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

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

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

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

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

παντα

subordination to God the supreme Ruler. It is true, οίκος, to which παντα, is thus made to refer, is masculine, whereas παντα, is neuter. But the neuter gender is often put for the masculine. See Ess. iv. 21. 2.

Ver. 5.-1. As a servant. In describing the faithfulness of Moses when he built the Jewish church, God called him, Numb. xii. 7. My servant Moses. From this the apostle justly inferred that Moses was not a Legislator, but only a messenger from the Legislator.

2. For a testimony of the things which were to be spoken. This shews that Moses's faithfulness consisted, not only in forming the tabernacle and its services according to the pattern shewed him by God, but in recording all the preceding revelations exactly as they were discovered to him by the Spirit. For these revelations, equally with the types and figures of the Levitical ritual, were proofs of the things afterwards to be spoken by Christ Hence our Lord told the Jews, John v. 46. Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for be wrote of me, namely, in the figures, but especially in the prophecies of his law, where the gospel dispensation, the coming of its author, and his character as Messiah, are all described with a precision which adds the greatest lustre of evidence to Jesus, and to his gospel. See Luke xxiv. 44.

Ver. 6.1. As a Son over bis house. In the common version it is over his own house. This Peirce thinks a wrong translation; first, because if the church is Christ's own house, to speak of him as a Son was improper, by reason that he would have presided over it as its master.-2. Because the apostle's argument requires that Christ be faithful to the same person as a Son, to whom Moses was faithful as a servant. Wherefore, His house, in this verse, is God's bouse, or church.-To shew Christ's superiority to Moses, the apostle observes, that Moses was faithful only as a servant, in

5 Now Moses indeed was faithful in forming all the parts of the Jewish church, as a servant who acted according to the directions which he received from God, without deviating from them in the least; because the Jewish church was designed for a testimony of the things which were afterwards to be spoken by Christ and his apostles.

6 But Christ, in erecting the gospel church, was faithful as a son set over his father's house as its lawgiver of whose house we who believe, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, are members, if indeed we hold fast the bold glorying in the hope of resurrection to eternal life through Christ, firm to the end, which we professed at our baptism.

7 Since the Son is the Father's faithful apostle or lawgiver in his church, I, by commission from him, say to you, As said the Holy Ghost to the Jews by David, To-day when ye shall hear God's voice by his Son commanding you to enter into the rest of heaven,

God's house, but Jesus was faithful as a Son over his house. He makes this observation likewise to shew, that when he demolished the house reared by Moses, and formed the new house of God, the gospel church, on a plan capable of receiving men of all nations, he used the right which belonged to him as the Son of God, appointed by his Father lawgiver in his church.-If we read in this clause with our translators durs, his own house, it will signify, that the church is his, having purchased it with his blood.

2. If indeed we hold fast the boldness. Properly waifuata significs, liberty of speech. Here it denotes that bold profession of the Christian faith, which in the first age was so dangerous, but which was absolutely necessary to the continuance of the gospel in the world; and therefore it was expressly required by Christ, Matth. x. 32, 33. See Heb, x. 22, 23.-Our translators have rendered aggno by the word, confidence. But as is used by the apostle, ver. 14. to express that idea.

8 Harden not your

hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of tempta

tion in the wilderness:

8 Μη σκληρύνητε τας καρ διας ύμων, ὡς εν τῷ παραπι κρασμῳ, κατα την ἡμέραν του

πειρασμου εν τη ερημων

Ver. 7.-1. As saith the Holy Ghost. These words are quoted from Psal. xcv. 7. which the apostle tells us, Heb. iv. 7. was written by David. Wherefore, seeing he here calls David's words, a saying of the Holy Ghost, he teaches us that David wrote his Psalms by inspiration; as our Lord likewise testifies, Matth. xxii. 43.-The judgments of God executed on sinners in ages past, being designed for the reproof and instruction of those who come after, the Holy Ghost by David, very properly founded his exhortation to the people in that age, upon the sin and punishment of their fathers in the wilderness. And the apostle for the same reason fitly applied the words which the Holy Ghost spake to the people by David, to the Hebrews in his day, to prevent them from hardening their hearts, when they heard God's voice speaking to them in the gospel by his Son.

2. To day when ye shall bear his voice. His voice is God's voice, ordering the Israelites in David's time to enter into his rest. For though God is not mentioned in the beginning of the verse, he is mentioned, verse 11. as swearing, They shall not enter into my rest.—Besides, the apostle, Heb. iv. 8. expressly affirms, that in the command given by David, God spake of the Israelites entering into his rest, at that time.

Ver. 8.-1. Harden not your hearts. The heart being the seat of the affections and passions, they are said to harden their hearts, who by sensual practices and irreligious principles, bring themselves into such a state that neither the commands nor the threatenings of God, make any impression on them. See ver. 13. note.

2. As in the bitter provocation. So ga@mgoμg should be translated, on account of the preposition @ag4, which increases the sense of the word with which it is compounded.—The Israelites provoked God, first in the wilderness of Sin, (Pelusium) when they murmured for want of bread, and had the manna given them, Exod. xvi. 4.-From the wilderness of Sin they journeyed to Rephidim, where they provoked Ged a second time, by murmuring for want of water, and insolently saying, Is the Lord among us or not ? Exod. xvii. 2.-9. on which account, the place was called Massah and Meribah, See 1 Cor. x. 4. note 1.—From Rephidim they went into the wilderness of Sinai, where they received the law, in the beginning of the third year from their coming out of Egypt. Here they provoked God again, by making the golden calf, Exod. xxxii. 10.-After the law was given, they were commanded to go directly to Canaan, and take possession of the promised land, Deut. i. 6. Gol spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt bong enough in this mount: 7. Turn you and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the bills, and in the vales, and in the south, and by the sea side to the land of

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the bitter provocation, 2 (xara, 232.) in the day of temptation in the wilderness,

8 Be not faithless and obstinate as your fathers were in the bitter provocation at Kadesh, when they refused to go into Canaan, in the day of temptation in the wilderness,

the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river the river Euphrates.-The Israelites having received this order, departed from Horeb, and went forward three days journey, Numb. x. 33. till they came to Taberah, Numb. xi. 3. where they provoked God the fourth time, by murmuring for want of flesh to eat, and for that sin were smitten with a very great plague, ver. 33. This place was called Kibrotb-hataavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.-From Kibroth-hataavah they went to Hazeroth, Numb. xi. 35. And from thence into the wilderness of Paran, Numb. xii. 16. to a place called Kadesh, chap. xiii. 26.—Their journey from Horeb to Kadesh, is thus described by Moses, Deut. i. 19. And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which we saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God command. ed us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.-20. And I said to you, ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. -21. Behold the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee, go up and possess it. But the people proposed to Moses to send spies, to bring them an account of the land, and of its inhabitants, ver 22.-These, after forty days, returned to Kadesh; and, except Caleb and Joshua, they all agreed in bring ing an evil report of the land, Numb. xiii. 25.—32. whereby the people were so discouraged, that they refused to go up, and proposed to make a captain and return into Egypt, Numb. xiv. 4.—Wherefore, having thus shewed an absolute disbelief of all God's promises, and an utter distrust of his power, He sware that not one of that generation should enter Canaan, except Caleb and Joshua, but should all die in the wilderness, Numb. xiv. 29. Deut. i. 34, 35. and ordered them, to turn and get into the wilderness by the way of the red sea. In that wilderness the Israelites, as Moses informs us, sojourned thirty-eight years; Deut. ii. 14. And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea until we were come over the brook Zerel, was thirty and eight years: until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the bost, as the Lord sware unto them.-Wherefore, although the Israelites provoked God to wrath in the wilderness from the day they came out of the land of Egypt until their arrival at Canaan, as Moses told them, Deut. ix. 7. their greatest provocation, the provocation in which they shewed the greatest degree of evil disposition, undoubtedly was their refusing to go into Canaan from Kadesh. It was therefore very properly termed the bitter provocation; and the day of temptation, by way of eminence; and justly brought on them the oath of God excluding them from his rest in Canaan. To distinguish this from the provocation at Rephidim, it is called MeribakKadesh, Deut. xxxii. 51.