Notes on the Old and New Testaments

2 For by it the ciders obtained a good report.

says us; and we know there may be a faith which is no argument of the truth of what is believed. But when a man who has never seen it believes that there is such a place as London, his belief in the numerous testimonies respecting it which he has heard and read is to his mind a good and ra tional proof of its existence, and he would act on that belief without hesi tation. \Yhen a son credits the de claration or the promise of a father who has never deceived him, and acts as though that declaration and pro mise were true, his faith is to him a ground of conviction and of action, and he Avill act as if these things were so. In like manner the Christian be lieves what God says. He has never seen heaven; he has never seen an angel; he has never seen the Re deemer; he has never seen a body raised from the grave. But he has evidence which is satisfactory to his mind that God has spoken on these subjects, and his very nature prompts him to confide in the declarations of his Creator. Those declarations are to his mind more convincing proof than any thing else would be. They are more conclusive evidence than would be the deductions of his own reason; far better and more rational than all the reasonings and declara tions of the infidel to the contrary. He feels and acts, therefore, as if Viese things were so — for his faith in the declarations of God has convinced him that they are so. The object of the apostle, in this chapter, is not to illustrate the nature of what is called saving faith, but to show the power of unwavering confidence in God in sustaining the soul, especially in times of trial; and particularly in leading us to act in view of promises and of things not seen a* if they were so. 'Saving faith' is the same kind of confidence directed to the Messiah — the Lord Jesus— as the Saviour of the soul.

2. For by it. That is, by that faith which gives reality to things hoped for, and a certain persuasion to the mind of the existence of those things which are not seen. ^[ The elders. The ancients; the Hebrew patriarchs and fathers. ^[ Obtained a good re port Literally, ' were witnessed of;' that is an honourable testimony was borne to them in consequence of their faith. The idea is, that their acting under the influence of faith in the circumstances in which they were, was the ground of the honourable tes timony which was borne to them in the Old Testament. See this use of the word in ch. vii. 8, and in ver. 4 of this chapter. Also Luke iv. 22; Acts xv. 8. In the cases which the apostle proceeds to enumerate in the subsequent part of the chapter, he mentions those whose piety is parti cularly commended in the Old Testa ment, and who showed in trying cir cumstances that they had unwavering confidence in God.

3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed. The first instance of the strength of faith which the apostle refers to is that by which we give credence to the decla rations in the Scriptures about the work of creation. Gen. i. 1. This is selected first, evidently because it is the first thing that occurs in the Bible, or is the first thing there nar rated in relation to which there is the exercise of faith. He points to no particular instance in which this faith was exercised — for none is especially mentioned — but refers to it as an il lustration of the nature of faith which every one might observe in him self. The faith here exercised is confidence in the truth of the divine declarations in regard to the creation. The meaning is, that our knowledge on this subject is a mere matter of faith in the divine testimony. It is not that we could reason this out, and demonstrate that the worlds were thus framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were made; it is not that profane history goes back to that period and informs us of it; it is simply that God has +old us so in his. word. The strength of the faith in this case is measured (1.) by the fact that it is mere faith — that there is nothing else on which to rely in the case, and (2.) by the greatness of the truth believed. After all the acts of faith which have ever been exercised in this world, perhaps there is none which is really more strong, or which requires higher con fidence in God, than the declaration that this vast universe has been brought into existence by a word! ^[ We understand. We attain to the apprehension of; we receive and com prehend the idea. Our knowledge of this fact is derived only from faith, and not from our own reasoning. «f That the worlds. In Gen. i. 1. it is ' the heaven and the earth.' The phrase which the apostle uses denotes a plurality of worlds, and is proof that he supposed there were other worlds besides our earth. How far his know ledge extended on this point, we have no means of ascertaining, but there is no reason to doubt that he regarded the stars as ' worlds' in some respects like our own. On the meaning of the Greek word used here, see Notes on chap. i. 2. The plural form is used there also, and in both cases, it seems to me, not without design. ^[ Were framed. It is observable that the apostle does not here use the word make or create. That which he does use — Kara/mfco—. means to put in or der, to arrange, to complete, and may be applied to that which before had an existence, and which is to be put in order, or refitted. Matt. iv. 21; Mark i. 19; Matt. xxi. 66;Heb. x. 5. The meaning here is, that they were set in order by the word of God. This implies the act of creation, but the specific idea is that of arranging them in the beautiful order in which they are now. Doddridge renders it Kuinoel, however, sup- poses that the word is used here in the senss of form, or make. It has probably about the meaning which we attach to the phrase 'fitting up any thing,'' as, for example, a dwelling, and includes all the previous arrange ments, though the thing which is par ticularly denoted is not the making, but the arrangement. So in the work here referred to. ' We arrive at the conviction that the universe was fit ted up or arranged in the present manner by the word of God.' ^[ By the word of God. This does not me-an here, by the Logos, or the second per son of the Trinity, for Paul does not use that term here or elsewhere. The word which he employs is pypa — rema — meaning properly a word spoken, and in this place command. Comp. Gen. i. 3. 6. 9. 11. 14. 20; Ps. xxxiii. 6. " By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." In, regard to the agency of the Son of God in the work of the creation, see Notes on chap. i. 2; comp. Notes on John i. 3. ^[ So that things which are seen. The point of the remark here is, that the visible creation was not moulded out of pre-existing materials, but was made out of nothing. In reference to the grammatical con struction of the passage, see Stuart, Comm. in loc. The doctrine taught is, that matter was not eternal; thaf the materials of the universe, as wek as the arrangement, were formed by God, and that all this was done by a simple command. The argument here, so far as it is adapted to the purpose of the apostle, seems to be, that there was nothing which appeared, or which was to be seen, that could lay the foundation of a belief that God made the worlds; and in like manner our faith now is not to be based on what ' appears,' by which we could infer or reason out what would be, but that we must exercise strong confidence in Him who had power to create the universe out of nothing. If this vast

4 By faith Abel a offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtain-

universe has been called into exist ence by the mere word of God, there is nothing which we may not believe he has ample power to perform.

4. By faith, Abel offered. Sec Gen. iv. 4, 5. In the account in Genesis of the offering made by Abel, there is no mention of faith — as is true also indeed of most of the instances re ferred to by the apostle. The account in Genesis is, simply, that Abel " brought of the firstlings of his flock, and the fat thereof, and that the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering." Men have speculated much as to the reason why the offering oi Abel was accepted, and that of Cain rejected; but such speculation rests on no cer tain basis, and the solution of the apostle should be regarded as decisive and satisfactory, that in the one case there was faith, in the other not. It could not have been because an offer ing of the fruits of the ground was not pleasing to God, for such an offering was commanded under the Jewish law, and was not in itself improper Both the brothers selected that which was to them most obvious; which they had reared with their own hands which they regarded as most valua ble. Cain had cultivated the earth and he naturally brought what hac grown under his care; Abel kept a flock, and he as naturally brough what he had raised: and had the tern per of mind in both been the same there is no reason to doubt that th offering of each would have been ac cepted. To this conclusion we ar led by the nature of the case, and th apostle advances substantially th same sentiment, for he says that th particular state of mind on which th whole turned was, that the one ha faith and the other not. How th apostle himself was informed of th fact that it was faith which made th difference, he has not informed u

d witness that he was righteus, God testifying of his gifts r nd by it he, being dead, } yet peaketh.

The belief that he was inspired will, however, relieve the subject of this difficulty, for according to such a beief, all his statements here, whether recorded in the Old Testament or not, are founded in truth. It is equally mpossible to tell with certainty what was the nature of the faith of Abel. It has been commonly asserted that t was faith in Christ— looking for ward to his coming, and depending on his sacrifice when offering that which was to be a type of him. But of this there is no positive evidence,, though from Heb. xii. 24, it seems to be not improbable. Sacrifice, as a. type of the Redeemer's great offer ing, was instituted early in the his tory of the world. There can be no reason assigned for the offering of blood as an atonement for sin, except that it had originally a reference to the great atonement which was to be made by blood; and as the salvation of man depended on this entirely, it is probable that that would be one of the truths which would be first com municated to man after the fall. The bloody offering of Abel is the first of the kind which is definitely men tioned in the Scriptures (though it is not improbable that such sacri fices were offered by Adam, comp. Gen. iii. 21), and consequently Abel may be regarded as the recorded head of the whole typical system, of which Christ was the antitype and the fulfil ment. Comp. Notes ch. xii. 24. ^ A more excellent sacrifice. U\fiova dvcriav —as rendered by Tindal, ' more plen teous sacrifice;' or as Wickliff ren ders it more literally, ' a much more sacrifice;' that is, a more full or com plete sacrifice; a better sacrifice. The meaning is, that it had in it much more to render it acceptable to God. In the estimate of its value, the views of him who offered it would be more to be regarded than the nature of thfr offering itself. ^ By which. By which sacrifice so offered. ' The way in which he obtained the testimony of divine approbation was by the sacrifice of fered in this manner. It was not merely by faith, it was by the offering of a sacrifice in connexion with, and under the influence of faith. *f He obtained witness that he was righteous. That is, from God. His offering made in faith was the means of his obtaining the divine testimonial that he was a righteous man. Comp. Notes on ver. 2. This is implied in what is said in Gen. iv. 4. " And the LORD had respect unto Abel and his offering;" that is, he regarded it as the offering of a righteous man. «[[ God testifying of his gifts. In what way this was done is not mentioned either here or in Genesis. Commen tators have usually supposed that it was by fire descending from heaven to consume the sacrifice. But there is no evidence of this, for there is no intimation of it in the Bible. It is true that this frequently occurred Avhen an offering was made to God, (see Gen. xv. 17; Lev. ix. 24; Judges vi. 21; I. Kings xviii. 38), but the sacred writers give us no hint that this happened in the case of the sacri fice made by Abel, and since it is ex pressly mentioned in other cases and not here, the presumption rather is that no such miracle occurred on the occasion. So remarkable a fact— the first one in all history if it were so could hardly have failed to be noticed by the sacred writer. It seems to me, therefore, that there was some method by which God ' testified ' his approbation of the offering of Abel which is unknown to us, but in re gard to what it was conjecture is vain, ^f And by it he, being dead, yet speakeih. Marg. Is yet spoken of. This difference of translation arises from a difference of reading in the MSS. That from which the transla tion in the text is derived, is XaXei — he speaketh. That from which the rendering in the margin is derived, is XaXarcu— ts spoken of; that is, is prais ed or commended. The latter is the common reading in the Greek text, and is found in Walton, Wetstein, Matthsei, Tittman, and Mill; the former is adopted by Griesbach, Koppe, Knapp, Grotius, Hammond, Storr, Rosenmuller, Prof. Stuart, Bloomfield, and Hahn, and is found in the Syriac and Coptic, and is that which is favoured by most of the Fathers. See Wetstein. The anthority of MSS. is in favour of the reading XaXeirai — is spoken of. It is impossible in this variety of opinion to determine which is the true read ing, and this is one of the cases where the original text must probably be for ever undecided. Happily no important doctrine or duty is depend ing on it. Either of the modes of reading will give a good sense. The apostle is saying that it is by faith that the ' elders have obtained a good report ' (ver. 2); he had said (ver. 4), that it was by faith that Abel obtain ed the testimony of God in his favour, and if the reading 'is spoken of be adopted, the apostle means that in consequence of that offering thus made, Abel continued even to his time to receive an honourable men tion. This act was commended still; and the ' good report ' of which it had been the occasion, had been transmit ted from age to age. A sentiment thus of great beauty and value may be derived from the passage— that true piety is the occasion of trans mitting a good report — or an honour able reputation, even down to the latest generation. It is that which will embalm the memory in the grate ful recollection of mankind; that on. which they will reflect with pleasure, and which they will love to transmit to future ages. But after all, it seems to me to be probable that the true sentiment in this passage is that which is expressed in the common version, ' he yet speaketh.' The rea sons are briefly these. (1.) The au thority of MSS.,versions, editions, and critics, is so nearly equal, that it is impossible from this source to deter mine the true reading, and we must, therefore, form our judgment from the connexion. (2.) The apostle had twice in this verse expressed substan tially the idea that he was honourably testified of by his faith, and it is hardly probable that he would again repeat it so soon. (3.) There seems to be an allusion here to the language used respecting Abel (Gen. iv. 10), " The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground;" — or utters a distinct voice — and the apostle seems to design to represent Abel as still speaking. (4.) In Heb. xii. 24, he represents both Abel and Christ as still speaking — as if Abel continued to utter a voice of admoni tion. The reference there is to the fact that he continued to proclaim from age to age, even to the time of the apostle, the great truth that salva tion was only by blood. He had pro claimed it at first by his faith when he offered the sacrifice of the lamb; he continued to speak from generation to generation, and to show that it was one of the earliest principles of religion that there could be redemp tion from sin in no other way. (5.) The expression ' yet spmketK accords "better with the connexion. The other interpretation is cold compared with this, and less fits the case before us. Of the faith of Noah, Abraham, and Moses, it might be said with equal propriety that it is still commended or celebrated as well as that of Abel, but the apostle evidently means to say that there was a voice in that of Abel which was peculiar; there was some thing in his life and character which continued to speak from age to age. His sacrifice, his faith, his death, his blood, all continued to lift up the voice, and to proclaim the excellence and value of confidence in God, and to admonish the world how to live. (6.) This accords with usage in clas sic writers, where it is common to say of the dead that they continue to •speak. Comp. Virg. JiSn. vi. 618.

Et magna testatur voce per umbras: Discife justitiam moniti, et non teranere Divos.

If this be the true meaning, then the sense is, that there is an influence

! from the piety of Abel which con tinues to admonish all coming ages of the value of religion, and especially of the great doctrine of the necessity of an atonement by blood. His faith and his sacrifice proclaimed from age to age that this was one of the first great truths made known to fallen man; and on this he continues to address the world as if he were still living. Thus all who are pious con tinue to exert an influence in favour of religion long after the soul is re moved to heaven, and the body con signed to the grave. This is true in the following respects. (1.) They speak by their example. The exam ple of a pious father, mother, neigh bour, will be remembered. It will often have an effect after their death in influencing those over whom it had little control while living. (2.) They continue to speak by their precepts. The precepts of a father may be re membered, with profit, when he is in his grave, though they were heard with indifference when he lived; the counsels of a minister may be recol lected with benefit though they were heard with scorn. (3.) They con tinue to speak from the fact that the good are remembered with increasing respect and honour as long as they are remembered at all. The charac ter of Abel, Noah, and Abraham, is brighter now than it was when they lived, and will continue to grow brighter to the end of time. ' The name of the wicked will rot,' and the influence which they had when living will grow feebler and feebler till it wholly dies away. Howard will be remembered, and will proclaim from age to age the excellence of a life of benevolence; the character of Nero, Caligula, and Richard III., has long since ceased to exert any influence whatever in favour of evil, but ra ther shows the world, by contrast, the excellence of virtue; — and the same will yet be true of Paine, and Voltaire, and Byron, and Gibbon, and Hume. The time will come when they shall cease to exert any influence in favour of infidelity and sin, and when the

5 By faith Enoch a was trans-

world shall be so satisfied of the error of their sentiments, and the abuse of their talents, and the corruption of their hearts, that their names, by con trast, will be made to promote the cause of piety and virtue. If a man wishes to exert any permanent in fluence after he is dead, he should be a good man. — The strength of the faith of Abel here commended, will be seen by a reference to a few circumstan ces. (1.) It was manifested shortly after the apostacy, and not long after the fearful sentence had been pro nounced in view of the sin of man. The serpent had been cursed; the earth had been cursed; woe had been denounced on the mother of mankind; and the father of the apostate race, and all his posterity doomed to toil and death. The thunder of this curse had scarcely died away; man had been ejected from Paradise and sent out to enter on his career of woes, and the earth was trembling under the malediction, and yet Abel maintained his confidence in God. (2.) There was then little truth revealed, and only the slightest intimation of mercy. The promise in Gen. iii. 1 5, that the seed of the Avoman should bruise the head of the serpent, is so enigmatical and obscure that it is not easy even now to see its exact meaning, and it cannot be supposed that Abel could have had a full understanding of what was denoted by it. Yet this appears to have been all the truth respecting the salvation of man then revealed, and on this Abel maintained his faith steadfast in God. (3.) Abel had an elder brother, undoubtedly an infidel, a scoffer, a mocker of religion. He was evidently endowed with a talent for sarcasm (Gen. iv. 9), and there is no reason to doubt, that, like other in fidels and scoffers, he would be dis posed to use that talent when occa sion offered, to hold up religion to contempt. The power with which he used this, and the talent with which j he did this, may be seen illustrated probably with melancholy fidelity in Lord Byron's " Cain." No man ever lived who could more forcibly express the feelings that passed through the mind of Cain — for there is too much reason to think that his extraordinary talents were employed on this occa sion to give vent to the feelings of his own heart in the sentiments put into the mouth of Cain. Yet, notwith standing the infidelity of his elder brother, Abel adhered to God and his cause. Whatever influence that in fidel brother might have sought to use over him — and there can be no reason to doubt that such an influence would be attempted — yet he never swerved, but maintained with stead fastness his belief in religion, and his faith in God.

5. By faith Enoch UXLS translated. The account of Enoch is found in Gen. v. 21 — 24. It is veiy brief, and is this, that ' Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him.' There is no particular mention of his faith, and the apostle attributes this to him, as in the case of Abel, either because it was involved in the very nature of piety, or because the fact was communicated to him by direct revelation. In the account in Genesis, there is nothing inconsistent with the belief that Enoch was characterised by eminent faith, but it is rather im plied in the expression, ' he walked with God.' Comp. II. Cor. v. 7. It may also be implied in what is said by the apostle Jude (vs. 14, 15), that ' he prophesied, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints,' &c. From this it would ap pear that he was a preacher; that he predicted the coming of the Lord to judgment, and that he lived in the firm belief of what was to occur in future times. Moses does not say expressly that Enoch was translated. He says "he was not, for God took him." The expression 'he was not/

cause God had translated him: for before his translation he had

means he was no more among men; or he was removed from the earth. This language would be applicable to any method by which he was re moved, whether by dying, or by being translated. A similar expression re specting Romulus occurs in Livy <i. 16), Nee deinde in terris Romulus fuit. The translation of the Septuagint on this part of the verse in Gene sis is, ovxevpio-KfTo — ' was not found;' that is, he disappeared. The author ity for what the apostle says here that he ' was translated,' is found in the other phrase in Genesis, 'God took him.' The reasons which led to the statement that he was translated with out seeing death, or that show that this is a fair conclusion from the words in Genesis, are such as these. (1.) There is no mention made of his death, and in this respect the account of Enoch stands by itself. It is, ex cept in this case, the uniform cus tom of Moses to mention the age and the death of the individuals whose biography he records, and in many cases this is about all that is said of them. But in regard to Enoch there is this remarkable exception that no record is made of his death — showing that there was something unusual in the manner of his removal from the world. (2.) The Hebrew word used by Moses, found in such a connexion, is one which would rather suggest the idea that be had been taken in some extraordinary manner from the take — with the idea of taking to one's self. Thus Gen. viii. 20, « Noah took of all beasts and offered a burnt-offer ing.' Thus it is often used in the sense of taking a wife — that is, to one's self (Gen. iv. 19; vi. 2; xii. 19; xix. 14); and then it is used in the sense of taking away. Gen. xiv. 12; xxvii. 35; Job i. 21; xii. 20; Ps. xxxi. 14; Jer. xv. 15. The Avorld therefore, would naturally suggest the idea that he had been taken by God to himself, or had this testimony, that he pleased been removed in an extraordinary manner from the earth. This is con firmed by the fact that the word is not used anywhere in the Scriptures to denote a removal by death, and that in the only other instance in which it

(Hp 7) is used in relation to a removal from this world, it occurs in the state ment respecting the translation of Elijah* " And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel, came forth to Elisha, and said to him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away (Hftb) thy master from thy head to-day?" II. Rings ii. 3. 5; comp. ver. 11. This transaction where there could be no doubt about the manner of the re moval, shows in Avhat sense the word is used in Genesis, (3.) It was so un derstood by the translators, of tho Septuagint. The apostle has used the same word in this place which is em ployed by the Seventy in Gen. v. 24 — /ieran'$f//Lu. This word means to trans pose, to put in another place; and then to transport, transfer, translate. Acts vii. 16; Heb. vii. 12. It pro perly expresses the removal to another place, and is the very Avord which would be used on the supposition that one was taken to heaven without dy ing. (4.) This interpretation of the passage in Genesis by Paul is in ac cordance Avith the uniform interpreta tion of the JCAVS. In the Targum of Onkelos it is evidently supposed that Enoch Avas translated Avithout dying. In that Targum the passage in Gen. v. 24 is rendered ' And Enoch Avalked in the fear of the Lord, and Avas not i for the Lord did not put him to death, ' Wb So also in Ec- clesiasticus or the Son of Sirach (xlix. 14), " But upon the earth Avas no man created like Enoch; for he Avas taken from the earth." These opinions of the Jews and of the early translators, are of value only as showing that the interpretation which Paul has put upon Gen. v. 24 is the natural inter pretation. It is such as occurs to se parate writers, without collusion, and this shows that this is the meaning most naturally suggested by the pas sage. ^[ That lie should not see death. That is, that he should not experience death, or be made personally ac quainted with it. The word taste often occurs in the same sense. Heb. ii. 9. " That he should taste death for every man. Comp. Matt. xvi. 28; Mark ix. 1; Luke ix. 27. And was not found Gen. v. 24. " And he was not=" That is, he was not in the land of the living. Paul retains the word used in the Septuagint. ^[ He had this testimony, that he pleased God. Im plied in the declaration in Gen. v. 22, that he " walked with God." This denotes a state of friendship between God and him, and of course implies that his conduct was pleasing to God. The apostle appeals here to the sense of the account in Genesis, but does not retain the very words. The mean ing here is not that the testimony re specting Enoch was actually given before his translation, but that the testimony relates to his having pleased God before he was removed. — Stuart. In regard to this instructive fragment of history, and to the reasons why Enoch was thus removed, we may make the following remarks. (1.) The age in Avhich he lived was undoubt edly one of great wickedness. Enoch is selected as the only one of that ge neration signalised by eminent piety, and he appears to have spent his life in publicly reproving a sinful genera tion, and in warning them of the ap proaching judgment. Jude 14, 15. The wickedness which ultimately led to the universal deluge seems already to have commenced in the earth, and Enoch, like Noah, his great-grand son, was raised up as a preacher of righteousness to reprove a sinful gen- • eration. (2.) It is not improbable that the great truths of religion in that age were extensively denied, and pro bably among other things the future state, the resurrection, the belief that man would exist in another world, I and that it was maintained that death was the end of being — was an eternal sleep. If so, nothing could be better adapted to correct the prevailing evils than the removal of an eminent man, without dying from the world. His departure would thus confirm the in structions of his life, and his removal, like the death of saints often now, would serve to make an impression which his living instructions would not. (3.) His removal is, in itself, a very important and instructive fact in history. It has occurred in no other instances except that of Elijah; nor has any other living man been translated to heaven except the Lord Jesus. That fact was instructive in a great many respects. («) It showed that there was a future state— another world. (6) It shows that the body might exist in that future state — though doubtless so changed as to adapt it to the condition of things there, (c) It prepared the world to credit the account of the ascension of the Kedeemer. If Enoch and Elijah were removed thus without dying, there was no intrinsic improbability that the Lord Jesus would be removed after having died and risen again, (c?) It furnishes a demonstration of the doctrine that the saints will exist here after, which meets all the argu ments of the sceptic and the infidel One single fact overt urns all the mere speculations of philosophy, and ren ders nugatory all the objections of the sceptic. The infidel argues against the truth of the resurrection and of the future state from the difficulties attending the doctrine. A single case of one who has been raised up from the dead, or who has been removed to heaven, annihilates all such argu ments — for how can supposed difficul ties destroy a well authenticated fact f (e) It is an encouragement to piety. It shows that God regards his friends; that their fidelity and holy living please him; and that in the midst of eminent wickedness and a scoffing world it is possible so to live as to please God. The conduct of this holy man, therefore, is an encouragement

6 But without faith it is im possible to please a him: for he

to us to do our duty though we stand alone; and to defend the truth though all who live with us upon the earth deny and deride it. (4.) The removal of Enoch shows that the same thing would be possible in the case of every saint. God could do it in other cases, as well as in his, with equal ease. That his friends, therefore, are suf fered to remain on the earth; that they ling-er on in enfeebled health, or are crushed by caliimity, or are stricken down by the pestilence as others are, is not because God could not remove them as Enoch was with out dying, but because there is some important reason why they should re main and linger, and suffer, and die. Among other reasons may be such as the following, (a) The regular ope ration of the laws of nature as now constituted, require it. Vegetables die; the inhabitants of the deep die; the fowls that fly in the air, and the beasts that rove over hills and plains die; and man, by his sins, is brought under the operation of this great uni versal law. It would be possible in deed for God to save his pecfple from this law, but it would require the in terposition of continued miracles, and it is better to have the laws of nature regularly operating, than to have them constantly set aside by divine inter position, (i) The power of religion is now better illustrated, in the way in which the saints are actuaUy re moved from the earth, than it would be if they Avere all translated. Its power is now seen in its enabling us to overcome the dread of death, and in its supporting us in the pains and sorrows of the departing hour. It is a good thing to discipline the soul so that it will not fear to die; it shows how superior religion is to all the forms of philosophy, that it enables the believer to look calmly forward to his own certain approaching death. It is an important matter to keep this up from age to age, and to show to each generation that religion can overcome the natural apprehension of the most fearful calamity which befalls a creature — death; and can make a man calm in the prospect of lying beneath the clods of the valley, cold, dark, alone, to moulder back to his native dust, (c) The death of the Christian does good. It preaches to the living. The calm resignation • the peace; the triumph of the dying believer, is a constant admonition to a thoughtless and wicked world. The deathbed of the Christian proclaims the mercy of God from generation to generation, and there is not a dying saint who may not, and who probably does not do great good in the closing hours of his earthly being, (e/) It may be added that the present ar rangement falls in with the general laws of religion that we are to be in fluenced by faith, not by sight. If all Christians were removed like Enoch, it would be an argument for the truth of religion addressed constantly to the senses. But this is not the way in which the evidence of the truth of re ligion is proposed to man. It is sub mitted to his understanding, his con science, his heart; and in this there is of design a broad distinction be tween religion and other things. Men act in other matters under the influ ence of the senses; it is designed that in religion they shall act under the influence of higher and nobler consi derations, and that they shall be in fluenced not solely by a reference to what is passing before their eyes, but to the things Avhich are not seen.

6. But without faith it is impossible to please him. Without confidence in God — in his fidelity, his truth, his wisdom, his promises. And this is as true in other things as in religion. It is impossible for a child to please his father unless he has confidence in him. It is impossible for a wife to please her husband, or a husband a wife, unless they have confidence in each other. If there is distrust and jealousy on either part, there is dia-

believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that dili gently seek him.

7 By faith Noah a being

•cord and misery. We cannot be pleased with a professed friend unless he has such confidence in us as to believe our declarations and promises. The same thing is true of God. He cannot be pleased with the man who has no confidence in him; who doubts the truth of his declarations and pro mises; who does not believe that his ways are right, or that he is qualified for universal empire. The require ment of faith or confidence in God is not arbitrary; it is just what we re quire of our children, and partners in life, and friends, as the indispensable •condition of our being pleased with them. ^ For he that cometh to God. In any way — as a worshipper. This is alike required in public worship, in the family, and in secret devotion. ^ Must believe that he is. That God exists. This is the first thing required in worship. Evidently we cannot come to him in an acceptable manner if we doubt his existence. We do not see him, but we must believe that he is; we cannot form in our mind a correct image of God, but this should not prevent a conviction that there is such a Being. But the declaration here implies more than that there should be a general persuasion of the truth that there is a God. It is ne cessary that we have this belief in lively exercise in the act of drawing near to him, and that we should real ise that we are actuary in the pre- -senceof the all-seeing JEHOVAH. ^And that he is a rewarder of them that dili gently seek him. This is equally ne- -cessary as the belief that he exists. If we could not believe that God would Jhear and answer our prayers, there -could be no encouragement to call upon him. It is not meant here that the desire of the reward is to be the motive for seeking God— for the apos tle makes no affirmation on that point; but that it is impossible to

warned of God of things not seen as yet, l moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving

7. By faith Noah. It is less diffi cult to see that Noah must have been influenced by faith than that Abel and Enoch were. Every thing which Noah did in reference to the threat ened deluge, was done in virtue of simple faith or belief of what God said. It was not because he could show from the course of events that things were tending to such a catas trophe; or because such an event had occurred before, rendering it proba ble that it would be likely to occur again; or because this was the com mon belief of men, and it was easy to fall into this himself. It was sim ply because God had informed him of it, and he put unwavering reliance on the truth of the divine declaration. ^[ Being warned of God. Gen. vL 13. The Greek word here used means divinely admonished. Cornp. ch. viii. 5. ^f Of things not seen as yet. Of the flood which was yet future. The meaning is, that there were no visi ble signs of it; there was nothing which could be a basis of calculation that it would occur. This admoni tion was given a hundred and twenty years before the deluge, and of course long before there could have been any natural indications that it would oc cur. Moved with fear. Marg. JBeingwary. The Greek word evXa/fy- 0fis— occurs only here and in Acts xxiii. 10. " The chief captain fear ing lest Paul," &c. The noun occurs in Heb. v. 7. " And was heard in that he feared" (See Note on that place), and in Heb. xii. 28. "With rever ence and godly fear*- The verb pro perly means, to act with caution, to be circumspect, and then to fear, to be afraid. So far as the word is con cerned, it might mean here that Noah was influenced by the dread of what wa£ fuming, or it may mean that he of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and be- was influenced by proper caution and reverence for God. The latter mean ing agrees better with the scope oi the remarks of Paul, and is probably the true sense. His reverence and respect for God induced him to act under the belief that what he had said was true, and that the calamity which he had predicted would cer tainly come upon the world. ^[ Pre pared an ark to the saving of his house. In order that his family might be saved. Gen. vi. 14 — 22. The salva tion here referred to was preservation from the flood. ^ By the which. By which faith. ^[ He condemned the world. That is, the wicked world around him. The meaning is, that by his confidence in God, and his pre paration for the flood, he showed the wisdom of his own course and the folly of theirs. We have the same phrase now in common use where one who sets a good example is said to ' condemn others.' He shows the guilt and folly of their lives by the contrast between his conduct and theirs. The wickedness of the sin ner is condemned not only by preach ing, and by the admonitions and threatenings of the law of God, but by the conduct of every good man. The language of such a life is as plain a rebuke of the sinner as the most fearful denunciations of divine wrath. ^[ And became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. The phrase 'heir of righteousness' here means properly that he acquired, gain ed, or became possessed of that right eousness. It does not refer so much to the mode by which it was done as if it were by inheritance, as to the fact that he obtained it. The word heir is used in this general sense in Rom. iv. 13, 14; Titus iii. 7; Heb. i. 2; vi. 17. Noah was not the heir to that righteousness by inheriting it from his ancestors, but in virtue of it he was regarded as among the heirs or sons of God, and as being a pos sessor of that righteousness which is

came heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

connected with faith. The phrase ' righteousness which is by faith' re fers to the fact that he was regarded and treated as a righteous man. Notes on Horn. i. 17. It is observable here that it is not said that Noah had spe cific faith in Christ, or that his being made heir of the righteousness of faith depended on that, but it was in connexion with his believing what God said respecting the deluge. It was faith or confidence in God which was the ground of his justification, in accordance with the general doc trine of the Scriptures that it is only by faith that man can be saved, though the specific mode of faith was not that which is required now under the gospel. In the early ages of the world, when few truths were revealed, a cor dial belief of any of those truths showed that there was real confidence in God, or that the principle of faith was in the heart; in the fuller reve lation which we enjoy, we are not only to believe those truths, but spe cifically to believe in him who has made the ^reat atonement for sin, and by whose merits ah1 have been saved who have entered heaven. The same faith or confidence in God which led Noah to believe what God said about the deluge would have led him to be lieve what he has said about the Kedeemer; and the same confidence in God which led him to commit him self to his safe keeping in an ark on the world of waters, would have led him to commit his soul to the safe keeping of the Redeemer, the true ark of safety. As the principle of faith, therefore, existed in the heart of Noah, it was proper that he should become, with others, an ' heir of the righteousness by faith.' In regard to the circumstances which show the strength of his faith, we may make;he following remarks. (1.) It per-;ained to a very distant future event. [t looked forward to that which was to happen after a lapse of an hundred and twenty years. This was known to Noah (Gen. vi. 3), and at this long period before it occurred, he was to bejnn to build an ark to save himself and family; to act as though this would be undoubtedly true. This is a much longer period than man now is required to exercise faith before that is realised which is the object of belief. Kare is it that three-score years intervene between the time when a man first believes in God and when he enters into heaven; much more frequently it is but a few months or days; not an instance now occurs in which the period is lengthened out to an hundred and twenty years. (2.) There was no outward evidence that what Noah believed would occur. There were no appearances in nature which indicated that there would be such a flood of waters after more than a century had passed away. There were no breakings up of the fountains of the deep; no marks of the far-dis tant storm gathering on the sky which could be the basis of the calculation. The word of God was the only ground of evidence; the only thing to which he could refer gainsayers and revilers. It is so now. There are no visible signs of the coming of the Saviour to judge the world. Yet the true be liever feels and acts as if it were so —resting on the sure word of God. (3.) The course of things was much against the truth of what Noah be lieved. No such event had ever oc curred. There is no evidence that there had ever been a storm of rain half sufficient to drown the world; or that there had ever been the breaking up of the deep, or that there had been ever a partial deluge. For sixteen hundred years the course of nature had been uniform, and all the force of this uniformity would be felt and urged when it should be alleged that this was to be disturbed, and to give place to an entire new order of events. Comp. II. Pet. iii. 4. The same thing is now felt in regard to the objects of the Christian faith. The course of events is uniform. The laws of na ture are regular and steady. The dead do not leave their graves. Sea sons succeed each other in regular succession; men are born, live, and die as in former times; fire does not wrap the earth in flames; the elements do not melt with fervent heat; seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter follow each other, and ' ah1 things continue as they Avere from the beginning of the creation.' How many probabili ties are there now, therefore, as there were in the time of Noah, against that which is the object of faith! (4.) It is not improbable that when Noah pro claimed the approaching destruction of the world by a deluge, the possi bility of such an event was strongly denied by the philosophers of that age. The fact that such an event could have occurred has been denied by infidel philosophers in our own times, and attempts have been gravely made to show that the earth did not contain water enough to cover its sur face to the height mentioned in the Scriptures, and that no condensation of the vapour in the atmosphere could produce such an effect. It is not im probable that some such arguments may have been used in the time of Noah, and it is morally certain that he could not meet those arguments by any philosophy of his own. There is no reason to think that he was endowed with such a knowledge of chemistry as to be able to show that such a thing was possible, or that he had such an acquaintance with the struc ture of the earth, as to demonstrate that it contained within itself the ele ments of its own destruction. All that he could oppose to such specula tions was the simple declaration of God; and the same thing is also true now in regard to the cavils and phi losophical arguments of infidelity. Objections drawn from philosophy are often made against the doctrine of the resurrection of the body; the destruc tion of the earth by the agency of fire; and even the existence of the soul after death. These difficulties may be obviated partly by science; but the proof that these events will occur, does not depend on science. It is a matter of simple faith; and all tha we can in fact oppose to these objec tions is the declaration of God. The result showed that Noah Avas not a fool or a fanatic in trusting to the word of God against the philosophy of his age; and the result will shov the same of the Christian in his con fiding in the truth of the divine de^ clarations against the philosophy o: his age. (5.) It is beyond all ques tion that Noah would be subjected to much ridicule and scorn. He wouk be regarded as a dreamer; a fanatic an alarmist; a wild projector. The purpose of making preparation for such an event as the flood, to occur after the lapse of an hundred anc twenty years, and when there were no indications of it, and all appear ances were against it, would be regard ed as in the highest degree wild and visionary. The design of building a vessel which would outride the storm, and which would live in such an open sea, and which would contain all sorts of animals with the food for them for an indefinite period, could not but have been regarded as eminently ridicu lous. When the ark was preparing, nothing could have been a more hap py subject for scoffing and jibes. In such an age, therefore, and in such circumstances, we may suppose that ah1 the means possible would have been resorted to, to pour contempt on such an undertaking. They who had wit, would find he»*e an ample subject for its exercise; if ballads were made then, no more fertile theme for a pro fane song could be derived than this; and in the haunts of revelry, intem perance, and pollution, nothing would furnish a finer topic to give point to a jest, than the credulity and folly of the old man who was building the ark. It would require strong faith to contend thus with the wit, the sar casm, the contempt, the raillery, and the low jesting, as well as with the wisdom and philosophy of a whole world. Yet it is a fair illustration of what occurs often now, and of the strength of that faith in the Christian heart which meets meekly and calmly the scoffs and jeers of a wicked gene ration. (6.) All this Avould be height ened by delay. The time was distant. What noAv completes four generations would have passed away before the event predicted Avould occur. Youth grew up to manhood, and manhood passed on to old age, and still there were no signs of the coming storm. That was no feeble faith Avhich could hold on in this manner for an hun dred and tAventy years, believing un waveringly that all which God had said would be accomplished. But it is an illustration of faith in the Chris tian church now. The church main tains the same confidence in God from age to age — arid regardless of all the reproaches of scoffers, and all the ar guments of philosophy, still adheres to the truths which God has revealed. So with individual Christians. They look for the promise. They are ex"- pecting heaven. They doubt not that the time will come when they AT ill be received to glory; when their bodies Avill be raised up glorified and im mortal, and when sin and sorrow will be no more. In the conflicts and trials of life the time of. their de liverance may seem to be long de layed. The world may reproach them, and Satan may tempt them to doubt whether all their hope of hea ven is not delusion. But their faith fails not, and though hope seems de- "ayed, and their heart is sick, yet they keep the eye on heaven. So it is in regard to the final triumphs of the gospel. The Christian looks forward;o the time when the earth shall be 'ull of the knoAvledge of God as the waters cover the sea. Yet that time nay seem to be long delayed. Wick edness triumphs. A large part of the earth is still filled with the habitaions of cruelty. The progress of the gospel is slow. The church comes up reluctantly to the work. The ene mies of the cause exult and rejoice, nd ask Avith scoffing triumph where a the evidence that the nations will >e converted to God? They suggest ifficulties; they refer to the numers, and to the opposition of the ene-

8 By faith Abraham a when he was called to go out into a place which he should after re- » Ge. 12. i, 4, &c.

ceive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in

mies of the true religion; to the might of kingdoms, and to the power of fixed opinion, and to the hold which idolatry has on mankind, and they sneeringly inquire at what pe riod will the world be converted to Christ? Yet in the face of all diffi culties, and arguments, and sneers, faith confides in the promise of the Father to the Son, that the « heathen shall be given to him for an inherit ance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession.' Ps. ii. 8. The faith of the true Christian is as strong in the fulfilment of this promise, as that of Noah was in the assurance that the guilty Avorld would be de stroyed by a flood of waters.

8 By faith Abraham. There is no difficulty in determining that Abra ham was influenced by faith in God. The case is even stronger than that of Noah, for it is expressly declared, Gen. xv. 6, " And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Comp. Notes Rom. iv. 1 — 5. In the illustrations of the power of faith in this chapter, the apostle appeals to two instances in which it was exhibited by Abraham, * the father of the faithful.' Each of these required confidence in God of extraordinary strength, and each of them demanded a special and honour able mention. The first was that when he left his own country to go to a distant land of strangers (vs. 8 — 10); the other when he showed his readiness to sacrifice his own son in obedience to the will of God. Vs. 17 -—•19. ^ When he icas called. Gen. xii. l. " Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." f Into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed. To Palestine, or the land of Canaan, though that was not indicated at the time. *[ And he went out not knowing whither he went. Gen. xii. 4. Abraham at that time took with him Sarai, and Lot the son of his brother, and " the souls that they had gotten in Haran." Terah, the father of Abraham, started on the journey with them, but died in Haran. Gen. xi. 31, 32. The original call was made tc Abraham, (Gen. xii. 1; Acts vii. 2, 3), but he appears to have induced his father and his nephew to accompany him. At this time he had no children (Gen. xi. 30), though it seems proba ble that Lot had. Gen. xii. 5. Some, however, understand the expression in Gen. xii. 5, " and the souls they had gotten in Haran," as referring to the servants or domestics that they had in various ways procured, and to the fact that Abraham and Lot gra dually drew around them a train of dependants and followers who were disposed to unite with them, and ac company them wherever they went. The Chaldee Paraphrast understands it of the proselytes which Abraham had made there — " All the souls which he had subdued unto the law." When it is said that Abraham ' went out not knowing whither he went,' it must be understood as meaning that he was ignorant to what country he would in fact be led. If it be sup posed that he had some general inti mation of the nature of that country, and of the direction in which it was situated, yet it must be remem jered that the knowledge of geography was then exceedingly imperfect; that this was a distant country; that it lay beyond a pathless desert, and that probably no traveller had ever come from that land to apprise him what it was. All this serves to show what was the strength of the faith of Abra ham.

the land of promise, as in a strange country, a dwelling1 in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

The land of Canaan that had been promised to him and his posterity. He resided there as (/he were a stran ger and sojourner. He had no pos sessions there which he did not pro cure by honest purchase; he owned no land in fee simple except the small piece which he bought for a burial place. See Gen. xxiii. 7 — 20. In all respects he lived there as if he had no peculiar right in the soil; as if he never expected to own it; as if he were in a country wholly owned by others. He exercised no privileges which might not have been exercised by any foreigner, and which was not regarded as a right of common — that of feeding his cattle in any unoccu pied part of the land; and he would have had no power of ejecting any other persons excepting that which au3r one might have enjoyed by the pre-occupancy of the pasture-grounds. To all intents and purposes he was a stranger. Yet he seems to have lived in the confident and quiet expectation that that land would at some period come into the possession of his pos terity. It was a strong instance of faith that he should cherish this be lief for so long a time, when he was a stranger there; when he gained no right in the soil except in the small piece that was purchased as a burialplace for his wife, and when he saw old age coming on and still the whole land in the possession of others. ^T Dwelling in tabernacles. In tents— the common mode of living in coun tries where the principal occupation is that of keeping flocks and herds. His dwelling thus in moveable tents looked little like its being his perma nent possession, ^f With Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. That is, the same thing oc curred in regard to them, which had to Abraham. They also lived in tents.

10 For he looked for a city b which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

They acquired no fixed property, and no title to the land except to the small portion purchased as a burial-place. Yet they wrere heirs of the same promise as Abraham, that the land would be theirs. Though it was still owned by others, and filled with its native inhabitants, yet they adhered to the belief that it would come into the possession of their families. In their moveable habitations; in their migrations from place to place, they seem never to have doubted that the fixed habitation of their posterity was to be there, and that all that had been promised wrould be certainly fulfilled. 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations. It has been doubted to what the apostle here refers. Grotius and some others suppose, that he refers to Jerusalem, as a permanent dwelling for his posterity, in contra distinction from the unsettled mode of life which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob led. But there is no evidence that Abraham looked forward to the building of such a city, for no promise was made to him of this kind; and this interpretation falls evidently be low the whole drift of the passage. Comp. vs. 14 — 16; ch. xii. 22; xiii. 14. Phrases like that of ' the city of God,' ' a city with foundations,' ' the new Jerusalem,' and 'the heavenly Jerusalem' in the time of the apostle, appear to have acquired a kind of tech nical signification. They referred to heaven— of which Jerusalem, the seat of the worship of God, seems to have been regarded as the emblem. Thus in ch. xii. 22, the apostle speaks of the ' heavenly Jerusalem,' and in ch. xiii. 14, he says, 'here have we no con tinuing city, but we seek one to come. In Kev. xxi. 2, John says that he 'saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God, out of hea ven,' and proceeds in that chapter and the following to give a most beautiful description of it. Even so eai'ly as the time of Abraham, it would seem that the future blessedness of the righteous was foretold under the im age of a splendid city reared on per manent foundations. It is remarkable that Moses does not mention this as an object of the faith of Abraham, and it is impossible to ascertain the degree of distinctness which this had in his view. It is pr6bable that the Apostle in speaking of his faith in this particular did not rely on any distinct record, or even any tradition, but spoke of his piety in the lan guage which he would use to charac terise religion of any age, or in any individual. He was accustomed, in common with others of his time, to contemplate the future blessedness of the righteous under the image of a beautiful city; a place where the worship of God would be celebrated •*br ever — a city of which Jerusalem was the most striking representation to the mind of a Jew. It was natural for him to speak of strong piety in this manner wherever it existed, and especially in such a case as that of Abraham, who left his own habita tion to wander in a distant land. This fact showed that he regarded himself as a stranger and sojourner, and yet he had a strong expectation of a fixed habitation, and a permanent inheritance. He must, therefore, have looked on to the permanent abodes of the righteous; the heavenly city; — and though he had an undoubted con fidence that the promised land would be given to his posterity, yet as he did not possess it himself, he must have looked for his own permanent abode to the fixed residence of the just in heaven. This passage seems to me to prove that Abraham had an expectation of future happiness after death. There is not the slightest evi dence that he supposed there would be a magnificent and glorious capital where the Messiah would personally reign, and where the righteous dead, raised from their graves, would dwell in the second advent of the Redeemer.

j All that the passage fairly implies is, that while Abraham expected the possession of the promised land for his posterity, yet his faith looked beyond j this for a permanent home in a future world. *j[ Whose builder and maker is God. Which would not be reared by the agency of man, but of which God was the immediate and direct architect. This shows conclusively, I think, that the reference in this allusion to the " city" is not to Jerusalem, as Grotius supposes; but the language is just such as will appropriately describe heaven, represented as a city reared without human hands or art, and founded and fashioned by the skill and power of the Deity. Comp. Notes on II. Cor. v. 1. The language here applied to God as the ' architect' or framer of the universe, is often used in the classic writers. See Kuinoel and Wetstein. The apostle here com mends the faith of Abraham as emi nently strong. The following hints will furnish topics of reflection to those who are disposed to inquire more fully into its strength. (1.) The jour ney which he undertook was then a long and dangerous one. The dis tance from Haran to Palestine by a direct route was not less than four hundred miles, and this journey lay across a vast desert — a part of Ara bia Deserta. That journey has al ways been tedious and perilous; but to see its real difficulty, we must put ourselves into the position in which the world was four thousand years ago. There was no knowledge of the way; no frequented path; no fa cility for travelling; no turnpike or railway; and such a journey then must have appeared incomparably more perilous than almost any which could now be undertaken. (2.) He was going among strangers. Who they were he knew not; but the im pression could not but have been made on his mind that they were strangers to religion, and that a residence among them would be any thing but desira ble. (3.) He was leaving country, and home, and friends; the place of his birth and the graves of his fathers,

11 Through faith also Saral. * herself received strength to con ceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past

12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good

with the moral certainty that he would see them no more. (4.) H had no right to the country which he went to receive. He could urge no claim on the ground of discovery, or inher itance, or conquest at any former pe riod; but though he went in a peace ful manner, and with no power to take it, and could urge no claim to it whatever, yet he went with the utmost confidence that it would be his. He did not even expect to buy it — for he had no means to do this, and it seems never to have entered his rnind to bar gain for it iu any way, except for the small portion that he needed for a burying-ground. ( 5.) He had no means of obtaining possession. He had no wealth to purchase it; no armies to <-onquer it; no title to it which could he enforced before the tribunals of the land. The prospect of obtaining* i t must have t>eeii distant, and probably he saw no means by which it was t > be done. In such a case, his only j hope could be in God. (6.) It is not i impossible that the enterprise in that i age might have been treated by the friends of the patriarch as perfectly wild and visionary. The prevailing religion evidently was idolatry, and the claim which Abraham set up to a spe cial call from the Most High, might have been deemed entirely fanatical. To start off on a journey through a pathless desert; to leave his countrv and home, and all that he held deaf, when he himself knew not whither he went; to go with no means of con quest, but- with the expectation that the distant and unknown land would be giren him, could i<ot but have been regarded as a singular instance of visionary hope. The whole transac tion, therefore, w as in the highest de gree an act of simple confidence in God, where there was no human ba sis of calculation, and where all the principles on which men commonly act would have led him to pursue just the contrary course. It is, therefore, not without reason, that the faith of Abraham is so commended.

11. Through faith also Sarah her self received strength to conceive seed. The word ' herself here — avrrj — im plies that there was something re markable in the fact that she should manifest this faith. Perhaps there may be reference "here to the incredu lity with Avhich she at first received the announcement that she should have a child. Gen. xviii. 11, 13. Even her strong incredulity was overcome, and though every thing seemed to render what was announced impos sible, and though she was so much disposed to laugh, at the very sugges tion at first, yet her unbelief was over come, and she ultimately credited the divine promise. The apostle does not state the authority for his assertion that the strength of Sarah was de rived from her faith, nor when particu larly it was exercised. The argu ment seems to be, that here was a case where all human probabilities were against what was predicted, and where, therefore, there must have been simple trust in God. Nothing else but faith could have led her to believe that in her old age she would have borne a son. ^[ When she was past aye. She was at this time more than ninety years of age. Gen. xvii. 17. Comp. Gen. xvii. 11- ^[ Because she judged him faithful who liad pro mised. She had no other ground of confidence or expectation. All hu man probability was against the sup position that at her time of life she would be a mother.

12. Therefore sprang there even of one. From a single individual. What is observed here by the apostle as wor thy of remark is, that the whole Jew-

as dead, so many* as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

13 These all died1 in faith, not having received the pro-

ish people sprang from one man, and that as the reward of his strong faith he was made the father and founder of a nation, ^f And him as good as dead. So far as the subject under discussion is concerned. To human appearance there was no more proba bility that he Avould have a son at that period of life than that the dead would have. ^[ So many as the stars in the sky, &c. An innumerable mul titude. This was agreeable to the promise. Gen. xv. 5;xxii.!7. The phrases here used are often employed to denote a vast multitude, as nothing appears more numerous than the stars of heaven, or than the sands that lie on the shores of the ocean. The strength of faith in this case was, that there was simple confidence in God in the fulfilment of a promise where all human probabilities were against it. This is, therefore, an illustration of the nature of faith. It does not depend on human reasoning; on anal ogy; on philosophical probabilities; on the foreseen operation of natural laws; but on the mere assurance of God — no matter what may be the difficul ties to human view, or the improba bilities against it.

13 These all died in faith. That is, those who had been just mentioned — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah. It was true of Abel and Noah also that they died in faith, but they are not included in this declaration, for the ' promises' were not particularly entrusted to them, and if the word 'these' be made to include them it must include Enoch also, who did not die at all. The phrase here used, 'these all died in faith,' does not mean that they died in the exercise or pos session of religion, but more strictly that they died not having possessed

mises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed11 that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

what was the object of their faith. They had been looking for something future, which they did not obtain during their lifetime, and died believng that it would yet be theirs. ^ Not having received the promises. That is, not having received the fulfilment of the promises: or the promised bless ings. The promises themselves they had received. Comp. Luke xxiv. 49; Actsi. 4. 11. 16; Gal. iii. 14, and vs. 33, 39 of this chapter. In all these places the word promise is used by Metonymy for the thing promised. But having seen them afar off. Hav ing seen that they would be fulfilled in future times. Comp. John viii. 56. It is probable that the apostle here means that they saw the entire fulfil ment of all that the promises embraced in the future, that is, the bestow ment of the land of Canaan, the certainty of a numerous posterity, and of the entrance into the heavenly Canaan —the world of fixed and permanent rest. According to the reasoning of the apostle here the ' promises' to which they trusted included all these things. ^[ And were persuaded of them. Had no doubt of their reality. ^[ And embraced them. This word implies more than our word embrace frequently does; that is, to receive as true. It means properly to draw to one's self; and then to embrace as one does a friend from whom he has been separated. It then means to greet, salute, welcome, and here means a joyful greeting of those promises; or a pressing them to the heart as we do a friend. It was not a cold and for mal reception of them, but a warm and hearty welcome. Such is the na ture of true faith when it embraces the promises of salvation. No act of pressing a friend to the bosom is ever

14 For they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a country.

15 And truly if they had been

more warm and cordial, ^f And con fessed that they were strangers. Thus Abraham said (Gen. xxiii. 4). " I am a stranger and a sojourner with you." That is, he regarded himself as a fo reigner: as having no home and no possessions there. It was on this ground that he proposed to buy a bu rial-place of the sons of Heth. ^j And pilgrims. This is the word— 7rape7r%- p.os — which is used by Abraham, as rendered by the Lxx. in Gen. xxiii. 4, and which is there translated ' so journer' in the common English ver sion. The word pilgrim means pro perly a wanderer, a traveller, and par ticularly one who leaves his own country to visit a holy place. This sense does not quite suit the meaning here, or in Gen. xxiii. 4. The Hebrew word — ^tEn — means properly one who dicells in a place, and particularly one who is a mere resident without the rights of a citizen. The Greek word means a by-resident; one who lives by another; or among a people not his own. This is the idea here. It is not that they confessed them selves to be wanderers, or that they had left their home to visit a holy place, but that they resided as mere sojourner s in a country that was not theirs. What might be their ultimate destination, or their purpose, is not implied in the meaning of the word. They were such as reside awhile among another people, but have no permanent home there. ^[ On the earth. the phrase here used — eVi rrjs yr/s — might mean merely on the land of Canaan, but the apostle evidently uses it in a larger sense, as denoting the earth in general. There can be no doubt that this accords with the views which the patriarchs had — regarding themselves not only as strangers in the land of Canaan, but feeling that the same thing was true in reference to their whole residence upon the earth — that it was not their perma nent home.

14 For they that say sudi things, &c. That speak of themselves as having come into a land of strangers; and that negotiate for a small piece of land, not to cultivate, but to bury their dead. So we should think of any strange people coming among us now — who lived in tents; who frequently changed their residence; who be came the purchasers of no land ex cept to bury their dead, and who never spake of becoming permanent residents. We should think that they were in search of some place as their home, and that they had not yet found it. Such people were the" Hebrew patriarchs. They lived and acted just as if they had not yet found a perma nent habitation, but were travelling in search of one.

15. And truly if they had been mind ful of that country, &c. If they had remembered it with sufficient interest and affection to have made them de sirous to return. ^ They might have had opportunity to have returned. The journey was not so long or perilous that they could not have retraced their steps. It would have been no more difficult or dangerous for them to do that than it was to make the journey at first. This shows that their re maining as strangers and sojourners in the land of Canaan was voluntary. They preferred it, with all its incon veniences and hardships, to a return to their native land. The same thing is true of all the people of God now. [f they choose to return to the world, and to engage again in all its vain pursuits, there is nothing to hinder;hem. There are ' opportunities ' enough. There are abundant induce ments held out. There are numerous 'ay and worldly friends who would regard it as a matter of joy and tri.

16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an hea venly: wherefore God is not

ashamed to be called their God:a for he hath prepared for them a city.b

umph to have them return to vanity and folly again. They would welcome them to their society; rejoice to have them participate in their pleasures; and be willing that they should share in the honours and the wealth of the world. And they might do it. There are multitudes of Christians who could grace, as they once did, the ball-room; who could charm the social party by song and wit; who could rise to the highest posts of of fice, or compete successfully with others in the race for the acquisition of fame. They have seen and tasted enough of the vain pursuits of the world to satisfy them with their va nity; they are convinced of the sinfulness of making these things the great objects of living; their affec tions are now fixed on higher and nobler objects, and they choose not to return to those pursuits again, but to live as strangers and sojourners on the earth — for there is nothing more voluntary than religion.

16. But now they desire a better ^untry, that is, an heavenly. That is, at the time referred to when they con fessed that they were strangers and sojourners, they showed that they sought a better country than the one which they had left. They lived as if they had no expectation of a per manent residence on earth, and were looking to another world. The argu ment of the apostle here appears to be based on what is apparent from the whole history, that they had a confident belief that the land of Ca naan would be given to their posterity, but as for themselves they had no ex pectation of permanently dwelling there, but looked to a home in the heavenly country. Hence they formed no plans for conquest; they laid claim to no title in the soil; they made no purchases of farms for cultivation; they lived and died without owning any land except enough to bury their dead. All this appears as if they looked for a final home in a 'better country, even a heavenly.' ^[ Where fore God is not ashamed to be called their God. Since they had such an elevated aim, he was willing to speak of himself as their God and Friend. They acted as became his friends, and he was not ashamed of the rela tion which he sustained to them. The language to which the apostle evi dently refers here is that which is found in Ex. iii. 6, " I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." We are not to sup pose that God is ever ashamed of any thing that he does. The meaning here is, that they had acted in such a manner that it was fit that he should show towards them the character of a Benefactor, Protector, and Friend.

^f For he hath preparedfor them a city. Such as they had expected— a hea venly residence. Ver. 10. There is evidently here a reference to heaven, represented as a city — the New Jeru salem — prepared for his people by God himself. Compare Notes on Matt. xxv. 34. Thus they obtained what they had looked for by faith. The wan dering and unsettled patriarchs to whom the promise was made, and who showed all their lives that they regarded themselves as strangers and pilgrims, were admitted to the home of permanent rest; and their poste rity was ultimately admitted to the possession of the promised land. No thing could more certainly demon strate that the patriarchs believed in a future state than this passage. They did not expect a permanent home on earth. They made no efforts to enter into the possession of the pro mised land themselves. They quietly and calmly waited for the time when God would give it to their posterity, and in the meantime for themselves

17 By faith Abraham, whena he was tried, offered up Isaac;

they looked forward to their perma nent home in the heavens. Even in this early period of the world, there fore, there was the confident expecta tion of the future state. Comp. Notes on Matt, xxii. 31, 32. We may re mark that the life of the patriarchs was, in all essential respects, such as we should lead. They looked forward to heaven; they sought no permanent possessions here; they regarded them selves as strangers and pilgrims on the earth. So should we be. In our more fixed and settled habits of life; in our quiet homes; in our residence in the land in which we were born, and in the society of old and tried friends, we should yet regard our selves as ' strangers and sojourners.' We have here no fixed abode. The houses in which we dwell will soon be occupied by others; the paths in which we go will soon be trod by the feet of others; the fields which we cultivate will soon be ploughed and sown and reaped by others. Others will read the books which we read; sit down at the tables where we sit; lie on the beds where we repose; occupy the chambers where we shall die, and from whence we shall be removed to our graves. If we have any permanent home, it is in heaven; and that we have, the faithful lives of the patriarchs teach us, and the unerring word of God everywhere assures us.

17. By faith Abraham. The apos tle had stated one strong instance of the faith of Abraham, and he now re fers to one still more remarkable — the strongest illustration of faith, undoubtedly,which has ever been evinced in our world. ^[ When he was tried. The word here used is rendered tempt ed, in Matt. iv. 1. 3; xvL 1; xix. 3; xxii. 18. 35, and in twenty-two other places in the New Testament; prove, in John vL 6; hath gone about, in Acts xxiv. 6; examine, IL'Cor. xiii. 5; and tried, in Rev. ii. 2. 10; iii. 10. It does not mean here, as it often does, to place inducements before one to lead him to do wrong, but to subject his faith to a trial in order to test its genuineness and strength. The mean ing here is, that Abraham was placed in circumstances which showed what was the real strength of his confi dence in God. ^ Offered up Isaac. That is, he showed that he was ready and willing to make the sacrifice, and would have done it if he had not been restrained by the voice of the angel. Gen, xxii. ] 1, 12. So far as the intention of Abraham was con cerned, the deed was done, for he had made every preparation for the offer ing, and was actually about to take the life of his son. f And he that had received the promises offered up his only-begotten son. The promises particularly of a numerous posterity. The fulfilment of those promises de pended on him whom he was now about to offer as a sacrifice. If Abra ham had been surrounded with chil dren, or if no special promise of a nu merous posterity had been made to him, this act would not have been so remarkable. It Avould in any case have been a strong act of faith; it was peculiarly strong in his case from the circumstances that he had an only son, and that the fulfilment of the promise depended on his life.

18. Of uihom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Gen. xxi. 12. A numerous posterity had been promised to him. It was there said expressly that this promise was not to be fulfilled through the son of Abraham by the bond-woman Hagar, but through Isaac. Of course, it was implied that Isaac was to reach man hood, and yet notwithstanding this, and notwithstanding Abraham fully believed it, he prepared

That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

in obedience to the divine command, to put him to death. The phrase ' thy seed be called' means that his poste rity was to be named after Isaac, or was to descend only from him. The vvord ' called' in the Scriptures is often equivalent to the verb to be. See Tsa. Ivi. 7. To name or call a thing was the same as to say that it was, or that it existed. It does not mean here that his spiritual children were to be called or selected from among the posterity of Isaac, but that the posterity promised to Abraham would descend neither from Ishmael nor the sons of Keturah, but in the line of Isaac. This is a strong circumstance insisted on by the apostle to show the strength of Abraham's faith. It was shown not only by his willing ness to offer up the child of his old age — his only son by his beloved wife, but by his readiness, at the command of God, to sacrifice even him on whom the fulfilment of the promises depended.

19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead. And that he would do it; for so Abra ham evidently believed, and this idea is plainly implied in the whole narra tive. There was no other way in which the promise could be fulfilled; and Abraham reasoned justly in the case. He had received the promise, of a numerous posterity. He had been told expressly that it was to be through this favourite child. He was now commanded to put him to death as a sacrifice, and he prepared to do it To fulfil these promises, there fore, there was no other way possible but for him to be raised up from the dead, and Abraham fully believed that it would be done. The child had been given to him at first in a super natural manner, and he was prepared, therefore, to believe that he would be restored to him again by miracle. He did not doubt that he \^ho had given

able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

him to him at first in a manner so contrary to all human probability, could restore him again in a method as extraordinary. He, therefore, an ticipated that he would raise him up immediately from the dead. That this was the expectation of Abraham is apparent from the narrative in Gen. xxii. 5. " And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to

— ' and we will return,' that is, I and Isaac will return, for no other persons went with them. Ver. 6. As Abra ham went with the full expectation of sacrificing Isaac, and as he expected Isaac to return with him, it follows that he believed that God would raise him up immediately from the dead, ^f From whence also he received him in a figure. There has been great difference of opinion as to the sense of this passage, but it seems to me to be plain. The obvious inter pretation is, that he then received him by his being raised up from the altar as if from the dead. He was to Abraham dead. He had given him up. He had prepared to offer him as a sacrifice. He lay there before him as one who was dead. From that altar he was raised up by direct di vine interposition, as if he was raised from the grave, and this was to Abraham a figure or a representation of the resurrection. Other inter pretations may be seen in Stuart in loc. — The following circumstances will illustrate the strength of Abra ham's faith in this remarkable trans action. (1.) The strong persuasion on his mind that God had commanded this. In a case of this nature — where such a sacrifice was required

— how natural would it have been for a more feeble faith to have doubted whether the command came from God!

It might have been suggested to such a mind that this must be a delusion, or a temptation of Satan; that God could not require such a thing; and that whatever might be the ap pearance of a divine command in the case, there must be some deception about it. Yet Abraham does not ap pear to have reasoned about it at all, or to have allowed the strong feelings of a father to come in to modify his conviction that God had commanded him to give up his son. What an example is this to us! And how rea dy should we be to yield up a son — an only son — when God comes him self and removes him from us. (2.) The strength of his faith was seen in the fact that in obedience to the simple command of God, all the strong feelings of a father were overcome. On the one hand there were his warm affections for an only son; and on the other there was the simple command of God. They came in collision — but Abraham did not hesitate a mo ment. The strong paternal feeling was sacrificed at once. What an example this too for us! When the command of God and our own attachments come into collision, we should not hes itate a moment. God is to be obeyed. His command and arrangements are to be yielded to, though most tender ties are rent asunder, and though the heart bleeds. (3.) The strength of his faith was seen in the fact, that, in obedience to the command of God, he resolved to do what in the eyes of the world would be regarded as a most awful crime. There is no crime of a higher grade than the murder of a son by the hand of a father. So it is now estimated by the world, and so it would have been in the time of Abraham. All the laws of God and of society appeared to be against the act which Abraham was about to com mit, and he went forth not ignorant of the estimate which the world would put on this deed if it were known. How natural in such circumstances would it have been to argue that God could not possibly give such a com mand; that it was against all the laws of heaven and earth; that there was required in this what God and man alike must and would pronounce to be wrong and abominable! Yet Abra ham did not hesitate. The command of God in the case was to his mind a sufficient proof that this was right — and it should teach us that whatever our Maker commands us should be done — no matter what may be the estimate affixed to it by human laws, and no matter how it may be regard ed by the world. (4.) The strength of his faith was seen in the fact that there was a positive promise of God to himself which would seem to be frustrated by what he was about to do. God had expressly promised ta him a numerous posterity, and had said that it was to be through this son. How could this be if he was put to death as a sacrifice? And how could God command such a thing when his promise was thus positive? Yet Abraham did not hesitate. It was not for him to reconcile these things; it was his to obey. He did not doubt that somehow all that God had said would prove to be true; and as he saw but one way in which it could be done— by his being immedi ately restored to life— he concluded that that was to be the way. So when God utters his will to us, it is ours simply to obey. It is not to inquire in what way his commands or reveal ed truth can be reconciled with other things. He will himself take care of that. It is ours at once to yield to what he commands, and to believe that somehow all that he has required and said will be consistent with every thing else which he has uttered. (5.) The strength of the faith of Abra ham was seen in his belief that God would raise his son from the dead. Of that he had no doubt. But what evidence had he of that? It had not been promised. No case of the kind had ever occurred; and the subject was attended with all the difficulties which attend it now. But Abraham believed it; for, first, there was nc other way in which the promise 01 God could be fulfilled; and second,

20 By faith Isaac a blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he

was a dying, blessed b both the sons of Joseph; and worship ped, leaning c upon the top of his staff.

such a thing would be no more re markable than what had already oc curred. It was as easy for God to raise him from the dead as it was to give him at first contrary to all the probabilities of the case, and he did not, therefore, doubt that it would be so. Is it less easy for MS to believe the doctrine of the resurrection than it was for Abraham? Is the subject attended with more difficulties now than it was then? The faith of Abra ham in this remarkable instance shows us that the doctrine of the resurrec tion of the dead, notwithstanding the limited revelations then enjoyed, and all the obvious difficulties of the case, was early believed in the world; and as those' difficulties are no greater now, and as new light has been shed upon it by subsequent revelations, and especially as in more than one in stance the dead have been actually raised, those difficulties should not be allowed to make us doubt it now.

20. By faith Isaac bkssed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come, See Gen. xxvii. 26 — 40. The mean ing is, that he pronounced a blessing on them in respect of their future condition. This was by faith in God who had communicated it to him, and in full confidence that he would accomplish all that was here predict ed. The act of faith here was simply that which believes that all that God says is true. There were no human probabilities at the time when these prophetic announcements were made, which could have been the basis of his calculation, but all that he said must have rested merely on the be lief that God had revealed it to him. A blessing was pronounced on each, of a very different nature, but Isaac had no doubt that both would be ful filled.

21 By faith Jacob when he was a dying. Gen. xlvii. 31; xlviii. 1—20. That is, when he was about to die. He saw his death near when he pro nounced this blessing on Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. ^[ And worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. This is an exact quotation from the Septuagint in Gen. xlvii. 31. The English version of that place is, "and Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head," which is a proper translation, in the main, of the word Htsp — mittSh. That word, however, with different points — Htsp — matteh, means a branch, a bough, a rod, a staff, and the translators of the Septuagint have so rendered it. The Masoretic points are of no authority, and either translation therefore, would be proper. The word rendered ' head ' in Gen. xlvii. 31.—' bed's hewf-tE^n — rdsh, means properly head, but may there mean the top of any thing, and there is no impropriety in applying it to the head or top of a staff. The word rendered in Gen. xivii. 31. bowed —

— implies properly the idea of '' worshipping. It is bowing, or prostration for the purpose of worship or homage. Though the Septuagint and the apostle here have, therefore, given a somewhat different version from that commonly given of the Hebreiv, and sustained by the Masoretic pointing, yet it cannot be demonstrat ed that the version is unauthorised, or that it is not a fair translation of the Hebrew. It has also the proba bilities of the case in its favour. Ja cob was tenderly affected in view of the goodness of God, and of the assu rance that he would be conveyed from Egypt when he died, and buried in the land of his fathers. Deeply im- I pressed with this, nothing Avas more

22 By faith Joseph, a when he died, made ] mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

natural than that the old man should lean reverently forward and incline his head upon the top of his staff, and adore the covenant faithfulness of his God. Such an image is much more natural and probable than that he should ' bow upon his bed's head' — a phrase which at best is not very in telligible. If this be the true account, then the apostle does not refer here to what was done when he 'blessed the sons of Joseph,' but to an act ex pressive of strong faith in God which had occurred just before. The mean ing then is, ' By faith when about to die he blessed the sons of Joseph; and by faith also he reverently bowed before God in the belief that when he died his remains would be conveyed to the promised land, and expressed his gratitude in an act of worship, leaning reverently on the top of his staff.' The order in which these things are mentioned is of no conse quence, and thus the whole difficulty in the case vanishes. Both the acts here referred to were expressive of strong confidence in God.

22 By faith Joseph, when he died. When about to die. See Gen. 1. 24, 25. ^f Made mention of the departing of the children of Israel Marg. ' re membered.' The meaning is, that he called this to their mind; he spake of it. " And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die; and God will, surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." This prediction of Joseph could have rested only on faith in the promise of God. There were no events then oc curring which would be likely to lead to this, and nothing which could be a basis of calculation that it would be

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid b three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. c

so, except what God had spoken. The faith of Joseph, then, was simple confidence in God; and its strength was seen in his firm conviction that what had been promised would be fulfilled, even when there were no ap pearances that to human view justi fied it. ^[ And gave commandment concerning his bones. Gen. 1. 25. " And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence," He had such a firm belief that they would possess the land of promise, that he exacted an oath of them that they would remove his remains with them, that he might be buried in the land of his fathers. He could not have exacted this oath, nor could they have taken it, unless both he and they had a sure confidence that what God had spoken would be performed.

23. By faith Moses, ivhen he was born. That is, by the faith of his parents. The faith of Moses himself is com mended in the following verses. The statement of the apostle here is, that his parents were led to preserve his life by their confidence in God. They believed that he was destined to some great purpose, and that he would be spared, notwithstanding all the proba bilities against it, and all the difficul ties in the case. *j[ Was hid three months of his parents. By his parents. In Ex. ii. 2, it is said that it was done by his mother. The truth doubtless was, that the mother was the agent in doing it— since the concealment, probably, could be better effected by one than where two were employed — but that the father also concurred in it is morally certain. The conceal ment was, at first, probably in their

24 By faith Moses a when he

own house. The command seems to have been (Ex. i. 22), that the child should be cast into the river as soon as born. This child was concealed in the hope that some way might be found out by which his life might be spared. ^[ Because they saw he was a proper child. A fair, or beautiful child — do-Tfiov. The word properly means pertaining to a city — (from ao-Tv, a city;) then urbane, polished, elegant; then fair, beautiful. In Acts vii. 20, it is said that he was *fair to God' (Marg.); that is, excee'dingly fair, or very handsome. His extra ordinary beauty seems to have been the reason which particularly influenced his parents to attempt to preserve him. It is not impossible that they supposed that his uncommon beauty indicated that he was destined to some important service in life, and that they were on that account the more anxious to save him. ^ And they were not afraid of the king's com mandment. Kequiring that all male children should be given up to be thrown into the Nile. That is, they were not so alarmed, or did not so dread the king, as to be induced to comply with the command. The strength of the faith of the parents of Moses, appears (1.) because the com mand of Pharaoh to destroy all the male children was positive, but they had so much confidence in God as to disregard it. (2.) Because there was a strong improbability that their child could be saved. They themselves found it impossible to conceal him longer than three months, and when it was discovered, there was every probability that the law would be en forced and that the child would be put to death. Perhaps there was reason also to apprehend that the pa rents would be punished for disre garding the authority of the king. (3.) Because they probably believed that their child was destined to some important work. They thus commit ted him to God instead of complying with the command of an earthly monarch, and against strong proba bilities in the case, they believed that it was possible that in some way he might be preserved alive. The re markable result showed that their faith was not unfounded.

24. By faith Moses. He had con fidence in God when he called him to be the leader of his people. He be lieved that he was able to deliver them, and he so trusted in him that he was willing at his command to forego the splendid prospects which opened before him in Egypt. ^ When he was come to years. Gr. ' being great;' that is, when he was grown up to manhood. He was at that time forty years of age. See Notes on Acts vii. 23. He took this step, therefore, in the full maturity of hi* judgment, and when there was no danger of being influenced by the ar dent passions of youth, ^ Refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. When saved from the ark in which he was placed on the Nile, he was brought up for the daughter of Pharaoh. Ex. ii. 9. He seems to have been adopted by her, and trained up as her own son. What prospects this opened before him is not certainly known. There is no probability that he would be the heir to the crown of Egypt, as is often affirmed, for there is no proof that the crown descended in the line of daughters; nor if it did, is there any probability that it would descend on an adopted son of a daugh ter. But his situation could not but be regarded as highly honourable, and as attended with great advanta ges. It gave him the opportunity of receiving the best education which the times and country afforded— an opportunity of which he seems to have availed himself to the utmost. Notes, Acts vii. 22. It would doubt-

25 Choosing a rather to suf fer affliction with the people of

less be connected with important offices in the state. It furnished the opportunity of a life of ease and pleasure— such as they commonly delight in who reside at courts. And it doubtless opened before him the prospect of wealth — for there is no improbability in supposing that he would be the heir of the daughter of a rich monarch. Yet all this, it is said, he ' refused? There is indeed no ex press mention made of his formally and openly refusing it, but his leaving the court, and identifying himself with his oppressed countrymen, was in fact a refusal of these high honours, and of these brilliant prospects. It is not impossible that when he be came acquainted with his real history, there was some open and decided re fusal on his part, to be regarded as the son of the daughter of this hea then monarch.

25. Choosing rather to suffer afflic tion with the people of God. With those whom God had chosen to be his people — the Israelites. They were then oppressed and down-trodden; but they were the descendants of Abraham, and were those whom God had designed to be his peculiar peo ple. Moses saw that if he cast in his lot with them, he must expect trials. They were poor, and crushed, and despised — a nation of slaves. If he identified himself with them, his condition would be like theirs — one of great trial; if he sought to elevate and deliver them, such an undertak ing could not but be one of great peril and hardship. Trial and dan ger, want and care would follow from any course which he could adopt, and he knew that an effort to rescue them from bondage must be attended with the sacrifice of all the comforts and honour which he enjoyed at court. Yet he ' chose' this. He on the whole preferred it. He left the court, not because he was driven away; not be- j cause there was nothing there to gra- tify ambition or to be a stimulus to avarice; and not on account of harsh treatment — for there is no intimation that he was not treated with all the respect and honour due to his station, his talents, and his learning, but be' cause he deliberately preferred to share the trials and sorrows of the friends of God. So every one who becomes a friend of God and casts in his lot with his people, though he may anticipate that it will be attend ed with persecution, with poverty, and with scorn, prefers this to all the plea sures of a life of gaiety and sin, and to the most brilliant prospects oi wealth and fame which this world can offer. ^[ Than to enjoy the plea~ sures of sin for a season. We are not to suppose that Moses, even at the court of Pharaoh, was leading a life of vicious indulgence. The idea is, that sins were practised there such as those in which pleasure is sought, and that if he had remained there it must have been because he loved the pleasures of a sinful court and a sin ful life rather than the favour of God, We may learn from this (1.) that there is a degree of pleasure in sin. It does not deserve to be called happiness, and the apostle does not call it so. It is 'pleasure,' excitement, hilarity, mer riment, amusement. Happiness is more solid and enduring than ' plea sure;' and solid happiness is not found in the ways of sin. But it can not be denied that there is a degree of pleasure which may be found in amusement; in the excitement of the ball-room; in feasting and revelry; in sensual enjoyments. All which wealth and splendour; music and dancing; sensual gratifications, and the more refined pursuits in the cir cles of fashion, can furnish, may be found in a life of irreligion; and if disappointment, and envy, and sick ness, and mortified pride, and be reavements do not occur, the chil dren of vanity and sin can find ne