PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

In this part of the epistle the apostle inserts a digression, in which he reproves the ignorance and negligence of the Hebrews in their mode of treating the sacred scriptures. See chap. v. 11, and chap. vi.

The application of this part contains the following exhortations:

1. That they should carefully retain their faith in Christ as the true Messiah, chap. x. 19-23.

2. That they should be careful to live a godly life, ver. 24, 25.

3. That they should take care not to incur the punishment of disobedience, ver. 32—37, and chap. xii. 3-12.

4. That they should place their whole confidence in God, live by faith, and not turn back to perdition, chap. x. 38, xii. 2.

5. That they should consider and imitate the faith and obedience of their eminent ancestors, chap. xi.

6. That they should take courage, and not be remiss in the practice of the true religion, chap. xii. 12-24.

7. That they should take heed not to despise the Messiah, now speaking to them from heaven, chap. xii. 25–29.

III. Practical and miscellaneous exhortations relative to sundry duties, chap. xiii.

All these subjects (whether immediately designed by the apostle himself, in this particular order, or not) are pointedly considered in this most excellent epistle; in the whole of which the superiority of CHRIST, his gospel, his priesthood, and his sacrifice, over Moses, the law, the Aaronic priesthood, and the various sacrifices prescribed by the law, is most clearly and convincingly shown.

Different writers have taken different views of the order in which these subjects are proposed, but most commentators have produced the same results.

For other matters relative to the author of the epistle, the persons to whom it was sent, the language in which it was composed, and the time and place in which it was written, the reader is referred to the introduction, where these matters are treated in sufficient detail.

THE EPISTLE OF
OF PAUL THE APOSTLE

TO THE

HEBRE W S.

Chronological Notes relative to this Epistle.

Year of the Constantinopolitan era of the world, or that used by the Byzantine historians, and other castern writers, 5571.-Year of the Alexandrian era of the world, 5565.-Year of the Antiochian era of the world, 5555.-Year of the world, according to archbishop Usher, 4067.-Year of the world, according to Eusebius, in his Chronicon, 4291.-Year of the minor Jewish era of the world, or that in common use, 3823.-Year of the Greater Rabbinical era of the world, 4422.-Year from the Flood, according to archbishop Usher, and the English Bible, 2411.-Year of the Cali Yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 3165.-Year of the era of Iphitus, or since the first commencement of the Olympic games,1003.-Year of the era of Nabonassar, king of Babylon, 810.-Year of the CCXth Olympiad, 3.-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 810.-Year from the building of Rome, according to Frontinus, 814.-Year from the building of Rome, according to the Fasti Capitolini, 815.-Year from the building of Rome, according to Varro, which was that most generally used, 816.-Year of the era of the Seleucidæ, 375.-Year of the Cæsarean era of Antioch, 111.-Year of the Julian era, 108.-Year of the Spanish era, 101.-Year from the birth of Jesus Christ, according to archbishop Usher, 67.-Year of the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 63.-Year of Albinus, governor of the Jews, 2.-Year of Vologesus, king of the Parthians, 14.-Year of Domitius Corbulo, governor of Syria, 4.Year of Matthias, high-priest of the Jews, 1.-Year of the Dionysian period, or Easter Cycle, 64.-Year of the Grecian Cycle of nineteen years, or Common Golden Number, 7; or the second after the second embolismic.-Year of the Jewish Cycle of nineteen years, 4; or the first after the first embolismic.— Year of the Solar Cycle, 16.-Dominical Letter, it being the third after the Bissextile or Leap-year, B.— Day of the Jewish Passover, according to the Roman computation of time, the IIIrd of the Calends of April, or, in our common mode of reckoning, the thirtieth of March, which happened in this year on the fourth day after the Jewish Sabbath.-Easter Sunday, the IIIrd of the nones of April, named by the Jews the 19th of Nisan or Abib; and by Europeans, in general, the 3rd of April.-Epact, or age of the moon on the 22nd of March (the day of the earliest Easter Sunday possible), 6.—Epact, according to the present mode of computation, or the moon's age on New Year's day, or the Calends of January, 13.-Monthly Epacts, or age of the moon on the Calends of each month respectively (beginning with January), 13, 15, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 20, 22, 22.-Number of Direction, or the number of days from the twenty-first of March to the Jewish Passover, 9.-Year of the reign of Caius Tiberius Claudius Nero Cæsar, the fifth Roman monarch, computing from Octavianus, or Augustus Cæsar, properly the first Roman emperor, 10.-Roman Consuls, C. Memmius Regulus, and L. Verginius Rufus.

CHAPTER I.

Different discoveries made of the divine will to the ancient Israelites by the prophets, 1. The discovery now perfected by the revelation of Jesus Christ, of whose excellences and glories a large description is given, 2-13. Angels are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation, 14.

Various discoveries

A. M. cir: 1067.

A. D.
An. Olymp.
cir. CCX. 3.

A.U. C. cir. 816.

HEBREWS.

d

made of the Divine will.

GOD, who at sundry times us by his Son, whom he hath

and in divers manners appointed heir spake in time past unto the by whom also fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto

worlds;

of all things,

he made the

A. D. cir. 63. An. Olymp. cir. CCX. 3. A.U.C. cir.816.

3 Who being the brightness of his glory,

xiv. 9. 2 Cor. iv. 4. Col. i. 15.
1 Cor. viii. 6. Col. i. 16.--Wisd. vii. 26. John i. 14.

it was not complete, nor can it without the New be considered a sufficiently ample discovery of the divine will. Under the Old Testament, revelations were made Toλvμɛрwę кαι жоλνтρоπws, at various times, by various persons, in various laws and forms of teaching, with various degrees of clearness, under various shadows, types, and figures, and with various modes of revelation, such as by angels, visions, dreams, mental impressions, &c. See Numb. xii. 6, 8. But under the New Testament all is done añλwç, simply, by one person, i. e. Jesus, who has fulfilled the prophets, and completed prophecy; who is the way, the truth, and the life; and the founder, mediator, and governor of his own kingdom.

NOTES ON CHAP. I. Verse 1. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners] We can scarcely conceive any thing more dignified than the opening of this epistle; the sentiments are exceedingly elevated, and the language, harmony itself. The infinite God is at once produced to view, not in any of those attributes which are essential to the divine nature, but in the manifestations of his love to the world, by giving a revelation of his will relative to the salvation of mankind, and thus preparing the way, through a long train of years, for the introduction of that most glorious Being, his own Son. This Son, in the fulness of time, was manifested in the flesh that he might complete all vision and prophecy, supply all that was wanting to One great object of the apostle is, to put the simperfect the great scheme of revelation for the in-plicity of the Christian system in opposition to the struction of the world, and then die to put away sin complex nature of the Mosaic economy; and also to by the sacrifice of himself. The description which show that what the law could not do because it was he gives of this glorious personage is elevated beyond weak through the flesh, Jesus has accomplished by all comparison. Even in his humiliation, his suffering the merit of his death and the energy of his Spirit. of death excepted, he is infinitely exalted above all the angelic host, is the object of their unceasing adoration, is permanent on his eternal throne at the right hand of the Father, and from him they all re- | ceive their commands to minister to those whom he has redeemed by his blood. In short, this first chapter, which may be considered the introduction to the whole epistle is, for importance of subject, dignity of expression, harmony and energy of language, compression and yet distinctness of ideas, equal, if not superior, to any other part of the New Testa

ment.

Maximus Tyrius, Diss. 1, page 7, has a passage where the very words employed by the apostle are found, and evidently used nearly in the same sense: Τη του ανθρωπου ψυχῇ δυο οργανων οντων προς συνεσιν, του μὲν ἁπλου, ὃν καλουμεν νουν, του δε ποικίλου και πολυμέρους και πολυτροπου, ὡς αισθήσεις καλουμev. "The soul of man has two organs of intelligence: one simple, which we call mind; the other diversified, and acting in various modes and various ways, which we term sense.”,

A similar form of expression the same writer employs in Diss. 15, page 171: "The city which is governed by the mob πολύφωνον τε είναι και πολυμέρη

Sundry times] Πολυμερώς, from πολυς, many, and μɛpos, a part; giving portions of revelation at dif-Kαι Tоλνñan, is full of noise, and is divided by ferent times.

various factions and various passions."

The excellence of the gospel above the law is here set down in three points: 1. God spake unto the faithful under the Old Testament by Moses and the prophets; worthy servants, yet servants; now the Son is much better than a servant, ver. 4. 2. Whereas the body of the Old Testament was long in compil

Divers manners] Iloλvrρоwç, from πoλuç, many, and трoños, a manner, turn, or form of speech; hence trope, a figure in rhetoric. Lambert Bos supposes these words to refer to that part of music which is denominated harmony, viz. that general consent or union of musical sounds which is made up of different parts; and, understood in this way, it may signifying, being about a thousand years from Moses to the agreement or harmony of all the Old Testament writers, who with one consent gave testimony to Jesus Christ, and the work of redemption by him. To him gave all the prophets witness that, through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins; Acts x. 43.

But it is better to consider, with Kypke, that the words are rather intended to point out the imperfect state of divine revelation under the Old Testament;

Malachi; and God spake unto the fathers by piecemeal, one while raising up one prophet, another while another; now sending them one parcel of prophecy or history, then another: but when Christ came, all was brought to perfection in one age; the apostles and evangelists were alive, some of them, when every part of the New Testament was completely finished. 3. The Old Testament was delivered by God in divers manners, both in utterance

Christ upholds all things

A. M. cir. 4067.

A. D. cir. 63.

a

and the express image of his | purged our sins, sat down on person, and upholding all the right hand of the Majesty A.U.C. cir. 816. things by the word of his power, on high;

An. Olymp.

cir. CCX. 3.

b when he had by himself 4 Being made so much better

A. M. cir. 4067.
A. D. cir. 63.
An. Olymp.
cir. CCX. 3
A.U.C. cir. 816.

Ps. cx. 1. Eph. i. 20. Ch. viii. 1. x. 12. xii. 2. 1 Pet. iii. 22.

and manifestation; but the delivery of the gospel was in a more simple manner; for, although there are various penmen, yet the subject is the same, and treated with nearly the same phraseology throughout; James, Jude, and the Apocalypse excepted. See Leigh.

Verse 2. Last days] The gospel dispensation, called the last days and the last time, because not to be followed by any other dispensation; or the conclusion of the Jewish church and state, now at their

termination.

By his Son] It is very remarkable that the pronoun avrov, his, is not found in the text; nor is it found in any MS. or Version. We should not therefore supply the pronoun as our translators have done;' but simply read ev Yip, BY A SON, or IN A SON, whom he hath appointed heir of all things. God has many sons and daughters, for he is the Father of the spirits of all flesh; and he has many heirs, for if sons, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ; but he has no son who is heir of all things, none by whom he made the worlds, none in whom he speaks, and by whom he has delivered a complete revelation to mankind, but Jesus the Christ.

The apostle begins with the lowest state in which Christ has appeared: 1. His being a Son, born of a woman, and made under the law. He then ascends, 2., to his being an Heir, and an Heir of all things. 3. He then describes him as the Creator of all worlds. 4. As the Brightness of the divine glory. 5. As the express Image of his person, or character of the Divine substance. 6. As sustaining the immense fabric of the universe; and this by the word of his power. 7. As having made an atonement for the sin of the world, which was the most stupendous of all his works.

"'Twas great to speak a world from nought; ""Twas greater to redeem."

8. As being on the right hand of God, infinitely exalted above all created beings; and the object of adoration to all the angelic host. 9. As having an eternal throne, neither his person nor his dignity ever changing or decaying. 10. As continuing to exercise dominion, when the earth and the heavens are no more! It is only in God manifested in the flesh that all these excellences can possibly appear, therefore the apostle begins this astonishing climax with the simple Sonship of Christ, or his incarnation; for, on this, all that he is to man, and all that he has done man, is built.

for

Verse 3. The brightness of his glory] Anavyaoμa τns dons. The resplendent out-beaming of the essential

glory of God. Hesychius interprets anavyaoμa by
λov peyyos, the splendour of the sun.
The same
form of expression is used by an apocryphal writer,
Wisdom, chap. vii. 26, where, speaking of the un-
created wisdom of God, he says: "For she is the
splendour of eternal light, απαύγασμα γαρ εστι φωτος
aïdiov, and the unsullied mirror of the energy of God,
and the image of his goodness." The word avyaoμа
is that which has splendour in itself, anavyaoμa is
the splendour emitted from it; but the inherent splen-
dour and the exhibited splendour are radically and
essentially the same.

The express image of his person] Χαρακτηρ της Tоσтаσews avrov The character or impression of his hypostasis or substance. It is supposed that these words expound the former; image expounding brightness, and person or substance, glory. The hypostasis of God is that which is essential to him as God; and the character or image is that by which all the likeness of the original becomes manifest, and is a perfect fac-simile of the whole. It is a metaphor taken from sealing; the die or seal leaving the full impression of its every part on the wax to which it is applied.

From these words it is evident, 1. That the apostle states Jesus Christ to be of the same essence with the Father, as the anavyaoμa, or proceeding splendour, must be the same with the avyaoua, or inherent splendour.

2. Tha Christ, though proceeding from the Father, is of the same essence; for if one avyn, or splendour, produce another avyn, or splendour, the produced splendour must be of the same essence with that which produces it.

3. That although Christ is thus of the same essence with the Father, yet he is a distinct person from the Father; as the splendour of the sun, though of the same essence, is distinct from the sun itself, though each is essential to the other; as the avyarμa, or in| herent splendour, cannot subsist without its anavyaoμa, or proceeding splendour, nor the proceeding splendour subsist without the inherent splendour from which it proceeds.

4. That Christ is eternal with the Father, as the proceeding splendour must necessarily be co-existent with the inherent splendour. If the one, therefore, be uncreated, the other is uncreated; if the one be eternal, the other is eternal.

Upholding all things by the word of his power] This is an astonishing description of the infinitely energetic and all-pervading power of God. He spake, and all things were created; He speaks, and all things are sustained. The Jewish writers frequently

HEBREWS.

than the angels, as he hath | angels said he at any time, by inheritance obtained a more Thou art my Son, this day excellent name than they. have I begotten thee? And A.U.C. cir. 816. again, I will be to him a