Ver. 13.-The deceitful'MSS of sin. It matters little whether we take the reference lier~ a~ t-0 the sin of unbelief specialiy, or to sin in general. All sin is deceiving in its hegmnmgs. The seed hides much which the sower cannot understand until he is compelled _to reap the fruit. And his only safety is to trust a timely warning, and hav~ nothrng to do with the seed. And though to each of us individually some forms of sm appear not at all deceitful, yet we are deceived by others. Some form of sin is deceitful to every one of us. The great enemy of man considers us accordinc-r to our individuality. 'l'here are temptations for the appeUte, temptations for th; senses, temptations for the intellect. 1. WE SIIOULD REST IN THE CONVICTION THAT SIN IS A DECEITFUL THING. We cannot be too cautious, too observant, in pursuing our path through this complicated world. Agencies are always at work to make the worse appear the better reason. Things visible, whether thiugs attractive or repulsive, press upon our eyes; and con- cerning the attractive we find ourselves saying," This is worth ma.king ours even at a great price;" concerning the repulsive," 'l'his is to be avoided at whatever cost." 'l'he world around us speaks ,vith a voice that discountenances things invisible and Divine. If we begin to act as hearing a voice from heaven, others say they have heard no voice; whereupon we are easily persuaded that no voice really spoke. Sometimes sin dresses itself up in the guise of liberality and charity, and again it is found beneath the appearance of zeal for God and goodness. If there is no danger that we should be tempted into any kind of vicious living, then most of all is the deceitfulness of sin to be feared. Before the readers of this Epistle a great historical example was put, drawn from the conduct of their own ancestors. The behaviour of the children of Israel in. the wilderness is an illustration, on a great scale, of the deceitfulness of sin; especially of the proneness of the heart to fall into unbelief with respect to spiritual thiDgs. It might have seemed safe to predict that, after a.II the great Divine deliverance of which they had been objects, they would have steadily gone on in the way of obedience; whereas only a very short time elapses before they are found believing the wishes of their own hearts rather than the word of God through Moses. "Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall." Those who are fallen to-day were standing yesterday, and some standing to-day will be fallen to-morrow. And if we are not among the fallen, it will be because we are giving daily practical heed to this truth concerning the deceitfulness of sin. II. How ARE WE TO GUAl.D AGAINST THIS DEOEITFULNEBS? All that the writer says just in this part of the Epistle is negative-at least, it seems negative. But that simply means the iteration and reiteration of the danger of unbelief. No one knows better than the writer that we cannot guard against unbelief in e. negative way. The only way of getting better of the deceitfulness of sin is to rise above it, and be so intent on our Saviour's business as to have no time, no inclination, to attend to what sin me.y have to say.-Y.
EXPOSITION. thought, the elucidation of wbfoh is the U.l:IA.PTER IV, subject of whe.t follows. The new thought is that the true " rest of God," typified only A REBT STILL OFFERED TO ORRISTIANS, by the rest of Oe.ue.e.n, remains still for the Ver. 1.-Let 111 fear, therefore, lest, e. attainment of Christians. That this is the promise being still left of entering into his case hBs not yet been shown ; e.nd hence rest, e.ny one of you should seem to have the clause, " o promise being still left," etc., oome short. This verse is e. renewed warn- does not point to a conclusion already ing against remissness, based (e.s is sho:Vn arrived at, but to what is coming. The by the connecting oi11) on the precedrng new thought is taken up in ver. 2, and what argument, but introducing also, by means has been thus intimated in ver. I is as9erted of the claw,e, 1ea-raJ\.<17l'0/-'<"7Js, etc., e. new e.s e. couclusion after {>roof in ver. 9, lip11 OH, IV, 1-16.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 107