o.lfa!re, whether they were the gaining of victories, the founding of cities, or the coro- nation of monarchs. There are many ranks, orders, and principalities amon"' the angels, who are pre-eminent for their wisdom, power, and holiness; but they rnu~t all yield to One who is far above them all. This is the Son of God, who alone was able to convey, with sufficient clearness, attraction, and power, all the sacred truths which con- cern the character of God, the character of man, and the way of brin"ina the sinner into a state of reconciliation now, and into the possession of eternal life "he;eafter. He sa!d? "He tha~ bath_ se~n me hath seen the Father;" and in all the acts of his public mm1stry and his sacrificial death he revealed God as be had never been known before. "He is the Eternal Image bright, Where angels view the Father's light: And there in him the humblest swain May read his holy lesson plain." The glory ot our Lord is further displayed by the confirmation of his work by the Divine Spirit, who enabled the apostles and others to work miracles of healing, a.nrl ga,o those supernatural powers which were an indisputable authentication that Jesus Christ was the true Messiah. These miracles transcended the usual course of human experi- ence-were signs of the connection of the gospel with Divine power, and were fitted to awaken wholesome wonder in the hearts of those who heard the truth. It need occasion no surprise that apostles and early believers should feel an unshaken confidence in their own convictions, and desire to implant similar convictions in the hearts of others. The transmission of gospel truth thus began with Christ, and through apostles and those who heanl the apostles, repeated the same facts and doctrines to others; and so the lamp of light has been handed on from one believer to another, and from one generation to another; and practically calling attention to the glory of the Transfiguration, in which we hear the voice, "This is my beloved Son : hear him." II, '!'HEBE FOLLOWS THE SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY OF HEARING AND OBEYING THE VOICE OF JEsus CHRIST. ·wherever the Word of God comes there is an altered relation of the soul towards its Divine Author, and serious indebtedness to him for the use of so precious a talent. Caution e.nd prayer are necessary, lest the truths which our Lord proclaimed should silently evaporate from the soul like morning dew, and leave the spirit dry and barren. 'l'hey may, amid the pressure of worldly affairs, the attractions of this life, and the agency of Satan, who carries away the seed sown, be lost for all the purposes of salvation. 'l'here must be decisive and intentional acts of meditation, prayer, and obedience, and then they will not slip away from us. 'l'bey shoultl be held as the miser holds his gold, lest the cunning and violence of men should rob him of his treasure. 'l'he gravity of this question enhanced by the certainty that neglect will be 1;>unished; for if the offenders against a law published by angels "died without mercy" (Heb. x. 8), then those who disobey the will of the Lord, who is infinitely above angels, must meet with a tremendous penalty and retribution; because to offend him is, in a sense, to tread underfoot the blood of the Son of God and do despite to the Spirit of gmce. To turn aside from him is to reject unutterable grace ; and to undervalue the labours, sufferings, and martyrdoms of apostles, faithful preachers of the gospel, auJ the life and prayers of believers, and to incur the judicial auger of him who requires all men "to honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." 'l'he question is asked, "How shall w11 escape?" 'l'he reply must be, "'!'here is no e5cnpe." It is the groat l;lilvation, because it is the fruit of an eternal purpost', revealed by holy prophets, illus- trnted by various types, wrought out by the iucnrnation, ministry, and sorrow of Jesus, who drank the bitter and brimming cup in Gethsemane ond on the cross; and has eng11ged the work of the Holy Spirit and the co-operation of the Church of God. It is great in the range of its present blessings and in the prospects of everlasting life. " How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Conscience answers, "There is no escape.n-B, Vere. 5-9.-Thi, human nature of our Lord foreshadowed and his sovl'Jf'eignty over all things realized through his sufferings and death. 'l'be author pursues his argument, which is to show the indisputable superiority of our Lord to the angels, unto whom the )tingdom of grace is not made subject. In the quotation from the eighth psalm there 78 THE EPISTLE 'l'O THE HEBREWS. [OH, II, 1-18.
is decle.red the condescension and goodness of God towards man in appointin"0 him to be the lord and ruler of creation. When Jehovah pronounced the blessina0 upon Noah and his sons, he said, "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered" (Gen. ix. 2). This sublime promise is realized in the exaltation of the Son of God, who was made for a short time lower than the angels ; and yet, even in his state of humiliation, showed his kingly power over the diseases of men, the i:;torms of the sky, and the fishes of the sea. But there is the plain fact that all things are not put un<ler men; yet we see Jesus of Nazareth made lower than the angels that he should tulfil the purposes of eternal grace, taste death in its unutterable bitterness and agony that life ruig!1t be otJered to mankind, and now crowned with glory and honour. There is a sacred lesson conveyed to Jewish Christians in the allusion to the death of our Lord, since the offence of the cross was likely to disturb their faith, and lead them to surrender a truth which was a stumbling-block to many of their countrymen. Jesus passed through this valley of the shadow of death to reach the throne where he is now exalted, angels, principalities, and powers, believers and unbelievers, being now subject 1<nto him. The glory and honour which he has attained raise him far above all patriarchs, priests, prophets, and the whole angelic world; and therefore those that kiss the Son, in unlimited trust and loving obedience, may expect all the blessedness now and hereafter from their faith in the Redeemer.-B.