alBo more carefully sel<'cterl. 011in p~esented an oblation of vegotablee, takina tho first that ce.m<' to hand; while Abel offered an animal sacrifice, 11nd the choicest which his flock could supply. 2. Othel"II judge th11t Abel's ee.crifice we.s "more excellent" bece.use or the living liiith of which it 11•as the expression. He worshipped in spirit and in truth• whereas 0ain's offering we.e the.t of a formalist and a hypocrite. 3, But the true view: we apprehend, mnst go deeper than either of these. Abel's 111\crifice w11s better, not merely because he bronght it in faith, but because his faith led him to select o.n offer- ing which was in iti;clf more appropriate than that of Cain. "The Lord had respect un~ Abel" for what he himself was, as reflected in what he gave (Gen. iv. 4). His offering, we may presume, was an act of faith resting upon \he bivine testimony regarding "the t<Ced of the woman,'' and the necessity of atonement by blood. But Cain iu presenting only fruit, declared thereby hie disbelief in the gospel promise, and hi; repudiation of ihe appointed way of salvation, So, God bore visible witness to Abel " that he waE ri;hteous" (Gen. iv. 4-12); and the first martyr has in consequence become di!ltiuguished as" righteous Abe!" (Matt. xxiii. 35; l John iii. 12), Indeed, Abel still ~peaks to the whole Church by his faith. He teaches us that we can only 11pproach God through the propitiation of Christ, and that in pleading the one propitia- tion we must bring also the SRcrifice of" a broken spirit." II. THE EXAMPLE oF ENocn. (Vers. 5, 6.) What a contrast between the end of Abel's earthl.v lile and that of Enoch I A11d what a pleasant break in the melancholy monotone of Gen. v., "And he died," are the sweet words used regard in~ Enoch's removal: " He was not, for GoJ took him" (ver. 24) ! Here we have: 1, .A statement regarding Enoch's translation. (Ver. 5.) His faith is represented a.s the reason on account of which he was transported to heaven without tasting of death. His wonderful removal was tl.ie reward of his sin,,.aularly holy life; and that, in turn, was the fruit of his faith. 2. An argu1M'IU ffi support of this statement. (1) Such is the representation of the Old Testament (ver. 5). Enoch's translation is there said (Gen. v. 24) to have ta.ken place in consequence of the peculiar favour of God. Scripture bears witness to him" tha.t he had been well-pleasing unto God" before it informs us of his glorification. (2) It is self-evident that none but a believer can obtain the Divine favour (ver. G), The spring of holiness is always faith. Enoch, like Abel, had met with the unseen Jehovah over a bleeding sacrifice. He had lived under a sense of the Divine presence. He had con- fided in God, and cultivated congeniality with him. He had been a witness for him to a sensuous and ungodly world. The apostle mentions in this connection two indis- pensable articles of faith regarding God. First, his being. 'fo believe in God is to he convinced of a truth "not seen," and made evident only by revelation. Secondly, hi• benevolence. To believe in God as " a Re warder" is to cherish " the confidence of things hoped for." But the gospel revelation alone assures us of Jehovah's accessibility, aud of the principles of his moral administration. Yet Enoch, albeit he lived in the scanty twilight of the patriarchal economy, firmly grasped these great doctrines; and the faith or I.hem led him on, step by step, until he foWld himself in the glorious presence of God iu heaven. IIL THE EX.UD'LE OF NoAJL (Ver. 7.) The name of Noah is aasociated with a stu- pendous catastrophe, the failh of which, while it was" not seen as yet," brought deliver- ance to himself and hiti f,u,1i 1y, and constituted him the second father of.the human race. 1. Nuah's faith waa severely tried. The Deluge, of which be was forewarned, wa.s an unprecedented event, and could only take place by a miracle. 'fhen, for more tua.n a century after the warning was given, and indeed until the very day when it beaan to be fulfilled, there were no premonitions of its fulfilment. During all that ti~e, too, Noah had to labour at the gigantic task of constructing the ark, amid the jeers of an ungodly world. 2. !7i!faith b~avdy triumphed. . 'l'h? v_ict~ry_is seeu in hi~ ""odly tear,'' and his unquest1onmg obedience. It appears ID his IDV!llc1ble perseverv an"ce wi the builder of the ark, and as "a preacher of righteousness." It is reflected in the confidence with which he obeyed the Divine summous to enter the ark while the sky wa.s yet cloudless. And Noah's triumphant faith" condemnr.d the world;" for the event showed that the doom of its unbeliefwa.sjust. 3. His/<1.ith was richly rewarded, It bn,ugl,t him the hig)leet honour. It was the meaill! of confirming hio already emi- nent piety, a.nd of certifying his possession o~ "righteousness.'' lt made him an "heir of Gud." Olt. :Ill. 1-40,) THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 311
LEBSON!!, In Abel, we eee fnith aB the condition of acceptable worship; in E □ och, as the root of J!'odliness; in Noah, as the principle of separation from the Jifo and destiny of tho ungodly, Again, Abel's faith condemns the spirit which denies the necessity of an expi!!.tory atonement; Enoch's, the spirit of se/)ularism, positivism, amosticism; 0 Noah's, the spirit which stumbles at the possibility of miracles.