The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 168

of pregno.nt clauses o.n intention of express- thistles, which is, not to be garnned, but to ing the very reverse of e. mere apparent o.nd bo burnt (cf. 2 Sam. xxiii. 6, "The sons of delusive experience of so.ving gr,1ce. The Delia! shall be all of them as thorns thrust depth of the experience is, in fact, o. measure e.wny, . . . and they shall be utterly burned of the hopelessness of the fa.II. Art. XVI. of with fire in the same place; " cf. also Deut. the English Church is a. protest a.go.inst all :nix. 23, "The whole land thereof is brim- the erroneous cone! usions a.hove specified. stone, a.ad so.It, and burning, that it is not Vere, 7, 8.-For land whioh hath drunk in sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth the oft-coming rain upon it, and bringeth thereon "-e. state of final hopeless barren- forth herbs meet for them for whom (not, as ness). in A.V., "by whom") it is also tilled, re- Ver. 9.-:But, beloved, we are persuaded, oeiveth blessing from God ; bot if it beareth etc. Here, e.s in cb. iv. H, vrnning is suc- thorns and thistles (not, as in A.V., "that ceeded by words of encouragement ancl hope. which beareth "), it is rejected, and nigh nnto The reason for not only e. bope, but e.en a cnrsing, whose end is to be burned (litcra.lly, persuasion, that God will keep them from for burning; cf. Isa. xii v. 15, fva if a.v9pclnro,s apostasy, is given in tbe following verse. Els Kaiio-111). The illustration is a.pt and close. Ver. 10.-l!'or God is not unrighteous to Observe that the "land which ha.th drunk," forget yonr work e.nd the love ( Tov K&irou in eto., is the subject in ver. 8, a.s well a.s of the Textus Receptus is ill supported, having, ver. 7, as is shown by the absence of a.n perhaps, been interpolntcd from l Thess. i. 3) article before i1eg,,pouua. Hence the unpro- which ye showed towards his Name, in the.t ductive as well as the fruiLful soil is sup- ye minilltered to the saints, and _do minister. posed to have received, and not only received It e.ppeo.rs that the Hebrew Christians had but imbibed also, abundant supplies of re.in. formerly (some especial occo.sion being pro- Its failure is its own fanlt, and it is regarded bably referred to) been active in their o.s responsible for it, and deserving of its charity towards fellow-Christians in distress, final fate. This exactly illustrates the c11110 and that such charity he.d notceo.sed. Ou this of those who "fall away" after not only re- is grounded the persuasion that they will be ceiving e.bundantly, but also to.king in so a.a kept steadfast in the faith. Those who had to be tilled with the "gracious raiu" of the so shown their faith by their works would Holy Spirit. The only difference is that in surely not be allowed to lose it. The very their ca.se, free-will being a. constituent of idea. of the Divine justice implies tho.t the their productive power, the responsibility use of grace, thus evidenced, will be re- figuratively attributed to the land is real warded by continwmce of grace. Cf. Phil. ( er. iKouu/o,s "f-'apTavo,rro,v, eh. x. 26). For i. 6, " Being confident of this very thing, tho.t eimilar illustrations drawn from unprodnc- he which he.th begun o. good work in you tiveness in no.ture in spite of culture, cf. will perfect it ( briTEAlu«) until the day of Isa. v. 4 a.ad Luke xxviii. 23. The" blessing Jesus Christ;" where o.lso there is reference from God" refers to the view, pervading to deeds of cho.rity, shown in the co.so of the Old Testament, of fruitfulness being the the Philippians by their sympathy with the result and sign of the Di vine blessing on the apostle in his bonds, which charity he prays land (of. Gen. :nvii. 27, "The smell of my may "a.bound yet more o.nd more in know- son is as the smell of o. field which the Loso ledge and in o.ll discernment." No difficulty ho.th blessed"). And it is further implied need be felt in this reference to God's justice, tho.t incipient fruitfulness is rewo.rded by o.s though it involved the doctrine of humo.n more abundant blessing, according to our merit, de congruo or de C011digno, c!tiiming Lord's words, Mo.tt. xiii. 12, " Whosoever reward e.s of debt. The simple and obvio1111 ho.th, to him shall be given," and John xv. view, that God, in virtue of his justice, will 2, "Every branch tho.t beo.reth fruit, he be most gracious to those who ho.ve used purgeth it, that it me.y bring forth more his grace, by no means contre.venos tho dotJ. fruit." The " thorns e.nd thistles," con- trine of all grace being the freo gift of his neoted with e. curse on the ground, seem bounty (of. l John i. 9; RQlll. ii. 6, eto.). suggested by Gen. iii. 17, 18, 'Ewuca-rdpczTos 'ii Observe, too, e.s bearing on the idea of this -yij iv TO<s <p-yo,s uou". .. a,cb6as Ka l-rp1/30Aou1 passage, how the will to do the will of God avaTEA•• ao,. LXX. ( cf. " Cursed shall be the is so.id by our Lord to be followed by know- fruit of thy land," Deut. :uviii. 18). It is to ledge of the cloctrine (John vii. 17), o.nd be observed, further, that the land, though how works of charity a.re the very tests of bearing thorns instead of Cruit, is not spoken the fine.I juugment (Matt. u:v. 31, eto.). of as yet under the final curse, bnt only nigh Ver. 11.-But (however hopeful me.y be unto it, so as to a.void even e. remote sugges- your charity, still more is needed) we desire tion that the Hebrew Christians he.d actue.lly ( l1r18uf,10iif,1•"-expreBBing eame,t desire-o~,c reached the hopeless state. But, unless l11r• B•Jl.o,, J.]1.>,.' 3 1r11Tp1«ii• ~v c/)11'.oo-Tof"Y(~• ,cal fruitfulness should ensue, they are warned of .-Alov -roii 8/}l.•111, l1ri6uf,1oiiµ.<v, Chrysostom) the inevito.ble end by the fate of thorna and that every one of you (o.11 of you without e:r.- HEllllEWS. ll  162 THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [cu. v1, 1-20.