to the nngels in his official capacity as the God-Man Mediator-as much superior as he had been from the beginning in his essential nature. His mediatorial pre-eminence began clearly to appear nineteen hundred years ago, in connection both with his humiliation and hi~ exaltation. 1. When on earth, Jesus received angelic worship. (Ver. 6.) This had been predicted in Ps. xcvii. And, accordingly, wher. Christ became incarnate, angels thronged round his manger-cradle, proclaiming his advent, and celebrating it in a burst of choral praise. Angels ministered to him after the temptation, and sustained him under his great agony. Angels attended at his resur- rection, and haunted for a time his empty tomb. Angels eacompassed him in his final ascension to glory. 2. Now, in heaven, he sits on God's right hand. (Ver. 13.) His official exaltation had been predicted in Ps. ex. God never said, "Sit thou on my right hand" to any angel, i.e. to any creature. Therefore tl:e illustrious Priest-King of that psalm is not a creature; and, if not e. creature, he must be the Creator. 'Jbo session of the Mediator at the right hand of Jehovah implies that the entire universe is subject to his sceptre. He employs thll holy angels, and he controls and restrains the" spiritual hosts of wickedness." Oontrast now with this the official position of the angels (ver. 14). (1) '!'hey are "ministering spirits" to the Mediator of the new covenant. They stand before the throae upon which he sits-waiting his commands, and eager to do his pleasure. (2) He employs their service on behalf of those " that shall inherit salvation." The angels encamp round a.bout believers; they watch over little children; they are instruments of good to the poor e.nd the forsaken ; they carry away the spirits of the departed into Abraham's bosom; they will gather the saints at the final judgment. Learn in conch1sion: 1. The plenary inspirati()'II, of the Old Testament Scriptures. The author quotes what Nathan and David and the other psalmists said, as being the words of God himself. He is evidently fully persuaded that the Old 'l'estament writer~ express with superhuman insight the very mind of God regarding his incarnate Son. 2. The reality of the angel world and of angel help. It seems to be always difficult for the Church to hold, in its scriptural purity, the doctrine of the angels. On this subject may be noticed the rationalistic error, the Gnostic error, the Ilomish error, e.nd the Protestant error. Many Protestants give no place in their living faith to the truth about the angels. 3. The necessity of living for the glory of our Divine Redeemer. An intellectual persuasion of his true Godhead is not enough ; we must take home the sublime Christology of this chapter to our hearts, and allow it, by its power reigning within us, to mould and guide our entire lives.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHOr.S. Vers. 1, 2.-God's revelation of redemptive truth to man, "God, who at smulry times and in divers manners," etc. God has spoken to man. A very significant fact. ]t suggests the Divine interest in his human creatures. It teaches that man is capable of receiving communications from the infinite Mind. He can understand, apprccinte, and appropriate to his unspeakable advantage the thoughts of God concerning him. lle is under obligations to do so. Man's attitude towards the communications of God should be that of devout attention e.nd earnest investigation. Our text teaches that God's revelation of redemptive truth to man- I. WAS MADE THROUGH MAN. "God . . . spake in time past unto the fathers by thl! prophets;" Revised Version, "in tho prophets." The prophets were not simply predictors of future events; the word is applied to the sacred lawgiver, historian~, poets, etc. God spake in them and through them to thll fathers. "It was the very condition of the prophet's inspiration," says Robertson, "that he should be one with the people. So far from making him superhuman, it made him more man. Ho felt with more exquisite sensitiveness all that belongs to man, el8e he could not have been a prophet. His insight into things was the result of that very weakness, sensitiveness, and susceptibility so tremblingly alive. Ho burned with their thoughts, and expressed them. llo was obliged by the very sensitiveness of his humanity to havo a more entire dependence and a more perfect sympathy than other men . . . . He was more man, just because moro DiYinc-n1ore a Son of man, because more a Sou of Gou." 22 THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [CII. I, 1-14,