say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me."1 The next duty which the Apostle enjoins on the Hebrew Christians, is obedience to their spiritual rulers. He had formerly pointed out to them their duty in reference to their deceased pastors, ver. 7; now he points out their duty to their living pastors, and enforces its performance by very powerful motives. Ver. 17. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account; that they may do it with joy, and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you." I have already had an opportunity of .explaining to you the nature and extent of Church rule. The Hebrew Christians were to be obedient to their spiritual rulers. They were to consider the Christian ministry as an ordinance of Christ; and they were to yield obedience to those who filled it, in so far as they taught them the doctrines and commandments of Jesus Christ. They were not to obey them with a slavish, implicit respect to their authority, but they were to obey them from an enlightened regard to Christ's authority; and they were to submit themselves, not only in receiving with humility their instructions, but also their faithful reproofs and admonitions. The motives to the conscientious performance of these duties are contained in the concluding part of the verse :-"They watch for your souls, as those who must give an account.” Christian pastors, if they are at all what they ought to be, "watch for the souls" of those who have called them to take the oversight of them in the Lord. The spiritual improvement, the everlasting salvation of their people, is their great object; and to gain this great object, they watch. They know, that to gain it, constant attention is necessary; and they endeavour to yield it. They occupy a place of trust: they have not only been called by their people, but they have been commissioned by their Lord. They have been entrusted with the care of a portion of that "Church which He purchased with His own blood;" and they know that "they must give account." They must do so at the close of life, when the command comes forth, "Give an account of thy stewardship; thou must be no longer 2 Vide pp. 234, 235. 1 Matt. xxv. 35-40. VOL. II. R steward;" and at the great day of judgment, when both ministers and people "must give an account to God." But this is not all they must give account even here. Ministers ought to keep up a constant intercourse with their great Master. They ought to bear their people on their hearts before the Lord. If their work prospers, if the souls of their people seem to prosper and be in health, then they ought with joy and thankfulness to give an account of this to Him; and if, on the other hand, the souls of their people seem languid and diseased,—if ignorance and carelessness prevail,—if "questions gendering strife rather than godly edifying" occupy their attention, if there "be among them roots of bitterness," or "enemies of the cross of Christ," then too ought the Christian minister to pour out his sorrows before the Lord, giving his account" with grief." It is to this giving account that, I apprehend, the Apostle refers in the passage before us. The consideration of these facts should induce the Christian people to "obey" their pastor, and "submit themselves." He may urge on you unpalatable truth-he may utter sharp reproofs; but recollect he has no choice; remember he is "a man under authority." Put the question, Has he said anything that Christ has not said? If he has, disregard him; if he has not, blame him not,—he has but discharged his duty to his Master and to you; and recollect, you cannot in this case disregard the servant without doing dishonour to the Master. If he had been appointed to amuse you, to "speak smooth things" to you, you might reasonably find fault with him for his uncompromising statements and his keen rebukes. But he "watches for your souls." Your spiritual improvement, your everlasting salvation, is his object; and therefore he must not, to spare your feelings, endanger your souls. It were cruel kindness in the physician, to save a little present pain, to allow a fatal disease to fix its roots in the constitution, which must by and by produce far more suffering than what is now avoided, and not only suffering, but death. The last clause of the verse is connected with the first clause: "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, that when they give in their account, they may give it in with. joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable to you." If a minister is but faithful, so far as he himself is concerned, he a sweet may, he must, give in his account with joy. Whether the Gospel, as administered by him, be " the savour of life unto life” or "of death unto death," if he is but faithful, he will be " savour of Christ unto God," in them that perish as well as in them that believe; his unsuccessful as well as his successful labours will meet the approbation of the great Master, and obtain an abundant "recompense of reward." But so far as his people are concerned, the account given in by him will be joyful or sorrowful just in proportion to his success; and for him to give in a joyful account, is profitable for them; for him to give in a sorrowful account, is unprofitable. It affords the purest satisfaction to a Christian minister to find that his labours among his people are "not in vain in the Lord;" that the thoughtless are becoming serious; that those alarmed about their spiritual interests are seeking and finding rest in the faith of the truth, and the well-grounded hope of eternal life; and that those who have believed through grace are growing up in all things to Him who is the Head, becoming more intelligent and active, more harmless and useful, more weaned from earth, more fit for heaven. Every Christian minister, if he deserve the name at all, can in some measure say, with the Apostle John, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth;" or with the Apostle Paul, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy." 2 In these circumstances he gives his account to his Master with joy, and thus is profitable to his people. His holy joy enables him to prosecute with growing alacrity the duties of his office; and the great Head of the Church, by a still further communication of divine influence, shows His satisfaction with His obedient children. On the other hand, if the members of a Christian church do not obey their pastor in the Lord and submit themselves, and if their souls obviously are not prospering under his ministry, it must be with a sad heart that he gives in his account to his Lord. It is very strikingly said by Dr Owen, With what sighing, and groaning, and mourning, the accounts of faithful ministers to Christ are often accompanied, He alone knows, and the last day will manifest. For the accounts of ministers to be given 2 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20. 13 John 4. in in this way, is not profitable for their people. The heart of the minister is discouraged; the great Master is displeased; the tokens of His favour are withdrawn; spiritual barrenness prevails; and the clouds seem, as it were, commanded to rain no rain on the unfruitful vineyard. The Apostle now solicits from the Hebrew Christians an interest in their prayers, ver. 18. "Pray for us." The Apostle was fully persuaded of two things: that all the blessings he stood in need of could be obtained from God, from God alone; and that prayer was the appointed means of obtaining these blessings. Hence we find him very frequently requesting the prayers of the churches: 2 Cor. i. 11; Eph. vi. 19; Col. iv. 3; 2 Thess. iii. 1. By soliciting the prayers of the Hebrew Christians, he also intimates the high opinion he entertained of them as righteous men, whose prayers would "avail much." He adds, "For we trust that we have a good conscience, willing in all things to live honestly." as There never was a man more exposed to obloquy than the Apostle Paul; and it seems likely that unfavourable reports had been circulated among the Hebrew Christians respecting him. It is in reference to these that he says, "We trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly." "Though my name may be cast out as evil, and I if I were suffer may an evil-doer, yet I am conscious of my own integrity and faithfulness in the ministry committed to me. I am desirous of conducting myself honourably in all circumstances. I do not walk in craftiness, nor do I handle the word of God deceitfully; but my rejoicing is this, the testimony of my conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, I have had my conversation in the world.'2 1 αλυσιτελές, one of the ἅπαξ λεγόμενα, so far as regards the New Testament. By a common figure, it is used to mean more than it expresses. It is = 'hurtful.' We have a curious illustration of the meaning of the word in the address which the comic poet, in Athenæus 1. iv., puts in the mouth of a drunkard, to an abstinent philosopher or water-drinker,—a teetotaller of those days ̓Αλυσιτελὴς εἴ τῇ πόλει, πίνων ύδωρ, Τὸν γὰρ γεωργὸν καὶ τὸν ἔμπορον κακοῖς· 2 This passage is quoted with great effect by Richard Alleine in his valedictory discourse to his people, on leaving them in consequence of the Act of Conformity, 1662. He presses his request on them from a reference to his present circumstances. The Apostle had been among the Christian Hebrews formerly; he wished to be restored to them. He considers their prayers as means well fitted for gaining his desire, knowing that, in the government of His Church, Jesus Christ has a great regard to the prayers of His people. Whether the Apostle obtained his wish or not, we do not know, nor is it at all material. Whatever appears to us duty in any particular case, we may, we ought to desire and to pray for, though the event we wish for may never take place. The secret purposes of God are not the rule of our prayers. If Apostles needed the prayers of the churches, how much more ordinary ministers! "Brethren, pray for us." One of the best methods of enforcing our recommendations of duties to others, is to exemplify them ourselves. This is the plan which the Apostle adopted in reference to the duty of mutual intercession. He had just been requesting an interest in the prayers of the Hebrew Christians, and he immediately shows them that they had an interest in his. He had just been bidding them pray for him, and he straightway commences praying for them. He had just said, "Brethren, pray for us," and he now says, vers. 20, 21, "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." This sublime and comprehensive prayer-which, properly speaking, forms the appropriate conclusion of the Epistle, for what follows is plainly a kind of postscript-deserves, and will reward, our most considerate attention. Our attention must be directed in succession-(1) to the descriptive appellation under which the Apostle addresses the object of prayer-"The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the everlasting covenant;" (2) to the prayer itself-that God, as the God of peace, would "make them perfect in every good work to do His will, working in them that which was well-pleasing in His sight, by Jesus Christ;" and (3) the doxology or ascription of praise |