Vera. 27, 28.-The two deaths, and the two appea,ringa ajte'f' death. "And ae it is appointed unto men once to die," etc. The writer is still treating of the completeness of the sacrifice of our Saviour. That sacrifice was offered once for all. Being perfect, it needed no repetition. And now he shows that its repetition was impossible. Notice- I. 'l'BE TWO DEATHS. The death of man, and the death of the Christ. They are mentioned together here to bring out the fact that Christ's offering of himself will not be repeated. Notice these two deaths in the order in which they are here mentioned. 1. The death of man. (1) The event itself. Seneca asks," What is death, but a ceasing to be what we were before? We were kindled and put out; we die daily." "The ces- sation of the vital activities is death, which is simply another name for discontinuance," says Grindon. And Longfellow, '' 'Tis the cessation of our breath." It is dissolution, the separation of the soul and body. "Then shall the dust return to tbe earth as it was," etc. (Eccles. xii. 7). It leads to great and momentous changes in the mode and conditions of our life. (2) The certainty of the event. "It is appointed unto men," etc. It is the lot assigned to us by the great Sovereign of being. God, says Gurnall, "to prevent all escape, bath sown the seeds of death in our very constitution and nature, so that we can as soon run from ourselves as run from death. We need no feller to come with a hand of violence and hew us down; there is in the tree a worm, which grows out of its own substance, that will destroy it; so in us, those infirmities of nature that will bring us down to the dust." "No man bath power over the spirit to retain the spirit," etc. (Eccles. viii. 8; cf. Ps. xli.x. 6-10). (3) The solitariness of thq event. "It is appointed unto men once to die." This death occurs but once. It is ai;. event which can never be repeated. In this fact we have a reason why we should pre- pare for it. Many actions are done often in a lifetime, and if their earliest performance be not satisfactory, we may do them better afterwards. Some of our experiences occur often, and if at first we were not prepared for them, and passed through them without advantage, or with disadvantage, we may prepare for their recurrence, and then pass through them with decided benefit. But death is an experience which never recurs; Jet us, then, prepare for it. It is a journey which we shall travel only once-" the way whence we shall not return;" therefore let us be in readiness for it. 2. The death of the Christ. "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." (1) He died as a Sacrifice/or sin. "Offered to bear the sins." He bore our sins in his feeling. In his heart he had such a deep sense of the wickedness of human sin as was possible only to a Being of perfect holiness. He mourned over sin with deepest sorrow ; he condemned it as utterly wicked; and he sought to deliver men from it. He also bore our sins in his sufferings and in his death upon the cross. Here he was offered to bear the sin_s of many. 11 His own selr bare our sins in his body upon the tree, . . . by whose stnpes ye were healed'' (1 Pet. ii. 24). "He was wounded for our transgressions,'' etc•. (Isa. Jiii. 5, 6, 12). (2) He died as a Sacrifice for the sins of all men. "To bear the srns •Jf rnany.n The II many" signifies men in general; all men, as in eh. ii. 9: ,;• By the grace of God he should taste death for every man." So also teaches St. Paul; He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." "And ..he died for all." "Who gave himself a Hansom for all.n So also St. John (1 _John 1~. 2~. And our Lord himself (John iii. 15, 16; xii. 32). (3) He died as a Sacrifice which is neu~ to be repeated. (a) Its repetition is impossible. As man can die 011ly once, so_ the C~nst can only be offered in death once. (b) Its repetition is unn~cessary. His offen1:1g was perfect in itself and in its efficacy; its efficacy, moreover, JS perpetua.1, so tha.t 1t neeu not be re,:eated. Heaven a.ske no more. Man needs no more. 260 THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [on. 1x. 1-28.
" Hie pl'<lCious blood ShBll never lose its power, Till the whole ransomed Church of God Be saved, to ain no more." (Oowper.) II. THE TWO APPEARINGS AFI'ER DEATH. 1. The appearing of man after deat/1,. "It ie appointed unto men once to die, and after this, judgment." "We must all nppear before the judgment-seat of Christ," etc. (2 Cor. v. 10). The fact of human responsibility to God suggests the coming of a great day of account. The Divine government of the world, and the inequalities between the characters and conditions and circumstances of men, which are so many and remarkable at present, point to the necessity of such a day. The holy Bible declares it as a certainty (cf. Eccles. xii. 14; Matt. xxv. 31-46; Acts xvi i. 31; Rom. xiv. 10-12). How unutterably solemn the consideration that all the myriads of the dead shall appear again in the great day, and before the awful and holy tribunal of the Son of God and Son of man I 2. The appearing of the Christ after death. "The Christ, also, having been offered to bear the ~ins of many, shell appear a second time," etc. (1) He will appear again. "The Christ shall appear a second time." "'!'his Jesus, which was received up from you into l1eaven, shall so come in like manner," etc. (Acts i. 11). He promised his disciples, "I will come again," etc. (John xiv. 3; and cf. Matt. xvi. 27; xxiv. 30; 1 Thess. i. 10; iv. 16; 2 'l'hess. i. 10; Rev. i. 7). (2) He will appear again "apart from sin." His first coming was distinctly related to sin. "Him who knew no sin, God made to be sin on our behalf" (2 Cor. v. 21). That relation and character is completed, fulfilled. " Having been once offered to bear the sin of many," his personal connection with it is ended. He has done with it. His next coming will be apart from sin, and in great glory. "The Son of man shell come in his glory," etc. (Matt. xu. 31). "Looking for the appearinp: of the glory of our great God and t:iaviour Jesus Christ." (3) He will al'J'ear to perfect the salvation of his people. "Unto salvation." Here are two points: (a) Tbe artitude of his people in relation to his coming. "Them that wait for him." This implies: (ci) Faith in his coming. "We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jeane Christ," etc. (PhiL iiL 20, 21). (/J) Desire for his coming. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (,-) Expectation of his coming. They" wait for God's Son from heaven," etc. (1 Thess. i. 10). (b) The object of his coming in relation to his people. "Unto salvation." To perfect their salvation. He will raise their bodies, reunite body and soul, receive them into his glory. He will say unto them, "Come, ye blessed of my Father," etc. They shall enter into the joy of their Lora. "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things," etc. (2 Pet. iii. 14).-W. J.