THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE HEBREWS. CHAPTER I. ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. (1.) The angels have never been addressed with the title of Son. Ver. 5. (1.) He, by his own unassisted agency purified us from our sins. (2.) He is seated at the right hand of God. The main object of the epistle is to (3.) He has a more exalted and va. commend the Christian religion to luable inheritance than the angels, those who were addressed in it in in proportion as his name is more such a way as to prevent defection exalted than theirs. Vs. 3, 4. from it. This is done, principally, IV. Proofs that what is here asby showing its superiority to the Mo-scribed to him belongs to him, partisaic system. The great danger of cularly that he is declared to be su Christians in Palestine was of re-perior to the angels. Vs. 5—14. lapsing into the Jewish system. The imposing nature of its rites; the public sentiment in its favour; the fact of its antiquity, and its undisputed divine origin, would all tend to that. To counteract this, the writer of this epistle shows that the gospel had higher claims on their attention, and that if that was rejected ruin was inevitable. In doing this, he begins, in this chapter, by showing the superiority of the Author of Christianity to prophets, and to the angels; that is, that he had a rank that entitled him to the profoundest regard. The drift of this chapter, therefore, is to show the dignity and exalted nature of the Author of the Christian system the Son of God. The chapter comprises the following points: I. The announcement of the fact that God, who had formerly spoken by the prophets, had in this last dispensation spoken by his Son. Vs. 1,2. II. The statement respecting his rank and dignity. He was (1) the heir of all things; (2) the creator of the worlds; (3) the brightness of the divine glory and the proper expression of his nature; (4) he upheld all things. Vs. 2, 3. III. The work and exaltation of he Author of the Christian system. (2.) He is declared to be the object of worship by the angels, while they are employed merely as the messen. gers of God. Vs. 6, 7. (3.) He is addressed as God, and his throne is said to be for ever and ever. Vs. 8, 9. (4.) He is addressed as immutable. He is declared to have laid the foundations of heaven and earth; and though they would perish, yet he would remain the same. Vs. 10-12 (5.) None of the angels had been addressed in this manner, but they were employed in the subordinate work of ministering to the heirs of salvation. Vs. 13, 14. From this train of reasoning, the inference is drawn in ch. ii. 1-4, that we ought to give diligent heed to what had been spoken. The Great Author of the Christian scheme had peculiar claims to be heard, and there was peculiar danger in disregarding his message. The object of this chapter is, to impress those to whom the epistle was addressed with the high claims of the Founder of Christianity, and to show that it was superior in this respect to any other system. 21 F Go CHAPTER I. spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, a Nu. 12. 6. 8. jects, and given at different times OD, who at sundry times and in divers manners 1. God who at sundry times. The commencement of this epistle varies from all the others which Paul wrote. In every other instance he at first announces his name, and the name of the church or of the individual to whom he wrote. In regard to the reason why he here varies from that custom, see the Introduction, § 3. This commences with the full acknowledgment of his belief that God had made important revelations in past times, but that now he had communicated his will in a manner that more especially claimed their attention. This announcement was of particular importance here. He was writing to those who had been trained up in the full belief of the truths taught by the prophets. As the object of the apostle was to show the superior claims of the gospel, and to lead them from putting confidence in the rites instituted in accordance with the directions of the Old Testament, it was of essential importance that he should admit that their belief of the inspiration of the prophets was well founded. He was not an infidel. He was not disposed to call in question the divine origin of the books which were regarded as given by inspiration. He fully admitted all that had been held by the Hebrews on that head, and yet showed that the new revelation had more important claims to their attention. The word rendered "at sundry times”—ñokʊμɛposmeans in many parts. It refers here to the fact that the former revelation had been given in various parts. It had not all been given at once. It Unto the fathers. To our anceshad been communicated from time tors; to the people of ancient times. to time as the exigencies of the peo-¶ By the prophets. The word prophet ple required, and as God chose to in the Scriptures is used in a wide communicate it. At one time it was signification. It means not only those by history, then by prophecy, by po- who prediet future events, but those etry, by proverbs, by some solemn who communicate the divine will on and special message, &c. The an- any subject. See Notes on Rom. xii. cient revelation was a collection of 6; I. Cor. xiv. 1. It is used here in various writings, on different sub-that large sense as denoting all a 2 Hath in these last days | spoken unto us by his Son. those by whom God had made communications to the Jews in former imes. 2. Hath in these last days. In this the final dispensation; or in this dispensation under which the affairs of the world will be wound up. Phrases similar to this occur frequently in the Scriptures. They do not imply that the world was soon coming to an end, but that that was the last dispensation, the last period of the world. There had been the patriarchal period, the period under the law, the prophets, &c., and this was the period during which God's last method of communication would be enjoyed, and under which the world would close. It might be a very long period, but it would be the last one; and so far as the meaning of the phrase is concerned, it might be the longest period, or longer than all the others put together, but still it would be the last one. See Notes on Acts ii. 17; Isa. ii. 2. Spoken unto us. The word "us" here does not of necessity imply that the writer of the epistle had actually heard him, or that they had heard him to whom ne epistle was written. It means that God had now communicated his will to man by his Son. It may be said with entire propriety that God has spoken to us by his Son, though we have not personally heard or seen him. We have what he spoke and caused to be recorded for our direction. By his Son. The title commonly given to the Lord Jesus, as denoting his peculiar relation to God. It was understood by the Jews to denote equality with God (Notes, John v. 18; comp. John x. 33. 36), and is used with such a reference here. See Notes on Rom. i. 4, where the meaning of the phrase "Son of God" is fully considered. It is implied here that the fact that the Son of God has spoken to us imposes the highest obligations to attend to what he has said; that he has an authority superior to all those who a De. 18. 15. have spoken in past times; and that there will be peculiar guilt in refusing to attend to what he has spoken. See ch. ii. 1-4; comp. ch. xii. 25. The reasons for the superior respect which should be shown to the reve lations of the Son of God may be such as these:-(1.) His rank and dignity. He is the equal with God (John i. 1), and is himself called God in this chapter. Ver. 8. He has a right, therefore, to command, and when he speaks men should obey. (2.) The clearness of the truths which he communicated to man on a great variety of subjects that are of the highest moment to the world. Revelation has been gradual-like the breaking of the day in the east. At first there is a little light; it increases and expands till objects become more and more visible, and then the sun rises in full-orbed glory. At first we discern only the existence of some object-obscure and undefined; then we can trace its outline; then its colour, its size, its proportions, its drapery-till it stands before us fully revealed. So it has been with revelation. There is a great variety of subjects which we now see clearly, which were very imperfectly understood by the teaching of the prophets, and would be now if we had only the Old Testament. Among them are the following:-(a) The character of God. Christ came to make him known as a merciful being, and to show how he could be merciful as well as just. The views given of God by the Lord Jesus are far more clear than any given by the ancient prophets; compared with those enter tained by the ancient philosophers, they are like the sun compared with the darkest midnight. (b) The way in which man may be reconciled to God. The New Testament-which may be considered as that which God "has spoken to us by his Son"-has told us how the great work of being reconciled to Go can be effected whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; lowers-but the arguments on which they relied were feeble, and such as were unfitted to give rest to the soul, The truth they had obtained by TRADITION; the arguments were THEIR own. 2. He revealed the doctrine of the resurrection of the body. This before was doubted or denied by nearly all the world. It was held to be absurd and impossible. The Sa The Lord Jesus told us that he came to "give his life a ransom for many;" that he laid down his life for his friends; that he was about to die for man; that he would draw all men to him. The prophets indeed-particularly Isaiah-threw much light on these points. But the mass of the people did not understand their revelations. They pertained to future events-always difficult to be under-viour taught its certainty; he raised stood. But Christ has told us the way of salvation, and he has made it so plain that he who runs may read. (c) The moral precepts of the Redeemer are superior to those of any and all that had gone before him. They are elevated, pure, expansive, benevolent-such as became the Son of God to proclaim. Indeed this is admitted on all hands. Infidels are constrained to acknowledge that all the moral precepts of the Saviour are eminently pure and benignant. If they were obeyed, the world would be filled with justice, truth, purity, and benevolence. Error, fraud, hy-heaven; but to the mass of mind all pocrisy, ambition, wars, licentious- was obscure. Christ revealed a heaness, and intemperance, would cease; ven, and told us of a hell. He showed and the opposite virtues would diffuse us that the one might be gained and happiness over the face of the world. the other avoided. He presented im Prophets had indeed delivered many portant motives for doing it; and moral precepts of great importance, had he done nothing more, his com but the purest and most extensive munications were worthy the probody of just principles of good morals found attention of mankind. I may on earth are to be found in the teach- add, (3.) That the Son of God has ings of the Saviour. (d) He has claims on our attention from the given to us the clearest view which MANNER in which he spoke. He spoke man has had of the future state; and as one having "authority." Matt. he has disclosed in regard to that fu- vii. 29. He spoke as a witness of ture state a class of truths of the what he saw and knew. John iii. 11. deepest interest to mankind, which He spoke without doubt or ambiguity were before wholly unknown or only of God, and heaven, and hell. His partially revealed. 1. He has re- is the language of one who is fami vealed the certainty of a state of fu- liar with all that he describes; who ture existence-in opposition to the saw all, who knew all. There is no Sadducees of all ages. This was hesitancy or doubt in his mind of the denied before he came by multitudes, truth of what he speaks; and he and where it was not, the arguments speaks as if his whole soul were im by which it was supported were often pressed with its unspeakable importof the feeblest kind. The truth was ance. Never were so momentous held by some-like Plato and his fol. I communications made to men of hell up more than one to show that it was possible; he was himself raised, to put the whole matter beyond debate. 3. He revealed the certainty of future judgment-the judgment of all mankind. 4. He disclosed great and momentous truths respecting the fu- . ture state. Before he came, all was dark. The Greeks spoke of Elysian fields, but they were dreams of the imagination; the Hebrews had some faint notion of a future state where all was dark and gloomy, with perhaps an occasional glimpse of the truth that there is a holy and blessed as fell from the lips of the Lord Je- | ii. 22. 43; iv. 16; xii. 9; Rom. ii. 16, sus (see Notes on Matt. xxiii. 33); v. 5. It may be true that the uninever were announcements made so verse was formed with reference to fitted to awe and appal a sinful world. the glory of the Son of God, and that Whom he hath appointed heir of all this world was brought into being in things. See Ps. ii. 8; comp. Notes order to show his glory; but it would Rom. viii. 17. This is language not do to establish that doctrine on a taken from the fact that he is 'the passage like this. Its obvious and Son of God.' If a son, then he is an proper meaning is, that he was the heir for so it is usually among men. agent of the creation-a truth that is This is not to be taken literally, as elsewhere abundantly taught. See if he inherits anything as a man John i. 3. 10; Coll. i. 16; Eph. in. does. An heir is one who inherits 9; I. Cor. viii. 6. This sense, also, anything after the death of its pos- better agrees with the design of the sessor-usually his father. But this apostle in this place. His object is cannot be applied in this sense to the to set forth the dignity of the Son of Lord Jesus. The language is used God. This is better shown by the to denote his rank and dignity as the consideration that he was the creator Son of God. As such all things are of all things, than that all things his, as the property of a father de- were made for him. The worlds. scends to his son at his death. The The universe, or creation. So the word rendered heir-Kλnpovóμos — word here-alwv-is undoubtedly used means properly (1) one who acquires in ch. xi. 3. The word properly anything by lot; and (2) an heir in means age-an indefinitely long pethe sense in which we usually under-riod of time; then perpetuity, ever, stand the word. It may also denote eternity-always being. For an exa possessor of anything received as a tended investigation of the meaning portion, or of property of any kind. of the word, the reader may consult See Rom. iv. 13, 14. It is in every an essay by Prof. Stuart, in the Spirit instance rendered heir in the New of the Pilgrims, for 1829, pp. 406— Testament. Applied to Christ, it 452. From the sense of age, or dumeans that as the Son of God he is ration, the word comes to denote the possessor or lord of all things, or that present and future age; the present all things are his. Comp. Acts ii. world and the world to come; the 36; x. 36; John xvii. 10; xvi. 15. present world, with all its cares, "All things that the Father hath are anxieties, and evils; the men of this mine." The sense is, that all things world- -a wicked generation, &c belong to the Son of God. Who is Then it means the world-the mateso rich then as Christ? Who so able rial universe-creation as it is. The to endow his friends with enduring only perfectly clear use of the word and abundant wealth? By whom. in this sense in the New Testament By whose agency; or who was the is in Heb. xi. 3, and there there can actual agent in the creation. Gro- be no doubt. Through faith we tius supposes that this means, on understand that the worlds were made account of whom;' and that the by the word of God, so that things meaning is, that the universe was which are seen were not made of formed with reference to the Messiah, things which do appear." The pas in accordance with an ancient Jewish sage before us will bear the same in maxim. But the more common and terpretation, and this is the most obclassical usage of the word rendered vious and intelligible. What would by (dia), when it governs a genitive, be the meaning of saying that the as here, is to denote the instrumental ages or dispensations were made by cause; the agent by which anything the son of God? The Hebrews used is done. See Matt. i. 22; ii. 5. 15. the word-piy-'Olâm - in the 23; Luke xviii. 31; John i. 17; Acts same sense. It properly means age, |