Ver, 32-34.—But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly whilst ye were made a gazing-stock, both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. |
The words in their coherence, intimated in the adversative 6, “ut,” have respect unto the exhortation laid down verse 25. All the verses interposed contain a dehortation from the evil which they are warned of. Hence the apostle returns unto his former exhorta- tion unto the duties recommended unto them, and perseverance therein against all the difficulties which they might meet withal, wherewith others were turned unto destruction, And the present argument which he makes use of unto this purpose is this now men- tioned. And there /are in the words, 1. A direction unto a means useful unto the end of his exhortation: “Call to remembrance the former days.” 2, A description of those days which he would have them to call to mind: (1.) From the season of them, and their state therein, “after they were enlightened ;” (2.) From what they suffered in them, “a great fight of afflictions,” which are enumerated in ‘sundry instances, verse 33; (3.) From what they did in them, verse 34, with respect unto themselves and others; (4.) From the ground and reason whereon they were carried cheerfully through what they suffered and did, “ knowing in yourselves.”
Frrst, There is first the prescription of the means of this duty,
1 Vanrous Reapincs.—Griesbach, Scholz, Lachmann, and Tischendorf, agree in reading decwloss, prisoners, instead of decpois ov, my bonds. See chap. xiii. yerse 3. Ey ovpevoic, inserted in the textus receptus, and deemed a very probable omission by Griesbach, is rejected by Lachmann and Tischendorf. The authority for it is p*** £ J K, and both the Syriac versions.—Eb,
558 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
évausevgoxecbs, which we have well rendered, “call to remembrance.” : _ It is not a bare remembrance he intends, for it is ie tts “""" impossible men should absolutely forget such a season. Men are apt enough to remember the times of their sufferings, especially such as are here mentioned, accompanied with all sorts of injurious treatment from men. But the apostle would have them so call to mind, as to consider withal what supportment they had under their sufferings, what satisfaction in them, what de- liverance from them, that they might not despond upon the approach of the like evils and trials on the same account. If we remember our sufferings only as unto what is evil and afflictive in them, what we lose, what we endure and undergo; such a remembrance will weaken and dispirit us, as unto our future trials) Hereon many cast about to deliver themselves for the future by undue means and sinful compliances, in a desertion of their profession; the thing the apostle was jealous of concerning these Hebrews. But if withal we call to mind what was the cause for which we suffered, the honour that is in such sufferings outbalancing all the contempt and re- proaches of the world; the presence of God enjoyed in them; and the reward proposed unto us: the calling them to mind will greatly — strengthen us against future trials; provided we retain the same love unto and valuation of the things for which we suffered as we had in those former days. And these various events we find exemplified every day. Some who have endured trials, and come off from them, do grow immediately more wary, as they suppose, and more cold really as unto the causes of their sufferings. The remembrance of what was afflictive in their trials fills them with fear of the like ex- ercise again. Hence they grow timorous and cautious as to all duties of religion and the worship of God, which may expose them unto new sufferings: and then some of them by degrees fall abso- lutely off from attendance unto them; as it was with some of these Hebrews. Such as these call to mind only that which is evil and afflictive in their sufferings; and taking the measure thereof in the counsel or representation made of it by flesh and blood, it proves unto their damage, and ofttimes unto their eternal ruin. Others who call to mind, with their sufferings, the causes of them, and the presence of God with them therein, are encouraged, emboldened, and strengthened unto duty with zeal and constancy. Obs. I. A wise management of former experiences is a great | direction and encouragement unto future obedience. Secondly, As to the object of this duty, the apostle so expresseth © it, “Call to mind the former days.” It is uncertain what times or seasons the apostle doth peculiarly in- tend. Besides those continual hazards they were in from their adversaries, and the occasional sufferings that they were —
Tas wparspoy hyeepas.
VER. 32-34. ] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 559
exposed unto, they seem to have had some special seasons of perse- cution before the, writing of this epistle. The first was in the ston- ing of Stephen, when a great persecution rose against all the church, and extended itself unto all the churches of Christ in that nation; wherein our holy apostle himself was highly concerned, Acts viii. 1, ix. 1, xxii. 19, xxvi. 10, 11. And the other was on the occasion of this apostle himself; for upon his last coming to Jerusalem, after his great successes in preaching the gospel among the Gentiles, the whole body of the people was filled with rage and madness against him and all the other disciples. There is no doubt, although express . mention be not made of it, but that at that time the rage and cruelty of the priests and the multitude did put forth themselves unto a general persecution of the church. And this season he seems to reflect upon in particular, because he mentions his own bonds at that time, and their compassion on him. However, certain it is that all the churches of Judea had suffered those things here men- tioned from their countrymen, as the apostle himself declares, 1 Thess. i. 14. At this present time they seem to have had some outward peace. The occasion whereof was the tumults and dis- orders which were then growing in their whole nation. Their own intestine discords, and the fear of outward enemies, by which they were shortly utterly destroyed, diverted them from prosecuting their rage for a season against the church. And it may be some began to grow careless and secure hereon; as we are generally apt to do, supposing that all will be serene when one or another storm is over. These, therefore, the apostle doth press unto such a re-. membrance of former trials as might prepare for those they were to expect; for, as he tells them, they had still “need of patience,” verse 36. SEconDLY, Theré is a description of those “former days,’— First, From their state and condition in them,—“ the days in which they were enlightened,” or rather, “in which _ having been enlightened.” The mention of this their illumination being in a tense of the time past? mani- fests that their enlightening did precede those days of their suffer- ings. But yet the expression is such as argues a nearer conjunction or concurrence between these two things, their illumination and these days of affliction; the one followed as it were immediately on the other. This enlightening was that work of God’s grace men- tioned 1 Pet. ii. 9, their “translation out of darkness into his mar- vellous light.” They were naturally blind, as are all men; and peculiarly blinded with prejudices against the truth of the gospel. Therefore when God by his effectual call delivered them out of that state of darkness, by the renovation of their understandings, and the removal of their prejudices, the light of the knowledge of God