Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/762

 758 HEBREWS, XIII. hours, support them under all their buhens, and strengthen them under all their temjations. 2. There are good reasons why people shod pray for their ministers; he mentions two: (1.) h trust we have a good conscience, &c. v. 18. INtny of the Jews had an ill opinion of Paul, because % being a Hebrew of the Hebrews, had cast off tl Levitical law, and preached up Christ : now he he- modestly asserts his own integrity; We trust we tve a good conscience, in all things willing to live hrrstly. We trust, he might have said, We know; b he chose to speak in a humble style, to teach us t not to be too confident of ourselves, but to mainta a godly jealousy over our own hearts. We trusne have a good conscience, an enlightened and wt-informed conscience, a clean and pure conscienc a tender and faithful conscience, a conscience testitng for us, not against us : a good conscience in althinga, in the duties both of the first and second tab, toward God, and toward men; and especially iall things pertaining to our ministry, we would a honestly and sincerely in all things." Observe, [ ] ^ good conscience has a respect to all God's comnnds, and all our duty. [2. ] That those who havchis good conscience, yet need the prayers of otirs. [3.1 Conscientious ministers are public blemgs, and deserve the prayers of the people. (2 Another reason why he desires their prayers, . that he hoped thereby to be the sooner restore to them, (v. 19.) intimating that he had beei formerly among them; and that, now he was aient from them, he had a great desire and real iention to come again to them; and that the best ay to fa- cilitate his return to them, and to make a mercy to him and them, was, to make it a matr of their prayer. When ministers come to a peoe as a re- turn of prayer, they come with greater .tisfaction to themselves, and success to the peile. We should fetch in all our mercies by prayei II. He oflFers up his prayers to God forhem, be- ing willing to do for them as he desired t;y should do for him; (v. 20. ) JVow the God of ^ace, &c. In this excellent prayer, observe, 1. Thotle given to God — the God of fieace, who has founout a way for peace and reconciliation between Inself and sinners, and who loves peace on earth, nd espe- cially in his churches. 2. The great wo: ascribed to him; he hath brought again from th dead our Lord Jesus, &c. Jesus raised himself his own power; and yet the Father was concend in it, attesting thereby that justice was satisfie and the law fulfilled. He rose again for our juification; and that divine power by which he waraised, is able to do every thing for us, that we stfd in need of. 3. The titles given to Christ — our Ird Jesus, our Sovereign, our Saviour, and the great hepherd of the sheep, promised in Isa. 40. 11. d.lared by himself to be so, John 10. 14, 15. Misters are under-shepherds, Christ is the great lepherd. This denotes his interest in his people; tly are the flock of his pasture, and his care and ctcem are for them; he feeds them, and leads tim, and watches over them. 4. The way and ethod in which God is reconciled, and Christ raed from the dead — through the blood of the everlasting co venant. The blood of Christ satisfied divine jus tice, and so procured Christ's release from the pri- son of the grave, as having paid our debt, according to an eternal covenant or agreement between the Father and the Son; and this blood is the sanction and seal of an everlasting covenant between God and his people. 5. The mercy pray ed for; {y. 21.) Make you fierfect in n>ery good work, &c. Ob- serve, (1.) The perfection of the saints in every good work, is the great thing desired by them and for them, that they may here have a perfection of integrity, a clear mind, a clean heart, lively affec- tions, regular and resolved wills, and suitable strength for ever)- good work to which they are called now; and at length a perfection of degrees' to fit them for the employment and felicity of hea- ven. (2.) The way in which Ciod makes his peo- ple perfect; it is by working in them always what is /ileasing in his sight, and that through Jems Christ, to whom be glory for ever. Obsene, [1.] There is no good thing wrought in us, but it is the work of God; he works in us, before we are fit for any good work. [2. ] No good thing is wrought in us by God, but through Jesus Christ, for his sake and by his Spirit. And therefore, [3. ] Eternal gloiy is due to him, who is the Cause ofall the good prin- ciples wrought in us, and all the good works done by us. To this everv one should say, j4men. III. He gives the Hebrews an account of Timo- thy's liberty, and his hopes of seeing them with him in a little time, v. 23. It seems, Timothy had been a prisoner, doubtless for the gospel, but now he was set at liberty. The imprisonment of faithful minis- ters is an honour to them, and their enlargement matter of joy to the people; he was pleased with the hopes of not only seeing Timothy, but seeing the Hebrews with him. Opportunities of writing to the churches '-f Christ, are desired by the faithful mi- nisters of Christ, and pleasant to them. IV. Having given a brief account of this his let- ter, and begged their attention to it, {v. 22.) he closes with salutations, and a solemn, though short benediction. . The salutation. (1.) From himself to them, directed to all their ministers who had rule over them, and to all the saints; to them all, ministers and people. (2.) From the Christians in Italy to them. It is a good thing to have the law of holy love and kindness written in the hearts of Christians one towards another. Religion teaches men the truest civility and good-breeding. It is not a sour or morose thing. . The solemn, though short benediction; {v. 25.) Grace be with you all. jimen. Let the favour of God be toward you, and his gi-ace continually work- ing in you, and with you, bringing forth the fruits of holiness, as the first-fruits of glory. When the people of God have been conversing together by word or writing, it is good to part with prayer, de- siring for each other the continuance of the gra- cious presence of God, that they may meet together again m the world of praise.