God may lie Hence, instead of children and heirs of
God, they are children of the wicked one, and inheritors of his portion. Let these awful truths sink deep into our minds. And " let us not be of those who turn back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of their souls^."]
" 2 Cor. vi. 1, o 1 John v. 10.
P Isai. xlv. 17. ^ Heb. x. 39.
THE christian's ANCHOR.
Heb. vi. 19,20. Which hope tve have as an anchor of the soul, both S2ire and steadfast, and lohich entereth into that within the vail ; whither the Forerunner is for us entered.
THIS life, we know, is but a passage to a better world ; a wilderness state, leading to the heavenly
Canaan. In it we meet with trials, which are neces- sary for the exercise of our faith and patience : but in the midst of trials, we are favoured with consola- tions and supports, perfectly adequate to our neces- sities, and sufficient for our wants. The lives of Abraham and the patriarchs are very instructive to us, in this view. They had promises in abundance ; but did not actually possess the things promised. They were called to endure much, before their course was run ; and " through faith and patience they inherited the promises''." Thus are we also to '' walk by faith, and not by sight ;" and " patiently to en- dure" our destined trials, in the assured expectation of "obtaining in due season the promised blessings^." In the mean time, like mariners, we have " an anchor" provided for us, which shall hold us fast amidst the storms and tempests with which we are assailed, and secure our ultimate arrival at the desired haven. This is declared in the words which we have just read ; and which will lead me to shew you,
I. What is " the anchor" here spoken of —
The universal voice of commentators has, together with our English version, determined it to be ''hope;" and from such an host it seems the greatest presump- tion to differ. Nor indeed would we be guilty of such presumption, if we could by any means acquiesce in the general sentiment. But the word " hope" is printed in italics, to shew that it is not in the ori- ginal ; and, consequently, the only question is. What is the word which should have been supplied from the foregoing context ? or. What is the antecedent to which the relative in our text refers ? I will, with the diffidence that becomes me, state my view of this question : and leave every one to adopt, or reject, my alteration, as he shall see fit.
I will first, then, state my reasons why I think the word " hojje" is not the word to be supplied.
The word " hope," in the preceding context, must unquestionably mean the object of hope ; but in
a ver. 12. b ver. 15.
2295.] THE christian's ANCHOR. 255
the text it is put for the grace of hope : for it is something within ourselves which we have as " an anchor," and which is to he cast hy us on something that is without. But to use the relative in a sense so essentially different from that in which its ante- cedent is used, is a construction that should never be admitted, without an absolute and indispensable necessity.
If it be said, that in the text it may be used for the object of liope, I answer, that it cannot with any propriety ; for it can scarcely be made sense. More- over, if taken in that sense, it will be the same as the Forerunner, who is said to have entered where that is.
The true antecedent, I conceive, and consequently the proper word to have been inserted, is, the word " cojisolation :" and this will appear from a minute con- sideration of the context. It is true, the word ''hope" occurs in the last member of the preceding sentence, whilst the y^orA " consolation" \^ more remote; but the member of the sentence immediately preceding the text is nothing but a periphrasis for " we," or a description of the persons spoken of; and if the word " we" be taken without that particular description annexed to it, the connexion between the relative and antecedent will be perfectly clear : " God has confirmed his promise with an oath, thai we might have strong consolation ; which consolation we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." The remarkable parallelism also between the words — a parallelism sufficiently observable in the translation, but still more marked in the original — renders this construction yet more obvious. God designed ''that we should have consolation ; which consolation we HAVE :" he designed that we should have strong con- solation ; and strong it is, even an " anchor of the soul, both SURE and steadfast''." Thus, to say the least, there is nothing forced in this construction ; but, on the contrary, it is plain and simple, and such