The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 310

1ea-ahore innumerable. The vitality of beforo us as the great examJ?le of faith ; Abmbe.m'e faith is represented as evinced Sarah is only introduced by his side (with by its. sur\'ivinlj: and triumphing over a the words ,ea.I a.J.,.~) as sharing it and oo · suooe8s1on of tne.ls, over apparent impos- operating to the result. To him singly the sibilities. One such peculie.r trial was the writer returns in ver. 12, A,d ,cal d4>' .!vo,, eto, long delay of the birth of a Iegitime.te heir Ver. 13.-Theae all (i.e. Abraham, Isooo, through whom the promise of an innumer- end Jacob, the nomadio po.trio.robe, not in- able seed might be fulfilled, and this till it cluding the antediluvian heroes, to whom seemed nut of the question in the nature.I what is further so.id does not apply) died in course of things. Yet" he staggered not e.t the faith (literally, according to faith, ,caTcl promise of God throngh unbelief, ... being w/,,..,.,,,, as in ver. 7), not having reoeived the full~· persuaded that whe.t he had promised promises, but having seen and greeted them he was able to perform" (see Rom. iv.17-23, from a.far off' (omitting the ill-supported which is e. fuller statement of the idea of ,ea.I .,,..,,,.9/,,.,.u of the Textus Receptus), and this verso, including the use of the words oonfessed that they were strangers and pil- "'"'"P"'l'•vov e.nd vf,cpoHns t.o express effete- grims on the earth, The reference is to the ness, e.nd ,1J.,,,a.,,.,9ri, corresponding to liuva.µ.tv oonfession of Abraham to the sons of Heth f>o.a.13• here. This is e. further instance of (Gen. xxiii. 4), "I am a stranger and a Pauline thought in this Epistle-ideas sojourner with you," together with Jo.cob's e.lree.dy enlarged on by St. Paul being to.ken words t.o Pharaoh (Gen. :xlvii. 9), "The for granted as understood.) In Romane de.ys of the years of my pilgrimage," eto. Abraham's faith in this regard is treated The import of such confession, intimated es typifying Christian faith in the resur- in the preceding part of the verse, is now rection from the dee.d (ver. 24), e.s is e.lso, educed. in the chapter before us (ver. 19), hie faith Vers. 14-16.-For they that se.y suoh displayed on the oooa.sion of the offering of things declare plainly (or, make manifest) that Isaac. For t.o us e.leo our inability to con- they seek e. oountry (i.e. e. native country, e. ceive the mode of accomplishment of what fe.therle.nd, ,ra..,.pllia.). And truly if they well-grounded faith &SBures us of is no jI1St had been mindful of that country from cause for staggering. "How e.re the dead whenoe they oame out, they might have had raised up? and with whe.t kind of body do opportunity to have returned. But now they come ? " was e.eked by the Corinthian (i.e. as it is) they desire a better country, doubters. St. Pe.ul directs them, in reply, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not to faith in "the power of God" (cf. Mark ashamed to be oalled their God (see reffs. :xii. 24) to accomplish hie purposes e.nd nnder ver. 9): for he hath prepared for fulfil his promises in ways unknown to us, them a city. In consideration of the drift of transcending, though analogous to, the the whole of this interesting and suggestive mysterious processes of nature that we see passage (vers. 9, 10, 13-17), the question before our eyes. For "with God all things arises whether the patriarchs are represenbed are possible." Sarah is here joined with e.s e.ctue.lly themsel vee looking forward to a Abraham, as al,;o "receiving power" by heavenly inheritance. In their history as faith, i.e. her own faith, e.s the strncture of given in Genesis, e.s, indeed, in the Old ver. 11 80ems e~idently to imply. But how Testament generally (at any rate, in the is this consistent with the account of her in earlier books), there is, e.s is well known, no Genesis, where she is nowhere held up u distinct recognition of the life to come. The an example of faith; nay, is censured for promise to Abraham seems to imply only an incredulity (Gen. uiii 12-16) with respect innumerable seed, its possession 88 a great to the promise of offspring? The answer nation of the earthly land of promise, and may be that her temporary unbelief is con- through it some undefined blessing to all clnded to have been succeeded by faith, 88 the families of the earth. Nor are the proved by the result, viz. that she" received patriarchs represented as looking forward power." And, indeed, her laughter recorded to a fulfilment of the promise beyond the in Gen. xviii. does not seem intended to limits of the present world. Even so their imply any perrnu.uent "bee.rt of unbelief;" history is singularly instructive. They Ii ved for even Abraham had laughed as she did in hope of things not seen through faith in when the same announcement had been the Di vine promise. The very fact that previously made to him (Gen. xvii. 17), and they were content to die without themselves the "laughter" associated with her memory attaining, if so God's purpose might be has quite a different mee.niag given it when accomplished to their seed, invests them that of ternpomry incredulity W88 changed with e. peculiar grandeur of unselfishness. into that of joy on the birth of the promised Their faith was eesentie.lly the so.me prin- 110u, who was cou~equently called Isa.ac ciple a.s that of Chri•tian~, even though tho (equivalent to "laughter"). It is, however, final object of Christian hope were hidden Abraham himself who is put promillently from their eyes; while their dwelling in on. xr. 1-40.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 301