The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 283

opportunities of intercourse with them as the meetings of the Church afford. One great purpose of our "assembling of ourselves t-0gether" is to provide occasions for Christian conference and mutual exhortation. It wa.s peculiarly necessary just now that the Hebrew believers should incite one another" unto love and good works," for "the day" of the dest,ruction of Jemsalem and the final collapse of the Levitical system was fast "drawing nigh." That event is now past, but another and more tremendous "day of the Lord" is still to come. We ought as Christians to "consider" and" exhort" one another in view of" that great and notable day" on which Christ shall come to be our Jt,dge, and to describe with his sceptre the eternal boundaries of being and destiny. 1ers. 26-31.-The guilt and doom of apostasy. This is a terrible passage even to read. It is fitted to fill with alarm the hearts of those who refuse t-0 "draw near" to God, or confess hi~-Name, or hold communion with his people. It is introduced here, like the similar warning in eh. vi. 4-8, as a motive to Christian steadfastness. I. THE GUILT OF APOSTASY. This tremendous sin is described: 1. Generally. (Ver. 26.) The context shows that to "sin wilfully" refers neither to any isolated act of apostasy, nor to any other peculiarly heinous transgression, but to the specific sin of finally abandoning Christianity. The question here is not about the destiny of the millions of heathendom, who have never heard the gospel. The Bible does not encourage curi06ity regarding them. The sin spoken of is that of the man who had" received the knowledge of the truth," and who has rejected the gospel after having perceived its beauty, realized its suitableness, and in some degree experienced its power. 2. More particularly. (Ver. 29.) Saving knowledge centres in the revelation of the three Persons of the Godhead, who are seen in the gospel working together to accomplish our redemption. So the apostate is described by his conduct towards each. (1) Towards the Father. He "hath trodden underfoot the Son of God." We can know and approach the Father only through the Son; a.nd, therefore, "whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father" (1 John ii. 23). (2) Towards the Saviour. The apostate tramples upon him, and "counts his blood an unholy thing." The blood ot Jesus must be either on the heart or under the heel. But the apostate persistently despises the new covenant. He treats its Divine Mediator as if he were a malefactor. He treads underfoot the precious cleansing blood, as if it were worthless and unclean. (3) Towards the Spirit. He "hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace." To act thus is to deny to the Holy Ghost the reverence and adoration which a.re his due, n is obstinately and maliciously to reject him. It is to treat him with contempt, and thereby "grieve" him away for ever from the soul Persistently to despise the Spirit of God is to commit the unpardonable sin. II. THE DOOM OF APOSTASY. An awful punishment shall descend upon those who sin away their souls, after rejoicing for a season in the light and love of Christ. The fearful penalty of their guilt is represented here in different aspects. 1. Negatively. (Ver. 26.) "There remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins." Those Hebrews, in pro- fessing Christianity, had renounced the Levitical sacrifices. But, should they now reject the propitiation of Christ--the only possible means by which God's justice can be satisfied and man's guilt cancelled-what would such rejection entail? It would follow, :first of all, that the guilt of their ordinary sins against the Divine Law would remain unpardoned, and that even on that ground they must certainly perish. 2. Positively. (Ver. 27.) It would also follow that the guilt of their special sin of apostasy would bring upon them a heavier penalty than that which shall overtake the other "adversaries" of God. This tremendous sin may fill the soul even here with 11, horror of great darkness. It may destroy happiness by causing scorpion stings of con- i;cience. It may cover the horizon of life with vague anticipations of a terrible eternity. Aud, whether such anticipations be present or not, there remains the devouring "fierceness of fire n itself. Not elemental fire, indeed; but spiritual loss, final reproba- tion, eternal despair. The apostate shall be shut out for ever from the presence of God, and such exclusion is itself the hell of hell. 3. Comparatively. (Vere. 28, 29.) Under the Mosaic Law any Jew who lapsed into idolatry was to be stoned to death, for "trans- gressing God's covenant; n and this stern doom was admitted to be just (Deut. xvii. 2--7). But, asks the apostle, are not apostates from Christianity guilty of a vastly greater sin? and shall they not receive a much more dreadful punishment? He refers OH, X, 1-30.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 27!i