Vers. 38, 39.-The ;'ust man, his character and safety. I. THE CHARACTER OF THE JUST JIIAN. It was inevitable, in an Epistle to Jewish Christians, that there should be some reference to that Pharisaic righteousness which consisted in a conformity to certain ritual regulations. There was the man just after the Pharisee fashion, because of bis scrupulosity in ceremonial observances; and there was the man just in the sight of God, because be believed in God aud showed bis faith by bis works. These Jewish Christians were righteous men because they were believers. They hat! been broughc fully to comprehend that while God cared nothing for a round of ceremonies, h0 valued in the highest a spirit of trust iu him-a spirit able to break away from the com~ou i-eliance of men upon seen things, and to live as seeing him that is invisible. This is the only sort of righteousness that changes the whole of character ; for if a m~n really trusts God, then men will be able to trust him ancl get real advantago out of him. II. THE SAFETY OF THE JUST MAN. The just man shall live. By bis faith_ ha becomes just in the siabt of God, nnd that faith, continuing nncl strengthcn10~, preserves him. What c:n a round of ceremonies do for a man? 'l'he moment they lose their typical character, the moment they cease to be symbolic of spiritual realities, that 1:1ame moment they bring the heart more than ev~r in bondage to the senses. Tbe path of snfoty has always been the path entered on 1u response to the voice from ou 298 THE EPISTLE TO T.dE HEBREWS. [011, :u. 1-4.0.
hi~~- To the eye of sense it may have seemed a needleBI path, or a foolish path, or a penlous path. There may have been many t.o criticize and abuse. The only stay of the ~eart has been the deep conviction that the way was God's way, and that in the end 1t wo~ld approve itself such. This truth, that the way of faith in God is the way of safety, 1s amply illustrated in the following chapter. Whatever the believer may lose, he keeps the chief treRsure. II~. THE ENDURANOE OF THE JUST MAN. There must be perseverance in the way of faith. There must be a readiness to wait on God's time. 'l'herefore it is that we are warned ~n trying t.o enter the life of faith. Can we go on believing even though our present life be full of adversity? Our faith must continue against the persuasions of worldly success and through the pa.ins of all suffering to the flesh. It is to the prophet Habakkuk the writer refers in reminding us how the just by faith lives; and that just '!11an of the prophet keeps his faith even though the fig tree do not blossom, nor fruit be rn the vines; though the labour of the olive fail, and the fields yield no meat i though the flock is cut off' from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls.-Y.
EXPOSITION. support from the use of the word elsewhere, CHAPTER XL nor does it seem suitable here. For it is Ver. 1.-Now faith is the substance (so not the things hoped for, but rather Olll A.V., with marginal readings, "or ground, hopes of them, that are grounded on our or, confidence") of things hoped for, the faith. The subjective sense, confidence, or evidenoe of things not seen. On the senses assurance, is most in favour with modem in which the word ,;,,.o,,..,.,.,,-u (translated commentat.ors, principally as being the most "substance") me,y be used, see under eh. i usne.l one (cf. eh. iii. 14; 2 Cor. ix. 4; xi. 2. Ail to the sense intended here, views 17 ; also Ps. xxxviii. 11, 'H {m/i1T-ra1T1s p.ou di1l'er. There are three possible ones, ex- ,ra.pa. <Toii l<T-r1v : Ezek. xix. 5, •A.,-,l,>..e-ro ;, pressed in the text and margin of the A. V., ,l,ro1T-ra1T1s ab-r11s : Ruth i. 12, "EtT-ri p.o, ,1..-/,- svbstance, ground, and confidence. The first tTTatT,s -roii .,,,.,,811va1 p.• civl'i_p[). One objection is understood by the Fathers generally, the to this sense of the word here is that it is idea being supposed to be that, inasmuch as usually followed, when so intended, by a things not yet experienced., bnt only hoped genitive of the person, not of the thing: for, become real to us by faith, faith is though Ruth i. 12 is e,n instance to the metaphysically their snbstance, as sub- contrary. But apart from this considera- stantiating them to us. So Theophilus: tion, the consensns of the Greek Fathers is a OUtTl"''"'f -,-;,,, µ1],rw lJrrrc,:,v, tlw&o-,-a.O"is ,,.&,,, weighty argument for the retention of the ,,..,, ,i,p,crr-71,co-r"'": and Chrysostom, who rendering of the A.V. Either rendering, be illustrat.es thus : " The resurrection has not it observed, gives the so.me essentie,l mean- yet taken place, but faith substantiates ing, though under different mental concep- (v,Pi<T-r711Tw) it in onr souls." So also De,nte, tions. Faith is further said to be the following St. Thome.s Aquine.s, in a striking e-oidence of things not seen: t>..,.,,xos mean- pa.ssage quoted by Delitzech (' Pa.ro.diso,' ing, not as some tske it, inward conviction lli.v. 70-75)- of their existence, but in itself a demonstra- tion, serving the purpose of argument to .. Le profonde cose induce conviction. So Dante, in continua- Che mi largiscon qui la lor pe.rvenza tion of the passage quoted above- Agli occh.i di le,ggiu son sl ne.scose, Che l' easer loro v'e in sola credenza, " E da '¾ueste. credenza ci conviene Sovra lo. que,l si fonda l'alta spene: Sillogizsr senza o.vere altro. visa; E pero di sust&nza prende l'intenza." E pero intenzo. d'argomento tiene.'' " The things profound " And from this credence it is fit and right That here voncbso.fe to me their apparition To syllogize, though other eight be none: From all eyes here below are eo concealed Therefore faith holds the place of argu• That all their being is in faith e,lone, ment." Upon the which l:igh hope doth base itself: Is this meant as a definition of fo.ith, or And therefore faith assumes the place of only a description of its effect o.nd opere,- substance. n tion, with especial rngard to the subject in The rendering ground, which involves only hand? Virtually a definition, though not the si,opler idea of faith 1.,eing the founda- in the strict logical form of one. At o.ny tion on which hope is built, has not much rate, " the constituents and essential cho.- OR. XI. 1-4.0.] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE HEilREWS. 297