plan of his own, but according to a pattern which God shewed to him in the mount, without presuming to deviate from it in the least, Heb. viii. 5. This faithfulness in building all the parts of the ancient house or church of God, was required of Moses in order that the things afterwards to be spoken by Jesus and his apostles, might be confirmed by the attestation given to them in the figures, and ceremonies, and services of the law, ver. 5.-But the faithfulness of Jesus in building the new house of God, the Christian church, was that of a Son in his Father's house, who being the heir or Lord of all, was entitled to remove the Jewish church, after it had answered the end for which it was established, and to erect the Christian church on a more enlarged plan, so as to comprehend believers of all nations.-Wherefore Jesus, in the exercise of that authority which belonged to him as the Lord or Governor of all things, having actually abolished the Mosaic œconomy and established the gospel dispensation, the apostle, to confirm the Hebrews in the profession of the gospel, assured them, that all who believe in Jesus are as really members of the house or church of God, and as fully entitled to the privileges of the house of God, as the Israelites were who believed in Moses during the subsistence of the Jewish church, provided they firmly held and boldly professed to the end of their lives, that hope of pardon and resurrection to eternal life through Christ, which they professed at their baptism, ver. 6.

Thus it appears, that the authority of Jesus as a lawgiver, is greater than the authority of Moses. He was a lawgiver in his own right; whereas in establishing the law, Moses acted only ministerially. His institutions therefore might be abolished by God's Son, who being the heir of all things, hath all power in heaven and earth committed to him, Matth. xxviii. 18. If so, the Jewish doctors fell into a grievous error, when from some ambiguous expressions in the law, they inferred that it was never to be abolished, and rejected Jesus as a false Christ, because his disciples affirmed that he had put an end to the law and to the priesthood.

The writer of this epistle having thus displayed the greatness of Jesus, as the heir or ruler of all things, addressed the unbelieving Hebrews, as an apostle of Jesus, in the words which the Holy Ghost spake to their fathers by David; Wherefore, as saith the Holy Ghost, To-day when ye shall hear his voice; the voice of God by his Son Jesus, commanding you to believe on his Son, and to enter into his church, Harden not your hearts as in the bitter provocation, &c. ver. 7.-11. This exhortation of the

Holy Ghost to the Israelites in David's days, the apostle with great propriety applied to the Hebrews of his own time; because, if rejecting Jesus they refused to enter into the Christian church, God would as certainly exclude them from the rest of heaven, as he excluded their fathers from the rest in Canaan for their unbelief and disobedience. He therefore requested them to take heed that none of them shewed an evil unbelieving heart, either by refusing to obey Jesus, or by apostatizing from him after having believed on him. This, he assured them, would be a real departing from the living God, ver. 12.-Then ordered them to exhort one another daily to believe and obey Christ, ver. 13.-assuring them that they should be partakers of his rest in heaven, only if they held fast their begun confidence in him to the end, ver. 14.-and told them, that they might know this by its being said to the Israelites in David's time, To day when ye shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts: For such an exhortation evidently shews, that faith and obedience are necessary at all times to secure the favour of God, ver. 15.-Withal, to make the Hebrews sensible that unbelief and rebellion are extremely offensive to God, he put them in mind that by these

OLD TRANSLATION. CHAP. III. 1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle

and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 2 Who was faithful to

GREEK TEXT.

1 Όθεν, αδελφοι ἅγιοι, κλησεως επουρανιου μετοχοι, κατανοησατε τον αποςολον και αρχιερέα της ὁμολογίας ἡμων Χριςον Ιησουν

2 Πιςον οντα τῷ ποιησαντι hin that appointed him, αυτον, ὡς και Μωσης εν όλω

as also Moses was fuithful in all his house.

τῷ οικῳ αυτου.

Ver. 1.-1. Holy brethren. That the apostle addressed the unbelieving Jews more especially, in this and the following chapter, I think probable, 1. Because the idea of abrogating the law by Christ was peculiarly offensive to them. 2. Because, if the believing Hebrews had been addressed, the apostle would have said, Consider the High Priest of your confession.-The unbelieving Jews are called boly, in the same sense that the whole nation anciently were called saints.

2. Heavenly calling. This may signify, as in the commentary. Also it may signify, a call given from heaven. See chap. xii. 25.

3. The apostle. Jesus as a prophet like to Moses, that is, as a lawgiver, is called the apostle of our confession, agreeably to the meaning of the word apostle, which denotes one sent forth to execute any affair of importance.

sins, their fathers provoked God, ver. 16.—to such a degree, that he destroyed the whole congregation of the disobedient in the wilderness, ver. 17.-after swearing, that they should not enter into his rest, vcr. 18.-Thus, says the apostle, we see that they could not enter in, because of unbelief, ver. 19.—and by making the observation, he hath shewed in the clearest light the contagious fatal nature of unbelief; that it is the cause of the disobedience and punishment of sinners in all ages; and so he hath put us on our guard against such an evil disposition.

I have only to add, That the apostle by exhorting the Hebrews to obey Christ, after describing his supreme authority in the church as its lawgiver, and by setting before them the punishment of the Israelites in the wilderness, hath insinuated that Christ is judge, as well as lawgiver, consequently he hath both authority and power to render to all men according to their works; as will appear likewise from the things set forth, chap. iv. 11.-13.

NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. III. 1 Wherefore, holy brethren,1 partakers of the heavenly 2 calling, consider attentively the Apostle3 and High Priest of our confesssion, Christ Jesus;

2 Who was faithful to him who appointed him,1 even as Moses also was (EV) in all his house.2

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. III. 1 Since the author of the gospel is the Son of God, I exhort you holy brethren, who by the preaching of the gospel (chap. ii. 3.) are partakers of the calling to enter into the heavenly country, (Ephes. i. 18.) to consider attentively the dignity and authority of the lawgiver and High priest of our religion, Christ Jesus:

2 Who in forming the gospel church, was faithful to God who ap pointed him his apostle or lawgiver, even as Moses also was faithful in forming all the parts of the Jewish church, God's house at that time.

Perhaps also in this name there is an allusion to Christ's own saying, John xvii. 18. As thou amesuras, bast sent me into the world, I also awesura, have sent them. Jesus, therefore, was his Father's apostle, in the same manner that the twelve were his apostles. He was sent forth by his Father to deliver to mankind the new law, and thereon to build the church of the first born which is to continue through all eternity. Hence he often spake of himself as sent of his Father, John v. 38. vi. 29. 39. viii. 42.

3 For this man

was

counted worthy of more glory than Moses, in as much as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

4 For every house is builded by some man, but

he that built all things is God.

3 Πλείονος γαρ δοξης ὗτος παρα Μωσην ηξίωται, καθ' ὅσον πλείονα τιμην έχει του οικου ὁ κατασκευασας αυτον.

4 Πας γαρ οικος κατασκευάζεται ὑπό τινος· ὁ δὲ τα ταντα κατασκευασας, Θεος.

4. Of our confession. As confession is sometimes put for the thing confessed, our confession may mean our religion, of which Jesus is called the Apostle, because he was sent by God to reveal it and the High-priest, because we receive its blessings through his mediation. See chap. xiii. 15. Ver. 2.-1. To him who appointed him. To omoart. In other passages also, the word on, signifies to appoint, 1 Sam. xii. 6. The Lord that (Heb. made) appointed Moses and Aaron, namely to be leaders.—Mark iii. 14. GINOE, Sadexx, He ordained, or appointed, twelve. See also Acts ii. 36.

So,

2. Even as Moses also was in all his house. This is an allusion to the testimony which God bare to Moses, Numb. xii. 7. My servant Moses is not who is faithful in all mine house. The Jewish church, which Moses was employed to form, being called by God himself His bouse, because he was present with it, and was worshipped in it, the apostle Paul was well authorized to call the Christian church, which Jesus was appointed to form, The bouse of God, 1 Tim. iii. 15. See ver. 6. of this chap. note 1. The faithfulness of Moses in forming the Jewish church consisted in this, that he did not conceal any of the divine laws on account of their disagreeableness to the Israelites; nor did he alter them in the least to make them acceptable; but delivered the whole law as it was spoken to himself, and formed the tabernacles and the ritual of the worship, exactly according to the pattern shewed to him. In like manner, Christ's faithfulness consisted in his teaching the doctrines, appointing the laws, and establishing the worship, which his Father had ordained for the church.

Ver. 3.-1. But he. The demonstrative pronoun To, which I have translated, He, is sometimes used for aut, and is so rendered in our Bible, Acts x. 36. 'Our, He is Lord of all. If it were necessary in this passage to supply any substantive agreeing with ur, aweson, and not arbgar, should be the noun supplied; this apostle, or lawgiver, was counted, &c.

The verb xarα

2. He who bath formed the house, 'O xaraσnsvatas. oxww, signifies to set things in order, Heb. ix. 6. It signifies likewise to form a thing as an artificer doth; in which sense it is applied to Noah's forming the ark Heb. xi. 7.—In this passage, it signifies the forming a church or religious society, by bestowing on it privileges, and by giving it laws for the direction of its members-The relative aurov, in this clause being pat for zer, it is properly enough translated, the house.

3 But, although the faithfulness of Jesus was not greater than that of Moses, he was counted by God worthy of more power than Moses, in as much as he who hath formed the services of the church, not for his own benefit, but for the benefit of others, is a more honourable person than any member of the church; such as Moses was, who needed the services of the Jewish church, equally with the people.

4 Besides, every religious society is formed by some one; But he who hath formed all righteous communities and religious societies, is God; who having delegated his authority to his Son, hath made him Lord of all.

3. Hath more honour than the house. As the apostle is speaking of the forming of the Christian church, called, ver. 2. God's house, it is evident when he saith, He who formed it, hath more honour than the house, his meaning must be, that Jesus who hath formed the Christian church, is a more honourable or greater person than all the members of that church collectively; consequently greater than any particular member of it. By making this observation, the apostle insinuated, that Moses being a member of the Jewish church, which he formed as God's servant, and needing its services and privileges equally with the rest of the Israelites, he was not to be compared to Jesus, who stood in need of none of the privileges of the church which he formed, nor of its services.

Ver. 4-1. Every house is formed by some one. As the discourse is not concerning a material edifice, but concerning the Jewish and Christian churches, every house, must mean, every church, or religious society. Perhaps also, every community, state, or government righteously established, is included in this general expression.

2. He who hath formed all is God. According to Beza, Bengelius, and others, he, in this passage, is Christ who hath created all things, and is God. But there is nothing in the context leading us to think that the apostle is speaking of the creation of the world. Neither doth his argument requiré such a sense of the clause. Besides, I do not know that the word natasκερατας is ever applied in scripture to the creation of the world. As the apostle is evidently speaking of the forming of churches, or religious societies, I am of opinion that are in this clause refers to them: He who hath formed all religious societies, namely, the Jewish and Christian churches, is God: For both Moses and Jesus, formed their respective churches in