imprinted there more perfectly Yet the word turned Laws signifies in the Hebrew Doctrines And these are the Doctrines of the Gospel concerning Christ's Person Nature Offices and the Work of Redemption the Doctrines of Repentance Faith Justification Resurrection and eternal Life and these either presuppose or include the Moral Law For they must be such Truths as are necessary and effectual to Man's Salvation without the Knowledge and practice whereof sinful Man cannot attain eternal Life Further they are Doctrines concerning Christ as already exhibited glorified reigning and officiating in Heaven 2. The Book or Tables wherein they must be written are the mind and heart of Man By Mind some conceive is meant the Understanding and by Heart the Will and rational Appetite But by both words are meant the immortal Soul endued with a Power to understand and will or nill that which is understood The word in the Hebrew turned by the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Mind and intellective Faculty signifieth the inward parts because as the heart and reins are the inmost parts of the Body so the mind thoughts and rational Appetite are intima Anime the inmost parts if we may so speak of the Soul They are as it were the Center of that immortal Substance where all the active vigour and powers of the Soul are united There is the Spring and Original of all rational and moral Operations of all thoughts affections and inward Motions There is the directive Counsel and imperial commanding Power There is the prime Mover of all humane Actions as such This is the Subject fit to receive not only natural but supernatural Truths and Doctrines and all Laws There divine Characters may be imprinted and made legible to the Soul it self This is the most noble and excellent Book that any can write in This is an Allusion to the Tables of Stone wherein the Law was written for the Law was not written in the heart but in stone upon Phylacteries Frontlets Posts and Walls of their Houses And now the Scriptures and divine Revelations are written in Books so as that they are legible by the Eye they may be spoken and so uttered by Man as to be perceived by the Ear and from these be conveyed to the common sense and fancy and by degree be transmitted to the Soul which by them receives some imperfect representations not informations This immortal Soul is the Book or Table wherein these Laws and divine Doctrines must be written 3. The Scribe or Pen-man is God for it 's said I will give or put I will write He that said so was the Lord And it must be He because the Work is so curious and excellent that it 's far above the Sphere of created activity He alone can immediately work upon the immortal Soul to inform it move it alter it and mould it anew so as neither Man or Angel can do They may by the outward senses and the fancy come near the Soul but immediately prepare it and make lively Impressions and write clear Characters of divine Truth upon it they cannot They may move it and affect or disaffect it yet to take away the stony heart and make an heart of Flesh is far above their Power Therefore God doth alwayes ascribe this great Work unto himself 4. The Act and Work of this Pen-man is to write and write these Laws and write them in the heart How he doth it we know not That he doth it is clear enough His preparations illuminations impulsions inspirations are strange and wonderful of great and mighty force For in this Work he doth not onely represent divine Objects in a clearer light and propose high Motives to incline and turn the heart but also gives a divine perceptive and appetitive Power whereby the Soul more easily and clearly apprehends and more effectually affects heavenly things The Effect of this Writing is a divine Knowledge of God's Laws and a ready and willing heart to obey them and conform unto them a Power to know and do the Word of God This is that Work of the Spirit which is called Vocation Renovation Regeneration Conversion actively taken without which Man cannot repent believe obey and turn to God It 's said to be a quickning of Man dead in sin a putting God's fear in Man's heart a putting God's Spirit within Man to cause him to obey his Laws a calling out of Darkness into Light a writing upon the fleshy Tables of Man's heart By this writing Man is said to have a new Heart and Spirit not that God creates in Man a new Soul or new Faculties but because he gives new Power new Light new Life new Qualifications so that Man is made partaker of a divine Nature and moulded anew with so much alteration that he is another Man though not for Substance yet for Qualities and Operations All this tends to an imperfect explication of this Promise wherein this new Covenant differs from and is more excellent than the former For that had no Promise of God's writing his Laws and Doctrines in Man's heart or of giving any sanctifying or renewing Power to enable them to observe and keep his Judgments Yet lest we mistake this excellent and most comfortable part of Scripture many things are to be observed 1. Concerning the Laws 2. Concerning the heart 3. Concerning God's writing in the heart 1. The Laws the Laws of God are written in the heart not the inventions fancies of men nor natural nor mathematical nor moral Philosophy much less the Errors and Blasphemies of Seducers and false Prophets It 's true that humane Learning and Languages are excellent means to find out the sense of the Scriptures and are great Blessings ordained of God for that end and being used with Prayer and sanctified may do much Yet we must know that these Doctrines are not only those of the Moral Law but these high Mysteries concerning Christ the Redemption Repentance Faith Justification Resurrection and the eternal Punishments and Rewards in the World to come as they are revealed in the Gospel For the matter and subject of them is God's Kingdom and the Government of God-Redeemer ordering Man to his final and eternal estate as I have manifested in another Treatise 2. The heart of Man is by Nature a very untoward and indisposed Subject and not capable of these heavenly Doctrines It 's blind and perverse and there is an Antipathy between it and these Laws It hath some little parcels of the Law of Nature written in it but not any thing of these heavenly and evangelical Truths it neither knows them nor can relish them And when they are represented unto it yet it hath no intellective Power to understand them nor any Will or Desire to seek them or inclination to obey the Laws of God which direct unto everlasting life It 's not only ignorant but filthily blotted and blurred with Errours both in matters of Religion and humane Conversation And this is the condition not only of Heathens
Case When that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away 1 Cor. 13 10. Both Law and Gospel have their Teachers Teaching and the matter taught which is the Knowledg of the Lord and both agree thus far Yet they differ in the Quality Power and Manner in which respects the former shall cease and the latter continue There shall be no such Teaching under the Gospel as under the Law because there shall be a far better The second Enquiry is Whether these words are added to the former only for Explication or for to inform us of another distinct Promise Upon due consideration they may be found so to explicate the former as to add another Promise For they signify 1. That the end and issue of God's putting his Laws in their mind and writing them in their hearts is to know God the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent 2. To know God and Jesus Christ far more perfectly than ever they could do under the Law 3. To know him so as never to depart from him as their Fathers did 4. To know him so as that God should be their God for ever and bind himself in an everlasting Covenant unto them And this effect it should have not in a few but in very many of all sorts of all Nations And all and every one in whom he would thus write his Doctrines should thus know him fear him love him and obey him constantly and cheerfully so as they should not need either so much teaching admonishing threatning correcting punishing as they did under the Law nor be in such danger of departing and revolting from their God as their Fathers were For our God doth so deeply imprint his heavenly saving Truth in our hearts as that we shall be enamoured with Christ and so firmly adhere unto him as never to be separated from him This Effect it is not onely able to produce but hath actually produced it in thousands and millions This may be a new Promise whereby God doth engage himself not onely to be our God and take us for his People for a time but for ever For after once he becomes our God as here is meant he not onely rewards us but amongst other things doth continually minister unto us the sanctifying Power of his Spirit to enable us more and more to keep his Covenant that so in the end we may obtain the final and eternal Reward for he first writes his Laws in our hearts that upon our first Faith and Conversion he may first become our God and after he once is our God he writes them more and more that he may continue to be our God for evermore He will not only begin but finish the great Work of Salvation § 14. There is another Promise of unspeakable comfort expressed Ver. 12. For I will be merciful to their Unrighteousness and their Sins and their Iniquities will I remember no more THis is a Mercy of that concernment and necessity to sinful Man that all the rest without it are nothing The thing promised is eternal Remission of all sins Where we have 1. Sins 2. Remission of Sins 3. Remission for ever 4. The Person remitting 5. The Persons to whom they are remitted 1. For Sin we have three words 1. Unrighteousness 2. Sins 3. Iniquities Two of these are only named in the Prophet and the Apostle adds the third according to that of Exod. 34. 7. where we find three Hebrew words as we do Psal. 32. 12. And the Septuagint translate the three Original words by these three Greek words which are here used by the Apostle And here it 's implied That the People with whom God makes this Covenant have their Unrighteousness Sins and Iniquities and some of them not onely many but very hainous What Sin is I need not here define because I have done it more at large in my Theopolitica where I explain the meaning of the Apostle's definition 1 Joh. 3. 4. Sin presupposeth a Law-giver one Subject and under his Power a Law and the Obligation of the party subject And it 's a disobedience to the Law Here God's the Law-giver Man 's the Subject Commandments the Laws and when Man acts moves or is inclined contrary unto these Laws then he sins The Commands of God are his Rule and he ought to follow it and his heart ought to be conformable unto it and that freely and upon Knowledg For Man is bound to know the Law and to observe it And when Man sâ—vervs from this Rule he forsakes the Wisdom and Righteousness of God and follows his own Imagination and the Suggestion of the Devil and is carried away from his God by his base and ill-disposed Will and Lusts. And though all Sin is base yet some sins are more hainous than others Amongst other Consequents of Sin Guilt and Punishment are most remarkable and there can be no Sin which makes not Man guilty and liable to Punishment though the Punishment may be removed or the Suffering of it prevented And because God in his Law promiseth not only temporal but eternal Rewards and threatneth not only temporal but eternal Punishments therefore the condition of the guilty is very miserable and the more guilty the more miserable And if once we see our condition and be sensible of it our Souls are troubled and fearfully tormented and the thoughts and remembrance of Judgment are very terrible not onely because we are in danger to lose the eternal Rewards but to suffer eternal Punishments 2. Though there be Sins and the Guilt after the Sin is past remains yet there is Remission This Remission is a kind of loosing and dissolving an Obligation This Obligation here to be loosed is Guilt which is not Obligation to Obedience which is the Act of a Law but unto Punishment which follows upon the transgression of the Law by vertue of the Law and the Commination Pardon therefore and Remission is a freedom from the Guilt and so from the Punishment by necessary Consequence This Remission in this place is expressed by two words the first is I will be merciful the second I will not remember their Sins and Iniquities The first implies that Remission is an Act of Mercy pure and free Mercy for he that is guilty is in the hands of the Judge to punish or spare him and if he spare it 's a favour and an undeserved kindness Yet the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mercifull doth sometime imply such a Mercy as presupposeth some satisfaction and propitiation made without which Mercy and Pardon will not be granted and so it 's taken in this place For though God be merciful and inclined to pardon yet he will be just and Justice requires some expiation to be made by Blood or some other way and this to manifest his purest holiness and hatred of Sin and that he will not suffer his just Laws to be violated and yet let the party violating go free without any
they apprehend the peril so will their fear be and they cannot apprehend the Judgment but as very grievous near at hand pressing hard upon them and unavoidable and so it will terrify and torment them before the time of Execution The sum of this Text is that as there is no hope of mercy and pardon so there remains a fearful expectation of grievous punishment and the same unavoidable § 28. And lest the Apostate should slatter himself and promise impunity to his Soul the Apostle proceeds to prove it unavoidable and very grievous according to the hainousness of the Sin and this he doth in these words Ver. 28. He that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three Witnesses Ver. 29. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trâ—dden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace THese words are a Comparison and it 's two-fold 1. In quality 2. In quantity The first is presupposed and implyed The second intended and expresly delivered The first in quality informs that as he that transgressed Moses Law was punished without mercy so shall he be that Sins wilfully under the Gospel after he hath received the knowledg of the Truth In the second in quantity we may observe 1. The Proposition ver 28. 2. The Reddition ver 29. In the handling of these we must consider 1. The parts absolutely 2. The whole under the notion of a Comparison 3. The force of the Comparison as it is a reason In the Proposition we may take notice of 1. The party to be punished 2. The manner of judicial proceeding 3. The punishment it self 1. The party to be punished is one that transgressed Moses Law that is the Law of God given to Israel by Moses where we have the Person and the Crime or Cause The Person is one under the Law of Moses while it was in force before the time of the Gospel The Crime is a transgression of that Law and this transgression was not any disobedience but such as for which there was no Expiation appointed no Remission in that Law promised it was such a Crime as God determined to be capital and to be punished with a Capital punishment and loss of Life The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Septuagint intrepret by the word used in the Text and both signify to revolt and that Revolt from the Law was answerable to Apostacy from the Gospel This was a breach of that fundamental Law Thou shalt have no other Gods but me This was a revolt from the true God their God whom they had acknowledged to be their God unto Idols Yet there might be other Crimes which might so grate upon the Foundation as to amount to this hainous sin of Revolt 2. The manner of proceeding against such a Transgressour was by information and delation of such a Transgressour before a competent Judge who must proceed Secunduns allegata probata and could not justly sentense the party but upon evidence Sometimes the fact might be notorious or confessed and sometimes maintained by the party offending yet the ordinary way was by Witnesses and in case of a man's life he required two witnesses at least in which respect singular is testis nullus testis The end of witnesses was Evidence that so the merit or demerit of the Cause might appear to the Judge and so the Cause be in an immediate capacity for Sentence 3. The demerit of the cause once made evident Judgment passed upon the party and he was sentenced to Death without any mercy and this Judgment must be executed So that if the Judge did make the Law of Moses his rule he could not acquit or absolve the party nor impose any other punishment nor help the Offender by commutation nor abate the least of this penalty for he by his transgression had made himself uncapable of mercy In this Proposition two things are especially to be noted 1. The Crime which was hainous 3. The Punishment which was Death without mercy § 29. The Reddition follows in the next words where we must observe as before 1. The Sin 2. The Penalty 1. The Sin is described or rather aggravated from three particulars It 's 1. A creading of the Son of God under foot 2. A counting the Blood of the Covenant whereby the Transgressor was sanctified an unholy thing 3. A doing of despite unto the Spirit of Grace The Sin is Apostacy and no man can Apostate from Christianity once received but he shall be guilty of the Contempt 1. Of the Son of God 2. Of the Blood of the Covenant 3. Of the Spirit of Grace The first aggravation therefore is from the contempt of the Son of God For 1. The Apostate treads under foot the Son of God the expression is metaphorical and presupposeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and affirmeth that he though the Son of God is trodden under foot To tread a thing under foot is 1. To undervalue it if it be of any worth 2. To vilify it 3. To vilify it very much 4. To expresse this contempt by casting it upon the Ground and trampling upon it which is the greatest debasement and is sometimes an expression of utter detestation Thus Jezabel was thrown down upon the Earth and trampled upon by Jehu's Horses To vilify and debase things that are base is no fault and to despise unworthy men is tolerable but the Apostate undervalues vilifieth and in an high degree the Son of God and the greater his dignity the greater the indignity He is not meer man though man yet as man the best of men for he is the Son of God and that not any kind of Son but the only begotten and beloved Son of God the brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image of his person and so the Son of God that he is God Though he did descend so low for a little time as to be made man and humbled himself so far as to take upon him the form of a Servant and in that form to be obedient unto Death the Death of the Cross yet in this low estate he was the Son of God But after his humiliation even as man he is advanced to the right hand of God and is made Lord of Men and Angels an everlasting King an everlasting Priest Yet this Son of God the Apostate Christian so far vilifies as that he denies him to be God to be the Son of God to be a just Man nay judgeth him to be an Impostor a false Prophet a Malefactor and justly and worthily Crucified and if he had been living on Earth and in the Apostate's power he would have dealt with him as they did Thus neither the Person and Deity of Christ nor his Natures nor the personal Union of them nor
he received Christianity and had felt the sanctifying and comforting power and divine effects of this Spirit in his own soul. For God by his Spirit had entred into him and done much towards his Salvation This is therefore a Sin against God the Father who loved us and sent Christ to redeem us against God the Son who had shed his precious Blood for the Expiation of our sins against God the Holy Ghost who had begun the Work of Sanctification and Consolation in us The penalty of this Sin is signified absolutely to be this that he is counted worthy of sore Punishment Sore Punishment is grievous heavy bitter Punishment To be worthy of it is to deserve it by some hainous Sin and not only so but to be liable to it for one may be worthy of Punishment yet not liable to it when he is under no Law yet whosoever is under the Obligation of a Law and yet transgresseth it he is not only worthy to suffer and deserving of Punishment but liable and bound to suffer For the nature of Law is to bind either to Obedience or Punishment But where there is no Law there is no Wrath that is no Punishment due yet one may be liable to Punishment which he hath deserved and yet no Man takes notice to censure or judg him But the Apostate from Christianity shall be accounted worthy and that not only by Man but by God who will not only take notice of the Sin but sentence him to the Punishment the sore Punishment deserved that is he will judg him without Mercy § 29. Thus far the parts have been considered and explicated absolutely the next thing to be done is to examine the whole under the Notion of a Comparison in quantity and it 's signified by these words Of how much sorer Punishment The things principally compared are the Punishments 1. To be inflicted upon such as transgress Moses Law 2. Upon Apostates under the Gospel Both are sore and great but the latter far more grievous than the former For a just Judg will judg according to the Law and a just Law will determine and proportion the Punishment according to the Offence To transgress Moses Law was a grievous Offence to sin willfully against the Gospel after we have received the knowledg thereof is far more hainous The Punishment of the former was death without Mercy the Punishment of the latter far more grievous This presupposeth the Gospel to be far above the Law as being a Covenant of Grace and greatest Mercy for in and by it God comes far nearer unto Man The Son of God is the Mediator one far more excellent than any Levitical High-Priest The Blood of this Son of God expiating Man's Sin which is far more precious than the Blood of Buls Goats doth confirm it The Spirit of God which the Law did not minister is the Spirit of Grace enlightning inspiring sanctifying Man and enabling him to keep the Conditions and comforming him To revolt from and rebell against God loving sinful Man against the Son of God redeeming him against the Spirit-sanctifying him is like the Sin of Devils and one of the highest Man can commit and far more hainous than the Violation of the Covenant made with Israel For by this a man wilfully refuseth to be saved and puts himself in a most desperate Condition after God had brought him out of the Spiritual Aegypt and the Kingdom of Darkness and brought him to the Borders of the heavenly Canaan Now as the Sin is more hainous far more hainous so the Punishment must be grievous far more grievous God hath no Mercy for such a Wretch for the Sin agrees directly with that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven It remains we consider the whole as a Reason that so we may understand the force of it The Scope of the Apostle is to perswade and exhort to perseverance the Reason is because that if they persevere not but fall away there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment c. that is the Punishment that they must suffer is grievous and unavoidable That it is both grievous and unavoidable he proves 1. By a Comparison from the Transgressors of the Law For if Apostates under the Law were grievously and certainly punished then much more should the Apostates under the Gospel who have received the Knowledg of the Truth be so punished for as their Sin is more grievous and provoking so their Punishment must be answerable This is the force of the Reason This Argument hath some Affinity with that of Chap. 2 Ver. 1 2 3 4 c. yet that refers more to the Prophetical this more to the Sacerdotal Office of Christ. § 30. Yet though the Apostate may be worthy of Punishment yet it may be be questioned and demanded 1. Who the Judge is And 2. Whether he will proceed to Judgment and execute it But both these the Apostle puts out of doubt in the words following Ver. 30. For we know him that he hath said Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompence saith the Lord And again The Lord shall judg his People IN which words he doth inform us 1. Who the Judg is 2. That he will certainly punish And here he cites a place out of the Old Testament which affirmeth both that God is Judg and also will execute Judgment This is more than if he had barely affirmed these things for he produceth God as Witness and so by Scripture confirms them The place is Deut. 32. 35 36. and he seems to divide it into two for Ver. 35. he saith Vengeance and Recompence belong to me Ver. 36. For the Lord will judg his People In the Text we have these Propositions 1. Vengeance belongeth to the Lord. 2. He will recompence 3. He will judg his People 4. The Lord himself saith so 5. They knew it was the Lord who said so 1. Vengeance belongeth to the Lord. Where by the way observe that the Apostle doth not follow as usually he doth the Septuagint according to our Copies but the Hebrew Text which is this Vengeance is mine and Retribution The Septuagint translates thus In the day of Vengeance I will recompence They seem to follow the Samaritan Hebrew Text in the former and the Targum in the â—â—tter part of the Clause yet neither the Vulgar nor the Syriack nor the Chaldee Paraphrast nor the Arabick follow them in their Translation of the first words In this Proposition we have 1. Vengeance 2. The party to whom it belongs By Vengeance is meant vindicative Justice punishing Offenders the acts whereof are Condemnation and Execution and it 's proper to a Judg as a Judg as it is Power of punishing as here it may be taken either for the Power or the Act and Exercise of the Power The party to whom it belongs is the Lord as he is the supream and universal Judg for he that is the supream Law-giver must needs be
AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE Hebrewes Wherein The Text is cleared Theopolitica improved The Socinian Comment examined Optimus ille Lector est qui dictorum intelligentiam expectet ex dictis potius quà m imponant retulcrit magis quam attulerit neque cogat id videri dictis contineri quod ante lectioâ—em praesumpserit intelligendum Hilar. de Trinitate lib. 1. By GEORGE LAVVSON Rector of More in the County of Salop. LONDON Printed by J. S. for George Sawbridge at the Sign of the Bible on Ludgate-Hill 1662. THE EPISTLE MAny receive their Knowledg in matters of Salvation from the Words and Writings of other men upon trust and at the second hand But that is the most certain and purest Doctrine and the most effectual both to inform the Mind and ulso to reform the Heart and Life of ignorant and sinful man which is taken from the Scriptures clearly explained and truly understood And though there be many good and prositable Books yet those are the best which are written by learned and pious men who being endued with the knowledg of Arts and the Original Languages have by the assistance of God and their diligent study found out those hidden Treasures of heavenly wisdom contained in those blessed Writings Of this sacred Volume there be many parts and some more edifying than others and amogst the rest the Divine Epistle to the Hebrews is inferiour to none The Subject thereof is The Prophetical and Sacerdotal Office of Christ our blessed Saviour upon whom our eternal Salvation doth depend the Frame and Contexture is wonderful and excellent the Method clear and exact the Arguments whereby the Truth is confirmed demonstrative and undeniable the Motives whereby heavenly Duties are pressed piercing powerful and prevailing This I have singled out to be the Subject of the ensuing Discourse and after the Labours of other learned and worthy men have endeavoured in our native Language to make it plain and more easy to be understood by meaner Capacities and my earnest desire and hearty prayer is That it may have the same effect upon our Hearts which the blessed Apostle intended it should have upon these Hebrews My design in this Work principally was by searching the Original and the Translations to find out the sense of the Phrases and Expressions by giving the Analysis of the several Chapters by shewing the Connexion of one part with another and the tendency of them to the main Scope to make a positive clear Explication of the whole And by this I improve my Theo-Politica for divers points and parts of divine Wisdom concerning the Prophetical and Sacerdotal Office of Christ final Perseverance Faith the Sacrifice of our great High Priest but briefly touched there are more largely handled here Neither is this all but whilst I proceed in this Work I take notice of the Vanity of the Socinian Expositor who goes about to elude such Texts as asserts the Deity of Christ as the eternal Word of God whereby the World was made his Incarnation and his expiation of Sin by a bloody Sacrifice offered by him as Priest and accepted of God before his Ascension into Heaven and his Sâ—ssion at the right hand of God Where he was not first made but confirmed by Oath an everlasting Priest according to the Order of Melchizedec For all these he denies contrary to the scope of the Apostle and the express words of Scripture in other places Impertinent Digressions and needless Amplifications I have forborn I am neither too brief as some nor too large and voluminous as others have been I have endeavoured to observe the Golden mean My desire is by this Discourse to edify confirm and comfort God's People who aim at Heaven and seek eternal Life by our blessed Saviour The whole I submit unto the Judgment of the pious learned and judicious Reader who I hope will pardon my Imperfections correct my Mistakes accept my Endeavours and if he find the Work beneficial will give the Praise and Glory to God Who is blessed for evermore AMEN ERRATA PAge 1. line 29. 15. read 19. p. 2. l. 57. both infallible r. that infallbly p. 3. l. 22. dele sit p. 4. l. 58. there r. three p. 8. l. 1. he r. they p. 10 l. 5. dele Zurick p. 11. l. 10. sor Zanch. Divlnes r. or the Zurick Divines Ibid. l. 13. Zank read Zurick p. 14. l. 2. the r. they Ibid. l. 12. the r. they Ibid. l. 29. the r. their p. 20. l. 38. Rivera r. Ribera p. 21. l. 7. that r. they p. 25. l. 2. then some r. yet some p. 27. l. 28. so must r. so much p. 30. to Angels r. 1 ot to Angels p. 4. l. 25. in these r. in thesi Ibid. l 58. of those r. of those times p. 42. in the margent for Sacraments r. Ser mons p. 50. l. 1. our with r. with our Ibid. l. 8. then those r. then of those p. 63. l. 12. and invest men r. but actually investeth men p. 66. l. 43. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 70. l. 39. that they are r. that there are p. 77. l. 56. sussabdi r. jus subditi p. 78. l. 11. predicated r. predicate p. 88. l. 24. in r. in my Theopolitica p. 193. l. 15. r. Metaphorical not a Metaphorical p. 121. l. 33. 9. for 6. p. 127. l. 35. him r. them p. 130. l. 24. excepted r. accepted p. 13 r. l. 1. he r. they p. 152. l. 33. for 12. r. 1. 2. p. 160. l. 17. Being r. King p. 174. l. 5. pledges r. pleadet p. 177. l. 36. part r. party p. 188. l. 18. figured r. fig uring p. 192. l. 4. or if he do not believe it r. or if they do believe it p. 197. l. 56. Vetâ—siuâ— r. Velâ—sius his Copy p. 201. l. 32. Nobitius r. Nobilius p. 203. l. 10. Megittath r. Megillath p. 215. l. 56. any r. nay p. 225. l. 2. professeth r. professed Ibid. l. 8. as so r. so as p. 226. l. 14. dele or p. 243. l. 36. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 245. l. 5. ter r. chapter p. 249. l. 7. meant r. made p. 251. l. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 256. after the last line blot out the word fountain p. 257. l. 13. end r. evil Ibid. l. 4. 49. stored r. stered p. 283. l. 46. impulsive mountains r. impossible mountains p. 290. l. 23. to referred r. to be referred p. 294. l. 9. descerti r. deserti p. 299. l. 56. deprivation r. depravation p. 303. l. 8. that we in r. that we may p. 304. l. 50. receiving r. reviving p. 312. l. 49. regeneration r. generation p. 312. l. 48. portions r. potions p. 340. l. 21. exhorted r. dehorted p. 342. l. 36. simple r. single Ibid. l. last prefection r. protection p. 343. l. 13. to on stand r. to stand on p. 349. l. 26. are all of us by nature r. even all us by nature are contrary A brief Analysis of the Epistle to the
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 study ye And as one well observe Studium est vehemens applicatio axim ad aliquid agendum Study is a vehement application of the mind to do something Yet that which is matter of lamentation and a sad presage of the eternal ruine of many Souls is the great neglect of this Duty for few go seriously about it The vigonr and strength both of our Souls and Bodies is imployed and wholly spent in seeking the vanities of the World § 5. The Reasons whereupon the performance of this Duty is urged are three 1. From the sad and woful Consequent 2. From the severity of the all-seeing Judge 3. From the help and assistance of our High-Priest The reason from the sad Consequent is expressed thus Lest any fall after the same example of Unbelief THis implies 1. There is danger and an evil to be feared 2. The evil is falling 3. All and every one is in this danger lest any fall 4. Lest any should sleight the danger he instanceth in the Israelites who fell by Unbelief To fall may be a Sins or a Punishment If a Sin it 's Apostacy which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie in this as in many other places Rebellion and Apostacy If a Punishment it 's exclusion out of God's Rest with all the miseries that accompany it so it seems here to be taken By this as by many other places we easily understand how we must conceive of Examples and what use we must make of them If they be examples of Punishments we must account them as executions of God's Laws and especially of his Comminations The use that we must make of them is to avoid those Sins for which they were inflicted and to be the more careful in this particular because by them we may easily know that God's Laws are not only words and his Threats only wind It 's not with God as it 's often with Men who will threaten more then they will or can do Thence the Saying Threatned men live long But here it 's otherwise God's Word is his Deed and his Punishments threatned against Apostates are unavoidable They are not made unadvisedly and out of rash passion but according to the eternal Rules of Wisdom and Justice And let every one know that that God that spareth neither Men nor Angels nor his own chosen and beloved People will not spare Us. Therefore as we desire to escape this fearful Punishment let us labour to enter into that Rest which God hath promised § 6. The second Reason is from the severity of the Judge For Ver. 12. The Word is quick and powerful and sharper then a two-edged Sword c. TO understand this Text we need not doubt whether by Word is meant the Scripture and Doctrine of the Gospel or Christ Jesus which is the Word of God made Flesh or the penal decrees of the Gospel For by Word of God is meant the Law of God with his judicial Sentence For God is here brought in as a most perfect Law-giver and a most severe and exact Judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Word is often taken for a Law as the ten Laws or Commandments are in the Hebrew called Ten-words Exod. 20. 1. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dabar both in Chaldee Syriack and Arabick doth sometimes signify to Order and Govern and because Government is by Laws and Judgment therefore Word signifies both This is more evident from Chap. 2. 2. Where you read If the Word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every Transgression and Disobedience received a just recompence of Reward Where by Word is meant the Law without all doubt as you heard before wherein there were not only Precepts but Comminations according to which Judgment did proceed and was executed By Word therefore is meant the Law and Doctrine of God by Christ wherein we have not only precepts and prohibitions but promises and threats and according to these God will judge every Man to whom the Gospel shall be preached This is a defect in humane Laws that they cannot reach many Offendors and leave the conscience exempt from humane Tribunals and this is an imperfection in many Judges that they cannot attain the perfect and clear knowledg of many Causes brought before them or if they know them will not impartially punish them The Apostle removes these defects and imperfections from this Law-giver and Judge this Law and this Judgment For the Word or Law of God is quick and powerful The latter word explains the fornâ—er for those things that are living are said to be active in opposition to such things which are dead which have lost their power and to be lively and very active are many times the same and this signifies the efficacy and active power of this Law This active vigour and efficacy is illustrated by a Similitude For the Law is compared to a two-edged Sword which being used by a powerful and skilful hand doth manifest how sharp and cutting it is for it pierceth quickly into the inward parts and divideth between Soul and Spirit and the Bones and Marrow which are most nearly united and more hidden and secret in living Bodies So that in the Similitude we have two acts of a Sword or any such cutting Instrument The first is dividing things most nearly united The second discovering things most secret There cannot be any more perfect division or discovery in any dissection or anatomy then is here expressed The reddition of this Comparison seems to be made in these words And is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart For this cannot agree to a Sword or any cutting Instrument and therefore the meaning must be that as a Sword doth divide things so closely united and discover things so secretly hidden in Bodies so doth this Law in the Soul especially when it 's applyed by the Judge unto the case of sinful Man to be determined by him The most hidden things in Man as a subject of God's Judgment are the intents and thoughts of the heart and they seem to be closely and inseparably conjoyned both with the heart which is the most intimate thing in Man for cor intimum honunis and also one with another We need not curiously explain the words thoughts and intents of the heart or distinguish between them The heart is the Soul of Man endued with a faculty of understanding and willing such things as are the proper objects of it The Soul is in continual motion and action framing and moulding things with in it self Thoughts and intents are the secret acts both speculative and practical of the understanding and rational appetite The words turned thoughts and intentions may signify apprehensions conceptions judgments noetical or dianoetical consultations about mens intents concerning the ends decrees and all other acts of the Soul and may here be so understood And many of these acts and operations are most secret and concealed and in respect of them God saith The heart of man
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it Jer. 17. 9. Of this heart and these motions it 's said That the Word of God is the discerner For this Law must needs discern them otherwise it could not discover the pravity and rectitude of them as it must do if it will be a perfect Rule of Judgment The word discerner may signify a perfect judicial knowledg To understand this the better you must observe 1. That when it 's said the Word or the Law is a discerner it 's meant that God in his Word discovers and distinguisheth these 2. That in Judgment he will as clearly discern all moral acts and operations of the Soul as agreeable or disagreeable to this Law and will judge the party accordingly 3. That he by execution will make this Word effectual to the eternal confusion of disobedient and rebellious Wretches And lest any should think that something might be concealed from the Judge it 's added Ver. 13. Neither is there any Creature that is not manifest in his sighâ— but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with wâ— on we have to do THis place informs Us of the perfect knowledg of God as He is Judge without which his Judgment cannot be just and perfect It presupposeth that perfection and attribute of God's understanding whereby he fully and clearly knoweth himself and all things else In this place it 's an exercise of that perfection restrained to things created and especially to matters of Judgment as all Persons and Causes of Men to whom the Gospel is made known as to be judged by him Where we may observe 1. The object all and every thing For it 's said not any thing and all things 2. The manifestation and clear representation of all in general and every thing in particular For there is not any Creature that is not manifest and all things are naked and open We need not here stand upon the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turned here opened For in it there is a Metonymy and a Metaphor whether the Metaphor be taken from a body laid upon the back or flead and excoriated or divided through the back-bone it all comes to one for it signifies some thing made manifest 3. They are thus manifest in his sight naked and opened to him Which implies two things 1. That they are manifest naked opened that is very clearly most evidently and fully discovered to him 2. That if they be so clearly and fully manifest in his sight and to his eyes he must needs know them fully and clearly The sum of this is that God knows all things fully and clearly and therefore cannot be ignorant of any Man or any thing in any Man who must have to do with him that is be judged by him This is the matter of this Text considered in it self and is the same with that of the Prophet I the Lord search the Heart and try the Reins even to give every Man according to his â—ays and the fruit of his doings Jer. 17. 10. The force of it as a reason is this That seeing we must be judged according to a just Law by a most exact impartial and all-knowing Judge it concerns us much to labour and use all means to persevere For if we neglect this work or perform it sleightly or secretly in our deceitful hearts turn away and depart from God he will one day summon 〈◊〉 to Judgment we must appear before his Tribunal he will fully and clearly discover the persidiousness of our hearts shut us out of his eternal Rest and cast us into everlasting Flames and though now we will not believe it yet then we shall find it to our woe what a fearful thing it is to â—isobey the Laws of this most Just All-knowing and Almighty God Men now do little regard the Word of God and his Commands Promises Threatnings fear not to transgress his decrees seldom seriously think of that Day when all their baseness and treachery shall be discovered to their everlasting shame confusion and destruction This will be the end of such as do not consider with whom they have to do § 7. The third Reason is from the Priest-hood of Christ For Chap. 3. ver 1. we are exhorted to consider the Apostle and the High-Priest of our Profession He hath formerly pressed the duty of perseverance upon the consideration of his Apostleship and prophetical excellency and here urgeth it again upon the consideration of his Priest-hood This is the first connexion of these words with ver 1. of the third Chapter Again he seemed in the two former Reasons taken from the sad consequent of Apostacy and the severity of the Judge to set before them the Arduum or difficulty of the performance and in these words the possibile that though it be difficult yet it may be done by means of our great High-Priest The former arguments tended to work fear this to cause hope the former well considered might make them careful and diligent this last might encourage and give them comfort This is the second Coherence with the Text immediately antecedent But the words must be considered in themselves before we can understand the force of the Reason contained in them For this end we must take notice that the subject matter of them is the Priest-hood of Christ or Christ our great High-Priest Jesus the Son of God And concerning this High-Priest He 1. Affirmeth some things 2. From the things affirmed inferrs the main Conclusion He affirms of him 1. That he is entred into Heaven 2. Is very merciful to us and compassionate 3. Will prove very helpful The conclusion inferred is To hold fast our Profession Seeing Christ as Priest is the subject of the Text and this last part of the Chapter let 's hear what he writes Ver. 14. Seeing then that we have a great High-Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God Where we may observe 1. The eminency of the person 2. The excellency of his Office 3. His Relation to us THe person is Jesus of Nazareth the Son of the Virgin Mary conceived at Nazareth born at Bethlehem and Crucified at Jerusalem This Jesus is Son of God not only because of his supernatural Conception and Birth but his eternal Generation For that Word which was from everlasting and by which the World was made was made Flesh and did assume that humane Nature conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary and possesseth the same inseparably and eternally This is the eminency of the Person who is Superiour to all Men and Angels The excellency of his Office is that he was a Priest and not only so but an High-Priest as Aaron was above other Priests and President in all matters of Divine Worship and might perform some sacerdotal Acts which none but he might do Many High-Priests were of that Dignity that they were equal with Kings But he was not only High-Priest but
and illiterate People but also of all natural men though of excellent parts and highly improved and exquisite humane Learning both Arts and Languages Besides Ignorance and Error corrupt Lusts inordinate Affections violent Passions indispose it very much and make it most averse from that which is just and good and strongly bent upon that which is evil As it hath no true Notions of the greatest good so it hath no mind to use the means which conduce to the attaining thereof This defacement of so noble a Substance is the Work of the Devil and Sin 3. Concerning God's writing his Laws in the heart of Man you must know 1. That they are not written there by Nature as you heard before If they were what need God write that which is already written 2. He writes nothing in this heart but his Laws and his saving Truths Therefore that which is not written without in the Scripture he doth not promise to write within the Heart and whosoever shall fancy any Doctrine received in his heart to be written by the hand of Heaven and yet cannot find it in the Gospel is deceived and deluded 3. Before these divine Doctrines can be written in the heart all Errors Lusts false Opinions must be rased and rooted out of the Soul and it must be made like blank paper This is the reason why we are commanded to prepare our selves for the hearing and reading of God's Word to be like good ground to put away all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness all Malice all Guile and Hypocrisies and Envies and evil-speaking and like new-born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word of God 4. God doth not write his Laws in our heats by Enthusiasm Rapture and Inspiration as he wrote his Word in the hearts of the Prophets and Apostles but he makes use of the Word and the Ministers of the Gospel and the Instructions of Man as also of the outward senses as of the Eye and Ear and also of the inward and of Reason and of all the powers he hath given Man to do any thing in this Work And whosoever will not use these means and exercise this Power by Reading Hearing Meditation Conference Prayer let him never expect or think that God will write these things in his heart The neglect of these helps is the Cause why Enthusiasts who pretend the Spirit and persons of high attainments as they boast as though they were above Ordinances have so little solid and saving Knowledg of God's Word fall into so many absurd abominable Errors 5. The Effect of this writing of God is not only Knowledge but also a Love of the Truth Light and Integrity Power and Dominion over Sin and the powerful Sanctifications and Consolations of the Spirit And whosoever doth not find these in his heart let him not think that God hath written his Laws in his heart For he writes with Power and leavs a permanent Tincture of holiness and a constant habitual inclination to that which is good just and right 6. God doth not write these Laws perfectly and fully in Man's heart whilst he is in the Flesh for he proceeds in this Work by degrees Therefore seeing God hath ordained means and commanded them to be used no Man must neglect them whilst this mortal life continues for these Truths are not written in any of our hearts further than we use these means which were given not only for the first inscription of these Laws but for the encrease and perfection of our divine Knowledge This was the way which Christ and his Apostles took for the Conversion Edification and Confirmation of their Disciples If this were not so what need was there of so many Epistles and in particular of this to be written to so many Converts and regenerate Saints 7. Though God doth both begin and encrease our Knowledg and Sanctification by these means yet this Work of his is immediate upon the Soul and far more excellent than these means can reach § 11. The end of this Promise made and the issue of it performed is to acknowledg and receive God as our God in Christ and to submit unto him with a real hearty and total Submission as to our onely Lord and Redeemer that so he may protect and bless us and we may serve and obey him And this we cannot do except God first write his Laws in our hearts therefore this must needs be the first Promise upon which the rest do depend and that whereby he in great Mercy binds himself to give us his preventing Grace and the continuance of it For such is our Case that except he prevent us by granting and vouchsasing unto us both the means of Conversion and the Power of his Spirit to make them effectual upon our immortal Souls we can never take him to be our God so as to become his People and loyal Subjects And upon this done he will be our God and take us for his People and so he promiseth here in this Ver. 10. And I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People THis is the second Promise of this new Covenant Where we must understand what it is for God to be a God unto any People and for any Persons to be his People This latter is easily known if we know the former 1. Therefore it is not for God to be God absolutely in himself most perfect glorious infinitely and eternally blessed for so he was from everlasting Yet except he be thus God in himself he cannot be a God to any Creature Neither 2. Is it to be a God by Creation Preservation and Ordination for so he is to all Creatures and to every one of them whilst they have their Being Nor 3. Is it to be a God in an higher degree to men as immortal and rational Creatures for so he is to all men Nor 4. Is it meerly to be a God in a peculiar manner to some certain People by choosing and singling them from amongst other men so as to enter into some special Covenant with them and to take a special care of them and to bless them with some special blessings and deliverances for so he was a God to the Jews But 5. It is to be a God unto any Persons or People by a new Covenant of eternal Mercy and Salvation by Jesus Christ exhibited and glorisied And to be his People is to be his Subjects of his special Kingdom so as to receive from him as their Lord-Redeemer spiritual and eternal Protection and Blessings This is the meaning of this Expression in this place In a word it 's a Promise of admission into his Kingdom of Grace and Glory To know this more distinctly we must take notice that to be God in this manner is so to exercise his Wisdom Power and Mercy in Christ as to protect and deliver us from all evill and give us all Blessings necessarily required to make us eternally and fully happy Thus much is
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
respect of the prohibition and commination of the Law is guilt and rendring of the Sinner obnoxiâ—us unto vindicative Justice of the Law-giver and Judge This guilt can no waye he taken away but either by suffering or pardon or both as here it 's put away by Christ's suffering and God's pardon for Christ suffers for Sin God pardons it so Christ's sake and in consideration of his suffering and offering The effect of Sin is to render the party sinning obnoxious and liable to punishment and God's vindicative Justice and by this virtue of the commination of the Law God to make way for pardon by a transâ—endent extraordinary power makes Christ man's Surety and Christ voluntarily submits himself out of love to his Brethren to God's will so far as to suffer Death for man's Sin and offers himself as being â—lain to the Supream Judge Upon his submission he becomes one person with sinful man as a Surety with the principal and so is liable to that punishment which sinful man should have suffered as a Surety becomes liable to pay the debt of the principal From all this it 's evident that Sin is an efficient moral cause of Christ's suffering and Christ's suffering is a punishment in proper sense though both these be denied without any reason by the Socinian By this Legal substitution of Christ and the offering of himself Sin is made remissible and the way is made open to pardon and upon the penitency and faith of the Sinner actual pardon follows That Sin is pardonable and pardoned is the end and effect of Christ's Suffering To put away Sin is first to make Sin pardonable and the consequents of Sin removable For this is the work and immediate effect of Christ's Sacrifice of himself and the same not often but once offered in the end of the World In all this we may observe the difference between Christ and the Levitical High-Priest Christ suffers and offers himself and enters Heaven with his own Blood but the Levitical High-Priest offers often and enters with the blood of Bulls and Goats The virtue of the High-Priest's offering was but for a little time but the virtue of Christ's extends to all time In these respects Christ's Sacrifice is far more excellent and more purifying § 25. This discourse of Christ's once offering and once suffering is continued and enlarged for the Apostle informs us that the reason why Christ suffered but once in the end of the World was the Decree of God which had determined of Christ as he had done of other men and this decree was regulated by Divine Wisdom which alwayes dictates that which shall be best and fittest This Decree is two-fold 1. Concerning other men 2. Concerning Christ. And because there is some agreement between the lot of Christ and other Men in respect of Death and that which followeth Death therefore the singularity of Christ's Death is set forth comparatively And of the comparison we have 1. The Proposition Verse 27. And as it was appointed unto Men once to dye but after that the Judgment IN which words we have 1. Something 's ordained 2. The ordination The things ordained are two 1. That men once dy 2. Come to Judgment The words absolutely considered may be reduced to two Propositions 1. That it 's appointed unto men once to dye 2. But after Death follows Judgment The first tells us 1. That men dye and this we certainly know 2. That they dye but once 3. That this is appointed yet though men must dye and it 's so certain and so evident and easily known yet men little consider it but their hearts are strangely taken up with the things of this life and they admire the vanities of this World and promise unto themselves long life and certain enjoyment of these earthly things They do not remember that they are mortal and that there is no assurance that they shall live one hour before Death arrest them and seise upon their estates and all earthly comforts in that day their thoughts perish and their pride and glory are laid in the dust Oh inconsiderate Wretches are ye able to conquer Death turn Mortality into Eternity and Earth into Heaven Be wise and never forget that you must dye 2. Men dye but once there is no return into this World again neither any recovery of what man once dead hath lost As no man can keep alive his Soul so no man can raise his Body and re-unite the Soul unto it This is a work proper to God who made us and far above the power of any Creature When it 's said That men must dye it 's to be understood of the generality of mankind that all must dye because all are obnoxious to Death and Mortal even Enoch and Elias and all those who shall be found alive when Christ shall come to Judge the World And though the two Prophets did not and they who remain till Christ's coming shall not dye as others do yet the former suffered and the latter shall suffer a change equivalent to Death though in both there seems to be some exception from the general rule So to dye but once is the general rule and the ordinary fate yet Lazarus and others may dye twice because God reserved an arbitrary power to himself to raise some unto a mortal life so that they became obnoxious to a double Death and he did exercise this power to manifest his Glory in some particular persons Yet this was an extraordinary case and this reservation did not take away the general and ordinary rule according to which the Apostle is to be understood 3. This is appointed for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is understood and translated and it 's capable of that signification by a Trope The party who appointed decreed and ordained both that all men shall dye and dye once and but once is not expressed but it 's easily understood For the Supream Lord of Life and Death who hath an Universal Power over all Men is God and none else and therefore this must be a Decree of God as Supream Lord and a Sentence of him as Judge and the same irrevocable yet dispensable in some particular and extraordinary Cases as should seem good unto him Death is a punishment and therefore men being obnoxious unto it must be guilty of some Crime and condemned thereunto for some Offence against some Law threatening Death And that was the positive Law which God gave to Adam saying But of the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Gen. 2. 17. This Law was transgressed and the Sentence followed in these words Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 19. Whereas the Socinian saith That Death is natural and not from any Decree of God his Opinion is not reconcileable with that of the Apostle As by one man Sin entred into the World and by Sin Death
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
is a Sacrifice of Praise and Thanks-giving 2. This Praise is the fruit of our Lips and so is Thanks-giving 3. This Sacrifice of Praise must be offered unto God with Thanks-giving to his Name 4. This Sacrifice must be offered by Christ. 5. It must be offered continually 1. There is a Sacrifice of Praise for there is Praise and this Praise is a Sacrifice Praise as it 's a Duty to be performed to God 1. Hath for Object some divine Vertues and Perfections and the same manifested unto us by his Word or Works or both and also apprehended by us 2. It is an Acknowledgment of these Perfections as proper unto God as most glorious and excellent in respect of them 3. Some outward Expression of this Acknowledgment as by word of Mouth or some other way 2. This Praise is a Sacrifice because to be offered to God of which hereafter 2. This Praise is the fruit of our Lips because by our words which issue from the heart we express our inward thoughts and high Apprehensions of the same Therefore our Tongue in Hebrew is said to be our Glory and the Reason given by some is not only this that by our Speech and Language we excel irrational Creatures but because it was given us to praise and glorify God And as our Understanding is given us to think of God and to know him so our Speech was given us to speak of God and declare his wondrous Works and his excellent Perfections manifested therein In this respect Praise is said to be a speaking well of the person or thing to be praised This Expression is made either in private or publick and the publick is the principal It is made either in our Prayers in our singing of Psalms Hymns and spiritual Songs wherein the Voice is louder sweeter and melodious which is called Vocal Musick sometimes joyned with that which is called Instrumental The Reason why in Assemblies we use this Vocal Praise is to inform others and stirr them up to praise God joyntly with us Thanks-giving also is the Fruit of our Lips wherein we use our Voice as in Praise and sometimes Praise and Thanks-giving are the same therefore the word here used signifies Confession which presupposing our inward Acknowledgment is an outward Declaration of the same Yet Thanks-giving strictly taken is different from Praise for the object of it is the works of God as beneficial to us and manifesting his mercy love and kindness and the act of it is an acknowledgment of his love mercy and kindness and an expression of the same And this is also a Fruit of our Lips as well as Praise and is signified outwardly for the same Reasons for which the inward Acknowledgment of Praise is expressed This Phrase Fruit of our Lips is taken out of the Prophets as Isa. 57. 19. but especially Hosea 14. 2. where the word Calves is turned by the Septuagint Fruit. 3. This Sacrifice of Praise and Thanks-giving must be offered to God and to his Name A Sacrifice is sometimes taken largely for an Oblation or Offering and in this sense a Sacrifice is an Offering of something to God as Supream Lord. Praise therefore and so Thanksgiving being something offered to God as Supream may be said to be a Sacrifice which is proper to a Deity Praise is due to Him as Supream in some Perfections Thanks as to the Supream Benefactor and Fountain of all Goodness Blessings Mercies These are due to him as he is Supream and we are bound to offer these by vertue of the first Commandment which requireth Love Fear Praise Thanks-giving Honour and other Duties to be performed to Him alone as Supream in the highest degree The Reason why the Authour mentions Sacrifice may be this Because all Religions require Sacrifices to be offered to a God whether true or imaginary and God required in the Law several kinds of Sacrifices both Ilastical and Eucharistical to be offered unto him and these Hebrews might say What is the Law of Moses so abrogated that all Sacrifices and Offerings to God are taken away Hath Christian Religion no such thing Is it singular in this particular To this the Apostle answers that indeed all Sacrifices of Bullocks Goats Lambs Rams which were carnal are taken away yet there are more excellent Sacrifices which are moral and spiritual of which praise and thanksgiving are not the least to be offered unto God as Supreme Lord. For you are an holy Priest-hood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices c. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Where it 's expresly signified 1. That there must be Sacrifices in the Christian Religion and Worship Yet 2. These Sacrifices must not be carnal but spiritual And under the Law God required the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving more then the Blood of Bulls and Goats Psal. 50. 14. and the Knowledg of God and mercy more then those Legal Sacrifices of Beasts Hos. 6. 6. and the Sacrifices of a broken Spirit of a broken and contrite heart Psal. 51. 17. This Sacrifice of praise was and is most solemnly to be offered in the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ for that inestimable blessing of Redemption by that great Sacrifice offered upon the Cross. Therefore that Sacrament was called the Eucharist or Thanksgiving and a Commemoration of Christ's Death And this might be the reason why the Antients so often called it a Sacrifice to signify that neither the Heathens nor Jews had any reason to upbraid them with the want or neglect of Sacrifice It must be offered unto God and God alone as Supreme and to his Name where by Name may be signified either his Majesty and Supremacy and it is the same with offering unto God or it may signify his Glory and then the meaning is that it must be offered to him to manifest his Glory and to ascribe all Glory Honour excellency and Perfection unto him 4. This Sacrifice must be offered by Christ. By Christ that is by Faith in Christ 1. As having propitiated God by his Blood and made his Throne accessible For by him we have access by Faith into this Grace wherein we stand Rom. 5. 2. Through him we have access by one Spirit to the Father Eph. 2. 18. And in him we have boldness and access with confidence by Faith of him Col. 3. 12. For how should sinful guilty man dare to approach into his presence of an holy and just Lord if satisfaction be not made first unto Divine Justice offended by Sin 2. By Faith in him as having merited God's favour and acceptance of our Services for without this Merit we are unworthy to enter into his presence and our best Services considered in themselves without his merit are not acceptable 3. By him as our Mediatour and Intercessour for he is our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1. As no man under the Law could offer his Sacrifice unto God but by the Priest so under the Gospel no man can offer his Prayers Praises Alms or any other
upon this mercy and power as having raised and advanced Christ first that by him thus raised and exalted he may first sanctify us fully and then give us everlasting Glory Therefore the Apostle saith That God out of his great mercy and love had quickned the believing Ephesians being formerly dead in Sins Trespasses together with Christ and raised them up together and set them in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Eph. 2. 4 5 6. Where we may observe 1. That he quickened Christ being dead raised him up and set him in heavenly places 2. That he quickened them being dead in Sins and Trespasses raised them up and set them in heavenly places together with Christ and by Christ. 3. That both these were done by the same mercy and power first exercised upon Christ and then upon them After the Adoration and Compellation follows the Petition wherein the principal thing desired is Sanctification and the power of Regeneration continued in them that so they might perform a constant and universal Obedienceâ— which was a means to attain the possession of eternal Glory Where we must observe 1. That the Apostle having requested their prayers formerly doth in these words being not requested but of his own accord pray for them 2. That having exhorted them to the performance of several Duties and the exercise of several Virtues knowing that without the sanctifying Grace of God they could not perform these Duties constantly to the end in these words he prayes for the continuance of God's sanctifying power to enable them to do that which they without it cannot do 3. That seeing the Duties exhorted unto were but few and there were many more he desires God to perfect them not only in these but in every good Work that so they might perform an universal Obedience These things first observed in the words we must consider 1. Their Duty which is to be perfect in every good Work to do God's Will and that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. 2. God's Power whereby they are enabled to do their Duty and the same sought for by prayer 1. The Duty 1. Hath for the Rule the Will of God 2. This Will is observed when we do every good Work 3. Every good work thus done according to the Will of God is well-pleasing unto God 1. By the Will of God is meant his legislative and commanding Will whereby he signifies unto man what is just and good and binds him to observe these his Laws 2. The Will of God being our binding Rule our Duty is to observe it and we observe it when we do every good Work The works of man are the actions and operations of Man as a rational Creature and subject to the Laws and Will of God These works may be good or bad and then they are good when they are conformable to the Will and Law of God and this goodness presupposeth knowledg of this Will and the right disposition and qualification of the heart For if the heart be not good the work which is qualified by the heart cannot be good But it 's not sufficient to do some but every good work For the Laws of God command all good works and require that every work of man be good This is universal Obedience for the Law binds in all things and at all times so that it gives no liberty to do evil or transgress at any time 3. Every good work as good is well pleasing to God through Jesus Christ because it 's agreeable to his Will for to please God so as to be accepted of God is a Consequent of the goodness of the work as it is the end whereat man must aim Yet it cannot please God but by Faith in Jesus Christ For without Faith it 's impossible to please God Though these word Jesus Christ may be referred also to the Prayer wherein they desire sanctifying power through him and for his sake 2. The sanctifying power desired of God is expressed in two words 1. Perfecting 2. Working 1. The work of God must perfect us before we can do any good the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Septuagint signifies to uphold stablish direct compose and make up a thing so as to set it in order and finish it that it may be fit for the end it was made Thus to compose and make up a man in this place is to sanctify him and give him a power to do every good work and this is a work of the regenerating Spirit of God abiding in us and renewing us more and more In this respect we are said to be God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works Eph. 2. 10. Yet this is not here meant of the first Regeneration but of the continuance and increase of this sanctifying Grace to strengthen us more and more As preservation and providence is to Creation so this work of perfecting is to the first Regeneration and as we are at first created unto good Works so we are perfected in Christ. Another thing desired of God is working in us that which is well pleasing unto him this signifies that God doth not only give us Power but continually co-operate and work in us and with us without whose co-operation we can do nothing that will please him For it is he that works in us both the Will and the Deed of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. This prayer in effect is the same with that we read was made for the Colossians For the Apostle and Timothy did not cease to pray for them and desire that he might be filled with the knowledg of God's Will in all spiritual Wisdom and Understanding That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fritful in every good Work increasing in the knowledg of God Col. 1. 9 10. Where we have 1. The Will of God as here which is the rule of our Obedience 2. Being fruitful in every good Work which is the same with doing every good Work which is the observation of God's Will 3. They must walk worthy to all pleasing so here they must do that which is well pleasing in his sight not in the sight of Man And as here when we do every good work we please him so there we please him by being fruitful in every good work 4. As here they could not please God except God perfect them and work in them so there neither could the Colossians please God without spiritual Knowledg Wisdom and Understanding of God's Will for Knowledg spiritual Wisdom and Understanding are the same as appears Prov. 2. 6. Where we find the words of the Septuagâ—nt taken up by the Apostle 5. As there this Grace of wisdom and fulness of it was sught by prayer so this continuance of God's sanctifying Grace is prayed for here This prayer informs us 1. That in doing all our good works we depend upon God both for the power given at the first and continued unto us and also for the working