The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 166

e.n elementary conception WM level to even "those who have been once baptized:" an babes in Ohrist, fresh from Jewish training; inward spiritual illumination is pie.inly fully understood, they form the basis of the pointed to; and it would not have been said whole structure of the highest Christian of Simon Magus that he had been "once doctrine. It is obvious from the purport of enlightened" in the sense intended. And the passage why neither the historical arti- this is i_ndecd the ~ea! meaning of 4)"1Turµ.Sr cles of the creed in which Christians were as applied to baptism by Justin Martyr, as instructed (see 1 Cor. xv. 1-8; 1 Tim. iii. bis explanation, a.hove quoted, shows. So 16), nor the doctrine of the Eucharist (which also Chrysostom (' Hom.' cxvi.), "The here- belonged to the more advanced teaching), tics have baptism, but not enlightenment ( cpd- a.re included in this enumeration of the -r,u,.a.); they are baptized indeed as to the CTTOIXEi'a. body, but in the soul they ere not enlu;htened • Ver. 3.-And this will we do (e.l. let us as also Simon was baptize<l, but wns not en: do; ,roa-1,u,,,,.•.,, A, C, D, Le.2) if God permit; lightened." This considern.tion is important i.e. press on to perfection, e.s e.forcse.id, if in view of one misapplication of the pa~saae only (as we firmly hope and trust, see ver. 6, before us, which will be noticed belo:. eto.) you are still in e. state in which God But, further, those whom it is impossible to will permit e.d vance ; for (118 is set forth in renew unto repentance are supposed not only the following verses) there may be a retro- to have been enlightened, but also to have gression from which recovery is impossible. "taated of the heavenly gift," the emphatic Vere. 4-6.-l!'or it is impossible for those word here being apparently "t•vcra.µ.,vovr : who have been onoe enlightened, and have they have he.cl experience 118 well as know- tasted of the heavenly gift, and have been ledgo (cf. Pa. :nxiv. 8, "Oh, to.ate and see me.de partaker, of the Holy Ghost, and have tbo.t the Lord is good;" and l Pet. ii. 3, tasted the good Word of God, e.nd the powers " If so be ye have to.sled that the Lord is of the world to oome, and have fallen away, gracious"). The word" gift" (~,,,p«i.) is else- to renew them again unto repentance; seeing where used both for that of redemption they crucify to themselves the Son of God generally (Rom. v. 15-17), and espeoially, afresh, and pnt him to an open she.me. It is e.nd most frequently, for tho gift of the Holy not, of course, implied that the Hebrew Ghost (of. 2 Cor. ix. 15, "Thanks be to God Christians had fallen into the condition thus for his unspeaknblo Gift"). They hnve Le- described, or were near it; only that such a come also partakers of the Holy Ghost, not condition might be, and that, if they went merely beeu within the range of his in- baok instead of advancing, they might arrive fluence, but actually she.red it; and tmtcd at it. The process intimated is that of (the same word e.s before, and with tho complete apostasy from the faith after reu.l same meaning, though here followed by nn conscious enjoyment of the gifts of grace. In o.couse.tivo) what is further spoken of. 'l'ho suoh e. case the hopelessncu of the full is in expression ~,~µ.an occurs, Josh. xxi. 45 i proportion to the privileges once enjoyed. xxiii. 15; Zeeb. i 13, for grncious Divine This is the drift of the pe.s.'8.ge, thougL other utterances. Tho idea of tbo Word of God views have been taken of its meaning, which being what is "tnste,l" may be suggested will be noticed below. "Once enlighteued" by Deut viii. 3, quoted by our Lord in Matt. denotes the first apprehension of the light, iv. 4, "Me.n shnll not livo by bread nlone, which could be but once; when those that but by every word thnt pruccodeth out of saw not began to 11ee (John v. 39); when the mouth of God." By the p1>1cera (~vvcfµ.,,,) the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ a.re to be especially understood (as in eh. ii. shone once for nll upon believers (2Cor. iv.4); 4 o.nd elsowhere in tbo Now Testament) the when (according to the cognate po.sso.go, eh. oxtraol'diue.ry ones in which the gift of the x. 26; cf..eh. x. 32) they received the know- Holy Ghost was mnnifested, the xap,uµ.a.Tcr. ledge of the truth. The verb <1>={(,,, means in of the npostolic Church. Dut why eu.id here the LXX." to enlighten by instruction," e.ncl to be µ.i>,.>,.011Tos alwvos? For tho moaning was in common use in the early Church to ex- of this expression, see under luxc!..,.,,,v Tiiiv press the enlightenment that accompanied 71p.<piiw -rovro,v (eh. i. 1), and oltcov,,..lv11v -r ;, v bapt.ism; whence baptism itself was called ,.i>,.>..ouuav ( eh. ii. 5). It denotes the prl'- 1/>urracr,,..ds, Thus Justin Murtyr ('Apol.' i. G2) dicted ngo of the l\lossio.h's triumph. Anti se.ys,KcaAEinu 3, 'TOV'TO 'TO >,.ov-rpov <1>w-r,uµus, C:.s if (as has nppearcd most prohaLlc, and c11 .,,.,,,(a,.4110111 rlw 3,dvour.v -rwv -raii-rcr. ,,._avOav&v- ,.,>,.>,.onos hero seems evidently to imply) .,.,,,,,. Cf. the title of Chrysostow's 'How.' that age wo.s rognrded as still future, unt xlix., Dpds -robs ,.,>,.>,.ovns <1>111Tl(,u6a1. Since properly be:.:inuin~ till the second ad ve11 t, the expression we.a thus commonly used us still the "powers' spoken of nrc of it, bciq: early as Jusliu Mo.rtyr, there mo.y probo.bly eamcsts and foretastes of o. new order <,f be in the text a specie.I reference to baptism things (cf. Eph. i. H, where the "HQI:, o.s the nccasion of the enlightenment. Dut, Spirit of promise" is called" the enrnest ,,\ if so, more ia meant by the phr:ue thuJl our inhoritnuco;" ~lso 2 Cor. i. 22; v. ;i).  160 1'1-IE EPISTLE 'l'O THE HEBREWS. [oll. VL 1-20,