6 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [ CHAP. II.
intimateth what should afterwards be accomplished in the time prefigured, in what the words have respect unto as past.
The general foundation of all lies in this, that a certain limited present space of time is expressed in the words. This is the moral sense of them :—limited, be- cause a day; present, because to-day. And this space may denote in general the continuance of men’s lives in this world. ©; that is, saith Rashi, nim ohvs, “in this world,” in this life: afterwards there will be neither time nor place for this duty. But yet the measure of such a day is not merely our continuance in a capacity to enjoy it, but the will of God to continue it. It is God’s day that is intended, and not ours, which we may outlive, and lose the benefit of it, as will afterwards appear.
Again, the general sense of the word is limited to a special season, both then present when the words were spoken, and intimated in prophecy to come after- wards. For the present, or David’s time, that refers, saith Aben Ezra, to 583
mins, “ come, let us fall down and worship,” verse 6; as if he had said, ‘ If you wil is his voice, come and worship before him this day.’ And in this sense, it is. probable that some especial feast of Moses’ institution, when the people as- sembled themselves unto the solemn worship of God, was intended. Many think that this psalm was peculiarly appointed to be sung at the feast of tabernacles. Neither is it unlikely, that feast being a great type and representation of the Son of God coming to pitch his tabernacle amongst us, John i. 14. Let this, then, pass for David’s typical day. But that a farther day is intended herein the apostle declares in the next chapter. Here the proper time and season of any duty, of the great duty exhorted unto, is firstly intended, as is evident from the application that the apostle makes of this instance, verse 13, “‘ Exhort one another daily, while it is called 2°" ,” eu8 por, “to-day ;” that is, caubilet the season of the duty is con- tinued unto ey So was it also originally used by the psalmist, and applied unto the duties of the feast of tabernacles, or some other season of the performance of God’s solemn worship.
*Eay, “si,” “if;” a mere conditional, as commonly used. But it is otherwise applied in the New Testament, as Matt. viii. 19, “I will follow thee dou éey a&xépyy,”— whithersoever thou goest.” And chap. xii. 36, “ Every idle word 6 thy AwAHoOL of &vOpw7r01,”—* which men shall speak.” ‘There is no condition or supposition included in these places, but the signification is indefinite, * whoso- ever,” “ whatsoever,” “ whensoever.” Such may be the sense of it in this place; which would, as some suppose, remove a difficulty which is cast on the text; for make it to be merely a conditional, and this and the following clause seem to be coincident, “If ye will hear,” that is, obey his voice, “harden not your hearts;” for to hear the voice of God, and the not hardening of our hearts, are the same. But there is no necessity, as we shall see, to betake ourselves unto this unusual sense of the word.
Tas Qavijs atrod dxovoyre,—* Ye will hear his voice:” 2%D ‘>p3. Where- ever this construction of the words doth occur in the Hebrew,—that Fou j is joined with “72, whether it be spoken of God in reference unto the voice of man, or of man in reference unto the voice of God,—the effectual doing and accomplish- ment of the thing spoken of is intended. So Num. xiv. 22, “ They have tempted me these ten times, “772 °929 NO,” “and have not heard my voice;” that is, ‘have not yielded obedience to my Pansadends ? So of God with reference unto men: Josh. x. 14, “There was no day like that, before nor after it, nim pinto DN Apa, ” that “the Lorp should hearken to the voice of a man;” that i is, effec. tually to do so great a thing as to cause the sun and moon to stand still in heaven. So between man and man, Deut. xxi. 18,19. See Matt. xviii. 15-17, It is fre- quently observed, that to “hear,” to “hearken,” in the Scripture, signifies to “obey,” or to “yield obedience to the things heard ;” as to “see” doth to “ understand” or
VER. 7-11.] . EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. “
* believe,” and to “ taste” denotes “ spiritual experience ;” words of outward sense being used to express the inward spiritual acts of the mind. Sometimes I say it is so, but this phrase is always so used. The Holy Ghost, therefore, herein lays down the duty which we owe to the word, to the voice of God, when we hear it in the way of his appointment,—that is, to yield sincere obedience unto it ; and the hind- erance thereof is expressed in the next words. Now, as this command is trans- lated over into the gospel, as it is by our apostle in the next chapter, it hath respect unto the great precept of hearing and obeying the voice of Christ, as the great prophet of the church; given originally, Deut. xviii. 19, “ Whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name” (for the Father speaketh in the Son, Heb. i. 1,2). “TI will require it of him,” Acts iii. 22, 23; which was again solemnly renewed upon his actual exhibition: Matt. xvii. 5, “ This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” See 2 Pet.i.17. And he is thereon, as we have seen, compared with Moses in his prophetical oftice, and preferred above him, John i. 17, 18.