An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Vol. I

GENERAL PREFACE BY THE Epitor, . The Epistle Dedicatory, Prefatory Notices,

CONCERNING THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

Exerc. I.—The canonical authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews, .

F Subsidiary Note by the Editor, II.—Of the penman of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Subsidiary Note by the Editor, TIl.—The time [and occasion] of the writing of the Epistle to the othe Subsidiary Note by the Editor, IV.—The language wherein the Epistle to the ee was eee waitin! Subsidiary Note by the Editor, V.—Testimonies cited by the apostle out of the Old Tostaniot: Subsidiary Note by the Editor, Supplementary Note by the Editor, on the ralistion to Seen the Epistle was written, : : V1I.—Oneness of the church, ~ VIL—Of the Judaical distribution of the old Teun

PART II. CONCERNING THE MESSIAH,

VIll.—he first dissertation concerning the Messiah, proving him to be promised of old, . 2 : : : 3 IX.—Promises of the Messiah vindicated, X.—Appearances of the Son of God under the old testament, XI.—Faith of the ancient church of the Jews concerning the Messiah,

EXER. i XII.—[Second dinantatlon| the promis sed Messiah long since come, . ae XIII.—Other testimonies 3 proving the Messiah to be come, . XIV.—Daniel’s prophecy vindicated, ; XV.—Computation of Daniel's weeks, . . XVI.—Jewish traditions about the coming of the een ; XVIL—The third general dissertation, proving Jesus of Nazareth —_ only true and promised Messiah, F : ese XVIII.—Jews’ objections against Christian religion adhered

CONCERNING THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE JEWISH CHURCH REFERRED TO IN THE EPISTLE.

XIX.—State and ordinances of the church before the giving of the law, __ XX.—The law and precepts thereof, F F z one XXI.—tThe sanction of thé law in promises and dhresteningy XXII.—Of the tabernacle and ark, . : : ; h XXIII. —Of the office of the priesthood, : . = > XXIV.—Sacrifices of the old law,

It has been matter of thankfulness for many generations of the Christian church, that Dr Owen was led to concentrate all his rare endowments and vast resources on the exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Wisdom and prudence of the highest order were required for the task, besides no common measure of learning and ability. The Epistle proves the higher glory of the new dispensation, from the superiority of Christ its founder, in virtue of his divine nature, to angels, to Moses, and to Aaron,—sheds light upon all the offices of Christ, as prophet, and priest, and king,—is designed to conciliate the Jewish mind to the abrogation of the Mosaic ritual, by detailing the superior privileges of the present dispensation,—supplies fuller evidence of the typical and temporary nature of the former than is elsewhere to be found in the word of God,—affords a key to passages in Scripture which are indeed “hard to be understood,” as when the 8th Psalm is made unexpectedly radiant with prophetic allusion to the Messiah, and Melchizedek is summoned from the obscurity of ages to illustrate the honours of his priesthood, —and partially withdraws even the curtain which screens from us the scenes of heaven, by its description of the official functions of our great High Priest within the veil. Of an Epistle bearing such characteristics, and having such objects in view, the highest principles of the Christian system necessarily form the chief contents; while its practical warnings against the sin and danger of apostasy from the church of Christ, under any lingering prejudice in favour of an effete and lifeless Judaism, as they derive a peculiar energy from the fearful doom which the apostate is represented as incurring, from the thrilling recital of the triumphs achieved by faith in all ages of the world, and from the sublime reference to the joys and glories of the heavenly Zion in the closing portion of it, present a befitting conclusion to an argument as lofty and momentous as the entire compass of revelation exhibits. The very language of the Epistle rises, in the original, to a corresponding elevation with the themes which it is employed to

discuss; and the weightiest argument against its Pauline origin rests upon its purity of style and dignity of tone, which are held to be superior to the ordinary composition of the apostle of the Gentiles. It is on all hands admitted that the practical object for which the Epistle seems to have been written was, to preserve Jewish converts from relapsing into Judaism. Its divine origin, the imposing grandeur of its ritual, and the cherished associations connected with its whole history, might influence the mind of a Jew, in some moment of temptation and weakness, to betake himself afresh to a system reVir GENERAL PREFACE.

specting which even the Christian, who denied its continued obligation, was ready to admit that it was promulgated originally under the highest seals of divine authority. The argument by which the steadfastness of the primitive converts was secured, and the superior glory of the Christian dispensation vindicated, rests mainly upon two principles,—the divine glory of its Founder, and the typical character of the rites and sacrifices under the law. In regard to the former of these truths, it cannot be affirmed that there is any novel or peculiar disclosure in this Epistle beyond what may be obtained from other parts of revelation; but in no other inspired book is the typical character of the Mosaic ritual declared and elucidated with any degree of fulness, as the definite and formal object of the writer. It is a perilous experiment for any system, slowly evolved in the course of ages, when its separate parts, coloured with the changeful hue of the different times and circumstances in which they came to light, are tested with the view of ascertaining if they possess the unity and coherence which truth, and truth only, can under such a trial evince. Any essential inconsistency would be fatal to the claims and pretensions of the system. …