mansions in His
Church below, so also are there many rooms in
the spiritual house of the individual believer ; in
various manifestations of grace, strength, and love,
does God dwell in us.

You who believe in Jesus are His house, His
own ; for as the Father appointed Him to be
Mediator, as the Father laid the foundation in
Zion, so Jesus the Lord bought you with His
own blood, and sent into your hearts His own
Spirit. We are emphatically Christ's. This is of

1 82 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

God, and by the Spirit ; but Christ dwelleth in us ;
we are His own house.

But the apostle adds — shall I call it a condition ?
shall I call it an encouragement ? Oh, there is
nothing hard in the exhortations of Scripture !—
"If you hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing
of your hope unto the end." I do not look upon
it as a condition in the sense of contingency. If
it were possible that we who have come unto the
Lord Jesus Christ, and who have loved and served
Him, or rather let me say, have experienced His
grace and faithfulness — if it were possible that,
after all, we should forsake Him, and turn away
from the faith, oh, of all things this would be most
fearful and of all prospects this would be the most
wretched ! What is the one thing which the Chris
tian desires ? What is the one great thing which
he does ? What is the one great secret which he
is always endeavouring to find out with greater
clearness, and grasp with firmer intensity ? Is it
not this : " My Beloved is mine, and I am His"?
The inmost desire of our heart and the exhorta
tions of the word coincide. To the end we must
persevere ; and it is therefore with great joy and
alacrity that we receive the solemn exhortations :
" He that endureth unto the end shall be saved ;"
" No man, having put his hand to the plough, and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." We
'desire to hear constantly the voice which saith

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 183

from His heavenly throne, "To him that over-
cometh will I grant to sit with me in my kingdom,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with
my Father in His throne."

And with the exhortation is the word of pro
mise : " Being confident of this very thing, that
He which hath begun a good work in you will
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." " They
that trust in the Lord shall be like mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but standeth fast for ever."
" My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me ; and I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
one pluck them out of my hand. My Father,
which gave them me, is greater than all ; and no
man is able to pluck them out of my Father's
hand. I and my Father are one."

Oh, blessed word and promise of God, that He
will keep us unto the end ! But how is it that we
are kept ? Through faith, through watchfulness,
through self-denial, through prayer and fasting,
through our constantly taking heed unto ourselves
according to His word. " Hold fast," if you desire
it to be manifested in that day that you are not
merely outward professors, not merely fishes exist
ing in the net, but the true and living disciples of
the One Master, " Hold fast the confidence and
rejoicing of your hope firm unto the end." Faith
is the mother of hope ; but how often is the

184 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

mother strengthened and cheered by the daughter !
There is first faith — "By faith are ye saved, not cf
works" — then hope. " For we are saved by hope,"
looking forward to the recompence of the reward.
Do not imagine that hope is in any way inferior
to faith and love. Some seem to think hope is of
nature, a feature of our natural character, an ele
ment in our natural disposition. They would net
be ashamed to say they had little hope, although
they would not like to confess they had little faith
or little love. Why ? Because they take a per
fectly erroneous view of what hope is. It is a gift
and fruit of the Holy Ghost just as much as faith
and love. As hope is an essential feature of the
Christian character, so it is of grace, and not of
nature. The lively hope which God by the Spirit
gives unto us, comes through the resurrection
of Jesus from the dead. It has not its root in
the first creation, and is not strengthened by that
which is of the flesh. The same apostle who
teaches us that we are saved by faith, declares
that we are saved by hope. (Rom. viii. 24.) For
though the grace of our Lord is exceeding abun
dant with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus
(i Tim. i. 14), yet we are still in conflict with sin
and temptation, in a body of death and a world
of evil. We hope for the full and perfect salvation ;
we shall see Christ as He is, and be like Him;
we wait for the redemption of the body, and the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 185

regeneration of the world. Hence hope refers to
the future, even to the coming of the Lord Jesus ;
and yet it possesses already the substance and
earnest of the inheritance. For is not Christ, who
is our hope, ours even now by faith and in love ?
But hope, looking to the glory of Christ and to
the transfiguration of our body, is the very strength,
essence, and impulse of heavenly-mindedness. In
proportion as we hope, we rise above the sins and
vanities of earth. :;

Cherish the hope which in Christ Jesus is given
unto you who believe in the Saviour. Look for
ward to the coming of the Lord, to the joy and
glory which He will bring unto His disciples.
Be not afraid, for He will sustain you during all
your difficulties and trials, and you will surely be
kept unto that day. And be not afraid that the
glory and brightness will overwhelm you ; for
Christ the Lord will be glorified in you, and thus
be your strength, and you shall shine forth as the
sun in the kingdom of your Father. Hold fast
the confidence and the rejoicing of your hope. In
calm and humble assurance, looking only unto
Christ crucified for sinners, you cannot but rejoice
in hope of the glory of God. As you trust in
Jehovah your righteousness, ;o you look forward

* Apostolic teaching on hopu is both copious and unanimous.
Rom. v. 1-5, viii. 15-39, x"- 12> xv- 13; EPn- i- 12-14, 18; Col.
i. 5, 23, 27 ; i Thess. I, 3 ; 2 Thess. ii. 16 ; i Peter i, 3, 9-12 ; I John
iii. i 3. Beside the passages in this epistle, vi. i r, x. 23, xi. i, &c.

1 86 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

to Jehovah your glory. The God of hope (the
source and object of hope) fill you with joy and
peace in believing, through the power of the Holy
Ghost. (Rom. xv.)

What more suitable encouragement could we
have at the beginning of the year than these
words of the apostle ? The end spoken of is
nothing else but the appearing of the Lord Jesus,
when hope shall be changed into sight. The day
is approaching (x. 25), and with it our glory. We
look back on the years through which we have
been led. On a day like this we feel as if we had
come to a milestone, on one side of which we can
read the inscription, telling us how many years
and stages of our journey have been completed.
But on the other side, where curiosity expects to
find the number of years yet before us, what do
Fa'th and Love and Hope read ? What else but
this — " Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life." And again — "Unto them
that love God all things work together for good."
And again — " Whose house are ye, if ye hold fast
the confidence and rejoicing of your hope unto
the end." We know how many years have elapsed
since the First Advent ; but on the other side of
the milestone we read, no date, but the words—
" Watch, for ye know not the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man dcth come." And we
can also testify, "If you believe in Jesus, if you

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 187

love and follow Him, if you abide in Him, then
when the Lord comes again you will have confi
dence, and stand before Him."

Look unto Him, and be ye saved, all ye ends of
the earth ; and you, holy brethren, partakers of
the heavenly calling, oh, consider, consider the
Apostle and High Priest of our profession — Jesus!
Amen.

CHAPTER VIII.

UNBELIEF IN THE WILDERNESS.
HEB. iii. 7 19.

'THHK apostle has compared and contrasted
-*• Moses, the servant of God and the medi
ator of the old dispensation, with the Lord Jesus,
the Messiah, the Son of the Father, and the
mediator of the new and everlasting covenant.
Great was the glory of Moses, and whether we
think of his marvellous history, of his unique
position as prophet, priest, and king in Israel, of
his grand and deep character, or of the funda
mental and mighty work which was accomplished
through him, we can easily understand why it is
written, that there arose not a prophet like unto
him until He came who is above all, the Lord
from heaven. We judge of magnitude by com
parison. It is because the Jews had some idea
and appreciation of the greatness of Moses that

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 189

the apostle avails himself of this, to point out to
them the far higher glory of the Lord Jesus.
Though in the life and character of Moses there are
many striking excellencies and virtues, the faithful
ness of Moses is the feature on which the apostle
dwells. It is, indeed, the most important feature
in our character as servants of God. This is the
one thing required of us, to be faithful. And well
were it for us if we laid more stress on faithful
ness, and thought less of gifts and talents, or of
success and results. For while it belongs to God

o

to appoint unto each of us severally our position,
to distribute gifts according to His wisdom and
good pleasure, and to reward us with results and
harvests, hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold, it
belongs to us to be faithful to God wherever He
has placed us, and in the gift and task which
His love assigns. We see the summary and result
of the true disciple's life in the decisive words of
the Master : " Well done, good and faithful ser
vant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things." Moses
was faithful in all God's house. In every branch
of the work with which he was entrusted he
carried out the commandments of God. He added
nothing of his own to the instructions which he
received ; he left out nothing, but ordered all
things as he was commanded. And though sorely
tried by Israel's ingratitude, rebelliousness, and

190 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

stubbornness, his faithfulness never wearied nor
wavered. But while Moses was faithful as a
servant, Jesus was faithful as the Son. Moses,
sinful and imperfect, was himself part of the
house ; Jesus the Holy One, the Son of God, is
Lord over the house. The dispensation of which
Moses was mediator was temporary, preparatory,
and typical of the new covenant, in which all
things are eternal, substantial, and heavenly.
Moses, as the Saviour testified, wrote of Christ.
The whole law pointed to the Messiah. Jesus
fulfilled the law, because He was the Perfect Man,
in whom alone the law in its depth and breadth was
realised and manifested, and because He bore the
curse and the condemnation which the law pro
nounces against transgressors. All the promises of
salvation which the typical (or gospel) part of the
Mosaic dispensation contained, all sacrifices, festi
vals, and priestly mediation, found its substance
and fulfilment in Christ. How much greater then
is He than Moses !

God spake with Moses face to face, yet is Jesus
only The Prophet, for as the only begotten He
declared the Father : we see the Father when we
see Jesus. Moses was full of love and the priestly
spirit ; but Jesus was not merely willing to die for
Israel, but actually laid down His life, and not for
the nation only, but that He might gather in one
all the children of God. Moses ruled as king in

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 191

Jeshurun ; but Jesus is the true King, who by the
Spirit can make His people willing in the day
of His power, and renew their hearts into living
obedience. Moses is the servant, but Jesus the
Son is Lord.""

The glory of Christ that excelleth is described by
the apostle Paul (2 Cor. iii. 6-12), a passage which
should be studied in connection with our chapter.

On this contrast between the Lord Jesus and
Moses the servant of God, the apostle builds his
earnest exhortation. Again he interrupts the
course of his massive and sublime argument by
most solemn and pathetic admonition. His great
aim in this epistle is to exhort. He is bent, with
all intensity of purpose and of watchful love, to
beseech the Hebrews to be stedfast. He is
moved with fear ; his heart trembles with anxiety,
while he points to the glory of the great High
Priest ; he is continually giving vent to the pent-up
feelings of affection and solicitude with which he
regards the dangerous condition of the Hebrew
believers. Oh, it is so like Paul, the apostle of
love ! He seems to me to have had a thousand

* " Moses was a type in the world. If any should say, What is
the fulfilment and consummation ? I answer, King Messiah : through
Him such perfection will be produced as never existed hitherto
throughout all generations." (Zohar.) Many passages in the Tal-
mudic writings teach that the law shall be abolished in the days of
Messiah, and that the light and wisdom of the Messianic age far
exceed that of the law of Moses.

192 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

hearts. He loved each church as if it was the
only one he possessed. He felt their burden, he
rejoiced over their order, stedfastness, and gifts ;
he ceased not to give thanks for them, and to pray
for the blessing and help which each of them
needed ; he remembered the names of their saints,
he watched over them with the affectionateness of
a tender mother and nurse. While he seems lost
in the contemplation of divine truth, soaring like
an eagle far above vale and mountain-peak, and
gazing with stedfast eye into the brightness of
the sun, he is always like his blessed and dear
Lord, who in homely but most touching language
compares Himself to a hen gathering her chickens
under her wings.

In all Paul's epistles we feel the warm breath of
affection ; we hear the voice, tremulous with emo
tion, we see the earnest and loving countenance of
the fatherly man. Even when he writes to the
Romans, whom he had never seen, he says, " I
long to see you, that I may impart unto you some
spiritual gift, that ye may be established ; that is,
that I may be comforted together with you by the
mutual faith both of you and me." What can
exceed his tender love to the churches of Thes-
salonica and Philippi? or the soul-stirring expostu
lations which in anguish of mind he addresses to
the Galatians, of whom he travails again in birth,
that Christ may be formed in them ? How

The Epistle to the Hebreivs. 193

fatherly, how considerate, how exquisitely delicate
and sensitive is he in his treatment of the Corin
thian church. In all his epistles he continually
interrupts the doctrine with the expression of his
love, his anxiety, his joy and sorrow ; we see his
heart bound up in the churches. So in this epistle
he constantly exhorts and beseeches the Hebrews
(and us also) to abide in Christ, to take heed unto
ourselves, to be faithful unto the end.

Thus is it in all Scripture. The love of God,
seeking our salvation, pervades all its teaching.
Do we not throughout the whole Scripture hear
God, as it were, sighing, "Oh that they were wise;
that they hearkened unto my voice !" Do we not
hear the tearful voice of Jesus saying, "If thou
haclst known ? " Do we not throughout behold
the loving arms of God outstretched to receive
us ? May we return love with love, so that
Christ's joy may be full in us.

The thought of Moses naturally suggests the
Israelites in the wilderness. Faithful was the
Mediator, through whom God dealt with them :
but was Israel faithful ? God spake : did they
obey ? God showed them wonderful signs : did
they trust and follow in faith ? And if Israel was
not faithful under Moses, and their unbelief
brought ruin upon them, how much more guilty
shall we be, and how much greater our danger,
if we are not faithful unto the Lord J esus ?

194 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

The history of the wanderings of Israel in the
wilderness is most instructive. No Scripture is
of private interpretation, but is catholic and
eternal. Whatsoever things were written afore
time were written for our learning. Of this
history especially, the apostle Paul, who dwells on
it in his epistle to the Corinthians, tells us that all
these things happened unto them for ensamples ;
and they are written for our admonition, upon
whom the ends of the world are come, (i Cor. x.)
According to the solemn words addressed by the
glorified Saviour to the church of Thyatira,
Israel's experience is to be a warning to all the
churches. The books of Moses are thus of per
manent importance to God's children. Israel's
history in the wilderness is typical throughout.
It is a marvellous history from beginning to end.
The exodus out of Egypt, the passage through
the Red Sea, the giving of the Law at mount Sinai,
the manna, the pillar of cloud and fire, th.e victory
over Amalek, the rock that followed them, the gar
ments that never became old ; all is miracle, full
of the wondrous love and power of God, who is
Israel's redeemer. Consider the Messenger, the
Angel of the Covenant, Christ, who led them.
Their whole life and history was a life and history
by the word of God. Do you know this as a pre
sent experience ?

It was a history of solemn and glorious privi-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 195

lege. God separated Israel unto Himself. They
were shut up to God. Their daily need, their
absolute dependence on divine help and bounty,
the constant gift of manna, guidance and defence,
which so visibly descended from the Lord, the
giver of all ; the daily beholding of God's mighty
and gracious works — all this was a marvellous
privilege, the life of faith was made near and easy.
Dependence on second causes is a great snare to
man ; for since the fall the tendency of man is to
forget the Creator. Israel in the wilderness had
to live daily and exclusively by God's power and
goodness. How solemn, yet how glorious, to be
thus constantly depending on God and constantly
beholding His omnipotent love. Is this not a
picture of the Christian's life ?

It is a sad history from beginning to end : con
tinual murmuring, doubt, ingratitude, idolatry, sin ;
looking back unto Egypt and its pleasures, for
getting its degradation and bondage, doubting
God's goodness and power, yielding to the temp
tations of lust and tempting the Lord Jehovah,
the faithful and merciful Christ."""

It is a sad history, full of fearful judgments.
Long, dark years, of most of which we know
nothing but the ominous allusions in the prophetic
books to the worship of Moloch and Remphan.
And yet the Lord was with them all the days,

* Comp. i Cor. x., specially verse 9.

196 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

and every day, ready to bless and to gladden
them. Do you understand the parable?

Yet was there in Israel also faith and love; and
God remembers the time of their espousals, when
they followed Him in a land that was not sown.
There were not merely murmurings, but hymns
of praise and thanksgiving ; there were willing
offerings unto the Lord of gold and silver, there
was victory over the enemies, there were Joshua
and Caleb, ho followed the Lord fully.

In the book of Psalms, which is to a certain
extent a response to the five books of Moses, as
well as the starting-point of the subsequent pro
phets, frequent reference is made to the history of
the wilderness. It is remembered, first in order
to ascribe glory to God, and to give thanks unto
Him for His mercy and for His marvellous works.
And secondly, to hold up the mirror to man, and
especially Israel, that we may learn humility and
faith. The apostle quotes Psalm xcv., in which
the exhortation, based upon Israel's disobedience
and punishment, .is peculiarly solemn and em
phatic. You must have noticed how frequently
the Psalms are quoted in this epistle. Our
Saviour also singles them out as a special portion
of Scripture. The church in all ages has honoured
and loved the Psalms. David was chosen to be
the sweet singer of Israel, not merely the old
covenant Israel, but the whole Israel of God.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 197

Here is perfect sympathy with all our weakness
and fluctuating experience, and at the same time
faithful and sure guidance ; here we find a perfect
expression of feeling and soul -experience ; here
are the deepest and truest utterances of repent
ance and of faith — of the soul's mournful com
plaints in darkness and sorrow, and of jubilant
rejoicing and thanksgiving in the sunshine of
divine favour ; here is a true analysis of the
heart ; here we behold the doubts and conflicting
thoughts, the fear and tumult of the soul — -all that
ever moves and agitates the saints of God. But
the Psalter is not merely an expression of our feel
ings ; it guides, corrects, and elevates us. David
prays with us according to the mind of God. He
is not merely our brother, but he is also a type
of Christ. In the Psalms we learn the mind of
Messiah in His union with His people. Hence
the Psalter is the incomparable and comprehensive
manual and hymn-book of the saints.*

* As Johann Arndt says : "The Psalter is a necklace, consisting
of the gold of doctrine and salutary instruction, of heart-reviving
gems of consolation, and precious stones of beautiful prayers ; a
theatre of the unveiled great purposes and works of God ; a
cheerful meadow end extensive garden of roses, in which the most
beautiful and fragrant flowers delight us ; an infinite ocean, in which
those who experience many tempests of affliction find precious
pearls ; a heavenly school, where we converse with God Himself,
our great Teacher ; a mirror of divine mercies, in which the glori
ous countenance of our most compassionate Father shines forth ;
the most perfect anatomy of our souls, showing not merely our
inmost thoughts and passions, but their corrective and medicine."

198 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

The quotation is introduced (like all Scripture
quotations in this epistle) as the word of God,
"as the Holy Ghost saith." Even the subjective
lyrical portions of Scripture proceed out of divine
depths, as well as depths of the human heart.
Holy men spake and not merely spake, but sang
with human, real music, in joy, in sorrow, in glad
ness and in tears, and yet as they were moved
by the Holy Ghost. But in this quotation it is
possible that the reference to the Holy Ghost
has a special meaning and propriety ; for it is
the office of the Spirit (in the divine economy
of grace) to glorify the Father and the Son, to
direct us to Christ's word, to cause us to listen
to the Father's voice. As the Father says of
Christ, "Hear Him;" and as the Son always
magnifies the Father's word, so the Holy Ghost
testifies not of Himself, but of the Father and
the Son.

The psalm begins with an exhortation to praise
God. Joyous and festive is the tone in which it
commences. It describes God in His greatness
and power. It starts with the assurance that He is
the Rock of our salvation. The Lord the Creator
is also the Shepherd of His people. David calls
on us to sing ; and song is the expression of joy,
peace, and love : " O come, let us sing unto the
Lord : let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of
our salvation. Let us kneel before the Lord our

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 199

maker. For He is our God ; and we are the
people of His pasture, and the sheep of His
hand." But with a sudden transition the psalm
ist, or as the apostle Paul prefers to say, the
Holy Ghost, exhorts us most solemnly not to
harden our hearts as Israel did in the temptation.
Notice, (i) when we hear God's voice — and, oh,
how clearly and sweetly does He speak to us in
the person of His Son Jesus, the Word incarnate,
who died for us in Golgotha ! — the heart must
respond. The assent of the intellect, the admira
tion of the understanding, the fervour of the
imagination, and even the conviction of the con
science, do not suffice. God speaks to the heart
of Jerusalem. (Isaiah xl., original.) By this ex
pression is meant the centre of our spiritual
existence, that centre out of which thoughts and
affections proceed, out of which are the issues of
life, that mysterious fountain which God only can
know and fathom. Oh that Christ may dwell
there !

God's voice is to soften the heart. This is the
purpose of the divine word — to make our hearts
tender. Alas ! by nature we are ^#n/-hearted ;
and what we call good and soft-hearted is not so
in reality and in God's sight. God wishes us to
be delivered from hardness of heart, that is, from
dulness of perception of His love and beauty,
from ingratitude and lukewarmness towards Him,

2OO The Epistle to the Hebrews.

from pride and impenitence, from self-seeking and
unrest. When we receive God's word in the heart,
when we acknowledge our sin, when we adore
God's mercy, when we desire God's fellowship,
when we see Jesus, who came to serve us, to
wash our feet, and to shed His blood for our sal
vation, the heart becomes soft and tender. For
repentance, faith, prayer, patience, hope of heaven,
all these things make the heart tender. Tender
towards God, tender towards our fellow-men, tender
— think it not paradoxical — -towards ourselves ; I
mean that state of gentleness and meekness which
David describes — " Lord, my heart is not haughty,
nor mine eyes lofty. . . . Surely I have behaved
and quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his
mother." We live in the atmosphere of forgiving
and merciful love, we become also tender and loving
to our own true life, freed from that restless and
feverish spirit of the worldly man who, indulgent
to self, which is not his true and real self, rules
harshly and impatiently over the desires and
sorrows of the imprisoned spirit. Can we be hard
— thinking much of ourselves, discontented with
our lot, envious or unforgiving, worldly and rest
less — when we hear the voice of God : " I am the
Lord thy God ; I have loved thee with an ever
lasting love ; thou art mine." " As I have loved
you, love one another" ? The road may be narrow,
and the sun nearly set, but hearing the voice

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 201

of Jesus, the heart burns within us in love and
hope.

Notice, (2) all sin begins in the heart. In the
epistle to the Corinthians (i Cor. x.) the apostle
describes the rivers, the corrupt branches; there he
speaks of Israel's murmuring, idolatry, and lust.
Here the Spirit speaks of the fountain and root :
" They do err in their hearts" And what is the
error of the heart ? What else but unbelief? God
speaks, and the heart is to believe. If the heart is
hardened, it believes not ; and regarding neither
the threatenings nor the promises, it leans not on
the strength and love of God : unbelief is the
mother of all sin and sorrow.

For (3) unbelief is departure from the living
God. How simple is this ! As long as you trust
God, you are near Him. The moment you doubt
Him, your soul has departed into the strange
country. Faith is the link between God's fulness
and strength and our emptiness and weakness. If
the soul cries out, Abide with me, or Nearer to
Thee, the answer of Jesus is, Only believe !

Unbelief cannot see and understand God.* Forty
years Israel had seen the works of the Most High.
Every day they beheld the manna and the pillar

* To know God is the source of life and the very substance of
blessedness. All the gracious purposes of God are to this end,
that we may know Him. Hence when the apostle John writes to
fathers in Christ, he describes them thus : " Fathers, because ye
have known Him that is from the beginning." (i John ii. 13, 14.)

202 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

of His guiding presence. How many miracles
they witnessed ! At the end of this long period and
these daily visitations the Lord says (in sorrow
and disappointment, to speak humanly), " They
do always err in their heart, and they have not
known my ways" They do not understand me.
They have no eye to see my face, no perception,
no sympathy ; they do not understand my mean
ing, my thought, my character, myself, though I
have been constantly speaking, revealing, mani
festing, yet do they not perceive ; it is hidden to
them.

They tempted God. By fear and murmuring,
by presumption and lust, by disobedience and
idolatry, ten times their evil heart of unbelief
manifested itself in tempting the Lord. (Num.
xiv. 22.) Although they had seen the mighty
works of God, and were continually experiencing
His mercy, they doubted both His power and love ;
they cherished bitter thoughts against Him, they
challenged Him, and demanded signs, as if He
had never shown unto them the wonders of His
goodness.*

The Lord was grieved, and after the tenth

* The following are the ten temptations according to the Jews :
(l) Exod. xiv. u, from fear ; ( ) Exod. xv. 24, murmuring ; (3) Exod.
xvi. 2, 3, murmuring ; (4) Exod. xvi. 19, 20, disobedience ; (5) Exod.
xvi. 27, 28, Sabbath-breaking ; (6) Num. xx. 3, chiding ; (7) Exod.
xxxii., idolatry ; (8) Num. xi. 1-3, complaining ; (9) Num. xi. 32,
lust ; (10) Num. xiv., unbelief. The root of all sin is unbelief, as,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 203

temptation — so great is His patience — swore in
His wrath that they should not enter into His
rest. Doubtless many of those who died in the
wilderness turned to God in repentance and faith.
We cannot but believe that many of them joined
with heartfelt contrition in the prayer of Moses :
" We are consumed by thine anger, and by thy
wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniqui
ties before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy
countenance . . . O satisfy us early with thy mercy;
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days."

But the generation as such, a warning for all
ages, died in the wilderness.

Again the apostle asks emphatically, Why did
they not enter into rest ? And the answer is,
Because they believed not. He does not single
out the sin of making and worshipping the golden
calf ; he does not bring before us the flagrant
transgressions into which they fell at Baal-peor.
Many much more striking and to our mind more
fearful sins could have been pointed out; but God
thinks the one sin greater than all is unbelief. We
are saved by faith ; we are lost through unbelief.
The heart is purified by faith ; the heart is har-

beginning with Gen. iii., is taught throughout all Scripture. The
two manifestations of unbelief are in opposite poles— presumption
and distrust. The world is the wilderness ; Israel's history a
mirror of ours. The decision and victory must be in the heart.
Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, we have peace and strength.
Then can we imitate Jesus. (Malt, iv.)

U

204 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

dened by unbelief. Faith brings us nigh to God;
unbelief is departure from God. Does it seem
strange ? By faith we draw near and worship
God ; by faith we receive God's love ; through
faith the Holy Ghost is given unto us ; by faith
we obey and follow Christ. Yet is it so natural
and so like the goodness of God that all should
be by faith. For the Lord is our God; He is all.
He is willing to be, to give, to do all ; to be God
for us, to us, in us. All He asks of us is to trust
Him, to receive Him ; to open our empty hand to
His kind and bountiful hand, and our cold and
dead heart to His heart, that spared not His own
Son, but gave Him up unto death. By grace are
we saved through faith ; and even this trust is the
gift of His blessed Spirit. (Eph. ii.)

Unbelief prevented Israel's entering into the
promised land. Then it follows that faith enters
into rest. Believe with thy heart is the great
lesson of the chapter. If we trust in God, then
the wilderness will be converted into the garden
of the Lord. See the true Israel, Jesus our Lord,
who was tested in the wilderness. God proved
and tried the Righteous One ; Satan tempted
Him. Then it was made manifest what was in
Him, even a meek and lowly heart, strong in
faith, tender and loyal towards His heavenly
Father, learning obedience because He was Son.
And though the wild beasts were with Him, and

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 205

His body was exhausted and weary, and the
tempter's voice cunning and subtle, yet no evil
came nigh unto Him ; for He dwelt in the secret
place of the Most High, and abode under the
shadow of the Almighty. The wild beasts dare
not touch Him, the exhausted frame is upheld by
the indwelling spirit ; the Scripture is both the
weapon with which He fights and a tent in which
He dwells ; the very angels of God come down
and minister unto Him. Thus the Son of Man by
faith converted the wilderness into paradise. He
entered into rest, He enjoyed peace with God ;
and there was given Him power to tread upon
the lion and adder, and to trample the dragon
under His feet. Worshipping the Father He con
quered ; and the angels of God refreshed and
gladdened His heart with their heavenly converse.
Such is to be your life. Only believe, only
worship, only harden not your heart, when in the
Scripture and in the Spirit's teaching and in
God's daily dealings you hear God's voice, and
though wild beasts, hunger and privation, weak
ness and temptation beset you, you are safe, you
are blessed. God is with you; who can be against
you ? Angels are around you, and you can give
thanks ; for you are more than conquerors, through
Him that loved you, and gave Himself for you.

Looking unto Jesus, I return to the commence
ment of the psalm, and end in praise. I will listen

2o6 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

to its solemn admonition, I will stand in awe,
when I see the carcases of them that fell in the
wilderness through unbelief; I will humble myself
when I think how often like Israel I have mur
mured and doubted, how often I have grieved and
tempted the Lord ; but I will believe, I will cleave
to Jesus, I will remember that oath which the Lord
sware by Himself; As I live, saith the Lord, I
have no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but
rather that he should turn and live. And again,
willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of His counsel, He con
firmed it by an oath, saying, " Surely, blessing I
will bless thee." Let us whom God hath redeemed
out of Egypt, not with gold and silver, but with
the precious blood of Christ as of the true Paschal
Lamb without blemish and without spot ; let us
who have been rescued out of death and the
power of Satan by the resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ; let us who have received the law
of God, not as a letter which killeth, but by the
outpouring of the Spirit and in the renewal of our
hearts — oh, come, let us, remembering our pass-
over, our resurrection -day, our Pentecost, let us
sing unto the Lord ! Let us make a joyful noise
to the rock of our salvation.

But let us listen to the solemn exhortation of
the Spirit. To-day harden not your hearts. Yester
day is the past of sin and misery. To-day is the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 207

present of divine grace and man's faith. To
morrow is eternity, full of joy and glory. To
day is the turning-point, the crisis, the seed-time.
To whom can we go but unto Jesus Christ, with
the past of our transgression, with the yesterday
of the first Adam, with the to-day of our weak
ness and need, with the for ever of our endless
destiny? He is Jehovah, the Saviour God, the
same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Cleaving
to Him we rest in mercy, which is from everlast
ing to everlasting.

The apostle warns us : Take heed, brethren,
lest there be in any of you an evil heart of un
belief. He is anxious that not one single member
of the professing Church should be lost ; as he
expresses it in another Scripture — he preaches
Christ, warning every man, and teaching every
man in all wisdom ; that we may present every
man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Col. i. 28.) The
same spirit ought to animate the whole congre
gation. Each member has to take heed to him
self and the whole community, to care anxiously
and earnestly for each member, that none may be
lost.

Exhort one another daily ; encourage, help one
another by counsel, by example, by sympathy, by
brotherly aid, by united prayer and praise. Walk
ing together in peace and harmony, keep before
your eyes and hearts the end of the journey.

208 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Let us hold the beginning of our confidence sted-
fast to the end, let us keep our first faith, our
first love, our first hope (i Tim. v. 12; Rev. ii.
4 ; Heb. iii. 6), that which was given unto us when
the .grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant
(i Tim. i. 14), even when we were made partakers
cf Christ.* In humility and fear, in self-abasement
and self-distrust, let us during our wilderness
journey cry out of the depths, and yet rejoice and
be at peace ; for we are in Christ, and the Lord
for whom we wait is our light and our salvation.

* M^roxoi ycyovafiev. We have become by grace, what we were
not by nature, partakers of Christ ; since we have part in all that
Christ is and has, at present by faith, and afterwards in actual
possession, as joint-heirs with the Son. vir6ffTa<nsy confidence
means sometimes substance (i. 3) ; sometimes, as undoubtedly in
2 Cor. ix. 9, xi. 17, confidence and assurance. In Heb. xi. the ob
jective and subjective aspects are combined.

CHAPTER IX.

FEAR AND REST.
HEB. iv. i-n.

^HE two words which claim our special con
•*- sideration in this section are, fear and rest.
I. We know only in part, in fragment. It is difficult
for us to combine different aspects of truth. When
doctrines apparently contradictory are presented
to us, we are apt to attach importance to one, and
to leave the other in the background, treating it
with indifference and cold neglect. We cherish
some portions of truth ; we look but rarely and
hastily on others. In our choice we are influenced
by our natural temperament and conformation of
mind, by preconceived notions, by the type of
religious teaching in which we have been trained,
and sometimes by our sinful tendencies, which
shrink from some portions of Scripture and some
aspects of divine truth, which avoid and hide
themselves from the corrective and rebuking in
fluence of some part of God's message.

2 1 o The Epistle to the Hebrews.

It is part of our imperfection here that we can
not see the whole truth simultaneously, that we
see truth in fragments, and that, while our eye
rests on one phase or side of the revelation of
God, the other portions are comparatively hid
•from our view. In eternity we shall see and know
the Lord as He is. We shall behold at a glance

o

the whole counsel of God ; our light and love
shall be perfect, (i John iii. 2 ; i Cor. xiii. 12.)

It is salutary to remember our tendency to par
tiality and onesidedness in our spiritual life, in
order that we may be on our guard, that we may
carefully and anxiously consider the " Again, it
is written ;" that we may willingly learn from
Christians who have received different gifts of
grace, and whose experience varies from ours ;
above all, that we may seek to follow and serve
the Lord Himself, to walk with God, to hear the
voice of the good Shepherd. Forms of godliness,
types of doctrine, are apt to become substitutes
instead of channels, weights instead of wings.
Here is the most subtle danger of idolatry. Doc
trines and systems of doctrine are like portraits
more or less faithful and vivid of a beloved and
beautiful countenance. But they are necessarily
imperfect. They recall some aspects, expressions,
characteristics ; they are helpful to recall the re
ality and fulness of which they are incomplete
representations. But we must not substitute them

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 2 1 1

in our minds and imaginations for the living face.
Doctrines and circles of religious thought and
experience are like channels ; but we must not
breathe the limited air of an enclosed space, but
keep our hearts in communion with God, that out
of the ocean of light and life, out of the living
fountain, we may receive constant renewal and
revival.

The exhortations of this epistle may appear to
some difficult to reconcile with the teaching of
Scripture, that the grace of God, once received
through the power of the Holy Ghost by faith,
can never be lost, and that they who are born
again, who are once in Christ, are in Christ for
ever. Let us not blunt the edge of earnest and
piercing exhortations. Let us not pass them over,
or treat them with inward apathy. " Again it is
written." We know this does not mean that there
is any real contradiction in Scripture, but that
various aspects of truth are presented, each with
the same fidelity, fulness and emphasis. Hence
we must learn to move freely, and not to be
cramped and fixed in one position. We must
keep our eyes clear and open, and not look at all
things through the light of a favourite doctrine.
And while we receive fully and joyously the
assurance of our perfect acceptance and peace,
and of the unchanging love of God in Christ
Jesus, let us with the apostle consider also our

212 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

sins and dangers from the lower yet most real
earthly and time-point of view.

The earnest counsel of the apostle in this chap
ter, Let us fear, may seem to be incompatible with
his frequent and emphatic teaching that we have
not received the spirit of bondage again to fear ;
that he is persuaded that nothing shall be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus ; that we are to rejoice in the Lord, and
that alway.

Yet a most superficial glance at the epistles,
and at the Sciptures in general, will show that fear
is an essential feature of the Christian.

The worldly man neither fears nor loves God.
He sometimes imagines he loves God, because he
is not afraid, because he is not awed by the holy
majesty of God, and does not tremble at the
righteous condemnation of the law. He mistakes
his feeling of ease for a feeling of love to God,
of whose character he has a false and shallow
view. Absence of fear he mistakes for presence
of love. The soul which is roused and convinced
of sin fears God, His displeasure and punish
ment ; fears the future, with its darkness and
misery. This fear, created by the Spirit, has in it
already elements, though concealed and feeble, of
trust and affection. There is in it, as there is
in repentance, a longing after the peace of God,
a desire to be brought into harmony and fellow-

Tke Epistle to the Hebrews. 213

ship with Him. There is in this fear, although
dread and anxiety about self may predominate,
reverence, conviction of sin, sorrow, prayer.

When Christ is beheld and accepted, there is
peace ; but is there not also fear ? " With thee
is forgiveness of sin, that thou mayest be feared."
Where do we see God's holiness and the awful
majesty of the law as in the cross of Christ ?
Where our own sin and un worthiness, where the
depth of our guilt and misery, as in the atone
ment of the Lord Jesus? We rejoice with fear
and trembling.

Thus the apostle Peter says, "If ye call on
the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth
according to every man's work, pass the time of
your sojourning here in fear. Forasmuch as ye
know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conver
sation received by tradition from your fathers ;
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot."

It is because we know the Father, it is because
we are redeemed by the precious blood of the
Saviour, it is as the children of God and as the
saints of Christ, that we are to pass our earthly
pilgrimage in fear. This is not the fear of bond
age, but the fear of adoption ;* not the fear which

* The patriarchs are often commended because they feared
God. (Gen. xxxi. 42,54 ; xxii. 12 ; xlii. 18.) Theirs was especially

2 1 4 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

dreads condemnation, but the fear of those who
are saved, and whom Christ has made free. It
is not an imperfect and temporary condition ; it
refers not merely to those who have begun to
walk in the ways of God. Let us not imagine
that this fear is to vanish at some subsequent
period of our course, that it is to disappear in a
so-called " higher Christian life." No ; we are
to pass the time of our sojourn here in fear. To
the last moment of our fight of faith, to the very
end of our journey, the child of God, while trust
ing and rejoicing, walks in godly fear.

Likewise does the apostle Paul say, " Because
God worketh in you to will and to do, work out
your own salvation with fear and trembling." Not
the fear of the self-righteous, who are under the
law, without peace and strength, but the fear of
those in whom the Holy Ghost dwells with His
light and energy. Fear is therefore compatible
with faith and assurance. The children of God,
who cry Abba, who praise the Lamb, who are
sealed by the Holy Ghost, rejoice with fear and
trembling.

Fear which is rooted in unbelief is evil ; for it
drives away from God. If we fear that God will

a dispensation of faith and love. There was as yet no law, and
they walked in simplicity before God, trusting in His goodness,
and depending on His guidance. It is never said in Genesis that
they loved God ; but their fear of God is mentioned, their rever
ential and confiding sense of the holy and loving presence of God.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 215

not be faithful and fulfil His promises, if we doubt
the efficacy of Christ's atonement, or the im
movable firmness of His gracious word, we are
sinning against God, and forsaking the Rock of
our salvation. Looking to God, our loving Father,
our gracious Saviour, our gentle and indwelling
Comforter, we have no reason to be afraid. The
only fear that we can cherish is that of reverence
and awe, and a dread lest we displease, offend,
and wound Him who is our Lord. But when we
look at ourselves, our weakness, our blindness, our
sinfulness ; when we think of our path and our
work, of our dangers and enemies, we may well
fear, we may well feel that the time for repose and
unmixed enjoyment has not come yet, and that,
though sure of our ultimate triumph, we must
watch anxiously and constantly ; we must dread
our own sinfulness and our temptations ; we must
fear worldly influences and estrangements ; we
must work out our salvation with fear and trem
bling.

But even this statement is not sufficient, and
does not cover the Scripture teaching. It is true
the Spirit witnesses with our spirits that we are
God's children. It is true the Saviour assures us
that His sheep shall never perish ; and, as the
very expression implies, they who are born of in
corruptible seed possess life eternal ; they abide
for ever ; they dwell in God, and He dwelleth in

216 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

them. But why are there so many warnings and
exhortations addressed to those who profess to
believe in the Saviour ? Why does the Lord say,
" Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He
taketh away" ? Why does the apostle teach, " If
ye live after the flesh, ye shall die" ? Why does
the apostle Peter say, " Give diligence to make
your calling and election sure ; for if ye do these
things, ye shall never fall" ? Some of the reasons
are obvious ; and if we are sincere and honest
with ourselves, we must have discovered them.

The absolute safety, the fixed and unchanging
position of the chosen people of God, can never
be doubted. From the eternal, heavenly, divine
point of view saints can never fall ; they are
seated in heavenly places with Christ ; they are
renewed by the Spirit, and sealed by Him unto
everlasting glory. But who sees the saints of
God from this point of view ? Not the world, not
our fellow-Christians. They only see our cha
racter and walk. Not we ourselves, except in the
moments when the Spirit beareth witness with
our spirits that we are the children of God. True,
we trust in Christ, we rejoice in His love, we lean
on Him; but to make our calling and election
sure, to hear the voice of the Saviour, " Thou art
mine ; " to see the seal, " The Lord knoweth them
that are His ;" this is the secret, hidden, constant
prayer, the concentrated work of the Christian.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 1 1 7

From our point of view, as we live in time, from
day to day, our earnest desire must be to continue
stedfast, to abide in Christ, to walk with God. to
bring forth fruit that will manifest the presence of
true and God-given life. Hence the apostle, who
says to the Philippians, " Being confident of this
very thing, that He which hath begun a good work
in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ,"
adds to a similar thought in another epistle, " If
ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and
be not moved away from the hope of the gospel."
In the one passage Paul's point of view is the
heavenly, eternal one ; in the other he looks
from earth heavenwards, from time to eternity.
And in what other way could he think, speak, ex
hort, and encourage both himself and his fellow-
Christians but in this manner, which appears con
ditional, and as if it contradicted the fixed and
eternal election, while to the conscience and heart
of the saint there is no discord ? For it is by
these very exhortations and warnings that the
grace of God keeps us. It is in order that the
elect may not fall, it is to bring out in fact and time
the (ideal and eternal) impossibility of their apos
tasy, that God in His wisdom and mercy has
sent to us such solemn messages and such fervent
entreaties, to watch, to fight, to take heed unto
ourselves, to resist the adversary. The fight of faith
is good ; that is, beautiful (KO.XGV), according to God's

218 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

will, in God's strength, and of no uncertain issue:
it must lead to victory. But it is a real fight. The
enemy, the dangers, the wounds, the difficulties,
the insidious and constant attacks — all are real.
And can there be such a fight without fear? No:
and even the fearful destruction which would
follow, on our yielding to the enemy and forsaking
our Lord, must be contemplated, that we may
cleave to God. My soul folio weth hard after thee ;
to keep within sight of my Guide, nay, leaning
on my Beloved, this is my desire.

Yet the man who feareth alway is blessed ;
for in the fear of the Lord, as the wise man saith,
there is strong confidence. Strong confidence ! For
if you think that the Bible doctrine of the Chris
tian's fear favours the notion that the child of God
is not to have the knowledge of salvation, that he
is not to be filled with joy and peace through
believing, you are mistaken. All Christian life
starts from faith, trust, thanksgiving ; not from
doubt and suspense. Because Jesus the Son of
God loved us and gave Himself for us, we live
unto Him and serve Him. Moved with fear,
like Noah, we enter into the ark, and we are safe,
adoring the goodness and the holiness of our Lord
and Redeemer. The fear which hath torment is
that fear which turns its face from the light and
love of God. And if any element of torment
enters into our fear we are to turn to the Lord,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 219

and look at that perfect love which casteth out
fear. Whatever time I am afraid, I will trust in
the Lord, said David. When we feel our weak
ness, danger, and sin, we look unto the Lord Jesus,
and hear His voice, " My grace is sufficient for
thee."

II. But the believer has rest, now on earth, and
hereafter in glory. Resting in Christ, he labours
to enter into the perfect rest of eternity.

The apostle returns to the quotation from Psalm
xcv., feeling that he has not yet exhausted the
meaning of this important testimony of the Spirit.

On account of unbelief Israel entered not into
rest. The promise was theirs ; they heard it, but
they believed not what they heard. (Isa. liii. i.)*
The word of God is addressed to the heart, and
the heart receives it by faith. The understanding
assents, the imagination admires, the memory re
tains, and yet there is no reception of the Word,
no inward appropriation, and hence no life or
growth. The rain which falls on a roof produces
no real and lasting effect ; but when it falls on
good ground, it maketh it bring forth and bud.

Israel received the Word only superficially, and
not mixing it with faith, the word did not profit
them. The application is obvious. We have

* Comp. Rom. x. 16, 17. "Report," or literally that which is
heard, is the same as preaching ; the word of God heard is to
produce faith. The prophet asks, Who hath believed that which
through us was heard?

P

22O The Epistle to the Hebrews.

received the word of promise ; unless by faith we
appropriate and assimilate it (mark and inwardly
digest it), it will be of no use to us. By faith,
then, we do enter into rest.

But what did God mean by calling it His rest ?
Not they enter not into their rest, but His own.
Oh, blessed distinction ! I hasten to the ultimate
and deepest solution of the question. God gives us
Himself, and in all His gifts He gives us Himself.
Here is the distinction between all religions which
men invent, which have their origin in the con
science and heart of man, which spring up from
earth, and the truth, the salvation, the life, revealed
unto us from above, descending to us from heaven.
All religions seek and promise the same things :
light, righteousness, peace, strength, and joy. But
human religions think only of creature-light, crea
ture-righteousness, of a human, limited, and im
perfect peace, strength, and blessedness. They
start from man upwards. But God gives us
Himself, and in Himself all gifts, and hence all
His gifts are perfect and divine. Does God give
us righteousness ? He Himself is our righteous
ness, Jehovah-tsidkenu. Does God give us peace ?
Christ is our peace. Does God give us light ?
He is our light. Does God give us bread ? He
is the bread we eat ; as the Son liveth by the
Father, so he that eateth Me shall live by Me.
(John vi.) God Himself is our strength. God

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 221

is ours, and in all His gifts and blessings He
gives Himself. By the Holy Ghost we are one
with Christ, and Christ the Son of God is our
righteousness, nay, our life. Do you want any
other real presence ? Are we not altogether " en-
godded," God dwelling and living in us, and we
in Him ? What more real presence, and indwelling,
awful and blessed, can we have than that which
the apostle described when he said : " I live ; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me" ? Or again, " I
can do all things through Christ which streng
thened! me" ? Or as the Lord Himself in His
last prayer before His crucifixion said to the
Father, " I in them, and thou in me" ?

Thus God gives us His rest as our rest.

It is written in the book of Genesis that God
rested on the seventh day, and that tints (in His
rest)* all His works were finished. The rest of
God is the consummation aid crown of the crea
tion. Without it the creation would not have been
complete. In great condescension the loving God,
by the Word and the Spirit, went out of Himself
into the "all things" which He called forth. But
they were created for Him and unto Him. Hence
He returns unto Himself on the seventh day.
Heaven and earth are to be filled with His glory.

* In considering the "rest of God" in Gen. ii., we should dismiss
from our minds the questions concerning " Sabbath and Lord's-
day," which are apt to narrow and cloud our view of this great
subject.

222 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

The rest of the seventh day declares the sove
reignty, majesty, and blessedness of God, which
all things according to their capacity are to show
forth and to rejoice in. Hence, if you will think
of it, this Sabbath of God is the substratum and
basis of all peace and rest — the pledge of an ulti
mate and satisfactory purpose in creation. Without
this idea the world is nothing else but constant
motion without progress, journey without end, toil
without reward, question without answer. " Sab
bathless Satan." In this word Milton expresses
a great thought.

But this rest of God in creation was disturbed
and marred by sin. For the rest of God means
not cessation from exhausting exertion — "He
fainteth not, neither is weary." It does not
mean cessation from work — " My Father worketh
hitherto, and I also work" — but the joy and
delight of God in His good and perfect work.
God's rest is no longer in the first creation. It
is in redemption's new creation, of which redemp
tion Israel's deliverance out of Egypt and entrance
into Canaan was a type. God said unto Israel,
" Ye are not as yet come to the rest and to
the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth
you. But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in
the land which the Lord your God giveth you to
inherit, and when He giveth you rest from all
your enemies round about, so that you dwell in

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 223

safety, &c."~;:~ And referring to this promise, Joshua
said unto the two and a half tribes, " Now the
Lord your God hath given rest unto your brethren,
as He promised." t David said, " The Lord God
of Israel hath given rest unto His people, that
they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever." In this
beautiful expression David refers to God's rest,
as it is written : " For the Lord hath chosen Zion ;
He hath desired it for His habitation. This is my
rest for ever : here will I dwell ; for I have desired
it." \ When David looked back upon the past
history of his people, full of vicissitudes and
troubles, war and conflict, bondage and chastise
ment, and now contemplated the prospect of peace
and quiet, worship and praise, his soul was filled
with gratitude and joy. Now the ark was depo
sited in a permanent abode. Solomon was to be
a man of peace. God would rest in His people
and they in Him. But these were only types.
For if Joshua had given them true rest, if the
rest which God gave to Israel was not a mere
imperfect shadow and type of the future, why
should the Holy Ghost say by David, " To-day
if you hear His voice, harden not your heart" ?
Why should God speak of entering into His rest ?
God rests in Christ as the Redeemer and Re-

* Dent. xii. 9, 10.

t Joshua xxii. 4.

J I Chron. xxiii. ; Psalm cxxxii. 13, 14.

224 The Epistle to tJic Hebrews.

storer of fallen man. The Father was pleased
in Jesus His beloved Son, and the Lord de
lighted in Him as His elect Servant. Jesus was
the Tabernacle where God dwelt and found His
rest. For our sins this Temple, holy and true,
was broken ; because of our justification it was
built again. Now in the risen Jesus, the first-
begotten from the dead, Head of the church,
Heir of all things, the Father beholds His glory
and the fulfilment of His counsel. In Him, as
our risen Saviour, dwelleth the fulness of the
Godhead bodily ; and where God's rest is, there
also is ours. Hence Jesus promises to give unto
all who come to Him rest and peace. (Matt. xi. ;
John xiv.):;:

Our souls long for rest. " Oh, that I had the
wings of a dove ! Then would I fly away and
be at rest!" is the sigh of every soul. And this
rest is only in God's rest. Death brings no rest
to our souls. It is Jesus Christ who alone can
give rest to man ; for only in Him we are re
stored and brought into communion with God.
The reason of our unrest is nothing else but our
fall, our abnormal condition, our alienation from
God. The centre of our life is not fixed in God,
and therefore there is no harmony and no peace ;
there is no health in us. For rest is not in sloth

* The Hebrew word for peace (Shalom) implies restoration to
perfection, to the state of normal and complete being.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 225

or unconsciousness, or in a life of half -roused
energies. When we have no light for our mind,
no peace in our conscience, no love in our heart,
then are we disturbed ; then there is no worthy
central aim and guide of life. When we are
wandering in the wilderness, without knowing the
end or beholding the light to direct, then are we
without rest. The great promise of Christ is rest.
For He is the Restorer. He gives us light. Men
of brilliant genius, extensive information, acute
and penetrating intellect, have often no rest, be
cause they see not the Light of the world, in
whom alone God, immortality, and the way of
peace and holiness are revealed. Men of piety
and self-denial, who possess a high standard of
morality, are not at rest, because they have not
Christ, and in Him, the holy and righteous, yet
merciful and loving forgiveness of God. The
whole spiritual nature of man is without its centre
until Christ is loved, and our life is a waiting for
Him, and going forth to meet the Bridegroom.

We enjoy rest in Christ by faith. But the
perfect enjoyment of rest is still in the future/"
There remaineth a sabbatism for the people of
God.t Believers will enter into rest after their

* In like manner salvation and adoption are spoken of as future.
(l Peter i. 5 ; Rom. viii. 23, 24.)

t Sabbatismos (in our translation rest) is used here, and not
Karcurauo-js, as in iii. II, 18 ; iv. I, 3, 5, 10, n. Into God's rest
we enter by faith when we trust in Jesus ; into the Sabbatismos

226 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

earthly pilgrimage, labour and conflict, and the
whole creation will share in the liberty and joy
of the children of God. The substance and fore
taste of this rest we have even now in Christ. In
Him, as the glorified Head of the Church, the
Father and the believers meet even now, and we
have perfection and complete peace. But as
Christ has entered into glory, we are to be glori
fied together with Him at His coming. Then
will be perfectly satisfied the great and deep-
seated desire of our heart for rest. By rest is
not meant inactivity, but peace and harmony
within and with all that is around us. We cannot
conceive of God's children in eternity in a state of
inactivity; for by reason of their union with Christ
and with all angels, by reason of the central posi
tion given to the church, the glorified believers
not merely behold and praise, but serve God day
and night. Work is not opposed to rest. If we
possessed perfect light, so that we saw clearly the
end and the method of labour ; if we possessed
a perfect medium of work, so that mind and body
were perfect and efficient tools for the directing
will, so that reason, affection, and all our energies,
soul and body were willing, adequate servants
of the spirit ; if we were endowed with sufficient

we enter when our day-work is finished and we rest from our
labours (Rev. xiv. 13), and still more fully when Christ shall make
all things new, and rest in the full enjoyment of His redemptive
work.

The Epistle to the Hebreivs. 227

and unfailing strength, so that there could be no
painful exhaustion or disproportion between the
design and the power of execution ; and if the
material to be worked upon was plastic and impres
sible, responsive to our thought, then work would
be the greatest enjoyment, and in work would be
a continued renewal of strength and an uninter
rupted repose of thanksgiving. But all these
conditions will be fulfilled in the renewed earth.
The saints will be in light ; seeing and knowing
as they are known, they will possess minds and
bodies, energies and powers, perfect and adequate
instruments of their God-filled volitions, they will
never be faint and weary, and all curse and
obstructions will be removed. Thus while they
praise and rejoice they will work, while they exe
cute God's commandments they will behold His
countenance. They will both reign and rest with
Christ.

But the great contrast between the sabbatism
we wait for and the present period is this. In the
present life we are to work out according to God's
energy within us; we are to sow, to lay up treasure,
to grow, and make increase. We have talents
entrusted, and we are to trade with them. Death
stereotypes our character and ends our labours.
It is here on earth that through sufferings and
discipline we are conformed to the image of Christ.
At we have been faithful, so shall we be rewarded.

228 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

As we have been faithful, so are we; whatever
meekness, patience, love, humility, we have learned
on earth, we shall possess throughout eternity. It
is true of all God's saints, from the least to the
greatest, that, delivered from the body of death,
they are also freed from sin and the old man ;
beholding the glory of Christ, they become like
Him whom they see. Yet, without contradicting
this comforting truth, the Scriptures constantly con
nect our faithfulness, obedience, and discipline on
earth with our eternal condition and blessedness,
with the reward which sovereign grace will assign
to the heirs of life. They who sow sparingly
reap sparingly ; they who sow abundantly reap
abundantly. There is no sowing after death, no
more laying out our talents on usury ; no more
development or growth. According to our life in
the body is our glory ; work therefore while it is
day. (2 Cor. v. 10; John ix. 4.)

While this is a very solemn truth, stimulating
us to diligence and watchfulness, we must ever
hold fast the blessed assurance that all believers
will be glorified with Christ. Believers differ in
glory, and in this diversity and gradation there
will be harmony and the exercise of love and
enjoyment of communion. For they who are
nearest Christ, and possessed of the highest glory,
are most fully conformed to the image of Him
<vho is meek and lowly in heart, and their delight

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 229

is to enrich all their brethren out of the abundance
of their knowledge and joy.

Have I brought before you apparently contra
dictory doctrines ? Fear and the assurance of
God's salvation, rest and labour ? In Christ Jesus
all contradictions are solved. Let us learn Christ.
Look unto Him, and you will fear lest you dis
please and grieve Him, lest the heavenly Bride
groom should discern in you the heart of unbelief
and the love of the world. And this very fear
will draw you to lean on Him and to abide in
Him, who is your only life and strength. Rest in
Jesus, and resting in Him you will labour, you
will serve Christ in the Church, you will look upon
duties and trials as heavenly discipline to make
you Christlike, as precious seed which will bring
plentiful harvest. We can take nothing out of
this world but Christ formed in ^ls. And what
ever may have been our calling and occupation,
the only question is, Has it been made subservient
to the formation of the Christ-man ? Earthly things
are to be viewed in their relation to spiritual and
eternal realities. The sum and substance of all
our experiences, actions and trials in time must
needs be the character, the attitude of the heart,
the strength and affection of the soul. If a Chris
tian is in business, if he has many and complicated
transactions, many difficult and important duties
in which the welfare of others is concerned, large

230 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

and complicated responsibilities, the question is,
Has he learnt faithfulness, justice, kindness, self-
restraint, generosity ? has he been a steward of
God's gifts ? has he been heavenly-minded, fer
vent in spirit while not slothful in business ?
Then all his earthly work has been spiritual work,
and his labour in time has wrought out eternal
results.

Whatever our duties, trials, social position, our
mental attainments may be, the Christian's one aim
is, that through them all Christ should be formed
in him. Thus the Christian is always feeding
upon Christ, he is always eating and drinking
spiritual nourishment ; all things work together to
promote his growth and his conformity to the
Saviour. As we speak of making flesh, so we may
speak of the Christian making Spirit ; doing all
things to the glory of God and in the name of
Christ : he is continually labouring for the meat
which endureth for ever. Though engaged in
what is secular, temporal, and apparently transi
tory, his spiritual, eternal man is forming ; he is
preparing his everlasting and peculiar mansion
and harvest. Christ is the Vine, and we are the
branches ; but the object, fruit, and glory of the
vine is to produce wine. No emblem can set
forth -the truth fully ; for as Christ is the Vine, so
the love of Christ abiding in the heart and trans
forming the soul is also the ultimate blessedness

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 231

and glory of believers. Even now we possess
and enjoy this love ; hence our labour is full of
rest ; and when at last we enter into the perfect
rest, we shall be satisfied with His likeness when
we behold His face in righteousness.

CHAPTER X.

THE WORD OF GOD, JUDGING THE CHRISTIAN BELO\\",

THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST'S SYMPATHY

AND HELP ABOVE.

HEB. iv. 12-16.

E STING by faith in Jesus, and labouring to
enter into that perfect rest which remaineth
to the people of God, the Christian, during his
pilgrimage through the wilderness, is guided by
the word of God, which is in his hand, and upheld
and encouraged by the intercession and sympathy
of the great High Priest above.

The apostle, having based his earnest exhorta
tion on the Scripture, on what the Holy Ghost
saith in Psalm xcv., naturally confirms it by
reminding the Hebrews of the majesty and power
of the word of God. They who are under the
influence of the divine word must be decided,
earnest, whole-hearted. For God's word is per
fect ; it enters into the inmost depths of the heart,
it searches out every secret thought, and judges

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 233

our life from its hidden root to all its manifesta
tions. You who are in contact with the word of
God, with the mind of Christ, with the depth-
searching Spirit, are you more real and thorough
than others ? Does God find in you the truth He
desires in the inward parts ?

We are familiar with the word of God. Like
Israel, we possess this treasure in our country, in
our families. It is in our homes and schools.
We know it from our childhood. The word is
nigh thee, even in thy mouth. How often have
our lips uttered the very words of the living God.
But, thankful as we ought to be for this great
privilege, do we know also the majesty and the
power of the word of God ? Do we know that,
in possessing, reading, and knowing the Scripture,
we are under a mighty, solemn, and decisive influ
ence, and that this word judges us now, and will
judge us at the last day ? Do we tremble at the
word of Jehovah ? Does the word judge and
decide, mould and govern, guide and comfort ?
What are and do ye more than others, who know
only human words and opinions, to whom Scrip
ture also is but the word of man ? Is it evident,
from the effects the word has produced in you,
that it is the word of the living God ? Oh. blessed

o

are they who, like the author of Psalm cxix., can

give to the word more than a hundredfold praise !

The expressions which are used here of the

234 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

word of God are all applicable to Christ Himself;
for He is living, He is the power of God, He
came for judgment into the world, He is the
Searcher of hearts, His eyes are like a flame of
fire. But the reference is to the spoken and
written word. For in this epistle the Lord is
never called the Word, as in the gospel of John
and in the book of Revelation. We know how
intimate and essential is the connection between
the eternal, living, personal word and the Scrip
tures. The Son is the Word, the revealer of
God, the expression of His thought, the mani
festation of His light and love. Christ is the
Word of God, and therefore Christ is the sum
and substance of Scripture. Of Him testify Moses
and the prophets. The Spirit of Christ did signify,
both in the types of the law and the prophecies,
of His sufferings and glory. The Scripture, as
the written word, is according to Christ and of
Christ ; and by it Christ is heard, received, and
formed in the soul.

Of this written Word, of which Christ is centre
and end, as well as author and method, which is
inspired by the Holy Ghost and sent by God, the
gospel message is the kernel. And hence it is
this gospel which especially is called the Word.
"All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as
the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and
the flower thereof falleth away ; but the word of

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 235

the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the
Word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
And is not all Scripture gospel ? For even the
law, convincing of sin and declaring condemna
tion, is only sent to prepare the heart for the
reception of Christ's grace and salvation. And
blessed are they who are wounded by Moses, for
Jesus shall heal them.

The Word is living (£un>). (Rev. i. 18, Greek.
John v. 26, 21 and 24; vi. 63, 68.) God is called
the Living One; and Christ the Lord calls Him
self the Living One. He is the life, He has life
in Himself, and He came to quicken and to give
unto us life abundantly. And the Word which
proceedeth out of the mouth and heart o God,
the Word of which Christ is the substance, and
which is given and watched over by the Spirit, is
also living ; for God's words are spirit and life.

The Word is the seed, which appears insignifi
cant, but which if received in good ground shows
its vitality. Hence it is by this Word that souls
are born again unto eternal life. They who receive
the word of God (not texts and sermons) experi
ence that this Word does not remain within them
as a dead and inert mass, a mere addition to their
previous knowledge, but that it produces within
them life. All words, to a certain extent, may
be compared to seed ; but they cannot produce
new, spiritual, divine, eternal life. They may

Q

256 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

add to the knowledge, excite the emotions, stimu
late the energies, rouse the conscience of the old
man ; they cannot create the new life. The word
of God quickens the dead. As the Word, ap
plied by the Spirit, produces, so it also sustains
and promotes life. " As newborn babes, desire
the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow
thereby." The Saviour, who is life, calls Himself
not merely bread, but living bread ; so the word
of God. by which our life is sustained, is a living
Word.

The living Word is powerful or energetic (€Vepy»/r).
It is compared to the seed which possesses vi
tality and power. It springs up and grows while
men are asleep and unconscious of its operation.
First comes the blade, then the ear, after that the
full corn in the ear. The word of God is con
tinually active ; it grows and energises in our
thoughts and motives, it brings forth fruit in our
words and actions, it impels to exertion, it sus
tains in trial. We can see the powrer or energy
of the Word when it fills those that hear and
receive it with strong emotions, fillino; them with

o o

fear and terror, with grief and contrition ; we can
see its power in the sudden and striking changes
it produces, when the thoughtless and worldly, the
selfish and depraved, are arrested and quickened
by its mighty power. But while the earthquake
and the fire declare the approach of the Lord, it

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 237

is in the still small voice that the Lord at last
appears to take up His permanent abode. There
are the hidden flowers of humility, of forgiving
love, of patience and meekness ; there are the
unseen and unknown daily conflicts and victories ;
there is the crucifixion of the old man, and the
constant renewal of the resurrection -life ; and
these are especially the triumphs of the power of
the Word.

The Word cannot be loving and energetic with
out being also a sword, dividing and separating
with piercing and often painful sharpness that,
which in our natural state lies together mixed and
confused. The Wrord of God, by which all things
were called forth, divided and separated dark
ness from light, the waters above from the waters
below, the -dry land from the sea. The Word of
God, which came unto the fathers, tried and proved
them ; it was a heart-searching Word, which called
forth conflict, and commanded separation from all
ungodliness and all trust in the flesh. The Word
of God, incarnate, was declared from His infancy
set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel,
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
For before life enters into the soul, there is no
separation, division, warfare ; all things are chaotic,
without form and void. The soul, or the lower
intellectual and sentient life, is not distinguished
from the spirit and the higher Godward and

238 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

eternal life. We do not discern the inner man
delighting in the law of God and the other law
striving in our members. We call evil good, and
do not know that there is cnly one good, even
God. We savour the things that are of man and
not of God ; and while we think ourselves dis
ciples, Jesus calls us Satan. We do not know
nature and grace, flesh and Spirit, earth and
heaven, self and Christ, Adam and the Lord, the
quickening Spirit. We sing, but it is not the
melody of the heart ; we pray, but it is not in
faith ; we read the Scripture, but it is not hearing
the voice of God ; we preach, and visit, and work,
as we call it, for Christ, and it is not as the servants
who do not their own will, seek not their own glory,
and rely not on their own strength. We imitate
Christ, but not the real Christ, who sought only to
please and honour God, who walked in love, who
came not to do His own will. Oh, when the
whole life of Jesus stands before the eyes of our
heart, when we behold ourselves in this mirror,
how deeply humbled do we feel ! I think of the
singleness of His aim, " I came to do not my will,
but the will of Him that sent me ;" I think of the
uninterrupted calmness and fervour of His faith
in God ; I think of His absolute and inexhaustible
love, which gave expecting nothing again, which
was always ready to forgive and to bless ; I think
of Him as walking in love, love surrounding all

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 239

His footsteps, love (and that in a sinful world which
hated Him) the atmosphere in which He breathed,
the constant manifestation of His heart, "And
when mine eye seeth Him, I abhor myself. (Job
xlii. 5, 6.) The word of God comes as a sword,
and separates and analyzes ; it comes not to flatter
and to soothe ; it comes not to encourage us with
half-true, half-false encomiums ; it does not call the
flesh Spirit, but condemns it as flesh and enmity
against God. It leads you into the lower Chris
tian life (John iii. 30) ; it discerns the thoughts
and intents of the heart, the hidden self-com
placency, the hidden ambition and self-will ; it
enters into the very joints and marrow, the ener
gies and sentiments, the motives and springs of
our actions, the true character of our rejoicing
and mourning, our elevations and depressions ;
and then you say with the apostle : I have no
confidence in the flesh, in my old nature, in me,
body, soul, and spirit as I am of Adam. I dare
not trust the sweetest frame. I cannot call my
" holy things " holy, for they are full of sin.
The word of God enters into my inmost soul
and heart-life, and as a judge both unveils and
condemns ; what hitherto was hidden, is un
covered ; what was disguised, unveiled ; what
was falsely called good and spiritual, appears now
in the bright light of God's countenance ; the
thoughts and intents of the heart are discerned.

240 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Thus am I brought into God's presence, as when
I first was convinced of my sin and my guilt ; but
I feel more abased, and with a deeper knowledge
and sorrow I exclaim : I am vile, and abhor myself
in dust and ashes. Oh, where is Christ ? I wish
to be found in Him. I wish Him to live in me.
What is there in me pleasing to God ? Oh that
Christ would sing, pray, love, live in me !

When the Word thus dwells in us, we give
glory to God, and we are spiritually-minded. We
live not on mere notions and impressions ; we
begin to apply our knowledge to our actual state
and to our daily walk ; we are delivered from
hypocrisy, which is since the fall the great disease
of mankind, especially those who enjoy the pri
vilege of belonging to the congregation of God.
What is hypocrisy but as the word signifies, living
in a vain show, the semblance of things ? As
actors on a stage, who pretend they are kings, and
possess power and large armies, who speak and
demean themselves with great dignity ; so men
professing faith and godliness rest satisfied with a
form and outline, without substance and fulness.
The word of God suffers not such a semblance
and shadowy deception. It brings us into the
presence of Him who desireth truth in the inward
part. The Christian, who is judged, chastened,
and corrected, who is wounded and killed by this
living and powerful Word, prays : " Search me,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 241

and try me, and see if there be any wicked thing
in me, and lead me in die way everlasting-."

Here alone is peace. Without this solemn awe
and trembling at the word of God, there is no true
rest in Christ. There may be much talk about
peace and assurance, expressions which are exu
berant, but proceed not out of a full heart, which
sound strong and courageous, but are not of the
Spirit, in whom alone is might. He who has
confidence in the flesh does not rejoice in Christ
Jesus. And to have no confidence in the flesh is
the result of the pain-inflicting judgment of the
Word. When we judge ourselves, we are not
judged. When we confess our sin, He is faithful
and just to forgive our sin. When we admit that
we have denied Him thrice, we can say : " Lord,
Thou knowest that I love Thee.""

* The expression, "two-edged sword," is used Prov. v. 4; Ps. cxlix.
6; Rev. i. 16, ii. 12. In the prophet Isaiah the Messiah saith : "He hath
made my mouth like a sharp sword " (Isa. xlix. 2) ; and in the days of His
flesh He declared, "The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge
him in the last day. (John xii. 48.) They who are pierced by the word,
and wounded in their inmost heart, are also healed and comforted, and
shall not enter into the judgment of condemnation. The sword is bitter,
but the hand that wields it is sweet and loving.

The dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and mar
row : /utfeXoi, organs of thought and sensation ; ap/tol, those of motion and
activity ; ^vxy and irveO/ota, according to the Scripture, refer to the lower
and higher spiritual life of man. This thought is more clearly expressed :
KpiTiic6s ; that is, discerner and judge of the desires (soul) and thoughts (spirit)
of the heart, in which both soul and spirit centre. Thus the heart by the
word is brought into the presence of God, with whom we have to do, and
before whom all things are open (r/aax^Mff iv means here, expose to view).

242 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

The Word judges us on earth, and we are
humbled ; the Lord Jesus represents us in heaven ;
He intercedes for us, He sympathises with us.
We look from earth and self to the sanctuary

The intimate relation between the personal word of God and the written
word is evident. Now what is said of the latter always points to its source
and fountain, the Lord Himself.

The following remarks of Otinger are practical : "The word of God in
the Spirit separates soul and spirit out of a state of confusion ; as often as
I conquer myself by recollection of Scripture passages, by spiritual thoughts,
which lie already prepared in my mind, this separation takes place ; the
affections, prejudices, and complicated departures from the truth, which
arise from below, are corrected and judged by the spirit above. Our lower
mind has many preconceived ideas, which are full of distrust, doubt, and
hypocrisy, as regards the gospel. To distinguish these from the enlightened
thoughts of the heart is the redemption through faith. Spiritual we call
the mind, which is planted in us through the heavenly doctrine of the
gospel ; when this mind is established in us and confirmed, the apostle
Peter calls it the incorruptible essence of a meek and quiet spirit. It
expresses itself in thoughts which are true, and which continue solid and
stedfast, and in a wisdom which pervades all our actions, not in optical,
unsubstantial thoughts (that is, mere theoretical, shadowy notions and ima
ges). As soon as by grace this mind is planted in us, the separation
spoken of in Hebrews iv. commences. To know this is a matter of
experience. If we find that we ourselves experience the effects of the
word which we expect it to exercise on other* ; if I know from Rom. vii.
that there are two wills in me, the one out of the truth, the other out
of the imagination (God-estranged), the one of God, the other of self,
the Holy Ghost assists me in an indescribable manner to discern what
is in me, to distinguish between the spiritual inner man and the lower
carnal. Thus the Spirit leads me into truth. To be spiritually-mindec1
is life eternal and liberty. If I allow the word of God to exercise its se
parating power (according to the true method of the Scripture and the
sacraments), I am brought into the true spiritual condition and understand
ing ; the more faithful and patient I am in my reception of the most deli
cate words and operations of the Spirit, of all the sayings and commands
of Jesus, the clearer and freer becomes my mind, and flesh and spirit are
separated, so that I am no longer in the flesh (Rom. vii.), but in the Spirit
(Rom. viii. ; Gal. ii.), although I still live in the flesh. (2. Cor. x.)"

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 243

above, and find there nothing but love, grace,
sympathy, and the fulness of blessings. He is
our great High Priest. Israel in the wilderness,
though full of sin, was brought nigh to God
through the priesthood, and especially through the
High Priest. We have the substance, of which
tabernacle and priests were types. Christ is our
great, eternal and all-sufficient High Priest in
heaven. We must lift up our eyes and hearts to
heaven in order to find peace and consolation.
Jesus the Son of God (Heb. i. 2), who by His
sufferings and death became a merciful and faith-

o

ful High Priest (ii. 17), has, according to the will
and word of the Father (i. 3, 13), passed through
the created heavens, and sat down at the right
hand of the Majesty on high. He, as our Lord
and High Priest, is in heaven itself (avros 6 ovpavo?
Heb. x. 24) ; He is called great, for Aaron and
Melchisedek are but types, while He is the true
and eternal Priest. The throne on which He
is seated is the same throne which is called the
throne of the majesty. But unto us it is now
a throne of grace. The Father, the Lamb, and
the Spirit, are One, the God of salvation. We
who are justified by the blood of Christ are now
in the presence of the Father. All divine attri
butes and perfections are now full of peace and
consolation ; we behold the throne of God as a
throne of grace. As forgiven, accepted, nay, as

244 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the righteousness of God in Christ, we are before
God. Beholding Jesus as our great High Priest,
we shall have strength to hold fast our profession,
notwithstanding all our difficulties and sins, and
we shall have boldness to go to the throne of grace,
to obtain mercy and help in the time of need.

Judged and humbled by the word on earth, we
are strengthened and comforted by the great High
Priest in heaven. Through suffering and tempta
tion, through infirmity and conflict, the Son of man
ascended high above all principalities and powers,
thrones and dominions ; high above all heavens,
into the very presence and glory of God. He has
entered into the holy of holies; He possesses now,
as the Son of man, the glory which He had with
the Father from all eternity. Far above all created
heavens, far above all created angels, we behold
now Him who first descended into the lower parts
of the earth. Our Lord Jesus, who hungered and
thirsted, who lived in the weakness and infirmity
of the flesh, who sighed and wept, who prayed
and agonized, who was tempted of the devil, who
died on the cross, who was buried and descended
into Hades, He is now in the most excellent glory,
and He is there as our High Priest, Representative,
and Head. " Glory to God in the highest," sang
the angels ; and in that highest region — if we may
so call that which is above space as eternity is
above time — lives now our Lord, with whom we
are one.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 245

Think not of the quiet resting-place of the
saints who, free from sin and toil, are asleep in
Jesus — think not of the heavens of angels, who
in strength and love execute God's commandment

—but high above them, in the sanctuary, in the
palace, in the very throne of the glorious and ever-
blessed Godhead, is the Man Christ Jesus. And
we who were co-crucified with Him are there
in Him. The Father beholds us in Christ; we
are whiter than snow, and the beauty of the Lord
shines on us.

In that sanctuary of blessedness and glory Jesus,
who was tempted in all things as we are, apart
from sin, is touched with the feeling of our in
firmities. He remembers His earthly experience.

He knows our frailty, the painfulness of the con
flict, the weakness of the flesh.

" Where high the heavenly temple stands,
The house of God not made with hands,
A great High Priest our nature wears,
The Guardian of mankind appears.

" He who for men their surety stood,
And poured on earth His precious blood,
Pursues in heaven His mighty plan,
The Saviour and the Friend of man.

" Though now ascended up on high,
He bends on earth a brother's eye ;
Partaker of the human name,
He knows the frailty of our frame.

" Our fellow-sufferer yet retains
A fellow-feeling of our pains ;
And still remembers in the skies,
His tears, His agonies, and cries."

246 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

He knows our danger, and that Satan hath desired
to have us, that he may sift us as wheat. While
the Saviour thus regards us with compassion and
with sympathy, He has no lower standard for us,
no lower aim, than He had for Himself. We are
to be in the world as He was, to overcome as He
overcame, and to end even where the Lord is ; it
is Christ's will, that where He is we who believe
in Him should be likewise. As He was in
heaven, even while He lived on earth, so He
desires that, even while in the wilderness, we
should have our citizenship in heaven. And as
He overcame, and is set down on His Father's
throne, so He desires that we should overcome
and share His throne and dominion.

Remember both the tenderness of the High
Priest's heart, and the comprehensive scope of His
intercession. This indeed is true sympathy, not
with the sin, but with the sinner. The perfectly
holy and victorious One alone can give true
sympathy, seeking our real, our highest good.
Sympathy comes to us from the "very highest"
heaven.

His intercession is perpetual, unceasing ; it is
sovereign, and part of the divine covenant-gifts.
Even as He died for us, and rose again, and
ascended into heaven for our salvation, so He
ever liveth to intercede. It is not in answer to
our prayer, it is not according to our works and

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 247

merits, that He died for us. Even so is His
intercession His own divine, gracious, sovereign
oqft. As His infinite and inexhaustible love

O

brought Him from the throne of His glory to
live and die upon earth, so the same love is now
the source of His constant care and faithfulness,
and of His never-ceasing intercession. We are
upheld according to His lovingkindness, according
to the multitude of His tender mercies. Justified
by His blood, we are now much more abundantly
saved by His life.

And having such a High Priest in heaven, can
we lose courage ? can we draw back in cowardice,
impatience, and faint-heartedness ? can we give
up our profession, our allegiance, our obedience to
Christ ? Or shall we not be like Joshua and Caleb,
who followed the Lord fully? Let us hold fast our
profession ; let us persevere and fight the good
fight on earth. Our great High Priest in the
highest glory is our righteousness and strength ;
He loves, He watches, He prays, He holds us
fast, and we shall never perish. Jesus is our
Moses, who in the height above prays for us
Jesus our true Joshua, who gains the victory over
our enemies. Only be strong, and of a good
courage ; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.
In that mirror of the Word in which we behold
our sin and weakness we behold also the image
of that perfect One who has passed through the

248 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

conflict and temptation, who as the High Priest
bears us on His loving heart, and as the Shepherd
of the flock holds us in safety for evermore.
Boldly we come to the throne of grace. In Jesus
we draw near to the Father. The throne of
majesty and righteousness is unto us a throne of
grace. The Lord is our God. In one aspect Christ
tells us that He does not pray to the Father for
us, because the Father Himself loveth us. We
behold in Christ's intercession the Father's love,
even as in the death of Christ we recognise the
love of God. Our God then is enthroned in
grace. There is not merely grace on the throne,
but the throne is altogether the throne of grace.
It is grace which disciplines us by the sharp
and piercing Word ; it is grace which looks
on us when we have denied Him, and makes
us weep bitterly. Jesus always intercedes ; the
throne is always a throne of grace. The Lamb
is in the midst of the throne. Hence we come
boldly.

Boldly is not contrasted with reverently and
tremblingly ; boldness is not contrasted with awe
and godly fear. It means literally "saying all," with
that confidence which begets thorough honesty,
frankness, full and open speech. " Pour out your
heart before Him." Come as you are, say what
you feel, ask what you need. Confess your sins,
your fears, your wandering thoughts and affections.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 249

Jesus the Lord went through all sorrows and trials
the heart of man can go through, and as He felt
all affliction and temptation most keenly, so in all
these difficulties and trials He had communion
with the Father. He knows, therefore, how to
succour them that are tempted. How fully and
unreservedly may we speak to God in the pre
sence and by the mediation of the man Christ
Jesus.

The Lord Jesus is filled with tender compassion,
and the most profound, lively, and comprehensive
sympathy. This belongs to the perfection of His
high- priesthood. For this very purpose He was
tempted, He suffered. — Our infirmities, it is true,
are intimately connected with our sinfulness ;
the weakness of our flesh is never free from a
sinful concurrence of the will ; and the Saviour
knows from His experience on earth how ignorant,
poor, weak, sinful, and corrupt His disciples are.
He loved them, watched over them with unwea
ried patience ; prayed for them that their faith fail
not ; and reminded them the spirit is willing, but
the flesh is weak. He remembers also His own
sinless weakness ; He knows what constant
thought, meditation, and prayer are needed to over
come Satan, and to be faithful to God. He knows
what it is for the soul to be sorrowful and over
whelmed, and what it is to be refreshed by the
sunshine of divine favour, and to rejoice in the

250 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Spirit. We may come to Him expecting full,
tender, deep sympathy, and compassion. He is
ever ready to strengthen and comfort, to heal
and to restore. He is prepared to receive the
poor, wounded, sin-stained believer ; to dry the
tears of Peter weeping bitterly ; to say to Paul,
oppressed with the thorn in the flesh, " My grace
is sufficient for thee."

We need only understand that we are sinners
and that He is High Priest. The law was
given that every mouth may be shut, for we are
guilty. The High Priest is given that every
mouth may be open, for Jesus receives sinners.
He saves and upholds all who put their trust in
Him. It is by reason of that secret pride and
self-righteousness, which Satan as a subtle poison
infuses into the human heart, that when we feel
our sinfulness and transgression we do not go
boldly to the loving and compassionate High
Priest, to the throne of grace. And this latent
self-righteousness often expresses itself in such re
gretful phrases as, Well, I must just depend on
the mercy of God ; as if the mercy of our God
and Saviour was a last resource when other and
better things have failed, as if it was not our only
peace, joy, and glory, as if it was not the best
robe and the unspeakable gift, as if Jesus was not
all in all, as if our song in time and eternity were
not — " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. He

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 251

loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own
blood."

We come in faith as sinners. Then shall we
obtain mercy ; and we always need mercy. As
pilgrims on earth we always need mercy, to wash
our feet, to restore to us the joy of salvation, to
heal our backslidings, and bind up our wounds.
We shall obtain help in every time of need. For
God may suffer Satan and the world, want and
suffering, to go against us ; but He always causes
all things to work together for our good. He
permits the time of need, that we may call upon
Him, and, being delivered by Him, may glorify
His name. He will send timely (ev/catpov /So^iai/)
help before we succumb to the infirmities and
temptations which beset us. For He, who will
not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able,
will send deliverance at the right moment, when
all the purposes of grace and chastening discipline
have been secured. All the help we need-
wisdom, patience, strength, daily bread, all is
treasured up for us in the heavenly places ; the
sanctuary is also the treasury ; the High Priest is
also King. From the throne of grace God will send
it. Come boldly.

Jesus belongs to the sinner. From His infancy
in Bethlehem's manger to the garden of Gethse-
mane, and from His agony on the cross to His
ascension high above all heavens, He belongs to

252 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

us, poor, guilty and helpless sinners, who trust in
Him. He is altogether ours. He came to seek
and to save us who were lost. His obedience,
His life of sorrow and love, His prayers and
tears, His sacrifice on the cross, His resurrection,
all is ours, because we are the wayward and help
less sheep who went astray, and whom He found.
And in the heavenly glory He is ours, and His
love, sympathy, faithfulness and power, give unto
us in our need and misery, all things which per
tain unto life and godliness. It is with us sinners
that the glorified Saviour is now constantly occu
pied. We are His thought, His care, His work,
and — oh that it were so more abundantly ! — -His
joy, His garden, His reward. In Jesus God is
ours. In the ocean of His love, in the fulness
of infinite covenant -grace, we can rejoice. The
God with whom we have to do seeth and knoweth
all things; He is a consuming fire — and yet is
He our God, Father, Saviour, indwelling Spirit ;
His throne is the throne of grace; nay, our very
life is hid with Christ in God ; we are in the
bosom of Jesus, who is in the bosom of the
Father. Hold fast, brother, and come boldly.
Amen.

CHAPTER XL

CHRIST, AS SON OF MAN, CALLED AND PERFECTED

TO BE OUR HIGH PRIEST.

HEB. v. i-io.

enter now on the third section of our
epistle, which extends from chapter v. to
chapter x. 39, and which sets before us the Lord
Jesus Christ, the High Priest of the everlasting
covenant, greater than the Aaronic priesthood.
Twice already the apostle has referred to Christ
as our High Priest, and he now enters on the
development of the central theme of his epistle,
Christ a priest for ever after the order of Melchize
dek. But in order to explain the priesthood on
which Christ entered after His death and resur
rection, and of which not Aaron but Melchizedek
was the type, it is necessary for him to show how
the Lord Jesus fulfilled all that was typified of
Him in the Levitical dispensation, and possessed
in perfection all the requirements which, according

254 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

to divine appointment, were needed in the high
priest, and which could not be possessed in per
fection by sinful men like the Aaronic priests.

The High Priest in Israel possessed these two
qualifications : First, He was one of the people,
taken from among men for men. Secondly, He
was appointed expressly by God Himself. The
Lord Jesus was accordingly man, and appointed
by the Father to be High Priest. But in His
case a third element is added. As our Lord is
not only the High Priest, but the sacrifice, on the
foundation of which He exercises in heaven the
functions of the High Priest, it was necessary for
Him to suffer and to enter into the lowest depth
of agony and death. And after having in perfect
obedience and faith endured all, He entered into
heaven, to be the High Priest for ever after the
order of Melchizedek.

Before Israel was redeemed out of Egypt, sacri
fices and offerings were brought unto God by the
fathers of families, and the paschal lamb was
offered in every household. The whole nation,
redeemed by the blood of the lamb, was called to
be a nation of priests ; that is, they were separated
unto God, and called to worship Him, and to offer
unto Him sacrifice. It was only when the people
became deeply conscious of their sins, guilt, and
pollution, when the law revealed to them more
fully the awful majesty and holiness of God, that

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 255

the priesthood was appointed, typical of the true
mediation between God and man. The priests
were appointed by God, separated unto Him, or
holy, to bring the people's sacrifices and offerings
before God ; they were permitted to draw near to
God, and this as representatives and mediators.
Arid they brought to the people God's gifts, viz.,
reconciliation and blessing.

Now it is evident that the priesthood suffered
from two essential defects, and that it was only a
shadow and type of our Lord.

In the first place, the priests were as sinful as
the people whom they represented. It was on
account of sin that Israel felt the need of a
mediator. But Aaron and the priests were only
officially holy, they were not in reality spotless
and pure. Hence they had to offer sacrifices for
their own sins and infirmities, as well as for
those of the people.

Secondly, the mediator ought not merely to be
perfect and sinless man, he ought also to be divine,
in perfect and full communion with Gcvi, so that
he can impart divine forgiveness and blessing.
Only in the Lord Jesus therefore is the true medi
ation. And now that He has come and entered
into the heavenly sanctuary as our High Priest,
the word priest in the sense of sacerdotal mediator
dare never be used any more. Through Jesus
the whole congregations of believers have bold-

256 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

ness to enter into the holy of holies. He who
loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own
blood, hath made us kings and priests unto God.
The two qualifications of the Aaronic high
priest, that he was from among men and that he
was appointed by God, were fulfilled in a perfect
manner in the Lord Jesus. But in considering
these two points, we are struck not merely by the
resemblance between the type and the fulfilment,
but also by the contrast.

First, Aaron was chosen from among men to
offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Jesus was true
man, born of a woman and made under the law ;
" He became in all things like unto His brethren.
But whereas the Jewish high priest had to offer
for himself, as he was a sinner, the Lord was
harmless and undefiled, pure and spotless. His me
diation was therefore perfect. — The Aaronic high
priest was able to have compassion on the ignorant
and on them that were out of the way. The
expression ' ignorance ' refers here to the great
distinction which was made in Israel between sins
for which there were sacrifices, and the sin of
determined and presumptuous defiance of God's
authority for which there was no sacrifice but
judgment : " That soul shall utterly be cut off; his
iniquity shall be upon him." (Num. xv. 22-31.)
The Aaronic high priest could have compassion*

* The expression peTpwiradelv (translated in the margin can

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 257

on fellow-sinners, knowing and feeling his own in
firmities and transgressions, and knowing also the
love of God, who desireth not the death of the
sinner, but that he should turn and live.

But this compassionate, loving, gentle, all-con
siderate, and tender regard for the sinner can
exist in perfection only in a sinless one. This
appears at first sight paradoxical ; for we expect
the perfect man to be the severest judge. And
with regard to sin, this is doubtless true. God
chargeth even His angels with folly. He be-
holfls sin where we do not discover it. He
setteth our secret sins in the light of His coun
tenance. And Jesus, the Holy One of Israel,
like the Father, has eyes like a flame of fire, and
discerns everything that is contrary to God's mind
and will. But with regard to the sinner, Jesus, by
virtue of His perfect holiness, is the most merciful,
compassionate, and considerate Judge. For we,
not taking a deep and keen view of sin, that
central essential evil which exists in all men, and
manifests itself in various ways and degrees, are
not able to form a just estimate of men's compa
rative guilt and blameworthiness. Nay, our very
sins make us more impatient and severe with
regard to the sins of others. Our vanity finds the

bear with) seems to have originated in Greek literature as the con
trast to the apathy of the stoic, and apparently means that feeling
of kindness and tenderness towards the sufferer, in which due
regard to justice and rectitude is not forgotten.

258 The Epistle to the Hebreivs.

vanity of others intolerable ; our pride finds the
pride of others excessive.* And again, blind to
the guilt of our own peculiar sins, we are shocked
with another's sin, different indeed from ours, but
not less offensive to God, or pernicious in its
tendencies. Again, the purer and higher the
character, the quicker its penetration and the
livelier its sympathy, discovering and loving any
element and tendency heavenward and godward.
Again, the greater the knowledge of divine love
and pardon, the stronger faith in the divine mercy
and renewing grace, the more hopeful and the
more lenient will be our view of sinners. And
finally, the more we possess of the spirit and heart
of the Shepherd, the Physician, the Father, the
Brother, the deeper will be our compassion on the
ignorant and wayward.

The Lord Jesus was therefore most compassion
ate, considerate, lenient, hopeful in His feelings
toward sinners and in His dealings with them.
He was infinitely holy and perfectly clear in
His hatred and judgment of sin; but He was
tender and gracious to the sinner. Beholding the
sinful heart in all, estimating sin according to
the divine standard, according to its real inward
character, and not the human, conventional, and
outward measure, Jesus, infinitely holy and sen
sitive as He was, saw often less to shock and

* Fenelon.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 259

pain Him in the drunkard and profligate than in
the respectable, selfish, and ungo;lly religionists.
Again, He had come to heal the sick, to restore
the erring, to bring the sinner to repentance. He
looked upon sin as the greatest and most fearful
evil, but on the sinner as poor, suffering, lost, and
helpless. He felt as the Shepherd towards the
ignorant and erring, the wayward and fcolish, the
helpless and perishing; He felt as the Physician
towards the guilty and sin-stricken ; He felt the
yearning of parental love and pity toward the
children of Jerusalem ; and even on the cross,
when their sin appeared in its most feariul in
tensity, the Lord prayed — "Father, forgive them ;
for they know not what they do ! " Again, He
fastened in a moment on any indications of the
Father's drawing the heart, of the Spirit's work.
He loved the rich young man ; for, though his
words sounded most self-righteous, Jesus beheld
Him, and saw he was not peaceful and calm in
his soul. He knew how to stir up the hidden
remnant, however small it was, of religious know
ledge in the woman of Samaria, so that she asked
Him about worship, and said, " I know that
Messiah cometh!" He rebuked Peter as Satan,
and yet He knew and loved him as a true and
sincere disciple. And thus, while Jesus, in His
perfect holiness, judges most truly, lovingly, and
tenderly of us, He knows by experience the weak-

260 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

ness of the flesh, and the difficulty and soreness
of the struggle. What a marvellous fulfilment
of the Priest's requisite, that he should be taken
from men ! one to whom we can look with full
and calm trust, our Representative, the man
Christ Jesus, possessed of perfect, divine love and
compassion.

Secondly, the High Priest is appointed by
God. No man taketh this honour unto himself,
but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
The High Priesthood of Christ is identified here
with His glory. Christ glorified not Himself
to be made a High Priest. Blessed truth, that
the glory of Christ and our salvation are so
intimately connected, that Christ regards it as
His glory to be our Mediator and Intercessor!
This is Christ's glory, even as it is the reward
of His suffering, that in Him we draw near to
the Father, and that from Him we receive the
blessings of the everlasting covenant. He rejoices
to be our High Priest.

God called Him to the Priesthood. In Psalm
ex. it is written : " Thou art a priest for ever
after the order of Melchizedek." When Jesus
entered into the Holy of Holies, when He sat
down at the right hand of God, then He actually
entered on the exercise of His priesthood. But
the calling of Jesus to the High Priestly dignity
is based on His Sonship. For, as we have

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 261

already see; , the true Priest or Mediator must be
divine as well as human. Because Jesus is Son,
He is the Prophet, perfectly revealing God ; be
cause He is Son, He is the true Sacrifice and
Priest ; for only the blood of the Son of God
can cleanse from all sin, and bring us nigh unto
God ; and only through Christ crucified and
exalted can the Fathers love and the Spirit's
power descend into our hearts.

Here the comparison and contrast between the
Lord and Aaron ends. The apostle now enters
on that which is peculiar to our Saviour Jesus.
The types and figures of the old covenant could
not be perfect and adequate ; for that which is
united in Christ had necessarily to be severed and
set forth by a variety of figures. The priests
offered not themselves, but animals. Now the
obedience, the conflict, the faith, the offering of
the will in the true, real, and effective Sacrifice
could not possibly be symbolised. Nor could any
single symbol represent how Jesus, by being first
the Sacrifice, became thereby the perfect, compas
sionate, and merciful High Priest. Christ was the
victim on the cross. His whole previous life of
obedience was the necessary preparation for His
ultimate obedience unto death. And because He
was the true sacrifice, and had learned obedience,
He became the compassionate and faithful High
Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Hence we must

262 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

combine the Levitical types (regarding sacrifice,
and the entrance of Aaron into the holy of holies)
and the Melchizedek type (regarding priesthood),
in order to obtain a true view of the work and
person of our Lord. We must read Leviticus in
the light of the gospels and epistles, rather than
explain the fulfilment by the necessarily imperfect
and fragmentary types ; and in doing so we shall
see as much contrast between the type and the
reality as resemblance between the shadow and
the substance.

Called of God to be a H igh Priest for ever, the
Lord Jesus, though He was the eternal Son of the
Father, and though He was returning to glory,
even to the right hand of the Majesty on high,
learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
He knows the path of temptation, sorrow, and
conflict. The following verses unfold to us that
the Lord descended into the lowest depth of
human weakness, anguish, and death, and that
only through this dark path He entered into His
heavenly priesthood. It is in like manner that in
the epistle to the Philippians the mind which was
in Christ Jesus is described. He who was in the
form of God emptied Himself, and was obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross ; and it
is for this reason that the Father hath highly
exalted Him. In one passage the emphasis is
laid on His priesthood, in the other on His royal

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 263

supremacy. In both the voluntary and perfect
obedience of Jesus as the eternal Son of God is
presented to us.

The Son of God, according to the eternal coun
sel, came into the world to be obedient even unto
death. " Lo, I come to do Thy will." His obedi
ence was characterized throughout by such con
tinuity, liberty, and inward delight, that we are
apt to forget that aspect of His life on which the
apostle dwells when he says, that though Christ
was a Son, yet learned He obedience by the
things which He suffered. The Lord Jesus was
always doing the things which pleased the Father.
There was no break or hesitation, no pause or
retrogression in His path : it was the path of the
just man, which is as the shining light, which
shineth more and more unto the perfect day. And
as it was continuous, so it seemed without an effort,
flowing forth abundantly and spontaneously out
of the full well-spring of His heart. He seems
refreshed and not exhausted by doing the will of
the Father that sent Him.

And yet Jesus learned obedience, as He Him
self said, He came not to do His own will. He
who is Lord, eternal, infinite in powe/ and glory,
was made flesh, and with a human will, amid the
toil and temptation incident to humanity, He con
tinually submitted Himself to God His Father.
Real and great were His difficulties, temptations,

264 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

and sorrows ; and from the prayers and complaints
ascribed to Messiah in the psalms and prophets,
we can understand somewhat of the burden which
weighed on His loving and sensitive heart, and
the constant dependence with which He leaned
on the Father, and obtained from Him light and
strength. Jesus believed ; He lived not merely
before, but by the Father.

Thus is Jesus the author and finisher of faith.
He went before the sheep He is the forerunner.
He has experienced every difficulty, and tasted
every sorrow. He knows the path in all its
narrowness. Was Abraham a sojourner in the
land of promise as in a strange land ? Jesus, who
was appointed heir of all things, had not where
to lay His head. Did Moses refuse the treasures
in Egypt? Jesus was offered the whole world,
with all its kingdoms and glory. Did David,
anointed by the Lord, experience what it is to be
rejected, hated, and persecuted by the proud and
ungodly ? What enmity, contradiction, ingrati
tude had our Lord to bear! Did Jeremiah weep
tears of bitter sorrow on account of Jerusalem's
impenitence and the false security of Judah, mis
guided by false prophets ? Jesus, foreseeing still
greater judgment on Israel's apostasy, wept over
the city, and loved the nation with a sorrowing
and faithful heart. Jesus felt all our infirmities
and sorrows, He bore our sicknesses, He sighed

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 265

over the misery that is in the world through sin
culminating in death, the great and last enemy;
and while acknowledging divine justice His com
passionate love rested on the sufferer. Jesus was
all the days of His flesh* a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief; but in the garden of Geth-
semane He entered into an experience different
from His previous suffering and conflict. He
saw the cross from the beginning ; He had set
His face stedfastly towards Jerusalem, to go up
and suffer there, and the anticipation of that
awful cup sometimes filled His soul with fear;
His soul was straitened until His baptism was
fulfilled. (Luke xii. 50.) When the Greeks came
to the feast His soul was troubled ; the earnest of
the harvest, represented by the inquiring Gentiles,
reminded Him that the corn of wheat must die
first, and He cried to the Father, " Father, save
me from this hour : but for this cause came I unto
this hour."

The apostles had seen Jesus weep over Jeru-

• The days of His flesh are in contrast to the state of exaltation
after He was perfected. The apostle Peter also uses the expression
Christ "suffered in the flesh" (i Peter iv. 2) ; and the apostle Paul
speaks of our present earthly existence as life in the flesh. (Phil,
i. 22 ; Gal. ii. 20.) The reference is to the life of Christ before
His resurrection, where He, God's "own Son," was "in the likeness
of sinful flesh" (Rom. viii. 3) a partaker of flesh and blood, that He
might suffer death. (Heb. ii. 14.) Of the risen Saviour we read
that He had flesh and bones (Luke xxiv. 39 , notice, not flesh and
blood) ; that He possesses now o-w/xa dofrs — a body of glory.

266 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

salem ; they had seen His tears and heard His
groans at the grave of Lazarus. But there was
something so overwhelming in the agony of Geth-
semane, that the evangelists evidently struggle
with the inadequacy of language to describe the
impression left on the minds of the apostles who
were witnesses of that awful hour. So heavy
was this weight on His soul, that in most touching
words He seeks the sympathy of His disciples'
presence. " My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even
unto death : tarry ye here, and watch with me."
He knelt down; He fell on His face; so great
was His conflict that, as Luke the beloved phy
sician notices, His sweat was as it were great
drops of blood falling to the ground.

What a contrast to the calm strength and
peaceful joy with which immediately before He
had comforted His sorrowing disciples, whose
hearts were troubled and full of fear and sadness !
(John xiv.-xvii.) He had spoken to them of His
glory, of His going to the Father and sending to
them the Spirit, of His joy being perfected in
them, and of their abiding with Him for ever
more. He had sung a hymn of praise with them.
In the prayer which He had offered before them
unto the Father there was no tone of sadness,
there was nothing but peace and the calm assurance
of victory.

But now, though never swerving from implicit

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 267

submission to His Father, He is well-nigh over
whelmed by the prospect of death before Him.
We know the reason. It was not the prospect of
physical pain, excruciating as it was, and sensitive
as was His pure and sinless body. It was not
the anticipation of the external manifestations of
Israel's ingratitude and hatred, deep as was His
love to Jerusalem. It was not the shadow of the
valley of death ; for David and many saints are
able to say, " Then I will fear no evil." No: Jesus,
who is the adoration and strength of rejoicing
martyrs, died not the martyr's death, He died the
just for the unjust. That which men ordinarily
mean when they speak of death had no terror for
the Lord Jesus. " Our friend Lazarus sleepeth,"
He said to His disciples, and, comforting them on
that last evening, He spoke of His death as
simply going to the Father, and exhorted them to
rejoice because He went to His Father's house
and throne. And with perfect calmness He finally
committed His Spirit into the Father's hand.
The enmity and opposition, the malice and con
tempt of His nation with their rulers, keenly as
His loving heart felt it, had been known by Him
for years, and He had borne it patiently and
calmly, and with undisturbed hope and courage,
knowing that by meekness He would conquer,
and that the Father would cause His work to
prosper. Fearlessness, such as must accompany

268 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

perfect faith in God, had always characterized
Him. He never feared man. As He exhorted
His disciples not to fear them that can only kill
the body, so He Himself met all danger and
opposition with the most peaceful calmness and
collectedness of implicit and uninterrupted faith in
God. Whence the sorrow, the anguish, the over
whelming agony in the garden of Gethsemane ?

He knew that on the cross, as our substitute,
He would be left to suffer in connection with the
judgment of sin; that His soul would be left
without the light of the Father's countenance ;
and that which was His sole joy and strength, the
very life of His life, would be taken from Him.

He tasted that death of which sin is the sting
and the law the strength. When He saw what
was before Him — death in its organic connection
with divine wrath — He trembled, and was in
agony.

Here we see, as nowhere else, how abhorrent
He was of the iniquity which was about to be
laid on Him, and how wonderful was His love to
God and to us. The Lord Jesus, because He v as
the Son of God, and perfect, holy man, could not
but shrink from that cup, the Father hiding His
face from Him. He prayed with strong crying
and tears. We behold Him as the Son of man.
He felt that this was the hour and power of dark
ness. Satan doubtless used the fear of death,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 269

and presented it to the Lord's mind to throw
anguish into His heart. The anticipation of His
agony on the cross overwhelms Him. Yet He
remains faithful. He cries unto God. His tears
betoken the earnestness of His prayer; His
prayer reveals the holy, submissive character of
His tears.

Who can fathom the depth of Christ's prayer,
or understand the full import of His tears and
cries ? Even in our infirmities the Spirit helpeth
us, making intercession for us with groans which
cannot be uttered. What must have been the
petitions and the cries of the Lord Jesus when
He offered Himself unto the Father! He sancti
fied the Lord His God in His heart, He hallowed
His name, He magnified His holy justice, while
He beheld His infinite love! He submitted Him
self to His counsel, He surrendered Himself to
suffer the most agonizing pain, and yet He trusted
in His almighty and faithful deliverance! Here
was the most wonderful combination in the human
soul and spirit of Christ, that He most fully ac
knowledged and adored the holiness and the
justice of God, while with perfect love He con
tinued to identify Himself with guilty and lost
sinners, and with unshaken confidence He trusted
in the faithfulness of God, who would crown Him
with glory, and give Him an innumerable multi
tude for His reward. And in this agony He

270 The EpLile to the Hebrews.

learned to know fully what is the weakness of the
flesh, and what is the real difficulty and painfulness
of the struggle, even to surrender our own will,
and to say, " Thy will be done." Thus He entered
into our lowest depth, and for this reason is He
able now to have perfect sympathy with us.

He cried unto God, and because of his filial
devotedness, which made the Father's will His
own, He was heard.* The Father sent an angel
to strengthen Him. The anguish thL^ well-nigh
overcame Him was conquered. He rose, and set
His face stedfastly to the work before Him.
With meekness He bore the kiss of Judas; He
went forth with calm majesty to meet the soldiers
who were sent to take Him captive; He restrained
the false zeal of Peter, as afterwards He remem
bered him, and looked upon him with forgiving
and tender love ; He witnessed a good confession
before Pilate and the high priest ; He called Jeru
salem's daughters to repentance ; He prayed for
Israel's forgiveness ; He heard the petition of the
dying thief, commended Mary His mother to the
care of the beloved disciple, and then entered
into the mysterious darkness of His expiatory
suffering.

* Some expositors explain, " He was delivered from the fear of
death." This is indeed true ; but it seems more in accordance with
the meaning of the word ei)\d/3eta to translate it "on account of His
fear" of God. And, as Delitzsch says, no more suitable expression
could be found to denote the Saviour's attitude of filial, reverential
submission to God's will.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 271

With strong crying and tears""" the Son of God
offered up prayers and supplications unto Him
that was able to save Him from death. In the
depth of His weakness and anguish He looked
unto the Father's power. He poured out all His
heart before Him. He prayed not to be spared
the suffering of death ; He asked not for twelve
legions of angels to deliver Him. He had made
ihe will of God His own, and because of this
perfect surrender of Himself to that death, which
appeared to Him so awful, He was heard. The
answer to Christ's prayer was fully given when
God brought again from His grave that great
Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the
everlasting covenant. " Thou hast heard me " is
in the twenty-second Psalm, the connecting link
between the Beloved One forsaken and the Be
loved One exalted, declaring the name of God to
His brethren. Thus He learned the obedience

* The expressions of this verse recall the remarkable passage in
the prophet Hosea respecting the patriarch Jacob : " He had
power with God (or was a prince) : yea, he had power over the
angel, and prevailed : he wept, and made supplication unto him."
Israel was an image of the Lord. Moses relates the words of
earnest supplication, but does not mention Jacob's weeping. But the
earnest and intense petition naturally issues in tears. (" Implorare
est fletu rogare." Compare the French implorer and our word cry.
— PUSEY, on Minor Proph. 76.)

Bengel says, in reference to this passage, "Awful cup ! Reasonable
fear ! Unviolated obedience ! Mighty prayer ! Speedy answer !"
The expressions in our passage evidently harmonize especially with
the account of the evangelist Luke. (xxii. 39-46.)

272 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

through the things which He suffered.* The
mind which was in Christ from the beginning was
the mind of perfect filial submission and obedi
ence. He brought this mind with Him into the
world, into His prophetic ministry, into the garden
of Gethsemane, and to the cross of Golgotha.
But in His sufferings this mind was tested, mani
fested, perfected. And now that He has offered
the obedience, by which many are made righteous,
and the Father, in answer to His prayer, has
raised and exalted Him, He is fully fitted for and
consecrated unto His High Priestly life.t The
Father now addresses Him as High Priest after
the order of Melchizedek.J (Verse 10.)

The man Christ Jesus enthroned in heaven
is now our perfect High Priest. He who en
dured all temptations, who glorified God in the
midst of sin and suffering, who became acquainted
with all sorrow and grief, who tasted the bitterness
of death, who offered Himself by the most perfect
surrender of His own will to the Father as our
substitute, He by His obedience unto death has
become the author of eternal salvation to all them

* Notice the force and beauty of the original, £/ta0er faf>

t Hebrews ii. 10: God made Him perfect through sufferings

with' reference to His future compassion and sympathy, through

His exaltation with reference to His power and position as High

Priest.
$ The term vposayopsvdds, which occurs only in this place, means

addressed,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 273

that obey Him ;* and unto all whom He has
saved by His blood He is the Priest after the
order of Melchizedek.

What marvellous insight does Jesus possess
into all that is human ! What tender sympathy
is His, and how high and perfect is His aim, that
God's will should be done by us, even while we
are in the body and in a world of sin and trial !

With what power do the words come from His
lips, "Only believe! Follow me!'

Thus the glory of His exaltation is full of con
solation and peace for us. Because He was faith
ful, because He was obedient unto the death,
because His love conquered every enemy and
overcame every darkness, He is enthroned by
the Father as the Lamb, He is solemnly addressed
by Him as the High Priest, who is the perfect
and eternal Mediator, by whom everlasting salva
tion is given to all who obey Him. The glory of
Christ is the result of His obedience, and the
fruit of the experience of earth, through which
He went, is His perfect sympathy with us, and
His all-sufficient grace, which is able to uphold us
in every trial, and to carry us safely through all
our conflicts, and present us unblameable in body,
soul, and spirit before the Father. And herein

* Kurtz points out that the reason why believers are here
described as those who obey Him is because, as Christ was per
fected through His obedience to the Father, so we can only be
perfected by our obedience to Christ.

274 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

we adore the love of God, who gave up His Son,
who sent Him, who spared Him not, in order that
He might become a perfect High Priest, merciful
and compassionate. Herein is the marvellous
love of the Father, that He gave His own Son
to be not merely the Saviour, but the Brother, the
Head, the source of strength, light, and consola
tion to those who believe in His name.

Let us therefore dwell on the perfection of our
great High Priest; for, as throughout Scripture,
so here, the glory of Christ is unfolded in order
that we may have perfect peace, and that we may
take out of His fulness, and grace upon grace. Our
sorrows and our temptations, our weakness and
our danger, are fully known and constantly re
membered by Jesus, who most tenderly sympa
thizes with us. Our sins have not merely been
pardoned, but our daily trespasses and infirmities,
our constant sinfulness, the sins which we com
mit without being conscious of them, need not
keep us at a distance from God, or take from us
our confidence and peace. Let us confess our
sins, let us in humility acknowledge the sinfulness
within us, and the defilement which clings to all
our actions, even our holy things, and Jesus will
be to us a merciful, considerate High Priest, by
whom we are not only forgiven, but healed, cor
rected, and chastened ; so that while we are judged
in the flesh, we are quickened in the Spirit. We

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 275

are before the Father in Christ the High Priest.
While our prayers and thoughts, the words of our
mouth, and the meditation of our heart, and the
work of our hands, are acceptable, because the
Lord Jesus presents them to the Father; all
blessings of the covenant, all needful light and
strength, grace and consolation, are bestowed
on us by our omnipotent Melchizedek from the
heavenly Jerusalem.

Remember who He is — the High Priest, the
God-man — what He suffered, how in our nature
He ascended, and then give thanks, and be of
good cheer, and whatever clouds and difficulties
may arise, however painful and heavy the burden
of sin, of weakness, of work, never for a moment
forget that nothing shall be able to separate you
from the love of the Father, which is in Christ
Jesus the Son of God, the Brother and Hi^h

<f o

Priest of all who put their trust in Him.

We never know the strength and the love of
Jesus until we lean on Him with the heavy burden
of our sins, temptations, doubts, and sorrows; until
in confiding trust and humble candour we speak
to Him of all that oppresses and perplexes us.
Then we experience that Jesus is the Man, who is
God's equal, the Man of God's right hand, whom
He hath made strong, mighty to save; that He
is the Messenger of the covenant, the true Presence
and Light, who guides us through the wilderness,

276 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

while he sends down all blessings from the
heavenly sanctuary. And then we experience the
wonderiul tenderness, the compassionate love, the
perfect sympathy of Him who is not ashamed to
call us brethren, who is afflicted in all our afflic
tions, who is constantly interceding for us in
heaven, while He is constantly sustaining our
inner life by His Spirit.

" The love of Jesus, what it is
None but His loved ones know ! *

He alone knows what is in man ; the sorrow
which lies too deep for human ministry He is
able to understand and heal.

When there is such a High Priest in heaven,
when such a Man is seated at the right hand of
God — almighty, omniscient, all-loving ; glorious in
His holiness, power, and truth ; unspeakably mer
ciful, compassionate, brotherly ; Son of God, and
Son of Man ; bringing the ocean of divine love
through the channel of human brotherhood and
sympathy, and the fulness of life and glory through
the agony and the death He suffered on the cross ;
when such a Saviour of sinners, Friend and Guide,
nay, Lover and Bridegroom of the soul, is revealed
unto us, will any one of us continue to go through
life alone, alone with sin and guilt, with the accu
sations of the past, the burden of the present, and
the awful gloom of the future; alone with the
thirst of the soul, and the sorrow of the heart.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 277

and the afflictions, trials, and dangers of our path ;
alone with the guilt and power of sin, and the
darkness of the grave and eternity ? Oh for one
simple look to Jesus, and He is yours, with His
plentiful redemption, His peace, His life, His love!
And you who believe in Him, and are in manifold
afflictions and trials, lean on His grace and rest in
His love.

" Thy risen life but fits Thee more

For kindly ministry ;
Thy love unhindered rests upon
Each bruised branch in Thee."

T

CHAPTER XII.

GROWTH IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE.
HER. v. n-vi 3.

HE apostle has scarcely entered on the
central and most important part of his
epistle, when he feels painfully the difficulty of
explaining the doctrine of the heavenly and eter
nal priesthood of the Son, and this not merely on
account of the grandeur and depth of the subject,
but on account of the spiritual condition of the
Hebrews, whom he is addressing. He had pre
sented to their view the Lord Jesus, who after
His sufferings was made perfect in His exaltation
to be the High Priest in heaven. When he quotes
again the i loth Psalm, " Thou art a priest for
ever after the or er of Melchizedek," the solemn
and comprehensive words which are addressed by
the Father to the Son, he has such a vivid and
profound sense of the exceeding riches of this

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 279

heavenly knowledge, of the treasures of wisdom
and consolation which are hidden in the heavenly
priesthood of our ascended Lord, that he longs to
unf Id to the Hebrews his knowledge of the glo
rious mystery ; especially as this was the truth
which they most urgently needed. Here and here
alone could they see their true position as wor
shippers in the true tabernacle, the heavenly
sanctuary. Here and here alone was consolation
for them in the trial which they felt on account of
their exclusion from the temple and the earthly
service in Jerusalem ; while from the knowledge
of Christ's heavenly priesthood they, would also
derive light to avoid the insidious errors, and
strength to overcome the difficulties which were
besetting their path.

The subject being so central and glorious, and
its practical bearing on the Hebrews so direct and
important, the apostle, in his eagerness to develop
the truth which he has only stated, feels himself
checked by the spiritual condition of the Hebrews.
He had many things to say concerning the Mel-
chizedek priest ; many things important, useful,
nay, necessary ; many things full of consolation
and joy ; but he felt that they were hard to be
uttered, because the Hebrews were dull of hearing.
They had fallen into a state of spiritual inertness.
Their perception had become blunted, their vision
dim. It seemed almost necessary to teach them

280 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the first principles of the oracles of God ; not that
they had lost the knowledge of them, but they had
failed to lay to heart their solemnity, and to live
in the power of the saving truth. * In times past
they had known clearly, confessed joyfully, and
suffered with great willingness. But instead of
progressing they had retrograded. And with this
retrogression they had lost their spiritual insight
and vigour ; they had become earthly-minded and
unskilful in the word of righteousness. In this
feeble state into which they had fallen, they were
exposed to great danger. When heavenly reali
ties became dim and vague to their hearts, the
visible form and power of Judaism became both a
difficulty to the mind and a temptation to the soul.
The peril in which the apostle beholds them is
the awful one of apostasy. He sees them on the
brink of a precipice, and therefore he addresses
them in the words of keen but affectionate expos
tulation.

But while he is filled with anxiety, he still
cherishes hope. Remembering their former faith
and patience, remembering, above all, the mercy
and love of God, who had enlightened them and
counted them worthy to suffer for the gospel's
sake, the apostle enters with earnestness and

* rA <rroix«<* Pauline expression. Comp. Gal. iv. 3 and 9. The
expression \6yta TW GeoO occurs also, Acts vii. 38 ; Rom. iii. 2 ;
i Peter iv. a.

The Epistle to the Hebreivs. 281

trustful expectancy on his difficult task. He does
not allow himself to be deterred or diverted from
his purpose by the difficulty of the subject and
the low condition of the people. Here is not a
case where the wisdom of educating love is justi
fied in withholding deep truths which the disciples
are not yet able to bear. It is only by the expo
sition of deep truths, by the full manifestation of
the glory of Christ as our exalted High Priest, of
the glory of the heavenly sanctuary, into which
the believer has access, that the imminent danger
of apostasy can be averted, and the dim spark
of light and joy be sustained and revived. The
Hebrews, we are told, were dull of hearing : " For
when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye
have need that one teach you again which be the
first principles of the oracles of God ; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of
strong meat." They are blamed for being babes,
and not " of full age," or perfect. * In the Church
of Christ there are little children, there are men,
there are fathers. It is evident that the apostle
refers in our passage to the wisdom of the heart
and of life. There is a distinction between " little
ones" and young men and fathers. In one sense
the Saviour calls us all children. We remain
al \vays learners, and blessed are we if we belong
to the " babes" unto whom the Father reveals the
babes, here opposed to fA«o«. Compare i Cor. ii. 6.

282 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

mysteries of the kingdom. We are exhorted by
the apostle Peter, as new-born babes, to desire
the sincere milk of the Word, that we may grow
thereby; and the apostle John describes the
various stages of Christian experience when he
writes to little children, because their sins are for
given for His name's sake ; to young men, because
they are strong, and have overcome the wicked one;
to fathers, because they have known Him that is
from the beginning.* What can be more lovely
than the Christian in his infancy, in the spring
time of his spiritual life, when the flowers appear
and the voice of gladness is heard, when in his
first love he rejoices in the Saviour ? Such babes
are to be cherished with great affection and ten
derness. Christians differ in their measure of
understanding and strength, as well as in the gifts
of grace, which by the Spirit and according to
their natural endowments and providential position
are bestowed on them. Those who have only
recently been brought into the fold cannot possess
the experience and the wisdom of the elder. The
Lord, who is the head of the church, distributes
also gifts and talents according to His good and

* I John ii. Notice here, as in other Scriptures, indications that
in spiritual things the last and the first go together. The beginning
contains the germ of the whole. Children also are described as
knowing the Father, (v. 13.) Thus in the Beatitudes the poor in
spirit (v. 3), and the persecuted for righteousness' sake (v. 10), have
the same promise.

The Epistle to the Hebrews* - 283

wise will. Some members ot the church are
called to be teachers, appointed to be pillars, lights,
and guides, sons of consolation and fathers in the
gospel ; whereas others will, perhaps, always re
main weak, and in need of constant help and
guidance. Now the Lord, who Himself is full of
love and tenderness, exhorts the church to be
gentle, considerate, patient toward the young and
the inexperienced ; to comfort the feeble-minded,
to support the weak. They that are strong ought
not merely to bear the infirmities of the weak, but
exercise self-denial in accommodating themselves
to their less enlightened brethren ; even as Christ
pleased not Himself, we ought to please our
neighbour for his good to edification. We must
exercise a wise and patient discretion, even as
Jesus had many things to say to His disciples,
but remembered that they could not bear them.

Having stated this principle in defence of the
weak and the babes in Christ, we may safely pro
ceed to remind you of the Scripture's uniform
declaration, that the Spirit is given and the church
instituted for the very purpose that we should
not remain children, but grow unto the measure
of the stature of the fulness of Christ ; that in
understanding, in steclfastness, in courage, we
must become men ; that after awhile they who at
first could not bear strong meat ought to advance
in knowledge and wisdom, and ultimately to

T

284 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

become teachers. This view is expressed often
directly, and still more frequently indirectly. And
of all the ways in which it is stated, none to my
mind is so impressive as the prayers of the apostle
Paul for his congregations, in which he beseeches
God to give unto them the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him. Paul was
anxious that Christians should comprehend the
length and breadth, and height and depth. For
this he laboured, he wrote his epistles, he bowed
his knees before God. This was his constant
prayer, and he felt it necessary to tell the churches
that his soul's desire was their growth. All the
children of God, from the least to the greatest,
are to progress in the knowledge of God in Christ
Jesus, and thus they grow in grace. According
to the new covenant, and by the indwelling of the
Holy Ghost, they are all called to know the things
which are freely given unto us of God. For since
they are Christ's, and Christ is God's, all things
are theirs, (i Cor. iii. 21, 23.) They are to know
the mystery of the Father and the Son, the
mystery of Christ and the church, the mystery of
Israel, the mystery of the apostasy. The little
children are to become men, able to teach others ;
and if they do not grow, it is either because that
which is their nourishment is not the sincere milk
of the word, or because they do not really, by faith
in prayer, meditation, and obedience, live on the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 285

truths of the gospel. This subject is important,
and is frequently neglected or misunderstood.
Starting, then, from the admission, that according
to the divine word and God's will all Christians
are called to grow and to become fully instructed
and established, let us inquire into the nature and
method of this growth.

i. The comparison between a newly-converted
man and a babe is, like all comparisons, imperfect.
For in one sense a Christian is born by the Holy
Ghost full-grown ; as Adam came into the world
a perfect man, full of light and insight, who gave
names to all the living creatures, who understood
and spake. The newly-converted man is born
into the spiritual world, and from the first moment
he sees and knows Christ, and has the mind of
Christ, the Spirit, so that he can immediately
understand all spiritual things. The milk of the
word, as contrasted with strong meat, does not
refer to any real and inherent difference between
the gospel first preached and afterwards taught.
From first to last we present the same truth, the
same circle of truths, the whole truth. The
apostles preached the first and second advent, the
person and work of Christ, the gift and indwelling
of the Holy Ghost ; they preached the whole
counsel of God to all men. They preached Jesus
as the centre ; but in their preaching they pre
sented the whole circumference of truth. Do not

286 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

allow modern practice to cramp your ideas of
what is meant by "preaching the gospel" even to
unbelievers. Experience will decide whether the
apostolic method is not the safer and better.

Hence we find that congregations after a very
short time were fully indoctrinated, and that such
epistles as those to the Ephe^ians and Thessa-
lonians could be addressed to men who a few
months ago worshipped idols, and did not know
the name of Jesus. The most comprehensive
and profound view of the whole plan of redemp
tion was given unto them by the apostle Paul.
He explained to them the great mystery of Christ
and the church, and the position of believers in
the heavenlies.

For the understanding and reception of truth
depend chiefly, if not exclusively, on the heart; as
Paul says, " the eyes of your heart being opened."
The babe in Christ (I mean he who is a babe
naturally, and not unnaturally through his own
worldliness and indolence), full of love to JeSus,
and impressed with the importance and blessed
ness of heavenly things, learns very easily and
very rapidly. He delights in the word ; he is
humble and tender ; he does not resist truths
which condemn the flesh and correct our way
wardness ; he is unworldly, heavenly-minded, and
nine-tenths of the Bible becomes clear, when we
are willing to deny ourselves, and take our cross

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 287

and follow Jesus. Yes, we run well at the com
mencement. It is apathy, worldliness, sluggish
ness, conceit, which afterwards render Christians
slow of heart to understand all that is written.
The lukewarm church must needs be an ignorant
church. The divided heart must needs be con
fused and dim-sighted.

It is for this reason that the apostle blames the
Hebrews for not having progressed in knowledge.
If it was an intellectual effort, if the progress meant
a mere matter of thought, research, and study,
would such importance be attached to the slow
ness of their progress ? But it implies the growth
of faith and of love ; their retrogression was based
upon a moral and spiritual retrogression and de
cay. Their senses had not been exercised ; that
is, they had not walked closely with God, they
had not followed the Master, listening earnestly
to His voice, and proving what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect will of God. They had
not conscientiously applied the knowledge which
they had, but allowed it to remain dead and un
used. If they had really and truly partaken of the
milk, they would not have remained babes. If
people really loved and cherished what they so
fondly call " the simple gospel," their knowledge
and Christian character" would deepen, and all

* "The word of righteousness" is the gospel, for therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. (Romans i. 17.)

288 The Epistle to the Hebreivs.

the truths which are centred in Christ crucified
would become the object of their investigation
and delight, and enrich and elevate their experi
ence. For

2. It is not that there is a higher truth or life
for the older Christians. The apostle in writing
to the Corinthians blames them that they were
still carnal, that they were still babes, and that
therefore he was to feed them with milk and not
with meat. And yet in this very epistle he states
most emphatically that he knew nothing among
them but Christ and Him crucified, and that this
is the wisdom of God, wisdom among them that
are perfect.

There are no doctrines more profound than
those which are preached when Christ's salvation
is declared, and to which they who are more
advanced are admitted, as to an esoteric wisdom.
All our progress consists in learning more fully
the doctrine which at first is preached unto us.

Let us beware of entertaining erroneous views
as to what is meant by milk and meat. " Milk"
designates gospel truth preached simply, so that
thereby true nourishment is given, and faith is
both called forth, and the new spiritual life

When we abide in Christ, we add to faith knowledge ; we learn to
distinguish spiritual things ; we do not dwell exclusively and mor
bidly on consolatory aspects of truth, but seek to be conformed to
Christ, and to profit by the whole Scripture.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 289

strengthened and increased. Hence, there is
nothing in the term meant to depreciate, but, on
the contrary, to exalt the first declaration of
saving truth in Christ. The strong meat, the
doctrine of Christ's high priesthood in heaven, is
also milk, pure and nourishing, simple, and only
received by the child like heart; whereas pride and
ambition often call speculative and unprofitable
discussions strong meat, though they are of no
use to the spiritual man, but minister only unto
strife and the exaltation of the flesh.

The Colossians dreamt of a higher and deeper
wisdom than the gospel of grace. They wished
to speculate about the nature of angels ; they
wished to ascend to a higher platform, a so-called
higher Christian life of worship, devotedness, and
obedience. But the apostle corrects them. He
shows them that Christ is all; that in Him are
hid all treasures of knowledge and understanding;
that we are to learn Him, and to abide in the
simplicity of the inexhaustible gospel. While
they fancied they were advancing, they were
falling back into the elements of the world.

It is the fleshly mind that is puffed up with
dreamy speculations and self-invented gradations
of worship. The spiritual mind knows that to
know Christ, to know more and more what we
saw and believed at first, is the whole progress of
the Christian in time and eternity.

290 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Connected with this is also the Corinthian error.
It seems at first contradictory that the apostle
calls them babes, and at the same time speaks of
them as enriched in all utterance and in all know
ledge. The church at Corinth was gifted in a
remarkable degree. Very manifold were the mani
festations of the Holy Ghost among them. But
their knowledge became a snare to them, and
ceased to be true knowledge. False knowledge
puffeth up ; it is unsubstantial, and without value.
A man may possess much knowledge of Scripture
truth ; he may possess intellectually a vigorous
and comprehensive grasp of doctrine ; he may
see the relation of various aspects of truth, and
the application of truth to human character ; he
may be able to express doctrine and experience
in lucid and glowing language, to detect error,
subtle and false teaching, in a keen and masterly
way, and yet he may be a babe in Christ ; that is,
in true spiritual knowledge of Jesus, in the tone
of his mind, in the character of his daily walk, in
his knowledge of his own heart, and his skill and
wisdom in the conflict with sin, the world, and
Satan. True knowledge is of the heart, and in
love. Hence the apostle explains, in the epistle
to the gifted Corinthians, so fully and with such
earnestness and beauty, the pre-eminence of love.
When love is perfect, knowledge is perfect. The
child of God grows, obeying and honouring God,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 291

meditating on the word of God, applying it to
himself, and moulding his life according to the
mind of Christ, he becomes strong, his vision
clear, his perceptions sensitive, his heart estab
lished. The secret of the Lord is with them that
fear Him. They that follow on to know shall
know. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom. Beginning means not merely the tem
poral commencement, but the very root and life
of wisdom.

Returning to our passage, let us notice that
the apostle refers to the wisdom of the heart
and of life. The Hebrews had become as babe ;.
Hence the word, which elsewhere is the sweetest
expression of divine love and favour, is a term
of reproach when it indicates an unnatural and
dangerous condition of spiritual weakness, the
result of a culpable and habitual inertness. It
had not always been thus with the Hebrew Chris
tians. For we read that when they were first
enlightened they endured a great fight of affliction.
Then, although they had many and grievous
sufferings, they were strong, and rejoiced in
Christ ; and why ? Because they were heavenly-
minded. They believed and knew that they had
in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Then, though young in the faith, they were more
fervent, and therefore more spiritual, possessed of
clearer knowledge and perception. And therefore

292 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the apostle is so anxious to lead them on to per
fection, that is, to fix their thoughts on Christ
in heaven. Their earthly-mindedness constitutes
both the necessity and the difficulty of his task.

For the perfection unto which the apostle desires
to go is not an osoteric doctrine or method of
holiness peculiar to an imaginary second stage
of faith. It has nothing to do directly with any
thing in our heart and conduct. It refers, on the
contrary, to heaven, to the High Priest above, to
our position in Him who is seated at the right
hand of God. The perfection the apostle speaks
of is the beholding Christ by faith, our righteous
ness, strength, and life, in the heavenly sanctuary.
It is to know that we are priests, worshippers in
Spirit and truth, that, being reconciled to God by
the death of Christ, we have now been brought
nigh to the Father; and our citizenship, the source
of our life and strength, the things which we seek,
the blessings with which we are enriched, are no
longer on earth, but in heaven. Here is perfection;
for here and nowhere else is the Christ who was
crucified. Christ was made perfect. The law
made nothing perfect. But in the incarnate Son
of God, in heaven, after His death and exaltation,
there is now perfection for all who believe in Him.
This is the strong meat, the same as the milk,
viz., Christ is here, who was crucified, yea, lather
that is risen, sitteth at the right hand of God,

Thf Epistle to the Hebrews. 293

making intercession for us. And here alone is
the power and safety of the Christian during his
earthly life. Looking unto heaven, he keeps him
self unspotted from the world ; he is delivered
from this present evil age, and he is able to follow
the Lord, and to go outside the camp bearing His
reproach.

The apostle exhorts the Hebrews to go on unto
perfection, to become men in understanding, to
fix their thoughts on Christ ascended into heaven,
and representing them inside the veil. For this
reason he wishes to leave aside the elementary
and fundamental doctrines through which they
were initiated as disciples. He enumerates six
doctrines, and in a form with which the Jews were
familiar. As Bengel says : " The six particulars
here specified had been, as it were, the Christian
Catechism of the Old Testament ; and such Jews,
who had begun to recognise Jesus as the Christ
immediately on the new light being shed on these
fundamental particulars, were accounted as having
the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ."
To turn from dead works, a life without God, in
which there was no true life, and to turn by faith
unto God, this is the very commencement of all
discipleship. They who had thus repented and be
lieved, received, in baptism and by the laying on
of hands, the sign and seal of covenant gifts, and
the power of the Holy Ghost to labour in the

294 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

work of the church ; and, sealed with the earnest
of the inheritance, they looked forward unto the
resurrection of the just, and the final separation
unto the kingdom of glory."

i. Repentance from dead works and faith to
ward God.

The divine message to sinners has always
been to turn from sin and ungodliness to the
mercy and power of God, who is willing to forgive
sin and able to renew the heart. Repentance and
faith are inseparably connected. All true repent
ance has its source in the declaration of God's
holiness and grace. He who turns unto God
believes both the justice and the mercy of the
Lord. Repentance was never preached except in
connection with redemption : the kingdom of God
is at hand ; the loving arms of God are open ;
turn unto Him before the great day of His wrath.
The whole message of the old covenant prophets
is the solemn and yet sweet message of repent
ance ; and this also was the preaching of John the
Baptist, and the Lord Jesus Himself, during His
prophetic ministry.

* This is another illustration of the fact, that the most elementary
instruction of apostolic days was more comprehensive than what
is now called the 'simple gospel.' It embraced not merely teaching
concerning the holiness of God and the guilt and depravity of man
(repentance), but also the doctrine of the gift of the Holy Ghost
and the work of the church, as well as the doctrine of the second
coming and kingdom of Christ, of which all Scripture testifies.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 295

Repentance is unto life. The deepest explana
tion, and the most lovely illustration of the true
nature of repentance, is in the gospel of Luke
(chap, xv.) ; the publicans and sinners drawing
near to Jesus to hear Him. To draw near to the
Saviour, and to trust, is to repent.

Again, faith cannot be without repentance.
When Cornelius and his friends believed the
gospel preached unto them by the apostle Peter,
their conversion is described by these words :
God has given repentance unto the Gentiles.
(Acts x.)

But while repentance and faith are thus in
separably connected, in repentance the negative
element preponderates, in faith the positive. In
the one, because of God's holiness and grace, we
turn from sin and ungodliness ; in the other, be
cause of our sin and misery, we look unto the holy
and merciful Lord. Hence sorrow and fear are
prominent features of repentance ; hopeful trust
and loving joy characterize faith.

The expression " repentance from dead works"
refers to the truth that, apart from God and
from the life which His grace implants, even
our good works are without life; possessing no
vitality, they are unfruitful ; that is, they do not
glorify the Father (John xv. 8), and they do not
issue in the reward and blessedness which Scrip
ture connects with good works wrought in God.

296 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

As long as man is alienated from God, he, though
living, is dead in trespasses and sins ; and while
he is apart from the true Vine he can do nothing.
The works of the law performed in the spirit of
bondage have no inward truth and substance.
The good works of a godly man reveal his inner
life ; they exert a life-influence on those that see
them (Matt. v. 16), and they react on the cha
racter and spirit of him who performs them. But
our old life, before the grace of God renews us, is
a life of " dead works."

Opposed to the life of dead works is faith; that
is, the positive aspect of conversion ; the soul
turning in confidence and appropriating trust to
the grace of God as revealed in redemption.
Faith in God the Redeemer, the covenant God,
\vho will abundantly pardon, and with whom is
plenteous redemption, was the life of God's saints,
from Abel to John the Baptist. The just always
lived by faith (Hab. ii.), and by faith they pos
sessed that life which is of God and eternal.
And since God has now fully revealed Himself
in Christ Jesus, and given us in Him the true and
perfect redemption, it is evident that the object
of our faith is now specially the Lord Jesus
Himself, and yet the same Holy One of Israel,
in whom the fathers trusted.

2. The doctrine of baptisms and the laying on
of hands.

The Epistle to the Hebreivs. 297

The Jews were familiar with baptism as a rite
of initiation, by which Gentiles were separated
from the unholy and idolatrous communion to
which they belonged, and admitted into the com
monwealth of Israel. The baptism of John re
quired for this reason no explanation as to the act
itself ; the only thing remarkable about it was,
that it was applied to the children of the kingdom,
and not to those who stood without. The baptism
which our Lord instituted differed again from that
of the Jews and of John the Baptist, in that it was
a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, and in
the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, signify
ing and sealing the gift of a new life, through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus and the re
newal by the Holy Ghost. Those who had been
baptized were viewed as having put on Christ, as
being washed from their sins, and as having re
ceived the Holy Ghost. The laying on of hands
was a symbolic act which from time immemorial,
and with divine sanction, had been connected with
prayer, invoking the divine benediction. And
they who had been admitted into the church, and
recognised as believing and renewed members,
were viewed as priests, and each one was called
to exercise the gift which the Spirit had bestowed
on him for the good and edification of the whole ;
while some, called to special work of evangelisa
tion or other ministry, were set apart for the work,

298 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

after fasting and prayer, by the laying on of
hands.*

3. Intimately connected with the doctrine of
the Holy Ghost, as set forth in baptism and the
laying on of hands, is the doctrine of resurrection
and eternal judgment. In the Creed (commonly
called the Apostles') we find this connection illus
trated ; believing in the Holy Ghost, we see His

* The Synagogue calls the laying on of hands fWDD, and con
nects it with the setting apart to the office of teacher in sacred
things. The hand is viewed in Scripture as the organ by which
gifts are imparted and transferred.' The Israelite laid his hand on
the sacrifice, on the burnt-offering (Lev. i. 4), on the peace-offering
(iii. 2) ; Aaron and his sons, upon the sin-offering (viii. 14) and on
the scapegoat, as we read xvi. 21, thereby symbolically putting
all their transgressions upon the head of this goat. In the case
of the sacrifices for sin, the laying on of hands symbolises the
transference of guilt and transgression ; in the thank-offering, the
transference of gratitude and self-surrender. We find the laying
on of hands among the patriarchs connected with benediction on
the seed of promise. (Gen. xlviii. 14.) This custom still continues
among the Jews — the father blesses thus his children on the Sab
bath day. Under the law we find it connected with setting apart
to special ministry. (Num. xxvii. 18.) In the New Testament we
read of our divine Lord laying His hands on the sick, and healing
them. (Luke iv. 41 ; Mark vi. 5.) We then read of the apostles
laying on hands on disciples (Acts viii. 17) ; and Ananias (not an
apostle notice, but simply a member of the church) laid his hands
on Saul, and immediately his eyes were opened. Thus the laying
on of hands was a symbolic action accompanying the communica
tion of divine gifts. Lastly, in connection with special work and
ministry. (Acts xiii. 3 ; i Tim. iv. 14.)

The laying on of hands has justly been retained by the churches
of the Reformation in the setting apart of men to the ministry into
which they are called of God. But perhaps we have not used this
symbol, sanctioned of God, sufficiently in the admission to the
Lord's table and in praying with the sick.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 299

creation in the Catholic Church, His power and
indwelling in the communion of saints, His con
solation in the renewed assurance of forgiveness
of sin, His ultimate and crowning work in the
resurrection of the body and the life of glory,
which is eternal. By the spirit that dwells in us
God shall quicken our mortal bodies. (Rom. viii.
11; compare also 2 Cor. v. 5; Ephes. i. 14.) The
doctrine of resurrection, which was strenuously
held by the Pharisees, is so intimately connected
with the Messianic hope that the apostle Paul
could say truthfully : " Men and brethren, I am
a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee : of the hope
and resurrection of the dead I am called in ques
tion." (Acts xxiii. 6 ; compare xxv. 6.) As this
fundamental doctrine was held by the Jews, so in
its full and deepest sense the resurrection was the
crowning and ultimate object of the apostles'
hope, the goal to which they constantly looked.
" If by any means I might attain unto the resur
rection from among the dead." (Phil. iii. n.)
This is the resurrection of the just, of which our
Lord speaks ; this is the first resurrection, in which
the blessed and holy have part. (Rev. xx. 6.)

The judgment is called eternal ; for the word
judgment (KP^O) means not the act or process of
judgment (which is K/atVis ix. 18 and x. 27), but its
result or judicial sentence, which is final and irre
vocable. For nowhere does Scripture hold out

U

300 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the prospect of that sentence " Depart from me"
being changed. It is the uniform doctrine of
Scripture, that the gulf between the saved, the
" blessed of my Father," and the lost, is fixed, and
that the life of glory as well as the death of
anguish is everlasting.

Such was the elementary Christian instruction,
summed up in the form of sound words, with
which the Jews were familiar. The germ of all
truths is contained in them ; they present an out
line and sketch of the whole building. And yet
these fundamental doctrines did not set before the
Hebrews with sufficient fulness and clearness the
truth of which they stood in need to keep them
from apostasy, and to strengthen and comfort
them in their sore trial and temptation. It was
necessary for them now to fix their thoughts on
the " heavenly things " to which our Saviour
alludes in His conversation with Nicodemus, to the
perfection of the High Priest and the heavenly
sanctuary.

John the Baptist preached repentance and faith ;
he baptized with water, and spoke of the baptism
with the Holy Ghost ; he testified of the approach
of judgment, of the wheat gathered, and the chaff
burned up. And yet John the Baptist stood not
in the full li^ht of Pentecostal fulfilment. It be-

fj

hoved the Hebrews to go on in their knowledge
unto perfect manhood, till the measure of the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 301

stature of Christ's fulness be attained. And it not
merely behoved them, but it was absolutely neces
sary. For, notwithstanding their dulness of hear
ing, the apostle, deeply impressed with a sense of
their danger, and hoping in the never-failing mercy
of our compassionate Lord, takes courage to un
fold to them the deep things of God.

Here is a very important lesson for our times.
When we think of the state of the church and of
Christendom, we naturally ask what is the best
method of rousing and strengthening that which
is languid and feeble, of bringing back those who
have strayed, and of fortifying the tempted against
the errors and the God-opposing spirit of the age.
This is specially a solemn question for those who
are teachers, stewards of the mystery of God,
under-shepherds of the flock. Is it sufficient to
preach the simple doctrine of the gospel, to de
clare the fundamental truths of repentance and
faith, limiting ourselves to what is absolutely
essential to the commencement of Christian life,
and simply reminding our people of the great sal
vation, that Jesus died because of our offences,
and was raised again because of our justification ?
Is such a method scriptural ? and, viewing it from
the lower point of expediency and experience, is
it safe and effectual ? Does not Scripture teach
us that we should keep back nothing that is pro
fitable, that we should not shun to declare the

302 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

whole counsel of God, that the children of God
should comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height ? Do
we not continually notice that scanty, elementary,
and one-sided teaching does not even secure the
true, living, and healthy knowledge of simple and
fundamental truths? And with regard to those
who are still strangers to the grace of God, is it
not our duty to lay before them the divine mes
sage in all its fulness and beauty, in its compre
hensiveness and depth, and by unfolding to them
as far as man is able the Scripture, teaching to
counteract the unscriptural opinions which refer
not merely to the central questions of personal
salvation, but to the character of God, the origin
of the world and man, the nature of sin, the history
and the. ultimate destiny of our race? Above all,
is it not for us to preach Jesus Christ; Jesus, the
Messiah promised to Israel, the Saviour of sinners
and head of the church ; Jesus, the Son of God
and Son of man ; Jesus, the High Priest in heaven
and the coming Lord, who will be King over the
whole earth ?

Perhaps no church had fallen into so low and
dangerous a condition as the Hebrews. The

o

remedy which apostolic wisdom and love applied
was (contrary to what most of us would have sug
gested) a profound exposition of the glory of the
exalted Saviour as the royal High Priest. He

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 303

endeavours to bring before them the wonderful
perfections of the Lord Jesus as their all-sufficient
Mediator, that thus their hearts may be drawn
from earth and filled with the peace and joy of
God. Thus nothing is more needed in our days,
both for the church and the world, than a faithful
and deep exposition of Scripture, of the whole
Scripture, of Scripture in its organic unity and
comprehensive fulness, in order that by grace
mind, conscience, and heart may be convinced
that here are revealed unto us thoughts higher
than our thoughts, divine realities and blessings,
things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man. And
thus, while they who believe not will acknowledge
that God is in us of a truth, the children of God
will be kept stedfast and faithful ; they will be fur
nished unto every good work, and, forgetting the
things that are behind, will press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
J esus. *

* The want of docility and of active inquiry into divine truth
manifests itself in various ways. Sometimes in ignoring prophecy,
as if prophecy was isolated and not essentially and inseparably
connected with the other portions and aspects of truth, as if the
whole word was not the sure word of prophecy, the word of Him
who was, and is, and is to come. Sometimes in a shrinking from
the deeper meaning of the types, such as the sacrifices and festivals,
or those of David and Solomon. Sometimes in neglect of the
Jewish Scriptures, and in forgetfulness of the mystery of Israel,
and the relation between the church and the kingdom. Again there
is the morbid and exclusive repetition of the blessed truth, "peace

304 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Going on unto perfection, beholding Christ in
heaven, we continue in the simplicity which is in
Christ Jesus. When by the grace of God we
were converted, we became as little children ; we
were made humble, docile, cheerfully dependent
on God's mercy, and joyfully accepting His gift.
Having no wisdom, righteousness, or strength
of our own, we were made willing to receive
Christ Jesus. By Him are we continually brought
as little children to the Father. When we abide
in faith and love, though in understanding we
become men, yet we continue childlike, we are
children in malice. Thus only do we retain the
humble, trustful, joyous, obedient, and plastic cha
racter of childhood, the dew of our youth. In
one sense we always sing —

" Sweet the moments, rich in blessing,
Which before the cross we spend."

Christ crucified is the sum of our knowledge.
For here is not merely the foundation on which our
faith rests, the source of our love and obedience,
of our strength and hope ; but here we behold the
eternal counsel of God, and the glory which shall
hereafter be revealed. But it is the living Christ,
the Lord Himself, who is the object of our faith

in believing," apart from the new life, the conflict of faith, the
service of love, and the crucifixion of the flesh. What we need is
not (so-called) intellectual or aesthetic or eloquent preaching, but
pneumatic (spiritual) preaching of the " whole counsel of God " as
unfolded in Scripture.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 305

and contemplation. We behold Him who was
dead but is now living; it is in Him that we now
see and learn God. He who became man that \ve
might be made partakers of the divine nature,
who died that by His blood we might be
brought near unto God, who ascended and sa
down at the ri^ht hand of God to send unto us

o

the Spirit, and to present us perfect before the
Father, is the true Mediator, in whom divine light,
life, and love are given unto us. Thus is fulfilled
the saying of Israel's great King, " The way of life
is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell
beneath." In Christ ascended is our only safety.
To look unto Him is the only way in which our
feet can be kept from falling, in which we can
worship in the presence of God, and, beholding
the countenance of our Father, serve Him on
earth.

There is a simplicity which is the result of full
and profound knowledge, of varied experience
and conflict ; a simplicity which is the indication
of abundance and depth, which is the result of
meditation, prayerfulness, and a humble walk with
God. They who are fathers in the church, who,
like the apostle John, lean on the bosom of Jesus,
who behold the glory of the only-begotten, and in
singleness of heart rest in His love, reach a lofty
and calm mountain height, and they express their
knowledge and experience with great simplicity

306 The Epistle fo the Hebrews.

and brevity. We often fancy we understand their
quiet and axiomatic words, or that we have fathomed
their meaning, and yet we may only have come into
contact with the surface. The apostle John is thus
the simplest and deepest teacher in the church.
Like the Sabbath-day, he appears among the
disciples ; a solemn, yet childlike quiet and sim
plicity characterize his words ; we meet with no
complicated arguments, no noise and struggle, no
upward steep ascent from earth to heaven, law
to grace, Levitical type to Melchizedek perfection;
we are transplanted at once into the high region
of God's light, love, life. These simple yet in
exhaustible words are the constantly recurring
realities of which he testifies. To reach this
simplicity is the object of the Christian individual
and of the Christian church.

While we are serving the Lord amid trials and
sorrows, and waiting for His second coming, let
us behold, as we are taught in the epistle to the
Hebrews, the High Priest in heaven — let us see,
as the apostle John testifies in the Apocalypse,
"the Lamb in the midst of the throne." This is
the simplest and most comprehensive word of
Scripture. " The Lamb on the throne." This
sums up all Scripture history and prophecy, all
Scripture doctrine and consolation ; this fulfils all
Scripture types ; for here is the sacrifice, the
sanctuary, and the royal High Priest. He who

The Epistle to the Hebreivs. 307

was slain for us is the Divine King; He unto
whom all power is given in heaven and in earth
is the Lamb, full of love and tenderness. We
are at peace ; we learn the patience and wisdom
of the saints as followers of the Lamb. Called to
surfer in fellowship with Him, we look forward
with hope to His return; for the Church is the
bride, the Lamb's wife. To behold the Lamb in
the midst of the throne, this is "going on unto
perfection."

CHAPTER XIII.

y

THE DANGER OF APOSTASY; THE PATIENCE OF FAITH

AND THE ANCHOR OF HOPE.

HEB. vi. 4-20.

" I ^HE danger of retrogression is, perhaps, no-
-*- where in Scripture placed before us in such
a forcible and alarming manner as in this solemn
chapter. One of the promises which occurs very
frequently with regard to Israel after their con
version and restoration, is their stedfastness ; they
shall never turn back, but love and serve the Lord
for ever. The prophetic word represents to us
the picture of Israel continuing faithful during all
the centuries that may be before them in the pro
mised land. They shall never lapse. After, by
the grace of God, and the appearing of the Lord
Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost,
they are brought to repentance and faith, they
shall continue for ever walking in the light of
His countenance, and rejoicing in the rock of

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 309

their salvation, serving and glorifying God their
Redeemer.

The apostle Paul may be regarded as a striking
and eminent type of Israel. Converted on his
way to Damascus by the appearing of the Lord
of glory, he typifies the sudden and direct manner
in which the Jews, who, ignorant of God's righteous
ness, reject the gospel, shall be turned from dark
ness unto light, and experience the forgiving love
of Joseph their brother, whom they hated and
sold into Egypt* And the subsequent life of the
apostle seems a type of the subsequent uninter-

* " For my part," says Mede, " I incline to think the Jewish
nation shall be called by vision and voice from heaven, as St. Paul
was; and that that place of Zech. xii. 10, 'They shall see Him
whom they have pierced/ and that of Matt, xxiii. 39, ' Ye shall not
see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in
the name of the Lord,' seems to imply some such matter. They
will never believe that Christ reigns at the right hand of God until
they see Him. It must be an invincible evidence which must con
vert them after so many hundred years' settled obstinacy. But this
I speak of the body of the nation ; there may be some Praeludia
of some particulars converted upon other motives, as a forerunner
of the great and main conversion.

"The Jews will not be converted unto Christ by such means as
were the rest of the nations, by the ministry of preachers sent unto
them ; but by the revelation of Christ Jesus in His glory from
heaven, when they shall not say, as when they saw Him in His
humiliation, ' Crucify Him,' but, ' Blessed is He that cometh in the
name of the Lord.' Whose coming then shall be as lightning out
of the east, shining unto the west ; and the sign ot the Son of man
shall appear in the clouds of heaven, and every eye shall see Him,
even those which pierced Him, and shall lament with the spirit of
grace and supplication for their so long and so shameful unbelief
of their so merciful Redeemer."

310 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

rnpted faithfulness and service of renewed and
restored Israel. Think of the career of the great
apostle. When it pleased God to reveal His Son
in him, obedient to the heavenly vision, and with
out conferring with flesh and blood, he became the
servant of the Lord, whom before he had perse
cuted. From that day on he continued stedfast,
and through a life full of danger and suffering, of
incessant toil and sacrifice, he went on with in
creasing ardour, vigour, and alacrity, never pausing,
never relaxing his effort, or diminishing zeal, until
at last, facing death, he was able to say, " I have
fought the good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith." He never for a moment
relaxed in his intense energy, in his fervent de
votion, -in his arduous labours. He went on with
a steady step and a loving heart. His affection,
his faith, his self-forgetfulness, his courage, seem
to increase and shine with a brighter and stronger
light. He never seems to rest satisfied with his
past attainments, or to be content with the measure
of suffering and reproach endured for Christ's sake,
or with the measure of victory gained in the be
loved Master's cause. He is always, as he himself
describes it, doing one thing, forgetting the things
that are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, he pressed toward the
mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Many and painful were the disappointments which

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 3 1 1

met him in his work. He had constantly to bear
the enmity of the Jews, the opposition of the
Greeks, the suspicion with which many Jewish
Christians regarded him, the interference of false
teachers, the ingratitude and the unfaithfulness of
many of his own converts ; but his zeal remained
unaltered, he continued in faith, in patience, in
that love which endureth all things and hopeth all
things. No stripes or imprisonment, no perils by
land or sea, among robbers or false brethren, no
sufferings or hardships, were able to cloud his con
fidence in the grace and power of the Lord Jesus
who had sent him, or to lessen that ardent affec
tion which he felt for unbelieving Israel, and that
tender and fatherly love with which he regarded
all the faithful. He continued bearing the churches
on his heart, praying for them, and writing to
them words of heavenly wisdom and fervent affec
tion. The ingratitude of men seemed only to
deepen his love and stimulate his zeal. Forgetful
of self, he addressed words of encouragement and
rejoicing from his prison and in the prospect of
death. With ever-increasing brightness of know
ledge, faith, love, hope, he patiently ran the race set
before him, though none of God's servants had such
a rough and thorny path. Jesus, who said of him
that he was a chosen vessel unto Him, also de
clared, I will show him how great things he must
Buffer for my name's sake. As the Lord Jesus

3 1 2 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

showed forth all long-suffering in him for a
pattern, so by the grace of God the apostle Paul
is an illustration of perseverance and faithful
service.

I am not idealising the apostle. I am not guilty
of hero or saint-worship. He was a chosen
vessel, appointed to be a pattern, both of con
verting grace and of the power and stedfastness
of the new life, bestowed by the Holy Ghost. He
was able to say to the churches, " Be ye followers
of me, even as I am of Christ."

With what fore a and significance do exhorta
tions to perseverance come from him. How
willing ought we to be to listen to him when he
exhorts us to work out our own salvation with
fear and trembling. He was always giving dili
gence to make his calling and election sure. His
constant aim was, to know Jesus, and the power
of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being made conformable unto His death,
if by any means he might attain unto the (first)
resurrection from among the dead. Filled with
love to the saints, he is anxious to see them all
strong and joyous in the faith, that God may be
glorified.

When he thinks of the Hebrews, who through
lukewarmness and culpable inertness had become
again like babes, unable to receive the doctrine of
the glorified Saviour and of His perfect priest-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 313

hood, he is filled with sorrow and great anxiety.
Although new-born babes are weak, yet the
apostle, like his divine Lord, rejoiced over them,
and gave thanks unto the Father for their faith
and love. The life of the newly-converted souls
is full of promise. With eagerness they listen to
the doctrine of apostles, and in their first love
they are swift to hear and to understand. But
when old Christians become again like babes,
their state is dangerous. The apostle regards the
retrogression of the Hebrews with dismay. He
sees in it the danger of an entire, continued,
wilful, and irrecoverable apostasy from the truth.
He beholds them on the brink of a precipice, and
he therefore lifts up his voice, and with vehement,
yet loving earnestness, he warns them against so
fearful an evil.

" It is impossible for those who were once en
lightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and
have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, if they shall fall
away, to renew them again unto repentance."
These solemn and awful words have occasioned
much controversy, and caused much alarm to
anxious and sensitive hearts ; but let us also hope
that, blessed by the Spirit, they have achieved the
purpose for which they were written ; viz., to
rouse the careless and indolent, who have fallen

314 The F.pistlc to the Hebrews.

asleep on the enchanted ground ; to show unto
the backslider and unto the umaithful and slothful
servant the evil and danger of his way ; to cause
earnest heart-searching before God, and to en
courage the humbled soul to return to the love of
the Father and the grace of the Lord Jesus; for
it is evident that the apostle's great aim in this
chapter is to encourage the Hebrews to persevere
and to stand fast in the grace of God, that return
ing unto the Lord they may have full assurance
of 'hope.

The Hebrews had become lukewarm, negligent,
and inert ; the gospel, once clearly seen and dearly
loved by them, had become to them dim and
vague ; the persecution and contempt of their
countrymen a grievous burden under which they
groaned, and in which they did not enjoy fellow
ship with the Lord Jesus. Darkness, doubt, gloom,
indecision, and consequently a walk in which the
power of Christ's love was not manifest, character
ised them. Now if they continued in this state, what
else could be the result but apostasy ? Forgetful-
ness must end in rejection, apathy in antipathy,
unfaithfulness in infidelity.

Such was their danger. And if they succumbed
to it their state was hopeless. No other gospel
remains to be preached, no other power to rescue
and raise them. They had heard and known the
voice which saith, "Come'imto me, and I will give

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 315

you rest." They had professed to believe in the
Lord, who died for sinners, and to have chosen
Him as their Saviour and Master. And now they
were forgetting and forsaking the Rock of their
salvation. If they deliberately and wilfully con
tinued in this state, they were in danger of final
impenitence and hardness of heart.

The exhortation must be viewed in connection
with the special circumstances of the Hebrews.
After the rejection of the Messiah by Israel, the
gospel had been preached unto the Jews by the
apostles, and the gifts and power of the Holy
Ghost had been manifested among them. The
Hebrews had accepted the gospel of the once
crucified and now glorified Redeemer, who sent
down from heaven the Spirit, a sign of His exal
tation, and a pledge of the future inheritance.
Having thus entered into tke sphere of new
covenant manifestation, any one who wilfully
abandoned it could only relapse into that phase
of Judaism which crucified the Lord Jesus. There
was no other alternative for them, but either to
go on to the full knowledge of the heavenly
priesthood of Christ, and to the believer's accept
ance and worship through the Mediator in the
sanctuary above, or to fall back into the attitude,
not of the godly Israelites before Pentecost, such
as John the Baptist and those who waited for
the promised redemption, nor even into the con-

x

316 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

dition of those for whom the Saviour prayed,
" for they know not what they do ;" but into a state
of wilful and conscious enmity against Christ, and
the sin of rejecting Him, and putting Him to an
open shame.

Though the apostle hopes better things of the
Hebrews, as we shall see immediately, yet he
cannot in faithfulness and love but present this
solemn warning to them, and as this warning, like
all Scripture teaching and exhortation, applies not
merely to the people to whom it was primarily
addressed, but is written also for us, it becomes us
more fully to consider and weigh its meaning.

It has been asked whether the description here
given is the description of a truly converted and
renewed soul. While some, remembering the
Scriptural truth, that the sheep of Christ can
never perish, and that the children of God are
born of incorruptible seed, have attempted to ex
plain the terms used, as not reaching fully the
description of regeneration by the Spirit ; others
have insisted on the expressions denoting unmis-
takeably the renewal of the heart by the grace of
God.

The true explanation seems to be, that the
apostle uses expressions to describe what the
Hebrews were in profession and outward appear
ance. He describes them as we describe our
fellow-Christians — as they appear to us, as they

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 317

themselves profess to be, and as we think of them
from their words and actions. Hence the apostle
would doubtless use different expressions if he
wished to describe (objectively) the believer. From
the eternal, heavenly, and divine point of view,
a believer is one who is born of God, who has
been quickened together with Christ, who is ac
cepted in the Beloved — who was chosen before
the foundations of the world were laid — who has
received the Holy Ghost as an earnest of the in
heritance : he is of God, and the seed of God
abideth in him ; he is one of Christ's sheep, and
can never perish. The new life which is given
by the Spirit is an eternal life. The union be
tween Jesus and the believer is an indissoluble
one. The apostle therefore could never join the
description of a true believer with the description
of final apostasy. But he does join (and so
does all Scripture) the description of the apparent
and professing believer, and that taking him at
his highest and best, with the consequence of
retrogression, and lukewarmness, and sin. The
Hebrews professed, and to all appearance had
been enlightened. They had tasted of the hea
venly gift, for they expressed their joy in believing
the glad tidings ; they seemed to have been made
partakers of the Holy Ghost, for they called Jesus
Lord ; they seemed to have tasted the good word
of God and the powers of the world to come, for

318 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

they were willing to suffer and to lose their worldly
goods for the sake of the eternal reward. But
now, unless they gird up the loins of their mind
and rouse themselves from their slumber, unless
by repentance and faith they collect and concen
trate their energy, and ascend the steep and rugged
height as Jesus commands us to follow Him, their
path is downward and unto eternal ruin.*

In no other form could this most necessary
exhortation have been given. And it is equally
unscriptural to blunt the edge of this severe
warning as it is to deduce from it the doctrine
that the truly-renewed soul can finally fall away
from God. While the apostle entertains the hope
that the Hebrews are true and sincere, and that

* This warning does not refer to isolated sins, but to a pro
tracted and habitual condition of mind ; to neglect and disbelief
of truths once recognised and confessed ; and it places before us
the result of a series of unfaithful and wilful rejections of spiritual
influences ar.d privileges. Many humble and timid Christians
have misunderstood the whole scope and purport of this passage.
He who judges himself is not judged. The man who fears always
is safe, because he trusts in the living God and Saviour. But, as
we know from Scripture, and, alas ! also from experience, there are
some who appear to the church to be zealous and true Christians,
and who yet have not received the word in a good heart, and by
and by fall away. Such men are in a most deplorable condition.
Their antipathy to truths, once known and professed, is very great,
and different from the apathy of the worldly ; theirs is a bitter and
subtle hostility. Yet even their case should not be received by us
as hopeless ; but we should pray Tor them, that God may give unto
them true repentance and living faith. The wilful and conscious
rejection of the testimony of the Holy Ghost is another subject,
and not spoken of in this passage.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 319

by the grace of God their faith will be revived,
he feels that this can be effected in no other way
than by showing them their present actual con
dition, and the inevitable results which must follow
their continuance in it. If they continue in their
downward career, it will then become manifest
that they received the good seed only superficially,
that they had no depth, and therefore after a short
season of joy fell away. Land which drinks in
the rain that comes down from heaven shows
that it is good land, because it brings forth fruit,
and the blessing of God is visibly and evidently
resting upon it. Land which, though visited by
the same benign influences, and watered by the
same rain, brings forth nothing but briers and
thorns, shows that it is reprobate, and well-nigh
unto destruction and cursing. Think it, then, no
slight or unimportant matter whether you are
bringing forth fruit or not. Delay not, but retrace
your steps ; return to the Lord ; go forth and
weep bitterly, and then hear the Lord's question,
" Lovest thou me ?" Choose between ignorance,
apathy, gloom, and the favour and blessing and
service of the Lord.

It is strange that some have failed to perceive
that all Scripture warnings are given according to
the same method ; and it is difficult to see how
they could possibly be framed differently. For
instance, the apostle says to believers, " If ye live

320 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

after the flesh, ye shall die." (Rom. viii. 13.)
Does he teach that they unto whom there is no
condemnation, who are in Christ Jesus, shall die ?
No ; but he wishes to show that the consequence
of living after the flesh would necessarily be
death. " If a man abide not in me, he is cast
forth as a branch, and is withered." If one who
appears to be a member of Christ does not con
tinue in the communion of faith and obedience,
the inevitable result is that, having no vital union
with the source of life, he must perish. Again, if
ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses. And still
more clear is the parable of the unmerciful ser
vant who, having received his Lord's forgive
ness, would not forgive his fellow - servant who
owed him a debt. Here the hypothesis is con
verted into a narrative. The point to be illustrated
is this, forgiveness which is not accompanied by
a renewal of the heart, inclining it to be merciful,
compassionate, and forgiving, is only apparent
and superficial, and on the day of decision it will
be made manifest that it was not genuine and
God-given. Now, in what other way could this
thought be illustrated than by representing the
hypothesis as an actual fact ? The servant's debt
is remitted ; he meets his fellow-servant ; he shows
no pity, but is unrelenting ; the Lord finally pro
nounces judgment, and cancels his pardon. Does

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 321

this parable then contradict the truth that the gilts
and calling" of God are without repentance, that
being justified by faith we have peace, and stand
in grace, that once in Christ, we are in Christ for
ever ? Take again the parable of the servants,
and the picture given of the unprofitable servant
who brought the one talent hid in a napkin.
What is the truth taught here, but that most
solemn one, that there is a semblance of conver
sion, of faith, of preaching, of works, in which
there is no truth, substance, and life ; that there
is a counterfeit of conversion and renovation ;
that many profess and think they have been par
doned and accepted, of whom yet Jesus says,
"I know you not"? The Lord Jesus represents
this in a history. The question is not, Has this
servant (who afterwards is manifested to have
been unprofitable) received true grace ? But the
conduct of one, who appeared and professed to be
a servant of Christ, is described, and the result is
declared for our instruction and warning. Our
election of God is a secret, and to make our
election sure is the constant desire, aim, and prayer
of the godly. The Lord's people are known only
unto Him; there is no outward, unmistakeable
sign or seal given to any individual or to any
community, whereby they stand out as the chosen
saints of God, who shall be with Him in glory
everlasting. Tares are among the wheat. Think

322 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

of the twelve apostles, chosen and called by the
Lord Himself. What higher position could be
assigned to men ? What greater dignity could
be bestowed, or what surer indication given of
divine favour and of future glory ? And when
Jesus said to the twelve, "Ye shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the tribes of Israel," did
it not seem as if the throne had been already
prepared for Judas Iscariot ? And so it must
have appeared — from our human point of view

—to the twelve disciples, and to him also who
afterwards betrayed the Lord. Yet the divine
Master, while He thus spake, warned all the
apostles, (and it is beautiful to hear them ask, in
true humility, " Lord, is it I ?") and with faithful
ness and solemnity He warned Judas especially.
Every individual must see to it that he builds
upon a sure foundation, that he possesses not
merely the form, but the power of godliness.
The whole Church of God, as an actual, outward,
and visible community, even the innermost circle
of apostles, and still more the innermost sanctuary

—the heart of the chosen believer — must be con
stantly kept in the attitude of humble watch
fulness ; and we must continually remember that
faith is in life, that there is a necessary connection
between self-denial, obedience, stedlastness to the
end, and the final manifestation of the elect of
God, chosen from all eternity in Christ Jesus to

The Epistle to the Hebreivs. 323

be His for evermore. "He that endureth to the
end shall be saved."*

Yet, dear friends, all these warnings and ex
hortations do not for a single instant militate
against the truth of electing love and the grace of
God sustaining the believer unto the end. There
is a higher region of truth and of doctrine
revealed unto us in Scripture. If we look at
the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ from the
earthly, or time-point of view, as I have said al
ready, then all these exhortations are in full force,
and who can doubt their necessity ? The Lord
Jesus said, " If the light that is in thee be darkness,
how great is that darkness !" He warned us that
if the salt lose its savour it is good for nothing,
but must be cast out and trodden under foot.
And did it not happen that whole congregations,
whole churches, whole regions, who had the gos
pel of the Lord Jesus Christ, but who through
unfaithfulness lapsed, have become entirely for
saken by the light and by the grace of God? Thus
we read warnings in the seven epistles which Jtsus
sent from heaven. He threatens that the candle
stick shall be removed, and the candlestick was
removed, and many of those churches in the East

* The most popular and graphic illustration of these remarks is
BUNVAN'S Pilgrim's Progress, in which we see that Christian
meets many, who, though apparently they have left the city of
Destruction, and are on their way to the heavenly Jerusalem, yet
have not the love of God in them, and never reach the pearly gates.

The Epistle to tL° Hebrews.

lost their savour, and became almost worse than
the people that were around them. The condition
of churches who once possessed the knowledge
of God became so low — Christians, so-called, fell
into such superstition, deadness, and idolatrous
practices, that even Mahometanism, notwithstand
ing its imposture, and with all its grievous errors,
was to a certain extent an improvement on the
fearful hypocrisy and ungodliness of those who
were called by the holy name of Messiah.

But let us consider now the other and the higher
aspect of truth. The children of God are born
again of incorruptible seed, and they can never die.
They that believe in Jesus, who really, and not in
word only, trust in the Saviour, are born of God,
and they cannot sin, because the seed of God
abideth in them. They who belong to the flock
of Christ can never perish. Have you noticed the
use of the word " sheep " in Scripture ? We read
of true disciples and of false disciples, of wise
virgins and of foolish virgins, of faithful stewards
and of unfaithful stewards ; but we never read of
sheep in any other sense than as the elect who
are saved with an everlasting salvation. "For my
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and
they shall never perish, and none shall pluck them
out of my hand. My Father, who gave them
me, is greater than all." The sheep of the Lord

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 325

Jesus Christ are saved by the blood of Jesus,
chosen by the Father from all eternity, and
quickened by the Holy Ghost ; in vital union
with Him who is the resurrection and the life,
they shall receive that blessedness which is eternal
and full of glory. In like manner, the Lord Jesus
Christ says, that in the latter days there shall be
many false Christs, many false teachers, so that
they shall lead astray many, and, " if it were
possible," even the elect. What is the meaning
of that " if it were possible " ? The meaning of
it is simply, that it is not possible ; that the elect
of God are perfectly safe ; that if it were not for
the power of God that keeps them, the sophistry
and the fascination of false teachers would cer
tainly lead them astray ; but because God holds
them, and Jesus prays for them, and the Holy
Ghost seals them, therefore they cannot fall away.
These abundant assurances of the word of
God are illustrated by every aspect of the work
of salvation, by the election of the Father, by
the sacrifice of the Son, and by the work of the
Holy Ghost. They are confirmed by our own
experience ; for every Christian can sing :

"'Twas thy love, O God, that knew us

Earth's foundation long before ;
That same love to Jesus drew us,
By its sweet constraining power,

And will keep us
Safely, now and evermore."

326 The Epistle to the Hebrews,

While we have these abundant assurances of the
position of safety that all the chosen of God have
in Christ Jesus, it is by these very warnings and
exhortations that we are kept humble, vigilant,
clinging unto Jesus."

But the apostle hastens to comfort and en
courage, lest the Hebrews should be overwhelmed
with fear and sorrow, or lest they should think
that their condition was regarded by him as hope
less. The affection of the writer is now eager to
inspire hope, and to draw them with the cords
of love. The word " beloved " is introduced here
most appositely, a term of endearment which
occurs frequently in other epistles, but only once
in ours ; not that the apostle was not filled with
true and fervent love to the Hebrew Christians,
but that he felt obliged to restrain as it were his feel
ing by reason of their prejudices against him. But
here the expression bursts forth, as in a moment
of great danger or of anxious suspense the heart
will speak out in tender language. He assures
them that, although he thus speaks, he is persuaded
better things concerning them, and things which
are connected with, which grasp and accompany,

* Thus in a large crowd a father might exhort his child to keep
close to his side, and not to lose hold of his hand, representing how
helpless and perilous the child's condition would be if left to him
self. While the father's love is ever watchful, the child's attitude
ought to be obedient and humble, yet confiding dependence on his
care and affection.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 327

salvation. This thought is eminently Pauline, and
a comment on the words, Love thinketh no evil,
and hopeth all things. So he says to the Romans,
" I myself am persuaded of you, my brethren, that
ye are full of goodness" (Rom. xv. 14); and
to the Philippians, " Being confident of this very
thing, that He which hath begun a good work in
you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ :
even as it is meet for me to think this of you all,
because I have you in my heart" The things which
accompany salvation, or are linked to it, are
humility, faith, patience, diligence, prayer, sted-
fastness. His confidence is, that as true children
of God they will persevere unto the end. For he
recalls the days of their first faith and love, when
they willingly suffered for Christ's sake, and when
they ministered unto the saints. God also re
members it ; and as in His grace He has connected
reward with our good works, wrought by faith in
Jesus, so it would be unrighteous in Him to for
get what they had done and suffered for the
gospel. He will reward them, and what better,
higher, and sweeter reward can God give us than
to keep us faithful, to sustain us to the end, to
shed abroad His love in our hearts; for God
Himself is our sure portion, and our exceeding
great reward.

Having this encouragement and hope, his heart's
desire is that every one of them should show the

328 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto
the end. He reminds them of their father Abra
ham. In faith and patience he continued stedfast,
though his hope was not accomplished. How
long had Abraham to wait for the fulfilment of the
promise! How severely was his faith tested!
If the Hebrews were sorely tried, if they felt it
a great hardship to be excluded from the temple,
to be regarded as strangers from the common
wealth of Israel ; if they felt it difficult to look
by faith unto Jesus and unto His return, waiting
for the possession of the promised inheritance, let
them remember the patriarchs, who likewise lived
by faith, who not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off were persuaded of
their substance and certainty, and embraced them;
who made pilgrimage their willing choice, and,
though dwelling in tents in a land which was not
theirs, rejoiced in hope of the glory of God.

Abraham believed the word of God. He hoped
against hope. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God. The birth of Isaac fulfilled
his hope, but did not terminate the trial and con
flict of faith. But when the decisive trial was
past, and Abraham by faith had offered up Isaac,
then God gave unto him the reward in a final
confirmation of the promise by His oath. The
promise which was thus renewed and confirmed

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 329

to Abraham, after the patience and wonderful en
durance of faith, was most comprehensive and
emphatic : " Blessing I will bless thee .... and
in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed." The words " blessing I will bless thee,"
express that this blessing is not an outward and
transient act of God, but the manifestation of His
cherished purpose and of His inmost love. It
expresses the truth which runs through the whole
Scripture, that God has chosen His people, that
His delight is in them, and that He Himself is
their glory and blessedness. And knowing our
weakness to grasp such infinite blessings and to
rely on promises so exceeding great, knowing our
difficulties and temptations, God confirmed the
word with an oath. Among men an oath is an
end of all strife. It is the ultimate and highest
confirmation of statement and promise. God in
His wonderful condescension and considerate re
membrance of our weak hearts, which are slow to
believe the exceeding riches of His grace, confirms
the promise with an oath, and since there is none
greater than Himself, the Lord by an oath medi
ated (£>eo-iT£W£v op*o>) between Himself and the heirs
of promise.

Jesus is the Mediator, the seal as well as the
fulfilment of God's promise. He is as it were the
Oath of God. " Verily, verily, I say unto you"
is the majestic commencement of the Saviour's

33° The Epistle to the Hebrews.

declarations and blessings. In Him all the pro
mises of God are yea and Amen; in Him all
covenant blessings are made sure. How much
more abundant ought the faith of those to be,
who in the resurrection of Jesus and in His exal
tation behold the confirmation of God's counsel.
Abraham possessed the promise, and in the oath
of God the assurance of the immutability of His
counsel. We possess a more abundant confir
mation in fuller manifestation of the oath. The
eternal blessings and the future glory of the co
venant are sealed to all who believe by the resur
rection of Jesus, by the outpouring and indwelling
of the Holy Ghost, by Baptism and by the Lord's
Supper.

So abundant is the encouragement which God
gives to all faithful though tried disciples. The
apostle therefore expresses his eager desire that
every""" member of the congregation show the same
diligence and zeal in regard to the full assurance
of hope. In this chapter his object is to rouse the
lukewarm and inert, to lift them out of their apathy
and gloom, and to raise them to the sunny and
joyous height of faith and hope. Assurance, or ful
ness of hope (Com p. Col. ii. 2 ; i Thess. i. 5 ; Heb.
x. 22), means a living, constant, and firm expecta
tion of the coming of our Lord Jesus, who will
give rest and glory unto all who wait for Him.

* Ileb. iv. i ; vii. ir ; Col. i. 28.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 331

We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. By hope
we anticipate the future blessedness, and thus live
in the power of heavenly realities, influenced by
the promised reward. Thus the apostle, who
so clearly teaches us that we have been saved by
grace through faith, also teaches that we are saved
by hope ; we wait for the adoption, that is the
redemption of the body. In this patient waiting
we are the followers of the Old Testament saints.
They also, from Abraham, to whom God confirmed
the promise by oath, looked unto the same advent
of Messiah which we are awaiting. The fathers>
who pertained specially to the Hebrews (Rom. ix.),
cherished the same hope, which was more fully
revealed by the gospel, and which therefore we
should hold fast with greater stedfastness and
joy.

The severe rebuke of the apostle thus ends in
words of strong encouragement. Fulness of hope
is to characterise the believer. In like manner,
Scripture speaks of the assurance or fulness of
faith. The kingdom of God is not in word, but
in power. To say that we are sure of our salva
tion, to force ourselves as it were into expressions
of certainty and peace, without possessing that
inward and true calmness which flows from com
munion with God, is of no avail. It is dangerous
to anticipate by imagination an experience which
we have not reached, and to adopt the expression

Y

33 2 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

of feelings which we covet, but do not actually
possess. It is unwise of teachers to urge people
to use words of assurance and triumph. The true
assurance of faith is given unto those who in
humility look unto Jesus; for assurance of faith
means not a peculiar kind of faith, but simply faith
in full, healthy, vigorous exercise* — the singleness
and sincerity of trust which looks only to the pro
mise, which leans only on the perfection of the
Saviour's grace. To look unto Jesus only, to see
Him as our light and life, our righteousness and
strength, is the fulness of faith ; and to wait for
the fulfilment of the promises at the coming of our
Lord Jesus, is the fulness of hope.

We wait for the Son of God from heaven ; and
in the fact that the Son of God is in heaven we
possess the substance as well as the pledge of our
future inheritance. Jesus Himself is our hope.
The soul is like a ship, tossed to and fro by the
tumultuous waves of the sea, exposed to the
temptations of Satan, the afflictions and sufferings
of this present life, the difficulties and dangers of
our earthly course, to doubts within and storms
without. But we have an anchor, even hope ; and
this anchor is fixed, not in the dej.th below, but in
the height above, even in the heavenly sanctuary,
the everlasting and immovable throne of the Most

* ir\ripo<j>bpia. irt'trrews — " In the full sail of faith, bearing right on
with the wind, all canvass up." — J. DUNCAN.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 333

High. Where but in heaven, in eternity, in that
which is infinite, can we find resr, can we find the
object of faith, love, and hope ? Only He who
from everlasting to everlasting is God, can be the
dwelling-place of His people in all generations ;
only God the Father in Christ Jesus can be the
object of our faith, our soul's trust and stay ; only
infinite love can kindle in us love, and be the love
of our love. Thus only God Himself is our hope.
And as God in Christ is the sinner's faith and
love, so it is the Lord Jesus, once crucified and
now enthroned, who is our hope; and while earthly
joys and encouragements vary and vanish, the
Spirit commands the troubled and disquieted
soul to hope in God.* (Ps. xliii.) And this sug
gests to the apostle another illustration, f For

* Anchor is never mentioned in the Old Testament, either in the
literal or figurative sense ; in the New Testament only here, and in
its literal sense, Acts xxvii. 29, 30, 40. It occurs as the emblem of
hope in Greek and Roman authors.

t Dr. Brown remarks : " Two images beautifully combined :
I. The soul is the ship; the world, the se..j the bliss beyond the
world (ch. xi. 13), the distant coast; the hope resting on faith, the
anchor which prevents the vessel being tossed to and fro (Eph. iv.
14) ; the encouraging consolation through the promise and oath of
God, the cable connecting the ship and anchor. II. The world is the
fore-court ; heaven, the holy of holies ; Christ, the High Priest
going before us, so as to enable us, after Him and through Him, to
enter within the veil (Lev. xvi. 2, 12, 15 ; Num. xviii. 7 ; cf. below,
ch. ix. 3, 12, x. 19, 20)." Estius explains, "As the anchor does not
stay in the waters, but enters the ground hidden beneath the waters,
and fastens itself in it, so hope, our anchor of the soul, is not satis
fied with merely coming to the vestibule ; i.e. is not content with

334 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

when the mind beholds vividly spiritual truths,
when the heart is filled with the fervid vision
of heavenly realities, the fulness of glorious bless
ings can only be expressed by combining the
scattered and imperfect rays in which, through
symbols, the light shines unto us. The believer
on earth is, as it were, in the outer court of the
Tabernacle. In the holy of holies is Christ the
Lord. The veil that separated the holy place
from the most holy was the body of Christ. When
He died the veil was rent, sin was put away,
transgression was finished, the curse was removed,
Satan and death were conquered, and an everlasting
righteousness was brought in. We who believe in
Jesus, by faith and prayer enter now into that which
is within the veil ; we who trust in Jesus, who died
for us, are now, as it were, on the other side of the
cross. Sin, condemnation, death, have been put
away, and within the veil is the region of resur
rection life, peace and glory, the eternal election,
love, and favour of God. It is only through the
death of the Lord, through the rent veil of His
flesh, that we are saved ; but having been recon-

merely earthly and visible goods, but penetrates even to those which
are within the veil ; viz., to the holy of holies, where it lays hold
on God Himself, and heavenly goods, and fastens on them. ' Hope,
entering within heaven, hath made us already to be in the things
promised to us, even whilst we are still below, and have not yet
received them ; such strength hope has, as to make those that ?.re
earthly to become heavenly.'" — THEOPHYL.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 335

ciled to God by the death of His Son, much more,
being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
"Within the veil,' Jesus, in the prayer which He
offered before His death unto the Father, reveals
unto us this highest region when He says, " I have
declared unto them thy name, and will declare it :
that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may
be in them, and I in them." The eternal and
infinite love of the Father, who has loved us as
He loved Jesus (John xvii. 23), this is "within the
veil." This anchor is sure, it never yields even
to the strongest pressure ; it is stedfast, it never
moves from its place, it never varies with the
changing condition of our feelings. Many are
they that rise up against us, and often are our foes
increased ; but when hope enters into that within
the veil, we can say, " Who shall lay anything to
the charge of God's elect ? It is God that justi
fied!. Who is he that condemned! ? It is Christ
that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us."

Jesus Himself is our hope; for He (and not
merely His work and death) is for us entered,
the forerunner. And by this thought and ex
pression the apostle returns to the theme of the
epistle, which he never forgets ; viz., the Mel-
chizedek Priesthood of the Lord Jesus. Aaron
went into the holy of holies only once a year, and

33 ^ The Epistle to the Hebrews.

then it was not to abide there. Moreover, only
the high priest was allowed to enter ; and not
even the priests, still less the people, were per
mitted to follow him. But here is one, Jesus (for
the apostle dwells emphatically on the human
nature of our Lord), the Man who is God's equal,
and who died on the cross, who enters the holy
of holies, to abide there in royal dignity, and to
prepa/e a place for us — the Forerunner, by whom
all believers are brought into the very presence of
God. He is therefore a priest, not after the order
of Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek, the
eternal High Priest, in whom is perfect mediation.

Let faith only behold Jesus on the right hand
of God, let hope only enter as an anchor into that
within the veil, the eternal Father-love in the
glorified Son who died for us, and we have reached
perfection. Amid all dangers and temptations,
amid all struggles and conflicts, though sin is still
present with us, though we have no confidence in
the flesh, and with increasing sorrow and contrition
judge ourselves, we are persuaded that nothing
shall be able to separate us from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus. We are in Christ ; " old
things have passed away ; behold, all things have
become new." Christ is in heaven, and His prayer
is, " Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I am."

Read again this solemn and severe chapter, and

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 337

say, " Let the righteous smite me ; it shall be a
kindness : and let him reprove me ; it shall be an
excellent oil, which shall not break my head." rill
God's words are in love, the thoughts of His heart
are peace. Blessed are they who listen to the
voice of heavenly wisdom, who love instruction, and
turn not from correction ; for the bitter arrows of
reproof are sent by the sweet hand of a Father,
and the earnest words of warning come from the
home of everlasting truth and peace. There is a
sweetness which is not wholesome, and a calmness
which is treacherous ; there is the voice of the
flattering woman, there are the enchanting words
of a spurious gospel, which bids us not go outside
the camp bearing the reproach with Jesus, which
tells us not of our heavenly citizenship, and of our
having been crucified by the cross of Christ to the
world. But let us who are risen with Christ seek
those things which are above, where Christ sitteth
on the right hand of God. Faith and hope rejoice ;
for of God is our righteousness and our glory,
even Christ.

CHAPTER XIV.

MELCIIIZEDEK A TYPE; AND THE CHARACTER OF

THE INSPIRED SCRIPTURE.

HEB. vii. 1-5.

r I ^HE apostle now enters upon the main argu-
-•- ment of the epistle. The High Priestly
dignity of the Lord Jesus Christ, upon which He
entered after His death and ascension, is infinitely
higher than that of Aaron ; and as the Levitical
priesthood was imperfect and only the shadow
and type of the substance, so the Lord is the true
Priest of the heavenly and eternal sanctuary, (vii.

i-9, 1 8.)

We are first reminded of the absolute perfection
of the High Priest Himself, and for this purpose
Christ is compared with Melchizedek and con
trasted with Aaron.

The incident recorded in the book of Genesis
is in itself very remarkable and instructive. But

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 339

the comment which David five centuries after
gives in the psalm, of which the Lord Himself
testifies that in it David spoke by the Spirit, and
the exposition of the psalm which after a thousand
years is given here, unfold unto us depths which
our own investigation, be it ever so minute and
careful, would never have brought to light. May
not, therefore, this exposition of Scripture by
Scripture be useful to us in giving us a fuller and
deeper view of the character of the history of
Israel, and of the record of this supernatural
history ?

The victory which Abram the servant and
friend of God had gained over the kings was a
remarkable and significant event. It was before
Isaac was born and the sign of the covenant was
given unto our father, whose faith was counted to
him for righteousness. Obedient to the call of
the God of glory, Abram left his father's house
and country. He believed in God and in the
promise which God gave unto him to make him
a great nation, and to bless all the families of the
earth in his seed. The character of Abram ap
pears from the beginning one of singular beauty
and greatness. The sincerity as well as the strength
of his faith manifested itself in sacrifice and self-
denying obedience. The treasure which he had
found in the love of God made him willino- to be

O

a stranger on earth. Seeking a better country, that

340 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

is a heavenly, and believing Him faithful who pro
mised, Abram left all and followed the Lord. Full
of the generosity and the meekness of true love,
he allows his nephew Lot to choose the land where
he wished to dwell ; and after Lot, who had
chosen what appeared good and fertile, had separ
ated from him, the Lord renewed and confirmed
the promise to Abram, giving unto him the length
and breadth of the land which he should after
wards receive for an inheritance, and in the plain
of Mamre the God-fearing man built an altar unto
Jehovah. Love is always the companion of taith,
and self-denial the daughter of love. And God
always sustains and rewards those who for His
sake love and serve the brethren. Lot's righteous
soul was vexed with the iniquity of the people
among whom he dwelt, and the place chosen for
its prosperity soon proves a place of trial and
danger. When Abram heard that Lot had been
taken captive, with that love which, forgetting
injuries and remembering kindness, is eager to
help the needy, he armed his trained servants, and
with a small band of three hundred and eighteen
men, who were doubtless filled with the same
spirit of faith as himself, and united with him in
the bond of affection, he completely conquered the
kings, and regained the captives, and all the goods
which had been taken. While no doubt love to
his kinsman, unclouded by any reminiscence of his

The Epistle* to the Hebrews. 341

somewhat selfish conduct, was his chief motive, he
was actuated by the justice of the cause, and he
showed the purity and disinterested motive of his
enterprize by his refusal to receive any reward
from the liberated kings ; and in this he appealed
unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor
of heaven and earth ; as if the servant of such a
Master must needs represent in all things the
honour and dignity of the almighty and bountiful
Lord.

So great and lovely was our father Abraham
from the very first days of his faith, so simple
and earnest was his trust in God, implicitly be
lieving and immediately obeying the call from
above ; so meek and lowly, and yet so heroic,
valiant and courageous; so affectionate and tender
hearted towards his kinsmen, so generous and
royal towards all men. Blessed is the memory of
the just ; their very name is full of fragrance, and
we delight to recall the features of their spiritual
countenance.

Returning from the victory, he was met by
Melchizedek, king of Salem. Let us view this
incident first in the light of the statement in
Genesis. Let us limit ourselves to the facts there
stated by the historian.

This king, whose name was King of Righteous
ness, was also a priest of the most high God.
He lived at Salem ; he brought forth bread and

342 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

wine ; and he blessed Abram, and said, " Blessed
be Abram of the most high God, possessor of
heaven and earth : and blessed be the most high
God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy
hand." And Abram gave him tithes of all.

This priestly king was a worshipper of the
true God. Idolatry was then predominant. Even
Abram's father was a worshipper of idols ; yet,
as this instance shows, the primeval revelation
was not entirely forgotten, and there were still
cities and tribes in which God was adored and
served. Melchizedek calls God the most high
God. This expression implies that he knew and
worshipped the only true and living God, who is
above all. Though there are many that are
called gods and lords, there is only one God, high
above all gods. The expression also means that
God is above creation, high above heaven and
earth ; the Lord whose throne and sanctuary are
now no longer on earth, as they were once at
the entrance of the garden of Eden, but high
above.

He was king and priest, and, it seems to me,
because of the priesthood, a king. It was his
peculiar position in relation to God which invested
him with authority over men. Because he knew
God, and in the name of God pronounced blessings,
was he king, and, as his name expresses it, the pro
phet and dispenser of righteousness. Salem, or

The Epistle to ttie Hebrews. 343

peace, was the name of the city where he reigned
and exercised his priesthood.

This venerable man, in whom we behold as it
were the glorious sunset ot the primeval dispen
sation, met Abram and 'brought unto him bread
and wine, evidently as symbols of the gifts of
God in creation, to sustain and gladden fallen
man ; and he blessed Abram, as belonging by
faith to the same God ; and he blessed God, as
having given through Abram and his victory a new
manifestation of Himself. Abram received the
blessing, and gave tithes of all unto him, thereby
recognizing Melchizedek's superiority.

What did Melchizedek see in Abram ? Evi
dently the future — a new dispensation of divine
grace and truth. What did Abram see in Mel
chizedek ? The past, in its universal character
embracing all tribes and families of the earth ; in
its character of simplicity and fulness, the blessing
of God in the reign of righteousness, priestly in
tercession, and peace — type of the ultimate future,
which shall terminate the period of Israel and
the church. Melchizedek is thus greater than
Abram, because the past dispensation, which he
represents, is a type of that future dispensation
of which the Abrahamic is only preparatory. As
the last chapters of the Apocalypse correspond
with the first chapters of Genesis, as the garden
of Eden was a type and earnest of the ultimate

344 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

reign of blessedness, which the last pages of the
book of Revelation describe, so the Melchizedek
reign and priesthood prefigure the glory of the
Christocracy, which we await, and which is the
consummation of the period commencing with
Abram, and including the history of Israel and
the times of the Gentiles. In the bread and
wine Abram saw the pledge of God's abundant
grace. After the expulsion from Paradise, and
the judgment of the flood, bread and wine are the
gifts by which man's life is nourished and in
vigorated, and which, though, like all good gifts,
coming primarily from God, are yet obtained
through processes symbolic of suffering.

Abraham is blessed of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth. The expression
" possessor" is significant. The patriarch " pos
sessed" nothing actually ; but by faith he possessed
all things promised unto him. Abraham had to
buy even the burying-place for Sarah of the sons
of Ephron. But He in whom he trusted was the
possessor of heaven and earth, and the promised
inheritance was therefore sure. Abraham, like all
the faithful, was blessed of God. In Him he was
rich ; by Him he was strong and victorious. All
things are ours, if we are God's — if His blessing
rests on us.

Such are the main features of this remarkable
incident, as recorded in the Book of Genesis, and

The Epistle to the Hebrews, 345

viewed apart from the inspired exposition of its
deeper meaning, as given in subsequent portions of
Scripture. Before entering on the consideration
of the Davidic and Pauline exposition, it may be
useful to recall the peculiar character of the history
and of the record of revelation.

We must always view Scripture in its connection
with Israel and with Christ. The Lord Jesus is
of Israel, and therefore to Abraham's seed were
given the oracles of God. While we believe that
God is not the God of the Jews only, but also of
the Gentiles, that in all history His wisdom, power,
and grace are to be recognised, and that all history
is typical, illustrating spiritual principles, a mirror
of things invisible and future, we believe that the
history of Israel is in a special sense miraculous
and supernatural and in immediate connection
with the great plan of redemption. Israel is the
nation ; chosen for the sake of all nations, separ
ated unto God, and for the good of the whole
world, that through them the glory and salvation
of God might be made manifest. God has con
nected from all eternity, and in a necessary and
inseparable manner, the Word, who is the bright
ness of His glory, and the express image of His
person ; Israel, His chosen nation ; the oracles or
Scripture; and Jesus, the Son of God and man.
As the Word was with God, and the centre of
the divine counsel, as the Word became the centre

346 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

and medium of creation, so the Word was set
apart to be the centre of redemption, and the
centre of the future glory and inheritance.

This great plan of God, while it had the Son
of God for its centre, had Israel, as it were, for
its immediate and primary circumference. God
selected Israel as the garden in which the blessed
Branch should appear. From all nations he separ
ated Israel, that out of them should come the
Redeemer and Saviour of mankind. And as
Israel was chosen in Christ, and for Christ's sake,
so their whole history and education were accord
ing to that great object.

The Scripture, which is the testimony of God's
dealings in mercy as Jehovah, could therefore not
originate anywhere else than among the Jews.
It was according to the divine plan that Jesus
should be of Israel, and likewise the Scripture
must needs be Jewish. Israel's history is there
fore central in importance and symbolical in
character. It is for the sake of the Redeemer,
chosen in the counsel of God, that fallen and sin
ful humanity is allowed to continue ; it is for the
sake of the final restoration that there is a history
of nations : in Israel's Messiah shall all nations of
the earth be blessed. And since God chose Israel,
and revealed Himself and His grace unto them
in word, act, and type, it cannot be otherwise than
that the whole history of this nation should be a

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 347

grand series of symbols of spiritual and eternal
truths, and that the Scriptures recording the
history should possess a vitality and depth of
meaning which can never be exhausted.

The history of the chosen people of redemption
was supernatural, and all events and institutions
connected with it under the immediate guidance
of God and under the immediate influence of the
Holy Ghost.

The supernatural character of Israel's history
must be obvious to every one who believes the
miraculous birth of the Lord Jesus. As He was
conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the
God-chosen Virgin Mary, so His birth was the
last link of a chain, the consummation' of a long
series of miraculous revelations and acts of the
Redeemer-God. The offspring of David is also
the root of David ; the seed of Abraham is be
fore Abraham was ; and the whole history of
Israel is the going forth of Him who is eternal.

Thus we understand the great and outstanding
events of this history, such as the birth of Isaac,
the sufferings and exaltation of Joseph, the Exodus,
the fall of Jericho, the reign of David. Thus we
understand the types, the sacrifices and festivals.
Thus we perceive that the tabernacle was not
framed by human wisdom, but that the Holy
Ghost symbolized through this mysterious sanc
tuary the eternal truth as it is in Jesus. Nor can

348 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

we be astonished that this supernatural, symbolic,
and eternal character of Israel's history should
manifest itself not merely in central events and
persons, but that it should pervade the whole,
and enter into every detail. The very names
Abraham, Joshua, David, the very sequence of
events and promises, the colours and numbers in
the arrangements of the tabernacle, were ordered
of God, and are full of deep meaning. And as
the history of Israel by reason of its central
character is symbolic, mirroring the experience of
the individual soul and of the congregation in
every possible circumstance, in patriarchal infancy,
in the house of bondage, in the wilderness journey,
in Canaan's warfare and temptation, in Davidic
and Solomonic rule, in Babylonian exile, so is it
also typical and prophetic, and stands related to
that ultimate development of the divine king
dom, towards which tend all God's dealings, and
of which all the prophets of the eternal witnessed
from the beginning.

The whole history of Israel is a golden his'ory,
if we may so say — a Holy Ghost history. It
differs from every other history. This nation God
formed for Himself; and in all the events, institu
tions, and great men of this people God in a special
manner revealed Himself and the truths of His
kinofdom. And this because the eternal Word, the

o

Saviour of sinners, the King of the Jews, the Head

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 349

of the Church, the Heir of all things, who is the
upholder and end of all ages, Jesus Himself, is
organically and inseparably connected with this
chosen nation ; He is of the seed of David, of
the seed of Abraham.

Now such being the character of the history,
was the record of this history (or the Scripture)
the work of man, depending on the capacity and
grasp of human intellect, the faithfulness of human
memory, on man's wisdom and design ? Is not
the casket also golden which contains the in
valuable jewel ? If the spirit and substance were
God-given, has He not also clothed it with a
body prepared and perfected by His own omnipo
tent and all-wise hand ? We believe that Scrip
ture is given by inspiration of God. We do not
believe it possible that this book, world-wide and
eternal in its character, could have been written
by holy men, unless they were moved by the
Spirit, who searcheth the deep things of God, and
guided by Him who was, and is, and is to come.
We believe Scripture to be inspired. And our
faith in the inspiration of Scripture has its basis
and root in our faith in God Himself. It is be
cause we have experienced the divine power of
the truth Scripture contains, and because in the
reading of Scripture we have heard the voice of
God; it is because God speaks to us in this written
word that we believe it is God's. This faith is a

350 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

conviction, an inward beholding and seeing, a
knowledge which far transcends in light and
strength, in certainty and firmness, all human evi
dence and argument. We cannot communicate
this faith to our neighbour ; for faith is the gift of
God, and " they shall be all (and each) taught of
God ;" we can only testify of it and give a reason,
a connected statement of the knowledge that is
in us. But on no lower ground can we build our
assertion, that Scripture is God-inspired ; not on
the testimony oi the Church, not on the evidences
(valuable as they are) of the historic iaith fulness of
the record, the fulfilment ot prophecy, the eftects
of the sublime teaching on human minds, &c.
The inspiration ot Scripture is an object ot faith ;
and faith can only rest on the word of God, the
testimony ol the Spirit to the soul.

When we are asked : Is this inspiration verbal ?
or does it refer only to the divinely - revealed
truths and promises ? it is not necessary fo us to
enter into distinctions which Scripture itselt does
not make. We need no adjective to qualify the
substantive, inspiration. It is impossible for us to
form a theory of inspiration. Even of that in
fluence of the Spirit of which we possess personal
experience in our own conversion and daily re
newal, it would be impossible for us to frame a
theory ; for the work of the Spirit is mysterious.
We cannot trace the beginning or end of His

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 351

path (John iii. 8) ; His " intercession is with groan-
ings which cannot be uttered" (Rom. viii. 26) ;
we cannot explain His indwelling in the heart;
and as His love is infinitely tender, entering
into our deepest and most individual peculiarity
and need, so is it impossible for us to analyze
His constant vivifying influence, guidance, and
rule. If it is thus with the work of the Spirit, of
which we have experience, why should we at
tempt to form a theory of inspiration of which
none of us have experience ? Most probably
the prophets themselves could not explain and
analyze the operation of the holy and infinite Spirit
upon and within their spirits, and could give no
other reply to our enquiry than the statement
which Scripture contains : the Spirit of the Lord
came upon them ; they spake not of themselves,
but as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The inseparable connection between thought and
word, between the substance and spirit and the form
and expression, is obvious. Tlie Holy Spirit, who
reveals truth and spiritual reality to holy men,
moves them also in speaking; influencing also the
words, so that they are correct and adequate
expressions : the spoken and written word is an
adequate manifestation of the word* inwardly

* The Hebrew "OT means thing and word. "The word of God
is more exact than is generally thought in its expressions ; because
the expression has its origin in the thing itself."

35 2 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

revealed. To separate thought and word, spirit
and embodiment, matter and manner, is at all
times a very difficult and perilous thing ; for not
merely is the boundary line between the idea and
the expression almost impossible to find, but the
Spirit who animates the body which it has formed
can only be retained by us in the word. Hence,
as Martin Luther said against the rationalists of
his day, " Christ did not say of His Spirit, but of
His words, they are spirit and liie." Scripture is
God's word ; it is His gift, and a revelation of
Himself. It is God's word, the revelation of eternal
and spiritual truth in a written record.

The language of Scripture accordingly is per
fectly unique ; it possesses an indescribable some
thing which is not found in any (merely) human
writings ; the Spirit, who seeth all things in their
depth and reality, and who knoweth the end from
the beginning, speaks here in a way so profound
and comprehensive, that the wisdom and ex
perience of all ages cannot exhaust His meaning,
and yet with such simplicity and definiteness, that
all childlike hearts find guidance and consolation
in their daily path of duty and trial. The style
of Scripture betokens its inspiration. Here is a
depth, a solemnity, a heart-winning sweetness and
familiarity, which we meet nowhere else. Here
is the voice of One who speaketh with authority,
and communicates to us out of an inexhaustible

The Epistle to the Plebrews. 353

fulness what is profitable for us in our present
condition. The Scripture is to other books as
Nature is to the works of art, as the ocean is to a
lake ; the Scripture sees all things from a great
height, and breathes the atmosphere of eternity.
In the best human books, in the loftiest poetry, in
the most fervent and devout utterances of man,
there is always something unreal, artificial, self-
conscious ; something morbid and necessarily
ephemeral. Scripture is the only true, real, eter
nal book.

The apostles and the Lord Himself teach us
that not merely was Israel's history, if we may so
say, inspired, under the special influence of God ;
but they teach us also that the. record of this
history is inspired, that the Scripture which nar
rates God's dealings with Israel is also under
the special and infallible guidance of the Holy
Ghost. It must be evident, from the preaching
of the apostles to Jews and Gentiles, from the
manner in which they decide difficult questions
of doctrine and practice, from the epistles they
addressed to the churches, that they believed Scrip
ture inspired in the fullest sense, and regarded the
men by whom the word was written as the instru
ments, but the Lord, and more especially the
Holy Ghost, as the true author of the whole
organism of the Jewish record.

It appears from this very chapter (and from

354 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the whole epistle) that its author regarded the
Scripture as inspired in the most absolute sense
of the word ; for his whole argument here is
based upon the manner in which the Holy Ghost
narrated the incident of Melchizedek's appearing
and blessing. Because there is no statement
given of his descent, of his beginning and end,
the apostle sees in this omission the indication of
a very important and fundamental truth. Genesis
is the book of genealogies. Most carefully and
minutely the descent of men is traced ; their age
is stated, and the fact of their death chronicled.
In a human work no further inference could be
drawn from an omission of this kind. It is
otherwise, however, in Scripture. As in music,
not only the notes, but also the pauses are accord
ing to the plan and mind of the composer, and
instinct with the life and spirit which breathe
through the whole ; so the very omissions of Scrip
ture are not the result of chance, or of the acci
dental ignorance of the writer, but according to
and in harmony with the wisdom of the eternal
Spirit, who is the true author of the record.
The apostle evidently thinks that the Holy Ghost
teaches by not stating these points. In like
manner he attaches importance to the names of
Melchizedek and Salem.

When he writes to the Galatians he bases a very
important argument on the word seed — not many,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 355

but one — showing that Christ is the promised
seed and heir. He represents Sara and Hagaras
typical of the two covenants — of Jerusalem and of
Sinai — gospel and law, liberty and bondage ; and,
in a manner quite analogous to our chapter, he
points out that the promise given to Abraham four
hundred years before the giving of the law could
not be disannulled by it. He affirms that the
Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the
heathen by faith, preached before the gospel unto
Abraham, saying, "In thy seed shall all nations be
blessed." And again, The Scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise of faith might be
given to them that believe. He personifies the
Scripture as omniscient, foreseeing all things, and
speaking in harmony with the whole counsel of
God.

The apostolic "as it is written " is rooted in a
very deep conviction of the divine perfection of
the written Word. The whole Scripture is one
organic structure ; and in its minute and subsidiary
portions, as well as in the more prominent and
fundamental parts, the Scripture is inspired of
God (fooTTvewros) : the infinite and eternal Spirit
reveals through the Scripture the truths and reali
ties of God's salvation.

Hence the names of persons and places, the
omissions of circumstances, the use of the singular
or plural number, the application of a title, — all

356 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

things are under the control of the all-wise and
gracious Spirit of God.*"

I may also add a word on the manner of quo
tation. Scripture passages are quoted by the Lord
in the gospels and by the apostles not always
with verbal accuracy, giving an exact repetition of
the expressions used by Moses or the prophets.
This appears at first sight a difficulty, and not in
harmony with the doctrine of inspiration. But on
investigation it will be found to confirm this truth ;
for here also the Spirit is revealed as the Spirit of
truth and liberty. The original meaning of the
Spirit is developed with increasing clearness and
fulness ; the Lord and His apostles quote the
Scripture according to the deepest and truest
meaning of the inspired Word, and according to
the new requirements of the dispensation and the
condition of their hearers. The prophets them
selves knew that their prophecy was above them ;
they therefore searched with diligent zeal what
Messiah's Spirit which was in them did signify.
In the fulness of the Spirit the Messiah Himself
quotes Scripture ; in the fulness of the Spirit, re-

* Compare Paul's commentary on the word "all" in Psalm viii. 7,
and the important deductions from it in Heb. ii. 8, and I Cor. xv.
27; on the word "new," Jer. xxxi., Heb. viii. 13; the singular
" seed," Gal. iii. 16. What a wonderful superstructure is built on
Ps. ex. 4 ! Each word is full of most important and blessed mean
ing. In Ps. xxxii. I, 2, no mention is made of works ; hence Rom.
iv. 6. Many other instances might be quoted.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 357

ceived on the day of Pentecost, the apostles quote
and apply the Scripture to confirm and illustrate
the truth as it is in Jesus, to guide and to exhort
the church in her present course. This refers also
to interpretation. The allegorical interpretation,
if applied by man, is dangerous ; because he
may either be without the mind of Christ, and
then he will certainly introdiice thoughts con
trary to and apart from Scripture, and his in
terpretation will not be the unfolding of the divine
truth ; or he may possess the Spirit, yet by reason
of imperfection and sin fail to see the true and
real meaning of the Word. But when the Lord
Jesus and the inspired apostles interpret Scrip
ture, it is as if the author of a book himself
explains his true, real, and full meaning to those
who have read it. It is authentic exposition of the
original Word ; an exposition which, on account
of the further development of God's counsel, is
more profound 'and luminous than could have
been given at the time of its first utterance.

It seems as if in the outward form of Scripture,
in the quotations and comments, there is such
apparent imperfection in order that faith may be
tested. Outwardly, there seems no difference be
tween Paul's allegorising and that of the Rabbis
or of Philo. It was said of Jesus, "Is not this
Jesus, the Son of Joseph, the carpenter?" So it
may be thought that Scripture is merely human.

The Epistle to the Hebrews.

The Word (that is Christ, and also the Scripture)
came, as Luther says, " in unser armes Fleish und
Blut" — in our poor flesh and blood.

Above all, remember that the Lord Jesus, our
one and only Master, the Son of God, who is
the Truth, honoured, confirmed, and fulfilled the
Scripture, and led His apostles into a deeper,
because more loving, reverence for the inspired
word, and into the true and full understanding of
its mysteries. Remember how Jesus referred to
Scripture when He was teaching the people, or
refuting gainsayers, or resisting and conquering
Satan, or instructing and comforting His disciples.
Remember how He appeals to Scripture as the
ultimate judge, declaring as an axiom that the
Scripture cannot be broken, and that not one jot or
tittle of the law can pass away. Remember His
questions : How does David in the Spirit call Him
Lord ? How readest thou ? Have ye not read ?
Remember His references to the whole scope of
prophetic teaching (it is written in the prophets,
They shall be taught of God) ; to Moses, who wrote
of Him ; to the prophets and psalms; to the whole
Scripture (the things written concerning me) ; and
to single words and expressions, incidents and insti
tutions, contained in the Scripture. Remember
Christ's references to Scripture on the cross, how
the whole prophetic word passed before His mind ;
and in the conviction of His having fulfilled all

The Epistle to 'the Hebrews. 359

that by the Holy Ghost was written concerning
Him, after He had said, " I thirst," He uttered
that great and blessed word, " It is finished." And
alter His resurrection, appearing unto His chosen
disciples and witnesses, He opened unto them the
Scriptures, beginning with Moses, unfolding unto
them His suffering, and giving and commanding
them to preach, because they understood now the
word. " Thus it is written, and thus it behoved
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day, and thus preach repentance and remission
of sins in His name."

It is impossible to separate the Lord Jesus
either from Israel or from the Scripture. Faith
in Jesus, the true and real Jesus, who died and
rose again according to Scripture, must lead to
childlike and reverential faith in the Scripture as
the word of God, inspired and perfect.

On the testimony of the Lord Jesus and the
apostles I receive the Scripture as God's word.
Like David, I pray that God may open mine eyes
to see wonders hidden in God's law, in the history
and ordinances, recorded in the Scripture ; like the
psalmist, I view the history of Israel as a parable,
a symbol of spiritual and eternal truth. (Psalm
cxix. 1 8, Ixxviii. 2, &c.) Not as a critic dare 1
approach this book as if it were an ordinary book,
which I may hope to master and fathom. It is
above me, and I cannot exhaust its fulness; it

360 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

knows me, even the hidden things of the heart,
and judges me, bringing me into contact with the
all-seeing God. I enter with reverence into the
temple of Scripture, which, from the height of
God's eternal counsel and out of the depth of
God's infinite love, beholds and comprehends all
ages, and is sufficient for the guidance and per
fecting of souls in all generations — praying with
trustful hope that out of Christ's fulness the Spirit
will minister unto me also grace upon grace.

But while I thus stand in awe, beholding the
grandeur and infinite depth of the Scripture as
one organic spirit-built temple, and the beauty,
perfection, and exquisite skill which characterize
the most minute portion of this structure, I feel
at home and as in a peaceful and fragrant garden.
For our admonition was the Scripture written ;
for us upon whom the ends of the world are
come. Moses and the prophets minister unto
us, to whom the fulness of salvation is revealed.
Through comfort of the Scriptures we have hope.
I am not paralyzed by the divine perfection and
the infinite depth of the Word ; for such is the
love, such is the perfection of God, that even from
a child I may know the Scriptures, and be made
wise by them unto salvation. And while it may
be given to me in some favoured moment to take
a comprehensive view, and to behold somewhat
of the length, and breadth, and height, and depth,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 361

I know that every word of God is pure, every
name which He has revealed, every promise
which He has given, every word He has uttered,
is perfect ; and in it He is a shield unto them
that put their trust in Him. Thus I possess the
whole in every little fragment ; though weak,
ignorant, and limited, I have perfect peace and
the light of life. And often I find the truth of
that saying, so characteristic of that great lover
of the word,* " In Scripture every little daisy is
a meadow."

Is not this the experience of the Christian ?
We are at home in the Scriptures, because we
have found the Messiah, of whom the Scriptures
testify. Once we are in possession of this central
truth, we see unity, order, light, and beauty
throughout. Though many things seem dark,
wonderful, and beyond our comprehension, it is
the mystery of love. It does not alarm our heart,
or contract our affection, joy, and courage. The
whole Scripture is full of the goodness, the sweet
ness, and the beauty of the Lord. Yea, in one
sense we know all things ; for we have received
the anointing of Christ ; the Spirit Himself is our
teacher and guide. Everywhere in Scripture we
behold Jesus, the Lord ; our great High Priest,
enthroned in heaven ; King of righteousness and
Prince of peace, who brings unto us the blessing

* Luther.

362 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

of God ; who sustains our inner life, and who
gladdens and strengthens our hearts by giving us
continually bread to eat and wine to drink. Do
you know the Bread ? He came down from
heaven; He suffered and died; He was buried
and rose again. This is the bread — the body that
was broken, the flesh that He gave for the life of
the world. Do you know the Wine ? He is the
true Vine, and the wine which He gives to us is
the fruit of the suffering of bitter agony, when
He was crushed under the weight of transgres
sions not His own ; it is the blood which was
shed for the remission of sins. Are you a child
of Abraham ? Is yours the righteousness which
is of faith ? Are you waiting for the inheritance ?
Then in the reading of Scripture Jesus will bless
you, and give you the bread and wine which the
world knoweth not, because it seeth no longer
Him who is now in heaven.

CHAPTER XV.

MELCHIZEDEK. A TYF?;.
«

HEB. vii. 1-17.

*T^HE High Priesthood upon which our Lord
•*• entered after His sufferings, death, and ascen
sion (Heb. vi. 20), is infinitely higher than the
Aaron ic. It possesses perfection ; it is heavenly
and eternal. Hence it is impossible that it should
be prefigured by the Aaronic priesthood ;* and
therefore the apostle illustrates it by the type of
Melchizedek, in accordance with the interpretation
given centuries before by David, when in the
Spirit he declared the divine decree — " Thou art
a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."
It was difficult, though absolutely necessary, to
explain to the Hebrews the imperfect, shadowy,

* Christ is at present a Priest after the order of Melchizedek,
and not after the order of Aaron, though the exercise of His priest
hood at present is according to the type of Aaron, as within the
veil on the great day of atonement.

2 A

364 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

and temporary character of the Levitical priest
hood, and to show unto them that with the change
of priesthood there must needs be also a change
of dispensation. The Aaronic priesthood and the
Levitical dispensation were indeed of God, and
possessed glory. And our Lord, who on the cross
was the Sacrifice, and \\\\Q by His own blood en
tered into the holy of holies, fulfilled all that was
typified by these divine ordinances. Hence the
apostle neither makes void the Aaronic institu
tions, nor does he depreciate their importance,
value, and power. But Jesus, the Messiah, having
come and fulfilled that which was written of Him,
and being the substance of the shadow, there has
begun now the exercise of a real, living, continu
ous, and perfect High Priesthood, of which a type
is found in the pre- and super-Aaronic priesthood
of Melchizedek. Jesus is in heaven, dispensing
the blessings which He purchased with His blood,
and in perfect mediation bringing us to God, and
the favour and life of God to us.

The argument of the apostle, deducing and
illustrating the superiority of Christ's priesthood
over the Aaronic, from and by the relation of
Melchizedek to the Levitical priesthood, is in
some respects analogous to the argument of the
apostle with regard to the law, and its parenthe
tical and inferior position, as compared with the
gospel. You must have noticed the sluggish

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 365

tendency in man which renders him unwilling, and
to a certain extent unable, to understand quickly,
and to accept readily any change and develop
ment in the manifestation of God's purpose ; so
that when that which has been preparatory, and
which from the very outset was given only for a
time, and with indications of its imperfect and
intermediate character, is removed, he feels, so to
say, to a certain extent disappointed, and as if
some injustice had been done unto him, or as if
God was changeable, and the revelations of God
not consistent. It was in this way that the Jews
were shocked when the apostle Paul taught that
it was not necessary for the Gentiles to observe
the law ; that for the new covenant church the
law of Moses was no longer the rule and form of
life. And therefore the apostle, in his epistle to
the Galatians, tells them that the law was given
four hundred years after the promise had been
made unto Abraham, and that therefore there was
no injustice, and no inconsistency, in the bringing
in of a new dispensation, which was in fact only a
return in a fuller and more perfect manner to that
which was from the beginning in the mind of God.
There was in it nothing that was derogatory to
the majesty and holiness of the law.

The original promise which through Abraham
was given both to Jews and Gentiles was brought
prominently into the foreground, and the law set

366 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

aside, which had come in as an intermediate dis
pensation, a schoolmaster to bring men unto Christ,
a guardian to keep the appointed heir during the
years of his minority. The twofold object of the
law was now fulfilled. The law was to convince
man of sin, and to declare God's condemnation.
Christ was made a curse for us ; He is the end of
the law unto righteousness. The law was also to
teach us our deadness ; for it could not give life ;
it could not minister the Spirit ; but the Spirit of
Christ, as the Spirit of the Son, is now sent into
our hearts. Hence, the law being fulfilled, we enter
fully and substantially into the covenant which was
made before law.

It is in like manner that he argues in the epistle
to the Romans with regard to our father Abraham.
Abraham was justified by faith ; he received the
promises ; the covenant was made with him. He
believed God, and his faith was counted to him
for righteousness. But when was this ? Was it
not before circumcision was instituted ? And is
it not clear from this that God may again return
unto His original, primary, and more comprehen
sive idea, and bring in that righteousness which
is by faith, irrespective of all ordinances and of all
temporary and intermediate institutions ? Thus in
the present day some regard the doctrine of the
ushering in of a new dispensation — the advent of
the Lord Jesus Christ with His glorified Church,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 367

and His reign in the age to come, as something
disturbing. They feel unwilling to enter as it
were upon a new phase ; it seems troublesome
to have to understand and to comprehend new
developments. Remember that God, who is the
eternal, is the Lord of all times and of all dis
pensations. And although the ages change, His
truth remains for ever the same. Time only brings
out more fully that eternal and immutable counsel
which He purposed in Himself when He appointed
Christ, the incarnate Son, to be Lord and Heir of
all. And yet no portion of Scripture can ever
become antiquated, losing its instructiveness, sig
nificance, and value. No period of the history of
God's people, no type, no institution, no event of
any dispensation, can be forgotten ; nothing that
God has said, given, or done, will be lost. For the
eternal Spirit, who saw the end from the begin
ning, hath so ordered it that the whole Scripture
ministers unto all generations of His people, that
as the fathers cannot be made perfect without the
children, so the children who are privileged to see
the better things provided for them by God are
gathered unto the fathers, and blessed with the
ancient household of faith ; and when the purpose
of God is at last fulfilled, then Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, kings and prophets, who saw the glory afar
off, the church gathered since Pentecost, and called
especially to know the fellowship of Christ's suffer-

368 TJie Epistle to the Hebrews.

ings, shall rejoice together and praise Jehovah,
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and
for ever." As there was diversity in the dispensa
tions and the gifts, the service and the suffering,
and yet one Lord, one Mediator, one Spirit, so will
the glory also be manifold and yet one glory, even
the glory of God and of the Lamb.

The incident of the meeting of Melchizedek
and Abraham which is mentioned in the book of
Genesis belongs unto the history of God's people,
which, both in itself and in its record, is under
the immediate guidance of God and of the Holy
Ghost.

VV^e have seen already what the meaning of the
appearing of Melchizedek was unto Abraham
himself — what is immediately implied in the his
torical record apart from its typical aspect. This
Melchizedek, who was king and priest in one
person, and the name of whose residence was
Salem — that is, peace — who possessed the know
ledge of God, as of the Lord Most High, who
is supreme above all kings and above all gods,
who is high above all things that are created,
came as the representative of the primeval dispen
sation, which is greater and more comprehensive
than the dispensation that commenced with
Abraham, and is therefore a type of that resto
ration of all things, of that universal reign of
Truth and Love which shall commence with the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 369

appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came
as the representative of the first dispensation, and
as the type of the ultimate dispensation, and he
blessed Abraham, the father of Israel and of the
faithful, in the name of God, bringing unto him
in bread and wine the symbolic representation of
all the blessings pertaining to a vigorous and
joyous life which, according to the goodness of
God, were in grace vouchsafed unto Adam's chil
dren, although they had forfeited life through
their transgression. Abraham, the man whom
God called His friend, who was chosen, honoured,
and blessed of the Lord, acknowledges this royal
priest as his superior ; he receives his blessing,
and he gives unto him tithes.*

But now the apostle tells us that in this record
we have to consider not merely that which is
mentioned, but that which is not mentioned. Dif
ferent speculations have been entertained in the
church with regard to the actual historical person
Melchizedek. The sole reason why I allude to it
is to remind you how utterly useless these specu
lations are, and not merely useless, but entirely in

* The only feature of the narrative which the apostle does not ex
plain is that Melchizedek meets Abraham after his victory by faith.
Here is a figure of the final blessing, the possession of the pur
chased inheritance, and the perfect enjoyment of communion with
Christ. They who overcome shall inherit all things ; they shall be
met by the Lord, who said, " I will not drink henceforth of this
fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my
Father's kingdom." (Compare Rev. ii. 17 ; iii. 21 ; Luke xxvi. 29.)

370 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

contradiction to the scope of this very passage.
Some have thought this Melchizedek was Shem.
As far as chronology is concerned, there is nothing
impossible in this hypothesis ; for Shem lived not
merely up to the days of Abraham, but even into
a later period. Others have thought that this
Melchizedek was a descendant of Japhet. Some
again have supposed that he was an Amorite.
But the Scripture purposely does not mention who
he was. Genesis abounds in genealogies, and in
full and minute genealogies ; but the genealogy of
this man is not given. If we knew who he was,
should we not counteract thereby the meaning of
the Holy Ghost in this instructive omission ? If
he was Shem, then we know who his father was,
and when he lived, and how old he was ; and this
is just the very point which the Holy Ghost does
not wish us to know. Thus has it pleased God
to leave this man that he should stand out in
Scripture as a man without father, without mother,
without descent, having neither beginning of days
nor end of life ; as a man having a priesthood
inherent in himself, of whom we do not know the
parentage, of whom we do not know the suc
cessor. It is equally obvious that this Melchize
dek is not a theophany, an appearing of the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself. For he was made like unto
the Son of God ; that is, he was made in the in
spired record to be a similitude, or pattern, or

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 371

illustration of the Son of God. In all the appear
ances of the Word of God or the Son of God, in all
theophanies before the incarnation, there is some
thing either in what the mysterious One says,
promises, or does, or in the worship that is given
unto Him, or in the names and attributes which
are applied to Him, which shows most clearly and
distinctly that He is the Lord Jehovah; whereas
there is nothing of this kind in the record of
Genesis ; all we are told is, Melchizedek was one
of those still left upon the earth, who retained the
primeval knowledge of God, who worshipped
Him, and who ruled in righteousness. With re-

o

gard to all other circumstances, our ignorance is
knowledge. The negative element is a positive
element. Let no man attempt to supply that
which the Holy Ghost purposely has left out;
for, in the first place, he must be unsuccessful ; in
the second place, if he were successful, it would
only militate against the purpose and the word of
God, and only hinder us from learning those
lessons which the Scripture intends us to derive.*

* " We are not to know anything of the historical Melchizedek ;
for he is ordained of God for us 'a wonderful man' (Zech. iii. 8),
as type and illustration of the One who was to come."- — STIER.

Instead of indulging in morbid and fanciful speculations about
the historical individual, let us look at the important spiritual
realities which in the inspired commentary are given us in this
parable of type. Let us learn also from this instance and the other
New Testament comments on Old Testament types that the typical
meaning is always deduced from what the Scripture itself says
concerning them.

3/2 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Now, in this Melchizeclek we see, as in a type
foreshadowing, these things : In the first place
the dignities and functions of priest and king
combined in one person ; in the second place,
righteousness and peace joined together ; in the
third place, a priest who is greater than Abraham,
and therefore above the Levitical priesthood,
which, as Abraham's descendants, are represented
by him ; in the fourth place, a priest who has
neither father nor mother, without beginning of
days, or end of life, who therefore has a priest
hood inherent in himself, to which there can be
no successor, a priesthood which is based upon an
eternal or indissoluble life ; and in the fifth place,
this royal priesthood which, different from the
priesthood of Aaron, is appointed and confirmed
with the divine oath.

Looking upon Melchizedek simply in the way
in which he is spoken of in the Scripture — not the
historical individual Melchizedek, but the Mel-
chizeJek whom Scripture both by its statements
and omissions makes a similitude of the Lord,
an illustration of that fulness which is in Christ
Jesus — we may hope in the light of the apostolic
epistles and of the doctrine of the new covenant
to see how beautifully the perfection of the
heavenly priesthood of our blessed Lord is pre
figured in this eminent type.

i. What is meant by king? what by priest?

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 373

What is the idea of kingship and of priesthood ?
For it is evident that in this world there are many
kings and many priests who give us a false and,
if not an erroneous, yet an inadequate idea of
what God means by royalty and by priesthood.
For the things and relations which are seen on
earth, and which are imperfect and temporal, are
according to realities which are in heaven, and
which are perfect and eternal. Even in the case
of the illustration of father and child, we must
not transfer earthly things to heavenly things, but
we must rather transfer heavenly things to earthly
things. There is a true, eternal, and perfect father
hood ; and thus we must also learn from God's
word what is implied in kingship and in priesthood.

Now, the idea of kingship was to some extent
announced in the creation of Adam, who was of
God (Luke iii. 38), and who was appointed lord
and ruler over the earth, over the beasts of the
field, and over the fowls of the air. (Comp. Ps. viii.
and Dan. ii. 37, 38.) A king then is a man in
the image of God, who represents upon earth
God Himself, and unto whom, direct from God,
without the intervention of any other, there is
given power and dominion that he may rule ac
cording to the mind, according to the goodness
and the wisdom of God.

By priesthood is meant communion with God-
that which brings unto man the love of God — that

374 Tkc Epistle to tke Hebrews.

which brings unto God the worship and service of
man. It need scarcely be added, that kingship
and priesthood cannot exist without prophetship ;
for how can there be rule in the name of God, or
how can there be a mediation of the love of God
to man, and of our worship and obedience to God,
unless there be in the first place a manifestation
of God Himself, a revelation of His character?
Nay, as this very revelation of God is the basis,
so is it the very essence and the very fruit of all
kingship and priesthood ; in which aspect the
office of the prophet is the most comprehensive
and ultimate of the three. These simple ideas
combined amount to this — there is a mediation
between God and man ; this mediation is to
bring unto us in the first place the knowledge of
God (we require a prophet) ; in the second place
the love and favour of God, so that we can have
communion with Him (we need a priest) ; and in
the third place the life and the power of God,
so that we can serve, obey, and glorify Him (we
require a king ; in New Testament language a
head, source of life). And this the Church of
Christ has always taught ; everything that Christ
does as a Mediator is summed up in these three
offices. He is prophet, priest, and king. There
is no fourth ; neither will any one of these, or two
of these, suffice. These three, by a necessary,
essential, and inherent unity, go together.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 375

Moses, as we have seen, combined to a certain
extent the three offices ; hence as the mediator of
the old covenant he is a figure of Jesus, the Medi
ator of the new and everlasting covenant. But in
the history of Israel we nowhere see the royal and
priestly dignity united ; for, as the apostle reminds
us, the priests were of the tribe of Levi ; the
kings were of the tribe of Judah. He who was
a priest never could rule over Judah and Israel.
He who was a king never could perform priestly
functions in the sanctuary, still less go into the
holy of holies. When king Uzziah, contrary to
the ordinance of God, interfered with the pre
rogatives of the priesthood, he was smitten with
leprosy ; that is to say, he was made an outcast, so
that he was not able to approach God and to
mingle with the congregation of Jehovah. What
a wonderful thing it is then, that that which
formerly never could have been combined was, in
the primeval age and before the children of
Abraham were born and the Abrahamic dispen
sation commenced, shown to exist in u ity— that
Melchizedek, who was a priest, was also a king.
" David who as the king over Israel after God's
heart was himself a type of his great Son, given
to him by divine promise, got possession at last of
Jehus* according to God's command ; he founded

* There seems little doubt that Salem is identical with Jerusalem.
" In Salem is His tabernacle, and His dwelling-place in Zion." (Ps.
Ixxvi. 2.)

376 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the sanctuary of the Lord upon mount Zion, and
in connection with it his royal throne. He there
by to some extent restored the ancient Salem of
Melchizedek ; he appears as it were as a successor
of Melchizedek, a king appointed by God, whose
sceptre goes forth from Zion, where is also the
ark of the covenant, the glory of the Lord."""1 It
is on this historical basis, that the prediction of
the future royal Priest rests, illustrated by the
Melchizedek-type ; it is from this point of view
that the eternal priesthood and glorious reign of
the Son and Lord of David are seen by the
psalmist. In like manner we read in the prophet
Zechariah, that the Messiah, the man whose name
is the Branch, is to build the temple of the Lord:
He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule
upon His throne. With the terseness character
istic of this prophet, who condenses the previous
Messianic predictions, he declares of the Son of
David, "He shall be a Priest upon His throne."

The fulfilment is in Christ. It is fully explained
to us in the New Testament. That simple and
most comprehensive expression, " The Lamb in
the midst of the throne," shows us that when
this High Priest entered into the holy of holies
He entered also as King into the palace.f He

* STIER, slightly altered.

t Jehovah is Israel's King. Hence, the temple (73Tl) means
both palace and sanctuary. In the New Covenant Jesus is repre
sented as seated on the throne of God ; and with greater simplicity,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 377

went not merely into the sanctuary, but ascended
and sat down on the throne of the Majesty on
high, there to be a king and ruler over God's
creation. Jesus by His blood entered into the
heaven of heavens, and because He humbled
Himself unto death He was not merely made a
priest to represent us before the Father and to
bring unto us the benediction of God, but all
things were put under His feet, all power was
given unto Him in heaven and in earth ; He is
ruler over all things, and head over all things
unto the church, to the glory of the Father.
He commands in heaven and on earth. All
the elements obey Him, all angels and principali
ties, thrones and dominions, worship and serve
Him ; He is the Governor, the Prince of the
kings of the earth ; He has the keys of Hades
and of death. Such is His power. And why
is He King on God's throne ? Because He is
Priest. By reason of the obedience unto death,
He was enthroned King in the universe of God;
and in exercising this kingship now He exercises it
in the spirit of priesthood. At present the kingship
of Christ is in the background ; the priesthood of
Christ is prominent. Thus it is that He overrules
all things for the good of His elect. Thus it is

and leading us more fully into the perfection and sweetness of our
filial relation to the Father through and in the only-begotten Son,
the Lord speaks in the gospel of John of His going to His Father's
house, there to prepare a place for us. (John xiv.)

37$ The Epistle to the Hebrews.

that He stays the execution of vengeance and of
judgment, in order that the chosen of God may
be gathered in, and that the Church of Christ
may be perfected. At present His royalty is
not manifested, but His high-priestly compassion
and mercy are continually set forth. The gospel
of the Good Shepherd is preached now, who hav
ing sought and saved the lost sheep laid it on
His shoulders and carried it home, there to abide
in perfect safety, greeted by the love and joy of
the Father and all angels ; the gospel of the
faithful Shepherd, who gathers the lambs with
His arms and carries them in His bosom ; of the
compassionate and merciful High Priest, who
prays for us that our faith fail not, and who up
holds us with His all-sufficient grace and perfect
sympathy. But when He shall come again, when
the High Priest shall come forth out of the
heavenly sanctuary, then shall He show unto all
the world that He is King of kings, and Lord of
lords ; then shall His royalty be made prominent ;
then shall He be seen as the Son of man, unto
whom God has given an everlasting kingdom and
a dominion which shall have no end. Now the
Kihg is seen as Priest ; then the Priest will be
seen as Kinof. The wrath of the Lamb will be

o

revealed, and instead of the rod of the Shepherd
\\ill be seen the rod of iron. And after the judg
ment the King will reign with justice, mercy, and
equity, as Psalm Ixxii. describes.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 379

How does He exercise His High Priesthood ?
He exercises His High Priesthood royally. He
sits down on the throne of God. By that very
attitude He shows that He is not an Aaronic
high priest ; for the high priest went into the holy
of holies only once a year, on the day of atone
ment, and then only for a short time, standing
there before the glory of the Lord, which he was
not to see clearly lest he die ; but this High Priest,
when He enters into the sanctuary, by the very
entrance shows that He is Lord of all, that He
is King of glory, that He is equal with the Father.
In His humanity He is enthroned as the Lamb
that was slain ; He exercises the High Priest
hood with royal power. His intercession pos
sesses omnipotence. The government is on His
shoulder, and the Father heareth Him alway.
Omnipotent royalty is in His Priesthood, priestly
love and tenderness in His royal power and
glory. He is still meek and lowly in heart, with
infinite tenderness and compassion. He rules
over His people by His indwelling Spirit. What
a wonderful combination is here ! What per
fection in Jesus! He is Priest and King — He
who is also the Prophet, the Son of the Most
High!

I delight to think that the Sonship of Christ is
the basis of all our hope, and that in that first
announcement of our epistle, that God speaks to

380 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

us now in His Son, all Scripture doctrines and
consolations are contained. None but the Son of
God can be the Mediator. From this eternal and
essential Sonship flow all blessings of redemption.
Here is the source of grace and glory. Because
He is the Son of God, He is Prophet, Priest, and
Kino-, to bring us nigh unto God.

*j ' O O

2. Melchizedek, that is, as the name signifies,
the king of righteousness, lives at Salem, which
signifies peace. In the Scripture everything is of
importance ; we cannot read and interpret the
Scripture as any other book, since Scripture is
not like any other book, even as no other book
is like the Scripture. The Scripture is among
books what the man Christ Jesus is among men :
as Jesus is God and man in one person, so is
Scripture a divine word and a human word ; and
hence it is that only through the interpretation of
the Spirit in the Scripture can we understand the
true meaning of the word. In God's light we see

o o

light. Scripture is its own interpreter. Only
diamond cuts diamond. And when the inspired
apostles see significance in names of eminent per
sons, we see in it nothing arbitrary or fanciful,
believing as we do in the wonderful and perfect
structure ol the Scripture record.

These quotations and expositions of Scripture
in Scripture are, as has been remarked, " grapes
oi Eshcol — examples of, not exceptions to, the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 381

fruitful Carmel, whence they come." Thus, who
can fail to see the significance of the name Seth,
who was given instead of Abel, one who was firm
and enduring in the place of him who vanished ?
or of the name Joshua, who brought Israel into
the promised land ? or of Saul, the king asked of
the people, and David, the man loved of God ?
or of Isaiah, who spoke of the salvation of God ?
The names Melchizedek and Salem are to teach
us that Christ Jesus is the King of Righteousness
and the Prince of Peace. " Righteousness " is
one of those fundamental words in Scripture, with
out the true understanding of which it is impossible
to understand its teaching. The experience of
Luther, narrated by him in his preface to the
epistle to the Romans, and frequently throughout
his writings, is well known. While he understood
by " righteousness" something which man offers
to God, the Scripture remained to him a sealed
book, and his soul was without peace. As soon
as he discovered that the Scripture " righteous
ness" is righteousness, which God in His infinite
mercy, according to His holiness and justice, gives
to man, he understood the way of salvation, and
rejoiced in the grace of God.

The righteousness of God, of which both the
law and the prophets witnessed, is now revealed
from faith to faith. It is now manifested. There
is no righteousness by the works of the law ; the

382 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

gift of righteousness is by Jesus Christ unto all
who believe.

" King of Righteousness" seems to be a title
which properly belongs only unto God. For unto
Him alone belongeth righteousness. Yet does
prophetic Scripture speak also of God's righteous
Servant ; of David's Son, who loveth righteous
ness ; of the true Solomon, whose reign is a reign
of righteousness and peace. The prophetic word
teaches also that this righteous Servant shall justify
many by His knowledge ; it announces that the
Lord will bring man His righteousness, and that
Jehovah-Tsidkenu will be the name of Israel s
Redeemer, who bringeth safety and help to His
chosen people. As in the prophet Isaiah (liii.),
so in the prophecy of Daniel, the bringing in of
everlasting righteousness is connected with the
atonement for sin. (Dan. ix.)

The fulfilment is in Christ Jesus. He is the
righteous Servant of God. He came to fulfil all
righteousness ; He obeyed the law perfectly ; in
Him the Father was pleased. While He was on
earth, though no man could convince Him of sin,
yet His purity, His holiness, His righteousness
were not recognised, for the world knew Him not.
He was made under the law. He went to be
baptised of John, and submitted Himself to all
the ordinances of God. He concealed His divine
glory and righteousness. He was accused of

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 383

blasphemy, of breaking the Sabbath, of not
honouring the temple. He was at last numbered
with transgressors, and died the death of reproach
outside the camp. But it was by this death that
He brought in everlasting righteousness. It was
by His thus "going to the Father," by His enter
ing through the cross into that glory, where the
world seeth Him no more, that there is now
"righteousness" unto and upon all that believe.
In His resurrection God declared both the right
eousness of Jesus and our justification in Him.
And now we behold Christ in heaven, the Right
eous One and our Advocate, (i John ii.) He is the
King of righteousness. The government of the
everlasting kingdom is based on redemption-right
eousness. Because of His obedience unto death
He is exalted Lord; because He is the Lamb
that was slain He has power to open the book
and the seals thereof.

It is true, that it is of God that Christ is made
unto us righteousness (i Cor. i. 30), even as it is
God who made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin
for us, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. (2 Cor. v. 21.) God is righteous
when He justifies those that believe in Jesus. But
when we speak of the Lord our righteousness,
we refer not to the divine attribute of righteous
ness, but to the righteousness of Jesus, the
Mediator, the Substitute — of the Redeemer-God,

384 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Jehovah, in whom all the seed of Israel shall be
justified and shall glory. As God commends His
love in Christ's death on the cross, so God s right
eousness is the righteousness which in Christ is

o

ours. By the obedience of one, even J esus, we are
made righteous. We possess the righteousness of
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter i. 2.)
Even as eternal life is the gift of God, and Jesus
saith, / give unto my sheep eternal life, and / am
the resurrection and the life ; so is it with the gift
of righteousness ; it is of God, it is in and through
Christ, it is Christ's righteousness, and it is Christ
Himself.

Christ is the perfect righteousness in which
believers stand, and with which they are clothed.
Christ is likewise the King of righteousness, by
renewing our hearts and giving unto us His Spirit.
Hence He says : " Except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the king
dom of heaven." Christ speaks of our righteous
ness. In like manner, although Christ is the Eight
of the world, and the true and only light, He com
mands us : "Letjjw/r light so shine before men."
If we "are clothed with Christ our righteousness,
we ourselves become righteous in our mind, and
work righteousness. This aspect of truth is em
phasized by the apostle John, when says, " He
that doeth righteousness is righteous." He adds

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 385

the necessary and salutary warning : " Little chil
dren, let no man deceive you." The same Lord
who clothes us with His righteousness renews us
also after His image. Justified by faith, we are
quickened unto the new life of obedience. Jesus
is our Lord and Master, our King, who by the
Holy Spirit fills us with the love of righteousness,
and enables us to be followers of Him, and to do
the will of the Father in heaven.

Melchizedek is at Salem. Jesus is also, and
by virtue of righteousness, the Prince of peace.
Without righteousness there cannot be peace.
But the Lord Jesus came to bring peace, to make
peace, to be our peace, and this according to the
holiness of God ; so that glory abounds to God in
the highest, because justice is satisfied, the divine
law honoured, and the conscience purified ; and
even Satan the accuser, who has the power of
death, can no longer lay anything to the charge
of God's elect.

How perfect is the peace which the risen
Saviour gives to His people ! It is His own
peace, which the Head gives to His members.
(t is a blood-bought peace. It is God's peace,
ordained by Him and beloved of Him as His
chosen rest — a peace which passeth all under
standing, and which is secure from all the inter
ruptions and adverse influences of the world.
Jesus has made peace between God and man (the

386 • The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Father Himself, the God of peace, sending Him
for this purpose to His "enemies"); peace be
tween angels and reconciled sinners, between Jew
and Gentile. In Him all things which are in
heaven and which are on earth shall be gathered
together. (Eph. i. and Col. i.) He is the Peace and
Bond of the whole creation. Blessed are all who
dwell in Salem, who are in Christ.

3. Melchizedek, greater than Abraham, is also
greater than the Levitical priesthood, and is thus
a type of Christ, who is above Aaron, and whose
priesthood is perfect.

Abraham represents all Israel. The doctrine of
federal representation is deeply rooted in Scripture.
By Adam's disobedience many were constituted
sinners. In his fall all men fell. Through the
transgression of one, sin and death entered into
the world. Such is the truth revealed to us in
Scripture, and confirmed by universal experience.
And the darkness of this mystery is irradiated by
the brightness of the great mystery of the Second
Adam.

We can praise God that there is such a federal
representation ; for the gift of God is eternal life
through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, the
federal Head of all who trust in Him. Nor is
the gift as the offence, but exceeding abundant
is the grace of God, which instead of merely
restoring us to our former condition of creaturely

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 387

innocence, unites us with the Son of God through
the Holy Ghost, who from the glorified humanity
of Jesus is given unto us.

We see this same law of representation here.
Isaac was not yet born. The whole nation was
therefore as yet in Abraham. And the tribe
of Levi was, in the person of the father of the
faithful, paying homage and acknowledging the
superiority of Melchizedek. Abraham received
Melchizedek's blessing. He paid tithes to him.
It seems, from the expression used by Jacob
(Gen. xxviii. 22), that the offering of a tenth was
from time immemorial one of the ways in which
believers honoured the Most High. Hence we
may argue that, in receiving the blessing and in
offering tithes, Abraham (and in him Aaron) ac
knowledged the priesthood of Melchizedek.

For we must bear in mind what is implied
according to Scripture in this expression : "He
was blessed of him." Abraham, as the apostle
points out, had already received the promises.
The Most High had already revealed to Abra
ham the gracious purpose, that in his seed
all families of the earth should be blessed ;
and he had received repeated assurances of
this great and comprehensive promise. (Gen.
xii. 2, 3, 7; xiii. 16.) How great the blessing is
which God promised to Abraham we may learn
from such passages as Gal. iii. 14. Who then

3 88 The Epistle to tJie Hebrews.

is this royal priest, better and greater than Abra
ham, the father of the faithful and the blessed
of the Lord ? We know with what profound
veneration the Hebrews regarded their father
Abraham, and how reverently and fondly they
cherished the remembrance of all that is written
concerning his faith and the favour he found
with God. It is therefore with great emphasis
that the apostle says : " Now consider how great
this man was, unto whom even the patriarch
Abraham gave the tenth." Melchizedek typifies
the Lord Jesus, who, although a Son of Abraham,
yet says of Himself: " Before Abraham was, I am;"
who is not merely the offspring, but the root of
David. He who was promised to Abraham is
Himself the blessing of God, the Mediator through
whom all divine gifts and promises are bestowed,
and in whom all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places are given. In Him Abraham and Abra
ham's children are chosen. He is that greater
One who blesses the patriarch. Herein is also
typified that Jesus is above the Levitical priest
hood. When He was on earth Jesus was subject
to the law, and observed all its ordinances. He
commanded the cleansed lepers to go and show
themselves to the priests. Thus it behoved Him
to fulfil all righteousness. But He is the Lord,
and His is an eternal and perfect priesthood. For
whereas the Levitical priests died and succeeded

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 389

one another, thereby also showing their imperfec
tion, Jesus, as is witnessed in the iioth Psalm,
liveth for evermore. (Heb. vii. 8.)

But if the priesthood is changed, if instead of
the Levitical priesthood there ariseth according
to the type of Melchizedek and the prediction of
the i roth Psalm "another priest," then the infer
ence is inevitable that there is also a change of
dispensation ; there must needs be also a change
of Law. This was a very important statement,
and we can scarcely realise the effect it was calcu
lated to produce on the minds of the Hebrews.
The unbelieving Jews accused Stephen that he
had spoken against this holy place and the law,
and that he had been heard to say that Jesus of
Nazareth should destroy that place, and change
the customs which Moses delivered them. (Acts
vi.) We must remember how difficult it was even
for believing Jews to understand the liberty of the
gospel, the change of dispensation, the character
of the new covenant ; for they also were zealous
of the law. (Acts xxi. 20.) But now the same
argument by which the apostle had proved to
the Galatians, that apart from the law the pro
mise given to Abraham vras fulfilled unto all
who believe, is presented to the Hebrews from
another point of view, and with equal clearness
and cogency. For the Levitical priesthood is
evidently imperfect. It was weak and unpro-

39° The Cpistle to the Hebrews.

fitable (v. 18); that is, it cou'.d not bring per
fection, else "another priest" would not have
been predicted. But as the law was based upon
the Levitical priesthood, so the change of priest
hood necessarily involves a change ol dispen
sation. Jesus, the great High Priest, is the end
of the law unto righteousness ; and in the liberty
and power of new covenant blessings, of which
the gift of the Holy Ghost is the chief, the right
eousness of the law is fulfilled in us, who walk
not af er the flesh, but after the Spirit, who are
not under the law, but under grace.

4. Melchizedek is introduced in the narrative
of Genesis without descent In the book of
uenesis genealogy holds a very prominent posi
tion. The genealogical records in the word of
God are of importance, although we frequently
may not see their value or significance. There
are many things in Genesis, and in Scripture in
general, which will only be understood when Jesus
comes again to fulfil all things, and when, according
to the purpose of God, known to Him from the
beginning, the nations are brought to know and
to serve Him. Then shall we understand why
all these genealogies are given at length. In
the book of Genesis are enumerated also tribes
which do not appear afterwards iti the history of
redemption. God has entered them in His book
to show that He has counsels of love and peace
with regard to them.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 391

Now, with regard to Aaron, we know the name
of his father and mother ; we know how old he
was, and how he was buried. And so important
is the genealogy of the priests, that in the book
of Nehemiah we read that those priests who were
not able to trace their descent, and a^out whose
genealogy there was the slightest doubt, were
excluded from the Levitical services. This strict
ness was necessary ; for these men were priests,
not by reason of anything inherent in them, but
simply because God had set apart that tribe,
and therefore their descent from one who was
unmistakably and certainly a priest was their
only authority, and their only position. There is
nothing of the kind in the Church of Christ.*

But Melchizedek appears in the inspired history
as a Priest solely by divine appointment and right

* Those who introduce the legal element of a successional office
into the Church of Christ, a shadow which has passed away, an
old thing which has vanished and decayed, must remember that
as the genealogy of the Levitical priesthood was kept with perfect
accuracy, and the slightest flaw or break in it would unfit a person
for the priesthood, so the so-called apostolic succession must be
made out with perfect and unbroken regularity, to have any value
or significance. That it is scarcely possible to do this is admitted
nearly on all hands. Even if it were, the argument of this epistle,
and the teaching of all the epistles, show that the New Testament
ministry is spiritual, and not after the method of a carnal ordi
nance. " By their fruits ye shall know them." The last council of
the " successors of the apostles" proves that, whatever historical
evidence may be adduced for an unbroken series of ordinations,
the true apostolic authentication, the power of Christ's Spirit,
was lamentably absent.

392 The Epistle to the Hebrews

His priestly dignity is personal ; his position is
directly God-given ; his priesthood is inherent.
It is not derived and inherited ; for he who is
the first person in Scripture called priest, is intro
duced " without descent," without father, without
mother. There is neither end mentioned of his
priesthood, nor successor.

Let us look now at the fulfilment. Jesus is the
"everlasting Father." The very Scriptures, which
describe Him as a child born, as a Son given,
which dwell on His humanity, declare to us His
eternal divinity. He has no beginning of days,
nor end of life. His is now a continuous, not
a successional priesthood, not after the law of a
carnal commandment, but after the power of an
endless, an indissoluble life.

For He, the eternal self-subsistent Word, that
eternal Life which was with the father, became
man, and of His own free will laid down His life
for the sheep. Through the eternal Spirit the
Son of God offered Himself, and so that life
which was manifested on earth was solved.
The Saviour actually died, He gave up the
ghost. He was crucified because of the weak
ness which in His mercy He had taken upon
Him. According to the counsel of God, He who
was God's own Son, sent in the likeness of sinful
flesh, was a sacrifice for sin, when in His death
God condemned sin in the flesh. But when Jesus

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 393

rose again from the grave, after He had been
offered for our offences, and had in His death
conquered death and put away our sins, He, as
God and man in one person, entered into that life
which is indissoluble ; for who or what power can
solve it ? He died unto sin once. The condem
nation of the law, the power of Satan and of death,
the guilt of sin and the wrath of God— all was
met on the cross. Hence Jesus is declared now
to live to God for evermore; (Rom. vi. 10.) Thus
the glorified Redeemer, when He appeared to the
beloved disciple, said : " Fear not ; I am the first
and the last [without beginning of days or end of
life] : I am He that liveth, and was dead ; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore." Because He
was dead, His is now an endless, an indissoluble
life. In the power of this resurrection-life He
exercises His priesthood ; for in Him is fulfilled
what no single type could set forth, what all types
combined do not adequately illustrate. He is God
and Man, Sacrifice and Priest, Righteousness and
Life, Atonerand King, interceding Advocate, and
the Dispenser of blessings. The life upon which He
entered by His resurrection is life for us, because
in Christ's death our death is abolished, and we
are raised together with Him. And the sanctuary
whither He has ascended is heaven itself, the very
throne of God, whence He rules over all things,
according to the power which is given unto Him

394 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

in heaven and in earth. Continuously, without
interruption and without successor, He is our
Priest, applying to us the efficacy of His sacrifice,
and by the Spirit appropriating to us the blessings
purchased with His blood. He is our Priest in
the power of His endless life. Thus we know
the power of His resurrection. God's power to
us-ward who believe is exceeding great, accord
ing to the working of His mighty power, which He
wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the
dead, and set Him at His own right hand. (Comp.
Phil. iii. 10; Eph. i. 20.) We are partakers of
Christ, Christ liveth in us, and therefore our life
is endless, indestructible, incorruptible. Neither
things present nor things to come ; neither this
present earthly existence nor the death of the
body, which may be before us ; neither powers,
nor principalities, nor angels ; neither height, nor
depth, nor any creature, can separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus ; for our
risen Lord is Priest according to the power of an
indissoluble life.

Here let us pause. These truths are truths
of the greatest solemnity. Why were the Jews
so unwilling to receive them ? Was it not partly
because it was too solemn and too overwhelming
to believe that the end of all things had come ;
that the last times had begun ; that the days of
the Messiah had been ushered in ; that the day

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 395

had commenced, the very day which shall end
with the appearing of the great God and Saviour,
and with the establishment of the reign of right
eousness and peace upon the earth? And is not
this hesitation natural to us all ? Do we not
shrink from entering into the full and realizing
faith of what is revealed unto us in the Gospels
and in the Epistles, because it is the beginning
of the end ? The Son of God has become man ;
the Son of God has died upon the cross ; the
Son of God has entered as man into the holy
of holies. The blood of Jesus Christ is in the
heavenly sanctuary. The powers and influences
of the Holy Ghost are going forth now to gather
a people unto Himself. He is waiting until the
command is uttered by the Father to appear
again, and to change all things, and to make all
things new. We are living as it were upon the
very threshold of that new dispensation, the
new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. The most awful and stupendous
sacrifice has already been made. Christ has suf
fered and entered into His glory. We have now
to wait for nothing except the consummation,
Jesus, apart from sin, cppearing unto salvation to
them that look for Him. But the reality, the
substance, the earnest of the inheritance, behold,
all is given even now to every one that believeth.
This very instant that I speak, Jesus as man, as

2 C

396 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

the Lamb slain, as the merciful High Priest, is at
the right hand of God. Believe in Him and you
are justified, a child of God, an heir of God, and
joint-heir with Christ Jesus.

Oh, if we know these great, these awful, and
these real solemnities, what manner of men
ought we to be ! Have we tasted the power
of the world to come, of that kingdom of
heaven, which has come already ? Have we
received a life which alone is worthy to be
called life — not the life of the senses, not the life
of the intellect, not the life of emotion, not the
life of fluctuating and sentimental religiousness,
but the life which comes out of the fountain of
life, even from Jesus, and from Jesus only after
His death and His resurrection ? How blessed
is it for poor guilty sinners to know that the
King of righteousness and peace is the Lamb, and
that the Lamb has all power! He was dead;
then all my condemnation is gone. And He
liveth ; therefore we also live. And He is alive
for evermore ; and we also, who bear now the
image of the first Adam in humility and bondage,
shall bear the image of the second Adam in liberty
and in glory.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE WORD OF THE OATH AND THE SON PERFECTED

FOR EVERMORE.

HEB. vii. 15-28.

^HE characteristics of the eternal Priesthood
of Jesus, inferred by the apostle from the
inspired record of the typical history of Mel-
chizedek, both in its statements and omissions,
are, as we have seen, that Jesus is Driest and
King; that in Him righteousness and peace are
united ; that He is above Aaron, and that He is
Priest for ever after the order of an endless life.
All these points receive additional illustration
and confirmation from the fifth characteristic —
the oath — by which Jesus, according to Psalm ex.,
was made Priest.

The legal dispensation was connected with the
Levitical priesthood. Without mediation it 'was
impossible that God should enter into covenant-
relation with sinful and guilty men ; and therefore

398 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

even the first covenant was made not without
blood. The apostle argues that if there is a
change in the priesthood, there must necessarily
be a change in the dispensation with which that
priesthood is connected. When the apostle speaks
of the Levitical priesthood and of the first dispen
sation in such strong terms as that it was weak
and unprofitable, we must remember that here, as
well as when he speaks of the law of Moses, he
looks upon them as separate from Christ, who
was the substance of the shadow ; he addresses
those who viewed the law and Levitical ordinances
apart from their vital connection with the promise
of Christ and with the true sacrifice. The be
lieving Israelite, taught by the law and the pro
phets, looked forward unto the coming of Jehovah,
and the redemption that was to be accomplished
by the Messiah; he saw in the ordinances pictures
of eternal and heavenly blessings ; and although
under the dispensation of the law still in the spirit
of servantship, kept under the guardianship of the
schoolmaster, he obtained through faith the for
giveness of sins, and looked forward to that ever
lasting inheritance which God had promised unto
the fathers. But when the Jews looked upon the
law.as a source of righteousness and life, forgetting
its true character and significance ; when they re
garded the Levitical priesthood and the temple
and the offerings apart from Christ, looking upon

The Epistle to the Hebmvs. 399

shadows and types as substance, then it was that
the apostle, in all the epistles where he touches
upon this subject, is constrained to show unto them
that the law, the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the
priests viewed in themselves, were in no way able
to give righteousness or peace or life unto the
soul ; that they were entirely weak and unprofit
able ; that they were sent only for a temporary
purpose, in order to prepare for the introduc
tion of that which shall never be moved, and in
which there is true substance and blessedness
everlasting. In this way the whole dispensation
of the law and the Levitical priesthood were
merely parenthetical. They were never intended
to remain. They were only, as the apostle ex
plains it of the law in the epistle to the Galatians,
the schoolmaster, the tutor, appointed for a time
until the child had reached a certain maturity, in
order that then it might obtain real possession of
the blessing, being made free by the Spirit of
sonship through faith in Christ Jesus.

The apostle announces a great principle in the
words, " The law made nothing perfect." There
was not a single point in which the law reached
the end ; for the end of the law is Christ. The
law is in itself by its very nature fragmentary
and temporary ; it is necessarily imperfect. This
is an essential characteristic of the dispensation.
The law was a revelation and condemnation of

400 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

man's guilt, and, secondly, a shadow of things to
~ome. The law showed unto the people that God
was holy, that man was sinful, and that therefore
a perfect mediation was necessary, to bring us
into the presence of the Most High. The law
typified this mediation ; but all types are by the
very nature of types mere shadows, and there
fore not able to give the real substance except by
anticipation. The imperfection of the law appears
in these three points especially :

First, The forgiveness of sin. In the old dispen
sation believers \vere comforted by the revelation
of God's mercy, and by the promise of the Messiah.
But, as was shown by the continual repetition of
sacrifices, the true atonement was not yet made ;
everlasting righteousness was not yet brought in,
and therefore the conscience was not yet purged
from sin. The apostle explains in the epistle to
the Romans, that although God forgave and par
doned the sins of the Israelites before Christ died
upon the cross, yet they were remitted only through
the forbearance of God. (Rom. iii. 25.) It was
in a temporary manner, in view of the future
atonement. But now that Christ has died, He has
become the Surety of the new covenant, which
has better promises, and the first blessing of \vhich
is the forgiveness of sin. In this dispensation we
now have no longer any conscience of sin, because
he that has come unto Jesus Christ, who died once

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 401

for all, has received the absolute and entire re
mission of sins, and needeth not but that his feet
should be washed daily, that his trespasses should
be acknowledged and confessed to Him who is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Secondly, Access unto God was not perfected
under the old dispensation. Abraham, Moses,
David, and all the fathers, prayed unto God, and
knew that God was the hearer of prayer ; but
their access to God was imperfect, because they
were not yet able to enter into the holy of holies,
seeing that the way into the sanctuary through the
rent veil of the flesh of Christ was not revealed
yet. Before Jesus came, the worship of the
Old Testament saints was not in liberty of the
Spirit. They had received the spirit of bond
age, and not the Spirit of adoption. They could
not pray as the children, who are identified with
the Man who is their Lord and Head, the Son
incarnate.

The third imperfection was this : They had not
received the Holy Ghost as an indwelling Spirit.
This is explained in the apostle's epistle to the
Galatians. The more we study this section of the
Melchizedek priesthood, the more shall we be
convinced that the same mind that argues in the
Romans and the Galatians about the law, ex
plains here the superiority of Christ over the

402 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

priesthood of Aaron. If a law could have been
given through which life could come, it would not
have been necessary for Christ to' die upon the
cross. Then righteousness would have come by
the law ; but the law, the dispensation of Moses,
was not able to minister life, that is, to give unto
us the Holy Ghost (Gal. iii. 2, 21) ; for the Holy
Ghost was not yet, because Jesus Christ was not
yet transfigured. (John vii.) The Spirit of God
is from eternity to eternity one with the Father
and the Son; but the Lord Jesus refers to the
Holy Ghost as the Spirit of the anointed One,
who, according to the promise of the Father, dwells
in the church. He was not yet given, because
Jesus was not yet glorified. The Spirit v/as to be
sent from Jesus the Son as our Lord and glorified
Head. It required that indissoluble (resurrection-)
life of the High Priest, of the Victim slain upon
Calvary, and raised again by the power of God
out of the grave. It is from our risen Lord that
life is now given to believers ; the Spirit dwells
in our hearts, and we have fellowship with the
Father and the Son. Such is the threefold privi
lege of beHevers in the present dispensation —
perfect forgiveness of sin, perfect access unto God,
and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost.

But the law made nothing perfect. For per
fection is true, substantial, and eternal communion
with God through a perfect mediation ; and this

The Epistle to the Hebreius. 403

perfect mediation we have obtained in the Lord
Jesus Christ.

Now, the apostle says that all this is quite
evident from the word of God in Psalm ex.
David in the Spirit declared the oath of the Lord :
" Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek." If "after the order of Melchize-
dek," he puts aside the order of Aaron. If "a
Priest for ever," then there must be perfection in
this priesthood ; that is to say, this priesthood is
continuous, untransferable, unchanging ; it brings
that ultimate blessedness which endureth for ever,
perfect and substantial communion between God
and us.

And this ordinance is by an oath. The Lord
hath sworn. Thus it is written in the psalm.
The apostle deduces a most important argument
from this expression; and if, as the Lord Jesus
Himself points out, David was "in the Spirit"
when he penned this psalm, we have no difficulty
in accepting the teaching of the apostle. Are we
to judge the expressions of Scripture like the
expressions of other books, in which sometimes
words are used thoughtlessly, accidentally, super
ficially, without any further or deeper meaning ?
This be far from us, it we have indeed learned
the mind of God. The priesthood of Aaron was
not instituted with an oath. That which is con
nected with an oath can never be changed ; for

404 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

God is immutable. And in the same way as He
swore unto Abraham, " Surely with blessing I will
bless thee," in order that by two immutable things
in which it is impossible for God to lie we may
have abundant assurance of hope ; even thus is it
that because the High Priesthood of Jesus can
never be altered, because it is based upon the
eternal decree and counsel of God, and because it
is essentially connected with the very nature and
purpose of God Himself, it is introduced with an
oatn. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent.

For this royal priesthood was set up in Christ
before the foundations of the world were laid.
Here is revealed to us the mystery of His will,
according to His good pleasure which He hath
purposed in Himself. (Eph. i. 7-9.) Christ, the
Lamb without blemish and without spot, the Sacri
fice ; Christ the High Priest, Christ the Heir of
all things, was foreordained in the eternal counsel
of God. His royal Priesthood is an eternal one;
even as eternal life was promised by God, that
cannot lie (the nature of oath), before the world
began. (Titus i. 2.) Thus are believers chosen
in Him unto glory, and thus the gospel of grace
is connected with eternity ; whereas the law,
which deals with man's works, belongs in its very
nature to the region of time. God's own purpose
and grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began. (2 Tim. i. 9.) This is the Priest-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 405

hood of the Oath, of which it is said : It will
never repent Him.

In this declaration the apostle beholds the dis
annulling or abrogation of the legal dispensation
which was connected with the Levitical priesthood,
and, in the second place, the introduction of a
better hope by which we draw near to God. This
oath shows that Jesus is the surety of a better
dispensation.*

Let us look now at the contrast between the
priests of the Levitical dispensation and this Priest
according to the order of Melchizedek. They were
many; He is only one. Their priesthood was
successional — the son followed the father. Christ
has a priesthood which cannot be transferred, see
ing that His life is indissoluble. They were sinful,
but He is holy, pure, and spotless. They offered
sacrifices in the earthly tabernacle; He presents
Himself with His blood in the true sanctuary,
which is high above all heavens, which is eternal.
He appears in the very presence before the face
of God. In Jesus Christ, the eternal Priest after
the order of Melchizedek, all is fulfilled which

* diae-fjK-ri occurs here for the first time in the epistle. As will be
moie fully explained in connection with chapters viii. and ix., the
word means dispensation, covenant, and testament. The Levitical
priesthood is connected with the law, the old covenant, temporary
and imperfect, with a worldly sanctuary ; the Melchizedek priest
hood of our Lord with the new, eternal, and perfect covenant, of
which Jesus is Mediator and Surety (compare viii. 5 ; ix. 15), and
•vith the heavenly sanctuary.

406 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

in the preparatory dispensation could only be
shadowed forth imperfectly and by a variety of
ordinances. It was impossible to illustrate ade
quately by any type or combination of types
that which is infinite, that which is eternal, that
which is both divine and human. All the types
taken together are not intelligible to us, and will
iiot bring us to a right conclusion and a right
understanding of Christ, unless we always bear
in mind their necessary imperfection. Jesus is
the sacrifice ; but what sacrifice could be a type
of Christ ? The animals that were slain were
only passive in death. It is quite true that they
were to be without blemish, and in that way they
showed forth that J esus Christ was perfectly holy.
But that offering up of Himself, the giving Him
self unto God in our stead, the laying down His
life for the sheep, the coming to do the will of
God the Father who had sent Him, the obedience
of faith and love, — this could never be typified.
Again, the sacrifice was slain, simply to obtain
the blood. Remission of sin was through the
blood. It was the blood that was brought into
the holy of holies. And this blood existed sepa
rately from the sacrifice which had ceased to live.
This also was a very imperfect adumbration of
the reality. By His own free will, in obedience
to the Father, and out of love to us, the Lord
Jesus gave His life as a ransom for our sins.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 407

With the blood, Himself, the living Jesus, Priest
and Sacrifice, entered into the holy of holies,
there to abide as our righteousness and life.
On the cross He was the victim ; in the holy of
holies He is Priest, not after the order of Aaron,
but after the order of Melchizedek. All that was
prefigured by the sacrifices, and all that was pre
figured by Aaron, the Lord fulfilled ; and having
fulfilled all, He entered upon His true, real, and
eternal Priesthood, which is after the order of
Melchizedek. For although He intercedes for
us, and bears us on His heart, as was typified by
Aaron, His Priesthood itself is now not after the
order of Aaron. And although He is Priest after
the order of Melchizedek, He has not entered yet
on the fulfilment of the priestly reign typified by
the priestly king who met Abraham.*

Christ, in virtue of His priesthood, can saxre
completely (in a perfect, exhaustive, all-compre-

* We still look forward to the ultimate fulfilment of this type. After
the final victory over all enemies, over all kings and great powers of
earth gathered against the Lord's people, when idolatry is destroyed
for ever, and the Most High God alone is worshipped, then shall
heaven and earth be blessed in the priestly reign of the Lord Jesus.
The King of righteousness and peace shall bless the seed of
Abraham, and all the meek who inherit the earth ; while the glori
fied saints, who have overcome in Christ's name and strength,
inherit according to His promise all things. Then all things, both
which are in heaven and which are in earth, shall be gathered
together in one, even in Christ ; and God, the possessor of heaven
and earth, be blessed, while His blessing flows unhindered through
all parts of His dominions.

408 77/6^ Epistle to the Hebrews.

hensive manner) all who through Him come to
God, because He ever liveth to intercede for
them.

Let us remember the importance which is
attached in all epistles unto the resurrection-life of
Christ. He who was our Paschal lamb liveth
now, and our only hope is in the risen Lord.
There are many Christians who dwell on the
crucifixion of Jesus in a one-sided way. We can
not dwell too much on the glorious truth that Jesus
Christ was crucified for our sins. Yet it is not
on the crucifixion, but on Christ the Lord, that
our faith rests ; and not on Christ as He was on
the cross do we dwell, but on Christ who was dead
and is risen again, and liveth at the right hand of
God, making intercession for us. What does the
apostle Paul mean when he says, " If we have been
justified through His death, much more shall we be
saved by His life" ? There is a "much more," there
is progress, there is a climax. When Jesus died
upon the cross He put away our sins, but this was
only removing an obstacle. The ultimate object
of His death upon the cross was His resurrection
and ascension, that through suffering He should
enter into glory, that He should be the perfect
Mediator between God and man, presenting us
unto God and bestowing upon us all the blessings
which He has purchased for us with His precious
blood. He has obtained eternal redemption on

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 409

the cross. He applies the blessings of eternal
redemption from the holy of holies. Therefore do
we testify every Lord's-day that Christ is risen.
If Christ was not risen we should still be in our
sins ; and if such a thing were possible, though
we might be forgiven, we should be dead and
without the Spirit. The law brought neither
righteousness nor life ; Christ brings both right
eousness and life : for He died in our stead, and
He lived again to be our life. Thus the apostle
says, in the epistle to the Romans, " Who will
condemn ? It is Christ who died, yea rather, that
is risen again, who is at the right hand of God,
making intercession for us." The Father Himself
loveth us ; it is the Father's good pleasure that J esus
should thus intercede for us. It is of His own free
love and sovereign grace that Jesus intercedes for
us, that thus the life which through death He has
brought unto us might be in us abundantly, and
that all the spiritual blessings in heavenly places,
which are in Him, and all the temporal blessings
which we require for our safety, comfort, and use
fulness, may be bestowed upon us by the love of
the Father, and through the indwelling of the
Holy Ghost. The Lord Jesus, who through death
entered into glory, brings us to God as to His and
our Father, and brings God to us by the indwelling
of the Holy GKost. Thus is His Priesthood
perfect.

4io The Epistle to the Hebrews,

Consider now the perfection of Christ's Priest
hood, and of that better covenant or dispensation
of which He became Surety and Mediator.

There are three things that Scripture teaches.
God is holy; man is sinful; Jesus is the perfect
Mediator. In the old dispensation great stress
was laid upon the first two points — God is holy ;
man is sinful. Therefore the godly Israelites
prayed : Oh that God would send forth His sal
vation! Mediation was foreshadowed. Perfection
was promised, the true Sacrifice, the gift of the
Spirit. Israel was taught of God the nature,
depth, and condemnation of sin. The law was
the full, comprehensive, and profound commentary
on the consequences of the Fall. It revealed to
the Jews man's deep-seated estrangement from
God, his depravity and corruption, the sinful ness
of the very root and fountain of our life. The
holiness of God and man's sin and sinfulness were
thus vividly impressed on God's ancient people.
The sins committed in ignorance required also
atonement ; the sinfulness of the flesh was con
stantly brought to their remembiance. Thus they
longed for the fulfilment of God's promise, the
true Atonement and the indwelling Spirit. In
the new covenant the emphasis is laid on the per
fect medi .tion of Jesus ; and from the stand-point
of perfect acceptance we are to see the holiness
of God and the siniulness of man. Let us not

The Epistle to the Hebreivs. 4 1 1

cherish less profound views of God's holiness and
of the nature of sin than our fathers under the
less perfect dispensation of the law. In the light
ol the heavenly sanctuary, where Jesus is as our
High Priest, we can never say that we have no
sin,' or that we have any confidence in the flesh,
or that we have not to mourn over and to con
demn the evil that is present with us, and the
opposition of the old man, who constantly warreth
against the new.

The Lord Jesus is the perfect Mediator. The
Levitical high priests were sinful men, and re
quired to bring sacrifices for themselves. But
the Lord Jesus was holy, harmless, undefiled. In
His relation to God the Lord Jesus was holy
(oo-to?) ; from His very birth pure, and in His
whole life manifesting His inner perfect love to
the Father, and conformity with His will. In
relation to man He was harmless. He went
about doing good ; He loved with perfect love,
forgiving and enduring all things. With regard
to Himself, though living in a world of sin and
temptation, He was undefiled. He touched the
leper, and the leper was cleansed. He came into
contact with death (herein a contrast to the Jewish
priest), and conquered death ; He took the little
maid by the hand, and she arose. He came into
contact with the tempter ; He remained undefiled.
He was "separate from sinners." The descrip-

2 1)

412 The Epistle to the Hclrews.

tion given of the righteous man in Ps. i. is ful
filled in Him. The only sinless one in the world,
He was always alone with God.*

This Lord is "exalted above the heavens."
Jesus went into the holy of holies, which was
typified in the tabernacle. Above all created
heavens, above angels and principalities, Jesus is
now in the true Sanctuary, in the presence of
God, and there He is enthroned our perfect High
Priest. His position in heaven demonstrates that
when He offered up Himself He put away sin
for ever, even as it sets forth His divine glory.
For who but the Son of God can sit at the right
hand of the Majesty on High ? As it is written,
" Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens."

And now the apostle turns again, in a most em
phatic and conclusive manner, unto the key-note
which he had struck at the beginning of the epistle.
The law of Moses constitutes priests that were
changing continually. But the Word which came
with the oath after the law consecrated for ever
more as High Priest Him who is the Son.

* And yet, although thus in reality separate from sinners, He
attracted and befriended the poor in spirit and contrite in heart.
Sinners drew near to listen to His gracious words. He received
them and ate with them ; and at last He was numbered among
the transgressors. Let us learn from Jesus the true separation
unto God, which manifests itself in humility and in love to sinners,
as contrasted with the self-constituted Pharisaic separateness, in
which there is neither communion with God nor the attractive
power of divine grace drawing men to God.

The Epistle to the Hebrews, 413

(Comp. the same emphasis on Son, Heb. i. i, 2.)
Only the Son could be the High Priest, and He
became \h& High Priest. Through His incarnation,
through all the experiences of His life of sorrow
and of faith, through His death upon the cross,
through His resurrection and ascension, Jesus is
perfected for evermore a High Priest at the right
hand of God. He is our one and only royal
High Priest, eternal, heavenly, God and Man in
one Person.

True peace or communion with God must com
bine three things. There is no perfect mediation,
and there is no real communion with God, unless
it fulfils three conditions.

In the first place, the mediation must go low
enough. A ladder is of no use unless it comes
down exactly to the point where I am. Unless it
is there where I can place my foot upon it, it is of no
avail. Hence mediation that does not reach down
into our fallen, guilty, and lost condition — a media
tion in which there is no expiation — a mediation
that does not remove the wrath of God, that does
not take away the curse of the law, that does not
blot out the writing of ordinances that is against
us, that does not bind and conquer Satan, who
has the power of death — I say, a mediation that
does not go into this depth is no true mediation
for a sinner. But Christ's mediation is based

414 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

upon His sacrifice on the cross; and therefore it
descends to my lost and guilty condition. How
can I receive it without repentance, without godly
sorrow, without self-condemnation, without the
crucifixion of the old man, and of all the flattering
hopes which may be built upon self ?

The second point is, the true mediation must
go high enough ; it must bring me into the pre
sence of God. Only that which is pure and that
which is living can be brought before God. Hence
I need righteousness and life. The Lord Jesus
is our righteousness, and by His resurrection and
the indwelling of the Spirit He is our life. In
Him we are accepted, and filled with the Spirit
of life. We have access by Christ unto the Father.
Here is our perfection. It is not in ourselves, but
in the Lord, who is at the right hand of God. It
is not a progressive perfection, or a gradual dimi
nution of the evil and God-opposed character of
the flesh. Through all the days of our earthly
life the flesh warreth against the Spirit, yet is there
no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.

And the third requisite is this : As the media
tion must go low enough, reaching us in the
depths in which we are, and as it must go high
even into the sanctuary of God, so it must go
deep into our very hearts. As we are brought
unto God, so must God be brought unto us ; for
the Christ that lives for us must also live in us.

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 415

Christ, who is our High Priest at the right hand
of God, sends the Spirit into our hearts ; for to
be carnally-minded is death ; but to be spiritually-
minded is life and peace.

Of which things this is the sum : Christ the
Son of God died in our stead on the cross ;
Christ lives for us in heaven ; Christ lives in us
by the Spirit.

CHAPTER XVII.

i

RETROSPECT.
HEB. i-ii.

E VIEW ING the teaching of the first seven
chapters of our epistle, let us recall some
aspects of truth brought before us with regard to —

1. THE SCRIPTURE.

2. THE GLORY' OF THE LORD JESUS.

3. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

i. The Scripture : its authority, inspiration, and
practical character.

No other church appears to have been in
so perilous a condition as the congregation of
Hebrews to whom our epistle was addressed.
The abuses which had crept into the Corinthian
churches, their discord and divisions, their pride
and conceit, the flagrant sins into which some of
their members had fallen, were grievous indeed ;
and the apostle addressed to them words of sharp
rebuke, not free from piercing irony, though cha
racterised throughout by his tender and loving
spirit. The error into which the Galatians were

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 417

ready to fall was of vital importance, and the
apostle expostulates with them in tones of eager
and intense anxiety, warning them that if they do
not stand in the liberty of the gospel, but return
to the stand-point of law, Christ is become of no
effect unto them. And while the character of
false teachers and corrupters of the doctrine of
godliness became more apparent among the con
gregations to whom the second epistle of Peter
and the epistle of J ude are addressed, yet do we
not behold anywhere a congregation in so immi
nent danger of apostasy. It is therefore remark
able that, although in this epistle the Hebrews are
exhorted to obey them that have the rule over
them, to submit themselves to those who are
called to watch for their souls, and to remember
those that preached the word of God to them,
yet this is done only in the concluding chapter,
while the main argument of fie apostle is to obey
the word of God, to hold fast in loyal and perse
vering faith the Word which was spoken of God
in divers portions and ways to the fathers by the
prophets, which in these last days was spoken
unto us in the Son, and which was declared
by the apostles, who had seen Him on earth.
Identifying the gospel message with the written
Word, with the Scripture, which was received in
Israel as the record of divine revelation and as
the oracles of God, the writer ot our epistle bases

418 I he Epistle to the Hebrews.

all his arguments and exhortations on the inspired
testimony. It is most instructive to notice how
the individuality of the writer is kept in the back
ground, how the authority of Scripture is kept
prominent. And if the so-called successors of the
apostles and some communities lay much stress
on central authoritative legislation, by which all
doctrinal and practical questions which agitate
Christian congregations are to be settled, it is well
for us to remember how little the apostles them
selves thought of exercising such a mechanical
authority, and how they relied exclusively on the
power of the Word applied by the Spirit to the
heart and conscience.

If it was thus in the apostolic churches, ought
it not to be still more so in the present day ?
Scripture is the only authority in the Church. We
are to be guided and moulded by the Word, not
by antiquity or the opinions of men, however
eminent, or the traditions and customs of churches,
however venerable. The church is the bride, and
it is hers to obey the Lord, and in all things to
carry out His commandment. She has no light of
her own ; like the moon, she is to reflect the light
of the sun. And as the church, so the individual
Christian is to abide in the teaching of the Word.
Avoiding all subjection to the opinions of men, to
the charm of novelty, to the authority of those
who are distinguished by their gifts of learning or

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 419

their character of devotedness, let us seek always
the teaching of the Holy Ghost through the Scrip
tures, that so we may receive truth from God, that
we may be taught of Him who alone can teach
to profit, and whose teaching is accompanied
with the light of peaceful assurance and with vital
power. From early childhood we may thus know
the Scripture, and be made wise unto salvation ;
and from the least to the greatest the members of
Christ's church may possess that true, individual,
and direct teaching from above, by which alone
we can retain our liberty and abide in the hum
ble, docile attitude of disciples of the one Mas
ter.

The word of God abideth for ever : " Every
plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted,
shall be rooted up." Whether it be doctrine or
practice, nothing can stand except it be of God ;
and of plants, not planted by God, it is not enough
to lop off some branches in order to prevent their
too luxurious growth, but according to the declara
tion of the Lord, whose love is as infinite as His
truth, they must be rooted up. The Reformers,
in so far as they were enabled to return to the
Scripture, were acting according to the command
ment of the gentle and loving Saviour ; and their
zeal was spiritual and salutary, and for the true
welfare of the church and the nation. We cannot
be reminded too frequently and too emphatically

420 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

01 the authority of Scripture, and of the relation
in which every Christian stands to the word of
God. According to the Scriptures, Christ died ;
and according to the Scriptures, Christ rose again.
And as the apostles preached from the Scriptures
the gospel in its most elementary and fundamental
aspect, so all divine truth, which is necessary and
salutary for us, is taught by the Spirit through the
prophetic and apostolic word.

The Scripture is the record of God's revelation
to His chosen people Israel. God revealed Him
self in word and deed, in doctrine and in the works
of His redeeming grace and royal rule, in promises
and in types. Hence it is impossible to separate
in a mechanical way the divine and eternal element
from the lower and human, the historical and sub
jective. In the history of Israel, the institutions
and laws of the chosen people, the character, con
flicts, and development of patriarchs, prophets, and
kings, God reveals unto us His truth, and reveals
to us Himself. When the inner life of God's
saints is unveiled to us, as in the Psalms, the Book
of Job, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and indeed
throughout Scripture, so that, as Luther says, " we
see into the very hearts of these men, and not
merely behold paradise and heaven itself there,
but also death, and even hell," we possess in these
apparently purely human and subjective delinea
tions the teaching of the Holy Ghost, who presents

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 421

to us truthfully and perfectly the conflict in human
souls between God's grace and their sin and weak
ness, and provides us with a guide-book in which
all possible difficulties and errors are noticed, and
the true remedies and correctives indicated. Hence
no Scripture is purely human and temporary ; all
Scripture is divine and eternal. It possesses
vitality, fulfilling itself continually, and containing
throughout the revelation of God's character and
of God's salvation.

In Scripture all lines of thought and history, of
type and prophecy, converge and meet in one
point, the Messiah. Christ is set forth in the words,
deeds, and persons of prophets, priests, and kings.
He is typified in the tabernacle with its God-
appointed furniture; His advent is heralded and
His work proclaimed, not merely by the living
voice of God speaking to the patriarchs and
prophets, and not merely by the response of faith
and prayer of the saints, but even by the crea
tures whose blood was shed ; by the inanimate
symbols, as the ark, the laver, altar ; by the
Sabbath, by the feasts and fasts, and the year of
jubilee. Yea, the very infirmities, failures, and sins
of prophets, priests, and rulers, whose offices were
bestowed by God for the glory of His name and the
ood of the nation, only increase the desire of the
God-fearing, that the perfect Mediator may ap
pear, even the Son, in whom God speaks, and

422 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

through whom the divine favour and rule are
brought perfectly unto His people.

While God-manifestation or Christ-manifesta
tion f Revelation] is thus the central and crowning
object of the Scripture, this great purpose could
only be fulfilled gradually. Each succeeding need
ot man was used by God as a new opportunity
of manifesting His character, and of unfolding the
vast resources of His gracious counsel. Hence
Scripture gives us the history of the chosen seed,
the people whom God formed for Himself, that
they might show forth His praise. It reveals to
us Israel in bondage, Israel in the wilderness,
Israel worshipping, Israel entering the promised
land, Israel now conforming to the nations, now
conquering in faith. In all these various aspects is
Israel represented, that we may learn thereby the
ways of God, the character of the world, the trials
and difficulties of the believer, the source of weak
ness and defeat, as well as the source of victory
and strength. Thus while God reveals Himself
throughout, it is in such a way that it suits our
weak vision, and that it supplies all the guidance,
correction, and encouragement which we need
during our earthly life.

Our epistle illustrates these truths concerning
Scripture in a remarkable way. We read in Acts
xvii. 2, 3 that it was the manner of the apostle
Paul to reason with the Jews out of the Scrip-

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 423

tures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs
have suffered and risen again from the dead, and
that "this Jesus whom I preach unto you is
Christ." In this he only followed the method ot
the Lord Himself, who after His resurrection
began at Moses and all the prophets, and ex
pounded unto them in all the Scriptures, the
things concerning Himself.* This was the method
of all the apostles. Like their divine Lord, the
apostles regarded the books of Moses and pro
phets as one ; they speak of " the Scripture," and
of "all Scripture." The references to Scripture
in our epistle, by which doctrines are proved as
by an ultimate and all-sufficient authority, show
that the writer regarded the whole collection of
books as of equal importance and dignity. In a
very marked way the Scripture is quoted as
God's word; He is the true and one Author,
though many holy men were His messengers and
instruments.

For Scripture is not merely the record, it is the
inspired record of revelation. Scripture teaches
of itself (directly, and still more frequently and
strongly indirectly) that it is given by inspiration
of God. The choice of biographies, narratives,
genealogies, prayers, proverbs, the manner in
which these were recorded, the very omission of

* Luke xxiv. It is striking that this is specially recorded in the
gospel of Luke, whose Pauline character is acknowledged by all.

424 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

circumstances — all this was not according to human
selection, wisdom, and skill, but according to the
mind of the Spirit, who, searching the deep things
of God, and foreseeing the end from the beginning,
has caused holy men to write in such a manner
that the truth of God is revealed in fulness lor
the instruction and comfort of all generations.
To the Holy Ghost we trace Scripture. It is
perfect, all-comprehensive, and pure. The Scrip
ture is above every age ; for it is written by the
eternal Spirit; and our wisdom is to receive Scrip
ture teaching with absolute child-like faith, and to
receive Scripture teaching according to its own
method, not mixing it up with the enticing words
of human wisdom, and the thought and termin
ology of temporary schools.

While the authority and inspiration of Scripture
as a testimony of Christ are vividly brought
before us in this epistle, the practical character of
the Word is continually urged. The Spirit is still
connected with the Scripture. By it He still
teaches, guides, and comforts the hearts of men.
The Word is living, because the Holy Ghost
applies the Word, and the voice of God is heard
by the soul. Especially are the exhortations of
Scripture attributed to the Holy Ghost. As the
Holy Ghost saith, "To-day if ye will hear His
voice, harden not your hearts." For the Spirit of
God, though one with the Father and the Son,

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 425

identifies Himself in His condescending love with
us. As He maketh intercession for us, praying
within us, and, as it were, becoming a suppliant
with us, expressing our desires and wants, so when
God speaks to us, the Spirit continually urges us
to listen and to take to heart, as an affectionate
mother encourages her child to attend and to
mark the important and beautiful instruction of
the teacher.

The Scripture is the mirror in which we behold
the human heart, with its unbelief, its selfish and
carnal thoughts, its tendency to hypocrisy and to
rest in mere shadows. The apostle reminds us
that by this Word, as by a sharp sword, all that is
confused and mixed in our thoughts and hearts is
severed, the heavenly separated from the earthly,
and the thoughts and intents of the heart discerned.
He shows us that the Word brings us into the
presence of Him from whom it comes, and with
whom we have to do.

Thus while the Word reveals Christ, it judges
everything in us that prevents our walking by
faith in Him. Solemn and stern as its voice may
be, the blessed result, to the faithful and humble
who tremble at the word of God, is, that by it
they are directed to look off unto Jesus, to look
up unto Him who is the way of life above to the
wise, and that thus they are kept from the evil
that is in the world.

426 Tke Epistle to the Hebrews.

The Word speaks to the heart. The voice of
the Lord is powerful and full of majesty; the
heart adores and is filled with awe. The voice
of the Lord is full of love and tenderness ; the
heart trusts and rejoices. The voice of the Lord
declares mercy ; and the heart forgives them that
have trespassed against us. The voice of the
Lord promises peace and glory ; the her.rt feels
the festival of generosity, and becomes cheerful
and patient in giving sorrow.

Of a living Christ and to living souls does the
living Word speak, that we may walk with God*
All Scripture, given by inspiration of God, is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of
God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto
every good work. It makes us wise unto salva
tion ; it gives us not that knowledge which puffeth
up, but the wisdom which is from above, even
love, that edifieth.

2. The person and work of Christ.

The great object of this epistle is to show the
heavenly Priesthood of the Lord Jesus, the Mes
siah. But as all the offices of our adorable Lord
are rooted in His eternal Sonship, and are most
inseparably connected with each other, the epistle

* Luther's well-known expression, that the words of Scripture
are not Lcse — sondern Lebe worte ; not words for reading, but for
living.

The Epistle to the Hebrezvs. 427

brings before us in great fulness the doctrine of
the person and work of the Messiah. In the first
chapter the Messiah is spoken of as the Son. In re
lation to God He is from all eternity, the brightness
of His glory, the express image of His substance.
In relation to the world He is the Mediator by
whom it was created, and by whom it is upheld.
In relation to \\\e prophets He is the Son, in whom
is the perfect and ultimate revelation of God. In
relation to the angels He is Lord, whom they
worship and serve. In relation to the future
world, or the Messianic kingdom, He is appointed
Heir of all things. And this glory was not
lessened by His humiliation, His sufferings and
death ; it was by His obedience that He entered
into glory, that He ascended into heaven, and
was exalted at the right hand of God. We be
hold the glory of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of
David, the Son of Man, of whom Psalm viii. and
the prophecy of Isaiah witness, the glory of the
Lord, unto whom all things are subject, and whose
dominion is everlasting.

The first two chapters set before us the won
derful union of the divine and human natures in
one Person. We rejoice that He who is the
eternal Son of the Father, and the self-subsistent
Word, has through sufferings and death entered
into glory, and that Jesus is Lord above all, and

our High Priest before God. He is the Mediator

2 E

4?8 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

of the new covenant, greater than Moses ; for
Jesus is Son in the House and Lord over the
House ; whereas Moses, though faithful, was only
a servant, and for this very reason in a prepara
tory and imperfect economy. (Com. John viii. 35.)
Jesus is greater than Joshua; for in Him the rest
of God is also our rest, even as through Him we
shall finally enter into the everlasting Sabbatism.
He is greater than Aaron; for, while fulfilling all
that was prefigured by the Aaronic priesthood,
He was consecrated a High Priest for ever after
the order of Melchizedek ; and after the power
of an endless life He is the true Mediator, who
in the heavenly sanctuary represents us before
God, and communicates to us the blessings of the
everlasting covenant.

But as the epistle unfolds the glory of the
exalted Saviour, it dwells also on the humanity of
Christ, and on His obedience and sufferings in
the days of His flesh. In showing Christ's eternal
divine glory, the first chapter of our epistle re
minds us of the commencement of John's Gospel,
it ascends into the loftiest height ; but it is also
like the Gospel of Luke — in which the beloved
Physician reveals to us Jesus the Son of man, in
a manner as vivid and touching as it is profound.

In no portion of Scripture are we so fully
taught the humanity of our blessed Lord, the
sufferings of Christ, and the sympathy of the

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 429

glorified Saviour. And this is one great and
important feature among many which renders
this epistle so important and precious to every
Christian.

Here we see His real humanity. Moved by a
boundless, an infinite love, He took hold of the
seed of Abraham ; and because the children were
partakers of flesh and blood, He likewise took
part of the same. He was true, real Man, body,
soul, and spirit. In His walk on earth He went
through every sorrow, trial, temptation, that can
oppress and pain the human heart. He lived by
faith, putting His trust in the Father. In thif
epistle we behold the reality of His suffering ir,
temptation, of His conflict and walk of faith, oi
His weakness and fear; we see how He became
a merciful and compassionate High Priest, touched
with the feeling of our infirmities, able to help us
and sympathize with us in our difficulties and
sorrows. The agony in the garden of Gethsemane,
which is here described, shows us that Jesus went
into all the anguish of death in dependence on
God, submitting Himself, and learning obedience,
though He was Son. Because His obedience, tried
to the utmost, was perfect, He was exalted, and
is now the glorified Man ; and as Son of man, the
eye of faith beholds Him at the right hand of
power.

Jesus is in heaven a perfect High Priest. His

430 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

perfection is twofold. First, in that, having through
the sacrifice of Himself obtained everlasting re
demption for us, He was by His resurrection and
ascension perfected — the High Priest who, in the
power of an endless life, represents us before the
Father, and brings to us the blessings of the
heavenly sanctuary. Secondly, that through His
experience on earth, He possesses a full know
ledge of our difficulties and trials, of the power
of temptation and the anguish of suffering, and
regards with an infinite compassion, tenderness,
and sympathy His people below, while His pur
pose is to keep them faithful, and to make them
more than conquerors.

While, according to the purpose of the epistle,
the emphasis is laid on Christ's Priesthood, and
present glory at the right hand of God, His pro
phetic and royal office and His future Messianic
reign are not left out of view. As the perfect
Prophet or Revealer of God He appears already
in the first chapter, and the royal character oi
His Priesthood is indicated, not merely by the
name Melchizedek, but also by His session at
the right hand of power. And though the object
of the epistle is to confirm the Hebrews by
showing them the heavenly sanctuary as the place
of worship, yet the future reign of Messiah as
King is indicated. This is meant by His being
the Heir of all things, as Son of David, as Son

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 431

of man, who by reason of His sufferings is en
throned Lord of all, the King of the whole earth,
of whom all prophecy witnesses. Thus the epistle
to the Hebrews represents the continuity of God's
dealings vith men, and with Israel especially. It
shows the gospel of J esus Christ, as preached by
the Lord Himself and the apostles, to be the
full culminating manifestation of the revelation of
^od to the fathers by the prophets ; it declares
the faith of God's saints from Abel to Abraham,
and from Abraham to the Maccabees, as a looking
forward to the ultimate kingdom and glory of
Messiah, which is also our hope. Likewise it
speaks of the new covenant as the covenant pre
dicted by the prophet Jeremiah, as the covenant
made with the house of Israel and the house of
Judah — a promise containing spiritual and eternal
blessings — but enshrined in and immovably con
nected with the national restoration in the land of
Canaan, according to the purpose of God and the
unconditional covenant made with Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. (Jer. xxxi.)

3. The Believer's Life.

(i) We begin with the most important, the high
est aspect, worship. As there is only one High
Priest, Christ in heaven, so there is only one holy
place, the heavenly sanctuary. * And by the
blood of Jesus we have boldness to enter into the

* This is more fully brought out in chaps. viii.-x.

432 The Epistle to tJie Hebrews.

holiest. As the sacrifice was offered once for all,
and the Lord is perfected for evermore, there is
now the continued and uninterrupted favour of
God resting upon us in Christ Je'sus. We possess
an unchangeable, perfect righteousness in Him.
There is no more remembrance of sin, and we
enter into the presence of God Himself in the
full assurance of His love. In this epistle the
chief point insisted on is access to God — worship
in the holy of holies. We constantly fall into sin,
and thereby our communion with God is inter
rupted, and our enjoyment of peace and light. If
any man sin, the apostle John teaches us, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. Through Christ's advocacy we are
restored, and in answer to His intercession we are
preserved, so that our faith fails not, and our souls
are brought back into the paths of righteousness.
But our epistle deals with the subject of the
believer's position, of his standing before God, of
his access to the throne of grace, and we are
taught that in Christ we are perfected for ever.
Boldly we may come to God, for His throne is a
throne of grace. In the sympathy of the Lord
Jesus we have the blessed assurance that, amid all
suffering, temptation, and failure, sufficient grace
and timely help will sustain us, and that as we are
seated with Christ in heavenly places, so the love
of God and the grace of our compassionate and

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 433

merciful High Priest will uphold and succour us
during our weakness and warfare on earth. The
Christian is still in the wilderness, but his worship
is in heaven.

We cannot come boldly unto the throne of
grace unless we see the High Priest. By one
sacrifice Christ hath perfected us, consecrated us,
and brought us nigh unto God for ever. Christ
having made purification of our sins, sat down
at the right hand of God. We are accepted in
Him. We possess a righteousness divine, perfect,
eternal. Our sins and failures interrupt our com
munion with God ; we are chastened and hum
bled ; we must confess and repent ; but our state
before God remains the same. We always return
to a throne of grace, to the Father and to the
Saviour. Hence we worship, as accepted and for
given, inside the veil, on the other side of the
cross, so to say; not at the brazen altar, not at the
laver, but in the holy of holies. And here I may
appeal to the experience of the Christian, that it
requires deep humility, self-abasement, and self-
condemnation, to go with our sins and failures
unto God as our Father, and unto Jesus as our
Saviour and High Priest; to appear in His pre
sence on the ground of perfect righteousness, and
in faith of eternal and unchanging love ; to turn
from sin and disobedience, from forgetfulness
and lukewarmness, unto God, believing that in

434 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

His love to us there was no interruption or dimi
nution, that in the mercy and the intercession of
our High Priest there was no pause or alteration,
that the same favour, the same righteousness, the
same eternal and infinite covenant-love was ours,
while we were forgetting the Rock of our salvation
and grieving the Spirit of promise by whom we
are sealed. To do this is indeed hard and painful
to flesh and blood, it is contrary to the carnal mind,
for it exalts the grace of God and abases the crea
ture. And if we come otherwise, if we draw
near less ' boldly,' if notwithstanding our sins we
do not come as those whose warfare is accom
plished, Whose iniquity is forgiven, and who
have received of the Lord of free grace, and
according to the eternal covenant, a double Ben
jamin portion, we fall back into the law, into the
spirit of bondage, into the dark and lifeless region
of works. True humility praises the glory of His
grace, wherein He has taken us into favour in
the Beloved.

2. Our perfection.

Christ, according to the teaching of our epistle,
was perfected to be our High Priest. God con
secrated Him to be the perfect and all-sufficient
Mediator, who presents us to the Father, and who
brings to us the blessings of the new covenant.
After He had put away our sins by one sacrifice,
He was, in His resurrection, ascension, and session

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 435

at the right hand of God, perfected to be our
royal High Priest. We are sanctified by the will
of God through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. The Lord Jesus hath per
fected for ever them that are sanctified/* All who
believe in the Lord Jesus, and as soon as they be
lieve, receive the blessings of the new covenant ;
their sins are forgiven, Christ is their righteous
ness, and they are consecrated or sanctified unto
God ; they have access unto the throne of grace,
and as a royal priesthood they worship and serve.
Christ is our sanctification, He is our perfection.
We have been made the righteousness of God in
Him, and this the moment we accept in humble
faith the gospel, that He who knew no sin was
made sin for us.

What other consecration can we speak of? The
Son was consecrated (or perfected) for evermore,
and the new and living way through the veil
that is to say, His flesh — was consecrated or dedi
cated for us ; and we ourselves were brought nigh
by His blood, and through faith we realized that
we are not our own, but bought with a price. But
the question may be asked, Is there not an inward
sanctification of the Spirit ? This aspect of sancti
fication is not brought prominently before us in
this epistle, although the work of the Spirit in the
heart is enumerated among the blessings of the

* Heb. \. 10, 14.

436 The Epistle to the PIcbrews.

new covenant. Sanctification by the Spirit is
essentially connected with our only (objective and)
heavenly perfection in Christ; it has no other root
and source ; and as in idea it has no separate and
distinct commencement, so in actual realisation its
commencement is coincident with our justification.
If the question is asked, How does our accept
ance affect our walk and our relation to sin ? the
apostolic answer is, How can we continue in sin,
seeing that we have died to sin ? But when
did we die to sin ? Was this separate from and
subsequent to our believing' in the Lord Jesus
as the Saviour ? No ; but when we accepted the
Lord Jesus as our righteousness, even then were
we set apart unto God, severed from our former
life, transplanted into the kingdom of God's dear
Son. And how did we die with Christ ? Was it
by a subsequent and separate act of ours, in which
our sin, or the flesh, or the old man, was, by a
volition or energy of our own, crucified ? or was it
not (really) when Christ died on the cross, and
(actually) when we believe that Christ died for us ?
And is not this death the object of vu\- faith, and
of faith from the very commencement of its exist
ence ? To the believer the apostle says : Reckon
yourselves, realise by faith, and bear in mind that
you have been crucified with Christ. And this is
meant by the exhortation : Yield your members
servants to righteousness, put off the old man,

The Epistle to the JTcbrews. 437

mortify the members which are on earth. It is
not by a separate and subsequent act converted
and saved men are to be " sanctified ; " believers
are to realize, that by the cross of Christ the
world has been crucified to them and they to the
world ; that they have died with Christ unto sin.

The perfection of the believer is the same
from the first moment of his spiritual life to the
last, though his knowledge of it increases in

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depth and strength. Christ is his righteousness
in heaven. In Him he is before God. There is
no interruption or break in his acceptance and in
his standing. In the light of this perfect love the
believer discovers continually the true nature of
sin and of the flesh. God condemned sin in the
flesh, and therefore the believer looks upon the
flesh as condemned. It cannot be purified. In
us, that is our Adamic man, dwelleth no good
thing. There is a fountain within us which can
not be cleansed, and out of which God-opposed
evil thoughts continually ascend. Christ came in
the likeness of sinful flesh, but His flesh was pure
and holy. Whereas our flesh is sinful ; when we
are tempted, it is not apart from sin ; for we to some
extent, and though it be only for a moment, are
pleased with the temptation. Besides, our sins of
ignorance and omissions are many, and betoken
the existence of sinfulness. And this sin, which
dwelleth in us, we have to mourn over, to confess,

438 The Epistle to llic Hebrews

and to fight against. Yet are we not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit ; for Christ dwelleth in us. Sin
has no more dominion over us ; for looking con
tinually unto the Lord our righteousness, and
reckoning ourselves to have died with Him, we
are alive unto God. Still sin remains until we
actually dh, when beholding the glory of the Lord,
seeing Him as He is, we shall be like Him.

According to the Scripture doctrine, there is one
Christ and one faith and one life ; and according

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to the Scripture doctrine, Christ Himself, and not
what He effects in us, is the object of the be
liever's contemplation, and the source of his peace,
strength, and joy. To look to our own state, and
to put our own state of so-called holiness as an
object and aim before our mind, is an unscriptural
and hurtful thing. We are to behold the perfec-
t'on of the Lord Jesus as our Hioji Priest in

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heaven; and beholding Him, we judge ourselves,
we have no confidence in the flesh, and rejoicing
in Christ Jesus, we are renewed daily after His
image.

God's ways are perfect, and they are simple.
When Christ is received, all is received. The
forgiveness of sins contains the only source and
root of all godliness and true service. No sub
sequent supplement is needed. The apostles
nowhere speak to the congregations of a higher
Christian life, and of a second act of faith unto

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 439

holiness ; when they rebuke the sins and failures
of the churches, and when they point out the
remedy, it is always by showing the real meaning
and power of the grace which at the first was
preached unto them, and in which believers stand.
3. Lastly, let us remember the description of
the Christian's life given in this epistle, in which
various and apparently contradictory aspects are
combined. If we really wish to walk with God,
to enjoy communion with -Him, and to remain
steadfast in the faith unto the end, we shall rea'ise
in our own experience that rest and labour, peace
ful assurance of our acceptance, and holy, vigi
lant, and anxious fear can co-exist. Knowing
that God worketh in us both to will and to do of
His good pleasure, we work out our own salvation
with fear and trembling. Life -truths must be
studied by living them. In theory it may be
difficult to reconcile and combine the various
aspects of spiritual realities and experiences ; but
when we do the will of God we come to know
the divine character of Christ's doctrine. It is
by faith, by a vital, trustful appropriation of truth,
that we understand ; it is in using the guide-book,
in walking with God, that light shines on the
path, and that we go on from strength to strength.
Let us rejoice in the Lord, and let us rejoice
always ; yet let us remember that blessed is the
man who fearcth alway. " In the beholding of

440 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

God we fall not, and in the beholding of ourselves
we stand not ; yet while we are in this life it is
needful that we behold both at once. The higher
beholding keepeth us in joy and in the true love
of God ; the lower keepeth us in godly fear and
self-abasement. Our good Lord would that we
hold us much more in the beholding of Him, and
yet not wholly leave the beholding of ourselves,
until the time when we shall be brought up above,
where we shall dwell with the Lord Jesus, accord
ing to our heart's desire, and be filled with joy
without end, beholding Him as He is." :

* From Reflections of Julian, Anchorite of Norwich, 1326,

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