10. Our blessed Saviour had long before warned his disciples of all these things, particularly of the desolation that was to come upon the whole people of the Jews, with the tumults, distresses, persecutions, and wars, which should precede; directing them to the exercise of patience in the discharge of their duty, until the approach of the final calamity; out of which he advised them to free them- selves by flight, or a timely departure out of Jerusalem and all Judea, Matt. xxiv. 15-21. This, and no other, was the oracle men- tioned by Eusebius, whereby the Christians were warned to depart out of Jerusalem. It was given, as he says, ro7% doxfwos, to “ ap- proved men” amongst them; for although the prophecy itself was written by the evangelists, yet the especial meaning of it was not known and divulged amongst all. The leaders of them kept this secret for a season, lest, an exasperation of the people being occa- sioned thereby, they should have been obstructed in the work which they had to do, before its accomplishment. And this was the way of the apostles also as to other future events, which, being foretold by them, might provoke either Jews or Gentiles if publicly divulged, 2 Thess. ii. 5, 6. But now, when the work of the church among the Jews for that season was come to its close, the elect being gathered out of them, and the final desolation of the city and people appearing to be at hand, by a concurrence of all the signs foretold by our Saviour, those intrusted with the sense of that oracle warned their brethren to provide for that flight whereunto they were directed. That this flight and departure, probably with the loss of all their possessions, was grievous unto them, may easily be conceived. But that which
%
SECT. 9-11.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS WAS WRITTEN. 101
seems most especially to have perplexed them, was their relinquish- ment of that worship of God whereunto they had been so zealously addicted. That this would prove grievous unto them, our Saviour had before intimated, Matt. xxiv. 30. Hence were they so slow in their obedience unto that heavenly oracle, although excited with the remembrance of what befell Lot’s wife in the like tergiversation. Nay, as is likely from this Epistle, many of them who had made. profession of the gospel, rather than they would now utterly forego their old way of worship, deserted the faith, and, cleaving to their unbelieving countrymen, perished in their apostasy ; whom our apostle in an especial manner forewarns of their inevitable and sore destruc- tion, by that fire of God’s indignation which was shortly to “ de- vour the adversaries,” to whom they associated themselves, chap. x. 25-31.
11. This was the time wherein this Epistle was written; this the condition of the Hebrews unto whom it was written, both in respect of their political and ecclesiastical estate. Paul, who had an inex- pressible zeal and overflowing affection for his countrymen, being now in Italy, considering the present condition of their affairs;—how pertinaciously they adhered to Mosaical institutions; how near the approach of their utter abolition was; how backward, during that. frame of spirit, they would be to save themselves, by fleeing from the midst of that perishing generation ; what danger they were in to fore- go the profession of the gospel, when it could not be retained without a relinquishment of their former divine service and ceremonies,— writes this Epistle unto them, wherein he strikes at the very root of all their dangers and distresses. For, whereas all the danger of their abode in Jerusalem and Judea, and so of falling in the destruction of the city and people; all the fears the apostle had of their apostasy into Judaism; all their own disconsolations in reference unto their flight and departure,—arese from their adherence unto and zeal for the law of Moses; by declaring unto them the nature, use, end, and expiration of his ordinances and institutions, he utterly removes and takes away the ground and occasion of all the evils mentioned. This was the season wherein this Epistle was written, and these some of the principal occasions (though it had other reasons also, as we shall see afterwards) of its writing; and I no way doubt (though parti- cular events of those days are buried in oblivion) but that, through His grace who moved and directed the apostle unto, and im, the writ- ing of it, it was made signally effectual towards the professing He ebrews, both to free them from that yoke of bondage wherein they had been detained, and to prepare them with cheerfulness unto the observation of evangelical worship, leaving their countrymen to
eh im their sin and unbelief.
102 LANGUAGE WHEREIN THE [ EXERC. Iv.
NOTE ON EXERCITATION IIL BY THE EDITOR.
Ir is generally agreed that the Epistle was written before the destruction of Jeru- salem. Mill, Wetstein, Tillemont, Calmet, and Lardner, hold that it was written in the year 63. Basnage, like Owen, is in favour of an earlier date, and ascribes it to A.D. 61. The most recent authority, Dr Davidson, remarks, “ If the letter was writ- ten by Paul, it could only have proceeded from him during the first two years of his imprisonment noticed at the close of the Acts. It preceded the Second to Timothy, A.D. 62 or 63. It was thus composed in Italy, according to chap. xiii. 24, and in accord- ance as well with the subscription of many MSS. ¢xo "Iradias, as that of others, dé ‘Péuns. But there is a difficulty in supposing that of dao cis "Icwaias would have been employed by the author if he were at, Rome,—a difficulty which we cannot satis- factorily solve.”