The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 363

aha.me, and iB 1et down at the right hand of nature in geneml certllinly requires thia the throne of God. The idea is not, as further inr-entive, and Christian faith sup- implied in the A.V. and understood by plies it. Nor are those who thus work Chrysostom and other ancients, that Jesus with a view to future joy to be accused of fimt inspires and then brings to its complete selfish motives, n.s though they balnnced result the inrlindual Christi&n's faith ("quod only a greater against a smaller gain. To crepit in nobis consummabit "), but (as im- the true Christi&n the gro.nd inspiring plied in tbe word Gf'Xll'l'Os, and suiting the principle is still the love of God and of hie context better) that he is the Lender of the neighbour, and of goodness for its own whole army of faith, whose stl!.ndard we are sake, though the hope of an etermLl reward to follow, and whose own completed victory supports and cheers him mightily. Nor, is the enabling cause as well as the e&rnest again, is the joy looked forward to a selfish of our own. It io no valid objection to joy. It is tho joy of sharing in the triumph this view that he could not have been a of eternal righteousness in company with Leader in this sense to the faithful ones nil the redeemed, whose salvation, no lees before his coming, referred to in the last than his owu, he desires and strives for. ch&ptcr ; for, as has been before observed And, further, with regard to his own indi- (see on "the reproach of Christ," eh. xi. 26), vidual joy, what is it but the joy of attaining be is regarded as the Head and Leader, the end of his being, the perfection God in all e.ges, of the faithful; and in virtue meant him for, and to which it is his duty of his future warfare for mankind the to aspire? Hence Christ would not have saints of old endured and triumphed :-and been a perfect Example to man had he not certainly Christians, to whom the exhorta- been represented as looking forward to " the tion iB addressed, may look to him in an joy that was set before him." obvious sense as their Captain to be Ver. 3.-For oonsider him that hath en- followed. Nor, again, is there difficulty- dlll'ed suoh oontradiction of sinners age.inst apart from that of the whole mystery of the himself (or, of the sinners against him), lest Incarnation-in his being presented to us as ye be weary fainting in yolll' souls. The himself an example of triumphant faith. word ,l.,.,.,>..o.,,ta. (" contradiction"), though For he is elsewhere spoken of as having so strictly applicable to verbal gainsaying, "emptied himself" of his Divine glory as and thus especially suggesting to our minda to have become like nnto us in all things, the blasphemies and false accusations sin except; and thus to have been sustained against Christ, includes opposition of all during hiB human life by faith in tl;ie un- kinds. It is used in the LXX. for "re- seen, as we are. His addresses to the Father bellion" (Hebrew, •it;,), 2 Sam. xxii. 41; (see especially John xvii.) a1·e strikingly Prov. xvii. 11 ; cf. j-ude 11, Tfi IW"TIAO')'«f significant in this regard. The expression, Tau Kope. (Instead of eis fo,miv (al. eis a.ti.,.bv) "for the joy," etc. (,iv,-) .,-,is .,,.poKe1µ.iV1Js a.uT,p there is weighty manuscript authority for ,is xa.piis), does not mean, as some take it, fou.,-o6s, equivalent to "against themselves.") "innead of the joy which he might have "Lest ye be weary," etc., keeps in view the had on earth" (such e.g. as was offered to idea of getting tired in a race, the word him by the tempter), but, as is evident from IK>..ve,r8a., ("faint") being used primarily the word .,,.po,mµ.ev'T/s, "as set against, i.e. for corporeal, and figuratively for mentul, for the sake of, future joy" (cf. av-rl fjpd,- lassitude ( cf. Matt. xv. 32, µ.-fi.,,.o.,-, IK>..v8ii>,r1 "•"'f µ,iiis, ver. 16). Such looking forward ,,, .,.ii liorj). to joy with the Father and the redeemed Ver. 4.-Ye have not yet resieted unto after tziumph is expressed in the great blood, llltriving against sin. Here (as in intercessory prayer above referred to (John I Cor. ix. 26) there is a transition of xvii. 5, 13, 22, 23, 24, 26). It may be here thought from a race to o. combat. Your observed that anticipation of reward here- trials have not yet reacherl the point of after is among legitimate human motives to dying in the good fight of faith, as has been a good life. It may be said, indeed, that the case with some of your brethren before the highest virtue consists in doing what is you, who ho.ve followed their Leader to the right simply because it ia right-in fulfilling end ( cf. eh. xiii. 7). God's will, whatever may come of it to our- Vere. 5, 6.-And ye have forgotten (or, haTJB selves ; but the hope of a final happy issue ye forgotten f) the exhortation whioh apeaketh '.!Omee properly, and indeed inevitably, in as llllto you (more correctly, discourses, or o.n inspiring and sustaining motive. Aspira- reasons, with you; i.e. in the way of tion after happiness is a God-given instinct fatherly remonstrance) ae unto children, of humanity, necessary for keeping up the My aon, etc. 'fhis verse introduces a life of virtue. There may be some so in further motive for persevering under pro- love with virtue as to be capable of perse- longed trial, viz. our being assured in Holy vering iu lifelong self-denial, though with- Writ of its beneficial purpose as discipline. out ariy faith in a life to come. But human The quototion is from Prov, iii. 11, 12, as it on. xn. 1-29,] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 3&7