Apostates Therefore as they desired God's favour and an happy End and feared his Indignation and their own eternal Destruction let them persevere and use all means to perswade others to continue firm and faithful to the end And here you must observe that the principal Duty exhorted unto is Perseverance and the rest are subservient thereunto § 25. It follows Ver. 26. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the Knowledg of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sins IN these words 1. We have a Reason given to perswade unto perseverance 2. Yet this Reason is directly and immediately disswasive and dehorrative from Apostacy 3. Secondarily and by Consequence it exhorts and moves to perseverance For whatsoever Reason is against Apostacy the same is for perseverance 4. This Reason doth seem to imply that the forsaking of Christian Assemblies was Apostacy or tended to it and the day approaching to be a day of Judgment and in particular of the Punishment of such as fall away 5. This Reason begins here and is continued to the 32d Verse 6. It 's taken à poena from the Punishment which is avoided by perseverance and is executed upon Apostates 7. In Form it 's this If the Sin of Apostacy be unpardonable and shall be punished with unavoidable and most grievous Punishment then we ought to be very careful copâ—â—severe But the Antecedent is true Therefore we ought to persevere In the words of the Reason we have 1. The Sin 2. The Punishment which is Unavoidable Grievous The Sin is described in the 26. Ver. to be a sinning wilfully after we have received the Knowledg of the Truth Where we must consider 1. What it presupposeth and that is the Acknowledgment of the Truth 2. What it is upon this presupposed It 's a wilful sinning In the presupposition we have 1. Truth 2. The Knowledg of it 3. The receiving of this Knowledg 1. By the Truth is meant the true pure and most certain Doctrine of the Gospel concerning Christ already come Faith and Salvation This is called Truth because it 's true and most eminently and infallibly true which is no wayes in any thing false and erroneous as being at first immediately revealed from God the God of Truth of all Truth who is not only true but Truth it self It 's called also the Truth by way of eminency as the most excellent Truth revealed for Man's eternal Happiness The Reason of this Truth is the Perfection of his full and clear Knowledge and his absolute Integrity and purest Holiness which both are such as that he neither can nor will reveal any thing but Truth 2. Truth may be Truth and yet not known to any Man or Angel and this Truth was first known only unto God Yet it pleased him out of his great Mercy to reveal his mind to Man and in particular this Truth of the Gospel by Christ and his Apostle who made it known unto others who by that means came to know it For many who heard the Gospel preached and attended unto it attained to the Knowledg of the great Mystery of God's Kingdom and of those things which were sufficient and effectual for Information of the Understanding unto everlasting Life This Knowledg was not Mathematical Physical Political or Metaphysical as some use to speak but Theological and Divine and a Light above the Light of Nature The word may signify not only Knowledg but Acknowledgment of this Truth by a full Assent upon Conviction And this might be caused not only by outward Revelation Information and Miracles but also by the Illumination of the Spirit and supernatural Gifts For God goes far with Man and doth much to save him he many times penetrates his inward parts and by his divine Light and Power enters into his very heart and all this to convert him 3. They received this Knowledg God did not only offer it but give it which he might be properly said to do when they received it They had it not by Nature for it 's far above the natural Man They acquired it but not by their own Power and Industry neither did they merit it Yet in this receiving they were not meerly passive yet passive before they could be active God must do something without Man before he can actively receive he must prevent him by Revelation and Information without and by Illumination and Operation within and this done Man may be active For to receive it is certainly an Act not only of the Understanding which assents but of the Will which approves So that he both wittingly and willingly receives and that with some delight and proceeds to Profession and continues for a while to believe approve profess Though this receiving of Knowledg may seem only to be Acknowledgment yet it 's something more Truth is opposed to Erroar Knowledg to Ignorance Acknowledgment to Dissent Approbation to Rejection of this Truth § 26. This receiving and having is presupposed to Apostacy and sinning wilfully For no Man can loose and fall away from that which he never had either in Title or Possession so none can fall away from Grace or any degree of Grace which he never had The Heathens in Scripture were never said to breâ—k the Covenant of God or forsake God as their God by Covenant Therefore the proper Subject of Apostacy is one in the Church a member of the visible Church and in the times of the Gospel a Christian who hath professeth his Faith in Christ yet of these Apostates there is a difference and there are degrees of this Apostacy For some receive and profess Christianity by tradition and an implicit Faith yet never have any distinct knowledg of the Truth to be believed Some believe and understand more explicitely the Doctrine of Christianity and are convinced of the truth of it yet are never affected with the matter so as to forsake their Sins and reform their Lives but continue in their Sin Some know believe are affected with the matter as so they begin by the power of the Spirit to escape the corruption that is in the World through lust and find some spiritual joy and comfort To fall away from any of these is Apostacy but to fall from the last is the greatest And there was something proper to those times which did aggravate this sin very much For the Truth then was confirmed both by Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost this confirmation was clear and extraordinary and to renounce that Truth so confirmed must needs be hainous and of this the Apostle seems to speak Christians may fall away three wayes by denying the Truth 1. In their Profession Or 2. In their practise Or 3. In both And that denial which we call Apostacy is destructive of Christianity and maketh a man of a Christian no Christian. Yet some may deny Christ or fall into some grievous Sin and yet verily believe in their hearts and retain the love of Christ as Peter and others have
of things sensible for no sensible thing can be received into the under standing but by virtue of our outward and inward senses yet we have an intuitive knowledg of many things as of the inward intellectual and moral acts of the Soul without any act or operation of the senses So that things unseen are such as are neither perceivables by the sense nor reason so as to have either an intuitive or demonstrative knowledg of them These are such as are conveyed to the Soul by divine Revelation without which man could not have known them and such propositions as the connexion of the terms depend upon the Will of God 2. Faith is the evidence of these things unseen because we having a certain knowledg of God's veracity and his testimony and revelation of these things are as certainly perswaded of the truth of them and give as firm assent unto them as if they were seen and intuitively and demonstratively known unto us Yet here you must consider 1. That though the things and proposition be above reason yet this perswasion or firm assent and this certain knowledg of the divine Revelation are acts of reason and in the Book of Reason are they written 2. That this object is of greater latitude then the former For things hoped for which are to come are not seen and not only they but many things past and present 3. That the things not seen in this place are not all things not seen but such as God hath revealed to be the matter and object of our Divine Faith 4. That though substance and evidence may differ yet both are a firm assent but Hypostasis in respect of the things hoped for may include a firm confidence and a certain expectation for in respect of that object that assent is more practical then this evidence which respects things unseen So that here wants but little of a perfect definition 5. The Faith here defined is divine Faith in general not that which is called justifying as justifying for that is but a particular branch of this general looking at a particular object which is Christ's Sacrifice and his Intercession Lushington's Exposition of these words as it 's singular so it 's gross and not worthy taking notice of § 4. This foundation being laid the Apostle proceeds not only to prove it to be true by many instances but also that this Faith thus described is excellent and that by divers Acts and Effects thereof And that it 's excellent it appears for Ver. 2. For by it the Elders obtained a good Report THE meaning of this in brief is That by-Faith the Elders became famous and men of renown so far as to be commended by God himself But for the more particular and distinct understanding hereof I will devide the whole into two propositions 1. The Elders obtained a good Report 2. They obtained this good Report by Faith Both these joyntly taken prove the excellency of Faith For that vertue whereby the Elders became so famous and were so highly honoured both by God and Men must needs be rare and excellent But let 's handle them severally 1. The Elders obtained a good Report In the Original were Witnessed Where we may observe 1. The Elders 2. The Testimony concerning these Elders These Elders were the Saints of God in former times called so in respect of these Hebrews their Posterity and those who succeeded them in the times of the Gospel Yet principally we must understand such as are mentioned afterwards and such as were upon record in Scripture as Abel Eâ—och Noah Abraham and the rest The testimony concerning these Elders is expressed in the general They were witnessed Now a Testimony concerning a person is good or bad and this concerning them is good and thus the word in Greek and Latine is often taken by a Synechdoche and here it s taken for the good Testimony which God gave of them for their rare and excellent virtuous acts which were such as that they were not only famous amongst the Saints of their times but also commended by God And many of them and their works he caused to be Chronicled and written in his own Book of the Sacred Scripture so that their names are upon divine Record And this was a rare priviledg and granted unto few eminent persons so that their Fame and Glory is of perpetual continuance and their names shall never be blotted out or their virtues ever buried in the grave of Oblivion 2. They became thus famous by their Faith without which their remembrance could not have been so precious and honourable to succeeding Generations That which is matter of praise and honour is some virtue shining forth in some excellent deeds Their excellent deeds are many and recorded in the Scripture and recited in this Chapter Yet all these rare Gifts and Acts issued from one Fountain and one particular Faith without which they could not have done so glorious things so worthy of praise and honour For as the Apostle shews afterward By Faith Abel offered so excellent a Sacrifice Enoch pleased God Noah prepared the Ark and so of the rest From all which he intimates 1. That without Faith they could not have performed what they did perform 2. That it was the Foundation of all their other virtues and all their vertuous acts 3. By Faith is understood that Faith which was formerly described 4. This Verse is an abridgment of the whole Chapter and of the Old Testament and signifies the harmony and agreement thereof with the New 5. By those words the Apostle doth tacitely exhort them to Faith and Perseverance therein because as the Elders so they should obtain a good Report § 5. The Apostle in the former words made mention of Elders in general and because he intended to descend unto particulars and to inform us who they were and some of them lived near the time of the Creation of the World he thought good to premise an act of Faith about an object necessarily presupposed before the particular instances For seeing he was to begin his enumeration with some of the Elders who lived near the beginning he must say something of the beginning of the World which could not be known by sense or reason but by Faith For Ver. 3. Through Faith we understand that the Worlds were framed by the Word of God so that the things that are seen were not made of things that did appear THis act of Faith in respect of this object is not proper to any particular Elder or ancient Worthy but a common act of all and therefore prefixed before the Examples and Instances following and proves in part That Faith is the evidence of things not seen which are hoped for These words inform us Of an Object Act. 1. The Object is the Creation of the World 2. The Act is the understanding of this by Faith which usually is reduced under the first article of our Creed The Proposions are these 1. The things that are seen were
not made of things that did appear 2. They were made or framed by the Word of God 3. This is understood by Faith Or rather thus 1. The Worlds were framed so that things seen were not made of things that did appear 2. They were thus framed and made by the Word of God 3. That they were thus made we understand by Faith Where we have two Propositions concerning the Object one concerning the Act. In the first Proposition we have 1. The Worlds and Things seen 2. The World 's framed and things seen made 3. Things seen not made of things that did appear 1. By Worlds must be understood Heaven and Earth and all things therein the Hosts of them the reason of the name Worlds you may read Chap. 1. 2. Things seen may be visible part of the World which is conspicuous and may be seen by bodily Eyes as the frame of Heaven and Earth with the Lights of Heaven and Creatures upon Earth and also the Waters and the Seas and all things therein in which respect they are contra-distinct to invisible Creatures For all things were made by Christ and these were either visible or invisible other wayes things seen may be things existent and in perfect being 2. These were framed and made that is they received their being and existence for the act and work of Creation gave existence to things that had no actual being before Yet the Word framed is extended by some to signify not only the work or act of Creation but also the union order and perfection of the whole and all the parts but howsoever it may connote these yet the intended force of it is to be Created so as that creation and Making are the same 3. The things seen were of things that did not appear By things not appearing some understand the Samplar and Idea of things in the Mind and Counsel of God but this can harldy be the sense But others say That things not appearing are things not pre-existent or in being And this may be taken two wayes 1. To signify that the first Creation did presuppose no matter stuff or atoms or any such thing because all things were purely and meerly Nothing had no being nor principle nor rudiment nor part of being at all And this doth differense the powerful and wonderful active strength and productive force of God from the power and active force of all other Agents in respect of which that 's true Ex nihilo nihil fit 2. To signify that the things now seen were made of that Earth that seminary and imperfect Rudiment which Gen. 1. 2. as the Septuagint translate it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 invisible and darkness was upon the face of it For out of it God created the Elements and mixt Creatures which when Light was made and they finished did appear and most of them were visible This last sense is good and so is the former and both may agree because that Earth and imperfect Chaos concreated with the Heaven of Heavens was first nothing then invisible and not appearing before the things made out of it could be seen Where note that not to be made of things appearing and to be made of things not appearing are the same 2. The second Proposition is That these were made by the Word of God The Word of God is either the Word which was God and begotten of the Father from everlasting and so it cannot be taken here or the Word of God expressing something out of himself And this is also two-fold 1. That Word whereby he effecteth something 2. That which signifieth his mind and is not effective and productive further then to make his mind known But here his effective and productive Word is meant For God said Let there be Light this is his Word and there was Light this is the production of his powerful Word This Word is called the Will and Command of God not that it was so but because it did signify that it was his Will that at such a time such or such a thing should be made or created and did as it were command himself and his almighty power to effect it For he spake unto himself as almighty and his Word was his Deed and as his Wisdom Word and Power are not separated in himself so neither were they separated in this Work So that the World was made without any difficulty toil tumult tools or other adjuvant ministerial Causes The mighty glorious Work was done instantly and with ease by him to whom nothing is impossible The third Proposition is That by Faith we understand that the World was thus created Where three things 1. The thing understood 2. The understanding of it 3. The understanding of it by Faith 1. The thing understood is not this that the World was made for that may be known by Reason For it 's clear enough that it 's an Effect and must necessarily have an efficient Cause which must produce and effect it And they which hold it was ab eterno from Eternity some of them do confess this only they affirm that it was meant necessarily by the Supream Agent and the Production of it was like the Production of Light from the Sun which was no sooner in Being but Light did necessarily flow and issue from it so that there could be no Priority of time between the Sun and Light but the Being of both was simultaneous But that this World should be made at such a time and at first of no pre-existent matter and in the space of six dayes and in that order one part after another and by the Word of God as the sole efficient and so many years ago is far above Reason 2. Yet this is understood and it 's our reason and intellective faculty which doth apprehend and understand it For without it we can know nothing by it we know all things that are known unto us even the deep things and Counsels of God revealed Neither is Reason meerly passive but really active in this Work for it moves acts knows this Creation of the World as certainly as it doth things cognoscible by the senses or those whereof we have intuitive or demonstrative Knowledg 3. Yet we know it by Faith which is a divine and supernatural Light and elevates Reason above it's natural Sphere Faith sometimes by a Trope is taken for the Rule of Faith which is the Word and Revelation of God The proper Act of this word is to represent and this Representation may be made either outwardly or inwardly in the Soul so as to inform it and that either immediately which is Inspiration or mediately which is a more imperfect Disciplination When the Soul is once informed it receives the Impression knows the thing represented and assents unto it and this assenting Knowledg is a vital Act. The thing here represented is such as Reason by it's natural Active Power cannot reach therefore this divine Representation is necessary as a supernatural Light which by the
Spirits To be Ministers is 1. To be Servants in general 2. To be Officers and imployed either in sacred or civil Service therefore the word doth signify Priests or Magistrates Yet these are Ministers or Servants in the Court of Heaven under God the Supream Lord of all 3. They are sent forth for as they have their Office so they have their Imployment they are sent forth to Minister They do not go of their own head but have their work designed by God and receive both Direction and Command from him 4. The parties for whose good the Minister are the converted Believers who are designed Heirs of Salvation and eternal Glory For though they be God's Servants yet they serve for the good of his Children and this is their principal work and their happiness is the end of their Service 5. They are all and every one both Servants and also sent forth for this Service the greatest is not exempted This is the absolute consideration of the words The relative as they referr unto the scope of the Apostle is to prove that Christ is more excellent and they inferior to Christ. The force of the argument lyes chiefly in this 1. That they are Ministers and Servants 2. That all of them none excepted are such For all and every of them be Ministers not Lords and Kings then they are inferior to Christ. Nay they all and every one of them are subject to Christ as the Word from the Creation and after Christ as the word incarnate was set at the right hand of God they all were his Servants commanded and sent by him for the promoting of the Salvation of his redeemed ones believing on him So that they are not only Servants but his Servants this Doctrine informs us 1. Of the excellency of Christ advanced in our Nature above the Angels 2. Of the benefit of Believers they are Heirs of Salvation and the Angels the heavenly Spirits must take a special care of them 3. Of our Duty 1. To believe that we may be Heirs of Salvation and enjoy the guardance guidance and protection 2. To be humble Servants unto God to do good to others especially the Houshold of Faith seeing Angels though excellent are humble Servants to Christ for our good This principal matters in this Chapter are several The first is concerning the excellency of the Scriptures wherein God speaks by Prophets and by his own Son 2. The excellency of Christ in respect of the Prophets and the Angels 3. The Nature and Ministry of Angels The Use of this Doctrine follows in the beginning of the next Chapter CHAP. II. Ver. 1. § 1. THis Chapter is an Exhortation to the constant Profession of the Doctrine of the Gospel These words may be considered 1. In that Connexion with and dependence upon the former 2. In themselves The Connexion and Dependence is signified by the illative therefore which implys that the proposition in the first verse is a conclusion inferred from some premisses in the former Chapter wherein the Apostle had not only affirmed and proved that Christ was a Prophet more excellent then the former Prophets but the Angels And if he was so then it follows he must needs be heard and his Doctrine observed which is the substance of the first verse For seeing God speaks by the Prophets and more excellently by Christ therefore Prophets much more Christ are to be heard § 2. This is a Connexion The words themselves we must consider First As an Exhortation And secondly in the same 1. The duty exhorted unto 2. The reasons whereby the performance is urged An exhortation is reducible to a Rhetorick and proper to a deliberative Theme according to Aristotle and Tully ' whose Rules are not meerly Rhetorical but Political and are miscellaneous It presupposeth the party exhorted to know and remember the thing exhorted unto and a perswasion that it 's good especially honest and just The end of it is to move inslame and stir up the Will and Heart of the Auditor to performance This upon the by To proceed we have 1. The matter of the Exhortation or the Duty exhorted unto For the subject of divine Exhortations is some duty possible by the power of Grace to be performed Duty presupposeth a Command of God upon which follows an obligation to performance and a duty is nothing else and is a duty whether performed or not The duty is affirmative or negative So that in the words we have not only an exhortation but a dehortation too yet to speak properly they are but implyed For the Apostle signifies rather that the matter is a duty then exhorts unto it The affirmative is to give the more earnest heed to the things heard the negative not to let them slip yet the former must be done lest the latter which is a Sin should follow The matter of the duty is the things heard that is the Doctrine of Christ the great Prophet and his Apostles as made known and heard by them The act is attention earnest attention the more earnest attention because spoken by Christ more excellent then the Prophets then the Angels This attention is not only a diligent consideration of the things heard but a belief and constant profession joyned with practise and presupposeth the knowledg of them The negative which upon the neglect of the affirmative will follow is not to let them slip Thus it 's translated in our English but with divers Latine Interpreters it's to leak or flow out or aside And here Expositors compare the Soul unto a broken Cistern or torn-Vessel which will not keep any liquid substance powred into it In this sense to let slip seems to be nothing else then to forget But the Sytiack turns it so lest we fall off or from our profession The Septuagint use the Apostles word Prov. 3. 21. where the Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luz which signifies not only in that Language but in the Chaldee to depart go back decline from a thing Therefore here the sin we must take heed of is not only to forget the Doctrine of Christ but to fall from the Faith and Profession of it And the reason why they must be so careful is because there was great danger and many temptations which would prove the more effectuall against the careless and the negligent In a word the duty is upon most dillgent attention constantly to believe and profess the Doctrine of Christ and never to recede or fall from it Thus to do is our duty there is a necessity of precept God's Command binds us we ought and the reason is because the Doctrine we have heard is the Doctrine of Christ the Doctrine of God made Man And it was God's Command to hear him the great Prophet upon peril of total Destruction This duty is reducible to the first Commandment evangelically understood and not to hear believe profess the Doctrine of God Redeemer by Christ is a grievous sin there forbidden As the duty
Prophets not by the glorious Son of God This is the first Proposition concerning the Law given § 5. The second proposition is that this Law was transgressed and disobeyed The sin which was the cause of the punishment is expressed by two words Transgression and Disobedience By these words we must not understand any kind of sin as of ignorance or infirmity or a sin upon surprizal or in petty matters for the best of the Saints and Prophets under the Law sinned in this manner But by them is understood some more hainous sins as Idolatry Blasphemy and such like or rebellion or apostacy or an habitual and continued course of Sin joyned with contempt of the Law For these were capital and capitally punished The third Proposition concerning the Punishment you heard before The fourth is concerning the Efficacy of the Law It was stedfast A Law should be armed with power and coactive force otherwise it cannot be executed and without Execution which is said to be the life of the Law it 's but words and can neither be a sufficient ground of hope in the Promises or fear in the Comminations When the Punishments threatned are inflicted it strikes a greater Terrour In this respect the Law proved firm and stedfast when the Offenders were punished according to their Transgressions and by suffering the penalties they knew that the word spoken by Angels was not vain but valid and effectual There is a three-fold stedfastness or firmness of a Law the first is in respect of the unalterable Will of the Law-giver the second in respect of the Execution the third in respect of the Party to whom it s given who firmly and certainly believes it The first is supposed the second is meant and is a great cause of the third The Emphasis is in the first words If the word spoken by Angels that is the word spoken by Angels and not by the Son proved firm and valid and was made and manifested to be such by the punishment of the Transgressors and especially in this that every transgression with an high hand contumacy and contempt was punished and not say such Offence escaped unpunished § 6. After the Sin and Punishment of Offenders in the times of the Law and Old Testament follow the Sin and Punishment of Offenders in the times of the New Testament The Sin is the neglect of the Gospel The punishment is implyed in the words How shall we escape In the first we may consider 1. The Word or Law 2. The Transgression of it In the Law we may observe 1. The Title or Name 2. The Publication 3. The Confirmation The Title is this so great Salvation by which is meant the Gospel which is called Salvation So great Salvation As in the Law so in the Gospel which is the Law of God Redeemer by Christ exhibited we have 1. Precepts and Prohibitions determining mens Duty 2. Promises and Threats declaring Punishments and Rewards according to mens Disobedience or Obedience and as in respect of the former the Gospel is the Rule of Man's Duty so in respect of the latter it 's a Rule of God's Judgment This Gospel is called Salvation because it promiseth Salvation and being followed brings loto Salvation and is said to be the Power of God unto Salvation and therefore is called the Word of Salvation and the Gospel of Salvation So that it 's called Salvation by a 〈◊〉 1. Of the Subject for the Adjunct because the matter and subject of it is Salvation 2. Of the Effect for the Cause because it â—ath a causal vertue and power to save As it's Salvation so it 's great Salvation because it doth promise and conduce to the attaining of eternal deliverance from eternal punishments and the greatest Enemies and of eternal bliss and full happiness the Word spoken by Angels did no such thing This is the Name or Title 2. The Publication or Promulgation is two fold 1. Began by Christ 2. Continued by them who heard him The Gospel is a Law and the Law of God Redeemer in Christ yet it could bind no man except it were published And it was first published by Christ. The Law and the Doctrine of the Old Testament was spoken and published by Angels and Prophets but this by Christ the Son and Lord Jesus Christ is our Lord by Redemption whereby he acquired a Right unto us and Power over us for because he suffered death for our sins God raised him up and made him Lord and Christ and being at his right hand he hath Power to command men and Angels and is the head of the Church which acknowledgeth his power and submits unto it He began to speak and declare the Gospel both before and after his Resutrection and they who heard him were especially the Apostles by whom afterward â—â—dued with the holy Ghost he declared it first to the Jew and these Hebrews then to the Gentiles It was so spoken as it was known by him and them so fully and clearly as was never done by Prophets and Angels before This is the Publication 3. The Confirmation follows where we must observe 1. To whom 2. By whom 3. By what it was confirmed 1. To whom It was confirmed saith the Author to Us that is to himself and these Hebrews so it 's commonly understood That it was confirmed to the Hebrews there can be no doubt and also to Paul who was an Hebrew to whom the Gospel was preached as to the rest of the Jews and also confirmed to him though he did not at the first believe it Yet it will not follow from hence that Paul received his immediate and infallible Knowledge of the Gospel from the Apostles For this he received immediately by Revelation from Christ as the rest of the Apostles did though they heard Christ as many more did who yet were no Apostles In this respect none can ground an Argument upon these words to prove that Paul was not the Author of this Epistle as divers do Again the word Us is often taken largely and indefinitely not strictly and precisely so as formally to include the person speaking And in this sense because it was confirmed to the Hebrews whereof he was one he might say It was confirmed to Us especially seeing it 's he that writes unto them 2. By whom was it confirmed It was confirmed by those which heard him Now many besides the Apostles did hear Him and also confirm the Doctrine of the Gospel Yet the Apostles did it in a more eminent manner and may be principally though not solely here intended Yet Paul did not hear Christ as the other Apostles did for though Christ spake to him from Heaven yet he did not speak to him as he did to others whil'st he conversed on Earth 3. By what was this Doctrine confirmed It was confirmed by two things 1. By Miracles 2. By the Gifts of the Holy Ghost Miracles are called Signs Wonders Powerful Works They are called 1. Signs 2. Wonders 3. Powerful
whose House it is is expresse Scripture that Christ doth build it is so too For thus Christ saith to Peter Upon this Rock will I build my Church Matth. 16. 18. Some restrain the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things to the Church but that 's not probable For the better understanding of these words you must observe 1. That one of the most noble Effects and Works of God is the Church a most rare and curious piece 2. That to Frame Build and Constitute this must be a special act of that excellent and universal Builder 3. That as by the Word God created all things and built the World at the first so by this Word Incarnate dying and rising again sending down the Holy Ghost revealing the Gospel he built and founded the Church-Christian which shall stand for ever 4. That because he built this Church not meerly as God by the word not-Incarnate but Incarnate and made Flesh therefore it must necessarily follow that Christ is not part of the House nor the House it self but the Builder of the House For though he doth many things by the word not-Incarnate yet he never built the Church but by it The substance of the words is That presupposing this for a certain truth That every House hath a Builder therefore this House must have so too yet because it cannot be built by Men or Angels it must be built by God and because the materials of it are Men first sinful and guilty God must build it by Christ who is the Word made Flesh. This discourse implyes that Moses was not a Builder but a Member of this House yet an eminent Member and one advanced far above the ordinary ranck of other Members not only because a Prophet but an excellent and eminent Prophet too § 7. Thus far the excellency of Christ above Moses set forth by a Similitude taken from building The second Comparison is between Him and Moses as between Lord and Servant For it follows Ver. 5. And verily Moses was faithful in all his House as a Servant for a Testimony c. These words are part of the Minor Proposition and with the words immediately following inform us of two things The one concerning Moses the other concerning Christ 1. Concerning Moses That for his place he was a Servant 2. Concerning Christ That He was Lord of God's House They both agree in this that they had some certain place in the House of God but differ in this That the one was in a lower the other in a higher place Moses though faithful yet was but a Servant He was God's Servant in an honourable Place and in an Office of great Trust For the word Servant signifies an Officer yet because all Officers are Servants therefore by a Synechdoche they are often called Servants under their Soveraign He was a kind of Steward trusted with a general superintendency and inspection over God's House the Church of Israil In a word he was a Prophet and a Prince Yet here he is considered as a Prophet for he was to testify and declare unto the People the Laws and other things God should reveal unto him And it was an Honour to be such a Servant and a greater Honour to be faithful as he was to declare and testify all things which God revealed unto him and to do this without diminishing the least or adding any thing unto God's Word This is one proper Duty of Christ's Ministers to be witnesses of Christ and declare the whole counsel of God faithfully and how happy might the Church be if her Prophets were such As 1. Who did know what the Will and Word of God is 2. Did teach it faithfully and wisely according to their Commission Though Moses in this respect was counted worthy of Honour and deserved to be heard and obeyed by that People yet Christ was worthy in this respect of far greater Honour For it followeth Ver. 6. But Christ as a Son over his own House Here Son is opposed to Servant and his own House to the House of another which is the Master Christ is the Son Moses but the Servant Christ is in the House as his own built by him Moses was in the Church of the Jews as a Servant in the House of his Master giving directions for all things to be done therein according to the Will of God his Lord and Master Christ is not here called Lord but Son but by Son is meant the Heir which is Lord of all For as you heard before God had made Christ his Son Heir that is Lord of all Chap. 1. 2. The Church is his own House for he redeemed and purchased it by his own Blood he gave himself for it which Moses never did and his Father hath given all things into his hands and made Him Head of that Church and House which he himself hath Built Moses was never advanced to this Honour he never had any such Title This excellency of Christ both absolute and comparative we are exhorted to consider It 's represented unto us fully and clearly in the Gospel yet will be of little use to us if we consider it not so as we may the more clearly and distinctly know it and be effectually moved to honour Christ and prefert Him far above Moses For the end of consideration is a more clear and perfect knowledg of the things considered and in practicals the end of that knowledg is to move and incline out hearts This exhortation is but subordinate unto another as the duty of Consideration is but subordinate to an higher and far greater and that is Perseverance which is here thus expressed Ver. 6. Whose House We are if we hold fast the considence and rejoycing of hope firm to the end § 8. The Duty exhorted unto is final perseverance and is here described by the Apostle to be an holding fast of the considence and rejoycing of hope firm to the end This is opposed to Apostacy or a falling off before the end Perâ—everance is conceived to be no virtue distinct in it self but an adjunct of virtues and especially of Faith The virtues here are considence and rejoycing of hope The nature of it is 1. To hold these fast and firm 2. To hold them fast unto the end The subject immediate of this constancy and perseverance is confidence and hope 1. Confidence in this place presupposeth a firm and certain belief of the Truth of the Gospel concerning Christ as the only sufficient Saviour by whom alone God will give us everlasting Life 2. This confidence is a reliance and resting or reposing of our hearts upon God promising remission and eternal Life for Christ's sake alone For seeing God who is almighty in Power infinite in Wisdom unchangeable in his Purposes hath signified his willingness to save us and hath bound himself by his promise upon certain terms expressed in his promise we may be confident that what he hath promised he will perform and will in no wise fail or be
a great High-Priest above all others as Universal and Supream Pontiffe of Heaven and Earth in comparison of whom all other Priests even the highest are but shadows This is the excellency of his Office His Relation to us is this that we have him that is He is our great High-Priest in whom we who professe our Faith in him have a special Interest so that He as a Priest doth officiate for us and his excellent Office was instituted of God for our eternal good no Unbelievers can be said to have him in this manner Of this great High-Priest it 's affirmed that He is passed into the Heavens This entrance into Heaven was shadowed by the High-Priests entrance into the inmost sacrary of the Tabernacle or Temple which was called the Holy of Holiest The reason why this which is here first affirmed of him is mentioned may well be this because by this he hath not only obtained and taken possessiâ—â— of this eternal Rest wherein we must seek to enter but by this means hath procured an entrance for us For where he is there we shall be and the Head and Members must be and abide together Therefore if we labour and strive we cannot doubt of entrance seeing he hath made a passage open for us This of it self is a great encouragement that our High-Priest is passed into the heavenly Rest not only for himself but also in our behalf even to assure us that if we follow him trust in him and labour to enter that we shall not come short yet this is not all the encouragement is yet greater For it followeth Ver. 15. For we have not an High-Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without Sin I Will not here mention the principal Exhortation expressed in the former verse but reserve it to the last For it is usual upon several Reasons delivered to repeat the exhortation In the words we may observe two things 1. Christ's merciful disposition towards us 2. The Reason of it His mercy is set down negatively in that he is not sensless of our Infirmities but is one that will be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities To be inwardly affected and moved with the miseries of others doth argue an excellent temper of spirit and is a proper act of that we call mercy and compassion and it issues from goodness and love Christ as God is infinitely merciful and mercy it self and in his Word doth signify how readily and abundantly he is inclined unto it and he would have man to know it And as Man none so merciful as He and that God might manifest what store of his mercy he had for sinful Man He became Man nay miserable and mortal Man and because experimental knowledg and sense is the most effectual therefore as Man he was willing to Suffer and be Tempted And this is the Reason why he is so sensible of our sad condition because he was tempted in all points like unto us This is that wonderful way which God by his profound Wisdom contrived to make his mercy greater and in some sort more then Infinite He would have a kind of knowledg of man's infirmities which as God and infinite he could never have That which makes us an object of compassion is our infirmity that which makes him so sensible of our condition is That he was tempted in all points like us yet alwayes without Sin Infirmity is sometimes weaknesse and so the word signifies sometime Sickness and Diseases which cause weaknesse The one is opposed to strength and the other to eucrasy and health and both are twofold either of Body or Soul and here is meant the weakness and distemper of the Soul and may be Sin or Punishment which makes our Case very miserable For sin taken either for native or acquired corruption and imperfection doth fearfully weaken the Soul because it doth not only incline to actual sin but makes us unable to resist temptation so that we are easily overcome by Satan a potent subtle malicious enemy who will not only violently but continually assault us This is the reason why our sins are so many and we so often and so halnously guilty and have continually great need of mercy and pardon which cannot be obtained without the effectual intercession of this righteous Advocate and merciful High-Priest And how merciful must he needs be that was tempted himself For he was tempted in all points like unto us but without Sin Where two things are observed 1. That his temptations were in all points like ours 2. That yet he was without Sin Temptation may be taken for Sufferings or for an inducement to Sin as directly tending to sin and having a power or causality moving us thereunto As for Christ's Sufferings they were exactly like unto Ours To that end he took a Body and Soul and continued for a while in a state of Humiliation whereby he was obnoxious unto them and did actually fall under them and felt them As for temptation to sin it 's inward outward inwardly he was not tempted outwardly he was Of us it 's truly said that every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed But in him there was no such corruption lust or inward concupiscence yet he was outwardly vehemently assaulted by Men and Devils as much as ever any Man was and was tempted to the same kind of sins to which we being tempted to do commit This appears from the History of the temptation and passion yet though we being tempted do often sin yet he being often and violently tempted never sinned never yielded to the temptation but alwayes resisted and alwayes overcame This is a great comfort to us that he never sinned for because of this his Intercession for us is the more effectual with God and the more acceptable unto him For a guilty person pleading for guilty persons could not have made reconciliation for their sins As it is a comfort so it 's a rare example for us to follow that when we are tempted we should use all means to avoid Sin as he did § 8. But let it be granted Christ is so merciful an High-Priest and though entred into Heaven so sensible of our miseries what benefit do we receive by him This the Apostle resolves in the words following Ver. 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need IN which words we may observe 1. That as we may so we ought to come boldly unto the Throne of Grace 2. That coming thus we may speed and attain that which we desire That which in the first Proposition is presupposed is that God sits in the Throne of Grace There is a Throne of Justice and a Throne of Grace If He look upon Man according to the Law of works he must needs sit upon the Throne of Justice as a severe Lord
which follows as will appear anon Two things here I will only observe 1. That to be called is openly and solemnly with power to be declared For this inauguration and confirmation was made with great solemnity and that in the presence of all the Host and Angels of Heaven Whether God commanded any Archangel with sound of heavenly Trumpet to proclaim him and ouer these words before the Throne of Glory and the place of his special presence in the Heaven of Heavens we know not It 's certain by these words he was made an eternal Priest and thereupon all the Angels of Heaven did acknowledg him The second thing to be observed is that he was not only made a Priest but also a King for without either of these he could not be so powerful a Saviour yet he was not so made by these but other words § 10. Now follow a Digression For after that the Apostle had proved him to be a Priest and so made of God and a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec and not after that of Aaron order did require he should enlarge upon the words of the Psalmist yet because this Doctrine was mysterious and profound and they not so capable of it he takes occasion by the way to reprove their dulness stir up their attention and prepare them for this Doctrine concerning Christ's Priest-hood which he intended more fully to declare unto them This reproof is brought in artificially by a kind of Transition and in this manner Ver. 11. Of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered seeing â—â— are dull of hearing IN these words and those which follow We have 1. The excellency and copiousness of the matter 2. The Hebrews incapacity 3. The reason of their incapacity The subject whereof he intended to speak was the Priest-hood of Christ and seeing he was a Priest after the Order of Melchisodec he must needs speak something of him The copiousness and aburdince of matter is signified by those words Of whom we have many things to say the excellency in those and hard to be uttered their incapacity they were dull of hearing The cause of this For when for the time ye ought to be Teachers ye have need that one teach you again c. which implies their negligence Of whom Some think this Relative whom referrs to Melchisedec others to Christ as Priest But it referrs to both to Christ principally to Melchisedec in order unto Christ For many things were to be known of Melchisedec that it might be made evident how he did typify Christ and how Christ was a Priest according to that Order and not the Order of Aaron This is the subject of which he intended to speak Of this subject he had many things to say This implies 1. That he knew many things concerning this Priest and Priest-hood and the same certainly and infallibly true as revealed unto him by the divine Spirit 2. That these things he could utter and express and that clearly and perspicuously enough and he was willing yea desirous to make them known if he could have found Schollars capable of this excellent Doctrine But such they were not for many excellent things might be taught if men would be careful to learn and improve their time and parts Yet these many things were hard to be uttered This implies that they were excellent and above the capacity of Babes and Children They were not hard or obscure to him for he knew them and fully understood them neither were they such things as he learned when he was rapt up into the third Heaven unutterable in themselves but they were hard to be uttered so as they might understand them For They were dull of hearing This was their incapacity The meaning is not that they were deaf either in whole or part or that such amongst them as were learned could not read them if written or understand the language but by hearing is meant understanding There are outward ears and outward hearing of the body inward ears and inward hearing of the Soul the former they had the latter they had not so as to be capable of such things as he had to say of this Priest and Priest-hood This was no obscurity in the matter but an indisposition in the Soul to receive this Doctrine Dulness was this indisposition which in general is a defect of active Power in particular in this place of the intellective faculty as not able to perceive discern apprehend and judge of this higher Doctrine It 's opposed to that we call acâ—â—â—n the sharpness quickness and piercing power of the wit and intellect yet here this dulness is restrained to a certain object for in other things they might be apprehensive and judicious enough By reason of this defect it is that much excellent and divine Doctrine is lost or at least useless to the greatest part of the People who are no whit moved with Doctrine though excellent if above their capacity For this cause the meanest Teachers are most popular though it 's true that all wise men must have respect unto the capacity of their Hearers and condescend unto them yet men should not be alwayes Babes and Dunces in God's School But what might be the cause of this dulness The Apostle informs us Ver. 12. That when for the time ye ought to have been Teachers you have need that one teach you again the principles of the Oracles of God and are become such as have need of milk and not strong meat § 11. THis incapacity and defect of the Understanding may be either from natural imperfection as in Ideots and Naturals or such as are not much better or from want of teaching instruction and disciplination or from God's just Judgment and the delusions of Satan or from the negligence of such as are taught and do not attentively hear heed consider or from the sublimity and excellency of the matter taught or from ignorance of the language or terms or manner of expression used by such as take upon them to be Teachers or from the want of Understanding in principles upon which the knowledg of other things doth depend Dulness and so ignorance from some of these causes is blamless and will not be charged upon man in his last tryal For ignorance invincible is not counted a Sin but ignorance and dulness from neglect of the means God hath given Man to improve his knowledg for his own good is inexcusable If the things to be known be necessary and concern his everlasting Salvation or conduce to the same it 's far more hainous Such was the dulness and ignorance of these Hebrews and it 's implyed in this that they had had time and all other necessary means to improve their knowledg to that of Teachers and yet they were so ignorant that they had need to be taught again the very principles of Christianity This was a Sin and the same very grievous and a great impediment to their Salvation and increase
we understand that knowledg by negligence may be diminished and lost For usually he that increaseth not decreaseth and he that goes not forward goes backward For that which is acquired by industry by industry must be kept and improved If God give a Talent it must not be hid but used to gain more and where he gives capacity helps and means he requires the use and exercise of them Suppose a man should or could retain the knowledg of the principles and yet proceed no further he must needs be guilty and unfit to be advanced to an higher Form in Christ's School He will prove a Babe a Child and render himself uncapable of higher Instruction Ver. 13 14. For every one that useth Milk is unkilful in the Word of Righteousness for he is a Babe But strong Meat belongeth to them who are of fa'll age even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil § 12. IN these words the Apostle gives a reason why he could not so well proceed to deliver the Doctrine of this great Priest-hood and it 's this By their negligence they had made themselves uncapable This he doth express in an allegorical Metaphor wherein he compares the Ignorant to Babes and the more knowing Hebrew-Christians to men of full age and the Principles of the Oracles of God to Milk and his Doctrine of Christ's Priest-hood to strong meat His intent therefore is to let them know that as strong meat is not for Babes but for such as are of full age so his Doctrine of Christ's Priest-hood is not for them which have not digested the principles but for such as by use and constant diligence have improved their knowledg Here we must observe who are Babes in knowledg and who are of full age They are Babes who are unskilful in the Word of Righteousness they are of full age who have their senses exercised to discern good and evil according to that Word Where by word is meant that Doctrine of the Scripture which was revealed from Heaven to direct Man unto eternal life especially the Gospel It 's called the Word of Righteousness 1. Because it is a righteous Doctrine that is just firm stable and of eternal certain Truth For thus the word Righteous is sometimes taken in the Hebrew therefore is it called so often the word of Truth 2. The Gospel may be called the Word of Righteousness because in it is revealed the Righteousness of God by Faith 3. It 's the perfect Rule of Righteousness To be unskilful in this Word is to be ignorant of it and not to understand it To have the senses exercised to discern Good and Evil may 1. Be understood of the long experience of such as are at full age in respect of meats which by long use and exercise of the senses of seeing smelling tasting have acquired a more perfect knowledg to discern what food is good and wholsome what unwholsome Yet it 's principally by Analogy to be understood of such as by much attention study meditation have exercised their intellective faculty to find out the true sense and meaning of the Gospel and by the same to acquire a divine discerning faculty and habit more easily to understand the truths of the same and by the same to judge what Doctrine is true and what is false and more easily to apprehend and judge of higher points if taught unto them Such as these the Hebrews should generally have been and then they had been sit Schollars for his School Where we might observe That the proper act and work of man's intellective faculty is to discern and know the differences of things to be understood But now amongst us there is risen up a Generation of People who never were well grounded in the principles of the Oracles of God who yet will take upon them to teach themselvs and others too These forsake the Ministers of the Gospel whom God hath blessed with a greater measure of divine knowledg and by long and earnest study reading prayer and other means have improved themselves to an higher degree of understanding in the holy Scriptures These separate themselves from other sober and more solid Christians and are divided into several Sects and their end will be sad and woful for being deserted by their God they will fall at last into some damnable heresy or impiety or iniquity if God in his great mercy prevent it not This is a fair warning to all such as profess themselves Christians first to ground themselves well in the principles and then use all the power and means God hath given them to improve themselves and with all humility acknowledg their imperfections not thinking of themselves more highly then they ought but to think soberly according as God hâ—â—â— deals to every man the measure of Faith Rom. 12. 3. CHAP. VI. Ver. I. Therefore leaving the Principles c. § 1. THis part of the Apostle's Letter seems to be brought in upon and joyned to the former by the Illative Particle and Conjunction Therefore which though sometimes expletive yet usually inferrs a conclusion What the conclusion inferred is we find in ver 1 3. But from what words it's inferred seems to be doubtful They may be antecedent or consequent Those antecedent are Chap. 5. 11. Of whom we have many things to say As though the Apostle should say Though many of you be dull of hearing and your incapacity through negligence be such as that you have need to be taught again the Principles of the Oracles of God yet because there be many things and excellent points of Doctrine concerning the Priest-hood of Christ which I have to deliver unto you Therefore I will not go back again to initiate you but go forward unto perfection yet the premises may be in the words consequent to this purpose That seeing there is little or no hope of the recovery of such as fall so far as to need instruction in the very principles and to be initiated again and though I thus speak to warn you yet hope better things of you Therefore I will leave the principles and proceed to perfection Yet we need not stand strictly upon the one or the other for it may be he inferrs the conclusion from both joyntly § 2. But to enter upon the Chapter In it we may observe 1. The continuance of his Digression 2. His return unto his former Subject In the former we have 1. His resolution what to do from ver 1. to the 11. 2. An exhortation to these Hebrews from the 11. to the last In his resolution are to be considered 1. The thing resolved upon 2. The reasons of his resolution The thing resolved upon is to proceed in his Discourse concerning the Priest-hood of Christ. The Reasons of this resolution are two 1. That if any fall away so far as that there shall be a necessity to return unto the principles and laying the foundation of Christianity anew there is little
This Righteousness so far as it reacheth is true and tends much towards eternal life and the estate of such as do attain it is comfortable and hopeful But there are usually defects in it and those very great For 1. It doth not proceed to a deep and firm radication nor 2. To any habitual predominancy over all lusts nor 3. Will it endure any great tryall There may be and are indeed in many Persons Knowledge Faith Love Hope and Comfort and these not meerly Moral but Supernatural and divine caused not onely by the outward revelation of the Word but also by inward illumination and inspiration of the Spirit yet some of these if they be Persons of great estate will be unwilling to sell all and give unto the poor or restore four-fold to those they have wronged or forfeit credit liberty their whole estate and hazard their lives out of Love to their dear Saviour yet all these must be done and that freely and willingly before we can attain to an estate of Confirmation 4. Yet this Confirmation doth not depend upon the radication and intensive measure of their divine vertues but upon the Will and support of God which certain support Man cannot expect by vertue of the Covenant before he arrive at such a measure of Grace and performance of Duty For it 's the meet Mercy of God who delights in an upright heart which moved him to promise this Confirmation to persons of integrity who have overcome the World for till Faith improve so far as to obtain this Victory and that clearly Man may fall and the desires and fears of the World may the more easily prevail against him and God may justly desert him because he neglects to come up unto his terms and refuseth the conditions and qualification necessary to a compleat real and sincere Disciple to whom alone Confirmation by vertue of the Promise is due That which supports a Man against all temptations and prevents Apostacy is strength this strength is internal and external and both from God The internal strength is such a measure of Faith in Christ in Man as is sufficient to overcome the World and obtain a clear victory The external strength is that power of God superadded to the former which not only continues and preserves the inward power of Grace but also is continually ready to supply all defects and make the final issue infallible and most certain For there is a glorious Inheritance reserved in Heaven for those who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation ready to be revealed is the last time 1 Pet. 1. 4 5. Where we have Faith within and the power of God without and the preservation of the parties regenerate unto Salvation and final enjoyment as the effect of both Neither of these belong unto those which have only the Spirit of preparation and not of inhabitation For though they are in a fair way unto and in good hope of both yet they have attained neither Yet there are others which find the victorious power of Faith within them and having received the Spirit of Adoption testifying that they are the Sons of God and the first fruits of Glory may be assured of their preservation to the end according to the tenour of the Promises made in many places of Scripture to such as are so qualified as they know themselves to be § 12. Thus far the Apostle's Resolution and the Reasons thereof Now followeth his exhortation which comes in very seasonably after his former Doctrine of Apostacy which was terrible and the latter concerning the happy and safe estate of such as were qualified as they were For lest the one should occasion dispair and the other presumption and security by this exhortation he intimates that the very estate of confirmation in this life doth not exempt from duty and diligence on Man's part not exclude some kind of desertion on God's part For this Confirmation differs from that which shall be in Heaven where there shall be no Sin no Temptation but perfect holiness without any danger and a plenary possession of the blessed Inheritance For the estate of the Confirmed in this time of mortality is like that of Israel after that they had broken the main strength of the Canaanites divided the Land by lot and did begin to enjoy it But after all this was done there remained several parts of the Land not yet reduced nor totally subdued And God did so order it to try them and also to continue and improve their Military skill and valour So it is with God's regenerate Ones his true Israelites for though they have broken the main strength of the Enemy and as it were in one piâ—cht Battle obtained a clear Victory yet the remainders of corruption may sometimes put them hard to it and much annoy them And it 's God's Will it should be thus to teach them humbly to depend upon him and that continually to exercise their heavenly virtues to keep their watch and never put off their Armour till they have obtained a total and final Victory The principal things to be observed in this Exhortation are 1. The Duty exhorted unto 2. The Reasons why it should be performed For he that will exhort effectually must 1. Let the parties exhorted know distinctly what the Duty is 2. Demonstrate that it's very reasonable to perform it and the more clearly and fully both these are done the more effectually will the heart be moved For the rational Creature must be moved rationally Every exhortation implies the desire of the Oratour or party exhorting otherwise why doth he perswade why doth he exhort therefore saith the Apostle I desire you In this it differs both from a Command and a Petition and if the party desiring be excellent or beloved and the thing desired be reasonable and advantageous it should prevail much If such a person as Paul so worthy and so excellent shall desire the performance of a thing which is not only convenient but necessary to the attaining of eternal life how ready should we be to do it § 13. But To know the Duty is most considerable and it is Perseverance the same which was formerly urged Chap. 2. 3 4. This duty is proposed affirmatively and negatively and the performance of it concerned all and every one For thus he writes Ver. 11. And we desire that every one of you shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end Ver. 12. That you be not slothfull THere is no mention of Perseverance in the Text yet it 's sufficiently implyed for if they must shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end then they must persevere But to understand the duty more fully let us enquire 1. What hope is 2. What the full assurance of hope 3. What it is to shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end Hope is sometimes taken for the thing hoped for not as it is
in it self but as it is an object of that hope which is a divine vertue and this eternal Life which though it be not the only yet is the principal object of our Christian hope Sometimes it 's taken properly for the expectation of this glorious and great Reward of eternal felicity It presupposeth Faith whereby we certainly believe it possible to be had and enjoyed with a vehement desire and longing after it And though the distance between us and it be great yet we are patient and willing to stay God's leisure There is a vain and groundless hope which is irrational there is a rational and probable hope yet not so firm and certain there is a firm and certain hope and that is when we have assurance of the thing hoped for This assurance also may admit of degrees for it may be full or not full This full assurance is the second thing and it 's that which removes all doubts and fears and this it may do at sometimes and not at others it may be interrupted or continued to the end This place speaks of full assurance of hope to the end This assurance will not be had much less continued to the end by sloth by diligence it may And so we are in the third place come unto the Duty which is to use all means and that with diligence whereby we may attain this assurance and continue it full unto the end And here he implies that they had been formerly diligent and so diligent as to have attained this assurance yet here he tells them 1. That they must continue the same diligence to the end 2. That the same diligence zeal affection they had shewed formerly being continued would serve the turn Assurance or certainty is either of the thing or the person The latter presupposeth the former for there can be no certainty to the person of a thing which is not certain in it self This certainty is in respect of the person who is either God or Man Eternal life is certain in respect of God who is able to give it and hath decreed so to do And that it might be certain unto us and that before the time of possession he hath signified his purpose bound himself by promise and confirmed his promise by Oath so that on his part it 's fully and every way certain Yet because the promise requireth a qualification and a performance of duty in the person to whom the promise is made therefore before we can be certain we must not only perform the duty and have the qualification but we must certainly know that we have done that which the Promise requireth and are duly qualified And the more clear and full the knowledg is the more full the assurance of hope and if this full knowledg continue this full assurance continueth to the end which is no groundless presumption but a firm and well-grounded hope Yet this is so to be understood that so far as Man may neglect his Duty and abate in the Qualification so far this assurance may abate If man's diligence in performing the Duty continue to the end this full assurance will do so too For to them who by patient continuance in well-doing shall seek Glory Honour and Immortality God will render eternal life Rom. 2. 7. Yet this patient continuance in well-doing depends upon God's special assistance and support For it 's God that worketh in us the Will and the Deed of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. And this is the reason why we must work out our Salvation with fear and trembling The full assurance not only depends upon the merit and intercession of Christ the Decree Promise and Oath of God but also requireth the diligence of Man and the continual support of God God's support assistance and concurrence are alwayes ready yet so is not Man's diligence For the best and most confirmed Saints on Earth may sometimes be remisse and so have their failings whereupon follow desertions to their great discomfort Yet neither do their failings wholly annihilate Grace nor frustrate the final event but God sometimes in his wonderful wisdom by with-drawing his comforts awakens and quickens them to Duty and useth outward Afflictions as Chastisements to improve their inherent virtues and corrects them And in that he promiseth to be their Father he binds himself to Chastise them if need require Otherwise he should not take them as Sons but account them as Bastards and so utterly neglect them So that we may apply that of the Psalmist in this case If his Children for sake my Law and walk not in my Judgments If they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments Then will I visit their Transgression with the Rod and their Iniquities with Stripes Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail Psal. 89. 30 31 32 33. So God's adopred Children may have their failings yet God will Chastise them that their Covenant may stand firm unto the end Yet let every one be diligent to the end and look for no comfort but upon performance of Duty For that God who is most merciful will be holy and just and he requires his Children should be so too Therefore let all those who have made so great a progress in Grace as to attain a full assurance of hope and a sight of their heavenly Canaan go on with all care and diligence for it 's a sad thing after that we are upon the borders of our heavenly Country to be turned back and wander in this Wilderness For Ver. 12. We must not be slothfull but followers of them who through Faith and Patience inherit the Promises § 14. THE Duty exhorted unto may be sufficiently understood by what hath been said already but that 's not sufficient it must be performed Yet who will go about it except it be reasonable And to manifest this is the next Work of the Apostle declaring the Reasons and Motives the first whereof is from Examples 1. Of many not named 2. Of Abraham in particular Examples do prove the Duty to be not onely possible but to have been actually performed and as such they do not bind though they may encourage but because the matter of them is something commanded they may and do oblige and not onely so but God commands us to imitate them and for that end makes them known and proposeth them yet in these patterns there is a special reason and motive superadded for as they by Faith and Patience obtained the Promises so shall we if we follow them The Persons intended are patterns for imitation in two things 1. The end whereat they aimed which was the attainment of the Promises 2. The means whereby they attained this end Faith Patience 1. They attained the Promises By Promises understand the things promised which were spiritual deliverances blessings and rewards and in one word Salvation yet temporal Mercies in reference to spiritual are not to be excluded For God
clearly see a truth therefore it must make a longer stay and more intentively and wistly look upon the thing represented in a Proposition Therefore this consideration is opposed to a superficial instantaneous or imperfect contemplation 2. This being meant by Consideration let 's take notice of the thing to be considered and it is in general the greatness of Melchisedec which was manifested several wayes The object of serious consideration are such things as are subtil and obscure and not easily discerned by us especially when they are excellent or necessary or of great concernment or all these And of all other things the Doctrine of the Gospel and the eternal saving truths thereof represent such thing unto us that require the most serious contemplation and highest degree of consideration Amongst these this of Melchisedec's greatnesse with respect to Christ was one and it was not easily understood out of the Text of Moses by every Reader but such as should be attentive and intelligent And to know it was a matter of great concernment of these Hebrews The end of this consideration is a more clearfull and distinct knowledg of the thing considered And the neglect of this Duty is a cause why we know so little of God's heavenly Word and why it works no more powerfully upon our hearts to make us use the means to prevent our eternal destruction There can be no Consideration excent there be something to be considered for there can be no act without an object The object is the greatness of Melchisedec which is not physical but moral not political as of a Prince but spiritual as of a Priest It 's an eminent Sacerdotal Power Dignity and Excellency yet this eminency is not here to be considered only absolutely but chiefly comparatively and this Priest and so his Order is proved Greater and more excellent 1. Then Abraham 2. Then the Levitical Priest He is proved more excellent then Abraham by two acts 1. That of Tything 2. That of Blessing both Sacerdotal acts Yet the excellency is not in the meer acts for the Levitical Priests both Tythed and Blessed the People and that by a divine right and Institution But it is in this That he 1. Tythed 2. Blessed Abraham who was greater then Levi. 1. He Tythed or Decimated Abraham for Unto him even the Patriarch Abraham gave the Tenth of the Spoils Where it 's affirmed 1. That Abraham was a Patriarch 2. That he gave the Tenth of the Spoils 3. Even he a Patriarch gave them to Melchizedec 1. He was a Patriarch that is a first and chief Father for so the word signifies He was the Head and first Father of the Jews Isaac his Son was a Patriarch so was Jacob so were the Heads of the twelve Tribes Act. 7. 8 9. So David is stiled a Patriarch Act. 2. 29. Rosh Haovoth is by the Septuagint turned Patriarch 1 Chron. 9. 9. 24. 31. 2 Chron. 19. 8. 26. 12. So Sar a Prince is turned by them 1 Chron. 27. 22. 2 Chron. 23. 20. Yet of all these Abraham was the greatest and most eminent Patriarch in several respects as shall be shewed hereafter 2. He gave the Tenth of the Spoils What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies is known to Schollers who have observed how Greek Authors use the word for whatsoever it may signify the Apostle interprets Moses saying the Tenth of all to mean the Tenth of all the Spoils which Abraham had taken from the four confederate Kings whom he had slain for this was an ancient Law and Rule of War that the Persons and Goods of the conquered fell unto the Conquerour And though the Greek word may signify the first-fruits taken from the top of the heaps of Grain or the chiefest Spoils taken from the Commanders in War which amongst the Heathen were offered to their Gods and consecrated to their Idols or Spoils in general yet here by the Context it 's plain the Spoils taken in War are to be understood And Abraham had no other Goods at that time in Melchizedec's Jurisdiction tythable The Tenth of these not all nor any other part he gave 3. Even the Patriarch Abraham gave the Tenth of the Spoils to Melchizedec Abraham did not give these Tythes onely in Civility out of courtesy or out of free and Princely bounty or as a Free-will-Offering but as due and that by some Law and as due to this Melchizedec as a Priest and the Priest of the most high God whom he did represent and as the greatest Priest then in the World In this giving he did acknowledge himself as less and inferiour and Melchizedec as greater and superiour For to receive Tythes by a just Law as due is an excellency and superiority above him or them who gave them And this superiority of this Priest was so much the more because Abraham was so excellent a Priest himself of the most High God who honoured him above all men of that time in the World and to manifest this excellency by Abraham's paying Tythes is the principal intention of the Apostle The Emphasis is in these words even Abraham the Patriarch gave and gave to him This must be considered and they must consider this â—ow that is after he had given so clear and full a description of Melchizedec for before it could not so well be done § 13. But if any should reply that this was no demonstrative Argument of Melchizedec's Excellency and Superiority for the Levitical Priests received Tythes of their Brethren he adds Ver. 5. And verily they that are of the Sons of Levi who receive the Office of the Priest-hood have a Commandment to take Tythes of the People according to the Law that is of their Brethren though they come out of the Loins of Abraham Ver. 6. But he whose descent is not counted from them received Tythes of Abraham and blessed him that had the Promises THE Subject of these words is Tything and Blessing The Tything is two-fold of The Levitical Priests Melchizedec The Levitical Priests tythed their Brethren Melchizedec tythed Abraham who was far greater than the Priests and their Brethren The Scope seems to be this to prove Melchizedec to be greater than the Levitical Priests even in matter of Tything Both indeed received Tythes and in that respect were equal but the matter here is of whom did they receive Tythes They received Tythes onely of their Brethren but he of Abraham their Father the great Patriarch and therefore must needs be far more excellent than they In the words of Ver. 6. we may observe 1. The parties Tything 2. The parties Tytheâ— 3. The Warrant and Rule of their Tything 1. The parties Tything or receiving Tythes are said 1. More generally to be the Sons of Levi. 2. More particularly they of those Sons who received the Priest-hood 1. They were the Sons of Levi. This doth presuppose the translation of the Power of ministring in holy things pertaining to the Service and Worship of God among the
signified by God's Promise to Abraham I will be thy shield and thy exceeding great Reward Gen. 15. 1. and that Acknowledgment of the Psalmist The Lord God is a Sun and a Shield Psal. 84. 11. To be a Shield is to save and protect either by prevention or removal of all dangers and evils not only temporal but spiritual and eternal And to be a Reward a great Reward and an exceeding great Reward cannot come short of Heavens Glory and that eternal Bliss which is an aggregation of all Blessings which shall ever issue from that Sun which shall in his Meridian fully and for ever shine upon his Saints And to be a People to this God is to be a subject of all Mercies Man can possibly desire He begins to be our God in this manner upon our first Connversion when his Laws are first written in our hearts and goes on to bless and save us more and more till we be fully happy for the more his Laws are imprinted in our heart the more he will manifest himself to be our God and when he is once engaged he will go on and finish our felicity till he be all in all Some make this writing of his Laws to depend much upon our Free-will and that by it we may lose our God But it 's certain that though by our Free-will we may neglect the means and so be guilty of not receiving the Impressions of these heavenly Doctrines yet by this natural Freedom we can do nothing to purpose in this business we can by it neither prepare our hearts nor apprehend nor relish these heavenly Doctrines which are above out Sphere And the beginning and continuance of God being our God depends upon an higher more efficacious and more excellent Cause This Promise is most excellent and a Fountain of unspeakable Comfort for happy is that People who have God to be their God and miserable are they who are without the Covenant of Promises without hope without Christ without God How vast is the distance between them and eternal happiness As they come not near their God so God will not come near them § 12. After this second Promise it followeth Ver. 11. And they shall not teach every Man his Neighbour and every Man his Brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least unto the tâ—â—â—reatâ—st THese words are not so easily understood as appears by the many and different Interpretations of several Expositors which here I will not recount The Subject of them is the Knowledge of the Lord which shall be far more excellent clear full and effectual and generally diffused then in the times of the former Covenant Whether it be a distinct Promise from the former or the same and these words added for the fuller Explanation of the former shall be examined hereafter In themselvs they seem to be an Enthymeme which may be supplied and reduced into this Form If in the new Covenant all shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest then they shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother But all shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest Therefore they shall not teach every man his Neighbour c. In the Text there are two Propositions 1. They shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother 2. They shall all know the Lord from the least to the greatest The former is inferred from the latter and the Connexion of both as Conclusion and Premisses is expressed by the causal Conjunction For The Conclusion is negative and signifies that there shall not be any such teaching under the new Covenant as was under the old In the words we have 1. The Master 2. The Schollar 3. The Lesson taught by the Master to the Schollar 4. The teaching of this Lesson The Master is every Man not absolutely but every man that hath the Knowledge of God and is able to teach another For every one that hath any Knowledge of God should teach others that are ignorant and this is a general Duty of all knowing men but most of all of such as having a more eminent degree of Wisdom do take upon them the Charge of others The Schollar is every man's Neighbour and Brother that is Such as are near unto them by Co-habitation or Relation or both and are ignorant of God so as they need Instruction and Teaching yet are capable The Lesson is to know God this is the chief and best Lesson any Man can learn The Object to be known is the most excellent there is none better not any so good the Act is answerable to the Object For of all Knowledg the Knowledg of God as it is most necessary to Man's Salvation so it is far above any other Knowledg But this Knowledge is not a bare Knowledge but to know the Lord is to fear him serve him and obey him Therefore the Chaldee Paraphâ—ast doth usually interpret the Knowledg of the Lord to be the Fear of the Lord. And this is agreeable to that of the Apostle 1. Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments He that saith I know him and keeps not his Commandments is a Liar and the truth is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 3 4. Not they who have some high Notions of God and can discourse of his eternal Power and glorious Perfections and yet are Workers of Iniquity but they who keep his Commandments may be said truly and really to know him To teach in this place is not barely by Instruction to inform the Understanding but by exhortation to move the heart and stir up Man to Obedience and Practice To teach this Lesson and to perswade and exhort men to know and fear God is a good Work and a Moral Duty and as such of perpetual and universal Obligation and therefore must continue in the Church Christian as it did in the Jewish Yet it 's said that they shall not so teach under this new Covenant which implies there was some defect and imperfection both in the teaching and also the Knowledge which did depend upon it which shall not be found in the Teaching and Knowledge of the new Covenant But of this anon The second Proposition is That All shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest Where we have 1. The party to be known 2. The Knowledge of him 3. The parties that shall know him and that is All from the least to the greatest The party to be known as in the former so in this part of the Text is the Lord For they shall know Me saith the Lord so it 's in the Hebrew Jereâ— 31. 34. And this is the fourth time that Expression is taken up in that Prediction of this Covenant Yet God is Lord by Creation by Preservation by Redemption and Regeneration In this place is meant God not onely Creator and Preserver but Redeemer by Jesus Christ exhibited glorified manifested and represented to us in the
Gospel To be Lord in this manner is to manifest himself in the Excellency of his Wisdom Power and Mercy To know him as such is not any wayes to understand those excellent things testified of him in the Gospel but effectually to believe those Truths as revealed from Heaven and to rely upon him and him alone as our onely Saviour renouncing all Righteousness in our selves and all Confidence in all other things and counting all things loss and dung in comparison of him This is that which we call Faith in Christ whereby we are justified and saved yet this Knowledge and Faith was not without teaching For how should they believe on him of whom they have not heard and how should they hear without a Preacher And again So then Faith is by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God that is taught and preached Rom. 10. 14 17. And the Apostles had Commission to go and teach or disciple all Nations Mat. 28. 19. and they must teach Repentance Faith in Christ and Remission of sins in his Name And when Christ ascended into Heaven he gave Gifts to men and sent Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers Ephes. 4. 11. Yet this Teaching of Man was not without the Power of the Spirit teaching inwardly the same which they taught outwardly yet in a more excellent manner and with far greater efficacy The Persons who shall know God were all from the least to the greatest 1. The Jew taught but the Jew or his Proselyte the Apostles both Jew and Gentile of all Nations 2. All to whom the Gospel is preached aright know God or may know him 3. All may be restrained to all those who are taught not onely of Man but of God who writes his Laws in their hearts and gives them one heart and one way that they may fear him for ever and so puts his fear in them that they shall not depart from him Jerem. 22. 39 40. And he had promised to give his People an heart to know him that he was the Lord and they his People and he their God for they shall return unto him with their whole heart Jer. 24. 7. Where it 's observable 1. That God will so give them one heart as that they shall turn with their whole heart to the Lord. 2. So turned they shall not only know God to be the Lord but to be their God and they his People 3. That this place compared with that of the same Prophet Chap. 31. 33 34. alledged in this place doth signify that this Knowledge is such as upon which will follow Remission of Sins and this is justifying Faith § 13. Two things remain to be considered 1. How this Reason infers this Conclusion That they shall not under the Gospel every Man teach his Neighbour and every Man his Brother saying Know the Lord. 2. How these words come in upon the former whether so as to be a distinct and different Promise from the former or not For the first 1. It 's certain that in Heaven the Knowledge of the Lord shall be so perfect as that there shall be no need of any teaching of Man no nor of Prophets or Apostles therefore some of the Ancients understood the place of the perfection of Saints in the state of Glory 2. That unâ—er the Gospel there is need of Man's Teaching not onely for the first Conversion but for their further Edification till the Saints be perfect in Christ. 3. Yet there is a great difference between the teaching under the Law and that under the Gospel and that in three respects 1. Of the matter taught 2. Of the Teachers 3. Of the manner of Teaching 1. For the matter taught For the matter taught under the Law was The Lord bringing them out of Aegypt into the Land of Canaan and giving them Moral Judicial and Ceremonial Laws and blessing them in that good Land whilst in their manner and measure they observed these Laws Christ also was taught in Types and Shadows But the matter taught under the Gospel is God Redeemer by Christ exhibited glorified reigning at God's right hand and officiating in Heaven as being far more clearly and fully revealed 2. The Teachers under the Law whether Priests or Levites or Scribes or Parents or Masters or any private Persons were but Ministers of the Letter not of the Spirit But under the Gospel they were Ministers not onely of the Letter but of the Spirit and their Knowledge was far greater and clearer than that of the Teachers under the Law 3. For the manner of Teaching it was more clear more full more powerful as accompanied by the Spirit of Christ enlightning the Understanding and inclining the heart For in the Law there was no Promise of the Spirit to take away their stony heart and give them an heart of Flesh and to be put in them to cause them to walk in his Statutes As the saying of Austin is Lex jubet non juvat If the Spirit had been thus given to make the Doctrine of their Teachers effectual upon the heart of their Disciples and imprint the Knowledg of the Lord so deeply in their hearts as that they should never depart from him then the Promises of that Covenant had not been so far short of the Promises of the new Covenant But as the Law could expiate no Sin so it could not minister the Spirit It 's true that under the Law they had Faith in Christ to come and were enlightned and sanctified by the Spirit yet this they had not by vertue of the Law but the Promise by Christ to come and not by Moses And they who had it were few in number and their Knowledge of Christ was but implicit and the Power of the Spirit far less But under the Gospel they were many in number not only Jews and Proselytes but Gentiles of all Nations their Faith was far more explicit and the Power of the Spirit far greater So that the force of the Reason is That if the Teaching under the Gospel â—e so far more excellent in respect of the matter taught the Teachers and manner of Teaching which is such as that they all from the least to the greatest shall know the Lord so clearly fully and powerfully then there shall be no such Teaching as under the Law For seeing there is no distinct actual Knowledge without some kind of Disciplination and Instruction therefore where any Knowledg of the Lord is whether under the Law or the Gospel there must be some kind of Disciplination under both And here the Disciplination and Teaching of the Law and the Gospel are compared together And that of the Law was so weak and imperfect in respect of the Knowledg of the Lord which it did produce and that of the Gospel so powerful and also so perfect in respect of the Knowledge of the Lord the Effect thereof that there was great Reason that the former should cease as needless useless and imperfect For as the Apostle saith in another
so made as that it abrogated the Law of Moses and the Legal Covenant Yet because the Law was given and that Covenant made by God and not by Man and had continued in force about 1500 years many could not be satisfied in the matter of Abrogation and made scruple of rejecting and neglecting of it For that which is confirmed by Law and long Custom can hardly be made void The unbelieving Jew did reject the new Covenant and adhere to the old as instituted from Heaven and sufficient to justify and save those who observed it Some believing Jews feared to neglect it and judged Christ insufficient without it and thought Moses and Christ joyntly must bring them to Heaven and some of the Gentiles seduced by them were entangled with the same Errour So that it was observed by some as necessary by some as indifferent till the ruine of Jerusalem the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the miserable and captive Jews into all Nations And then when there was no face either of a Civil or Ecclesiasticall Polity in that Nation then it vanished and did not appear It was abrogated therefore by the Promulgation of the Gospel decayed by little and little after that time and in the end was totally abolished The Apostle had in the former Chapter proved the Change of the Law and the Abrogation thereof from the Change and Abolition of the Priest-hood and gives the reason why it was to be abrogated to be this because it could justify and sanctify no Man And this he made good out of Psal. 110. 4. And here he implies that it must be abrogated because it was not faultless but defective and confirms the repeal of it from the words of the Lord by Jeremiah saying I will make a new Covenant and his chief Scope is to prove that Christ hath obtained a better Ministry because he was the Mediator of a better Covenant And that Covenant was better not onely because it was established upon better Promises but in that it was new and so made that it abrogated the former and it self was to continue for ever For God never promised to make another after this new one was once confirmed by the Blood of Christ. § 17. In all this Discourse he takes it for granted and presupposeth it as certain that Christ was the Mediator of this Covenant and in this he may seem to beg and not to make good the assirmative of the Question For the Jew might reply That suppose it were granted that there must be a new Covenant so made as to take away the old as God by the Prophet doth positively affirm it yet How doth it appear that Christ and not some Levitical High-Priest shall be the Mediator of it To remove this and the like Scruples it 's to be observed 1. That no Levitical Priest could be a Mediator of any Covenant but the former made with the Fathers as is evident from the Institution of that Priest-hood and the Rules of Legal Ministration Therefore he was clearly excluded from this Mediation of this new Covenant 2. That if Jesus of Nazareth was the Messias whom God promised the Fathers expected the Prophets fore-told then it will necessarily follow that he was the great Prophet above all former Prophets above Moses above Angels and he must be the great and eternal High-Priest according to the Order of Melchizedee a Minister of the heavenly Sanctuary and a Mediator of this far better Covenant But the reason why he takes it for granted and goes not about to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messias was because that was done unto his hands and made evident many wayes For the fulfilling of so many Prophecies of the Old Testament and that so fully even to particular Circumstances in him who was called Jesus of Nazareth the Angel's Testimony who certified his Mother of his Conception the Testimony of an Angel with a Multitude of the heavenly hoast at his Birth did signify this So did the words of his Father at his Baptism and Transfiguration his glorious Works his heavenly Wisdom Knowledg and Doctrine besides the Testimony of John the Baptist his prodigious and stupendious Death and Resurrection Ascension the coming down of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles the Revelation of the Gospel the rare and excellent gifts of this heavenly Spirit received by such as believed on him and the wonderful works done in his Name did sufficiently and superabundantly prove him to be the Messias § 18. From all this the intelligent Reader may easily understand the Subject Scope and Method of the Apostle in this Chapter The Subject is the Ministry of Christ constituted a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedec The Scope is to manifest that Christ is a far more excellent Priest than that of Aaron's Order in respect of his Ministry The Method is to set forth his superexcellent Ministry in respect of the Tabernacle the Service and the Covenant whereof he was Minister for the more excellent the Sanctuary the Service the Covenant the more excellent the Priest The Sanctuary whereof Christ is Minister is heavenly his Service and Offering not â—arnal but supernatural and divine the Blessings promised in the Covenant whereof he is Minister and which by his Ministry he procures are spiritual and eternal and such as once obtained make sinful Man fully and for ever happy And because the Covenant is so excellent and so effectual by his Ministration it 's of eternal continuance The Application of all this to our selves is of Information Exhortation Consolation for by this Doctrine we 1. Understand how excellent and effectual Christ's Priest-hood is in respect of his Ministration in the best Sanctuary by his best Service making effectual the best Covenant that ever was made 2. It stirs us up to admire the wonderful Wisdom of God which contrived such an excellent Priest-hood and Ministry and his infinite Mercy in ordering both for our eternal Salvation For Who are we that the Son of God should be our eternal Priest offer up himself a Sacrifice to confirm his Covenant which he hath made with us and that God should appoint him to minister in the heavenly Sanctaary and by his Ministry there obtain for us the excellent Blessings which he hath merited and God hath promised That he should deal thus with us and do thus for us may be matter of amazement to the very Angels of Heaven How often should we think and seriously meditate on these things and magnify his Wisdom and be eternally thankful for his unspeakable Mercy and engage our selves to his Service for evermore 3. It 's matter of sweetest Comfort that there is so excellent an High-Priest that he is our High-Priest that after he had sacrificed himself on Earth he should minister for us in Heaven that God should make so excellent a Covenant with us promise Power to keep it and bind himself upon the keeping of it to be our God for ever and eternally
first words of the Text for some read them negatively as our Translation doth For then should they not have ceased Some read them Interrogatively For then should they not have ceased Thus Vatablus and some others Some omit the negative particle and read them thus For then they should have ceased Thus the Vulgar Beza Tramelius Vetesius Stephaâ—â—s in his fifth Copy and the Complâ—teâ—sis and this seems to be the true Reading though the Interrogative hath the same sense The Apostle seems to argue thus If the Sacrifices of the Law had perfected the Commers or â—urged the Worshippers then they should have ceased to be offered This Consequence is proved because if they had been once purged they should have had no more Conscience of Sin and so the Offerings had been needless and useless It was said before that they were offered year by year continually and here from that continuance of them he infers their Imperfection For as the Sytiack paraphraseth if they had perfected and sanctified the Worshippers they should have ceased This presupposeth That when an Agent hath produced his Effect finished his Work and attained his end he ceaseth to work for that end any more and takes his Rest Thus God when he had finished the World and made all things then he rested from the Work of Creation Now the End of Sacrifices was to purge and expiate the Sins of those who offer them and if once they can do that fully and perfectly Reason it self would dictate they may cease But to proceed unto the Reason why they should have ceased if they had pâ—â—ged the Worshippers which is this For then the Worshippers being purged should have no more Conscience of Sin Where we have three things observable 1. The vertue of purging proper to a Sacrifice 2. The Subject purged by them which is the Worshippers 3. The Effect of this sanctifying Power in this Subject which is to take away the Conscience of Sins To begin with the last By Sins are meant 1. Sins past 2. Guilt which necessarily and unavoidably follows upon Sin once committed By Conscience of this Sin is understood 1. The Knowledg of this Guilt as we use to say of a Delinquent that he is conscious to himself that he hath offended 2. Some Effects consequent which either are apt to follow or do follow thereupon as Sorrow Fear Accusation therefore Tremelius turns it Sin wounding the Conscience though it is the Knowledg of Sin as our Sin as rendring us guilty and liable to Punishment that doth torment and wound For by Conscience is meant the Soul conscious and privy to it 's own Sin and the Acts of this the Soul thus conscious and knowing are to accuse threaten and condemn it self and from hence it is that the guilty Soul is such a Tormentor of it self By having no Conscience of Sin is meant 1. To be freed from the Guilt of Sin 2. A Knowledg thereof grounded upon certain Rules The Subject of this benefit are Worshippers for these are not only guilty but know it and are sensible of it and therefore come to God and use some means to propitiate him that being propitiated he may pardon them For it 's pardon that actually frees from Guilt and the Conscience of Sin Those who are guilty and yet sensless and so no Worshippers continue guilty still Yet these Worshippers as purged only are free from Guilt and this purging is two-fold 1. By Sacrifice as propitiating and making Sin pardonable 2. By God's Sentence upon Repentance and Faith pleading the Sacrifice as offered and accepted And without both Guilt is not actually taken away Thus far these words have been explained as considered absolutely in themselvs yet we must further examine them as referring to the Antecedent part of the Text and containing a Reason why the Legal Sacrifices should have ceased if they had perfected the Worshippers And for the clearing of this I must resume the former distinction of purging as it is an immediate Effect of a Sacrifice or an Effect of the Sacrifice upon God's Sentence of Absolution The former purging is here principally meant yet so as not to exclude the latter Yet this purging by Sacrifice offered may be an Expiation of some-Sins for a time as making liable to some certain Punishment or as an Expiation of all sins expiable and making the Sinner liable to all Punishments not only temporal but spiritual and eternal Now if there had been any such expiatory Sacrifice under the Law that could have made God propitious for ever and all sin remissible for ever and so have made not only temporal but spiritual and eternal penalties eternally removable then if that had been once offered and accepted there had been no need of offering that Sacrifice again or any other For this would have purged the Worshipper so as to free him from the Guilt and Conscience of Sin without any other or without any Re-iteration of it at all But there was no such Sacrifice therefore the Worshippers upon new sins had recourse to a new and to another Sacrifice and these Sacrifices did not cease but continue and hence the Author proves their Imperfection Under the Gospel we commit new Sins contract new Guilt and have Conscience of Sin and so do often re-iterate the Offering of a broken Spirit renew our Repentance and our Faith yet we plead no new Sacrifice Expiatory but rely only upon one Sacrifice once offered till such time as by vertue of it we be so purged as never to be guilty again or have Conscience of Sin any more and when upon our finall Repentance and Faith in this Sacrifice we receive a full and final Absolution then by vertue of this Sacrifice we have no Conscience of Sin for ever § 4. The Apostle goes on and further informs thus Ver. 3. But in those Sacrifices there is a Remembrance again made of Sins every Year THESE words seem to produce a third Argument to prove the insufficiency of the Legal Sacrifices as to perfecting and purging the Worshippers In Form he argues thus If in those Sacrifices there was a Remembrance of Sins every Year then they did not purge and perfect the Worshippers But in them there was a Remembrance again of Sins every Year Therefore they did not perfect and purge the Worshippers In the Text we have 1. A yearly offering of Sacrifices 2. In these Sacrifices a Remembrance of Sin every Year 1. There was a yearly Offering and this seems to be that great and solemn Sacrifice of Explation offered the tenth day of the seventh Month every Year It 's true that there were many other propitiatory and Ilastical Sacrifices besides this offered every Year yet this was the general and publick Sacrifice offered for the Universality and whole Body of the People and therefore vas the principal This doth prove that they ceased not because they took not away the Gâ—ilt and Conscience of sin Therefore some think these words to be an
the supream Judg. Angels or Men may have the use of it but the Propriety is in God And that you may understand it more fully you must know that this Power of punishing is an universal a supream an original Power as it belongs to God and none else It extends to all Persons to all Causes and to these in all respects For he hath Jurisdiction over Angels and the Consciences and immortal Souls of men and can irrogate spiritual and eternal Punishments 2. As Vengeance so Retribution belongs unto the Lord and it may be considered not only as it is a Power or Right to recompense but the Act and Exercise of vindicative Justice and may include both the Sentence and the Execution which is nothing else but a returning evil for evil the evil of Punishment for the evil of Sin The Apostle in this follows the Septuagint which turn it I will recompence which seems to imply that as he is 1. Just to punish Sin 2. Hath a power of Retribution So. 3. He will recompense and exercise this Power and that certainly 3. He will judg his People This may be understood two wayes 1. That God will judg the Cause of his oppressed and persecuted People by punishing and destroying their Enemies and this the Context in Denteronomy seems to imply 2. That he will judg his People and punish severely all Apostates among them So that by People may be meant all men punishable either according to the Law of Nature or of Moses or according to the Gospel Amongst those which are punishable such as â—â—e in Covenant with God and by Covenant are his Heople if they revolt are the greatest Offenders and amongst the Revolters such as fall away from the Truth of the Gospel once received are the most hainous Delinquents of all To judg these is to condemn them and to inflict the Punishment to which they are condemned and when it 's said He will judg them it signifies he will certainly do it and they shall not escape Men may threaten and never condemn they may condemn and never execute but God will certainly do both 4. The Lord saith so Man might have said it and it might have been otherwise out of Ignorance he might have been deceived or out of pravity he might lye and deceive others or if any earthly Judg who knew his own mind and power should have said so yet he might change his mind or want power and so Recompence might fail But it 's God who is Supream Judg who cannot be deceived cannot deceive cannot change his mind who hath almighty Power that saith so and his Word is his Deed. If therefore he say I will recompense I will judg Recompence and Judgment will certainly follow they cannot fail 5. They knew it was God who said so that God who could certainly do as he had said If any other had said it or God himself had said it and they had been ignorant of it their fear had been less though the danger had been as great as if they had known it Seeing therefore it is the Lord who said it and they knew that it was said and that by him their fear should be answerable to the danger and so much the greater as their Knowledge was more clear and certain They knew this and that by Scripture which they believed to be the Word of God Ignorance of this Truth makes men secure and presumptuous and so doth Unbelief This seems to prove the Punishment to be unavoidable § 31. Yet though it be certain and unavoidable yet if it be lesse it 's lesse feared But Ver. 31. It 's a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the Living God THis again doth signify how grievous the Punishment of Apostates must needs be for they fall into the hands of the Living God And this is deduced from the former Text c for there it 's said God will recompence God will judg and take Vengeance And if it be the Punishment that the Living God will execute then it must needs be most fearful and unavoidable To understand the force of the Text we must observe in it 1. The Living God 2. The hands of the Living God 3. The falling into his hands 4. The fearfull Condition of such as fall into his hands 1. The Living God is here opposed not only to dumb and dead Idols but to mortal men and the word Living is added to signify not only the eternal Duration of his Existence but his active and lively Power and Strength which is said to be almighty and is of himself 2. The Hands and Arm of God in Scripture doth usually signify this Power and Strength of God which is exercised sometimes in Mercy sometimes in severe Justice For it is this Almighty Strength of God which doth deliver and save his People and punish and execute Vengeance on their Enemies And here it 's taken for his punishing and revenging hand whereby he executes his Wrath upon Apostates and manifests his greatest Indignation against them 3. To fall into his Hands is by Apostacy to make our selvs obnoxious to the severâ—ty of his revenging Justice in that manner as no wayes to escape either the Sentence or the Execution For this Sin is the most provoking of all others renders the Sinner uncapable of any Mercy makes him liable to the greatest Punishment Man can suffer and he shall be no wayes able to avoid it but must in the end certainly feel it We are all in God's hands and in his power at all times but the Apostate casts himself into the hands of his severest Justice never to be delivered ever to be tormented 4. It 's a fearfull thing Where we must note that to fall into the hands of the Living God is the Subject or Antecedent and a fearfull thing is the Predicate and Consequent of the Proposition and argues the Antecedent as an Adjunct inseperable doth it's Subject yet in this place to be fearful is to be apt to cause fear The Object of all fear is some evil approaching and the greater the evil is the more approaching and approaching as inevitable the greater Cause of fear there is The Evil is Punishment the greatest Punishment Man can suffer and it 's very near for he is already fallen into the hands of the Living God and he can no wayes escape It 's a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of a severe and potent Judg or of a cruel Enemy much more into the hands of this supream and eternal Judg who can not only kill the Body but cast both Soul and Body into Hell and eternally and extreamly torment both The Sum and Substance of this Argument is that seeing the Punishment of Apostates will be most grievous and unavoidable therefore it concerns them much to consider seriously of it and take heed of falling away from their Profession § 32. The Apostle proceeds to another argument Ver. 32. But call to remembrance the former dayes in
ever This is called Treasure and an Inheritance but divine and far aboe all other Estates which may decay or be taken from the Owners 2. This Substance is in Heaven because 1. It 's in God and in his Power and at his disposal 2. It 's prepared for us in Heaven and the place of eternal Glory mounted far above the Sphear of corruptible things 3. It 's to be enjoyed fully and for ever in the Heavens That it 's better enduring and in Heaven we learn from that Exhortation of our Saviour But lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven where neither Moth nor Rust doth corrupt and where Thievs do not break through and steal Math. 6. 20. and from the words of the Apostle Peter who informs us that the Regenerate are born to an Inheritance incorruptible undefiled and which fadeth not away reserved in the Heavens 1 Pet. 1. 4. In both these places we find 1. Treasures and an Inheritance which are the same with Substance 3. These far better and more excellent than any earthly Substance 3. Enduring both in themselvs and in the Possession 4. Laid up and reserved in Heaven 3. They had this Substance that is by vertue of God's Promise they had a Title and Right unto it and some security for the full Possession of it in due time by the first-fruits and earnest of the Spirit For this Substance was promised only to them prepared only for them secured only unto them So that in Hope and Reversion they were the richest men in the World 4. They knew this in themselvs That which was the formal Object of this Knowledg was the Promise that which was the particular Object was their own Qualification and fulfilling of the Conditions of the Promise For all that are rightly qualified according to the tenour of the Promise had certain Right unto this Substance and this they knew by Faith But they were thus qualified and did certainly know it Therefore they might conclude thence that they had right unto it Besides the Spirit did testify to their Spirits that they were the Sons of God and if Sons then Heirs And this was the ground on which their Joy was bottom'd For to be Sons of God and Heirs of this Substance and Inheritance was Matter and to know this was an immediate Efficient of Joy This and this known did cause them even in tribulation to rejoyce and so much the rather because our Saviour had pronounced them blessed that suffered for Righteousness sake and they might rejoyce and be exceedingly glad because great was their Reward in Heaven Mat. 5. 11 12. And if we suffer with Christ as they did we shall be glorified with him Rom. 8. 17. The Patience and Faith of the Thessalonians in all their Persecutions and Tribulations which they endured were a manifest token of the just Judgment of God that they might be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which they did suffer 2 Thes. 1. 5 6. § 35. These were their Sufferings it remain we consider the time the remembrance of these Sufferings and the end of this remembrance 1. The time was after they were enlightned Some understand enlightning to be Baptism And it 's true that some upon their Baptism received a divine Light yet the Doctrine of the Gospel is a divine Light and when the blessed Spirit with this Light enters the Soul it gives a divine visive Faculty and Power unto the Understanding represents more clearly the Mysteries of God's Kingdom and works powerfully upon the heart and hence follows Conversion And they were first enlightned when they were first converted they who were first the Children of Darkness became the Children of Light and were translated out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light The Reason of this Expression is because Illumination is the beginning of Regeneration For as God first created Light in this visible World so in this second and more wonderful Creation he first makes the Light of the Gospel to shine in the heart by the Power of the Spirit The People to whom the Gospel was never preached are said to sit in Darkness and when the Gospel comes Light comes unto them and when by the Power of the Spirit it enters into our hearts then Light is in us and without this divine Light in us there is no Regeneration The sense is that they were no sooner enlightned converted and born from Heaven but they were persecuted became Souldiers and were put to fight 2. They must remember what then they suffered The Children of God must not only look forward and know what they must do but they must look back and consider both what they have done and also what they have suffered And so these Hebrews are exhorted to look back and call to remembrance former times especially those which followed upon their Conversion when they were reproached afflicted and spoiled of their Goods These Sufferings must be remembred yet not only these but their Patience their Faith their Joy their Victory and the foil of their Enemies and God's Assistance and Support the Battle and the happy Issue must not be forgotten 3. Yet to what end must they remember all this Not to boast and glory in their own strength and ascribe this happy issue to their own Wisdom and Prowess But they must remember they had been in the Battle had fought a great fight had conquered 1. That they might give the whole Glory unto God 2. For time to come to depend upon him 3. To be encouraged to go on and improve their strength more and more 4. To be ashamed to give back now after their strength is improved Did they when Tyrones and but newly-listed endure so great a fight keep the field and beat off the Enemy and will they now begin to faint and after so much experience prove Cowards and stain their former Honour The greatest brunt was past and the most violent Storm passed over the final Victory was almost in their hands and the great Reward almost obtained Therefore the Remembrance of their former Success and God's Assistance should encourage them much to march on till God had given the Anakims into their hands subdued all their Enemies and attained certain and eternal Rest on every side § 36. After this Motive of encouragement from Remembrance of what is past there is another from the great Reward which certainly follows upon Perseverance And because in the former great fight the Victory was obtained by Patience and Confidence he lets them know how needful this Patience and Confidence was for the attaining of the Reward For thus we read Ver. 35. Cast not away therefore your Confidence which hath great Recompence of Reward Ver. 36. For you have need of Patience that after ye have done the Will of God you might receive the Promise SOme think that the Work of the Apostle in these words and the rest of this Chapter is to give directions and prescribe the means whereby
an Argument to prove something antecedent In the first consideration they yield two Propositions 1. Without Faith it 's impossible to please God 2. He that cometh unto God must believe that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him 1. Without Faith it 's impossible to please God Where we might observe 1. The Effect pleasing God 2. The Cause Faith 3. The inseparable Connexion of both When one thing doth depend upon another for its being then it 's impossible for it to exist without that other upon which it doth so much depend as the Effect depends upon its Cause as receiving Being from it Therefore Causes and Effects are said to be Arguments absolutely consentany and of inseparable Connexion and impossible Separation If there be a Cause formally and actually as a Cause there must of necessity be an Effect if there be an Effect there must needs be the Cause that gave it being If there be the beams of the Sun there must necessarily be the Sun from whence they issue The World created is an Effect and cannot exist without God as creating it So here to please God is an Effect and Faith is the Cause without which we cannot possibly please God The Sum is that as it is impossible for an Effect to be without a Cause so it 's impossible without Faith to please God 2. This is made more clear from an Act of Faith Some think that the Text is dianoetical or discursive as though the Apostle should argue in this Form If he that commeth unto God must believe that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him then without Faith it 's impossible to please God But the Antecedent is true Therefore the Consequent They are induced thus to think from the Conjunction For. This seems to be an arguing a definitione ad definitum For in this latter Proposition we have a more accurate definition of that Faith whereby we attain eternal Life than in the first Verse In it we may observe 1. The Object 2. The Act 3. The Subject of Faith 1. The Object complex is two-fold 1. God is 2. He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him So that the Object of Enoch's Faith and so of all saving Faith in general is God This most noble Object may be considered 1. As God 2. As Rewarder of Man seeking him 1. God is This is prima veritas complexa the first Categorical Positive Affirmative Proposition For as God's Being and Existence is first and before all other things and existences so that God is or doth exist must needs be the first Truth The Subject of this Proposition being God by God we must understand the most perfect and excellent Being which is known unto us in some measure by his Work but is more fully represented unto us by his Attributes and his eternal necessary acting upon himself as we read in Scripture Of these things I have written more at large in my Theo-Politica This Being and Existence of God so far as it cannot be understood by Reason but by a diviner Light of Revelation is the first Object of Faith 2. The second Object of this Faith is God as beatificans hominem rewarding Man where we must consider 1. The party rewarding 2. The party rewarded The party rewarding is God who first is and doth exist in himself before he can be a Rewarder This Act of Remuneration presupposeth the Creation of the World especially of Man as a Rational Creature capable of Laws Rewards Punishments and God's Supream Dominion and Laws and his Judgment according to the Laws given Man and Man's Observation of the same nay even the Observation of those Laws according to which sinful guilty Man is rewardable The party rewarded or to be rewarded and made happy is 1. Man 2. Sinful Man 3. Sinful Man seeking God 4. Sinful Man seeking God with that sincerity and constancy as to find him This seeking God in this manner is the Observation of his Laws 2. This being the Object the Act is to believe He that cometh unto God must believe To this Act is required an Object not only materially but formally considered a Rule and an intellective Faculty The material Object you have heard before the formal Object are these as intelligible and credible without which there can be no Act. That which makes them credible is the Rule which is the divine Revelation or the Word of God representing the Object as intelligible and credible For Reason without Revelation cannot attain any certain Knowledg and Evidence of these things Something it may conclude and determine of God from his Works something may be taught and testified by Man without Divine Revelation But that God will render eternal Rewards unto sinful Man to be redeemed by Christ upon condition of Repentance Faith and new Obedience is far above Reason not elevated above it's Sphere Therefore the Rule must be supernatural and divine Revelation and Testimony which is infallible because of Godâ— veracity and this Revelation must be in the Soul and known to be divine before it can be a Rule to Man This Faith is a vital and elicit Act of the Soul as intellective for without this intellective active Power the Soul is not capable of the divine Representation nor can be informed by it The Act therefore is a Belief of these things thus represented this Belief is an Assent unto these things revealed as true This Assent must be certain infallible practical 1. It must be certain because the things to be believed concern Man's everlasting Estate 2. It must be infallible for the same Reason 3. It must be practical because it must stir up men effectually to seek eternal Life and deliverance from eternal Death Yet the Cause of the certainty infallibility and practical force is the Word of God conveyed into the Soul and made powerful by the divine Spirit illuminating and inspiring Man in an ineffable manner for a divine Faith it a supernatural Gift of God And as it is divinely practical and effective it 's inconsistent with any predominant Lust and Corruption 3. The Subject of this Faith is one that cometh unto God even every one that cometh unto God To come to God is for Man to turn unto God and to make him the chiefest Object of his Understanding and Will so as to serve him and walk with him so as to obtain eternal Life from him If we reflect upon Enoch it is to come to God for to walk with him for before Enoch could walk with God he must come to God Therefore this coming may be Conversion which depends upon divine Vocation yet this coming as also this walking presupposeth Faith and follows upon it as an Effect upon the Cause For Faith is the Principle of this divine motion both as first begun and after continued So that the sense is that a man cannot begin to walk with God without this Faith for to
heard them Luke 10. 23 24. 3. The joy of Simeon when he saw his Saviour though then but an Infant and imbraced that blessed Babe in his arms doth manifest the same 4. We might add that the times of the Gospel were more excellent because the Angels came to School on Earth amongst Men to learn something that they had not known before This is implyed by these words of Paul And to let all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the World hath been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ. To the intent that Now unto Principalities and Powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord Eph. 3. 9 10 11. And by those of Peter 1 Pet. 1. 17. Which things the Angels desire to look into 5. Upon the exhibition of Christ and the revelation of the Gospel the rule of Faith was more fully clearly and distinctly declared as the former places do signify and the Holy Ghost was more plentifully powred down from Heaven So that the times of the Gospel were times of far greater perfection then the former had been 2. This better thing was provided by God who disposeth of all times and of all things to be done as knowing both what and when is most fit to be effected And as by his Wisdom he contrived this better thing so by his Will he determined it and when the time came by his Almighty Power he accomplished what he had provided This implieâ— that it was his Work and from his own free Will he made this provision without any thoughts of Man 3. He provided this better thing for us that is for Paul and the Hebrews and all such as lived under that excellent dispensation and enjoyed the light of the Gospel For they are the parties who had the benefit and the priviledg which the Elders and Ancient worthies expected but never received in their times § 40. They were not perfected without us this is the second Proposition which 1. Implies That they were perfected 2. Expresly affirms That they were not perfected without us 1. The former times were times of imperfection both in respect of the object of Faith which was Christ to come and also in respect of the revelation and proposal of the rule which was then more dark and implicite and therefore before Christ's exhibition and the clear light of the Gospel the Saints and Elders of Old could not be perfected What the imperfection of their Souls and Spirits separated was before the time of Christ's Ascention we know not so clearly and we are ignorant in part of that perfection which they then acquired But certainly besides that some of them were raised with Christ their condition was much bettered The knowledg of their Saviour was much increased and their joyes much advanced But that this perfection should be their deliverance out of the dark Limbus and upper part of Hell I cannot be perswaded I find no Scripture for it 2. Yet they were not perfected without us who live under the Gospel God so ordered it that as their Faith was not so perfect as ours so their estate should not be bettered till the glorious light of Heaven shined out upon us and them joyntly and upon us both together If they were not made perfect without us and they received not the promise and we did and they continued constant in Faith how much more are we who have received it bound to be constant and persevere § 41. Though we find many examples in Scripture proposed for imitation and several Duties pressed thereupon yet we find no place in this kind so full so large so particular as this of the Apostle wherein he singles out the prime and choisest Worthies of God which have lived in all Ages before Christ from the beginning of the World And it 's a kind of Induction which though not expresly yet implicitely reacheth almost a general For examples logically considered are but particular individuals which united together make up a Totum genericum which many say is nothing but species â—â—sima but we must not quarrel about words Morally and Theologically taken they do illustrate and make plain the matter whereof they are examples but as examples do not bind except the matter be found in some precept in force or of universal and perpetual obligation as this of Faith and perseverance in Faith is Yet this is observable in Scripture that God doth not only give us examples for imitation but commands us to follow them and they are added to the precepts to make the duty more evident more easy and more fit for encouragement Surely there was some special reason why the Authour should so inlarge in this topick of examples The reason seems to be the necessity of Faith in respect of Salvation which was such as that never any of the best of Saints could attain it or did attain it without this Virtue Besides as there was danger so there was great fear of Apostacy because of many temptations And it 's remarkable that he doth not instance in any Ceremonial Duty as of Sacrifice and such like nor in the works of the Law but in Faith yet a most lively and working Faith and he doth manifest that this was a fundamental virtue from the beginning As for his method it 's as clear as such a matter is capable of and the subject is handled with a great deal of artifice He 1. Describes Faith and makes that the basis and foundation of his following Discourse not only to let them know what the duty was he formerly exhorted unto but to give light to the Examples following 2. He signifies that it was an ancient and general vertue whereby the Elders became so famous 3. Because it was fit in producing so many Examples to observe some Order and so begin with one more ancient than the rest as with Abel who was the second Son of the first Man and lest it might be said that there were many Ages of the World before his time he informs us that the World had a beginning and that by Faith we believe it and therefore his first Example is one living in the beginning of the World and from him draws the Series or Catalogue down to latter times CHAP. XII Wherein the Exhortation to Perseverance is continued § 1. THE Analysis of this Chapter is easy for in the Exhortation continued we must observe 1. The Duty exhorted upto which is Perseverance 2. The Reasons and Motives whereupon it 's urged Which are 1. The former Examples 2. The Example of Christ. 3. The Nature of their Sufferings as they come from God 4. Divers ill Consequents if Apostacy and the Causes and Occasions thereof be not avoided 5. The Excellency of the Church under the Gospel above the Church under the Law 6. The Manner of revealing the Gospel 7.