The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 367

change of mind in the bestower of the hleas• dispensations, founded on the phenomena ing],_ thoug:h he sollfi"ht it [ i.e. such ohange that e.ccompe.nied the giving of the Le.w. of mmd] with team; or, "When he desired To Mount S!nai, wf th its repelling terrors, ia to inherit the blel!l!ing, be WM rejected (for opposed e.n ideal picture of Mount Zion nnd he found no pie.ea of repentance) though he the hee.venly Jerusalem, expresaive of the 11ongbt it [i.e. the blessing] with 'tears." If, oommunion of se.inta in Christ. And then the latter renderin_g being ado~ted, Eae.u'a at ver. 25 (M previoualy in eh. x.) the tone own repentance be mtended, the idea me.y be, of encoure.gement changes again to one of either that there we.e no piece left in which warning, the very excess of privilege being even a real repentance oould avail, or that !Dade the men.sure of the guilt of slighting of o real repentance he had beoome in- 1t. cepable; for bis tears might be those only Ver. 18.-For ye are not oome unto a of '<exation and remome, not expressing any mount that might be touohed, and that more appreciation than before of the birth- burned with fire, a.nd unto blaoknesa and right in its religious BBpect. Ebrard'e darkneBS a.nd tempe,t. The allusion is to remark, that hie conduct e.s related in Gen. the Israelites approaching Mount Sinai when xxxiii. showa " a changed hettrt," and hence the Law was given (see Deut. iv.11, whence e. true repente.nce, is not to the point. For stiJI more than from Exod. m. the whole all tbe.t there appeara is that be hacl got description is taken, "And ye came nee.r over hie angry feeling towards his brother; [ ,rpou71A8<T<, the same word as is used supra, it is by no means implied-rather the oon• eh. iv. 16 ; vii. 25], and stood under the trary-that he would have preferred hie monnte.in "). Though the word "mount" in destiny to his own, or that hie views of life the Received Text has the support of no had risen above thoughts of worldly pro- ancient e.uthority, it must be understood, sperity. We observe, farther, that nothing whether or not originally written. For it is implied one way or the other as to Esau'e comes after rpoa-,/AB,.-, in the pe.sse.ge of own salvation; it is only the privilege of Deuteronomy which is evidently referred to, being the patriarch of the oboaen seed that the following words, "blackness, darkness, he is said to have thue irrecoverably for- tempest" (u1<&.-os,-y11&4>as, eu,Ma), being also feit.ed. But hie example is adduced as a found there. And otherwise we should have warning to Chrieti&ne with regard to their to translate, "a touched [i.e. pe.lpe.ble] and still more precious inheritance, which does kindled fire ; " but" touched " ( 4>71Aa4'wµhr,,) involve their own eternal prospects. The is not suitable to fire; and we should also warning to them is similar to those of eh. lose the evidently intended contrast between vi. 4, etc., and eh. x. 26, etc., to the effect the two mountains of Sinai and Zion, which thet sacred privileges, if persistently appee.rs in ver. 22. Neither may we tmne- slighted, may be lost beyond recovery. And le.te, as some would do, " a monnte.in that if the p888a.ge before us seems to imply, might be touched, and kindled fire ; " for according to one view of it, what the former the origine.l pe.seage in Deuteronomy has ones were found not to do, the possible "and the mountain burned with fire (t<al inefficacy of a true repentance, however TO opos 't<alETO ,n,pl)." The participle 4'71Aa• lat.e,-we may say that, even if tbie is im- 4>wµl,11"' (literally, " that was touched "), plied of Esau with respect to hie lost rather than l/nl4>aA71.-,ij, may be used here, blessing, it is not therefore necesaarily im- although on the occasion referred to all were plied of Christiane with respect to their forbidden to touch the mountain, by way of personal ea.lvation; or that, if it is implied bringing more distinctly into view the actual of them, it is not till their probation in this Sinai, which t.eaa touched at other times, and life is over that a " pl.e.oe of repentance" in which Moses both touched and ascended. this sense can for them be found no more H so, the main purpose of the word is to ( cf. the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. contrast the local and palpe.ble mountain of :nv. 1, etc.); al.so Matt. vii. 22, etc.; Luke the Law with the ideal Mount Zion which xiii. 24, etc.). One of Dr. Newman's is afterwards spoken of. Or, the verb ,J,114'11• Parochial Sermons (" Life the Season of Jui., may here carry with it its common sense Repentance," vol. vi •Sermon' 2) strikingly of groping after, as in the dark (cf. Dent. sets forth thiB view. See also ' Christian xxviii. 29, Kai ltr71 ,J,71~11 µ,tr71µfJplu, C:.trd Ytar' (Second Sunday in Lent), with the ,J,11A1>4'~trl>I 6 1"1J4'AOS '" ..,;; tTl<OTEI), with appended not.e: "Eeau'e probation, as ~e.r reference to the cloudy de.rkneee about w; his birthright we.e concerned, wee qlllte Sinai, and in contra.et with the clear un- over when he uttered the cry in the text. clouded vision of Zion. Hie despondency, therefore, is not parallel Vere. 19-21.-Alld the sound of a trumpet to anything on this side the grave." (Exod. xix. 16), and the voioe of words Vere. 18-29.-Tbere foJlows now, both (Deut. iv. 12); which voice they that heard for encouro.gement and for warning, a ~~nd entreated that no word should be spoken to wntre.et between the Mosaic e.nd ChrU1t1e.n them more (Deut. xviii. 16; of. ver. 25 and  011. xn. 1-29.J '£H l~ EPit>'i'LE TO THE HEBRJ<~ W8. 361