ran," is strikingly displayed in Abruham's tered for us, become e. High Priest tor ever recorded life. e.tter the order of Melchizedek. Our hope Vere. 16-20.-P'or men swear by the (/ll..,,./s), regarded in ver. 18 objectively, as- greater: and of every dispute of theirs (liter- sumes hero a subjective sense: it is our ally, to them), the oath is finBI (literally, an anchor cast upwards beyond the heavens end) for oonfil'Ill8tion ( ,;, fJ•/3air,urw being through which our Forerunner bas passed connected with .,,.,pa<, not, as in the A.V., (cf. eh. iv. 14, BIEAEAv96-ra..-oos ovpa,oos), and, with llp1<os). Here begins the explanation in virtoe of the promise and the oath, fixerl of the meaning and purpose of the Divine there seoore and firm. "That which is ,ath, already cursorily touched on in ver. within tbo -veil" (1<aTa.,,.,..-&:.rµa..-os, the word 13. God thus, for full assurance, conde- invariably denoting the veil in the temple, scends to the form of confirmation most is the heavenly holy of holies, of which binding among men when they promise to the ea.rthly was symbolical, e.s is fully set each other. They appeal to one greater than forth in eh. viii. This first men!ion of the themselves to intervene between tuem. He, veil is an instance of the manner in which, having no one grenter than himself to appeal throughout this Epistle, ideas to be after- to, appeals (so to speak) to his own immuta- words expanded are often intimated by way bility, and thus may be said to inten•ene of prep11ration beforehand. with an oath (iµ,afr,uu,v lfpt<'f' (ver. 17), Instructive in this chapter lll tbe view the verb being neuter, with the sense of presented of Divine purpose iu relation to "mediate " or "intervene," not, as in A.V., human will. The Divine purpose ma.y have "confirmed it"). The reason is not that the been evinced by supplies of grace so abun- Divine promise is not in itself enough, but dant as to remove all doubt of the possibility that God, willing to show more abundantly of succosa; yet throu~h the human will to the heirs of the promise the immutability there may be failure: the very Divine oath of hio oounsel, is pleased to grant them this may have ensured fulfilment of the promi~c; additional confirmation; that by two im- yet, as to Abrl\ham, so to individual Chris- mutable things (first the promise, in itself tians, faith e.nd p11tience are the couditions sufficient ; 11Dd secondly the oath, for more of fulfilment. It is e'l"ident thut the Divine o.bundan t assurance), in whioh it is impossible purpose and the Divine promise a.re all 11long for God to lie, we may have a strong conso- referred to, not to dishearten any for fea.r lation (7rapa1</\71u1v, bearing elsewhere tliis that they m11y not be included in them, sense, and also that of ezhortation, ns in eh. not to encourage remissuess in nny 011 xii. 5; xiii. 22; which latter sense is under- the ground of certainty of attoinmcut, stood here by most commentators as unit- not so os to suggest any idea. of orbitmry ing best the drift of the passage wilh the selection irrespeotirn of desert, but simply general notion of encouragement) who have to incite to persevne.nco on the ground of 11.ed for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set e.ssurance of success, if the human conditions before us. The course of thought has now are fulfilled. And this is the prnctical ap- passed agnin from Abrauam to Christians, plication of the doctrine of prcdostinatiou the tr11nsition having been prepared for by found also elsewhere in St. Puul's Epistles the gonem,I expression, ..-ois 1tll.71po,&µois ..-ijs (cf. Rom. viii. 28-39). Predestina.tion and ,1rayy•ll.las in ver. 17. Indeed, the oath to free-will ma.y be to human reason lhcoretio• him we.a nn ossurnnco to us also, we being ally irreconcilable, though rensou, as well ns the final inheritors of the promised blessing. theology, m,1y compel us to ncknowledge Then fln111ly, in the two conoluding verses, both. The problom may properly be left the subject to be trea.ted in eh. vii. is again unsolved, as a.mong tho nrnny deep thiags beautirully led up to by a naturnl sequence of God. But it is of importa.nce to observe of thought: Which(sc. hope) we havo as e.n how the doctrine of predeslina.tion is prac- o.nohor of the &oul, both suro e.nd oteadf:ist, tically applied in Scripture as bearing upon and entering in.to th:it which is within the human conduct. veil; whither as a Forerunner .Jesus en-
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-8.-No standing still in religion. '!'his th~ug~t ur.do_rli~s the. whole p11Ssage. To pass into God's kingdom means to move with 1t. It 1s 1mposs1blo t(? maintain a halt in the Christian life; to st:m<l still is to fall away. L 'l'HE DUTY OF PRESSING ON UNTO PEilFl,C'l"JON, (Vers. 1-3.) This perfoction is twofold: (1) maturity in religious knowledge, as a means;. (2) f_nll dcveloprn'-'Ilt of spiritual lifo, as tbo end. It is sinful to remain only II bnbo m Christ, and to have no wish to ~row. Notu, that to" leave the first princirlcs" does not wean to .i.ba.ndoo 164- THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [OH, VI, 1-20,