Hebrews 11:4 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

The Spirit beginneth here to illustrate his description of faith, by induction of instances throughout the former ages of the church to the time of these Hebrews; and he begins with believers in the old world before the flood. Faith is the same Divine grace as described before, only here to be considered as fully receiving of God's will in Christ as to sacrificing work, and remitting such affections and operations to God in it as were agreeable thereunto. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain: Abel, the younger son of Adam, an eminent believer, whose faith orders him and his worship, the first martyr for religion in the world, Luke 11:51, who sealed the truth of God with his blood; he, in the end of days, that is, the sabbath, Genesis 4:3,4, brought a bloody sacrifice of the fattest and best of the flock, and offered up to the Divine Majesty, the true and living God, his Creator and Redeemer, to atone him for his sin; having a regard to, and faith in, the great sacrifice of the Seed of the woman, for him in fulness of time to be offered up, and of which his was but a type. This sacrifice was fuller of what God required in offerings, than Cain his elder brother s, not, it may be, for external price, but internal worth. Cain offered the fruits of the ground, such as God afterwards required in the ceremonial law, but he was not sensible of the guilt and filth of sin, and of its demerits, nor desirous to remove it in the due way and order appointed, as appears by his murdering of his brother after: Abel's sacrifice was better, more excellent, because more fully agreeable to God's will for purging and pardoning sin, full of self-denial and abasement for sin, and faith in Christ's sacrifice. By which he obtained witness that he was righteous; by which sacrifice of faith he had testimony that he acknowledged himself a sinner, that had need of the blood of Christ to sprinkle him; yet he was righteous by the righteousness of faith, Romans 3:22,25,26, which is upon Abel, as all other believers, Philippians 3:9. And this testified to his soul, by God's Spirit, that he was justified and sanctified, and so eminently righteous; and it was mainfested to others, Christ himself, God-man, witnessing of it, Matthew 23:35. God testifying of his gifts; God himself witnessed from heaven to the truth of his state, by accepting of his person and sacrifice, and giving a visible sign of it, so as Cain could observe it, and be displeased at the difference God made between him and his brother, Genesis 4:4,5,7; likely it was by sending fire from heaven, and consuming Abel's sacrifice, as he did others afterwards, Leviticus 9:24 Judges 6:19,21 1 Kings 18:38 2 Chronicles 7:1; and by it testified him to be righteous. And by it he being dead yet speaketh; by his faith, though murdered out of this world, and his place here knows him no more, and with a design that he should never speak nor be spoken of more, yet he now speaketh, i.e. liveth, Matthew 22:32, and testifieth to God that he is true, and the only true God to make souls happy. He, in his example, and his record in Scripture, bespeaketh all that read his story to imitate him in his faith and worshipping of God, and his patient martyrdom for God and his gospel worship through Christ. And by his blood he crieth for justice against his murderer, as Genesis 4:10; see Hebrews 12:24; and its joined with the rest of the martyrs of Jesus, impleads God's righteous vengeance to be executed on their bloody persecutors, Luke 11:51 Revelation 6:10,11. By reason of his faith he is spoken of throughout all generations, recorded among the excellent sons of God, and renowned in the church to this day. Such a force hath faith to eternize the persons of believers in acceptance with God through Christ, their wrongs, injuries, and blood on God's remembrance, and their names in heaven and the church below.