form of salutation peculiar to St. Paul, and which was written, he tells us, in all his Epistles with his own hand, as the token of their genuineness. It was so, probably, in this. The rulers and chief members of the Church would readily, no doubt, recognise the hand-writing of St. Paul; whilst, being unknown to the Jews at large, its insertion might well consist with that concealment, which was advisable, not only from the enemies of the Gospel in Judea, but even from the more prejudiced Christians themselves.

When we reflect upon "such an one as St. Paul," for nearly thirty years an "ambassador, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ," or at least but recently delivered from his chain, full of solicitude for the Churches which he had planted, yea, when called upon for the instruction of those which were under the rule of other guides;-when we behold him supplying, by his Epistles, the want of his personal presence, that even if he was bound, the Gospel might not therefore be shackled in its course; when we witness his affectionate intentions of again closing a visitation of his Churches by a visit to Jerusalem, although he was only just escaped from the four years' confinement, first at Cesarea, and then at Rome, in which his last visit had resulted, we cannot but admire his Apostolic devotedness, his patriotic zeal, his laborious performance of his duties, the absence of all selfish considerations, and the perseverance which he displayed under every difficulty and every danger. Nor is this a subject for barren admiration only, but one to be, in its spirit, imitated by ourselves, according to the duties

1 2 Thess. iii. 17.

2 Philem. 9. (where see the Greek) and Eph. vi. 20.

which we have to perform, or the trials which we may be called upon to undergo. It would be interesting to enlarge on this part of the holy Apostle's example; but our attention must, at present, be confined to his Epistle; of which, with God's blessing, we have in conclusion to take a general review, as well as to make a general application to ourselves of the "word of exhortation" addressed by the Apostle to the Christians of Judea.

The general character of the Epistle is described by the writer himself, when he calls it a "word of exhortation ;"-of exhortation, that is, to perseverance in the faith, notwithstanding all temptations to apostasy, whether arising from the persecutions of powerful enemies, or the subtle arguments of false teachers. It is not, however, a bare exhortation, but one enforced by the most weighty arguments, drawn from those very Scriptures, out of which the Jewish unbeliever, or the judaizing Christian, would each of them reason, whether for the subversion or corruption of the Gospel. In these Scriptures none were better versed than St. Paul: none revered them more; only he would add to them "faith in Christ Jesus," yea, and from them prove to the Jews the paramount importance of the Gospel, and the awful danger attending its rejection or neglect, that so they might really" make wise unto salvation'." Accordingly, in

this Epistle, we see Jesus, considered as the great Apostle and High-Priest of our profession, receiving testimony, both from the Law and the Prophets, to the pre-eminent superiority in Him of those high offices, above any similar offices ever held under any previous dispensation of religion. For Jesus, our Apostle, is not merely a Prophet, but the only-begotten Son of God; whom the angels, the highest messengers employed under the Law, are, in the Old Testament itself, commanded to serve and worship as their King and their Maker, the Lord of all the hosts of heaven and earth, the everlasting Creator. How shall such a messenger be received, but with the utmost reverence and attention? (Lect. I.) Again, though Jesus be also the Son of man, yet is he, as such, the predicted King of the Church of God, stooping to take upon him human flesh, that therein he might, as our High-Priest, suffer for us, and, suffering, both atone for all our sins, and feel for us in all our trials. (Lect. II.)

Such is the Apostle and High-Priest whom we are led by St. Paul to contemplate, as the great Subject of ancient prophecy, no less than of Gospel preaching :an Apostle, faithful like his precursor Moses, but infinitely better than Moses, and holding out to us the prospect of an incomparably better rest than Canaan (Lect. III.);—a High-Priest, appointed such by God himself, to be unto us the Author of eternal salvation (Lect. IV.); one, in the sanctifying knowledge of whom we should endeavour to advance continually, pressing on towards perfection, (Lect. V.) For greater far is he than Aaron or any of the high-priests of Aaron's order, who were only imperfect priests for a

time, until the coming of that everlasting High-Priest, who was typified in Melchisedec, and appointed with the oath of God (Lect. VI.) to be, a Mediator of a better covenant, the minister of the true tabernacle in heaven, (Lect. VII.) of which the tabernacle at Shiloh was but a humble type, (Lect. VIII.)

How stedfastly should the people of such a HighPriest cleave to him with full purpose of heart! especially when they reflect that, in forsaking Him, they abandon all hopes of acceptance with God, and, if they draw back, do it to their own perdition! (Lect. IX.) How earnestly should they strive, as did the faithful men of the older dispensation, and with the example of Christ himself before them, patiently to finish their course of faith, and not, by fainting in the midst, fail of the joy set before them! (Lect. X. and XI.); not despising or sinking under the chastening of the Lord, however severe, nor daring to provoke that fiery indignation which will consume the adversaries of his Son, (Lect. XII.)

Having thus enforced upon the Hebrews, from their own Scriptures, the divine dignity of our Lord's apostleship and priesthood, with the necessity of cleaving to Christianity, and persevering in it to the end, notwithstanding the greatest trials or troubles, St. Paul closes with a few precepts more particularly called for in the circumstances of the Hebrew Church, and especially with an exhortation to constancy in the faith of the Gospel, pure and uncorrupted by Judaism ; adding his prayers for the furtherance of the Hebrews in every good work, (Lect. XIII.) Such are the contents of this excellent, this inspired Epistle, which, according to the general belief of antiquity, we have

considered to be from the pen of St. Paul, as indeed the concluding sentences would of themselves be well nigh sufficient to prove, (Lect. XIV.)

It only remains that we should briefly advert to some of these general inferences, applicable to ourselves, with which it was proposed to follow up the review we have just taken.

But perhaps it may be thought, that we have little practical concern with a letter, whose great object was to prevent Christians from corrupting their faith with Judaism, or abandoning it by apostasy. And yet I know not if our concern in it may not be of a closer character than many may suspect. True it is, we see and acknowledge the difference between Judaism and Christianity;—although recent occurrences of too public a character, and recent language held in high places, might lead one almost to suppose, that we are beginning to forget that our Lord suffered "without the gate" of Jerusalem, beginning to think that there may be no such necessity, as the Apostle imagined, to "go forth unto Jesus without the camp, bearing his reproach.”—But waiving these somewhat suspicious symptoms, nationally speaking, of the purity of our faith, there is another kind of Judaism, to which I would advert, as being still more common, although no less strongly condemned in the Epistle. What I allude to is, the practice, if I may so speak, of judaizing the Old Testament, that is, of taking confined views of it, as the Jews of old did, and not regarding it as pointing continually to Christ, the royal High-Priest of that society, that heavenly kingdom, to which from the beginning the revelations of God have been directing