Obs. XVII. It is our duty to justify and bear witness unto God in the righteousness of his judgments against gospel-despisers.
VERSES 30, 31.
Oviapev yep viv cixbyra, “Emo éxdiunors, eyo dvramoddow, Aéyer Kipiog. Kai rédw, Kipios xpive? rov Awdy abrod. DoCepdy rd euarecsiy cig xelpas Ocod Caivros.
Ver. 30, 31.—For we know him that hath said, Ven- geance [belongeth| unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. [dé is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
There is in these verses the confirmation of all that was spoken before, by the consideration of what God is in himself, with whom
550 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
alone we have to do in this matter, and what he assumeth unto himself in this and the like cases; as if the apostle had said, ‘In the severe sentence which we have denounced against apostates, we have spoken nothing but what is suitable unto the holiness of God, and what, indeed, in such cases he hath declared that he will do,’ The conjunction yép denotes the introduction of a reason of what was spoken before; but this is not all which he had discoursed on, on this subject, but more particularly the refer-
Vép.
ence he had made unto their own judgments of what sore punish- —
ment was due unto apostates: ‘Thus it will be with them, thus you must needs determine concerning them in your own minds; for we know him with whom we have to do in these things,’ Wherefore the apostle confirms the truth of his discourse, or rather allustrates the evidence of it, by a double consideration: 1. Of the person of him who is, and is to be the sole judge in this case, who
Le SPR is God alone: “ For we know him.” And, 2. What he
* hath assumed unto himself, and affirmed concerning himself in the like cases; which he expresseth in a double testi- mony of Scripture. And then, lastly, there is the way whereby our minds are influenced from this person and what he hath said ; which is, that “we know him,”
The first consideration confirming the evidence and certainty of the truth asserted, is the person of Him who is the only judge in this case. I confess the pronoun herein is not expressed in the original, but as it is included in the participle and article prefixed, rv eixdvre, “ him that saith,” who expresseth himself in the words ensuing; but it is evident that the apostle directeth unto a special consideration of God himself, both in the manner of the expression and in the addition of these words, Aéye Kpios, to the testimony which he writes immediately: ‘If you will be convinced of the righteousness and certainty of this dreadful de- struction of apostates, consider in the first place the Author of this judgment, the only judge in the case: “We know him that hath said.”’
Obs. I. There can be no right judgment made of the nature and demerit of sin, without a due consideration of the nature and holi- ness of God, against whom it is committed.— Fools make a mock of sin;” they have no sense of its guilt, nor dread of its punishment.
Td slvovra,
Others have slight thoughts of it, measuring it only either by out- —
ward effects, or by presumptions which they have been accustomed unto. Some have general notions of its guilt, as it is prohibited by the divine law, but never search into the nature of that law with
respect unto its author, Such false measures of sin ruin the souls —
of men, Nothing, therefore, will state our thoughts aright concern-
ing the guilt and demerit of sin, but a deep consideration of the —
infinite greatness, holiness, righteousness, and power of God, against
e.
+ Moe
VER. 30, 31.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 551
whom it is committed. And hereunto this also is to be added, that God acts not in the effect of any of these properties of his nature, but on a preceding contempt of his goodness, bounty, grace, and mercy; as it is impossible that sin should come into the world but by the contempt of these things. Antecedently unto all possibility of sinning, God communicates the effects of his goodness and bounty unto the creation; and in those sins which are against the gospel, he doth so also of his grace and mercy. This is that which will give us a due measure of the guilt and demerit of sin: look upon it as a contempt of infinite goodness, bounty, grace, and mercy, and to rise up against infinite greatness, holiness, righteousness, and power, and we shall have a view of it as it is in itself.
Obs. II. Under apprehensions of great severities of divine jude- ments, the consideration of God, the author of them, will both relieve our faith and quiet our hearts.—Such instances are given in the eternal casting off of multitudes of angels, on their guilt in one sin; the woful sin of Adam, and the ruin of his posterity, even of those who had not sinned after the similitude of his transgression ; the destruction of the old world bya universal flood; as in the fire and brimstone that God rained from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah; in the final rejection of the Jews, and the dreadful over- throw of the city and temple by fire; in the eternity of the torments of impenitent sinners. In all these things, and others that seem to have any thing of the same kind with them, we shall need nothing to give the most full satisfaction unto our souls, if “we know him who hath said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”