17 And his folly ye know from the scripture by this, that although afterward he wished to inherit the blessing, he was reprobated by his father, who durst not retract words which he felt himself moved by inspiration to utter; (See ver. 20. note.) for he found no place of repentance in his father, though he earnestly sought the blessing with tears. Instead of repenting, his father confirmed the blessing to Jacob, Gen. xxvii. 33.

18 Now that ye may understand the value of your birth-rights as Abraham's seed, (Gal. iii. 18.)which I am exhorting you not to throw away, know that Ye shall not, like your fathers, come to a tangible mountain which burned with fire, to shew that God is a consuming fire to the impenitent, and to blackness, and to darkness, which was an emblem of the obscurity of the Mosaic dispensation, and to tempest,

19 and to the noise of a trumpet, like that by which the angels called the Israelites together to hear the law, and which by waxing louder and louder terrified the Israelites exceedingly, and to the sound of words uttered by God himself, the hearers of which, strongly impressed with the holiness and power of their lawgiver and judge, earnestly intreat ed to hear not a word more, Exod. XX. 18, 19.

2. To a tangible mountain. (nλaqwμero) u mountain capable of being handled or touched; but which ye will be prohibited to approach. The meaning is, believers Abraham's spiritual seed, in their way to the heavenly country are not, like his natural seed in their way to Canaan, to be brought to a tangible mountain such as Sinai was, to hear the law by which they are to be governed in the heavenly country, declared in the terrible

20 (For they could not ondure that which was

commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart.

21 And so terrible was

the sight, that Moses said,

20 ουκ έφερον γαρ το διαςελλομενον Καν θηριον λιγη του όρους, λιθοβοληθήσεται, η βολιδι κατατοξευθήσεται.

21 Και, οὕτω φοβερον ην το φανταζομενον, Μωσης ειπεν

I exceedingly fear and Εκφοβος ειμι και έντρομος quake :)

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to company of angels,

an innumerable

22 Αλλα προσεληλύθατε Σιων ορει, και πολει Θεον ζωντος, Ιερουσαλημ επουρανιῷ, και μυριάσιν αγγελων,

manner in which the law of the earthly country was proclaimed. But they are to be brought directly to the heavenly mount Zion, where God by some visible manifestation will reside; and to the city of the living God, &c.

3. And to tempest. Josephus, Antiq. lib. 3. c. 5. tells us, that at the giv ing of the law, strong winds came down, and manifested the presence of God. Perhaps this prefigured what happened when the new law, the gospel, was given. For previous to the descent of the Holy Ghost, There came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty rushing wind, Acts ii. 2.

Ver. 19.-1. And to the sound of words. The words of the ten commandments were pronounced by the angel who personated God, (See Heb. ii. 2. note 2.) with a voice so loud and terrible, that the whole six hundred thousand, who were able to go to war, with the women and children and old men, heard them, Deut. v. 22. and were exceedingly frightened.

Ver. 20.-1. Or shot through with an arrow. This clause is wanting in many ancient MSS. and in the Syriac, Vulgate, Coptic, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions. If it is an addition to the text, it is taken from Exod. xix. 13. Ver. 21.—1. Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and quake. There is no mention of this circumstance in the history. But seeing the apostle speaks of it in a letter to the Hebrews as a thing known to them, some commentators are of opinion that they had it from tradition; or that it was recorded in some Jewish writing then extant.—I think that something like this speech is insinuated in the account which Moses himself hath given of the matter. It is said, Exod. xix. 16. On the third day in the morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.—18. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19. And when the

20 although, before they were affrighted by the voice of God, they could not bear that which was strictly commanded, Even if a beast touch the mountain while the symbol of the divine presence rests on it, it shall be stoned, or shot through with an arrow. It seems they expected, by drawing near, to see God without being terrified.

21 And so terrible was that manifestation of the divine presence which appeared, that Moses cried to God, I am exceedingly afraid, and quake.

22 But ye shall come to a place which I call Mount Zion, because there God will appear to you, not in the terribleness of his greatness as on Sinai, but in the beauties of his goodness. And instead of being brought to any earthly city to wor ship, ye shall be brought to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and in your worship shall associate with ten thousands of angels;

voice of the trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. What follows in the history is an amplification of the preceding narration, according to the manner of the sacred historians, and not an account of things which happened afterwards. This the attentive reader will easily perceive, who compares the amplification with the former narration. Ver. 20. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, (This is mentioned ver. 18.) on the top of the mount: And the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount, and Moses went up. It was then Moses spake and God answered bim by a voice, as related, ver. 19. It seems when he drew near to the thick darkness, out of which issued the thunders, and lightnings, and the great fire which burned up to the midst of heaven, his courage failing him, he spake the words mentioned, Heb. xii. 21. I am exceedingly afraid and tremble, and God answered him by a voice encouraging him to lay aside his fears. Wherefore taking courage, he became so composed as to hold that conversation with God which is recorded, Exod, xix. 21.-24.

23 To the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

23 πανηγύρει και εκκλησία πρωτοτοκων εν ουρανοις απογεγραμμένων, και κριτῇ Θεῷ πάντων, και πνευμασι δίκαιων τετελειωμενων,

Ver. 22.-1. Ye shall come to mount Zion. Mount Zion being opposed to Sinai, the tangible mountain, is no mountain on earth; but is the heavenly Mount Zion as the Jerusalem mentioned in the subsequent clause, is the heavenly Jerusalem.—When David took the strong hold of Zion he called it the city of Duvid, 2 Sam. v. 7. And put the ark of the Lord in the city of David, 2 Sam. vi. 12. 17. in his place in the midst of the tabernacle which he bad pitched for it. From this time God is said to have dwelt in Zion, which on that account was called his holy hill of Zion, Psal. ii. 6. and to love the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob, Psal. lxxxvii. 2. Wherefore Mount Zion being the residence of the manifestation of the divine presence on earth among the natural seed of Abraham before the temple was built, it was fitly made the type of that place in the heavenly country where the manifestation of the divine presence among the spiritual seed is to be made through all eternity. See Heb, ix. 5. note.

2. The city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the city which Abraham expected, and of which the builder and ruler is God. It is called, Gal. iv. 26. Jerusalem which is above, and Rev. iii. 12. New Jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven from God, and Rev. xxi. 2. The holy eity new Jerusalem. These names the apostles were directed by the Spirit to give to this city, to shew that Jerusalem in Canaan was a type or emblem of it. See 2 Cor. v. 1. note 2.-The intelligent reader no doubt has remark. ed that here the happiness of the just, after the resurrection, is represented as in part arising from the nature of the place of their abode. The same idea is suggested by the obvious meaning of the accounts given by Christ and his apostles of the felicity of good men in the life to come, John xiv. 2. In my father's house of the universe are many mansions.-I go to prepare a place for you.-2 Pet. iii. 13. According to his promise we expect new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And St. John, who in vision had the state of the church set before him in its various stages till its consummation, saw the new heaven and the new earth appear after the present fabric had passed away, Rev. xxi. 1.—That these accounts of the future felicity of the righteous are not to be interpreted metaphorically, may bẹ gathered from the gospel-doctrine of the resurrection, whereby we are assured that we shall be united to a real body consisting of organs of sensation and of members fitted for action. See 1 Cor. xv. 44. note. For if our raised bodies are to have members and organs of sensation, we must also have a material habitation, where we can have the use of these members and organs, and derive enjoyment from objects suited to them. The reason as plain: as a b.dy without members and senses would be no benefit, so

23 to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men (τετελειωμένων, Heb. xi. 40. note) made perfect, s

23 to the general assembly and church of the first-born, brought from the different parts of the universe to worship God. These are enrolled in heaven as citizens. And, instead of standing afar off as your fathers did at Sinai, ye shall come near to God the supreme ruler of the whole universe, and to the spirits of just men made perfect by their union with their glorified bodies, and their introduction into heaven,

members and senses without objects would be useless. Hence the redemption of the body from corruption, is called, Rom. viii. 19. the manifestation of the sons of God: and ver. 21. Their glorious liberty and ver. 23. Their adoption.

Farther, as the gospel speaks consistently, when, together with the resurrection of the body, it promises a new heaven and a new earth, so it speaks agreeably to the ancient revelations, which promised to the spiritual seed of Abraham the eternal possession of an heavenly country, under the figure and pledge of giving his natural seed the everlasting possession of Canaan. And, though in these revelations little is said concerning the nature of the new heaven and new earth, we may believe, as was observed, Ess. v. sect. 4. last paragraph, that it will be perfectly suited to the nature of our glorious bodies, and that the pleasures which we shall derive from the beauty and conveniency of our future habitation, will be as much superior to the pleasures of this earth, as the members and senses of our glorious bodies shall be more perfect than our present fleshly members and senses. In a word, seeing God himself is to dwell with the righteous in the heavenly country, it will, as becometh the residence of God, be magnificent, and glorious, and full of pleasure. See Spectat. vol. 8. No. 580.

Ver. 23.-1. To the general assembly. Пaynguga. This word signifies a great concourse of people, drawn together from all quarters on some public and joyful occasion, such as a religious festival; annual games; a great may. ket or fair; from which last occasion, the Greek word is derived. If the allusion to the transactions at Sinai is continued here, this first general assembly, or concourse of the subjects of God called from his dominions every where, will be held for the purpose of hearing the laws of the heavenly country, which they are to inhabit, promulgated.

2. And church of the first-born. The first born of man and beast, being reckoned more excellent than the subsequent births, were appropriated to God. Hence the Israelites had the name of God's first-born given them, to show that they belonged to God, and were more excellent than the rest of the nations. Wherefore, the general assembly and church of the first-born, 25