The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 406

a fivefold assure.nee of the Divine enpport. God gave this same promise to 90 many of the ancient S11ints-to Jacob, Joshua, Solomon, etc.-that it possesses the force of a spiritual adage, nnd thus may be personally appropriated by every believer. In nil ages thousands of the people of God have rested on it, and have nccordingly exemplified the. rare and difficult grace of contentment. This is matter of history and of obser- v11t1011, • 0 earth, l!O full of dreary noises I 0 men. with wailing in your voioes I 0 delvM gold, the wailers heap I 0 strife, 0 curse, that o'er it fall I God strikes a ~ilenee through you all, And giveth hie beloved sleep." (lllrs. Drowning.) s,,~in~, then, that we who believe are assured of the Divine presence and help, why ~honk! we not have the "good courage" (ver. 6) to say with the psalmist, "I will not fear: what shall man do unto me" (Ps. cxviii. 6)? Avarice has its root in want ot faith in God; but no one who is persuaded that the Lord is with him need dread any kind of poverty. Havin~ Jehovah for his Champion, he will not "make gold his hope, or say to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence." Divine grace will root up out of his heart the noxious weed of covetousness, and plant in its room the fair and fragrant flower of contentment. V ers. 7, 8.-Deceased pastors. Passing from admonitions bearing upon the individual Christian life, the writer now proceeds to exhort the brethren about matters arising out of their Church relations. He charges them to cherish the memory of their departed Christian teachers. I. THE wonK OF THE PASTORATE. The duties of the gospel ministry, when these are faithfully discharged, may be said to be threefold. 1. To bear rule over the Church. Christ has given to his Church the "power of the keys," vesting it in her pastors and presbyters. This power, however, is simply ministerial. The rulers of the Church merely administer the laws given by the Lord Jesus Christ, her King and Head, While at liberty to frame bye-laws which may promote the edifying celebration of the ordinances which he has founded, they dare not prescribe new laws or appoint new ordinances. They are to admit to Church communion and exclude from it; but only upon the lines laid down in the New Testament. 2. To speak the Word of God, 'l'he main function of the ministry is to preach the gospel, and to teach Christian truth. 'l'he gospel is a definite "word ; " and it is enshrined _in a Book which is called "The Word." The preacher's text-book is not the newspaper, or the current literature of the day, but" the oracles of God." The great design of the Christian pulpit is to promote the intellectual and experimental knowledge of the Bible. And no minister "shall have lived in vain if it can be written over his grave, 'He made the people understand the Scriptures'" (Dr. John Hall). 3. To live a consistent Christian life. When a pastor is, like Barnabas, "a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith," it is to be expected that" much people will be added unto the Lord" (Acts xi. 24). A holy example lends incalculable momentum to Christian teaching. "'l'he _life of a pious minister is visible rhetoric" (Hooker). "To draw mankind to heaven by gentleness And good example, we.e his bwrineee... And Jeane' love, which owns no pride or pell, Be taught; but first he followed it himself." (Chaucer.) Il, THE DUTY OF BELIEVERS TOWARDS TIJEIR DECEASED PASTORS, Although these are removed from us, we still have duties towards them. Indeed, the relationship of pastor and people, being spiritual in its nature, may be said to be prolonged into eternity. We must: 1. Remember their official, work. We should recall the strain of their Christian teaching, and think with gratitude of their spiritual supervision. If we continue to "esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work's sake," they " being dead, shall yet speak " to us. Many a believer feels that he has had one on. xm. 1-26.) THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 101