CHAPTER III.
ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER.
THE Jews valued their religion on many accounts. One was that
it had been given by the instrumentality of distinguished prophets
sent from God, and by the medium of angels. The apostle, in the
previous chapters, had shown that, in these respects, the Christian
religion had the advantage over theirs, for it had been communicated by
one who was superior to any of the prophets, and who had a rank above the
angels. Next to this, they valued their religion because it had been
imparted by a law-giver so eminent as Moses--a man more distinguished than
any other one on earth as a legislator. To him they looked with pride as
the founder of their economy, and the medium through whom God had given
them their peculiar laws. Next to him, their high priest was the
most important functionary in the nation. He was at the head of
their religion, and served to distinguish it from all others; for they
high priest was recognised. The apostle, therefore, proceeds to
show, that in these respects the Christian religion had lost nothing,
but had the advantage altogether--that it was founded by one superior to
Moses, and that Christ, as high priest, was superior by far, to the high
priest of the Jews.
This chapter, and to verse 13 of chapter 4, relates to the first of these
points, and is occupied with showing the superiority of the Redeemer to
Moses, and the consequences which result from the admission of that fact.
It consists, therefore, of two parts.
I. The first is employed in showing, that if the Author of the Christian
religion is compared with Moses, he has the preference, Hebrews 3:1-6.
Moses was indeed faithful, but it was as a servant. Christ was faithful
as a Son. He had a rank as much above that of Moses as one who builds
a house has over the house itself.
II. The consequences that resulted from that, Hebrews 3:7-19, and
Hebrews 4:1-13. The general doctrine here is, that there would be special
danger in apostatizing from the Christian religion --danger far superior
to that which was threatened to the Israelites if they were disobedient to
Moses. In illustrating this, the apostle is naturally led to a statement
of the warnings against defection under Moses, and of the consequences of
unbelief and rebellion there, he entreats them, therefore,
(1,) not to harden their hearts against God, as the Israelites did, who
were excluded from Canaan, Hebrews 3:7-11.
(2.) To be on their guard against unbelief, Hebrews 3:12.
(3.) To exhort one another constantly, and to stimulate one another, that
they might not fall away, Hebrews 3:13.
(4.) To hold the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end, and
not to provoke God, as they did who came out of Egypt, Hebrews 3:14-19.
In the following chapter (Hebrews 4:1-13) he completes the exhortation,
by showing them that many, who came out of Egypt, were excluded from the
promised land, and that there was equal danger now; and then proceeds with
the comparison of Christ with the Jewish high priest, and extends that
comparison through the remainder of the doctrinal part of the epistle.
Verse 1. Wherefore. That is, since Christ sustains such a character as
has been stated in the previous chapter; since he is so able to succour
those who need assistance; since he assumed our nature that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest, his character ought to be attentively
considered, and we ought to endeavour fully to understand it.
Holy brethren. The name brethren is often given to Christians to
denote that they are of one family. It is possible, also, that the
apostle may have used the word here in a double sense--denoting that they
were his brethren as Christians, and as Jews. The word holy is
applied to them to denote that they were set apart to God, or that they
were sanctified. The Jews were often called a "holy people," as being
consecrated to God; and Christians are holy, not only as consecrated to
God, but as sanctified.
Partakers of the heavenly calling. On the meaning of the word
calling, See Barnes "Ephesians 4:1". The "heavenly calling"
denotes the calling which was given to them from heaven, or which
was of a heavenly nature. It pertained to heaven, not to earth;
it came from heaven, not from earth; it was a calling to the reward
and happiness of heaven, and not to the pleasures and honours of
the world.
Consider. Attentively ponder all that is said of the Messiah. Think of
his rank; his dignity; his holiness; his sufferings; his death; his
resurrection, ascension, intercession. Think of him, that you may see the
claims to a holy life; that you may learn to bear trials; that you may be
kept from apostasy. The character and work of the Son of God are worthy of
the profound and prayerful consideration of every man; and especially
every Christian should reflect much on him. Of the friend that we love
we think much; but what friend have we like the Lord Jesus?
The Apostle. The word apostle is nowhere else applied to the
Lord Jesus. The word means one who is sent--and in this sense
it might be applied to the Redeemer as one sent by God, or as by
way of eminence THE one sent by him. But the connexion seems to demand
that there should be some allusion here to one who sustained a similar
rank among the Jews; and it is probable that the allusion is to Moses,
as having been the great apostle of God to the Jewish people, and that
Paul here means to say, that the Lord Jesus, under the new dispensation,
filled the place of Moses and of the high priest under the old, and
that the office of "apostle" and "high priest," instead of being now
separated, as it was between Moses and Aaron under the old dispensation,
was now blended in the Messiah. The name apostle is not indeed given
to Moses directly in the Old Testament, but the verb from which the
Hebrew word for apostle is derived is frequently given him. Thus,
in Exodus 3:10, it is said, "Come now, therefore, and I will send
thee unto Pharaoh." And in Hebrews 3:13, "The God of your fathers
hath sent me unto you." So also in Hebrews 3:14,15, of the same chapter.
From the word there used--\^HEBREW\^ to send, the word denoting
apostle \^HEBREW\^ --is derived; and it is not improbable that Moses
would be regarded as being, by way of eminence, THE one sent by
God. Further, the Jews applied the word \^HEBREW\^--apostle, to the
minister of the synagogue; to him who presided over its affairs,
and who had the general charge of the services there; and in this
sense it might be applied by way of eminence to Moses, as being
the general director and controller of the religious affairs of the
nation, and as sent for that purpose. The object of Paul is to show
that the Lord Jesus, in the Christian system--as the great apostle
sent from God--sustained a rank and office similar to this, but
superior in dignity and authority.
And High Priest. One great object of this epistle is, to compare the
Lord Jesus with the high priest of the Jews, and to show that he was in
all respects superior. This was important, because the office of high
priest was that which eminently distinguished the Jewish religion, and
because the Christian religion proposed to abolish that. It became
necessary, therefore, to show that all that was dignified and valuable in
that office was to be found in the Christian system. This was done by
showing that in the Lord Jesus was found all the characteristics
of a high priest, and that all the functions which had been performed in
the Jewish ritual were performed by him, and that all which had been
prefigured by the Jewish high priest was fulfilled in him. The apostle
here merely alludes to him, or names him as the high priest, and then
postpones the consideration of his character, in that respect, till after
he had compared him with Moses.
Of our profession. Of our religion; of that religion which we
profess. The apostle and high priest whom we confessed as ours
when we embraced the Christian religion.
{a} "High Priest" Hebrews 4:14
Verse 2. Who was faithful. See Barnes "Hebrews 2:17". He performed
with fidelity all the functions entrusted to him.
To him that appointed him. Marg. Made. The word made,
however, is used in the sense of constituted or appointed. The meaning
is, that he was faithful to God. Perhaps Paul urges on them the
necessity of considering his fidelity in order to keep them
from the danger of apostasy. A leading object of this epistle was to
preserve those whom he addressed from apostatizing from God, amidst the
temptations and trials to which they were exposed. In doing this, what
could be a more powerful argument than to direct their attention to the
unwavering constancy and fidelity of the Lord Jesus? The importance
of such a virtue in the Saviour is manifest. It is seen everywhere; and
all the great interests of the world depend on it. A husband should
maintain inviolate fidelity towards a wife, and a wife towards her
husband; a child should be faithful to a parent, a clerk and apprentice
to his employer, a lawyer to his client, a physician to his patient, an
ambassador to the government that commissions him. No matter what may
be the temptations in the way; in all these, and in all other relations,
there should be inviolate fidelity. The welfare of the world depended on
the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus. Had he failed in that, all would
have been lost. His fidelity was worthy of the more attentive
consideration, from the numerous temptations which beset his path, and
the attempts which were made to turn him aside from his devotedness to
God. Amidst all the temptations of the adversary, and all the trials
through which he passed, he never for a moment swerved from fidelity to
the great trust which had been committed to his hands. What better
example to preserve them, from the temptations to apostasy, could the
apostle propose to the Christians whom he addressed? What, in these
temptations and trials, could be more appropriate than for them to
"consider" the example of the great Apostle and High Priest of their
profession? What more proper for us now, in the trials and temptations
of our lives, than to keep that great and glorious example
continually before our eyes?
As also Moses was faithful, Fidelity to God was remarkable in Moses.
In all the provocations and rebellions of the Jews, he was firm and
unwavering. This is affirmed of him in Numbers 12:7, to which place the
apostle here alludes:--"My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in
all his house." The word house, as applied to Moses, is used probably
in the sense of family, as it often is, and refers to the family over
which he presided--that is, the Jewish nation. The whole Jewish people
were a household, or the family of God, and Moses was appointed to
preside over it, and was faithful in the functions of his office there.
{b} "Moses" Numbers 12:7
Verse 3. For this man. The Lord Jesus. The word "man" is
understood, but there can be no doubt that he is referred to.
Was counted worthy. Was more worthy; or is more worthy. The word here
used does not refer to anything that had been said of him, or to any
estimate which had been made of him. It means simply that he was
worthy of more honour than Moses. How he was so Paul proceeds
to show.
Of more glory \~doxhv\~. Honour, dignity, regard. He really
had a higher rank, and was worthy of more respect. This was saying much
for the Messiah; and that it was proper to say this Paul proceeds to
show. He did not attempt in any way to undervalue Moses and his
institutions. He gave him all the honour which the Jews were themselves
disposed to render him. He admitted that he had been eminently faithful
in the station where God had placed him; and he then proceeds to show
that the Lord Jesus was entitled to honour superior to that, and that
hence the Christian religion had more to attach its friends to it than
the Jewish had.
Inasmuch as he who hath builded the house. The idea here is, either
that he who is the maker of a house--the architect-- is worthy of more
respect than the house itself; or that he who is the founder of a family
is worthy of more honour than the family of which he is the founder. It
seems to me that the former is the meaning--for the latter is not always
true. The founder of a family may be really deserving of much less
respect than some of his descendants. But it is always true that the
architect is worthy of more respect than the house which he makes. He
exhibits intellect and skill. The house, however splendid, has neither.
The plan of the house was drawn by him; its beauty, its proportions, its
ornaments, are what he made them, and but for him they would not have
existed, Michael Angelo was worthy of more honour than "St. Peter's" at
Rome; and Sir Christopher Wren worthy of more than St. Paul's at London.
Galileo is more worthy of praise than the telescope, and Fulton more than
a steam-engine. All the evidence of skill and adaptedness that there is
in the invention had its origin in the inventor; all the beauty of the
statue or the temple had its origin in the mind of him that designed
it, an author is worthy of more honour than a book; and he that
forms a work of art is worthy of more respect than the work itself.
This is the idea here. Paul assumes that all things owed their
origin to the Son of God, Hebrews 1:2,8,10. He was the Author of
the universe; the Source of all wise and well-founded systems;
the Originator of the Jewish dispensation, over which Moses presided.
Whatever beauty or excellence there might have been, therefore, in that
system, was to be traced to him; and whatever ability even Moses
displayed was imparted by him. Christ is really the head of the family
over which Moses presided, and has claims, therefore, to higher honour
as such.
{c} "builded" Zechariah 6:12,13
Verse 4. For every house is builded by some man. The words in this
verse are plain, and the sentiment in it clear. The only difficulty is
in seeing the connexion, and in understanding how it is intended to bear
on what precedes, or on what follows. It is clear that every house must
have a builder, and equally clear that God is the Creator of all things.
But what is the meaning of this passage in this connexion? What is its
bearing on the argument? If the verse was entirely omitted, and the
fifth verse read in connexion with the third, there would be apparently
nothing wanting to complete the sense of the writer, or to finish the
comparison which he had commenced. Various ways have been adopted to
explain the difficulty. Perhaps the following observations may remove it,
and express the true sense.
(1.) Every family must have a founder; every dispensation an author;
every house a builder. There must be some one, therefore, over all
dispensations --the old and the new--the Jewish and the Christian.
(2.) Paul assumes that the Lord Jesus was Divine. He had demonstrated
this in Hebrews 1; and he argues as if this were so, without now
stopping to prove it, or even to affirm it expressly.
(3.) God must be over all things. He is Creator of all; and he must
therefore be over all. As the Lord Jesus, therefore, is Divine, he must
be over the Jewish dispensation as well as the Christian--or he must, as
God, have been at the head of that--or over his own family or household.
(4.) As such, he must have a glory and honour which could not belong to
Moses. He, in his Divine character, was the Author of both the Jewish
and the Christian dispensations; and he must, therefore, have a rank
far superior to that of Moses--which was the point which the apostle
designed to illustrate. The meaning of the whole may be thus expressed:--
"The Lord Jesus is worthy of more honour than Moses, He is so, as the
maker of a house deserves more honour than the house. He is Divine. In
the beginning he laid the foundation of the earth, and was the agent in
the creation of all things, Hebrews 1:2,10. He presides, therefore,
over everything; and was over the Jewish and Christian dispensations--for
there must have been some one over them, or the author of them, as really
as it must be true that every house is built by some person. Being,
therefore, over all things, and at the head of all dispensations, he
MUST be more exalted than Moses." This seems to me to be the argument---
an argument which is based on the supposition that he is at the head
of all things, and that he was the agent in the creation of all worlds.
This view will make all consistent. The Lord Jesus will be seen
to have a claim to a far higher honour than Moses, and Moses will
be seen to have derived his honour, as a servant of the Mediator,
in the economy which he had appointed. ú
Verse 5. Moses was faithful--as a servant. Not as the head of the
dispensation; not as having originated it; but as in the employ and
under the direction of its great Founder and Author--the Messiah.
As such a servant he deserves all the honour for fidelity which has
ever been claimed for him, but it cannot be the honour which is
due to him who is at the head of the family or house. Paul assumed that
Moses was a servant, and argued on that supposition, without attempting
to prove it, because it was so often affirmed in the Old Testament, and
must have been conceded by all the Jews. In numerous instances he is
spoken of as "THE servant of the Lord." See Joshua 1:1,2; 9:24
1 Chronicles 6:49;; 2 Chronicles 24:9; Nehemiah 10:29; Daniel 9:11; Exodus 14:31; 1 Kings 8:56; Psalms 105:26.
As this point was undisputed, it was only necessary to show that the
Messiah was superior to a servant, in order to make the argument
clear.
For a testimony. To bear witness to those truths which were to be
revealed; that is, he was the instrument of the Divine communications to
the people, or the medium by which God made his will known. He did not
originate the truths himself; but he was the mere medium by which God
made known his truth to his people--a servant whom he employed to
make his will known. The word "after" here is not necessary in order
to a just translation of this passage, and obscures the sense.
It does not mean that he was a witness of those truths which were
to be spoken subsequently to his time, under another dispensation;
nor those truths which the apostle proposed to consider in another
part of the epistle, as Doddridge supposes; but it means merely
that Moses stood forth as a public witness of the truths which God
designed to reveal, or which were to be spoken. God did not
speak to his people directly, and face to face, but he spoke through
Moses, as an organ or medium. The sense is, Moses was a mere
servant of God to communicate his will to man.
{a} "Moses, verily" Numbers 12:7
{b} "servant" Joshua 1:2
{c} "of those things" Deuteronomy 18:15-19
Verse 6. But Christ as a son over his own house. He is not
a servant. To the whole household or family of God he sustains the same
relation which a son and heir in a family does to the household.
That relation is far different from that of a servant. Moses was
the latter; Christ was the former. To God he sustained the relation of a
Son, and recognised him as his Father, and sought in all things to do
his will; but over the whole family of God--the entire Church of all
dispensations--he was like a son over the affairs of a family.
Compared with the condition of a servant, Christ is as much superior to
Moses as a son and heir is to the condition of a servant. A servant owns
nothing; is heir to nothing; has no authority, and no right to control
anything, and is himself wholly at the will of another. A son is the heir
of all; has a prospective right to all; and is looked up to by all with
respect. But the idea here is not merely that Christ is a son; it is
that as a son he is placed over the whole arrangements of the
household, and is one to whom all is entrusted as if it were his own.
Whose house we are. Of whose family we are a part, or to which we
belong. That is, we belong to the family over which Christ is placed,
and not to that which was subject to Moses.
If we hold fast. A leading object of this epistle is to guard those
to whom it was addressed against the danger of apostasy. Hence this is
introduced on all suitable occasions; and the apostle here says, that
the only evidence which they could have that they belonged to the family
of Christ, would be that they held fast the confidence which they
had unto the end. If they did not do that, it would demonstrate
that they never belonged to his family, for evidence of having belonged
to his household was to be furnished only by perseverance to the end.
The confidence. The word here used originally means, the liberty
of speaking boldly and without restraint; then it means boldness, or
confidence in general.
And the rejoicing. The word here used means, properly, glorying,
boasting, and then rejoicing. These words are used here in an adverbial
signification, and the meaning is, that the Christian has a confident
and a rejoicing hope. It is
(1.) confident--bold--firm. It is not like the timid hope of the pagan,
and the dreams and conjectures of the philosopher; it is not that which
gives way at every breath of opposition; it is bold, firm, and manly. It
is
(2.) rejoicing--triumphant, exulting. Why should not the hope of heaven
fill with joy? Why should not he exult who has the prospect of
everlasting happiness?
Unto the end. To the end of life. Our religion, our hope, our
confidence in God, must be persevered in to the end of life, if we would
have evidence that we are his children. If hope is cherished for a while,
and then abandoned; if men profess religion, and then fall away--no
matter what were their raptures and triumphs--it proves that they never
had any real piety. No evidence can be strong enough to prove that a man
is a Christian, unless it leads him to persevere to the end of life.
{d} "son" Psalms 2:7,12
{e} "house" 1 Peter 2:15
{f} "if we hold fast" Matthew 10:22; Hebrews 10:38,39
Verse 7. Wherefore. In view of the fact that the Author of the
Christian dispensation has a rank far superior to that of Moses. Because
Christ has claims on us far greater than those which Moses had,
let us hearken to his voice, and dread his displeasure.
As the Holy Ghost saith. In Psalms 95:7-11. This is full proof that,
in the estimation of the author of this epistle, the writer of this Psalm
was inspired. The Holy Ghost speaks through the word which he has
revealed. The apostle quotes this passage, and applies it to those whom
he addressed, because the admonition was as pertinent and important under
the Christian dispensation as it was under the Jewish. The danger of
hardening the heart by neglecting to hear his voice was as great, and
the consequences would be as fearful and alarming.--We should regard the
solemn warnings in the Old Testament against sin, and against the danger
of apostasy, as addressed by the Holy Ghost to us. They are as
applicable to us as they were to those to whom they were at first
addressed; and we need all the influence of such appeals, to keep
us from apostasy, as much as they did.
Today. Now; at present. At the very time when the command is
addressed to you. It is not to be put off till tomorrow. All God's
commands relate to the present--to this day--to the passing moment.
He gives us no commands about the future, he does not require us to
repent; and to turn to him to-morrow, or ten years hence. The reasons
are obvious.
(1.) Duty pertains to the present. It is our duty to turn from sin, and
to love him now.
(2.) We know not that we shall live to another day. A command, therefore,
could not extend to that time, unless it were accompanied with a
revelation that we should live till then--and such a revelation God
does not choose to give. Every one, therefore, should feel that whatever
commands God addresses to him are addressed to him now. Whatever guilt
he incurs by neglecting those commands is incurred now. For the
present neglect and disobedience each one is to answer--and each one
must give account to God for what he does TODAY.
If ye will hear. In case you are willing to hearken to God, listen
now, and do not defer it to a future period.--There is much in a
willingness to hear the voice of God. A willingness to learn is
usually the precursor of great attainments in knowledge. A willingness
to reform is usually the precursor of reformation. Get a man
willing to break off his habits of profaneness or intemperance, and
usually all the rest is easy. The great difficulty in the mind of a
sinner is in his will. He is unwilling to hear the voice of God;
unwilling that he should reign over him; unwilling now to attend to
religion. While this unwillingness lasts he will make no efforts, and he
sees, or creates, a thousand difficulties in the way of his becoming a
Christian. But when that unwillingness is overcome, and he is
disposed to engage in the work of religion, difficulties vanish, and
the work of salvation becomes easy.
His voice. The voice of God speaking to us
(1.) in his written word;
(2.) in the preached gospel;
(3.) in our own consciences;
(4.) in the events of his Providence;
(5.) in the admonitions of our relatives and friends. Whatever conveys to
us the truth of God, or is adapted to impress that on us, may be regarded
as his voice speaking to us. He thus speaks to us every day in some of
these ways; and every day, therefore, he may entreat us not to harden
our hearts.
{g} "Today" Psalms 95:7
Verse 8. Harden not your hearts. Do not render the heart insensible
to the Divine voice and admonition. A hard heart is that where
the conscience is seared and insensible; where truth makes no
impression; where no religious effect is produced by afflictions;
where preaching is listened to without interest; and where the
mind is unaffected by the appeals of friends. The idea here is,
that a refusal to listen to the voice of God is connected with a
hardening of the heart. It is in two ways.
(1.) The very refusal to do this tends to harden it. And
(2.) in order to resist the appeals of God, men must resort to the means
of voluntarily hardening the heart. This they do by setting themselves
against the truth; by the excuses which they offer for not becoming
Christians; by plunging into sin in order to avoid serious impressions;
and by direct resistance of the Holy Ghost. No inconsiderable part of the
efforts of sinners consists in endeavouring to produce insensibility
in their minds to the truth and the appeals of God.
As in the provocation. Literally, in the embittering--
Then it means that which embitters or provokes the mind--as disobedience.
Here it refers to what they did to embitter the mind of God against them;
that is, to the course of conduct which was adopted to provoke him to
wrath.
In the day of temptation. In the time of temptation--the word day
being used here, as it is often, to denote an indefinite period, or time
in general. The word temptation here refers to the various
provocations by which they tried the patience of God. They rebelled
against him; they did that which put the Divine patience and forbearance
to a trial. It does not mean that they tempted God to do evil, but that
his long-suffering was tried by their sins.
In the wilderness. The desert through which they passed. The word
wilderness, in the Scriptures, commonly means a desert.
See Barnes "Matthew 3:1". "One provocation was in demanding bread at Sin;
a second for want of water at Massah or Meribah; a third time at Sinai
with the golden calf; a fourth time at Taberah for want of flesh; a
fifth time at Kadesh, when they refused to go up into Canaan, and the
oath came that they should die in the wilderness. A like refusal may
prevent us from entering into rest."--Dr. J. P. Wilson, MS. Notes.
Verse 9. Proved me. "As if they would have made an experiment
how much it was possible for me to bear." Doddridge. The meaning is,
they put my patience to a thorough trial.
And saw my works. That is, my miracles, or my interpositions in their
behalf. They saw the wonders at the Red Sea, the descent on Mount Sinai,
the supply of manna, etc.; and yet, while seeing those works, they
rebelled. Even while sinners look on the doings of God, and are
surrounded by the proofs of his power and goodness, they rebel, and
provoke him to anger. Men sin when God is filling their houses with
plenty; when he opens his hand daily to supply their wants; when they
behold the manifestations of his goodness on the sea and on the land;
and even in the midst of all the blessings of redemption they provoke
him to wrath.
Forty years. The whole time during which they were passing from
Egypt to the promised land. This may mean, either that they
saw his works forty years, or that they tempted him forty years.
The sense is not materially affected, whichever interpretation is
preferred.
Verse 10. Wherefore I was grieved. On the word grieved,
See Barnes "Ephesians 4:30". The word here means that he was offended with,
or that he was indignant at them.
They do alway err in their heart. Their long trial of forty years had
been sufficient to show that it was a characteristic of the people that
they were disposed to wander from God. Forty years are enough to show
what the character is. They had seen his works; they had been called to
obey him; they had received his law; and yet their conduct, during that
time, had shown that they were not disposed to obey him. So of an
individual. A man who has lived in sin forty years; who during all that
time has rebelled against God, and disregarded all his appeals; who has
lived for himself, and not for his Maker, has shown what his character
is. Longer time is unnecessary; and if God should then cut him down, and
consign him to hell, he could not be blamed for doing it. A man who
during forty years will live in sin, and resist all the appeals of God,
shows what is in his heart; and no injustice is done if then he is
summoned before God, and he swears that he shall not enter into his rest.
And they have not known my ways. They have been rebellious.
They have not been acquainted with the true God; or they have
not approved my doings. The word know is often used, in the
Scriptures, in the sense of approving, or loving.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:23".
Verse 11. So I sware in my wrath. God is often represented in the
Scriptures as swearing--and usually as swearing by himself, or by
his own existence. Of course this is figurative, and denotes a
strong affirmation, or a settled and determined purpose. An oath
with us implies the strongest affirmation, or the expression of the
most settled and determined purpose of mind. The meaning here
is, that so refractory and perverse had they showed themselves,
that he solemnly resolved that they should never enter into the
land of Canaan.
They shall not enter into my rest. Marg. As in the original,
if they shall enter. That is, they shall not enter.
The word \^HEBREW\^ if has this negative meaning in Hebrew, and this
meaning is transferred to the Greek word if. Comp.
1 Samuel 3:17; 2 Samuel 3:35; 2 Kings 6:31. It is called "my rest" here;
meaning that it was such rest as God had provided, or such as he
enjoyed. The particular rest referred to here was that of the land
of Canaan, but which was undoubtedly regarded as emblematic of
the "rest" in heaven. Into that rest God solemnly said they
should never enter. They had been rebellious. All the means of
reclaiming them had failed. God had warned and entreated them;
he had caused his mercies to pass before them, and had visited
them with judgments in vain; and he now declares, that for all
their rebellion they should be excluded from the promised land.
God speaks here in the manner of men. Men are affected with
feelings of indignation in such circumstances, and God makes use
of such language as expresses such feelings. But we are to understand it
in a manner consistent with his character, and we are not to suppose
that he is affected with the same emotions which agitate the bosoms of
men. The meaning is, that he formed and expressed a deliberate and solemn
purpose, that they should never enter into the promised land. Whether
this rest refers here to heaven, and whether the meaning is that God
would exclude them from that blessed world, will be more appropriately
considered in the next chapter. The particular idea is, that they were
to be excluded from the promised land, and that they should fall in the
wilderness. No one can doubt, also, that their conduct had been such as
to show that the great body of them were unfit to enter into heaven.
{1} "They shall not enter" "if they shall enter"
Verse 12. Take heed, brethren. In view of the conduct of the
rebellious Jews, and of their fearful doom, be on your guard lest you
also be found to have had the same feelings of rebellion and unbelief.
See to it, that under the new dispensation, and in the enjoyment of the
privileges of the gospel, you be not found to manifest such feelings as
shall exclude you from the heavenly world. The principle has been
settled by their unbelief, that they who oppose God will be excluded
from his rest. That may be shown under all dispensations, and in all
circumstances; and there is not less danger of it under the gospel, than
there was when the fathers were conducted to the promised land. You are
travelling through a wilderness--the barren wilderness of this world.
You are exposed to trials and temptations. You meet with many a deadly
and mighty foe. You have hearts prone to apostasy and sin. You are
seeking a land of promise--a land of rest. You are surrounded by the
wonders of almighty power, and by the proofs of infinite beneficence.
Disobedience and rebellion in you will as certainly exclude you from
heaven, as their rebellion did them from the promised land; and as their
great sin was unbelief, be on your guard lest you manifest the same.
An evil heart of unbelief. An evil, unbelieving heart. The word
unbelief is used to qualify the word heart by a Hebraism--a mode of
speech that is common in the New Testament. An unbelieving heart was the
cause of their apostasy, and what worked their ruin will produce ours.
The root of their evil was a want of confidence in God--and this is what
is meant here by a heart of unbelief. The great difficulty on earth
everywhere is a want of confidence in God and this has produced all
the ills that man has ever suffered. It led to the first apostasy; and it
has led to every other apostasy, and will continue to produce the same
effects to the end of the world. The apostle says that this heart of
unbelief is "evil." Men often feel that it is a matter of little
consequence whether they have faith or not, provided their conduct
is right; and hence they do not see or admit the propriety of what is
said about the consequences of unbelief in the Scriptures. But what do
they say about a want of confidence between a husband and wife?
Are there no evils in that? What husband can sleep with quietness on his
pillow, if he has no confidence in the virtue of his wife? What child can
have peace who has no confidence in a parent? How can there be prosperity
in a community, where there is no confidence in a bank or an insurance
office, or where one merchant has no confidence in another; where
a neighbour has no confidence in his neighbour; where the sick
have no confidence in a physician; and where, in general, all confidence
is broken up between man and man? If I wished to produce the deepest
distress in any community, and had the power, I would produce the same
want of confidence between man and man which there is now between man
and his Maker. I would thus take away sleep from the pillow of every
husband and wife, every parent and child; and make every man wretched,
with the feeling that all the property which he had was insecure. Among
men, nothing is seen to be productive of greater evil than a want of
confidence or faith; and why should not the same evil exist in the
Divine administration? And if want of confidence produces such
results between man and man, why should it not produce similar,
or greater miseries, where it occurs in relation to God? There is
not an evil that man endures which might not be alleviated or removed by
confidence in God; and hence one great object of the Christian
religion is, to restore to man his lost confidence in the God that made
him.
In departing from the living God. Manifested in departing from him;
or leading to a departure from him. The idea is, that such a heart of
unbelief would be connected with apostasy from God. All apostasy first
exists in the heart, and then is manifested in the life. They who indulge
in unbelief in any form, or in regard to any subject, should remember
that this is the great source of all alienation from God, and that if
indulged it will lead to complete apostasy. They who wish to live a life
of piety should keep the heart right, he that lives "by the faith of the
Son of God" is safe; and none is safe but he.
{a} "evil heart" Mark 7:21,23
{b} "departing" Jeremiah 2:13
Verse 13. But exhort one another daily. This is addressed to the
members of the churches; and it follows, therefore,
(1.) that it is their duty to exhort their brethren; and
(2.) that it is their duty to do it daily; that is, constantly. See
Hebrews 10:24; 1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11; See Barnes "Romans 12:8". While this is
the special duty of the ministers of the gospel, 1 Timothy 6:2; 2 Timothy 4:2;
Titus 2:6,15, it is also the duty of all the members of the churches
--and a most important, but much neglected duty. This does not refer to
public exhortation, which more appropriately pertains to the
ministers of the gospel, but to that private watch and care which the
individual members of the church should have over one another. But in
what cases is such exhortation proper? What rules should regulate it ?
I answer, It may be regarded as a duty, or is to be performed in
such cases as the following:--
(1.) Intimate friends in the church should exhort and counsel one
another; should admonish each other of their faults; and should aid one
another in the divine life.
(2.) Parents should do the same thing to their children. They
are placed particularly under their watch and care. A pastor cannot
often see the members of his flock in private; and a parent may greatly
aid him in his work by watching over the members of their families who
are connected with the church.
(3.) Sabbath school teachers may aid much in this duty. They are to be
assistants to parents and to pastors. They often have under their care
youthful members of the churches. They have an opportunity of knowing
their state of mind, their temptations, and their dangers, better than
the pastor can have. It should be theirs, therefore, to exhort them to a
holy life.
(4.) The aged should exhort the young. Every aged Christian may thus do
much for the promotion of religion. His experience is the property of
the church; and he is bound so to employ it, as to be useful in aiding
the feeble, reclaiming the wandering, recovering the backslider, and
directing the inquiring. There is a vast amount of spiritual capital
of this kind in the church that is unemployed, and that might be made
eminently useful in helping others to heaven.
(5.) Church members should exhort one another. There may not be the
intimacy of personal friendship among all the members of a large
church, but still the connexion between them should be regarded as
sufficiently tender and confidential to make it proper for any one to
admonish a brother who goes astray. They belong to the same communion.
They sit down at the same Supper of the Lord. They express their assent
to the same articles of faith. They are regarded by the community as
united. Each member sustains a portion of the honour and the
responsibility of the whole; and each member should feel that he has a
right, and that it is his duty, to admonish a brother if he goes
astray. Yet this duty is greatly neglected. In what church is it
performed! How often do church-members see a fellow-member go astray,
without any exhortation or admonition! How often do they hear reports
of the inconsistent lives of other members, and perhaps contribute to
the circulation of these reports themselves, without any pains taken
to inquire whether they are true! How often do the poor fear the rich
members of the church, or the rich despise the poor, and see each other
live in sin, without any attempt to entreat or save them! I would not
have the courtesies of life violated. I would not have any assume a
dogmatical or dictatorial air. I would have no one step out of his
proper sphere of life. But the principle which I would lay down is,
that the fact of church-membership should inspire such confidence, as
to make it proper for one member to exhort another whom he sees going
astray. Belonging to the same family; having the same interest in
religion; and all suffering when one suffers, why should they not be
allowed tenderly and kindly to exhort one another to a holy life?
While it is called To-day. While life lasts; or while you may be
permitted to use the language, "To-day hear the voice of God." The
idea is, that the exhortation is not to be intermitted. It is to be our
daily business to admonish and exhort one another. Christians are liable
every day to go astray; every day they need aid in the divine life; and
they who are fellow;heirs with them of salvation should be ever
ready to counsel and advise them.
Lest any of you be hardened. See Barnes "Hebrews 3:8". It is
possible for Christians to become, in a sense, hardened. Their minds
become less sensitive than they were to the claims of duty, and their
consciences become less tender. Hence the propriety of mutual
exhortation,
that they may always have the right feeling, and may always listen to the
commands of God.
The deceitfulness of sin. See Barnes "Ephesians 4:22". Sin is always
deceitful. It promises more than it performs. It assures us of pleasure
which it never imparts. It leads us on beyond what was supposed when we
began to indulge in it. The man who commits sin is always under a
delusion; and sin, if he indulges it, will lead him on from one step to
another, until the heart becomes entirely hardened. Sin puts on plausible
appearances and pretences; it assumes the name of virtue; it offers
excuses and palliations, until the victim is snared; and then,
spell-bound, he is hurried on to every excess. If sin was always seen in
its true aspect when man is tempted to commit it, it would be so hateful
that he would flee from it with the utmost abhorrence. What young man
would become a drunkard, if he saw, when he began, exactly the career
which he would run? What young man, now vigorous and healthful, and with
fair prospects of usefulness and happiness, would ever touch the
intoxicating bowl, if he saw what he would be when he became a sot?
What man would ever enter the room of the gambler, if he saw just where
indulgence would soon lead him, and if, at the commencement he saw
exactly the woe and despair which would inevitably ensue? Who would
become a voluptuary and a sensualist, if he saw exactly the close of such
a career? Sin deceives, deludes, blinds. Men do not, or will not, see
the fearful results of indulgence. They are deluded by the hope of
happiness or of gain; they are drawn along by the fascinations and
allurements of pleasure, until the heart becomes hard and the conscience
seared--and then they give way without remorse. From such a course the
apostle would have Christians guarded by kind and affectionate
exhortation. Each one should feel that he has an interest in
keeping his brother from such a doom; and each Christian, thus
in danger should be willing to listen to the kind exhortation of a
Christian brother.
{c} "exhort" Hebrews 10:24
Verse 14. For we are made partakers of Christ. We are spiritually
united to the Saviour. We become one with him. We partake of
his Spirit and allotments. The sacred writers are accustomed to
describe the Christian as being closely united to the Saviour, and
as being one with him. See Barnes "John 15:1", seq.,
See Barnes "John 17:21"; See Barnes "John 17:23";
See Barnes "Ephesians 5:30"; See Barnes "1 Corinthians 12:27". The idea is, that
we participate in all that pertains to him. It is a union of feeling and
affection; a union of principle and of congeniality; a union of
dependence as well as love; a union where nothing is to be imparted by us,
but everything gained; and a union, therefore, on the part of the
Redeemer of great condescension. It is the union of the branch
to the vine, where the branch is supported and nourished by the
vine, and not the union of the ivy and the oak, where the ivy has
its own roots, and merely clings around the oak and climbs up
upon it. What else can be said so honourable of man as that he
is "a partaker of Christ;" that he shares his feelings here, and
that he is to share his honours in a brighter world? Compared
with this, what is it to participate with the rich and the gay in
their pleasures; what would it be to share in the honours of
conquerors and kings?
If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast.
See Barnes "Hebrews 3:6". If we continue to maintain the same confidence
which we had in the beginning, or which we showed at the commencement of
our Christian life. At first, they had been firm in the Christian hope.
They evinced true and strong attachment to the Redeemer. They were ardent
and devoted to his cause. If they continued to maintain that to the end,
that is, the end of life; if, in the midst of all temptations and trials
they adhered inflexibly to the cause of the Savior, they would show
that they were true Christians, and would partake of the blessedness of
the heavenly world with the Redeemer. The idea is, that it is only
perseverance in the ways of religion that constitutes certain evidence
of piety. Where piety is manifested through life, or where there is an
untiring devotion to the cause of God, there the evidence is clear and
undoubted. But where there is at first great ardour, zeal, and confidence,
which soon dies away, then it is clear that they never had any real
attachment to him and his cause. It may be remarked here, that the
"beginning of the confidence" of those who are deceived, and who know
nothing about religion at heart, is often as bold as where there is true
piety. The hypocrite makes up in ardour what he lacks in sincerity; and
he who is really deceived, is usually deceived under the influence of
some strong and vivid emotion, which he mistakes for true religion. Often
the sincere convert is calm, though decided, and sometimes is even
timorous and doubting; while the self-deceiver is noisy in profession,
and clamorous in his zeal, and much disposed to blame the lukewarmness of
others. Evidence of piety, therefore, should not be built on that early
zeal; nor should it be concluded, that because there is ardour, there is
of necessity genuine religion. Ardour is valuable, and true religion is
ardent; but there is other ardour than that which the gospel inspires.
The evidence of genuine piety is to be found in that which will bear
us up under trials, and endure amidst persecution and opposition.
The doctrine here is, that it is necessary to persevere if we would
have the evidence of true piety. This doctrine is taught everywhere
in the Scriptures. Persevere in what? I answer, not
(1.) merely in a profession of religion. A man may do that, and have no
piety.
(2.) Not in zeal for party or sect. The Pharisees had that to the
end of their lives.
(3.) Not in mere honesty, and correctness of external deportment. A man
may do that in the church, as well as out of it, and yet have no
religion. But we should persevere
(1) in the love of God and of Christ--in conscious, ardent, steady
attachment to Him to whom our lives are professedly devoted.
(2) In the secret duties of religion: in that watchfulness over the
heart; that communion with God; that careful study of the Bible; that
guardianship over the temper; and in that habitual intercourse with God
in secret prayer which is appropriate to a Christian, and which marks
the Christian character.
(3) In the performance of the public duties of religion: in leading a
Christian life, as distinguished from a life of worldliness and
vanity--a life of mere morality and honesty--a life such as thousands
lead who are out of the church. There is something which
distinguishes a Christian from one who is not a Christian; a religious
from an irreligious man. There is something in religion; something
which serves to characterize a Christian; and unless that something is
manifested, there can be no evidence of true piety. The Christian is
to be distinguished in temper, feeling, deportment, aims, plans, from
the men of this World; and unless those characteristics are shown in
the life and deportment, there can be no well-founded evidence of
religion. Learn,
(1.) that it is not mere feeling that furnishes evidence of religion.
(2.) That it is not mere excitement that constitutes religion.
(3.) That it is not mere ardour.
(4.) That it is not mere zeal. All these may be temporary. Religion is
something that lasts through life. It goes with a man everywhere. It is
with him in trial. It forms his plans; regulates his temper; suggests his
words; prompts to his actions. It lives with him in all his external
changes, and goes with him through the dark valley of death, and
accompanies him up to the bar of God, and is with him for ever.
{a} "if we hold" Hebrews 3:6
Verse 15. While it is said, To-day, etc. That is, persevere as long
as life lasts, or as long as it can be said "To-day;" and by persevering
in this manner you will have evidence that you are the friends of
the Redeemer. This is a quotation from Psalms 95:7. Paul means,
undoubtedly, to make use of this language himself as a direct
exhortation to the Christians to whom he was writing. He entreats
them, therefore, as long as it could be said "To-day," or as long as
life lasted, to take care lest they should harden their hearts, as had
been done in the temptation in the wilderness.
{b} "Today" Hebrews 3:7
Verse 16. For some. Some of the Hebrews who came out of Egypt.
The truth was, that a large proportion of them rebelled against God,
and provoked him to indignation. It is somewhat remarkable, that
though all the Hebrews seem to have joined in the provocation--
except a very small number--Paul should have used language
which would seem to imply that the number which rebelled was
comparatively small. Another version, therefore, has been given
to this passage by some of the most eminent critics, consisting
merely in a change in the punctuation, by which a different view
is given of the whole sentence. According to this it would be a
question, and would mean, "But who were they who when they had heard did
provoke? Were they not all, indeed, who came out of Egypt under Moses?
And with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned,
whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?" This version was adopted by
Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others of the Fathers; and is adopted by
Rosenmuller, Clarke, Stuart, Pyle, and some others. In favour of it, it
may be alleged
(1.) that the Greek win bear it--all the change required being in the
punctuation;
(2.) that it avoids the difficulty which exists in one other
interpretation, of supposing the apostle to imply that but few of them
rebelled, when the truth was that it was nearly all;
(3.) it thus accords with the remainder of the exhortation which
consists in a series of questions; and
(4.) it agrees with the scope and design of the whole. The object was
not to state that it was not all who came out of Egypt that rebelled,
or that the number was small; but that the great body of them rebelled,
and fell in the wilderness, and that Christians should be admonished
by their example. These reasons seem to be so strong as to make it
probable that this is the true construction; and the sense then will
be, "For who were they that having heard did provoke? Were they not
all who came out of Egypt under Moses?"
When they had heard. Had heard God speaking to them, and giving them
his commands.
Did provoke.Provoked him to anger; or their conduct was such as was
fitted to produce indignation. See Barnes "Hebrews 3:8".
Howbeit. \~alla\~. But. This particle "in a series of questions,
and standing at the head of a question, means, but, further. It
serves to connect, and give intensity to the interrogation."
Stuart. Paul means to ask, with emphasis, whether the great mass of
those who came out of Egypt did not apostatize at the same time he means
to intimate that there is no security that they who have witnessed
remarkable manifestations of the greatness of God, and who have partaken
of extraordinary mercies, will not apostatize and perish. As the Hebrews,
who heard God speak from Mount Sinai, revolted and perished, so it is
possible that they who witness the mercies of God in redemption may be
in danger of abusing all those mercies, and of perishing. By the example,
therefore, of the disobedient Israelites, he would admonish professed
Christians of their danger.
Not all, etc. According to the interpretation proposed above,
"Were they not all who came out of Egypt?" Or, "Did not all who came out
of Egypt?" The word all here is not to be taken in the strict sense.
It is often used to denote the great body; a large proportion; or vast
multitudes. Thus it is used in Matthew 3:5: "Then went out to him
Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan." So in
John 3:26: "The same baptizeth, and all men come to him," So
Philippians 2:21: "For all seek their own." 2 Corinthians 3:2:
"Ye are our epistle, known and read of all men." In fact, there
were two exceptions--and but two--of the adults who came out of Egypt--
Caleb and Joshua, Numbers 14:30. All the others murmured against the
Lord, and were prohibited from entering the promised land. Of the great
multitudes who came out of Egypt, and who murmured, the exception was so
small that the apostle had no scruple in saying in general that they
were all rebellious.
{a} "For some" Numbers 14:2, etc.
Verse 17. But with whom was he grieved forty years? With whom was
he angry? See Barnes "Hebrews 3:10".
Was it not with them that had sinned? That had sinned in various ways
--by rebellion, murmuring, in belief. As God was angry with them for
their sins, we have the same reason to apprehend that he will be angry
with us if we sin; and we should, therefore, be on our guard against that
unbelief which would lead us to depart from him, Hebrews 3:12.
Whose carcases fell, Numbers 14:29. That is, they all died, and
were left on the sands of the desert. The whole generation was
strewed along in the way to Canaan. All of those who had seen the wonders
that God had done in the land of Ham---who had been rescued in so
remarkable a manner from oppression--were thus cut down, and died in the
deserts through which they were passing, Numbers 26:64,65. Such an
example of the effects of revolt against God, and of unbelief, was well
fitted to admonish Christians in the time of the apostle, and is fitted
to admonish us now, of the danger of the sin of unbelief. We are not to
suppose that all of those who thus died were excluded from heaven. Moses
and Aaron were among the number of those who were not permitted to enter
the promised land, but of their piety there can be no doubt. Beyond all
question, also, there were many others of that generation who were truly
pious. But, at different times, they seem all to have partaken of the
prevalent feelings of discontent, and were all involved in the sweeping
condemnation that they should die in the wilderness.
{b} "carcases" Numbers 26:64,65; Jude 1:5
Verse 18. And to whom sware he. See Barnes "Hebrews 3:11".
But to them that believed not. That did not confide in God.
Deuteronomy 1:32: "Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God."
In consequence of this want of faith, God solemnly sware unto them that
they should not enter into the promised land. Deuteronomy 1:34,35: "And
the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware
saying, Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation
see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, save Caleb,"
etc. The distinct reason, therefore, assigned by --Moses, why they did
not enter the promised land, was a want of faith; and this accords
directly with the design of the apostle here. He is exhorting those whom
he addresses to beware of an evil heart of unbelief, Hebrews 3:12. He
says that it was such a heart that excluded the Hebrews from the promised
land. The same thing, says he, must exclude you from heaven--the promised
home of the believer; and if that firm confidence in God and his promises
which he requires is wanting, you will be excluded from the world of
eternal rest.
{c} "sware" Deuteronomy 1:34,35
Verse 19. So we see, etc. We see, from the direct testimony of the
Old Testament, that unbelief was the reason why they were excluded
from the promised land. Let us learn, in view of the reasoning
and exhortations here--
(1.) The evil of unbelief. It excluded that whole generation,
consisting of many hundred thousand souls, from the land of
promise--the land to which they had looked with ardent hopes,
and with warm desires. It will exclude countless millions from
heaven. A want of confidence in God is the great source of evil in
this world, and will be the cause of wretchedness to all eternity of
unnumbered hosts. But surely that was not a small or unimportant thing
which strewed the desert with the bones of that whole generation whom
God had, in so remarkable a manner, rescued from Egyptian servitude. And
that cannot be a small matter which wile cause multitudes to sink down
to infinite wretchedness and despair.
(2.) Let us, who are professed Christians, be cautious against indulging
unbelief in our hearts. Our difficulties all begin there. We lose
confidence in God. We doubt his promises, his oaths, his threatenings.
In dark and trying times we begin to have doubts about the wisdom of his
dealings, and about his goodness. Unbelief once admitted into the heart
is the beginning of many woes. When a man loses confidence in God, he is
on a shoreless ocean that is full of whirlpools, and rocks, and
quicksands, and where it is impossible to find a secure anchorage.
There is nothing to which he may moor his driven bark; and he will never
find safety or peace till he comes back to God.
(3.) Let us live a life of faith. Let us so live that we may say
with Paul, "The life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." So
living, we shall have peace. The mind will be at rest. Storms
and tempests may blow, but we shall be secure. Others may be
troubled in the vicissitudes of life, but our minds will be at peace.
(4.) Let us live expecting the future "rest" that remains for us.
Let us keep our eye fixed upon it. To us there is a rest promised,
as there was to the Hebrews whom God had delivered from the
land of oppression; and we may by faith attain to that, "rest," as
they might have reached the land of Canaan.
(5.) Let us persevere to the end. He that draws back must be
lost. He that does not endure to the end of life, in the ways of
religion, can never have been a Christian. There is nothing which
will furnish certain evidence of religion, unless our piety is such as
to lead us to persevere till death. The man who enters on the
professed Christian life expecting to fall away, or who can look
upon the possibility of falling away without concern, has never
known anything of the nature of true religion, he cannot be a
Christian. He may have had raptures and visions; he may be a
loud professor, and a noisy and zealous partisan, but he has no
evidence that he has ever known anything about religion. That
religion which is not connected with a firm and determined purpose,
by the grace of God, to persevere to the end of life, is no true
religion; and a man who expects to fall away and go back again to the
world, or who can look at such an idea without alarm, should
regard it as a settled matter that he has no true knowledge of God.
(6.) No man should delay the work of salvation to a future time.
To-day is the accepted time; to-day the only time of which we
have any security. God speaks to-day, and to-day his voice should
be heard. No man on any subject should defer till to-morrow
what ought to be done to-clay. He who defers religion till a future
time neglects his own best interest; violates most solemn obligations;
and endangers his immortal soul. What security can any one have that he
will live to see another day? What evidence has he that he will be any
more disposed to attend to his salvation then than he is now? What
evidence can he have that he will not provoke God by this course, and
bring condemnation on his soul? Of all delusions, that is the most
wonderful by which dying men are led to defer attention to the concerns
of the soul to a future period of life. Nowhere has Satan such advantage
as in keeping this delusion before the mind; and if in respect to
anything the voice of warning and alarm should be lifted loud and long,
it is in reference to this. Oh, why will not men be wise to-day?
Why will they not embrace the offer of salvation now? Why will
they not at once make sure of eternal happiness? And why, amidst
the changes and trials of this life, will they not so secure the
everlasting inheritance as to feel that that is safe--that there is one
thing at least that cannot be shaken and disturbed by commercial
embarrassment and distress; one thing secure, though friends and
kindred are torn away from them; one thing safe when their own
health fads, and they lie down on the bed where they will bid
adieu to all earthly comforts, and from which they will never rise.
{d} "so we see" Hebrews 4:6
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