The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 271

allusion to an ancient, oheriebed custom of making a covenant over a slain animal. In the light of this custom prob&bly we must explain Gen. xv. 'fhere Abram is repre- sented &8 dividing a heifer, a goat, and a ram, and when darkness came a smoking farnaoe llI!d a burning lamp passed between the pieces. Then follows the significant statement that in the same de.y Jehovah made a covenant with Abram. The idea in the English version of a testament llI!d a test.at.or is not so much misleading as meaning- less, for there is no reason at all why a testament should be referred to, but every reason w~y the writer should go on expounding and illustratin~ the 1;1ew covenant as compared with the old. To us, of course, the custom here mentioned 1s hardly intelliaible 0 but the mention of it would throw a great deal of light on the subject at the tim~ the reference was made. The cust.om may even have been still in vogue, and human customs have ever been subordinated to Divine ends. Hence we, have here a specia,! aspect of the death of Christ. It is presented as- THE BEAL OF A SOLEMN OOVENANT BETWEEN Gon AND llAN. The very existence of Christ is a covenant between the Divine and the human. The glorious things that were in Christ because of the Divine Spirit dwelling in him are promised to us by their very presence in Christ. All the good things coming to Christ because of his humanity are equally offered t.o us because of our humanity ; and all that Christ did in his humanity makes us responsible for doing the same. The promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. We may also add that the obligations of man are defined and settled in Christ Jesus. Thus there is a covenant, and we may well look on the death of Christ as giving that covenant shape in a formal transaction. For there God gave his well-beloved Son to death, the pledge of all that he is willing to give. And Jesus suTTendered himself to death., giving the greatest proof of obedience and devotion which a human being can give. Christ's death becomes our death, the pledge of an individual covenant on our part, if only we choose to enter into it. The death of Christ points out a solemn duty and a large expectation. And if the death of Christ is a seal of the covenant, how much is the significance of that seal added to by the resurrection and the ascension into glory 1-Y. Ver. 28.-~e difference between (Jkrist'B first and second advent. I. THE FIRST ADVENT. Here Christ shares the common lot of men ; he dies, and dies once for all. There is no dying and rising and dying again. He is offered as a Sacrifice once for all, to bear the sins of mllI!y. And here, of course, the death of Christ must be taken as representing the whole of hie life in the flesh. His life in every hour and every faculty was vicarious. He was ever striving to show that he could neutralize the consequence of sins committed, and prevent the commission of sins to come. His great aim was, in every sense of the expression, to take away sin. And from his place of power and glory on high this is his aim still No matter how laden the conscience may be with guilt and the remembrance of folly, no matter how full of weakness the life, Christ has all fulness of power and steadiness of disposition to restore strength, rectitude, and purity. Let it be remembered that this is Christ's present work. Christ is in his Church continually, that his Church may have success in setting him forth as taking away the sin of the world. Whenever we come across sin, in ourselves or in others, we should ever view it in relation to Christ. 'fhen we shall be filled wHh a sense both of responsibilit.v and hoi,e. Sin is not a burden to be sullenly endured, but to be removed by faith in ChriHt. IL THE SECOND ADVENT. In Christ's firEt coming everything is connected with sin. He is li1ted up to draw sinners to him. All the energy of the Spirit and all the agencies of the goi;pd are employed to persuade sinners to accept the sin-bearing, sin-removi11g work of Christ. But he is coming a second time, altogether apart from sin-coming to deliver into everlasting security thoee who have believed in him. 'l'he completeness of salvation is always looked upon in the New Testament as a thing yet to come. The promise is of immediate safety, as far as it can be given in our present surroundings. It is our own fault if we are not safe from backsliding, temptation, and doctrinal error; But in the fullest sense of the word salvation, we are saved, as Paul says, by hope. We are hoping for full possession of every good, full security from every evil. When Christ has taken away the 11W of the world, he will take away the peril, the insecurity, of the world.-Y. OH, X, 1-39.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 263