The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 156

salvation is owing to Jesus Christ. The ministry of providence, of religious ordinances, and of good men, may assist us in availing ourselves of this salvation ; but they cannot save us; they are not "the cause of salvation." Our salvation originated in the infinite love of God. "God so loved the world,'' etc. Our salvation was effected by his Son, our Saviour. He became man, taught, laboured, suffered, lived, died, and ever lil'es to save us. He is our only Saviour, 'l.'he great end of his sufferings was our "eternal salvation." Ill. THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS SALVATION. "Unto all them that obey him." 'l.'his, of course, does not mean that we merit salvation by obeying the Saviour. But those who have merely some doctrinal knowledge of Christ and his salvation, those who have only a dead faith in bim, a mere intellectual assent to the great facts of his history and teaching, are not partakers of bis salvation. As he attained his mediatorial perfec- tion and giory by complete and hearty obedience to his Father, so must man obey him if we would attain unto "eternal salvation." Salvation is found in obedience to him, because : 1. True and safling faith inspires the life and shapes the conduct. (Of. Acts xv. 9; Rom. xvi. 26; Gal. v. 6; Jas. ii, 17-26.) 2, Christ saves men from their sins, He is a Prince to rule us, as well as a Saviour to deliver us. 3. All who are being saved by Christ love him, and the loving heart delights to obey the loved One. 4. The d·isobedient cannot enter heaven. Heaven is a realm of perfect obedience to the supreme will, of loyal and loving devotion to God's service, Unless_ the spirit of hearty obedience be ours, we are out of sympathy with heaven. CoNcLU!ION. 1. Trust thi,s perfect Saviour. 2. Obey him. Copy his own obedience. -W.J. Vers. 11-14.-Spiritual obtuseness. "Of whom we have many things to say," etc. ln treating of ithe analogy between the priesthood. of Melchizedek and that of Christ, the writer wa.s hindered by the spiritual obtuseness of his readers. '' We have many things to say, and difficult of interpretation, seeing ye are become dull of hearing." The writer found it difficult to explain his subject to them, because they were so dull and slow in their apprehension. Notice- I. SPillITCJAL OBTUSENESS 18 SOMETIMES VERY GREAT, It was so in the case of the persons here addressed, as may be seen by contrasting what they might and ought to have been and what they were. They should have been able to have taught others; they really needed teaching themselves, and that of the most elementary kind. "When ye ought to be teachers, ye have need a.gain that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God." They required instructing again in" the beginnings of the beginning" of Christian doctrine. Moreover, when they should have been men in spiritual intelligence, they were only babes. "And are become such as have need of milk," et.c. It is pitiful and painful to reflect upon the prevalence of spiritual obtuseness in our own age. How many Christians are perfectly content and self- satisfied having only the barest rudiments of Scripture truth I Some even pride them- selves in holding " the truth," as though they had grasped and mastered all truth ; and in their firm adherence to " the simple gospel,'' as though there were no pro- fundities a.nd sublimities in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We fear that the Bible is far more widely circulated than read, and far more extensively read than studied or understood. II. SPIRITUAL OBTUSENESS 18 SOMETIMES SINFUL. We say "sometimes; " for when this dulness of perception or difficulty of apprehension arises from original deficiency of faculty, or from the scarcity of opportunities for progress in acquaintance with Christian truth, oo moral blame attaches to it. It is deplorable, but not censur- able. To whom only little is given, of him only little will be required. But in the case before us the writlr says, "For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers," etc. Let us look at the argument expressed or implied here. 1. Time and opportunities/or progresa had been given to them. "By reason of the time" since they became C..:hristians they should have made sufficient advancement to have been able to have instructed others. Therefore the time must have been considerable. 2.. There should have been a proportion between the opportunities afforded and the progress made. This is clearly implied in the text. It is also righteous and reasonable. 3. The t.i:iatence of spiritual obtu1eneu wtwithstw,din9 opportunities of progres, ia morallv wrong. OH. V. 1-14.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 14'.J