The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 365

ment with :respect to all ohRStening though of pursuing a. stmight course with a view to the expression of it.s result at th~ end of others who are t.o follow on the snme truck. th_e . vel1!e is su_ggested by thti thought of "That which is laruo (Tb X"'"-Jv)" denotes Dl'rme ohRStenmg, to which alone it is the weak and wavering brethren - the certainly, nnd in the full sense of the words l,.,r8,vovvnr, such as are referred to in Rom. applicuhl?·. "Of right.eousness" is a genitiv~ xiv. and I Cor. viii. The expression well of 1tppos1t10n; li11,a1orl,""1 is the peaceable suits especially those among the Hebrew fruit yielded by ,rct,IMa. And the word Christians who halted between two opinions here surely denotes actue.1 righteousness in -between the Church and the synagogue ~urselves; not merely justificntion in what (c!.1 King~ xviii. :l(E";• ,rOTe vµ.,,, xo,>..a.ve,?"• 1s calll'd the forensic sense : the proper ...- l,.µ,ponpair Ta.as 1;,vvcus ;). The strong ID effoct of chastening is to make us ~ood, and faith ought to desire and aim at the healing of so nt pc1,ce with our own conscience 1tnd such lame ones, i.e. their being strengthened with God. It is by no meuns thus implied in the faith, rather than expose them to the that we can be accepted and so have risk of apostasy by auy wavering of their peace on the ground of onr own imperfect own. righteousness; only that it is in tbe fruits Ver. 14.-Follow peaoe with all (i.e. ,as of faith perfected by discipline that we required by the oontext, with all the may "know that we are of the truth, and brethren; cf. Rom. xiv. 19), and holiness assure our hearts before him " ( cf. J as. iii. (more properly, sanctification), without whioh 18, "The fruit of righteonsness is sown in no man shall see the Lord. Here the figure pe,lCe; " also lsa. xxxii. 17, "And the work is dropped, and two cautions given, peculiarly of righteousness shall be peace"). needed, we may suppose, by the community Ver. 12.-Wherefore lift up (or, straighten addressed. The exhortation to " peace with anetc) the ha.nda whioh ha.ng down, aud the all" reminds of the tone of St. Paul's feeble knees (rather, the relaxed hands and admonitions both in Romans and in I the loosened or enfeebled knees). The word Corinthians, where he so strongly wnrns 'ff'fl.pa:>..,:>..uµ..!va is used only by St. Lnke else- against dissensions and party spirit, and where in the New Testament, and with enjoins tolerance and mutual allowance reference to persons paralyzed (Lnke v. 18, with regard to the weaker brethren. The 24 ; Acts viii. 7 ; ix. 33). The form of the word a-y,a,rµ.br ("sanctification") need not exhortation is taken from Isa. mv. 8, be limited (as by CLrysostom) to the idea of 'Ia-xllo-aTE xelpES' Cl.vt:tµ.lva..i ,cCU .,,ova.Ta 7ra.pa.• chastity; the general thought implied may >..,71.vµ.!va.. The figure of the palrostra is be (as expressed by Limborch, quoted by thus ng-ain brought into view, with refer- Alford)," Ne, dum paci studeat, nimis aliis ence both to boxing and running. obsequendi studio qnidquam contro. sancti- Ver. 18.-And make straight paths for moniam Christianam delinquat; " but the your feet, lest that whioh is lame be turned special allusion to ,ropvda. in ver. 16 (as also out of the way; but that it rather be healed. in eh. xiii. 4) is evidence that chastity was The ideas in this verse correspond t,o, e.nd especially in the writer's mind, with definite may be enggested by, those that follow in reference to which the word &-y,a<Tµor is Isaiah the passage above referred ro. For used in 1 These. iv. 3. The frequent and there too the prophet goes on to speak, earnest warnings against fornication in St. among other things, of the lame leaping, Paul's Epistles are enongh to show how and of a way of holiness along which none slow even some in the Church were to 11hould err. But the words themselves are recognize the strict code of Christian morality, suggested by Prov. iv. 26, A(JTor a. op6os unknown to the heathen world, and by the ,ro,0,n, Tas Tpox,&s uou (LX.X.), the verb Jews very imperfectly recognized, in this a.,,,,..,.p,,Peu6a., having been previonsly used regard; and the cnse of 1 Cor. v. illustrates fo!' turning out of the way. It is observable how easily such vice might creep into aud that the words, ,cal Tpoxuir, etc., are arranged infect a Christian community without 10 e.s to form an hemmeter line. This general reprobation. Heuce probably the may Lave been unintentional, but it is at special warning here. any rate effective. Delitzsch remarks on Ver. 15.-Looking diligently lest any man it: "The duty to which the writer urgee his fail of the graoe of God (i.e. foll short of it; reader, is courageous eelf-reeovery in God's or, v<TTepii,11 being here followed by a.,rb, the strength. The tone and lang~age_ a.re idea. may be rather that of falling back from elevated accordingly, and ver. 12 1s. hke a it); lest any root of bitterness springing up trumpet-blast. It need not surpr1Be us, trouble you, and thereby ma.ny ( or, according then, if our author here turns poet, and to the more probable reading, the many, i.e. proceeds in heroic measures." With regard the general community) be defiled. In this, to the purport of this verse, ~e «?bserye the usual rendering of the verse, if is that, while the fignre of runnrng 1s still supplied, so as to make µfiTar ,J,r.,.,pii,v mean continued, a new idea. is introduced-that "lest there be any one thnt fails." llut thia  err. xn. 1-20.J THE EPISTLE TO TilE HEBREWS. 36!)