ing Christ with those who previously mediated between God and man,—the prophets who spoke to the fathers, and the angels who mediated the law and were supposed even to regulate nature. He now proceeds to compare Jesus with him round whose name gathered all that revelation and legislation in which the
ew trusted. Moses was the ideal medi tor, faithful in αἱ God’s house. Under- lying éven the priesthood of Aaron was the word of God to Moses. And yet, free channel of God’s will as Moses had een, he was but a servant and in the ature of things could not so perfectly sympathise with and interpret the will of Him whose house and affairs he adminis- tered as the Son who Himself was lord of the house. He therefore bids his readers encourage themselves by the consideration of His trustworthiness, His competence to ac- -complish all God’s will with them and bring them to their appointed rest. But this suggests to him the memorable break- down of faith in the wilderness genera- tion of Israelites. And he forthwith strengthens his admonition to trust Christ by adding the warning which was so legibly written in the fate of those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses, but whose faith failed through the great- ness of the way. It was not owing to any incompetence or faithlessness in Moses that they died in the wilderness and failed to reach the promised land. It was ‘‘because of their unbelief’’ (iii. 1g). Moses was faithtul in all God’s house, in everything required for the guid- ance and government of God’s people and for the fulfilment of all God’s purpose with them: but even with the most trust- worthy leader much depends on the follower, and entrance to the fulness of od’s blessing may be barred by the un- belief of those who have heard the pro- mise. The promise was not mixed with faith in them to whom it came. But what of those who were led in by Joshua ? Even they did not enter into God’s rest. That is certain, for long after Joshua’s time God renewed His promise, saying ‘‘To-day if ye hear His voice, harden not your hearts”. Entrance into the land, then, did not exhaust the promise of God; there remains over and above that entrance, a rest for the people of God, for ‘‘ without us,” z.e., without the revela- tion of Christ the fathers were not perfect, their best blessings, such as their land, ‘being but types of better things to come. ‘Therefore let us give diligence te enter