[3.] From the giving of this promise, God did variously by his providence break in upon and weaken its administration ; which by ‘its decaying age was rhore and more manifested. For,—
1st. Immediately after the giving of this promise, the Babylonian captivity gave a total intercision and interruption unto the whole administration of it for seventy years. This, having never before fallen out from the making of it on mount Sinai, was an evident token of its approaching period, and that, God would have the church to live without it.
2dly. Upon the return of the people from their captivity, neither the temple, nor the worship of it, nor any of the administrations of the covenant, nor the priesthood, were ever restored unto their pristine beauty and glory. And whereas the people in general were much distressed at the apprehension of its decay, God comforts them, not with any intimation that things under that covenant should ever be brought into a better condition, but only with an expectation of His coming amongst them who would put an utter end unto all the administrations of it, Hag, ii. 6-9. And from that time forward it were easy to trace the whole process of it, and to manifest how it continually declined towards its end.
176 AN EXPOSITION OF THE _ [CHAP, vil.
Thus did God make it old, by variously disposing of it unto its end; and to give an evidence thereof, called the other covenant which he would make, a new one. , And it did not decay of itself. For no institution of God will ever wax old of itself; will ever decay, grow infirm, or perish, unless it be disannulled by God him- self, Length of time will not consume divine institutions; nor can the sins of men abate their force. He only that sets them up can take them down.
And this is the first argument of the apostle, taken from this tes- timony, to prove that the first covenant was to be abolished.
2. But whereas it may be questioned whether it directly follows or no, that it must be taken away because it is made old, he con- firms the truth of his inference from a general maxim, which hath the nature of a new argument also. “ Now,” saith he, “ that which decayeth and waxeth old, is ready to vanish away.”
“ Old” is significative of that which is to have an end, and which draws towards its end. Every thing that can wax old hath an end; and that which doth so, draws towards that end. So the psalmist affirming that the heavens themselves shall perish, adds, as a proof thereof, “ They shall wax old as a garment;” and then none can doubt but they must have an end, as unto their substance or their use.
There are in the words, (1.) The notation of the subject, +i d2,— “but that,” ‘or ‘that, whatever it be. The general rule gives evidence unto the former inference, ‘ What- ever it be that waxeth old.’
(2.) The description of it in a double expression, raArasnumevoy and ynpéoxov. The words are generally supposed to be syno- nymous, and to be used for emphasis only. We express the first by decay, “that which decayeth,” to avoid the repetition of the same word, we having no other to express “ wax- ing old,” or “made old,” by. But raAastmevoy is not properly “ that which decayeth;” it is that which hath the effect passively of sema- Auf/wxe, “that which is made old;” and it properly respecteth things. Things are so said to be made old, not persons. But the other word, ynpdoxov, respects persons, not things. Men, and not inanimate things, are said ypéoxew. Wherefore although the apostle might have used a pleonasm to give emphasis unto his assertion, and to aver the cer- tainty of the end of the old covenant, yet nothing hinders but that we may think that he had respect unto the things and persons that belonged unto its administration.
That which is affirmed of this subject of the proposition, is, that
Wt it is éyydg dpanowod, “ near unto a disappearance;” that
eked #9a- is, an abolition and taking out of the way. |The pro- ou. BHoe oat : : :
position is universal, and holds absolutely in all things, as
is evident in the light of nature. Whatever brings things unto a decay
To 36.
TlaAasov- Hevov.
VER. 13.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 177
and age will bring them unto an end; for decay and age are the expressions of a tendency unto an end. Let an angel live never so long, he waxeth not old, because he cannot die. Waxing old is absolutely opposed unto an eternal duration, Ps. cii. 26, 27.
Tt being the removal of the old covenant and all its administra- tions that is respected, it may be inquired why the apostle express- eth it by dganeués, “a disappearance,” or “ vanishing out of sight.” And respect may be had herein, (1.) To the glorious outward appear- ance of the administrations of it. This was that which greatly cap- tivated the minds and affections of those Hebrews unto it. They were carnal themselves, and these things, the fabric of the temple, the ornaments of the priests, the order of their worship, had a glory in them which they could behold with their carnal eyes, and cleave unto with their carnal affections. The ministration of the letter was glorious. ‘ All this glory,’ saith the apostle, ‘shall shortly disappear, shall vanish out of your sight, according to the prediction of our Lord Jesus Christ, Matt. xxiv. (2.) To the gradual removal of it. It departed as a thing will by its removal out of our sight. We by little and little lose the prospect of it, until it utterly disappears. How it was made so to disappear, at what time, in what degrees, by what acts of divine authority, must be spoken unto distinctly else- where. All the glorious institutions of the law were at best but as stars in the firmament of the church, and therefore were all to dis- appear at the rising of the Sun of Righteousness,