which the Apostle hath left written unto us Gal. 5.18 But if yee be lead by the Spirit yee are not under the Law Now the workds of the flesh are manifest which are these Adultery fornication uncleannesse tasciviousnesse Idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders drunkennesse revellings and such like of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith weeknesse temperance against such there is no Law And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts If we live in the Spirit let us also walke in the Spirit Now what can bee more cleare then that these words doe openly teach that all they who after they have received the faith of Christ doe follow the workes of the flesh and are not lead by the Spirit of God shall not inherit the Kingdome of God nor avoid eternall damnation And therefore if they will aspire to salvation they must with all speed lay aside their vices and bee effectually adorned with Christian virtues For in this place here the Author seems not to teach that men sinning wilfully after knowledge of the truth should have no hope at all lest of pardon and salvatoin but only that they have none till they actually put off their sinnes and qualifie themselves with such virtues as become Christians For unlesse they doe this he saith plainly that the sacrifice and offering of Christ will no way doe them good Seeing besides that one only sacrifice and offering of Christ there remaines no other to be expected as his words fully declare in that he saith there remaineth no more sacrifice q. d. besides that one only offering of Christ whereof we have treated hitherto there remaineth no other for them Whence further it seems that by these words all hope of conversion is not cut off to such as sinne wilfully after their knowledge of the faith but only all hope of pardon and salvation is so long cut off as they forsake not their sinfull courses and doe not the workes of true piety worthy of Christian repentance Although it is most true that some sinnes are so foule among which is Apostacie and such as have neare affinity with it whereof we spake Chap. 6. that if we looke into the nature of the New Covenant wee may well say that there is no hope of coversion from them because without the speciall mercy of God not comprehended in the Covenant the yoke of such sinnes cannot be loosed and cut off Sacrifice for sinnes is sacrifice whereby sinnes are expiated as appeares by the following verse whereto this sacrifice for sinnes is opposed a certaine fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation Wherefore as in these last words punishment is signified so in the former is pardon intimated 27. But a certaine fearefull looking for of judgement Here he illustrates his former negation by an affirmation of the contrary To them who after knowledge of the faith sin wilfully there remaines no more sacrifice for their sins but there remaines for them a fearfull looking for of judgement Judgement is here as in many other places taken by a metonymy for punishment because by judgement punishment is decreed It is not necessary wee should take expectation or looking for properly here seeing men given to sinne if wee respect their minds and thoughts do for the most part expect or looke for nothing lesse then punishment and damnation Therefore such men are said to looke for judgement metaphorically because for certaine a judgement remaines unto them or metonymically because they ought to looke for it This expectation or looking for is called fearfull in regard of the object because the judgement or punishment looked for or remaining to them is for the greatnesse of it horrible and fearefull And fiery indignation In these words he expresseth what the fearefull judgement or punishment shall be that remaines to such as sin wilfully after their knowledge of the faith namely they shall be caught and devoured by an extreame hot fire whereinto God will cast them in his indignation There is no doubt but by these words is signified that last judgement or punishment which in the last judgement must be inflicted upon all evill-doers For wee know they shall be tormented with mighty flames of fire and destroyed for ever although we exclude not other punishments of God in this life which use to be the fore-runners of that horrible vengeance to come For of all punishments that by fire is most fearefull and horrible and therefore is used to signifie the most grievous and wrathfull punishments In the Sermons of the Prophets when there is speech of some grievous judgements or punishments of God many times fire is mentioned See Deut. 32.22 and Job 15.34 and Job 20.26 and Psal 11.7 and Psal 21.9 and Psal 78.21 and Psal 97.3 and Psal 140.10 and Isaiah 10.16 Isaiah 26.11 and Isaiah 30.33 The anger also or wrath of God is in Scripture called a fire and among other passages in the 12. chapter following God himselfe by reason of the wrath wherewith he burnes against the ungodly is called a consuming fire And in this place by fiery indignation which shall devoure the adversaries of God is understood the wrath of God Which shall devoure the adversaries The adversaries of God are they that alwayes were his enemies and never submitted unto him or they that having once submitted doe afterward rebell against him Such are they who constantly reject the Religion of Christ or having once received it afterward forsake it or receiving and retaining it doe not submit their soules to the precepts of it 28. He that despised Moses Law He confirmes his former assertion by a comparison of this case with the like under the Law To despise a Law is to oppose the being power and execution of the Law that it may be void and of no force or so to disobey it that he may overthrow it And he was said to despise Moses Law who did presumptuously violate any commandement of that Law for which the punishment of death was ordained without mercy And this was framed especially against them who despised the first precept of the Decalogue and revolted to the worship of false gods For the first Commandement is the foundation of all the rest and he that despiseth or opposeth it doth seeme thereby to overthrow the whole Law of God and to revolt from it Hence we may gather that among wilfull sinners as appeares by their description added in the verse following they hold the first ranke who revolt from Christ For they who forsake Christ the Son of God do also forsake God himselfe and manifestly offend against the fundamentall Law of the Christian Religion Died without mercy under two or three witnesses i. must dye or be put to
the Arke and was a figure of Gods mercy whereby he was propitious to forgive or cover the sins against the Law For sins are no other way propitiated or expiated then as it were by covering or hiding that they may no more appeare against us in the sight of God Hence Gods people are said to be reconciled unto God that is to be sanctified and purged from their sins for when the Tabernacle was sanctified and purged from the sins of the people it was called reconciling Levit. 16.20 And hence God is said to be propitiated or pacified or appeased not as if hereby he were alwayes turned from anger which was in him before but many times that he should not desist from being propitious but continue pacified or appeased towards us and that he should passe by just causes of anger which otherwise he might have For thus God was anciently pacified by the Sacrifices ordained by his Law for it is no way likely that God was really angry with his people for those sins for which he granted an expiation under the Law then when the people procured the timely expiation of their sinnes according to the prescript of Gods Law then certainely God was not actually angry for then God must be angry at set times of the yeare yearely at every solemnity of the Expiation By those sacrifices therefore God was not pacified by being drawne from anger but thereby order was taken that God might still continue pacified and not turne away his grace and favour from his people by reason of their sinnes Hence it appeares that from these words of Reconciling and Pacifying we must not conclude that Gods wrath against us was appeased by Christ but when we heare these words referred unto sinnes we must thereby understand nothing else but their expiation or purgation made by Christ as this Author termed it before chap. 1. v. 3. But how Christ now residing in heaven and exercising the office of his Priesthood doth purge away our sins shall be declared hereafter namely no other way then by the power God hath granted him to forgive them that we should not be punished and perish eternally for them The faithfull are the people of God who are reconciled and whose sins are expiated And this as was noted before was proper to the office of the high Priest who used not to make reconciliation for single persons but for the people on the day of Expiation 18. For in that he himselfe hath suffered being tempted He saith not simply that Christ hath suffered but he addes being tempted The sufferings of Christ were not punishments but temptations or trials of his excellent fidelity and piety For there was no sinne in Christ for which he should be punished seeing punishments are onely for sinne And therefore chap. 4. v. 15. speaking of Christs being tempted or tried he expresly addeth that he was without sinne i. his triall was not a punishment as no way merited by sin He is able to succour them that are tempted Afflictions to the faithfull are temptations of their faith and righteousnesse whether they will persevere in their obedience to God or be beaten off by worldly calamities as the offering of Isaac was a temptation to Abraham and our whole spirituall warfare against Satan the world and the flesh is a daily temptation or triall of us In these their trials Christ doth succour them by his assistance of them from perishing under the miseries that presse them And this he doth when he affords them strength and courage to sustaine the afflictions lest by force thereof they fall from the faith and forsake it Or when he so moderates the afflictions that they be not too great for paine or too long for time by lightning of them if they be too or shortening them if they be too long or lastly when he receives their spirits at their death to restore them againe in due time with supreame glory And when Christ succours the faithfull in this manner he doth even thereby expiate their sinnes For thereby he endeavours and provides with all care lest that sinking under their afflictions or being destitute at their death they should by this meanes suffer punishment for their sinnes And therefore the word able to help must be ampliated and extended to be both able willing and carefull for otherwise he should not be a mercifull and faithfull high Priest if having power to succour he had neither will nor care to performe it Hence appeare three verities 1. That Christ our high Priest expiateth our sinnes by succouring us in our temptations 2. That the principall function of his Priestly office is performed now in heaven and was not performed at this death wherein there was only a preparation toward it 3. That neither the Priestly function of Christ nor his Expiation of sins thereby procured consist in this that Christ should suffer punishment for our sins seeing that can have no place in heaven The sum or Contents of this second Chapter are 5. 1. Wee Christians have more cause to persevere in the Gospel then the Iews had to persist in the law verse 1. Reason 1. Because if wee neglect it our punishment will be more certaine then theirs 2. Because it was first taught by Christ and confirmed by his Apostles by miracles and gifts of the holy Ghost 2. Christ was made lower then the Angels verse 7. Reason 1. Because he was to suffer death not thereby to succour them but men 3. Christ and the faithfull are brethren verse 11. Reason 1. Because they come of one Father who is God Testimonies 3. out of Scripture 4. Christ suffed death verse 14. Reason 1. Because he was to destroy the devill that had the power of death 2. Because he was to deliver the faithfull from the feare and bondage of death for he was to succour not Angels but them 5. Christ was afflicted and tempted like the faithful in all things ver 17. Reason 1. Because he was to be their high Priest to expiate their sinnes 2. Because he was to succour them when they are afflicted and tempted CHAPTER III. 1. WHerefore It referres to all that hath been spoken hitherto concerning the dignity of Christ who seeing hee is so excellent a person as yee have heard therefore ye have great reason to consider him well Holy brethren Separated from the prophane vulgar and worldly by your knowledge in divine mysteries and allied to me not by a vulgar and carnall fraternitie but by a spirituall affinitie in Christ Partakers of the heavenly calling Who together with me and all other Christians have one common spirituall calling whereto we are called And this calling is called heavenly not only because it was notified from heaven and comes from thence but also because it is directive to heaven to teach us the way thither and conductive to heaven to carry us safely thither So that heaven is the double terme of our spirituall calling for heaven is the start of it from
the testimonies are alleadged for the same thing Some men that they may elude the true sense of the former testimony which the Holy Ghost shewes to be in the words Thou art my Sonne To day have I begotten thee say that those words are not alleadged as a testimony of Gods collating the Priesthood upon Christ but as a description of him who conferred this office upon him There men doe a manifest injury to the truth and to the words of the Author For how should these following words agree with the former as he saith also in another place doth hee not by these latter words manifestly declare that now another place or Psalm is cited by him wherein the same point is proved for which the former testimony was produced For ever The Priestood of Christ shall last for ever in the person of Christ without ever having any successour in his office for his office shall last as long as there needs any expiation for sinnes even to the end of the world and so long he shall continue in that office After the order of Melchisedeck The duration or terme of Christs Priesthood shall runne out like the duration of Melchisedecks Priesthood or as the Author expresseth himselfe afterward chap. 7.15 after the similitude of Melchisedeck But of these words we shall speake further chap. 7. where the Author explicates this likenesse more fully But here he tacitly meets with a doubt which some man might imagine touching the Priesthood of Christ in that Christ descended not from the family of Aaron or tribe of Levi to which tribe the Priesthood was limited by the Law of God For the type of Melchisedeck doth not only require an eternall Priesthood but also requires that no respect of tribe or family should be had therein as we shall shew hereafter 7. Who in the dayes of his flesh From the third property required in a high Priest and concluded to agree with Christ he ascends now to the second property and saith that Christ also was compassed with infirmity and by reason thereof offered for himselfe This he shews in this 7. verse and then at the 8. verse he inferres that from this infirmity Christ learned to be mercifull toward the distressed and afflicted In the dayes of his flesh By flesh hee understands the infirmity of Christ for flesh is the subject of infirmity and in a manner the cause of it And the dayes of his flesh are the dayes wherein he suffered for in that time chiefly his infirmity most appeared For then it most appeared that Christ was flesh When he had offered prayers and supplications Now he shews that Christ offered also for himselfe Of which his oblation his infirmity and afflictions were the cause the sence whereof how deepely it struck into his soule and how greatly it exercised him appeares from the things which he offered For he shews distinctly both what he offered and to whom as also the adjunct of his offering and the issue of it The matter of his offering was Prayers This is a generall word to signifie all petitions or rather all kinde of speech unto God And supplications which are the prayers or petitions of supplicants whose manner is to fall upon their knees casting themselves at the feet or touching the knees of them to whom they make their prayer The originall word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as some Interpreters note doth properly signifie an olive-branch wrapped about with wooll which supplicants held in their hands Hence we may easily imagine in what anguish of soule Christ was and what pangs of paine he felt when he was driven to such earnest prayers and devout supplications But what prayers and supplications the Author means will appeare from the words following wherein the person to whom he prayed is described in such manner that thence wee may easily understand what he prayed although the adjunct of his prayer doth partly also declare it Vnto him that was able to save him from death In these words he shews not only the person to whom Christ offered but also the cause why he offered him prayers and what the thing was for which he so earnestly prayed And this is the cause why he would describe God after this manner rather then simply name him for therefore he so devoutly supplicated to God because God onely is hee that can save from death which Christ by his prayers chiefly requested He indeed requested some other things besides for in the garden hee petitioned that the cup might passe from him i. he there was an humble supplicant prostrate upon his knees and afterward on his face praying againe and againe with great ardour of minde that hee might be delivered from the great anguish and heavinesse which hee felt in his soule And hanging upon the crosse he poured forth this lamentation unto God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Wherein hee prayed that God would put an ease and an end to his extreme paines But the summe and breviate or at least the head of all those prayers was this for his delivery from death For hee that is delivered from death in that sence that Christ here desired hee hath found an end of all paines both of soule and body and hath obtained supreme happinesse This delivery Christ prayed for in commending his Spirit to God when he was ready to expire For to commend the spirit to God or to pray that God would receive it into his hands what is it else but to pray that he would preserve it and afterward restore it and consequently to recal him from death to life whose spirit it is That the Author had respect to these prayers of Christ it may appeare by their adjunct which he also mentions in saying That his prayers were offered up With strong crying and teares The holy History of the Evangelists doe testifie that Christ hanging upon the Crosse complained in the words of the Psalme with a great cry that God had forsaken him and afterward being ready to expire he commended his Spirit to God But the Sacred History mentions not any teares of Christ shed at that time yet notwithstanding it appeares that it was so and was knowne to the Authour to bee so Now this cry and teares doe further shew how deepely the sence of paine was impressed into him when it forced him to expresse such cryes and teares Hence it appeares further that Christ thus exercised with so great a sence of paines himselfe cannot but be moved at the miseries and paines of his people cannot but willingly hear the dolefull cryes and complaines and affoord his opportune succour and help in their afflictions and distresses From these words of the Authour it appeares how Christ offered for himselfe namely that hee offered not himselfe but his prayers for himselfe and then he offered them not when he became immortall in his heavenly Tabernacle but in the dayes of his flesh or infirmity For when he became immortall he could not
or censer whereon he was first to burne incense must needs bee without the oracle or else he could not first come at it And the arke of the Covenant overlaid round about with gold The Arke was a strong chest or coffer the matter forme and measures whereof see Exod. 25.10 This was called the Arke of the Covenant for the use of it which was to inclose the tables wherein the first Covenant was written Wherein was the golden pot that had Manna Wherein must be referred to the Arke as appears by the beginning of the next verse for in this verse the Author would shew what was in the Arke and in the next what was over it This pot of Manna was gathered before the building of the Tabernacle and commanded to be laid up before the Testimony there to be kept when the Tabernacle should be built See Ex. 16.33.34 And Aarons rod that budded Concerning Aarons rod how it budded and upon what occasion and for what purpose it did so See Num. 17. And the tables of the Covenant There were severall parcels of the old Covenant for there were the tables of the Covenant which the Lord wrote with his owne finger in stone containing the Decalog and there was the booke of the Covenant which Moses wrote and read in the audience of the people and sprinkled it with bloud when the Covenant was confirmed with a solemne sacrifice See Exod. 24.4 and afterward in this Chapter vers 19. Now wee finde none but the tables of the Covenant to bee laid up in the Arke yet not those tables that were first written for they were broken upon the indignation which Moses had at the worshipping of the golden Calfe but the tables written afterward were there reserved But how could the pot of Manna and Aarons rod bee in the Arke when wee read expresly that nothing was in the Arke save the two tables of stone 1 King 8.9 and 2 Chron. 5.10 The Answer is Either wee must say that in successe of time the pot of Manna and Aarons rod came to bee put into the Arke which before were not so Or wee must say that the particle In here must be a little extended in sense to include those things that were adjacent to the Arke being neare or about it So John is said to baptise in Bethabara because he baptised neare or about it John 1.28 So Joshua is said to be in Jericho when he was by or neare it Josh 5.13 And in this sense the Author first expresseth those things which were by or neare the Arke as the pot of Manna and Aarons tod then the things in the Arke as the tables of the Covenant And lastly in the following verse the things over the Arke as the Cherubims And this might happily bee the cause why under the particle in hee would first comprise the things by the. Arke before those in it that he might make use of this gradation 5. And over it the Cherubims of glory shadowing the Mercy-seate The Cherubims were two Images of solid gold fashioned like winged men whose wings did over shadow the Mercy-seate being one at the one end of it and the other at the other having their faces looking one towards another Of them see Exod. 25.17 And they were called the Cherubims of glory by an Hebraisme for glorious Cherubims because of their lustre and brightnesse which in Scripture is often called glory The Mercy-seate had two uses one to bee a Cover for the Arke to shut up the Tables of the Covenant the other to represent the seat or throne of God where God would speake with Moses to give answers for the people and to shew himselfe mercifull And the originall word in the Hebrew carries a twofold sence to answer and fit this two-fold use for Capporeth derived from the verbe Caphor which signifies to cover a vessell and to cover sinne which last is the proper act of mercy Therefore though the Hebrew word might have beene simply and fully enough rendred the Cover yet the Septuagint following the other signification of the word have translated Hilasterion i. a Propitiatory or Mercy-seate which distinguisheth this cover from all others as a peculiar use and property of it And it is very consonant to reason that by the ambiguity of the word the Spirit of God would signifie so much Of which we cannot now speake particularly Though each of these particulars concerning the first Covenant might require particular explication and serve highly for advancing the dignity of Christs Priesthood and of the new Covenant yet the time will not now permit it because our purpose calls us on to other matters 6. Now when these things were thus ordained Having briefly described the Tabernacle and the severall furniture of it now he comes to describe the way of divine service therein which according to the two partitions or roomes of the Tabernacle was twofold whereof he toucheth the first in this verse and handleth the other in those following The Priests went alwayes into the first Tabernacle accomplishing the service of God The ordinary Priests went onely into the first Tabernacle for none but the high Priest went into the second And into the first they went alwayes that is every day daily for herein they are opposed to the high Priest who went into the second Tabernacle once every yeare The daily services of God accomplished by the Priests in the first Tabernacle were to burne Incense on the golden Censer and to light up or mend the Lamps of the Candlestick c. 7. But into the second went the high Priest alone once every yeare The high Priest went in alone and therefore he onely yet he went not in daily but yearely once every yeare at the solemne fast of Expiation whereof see Levit. 16. Not without bloud which he offered Not without bloud is with bloud and with bloud onely for the high Priest offered in the second Tabernacle nothing else but bloud For he must enter thither with the bloud of a Bullock and of a Goate and offer it by sprinkling it with his finger upon and before the Mercy-seate seven times Whence it appeares that this offering of the high Priest did not consist in the slaughter of those beasts whose bloud he offered and therefore neither did the offering of Christ answerable thereto whereof the Author treates consist in the death of Christ but by his entrance into heaven after his death Indeed the death of Christ is called an offering and sacrifice yet it is so called for the resemblance of it with the free-will and peace-offerings and therefore especially because it was most gratefull and acceptable to God in which respect also other notable works of piety may be and are called in Scripture offerings and sactifices unto God For himselfe and for the errours of the people Here is a little trajection of the words for the right sence is thus for the errours of himselfe and of the people For in this sacrifice the Priest
to descend from heaven and that Kings and Nations are said to bring their glory into her and to walke in her light For the future in that they only who overcome and who are written in the Lambs booke of life have the promise of entrance into that City and possession there So that the great splendor and magnificence as it is there described is much more appliable to expresse the future state and happines of the Church then the present But yet notwithstanding that some men as inhabitants are seperate from this structure of the Church though the Church consist of men seasoned with certaine qualities and joyned one to another in a due order that is only in respect of single persons considered apart by themselves So Paul said that Timothy was in the house of God which is the Church and Peter when he had said that we must be built into a spirituall house he presently adds that we must be a holy Priesthood that is as it were a holy Colledge of Priests But Priests must remaine in the house of God and intend the service of God and so doe much differ from the house of God But the same persons considered in a diverse respect are both the house and the Priests yea and in a manner the sacrifices How ever therefore this Jerusalem be taken it is the City of the living God and heavenly This is manifest of that heavenly City built by God himselfe wherein we shall sometime dwell and of the Chuch as hereafter it shall bee in heaven and it is true of the Church as it now is on earth For it is a City because it is built or composed of single persons notably qualified and excellently ordered and by this City may be also understood the very society of men It is the City of the living God not only because the living God hath thus built it but also and much rather because God dwells in it in a far more peculiar and more divine manner then ever formerly in the City of Jerusalem For God inhabits it not only by his Angels but by his holy Spirit who is the maine bond between God and his Church And also because it is wholly proper and intirely consecrate unto God and no person hath right to dwell in it but such as belong to God such as feare and worship him It is heavenly because the Church hath her originall from heaven whence in the Revelation that new Jerusalem is said to descend from heaven and the forme or fashion of her is heavenly and not earthly She hath her originall from heaven because whatsoever is requisite for the constitution of her proceeds not from elsewhere but only from God himselfe out of heaven her forme is heavenly because her doctrine is heavenly her holinesse of life is heavenly and that charity whereby her frame is chiefly compacted is heavenly Lastly the order and ranke of her members whereby some stand before or after others either in respect of Ecclesiasticall offices or in respect of divine gifts is heavenly and not earthly And God is called the living God as he is opposed both to false gods and to true gods To the false gods because he lives whereas the false gods saving what mens opinion attributes to them are nothing but statues of wood stone or metall and so things wholly inanimate and void of life and he is opposed to the true gods because he hath life from himselfe and is the author of life to all that live so that he is eminently called the living God as hereof wee have spoken elsewhere And to an innumerable company of Angels He alludes to that multitude of Angels which in Mount Sinai were assistent to that Angel who sustained the name and person of God as it appeares Psal 6.68.17 where twenty thousand signifies a plurality of myriads for every ten thousand makes a myriade and thousands in the plurall number uttered indefinitly may signifie that innumerable company or the universall and infinite army of Gods Angels To the company of these Christians come as they are incorporated into one family and fellowship with them as the Angels become fellow-servants with them to worship and serve one common God and Lord with them So that the Angels carry themselves no longer as superiours unto men especially unto Christians neither when they are seen of men much lesse unseen doe they suffer any worship or divine homage to bee done unto them Also as the Angels are alwayes present with men as sent to minister for their sakes and lastly as men have a right to the same immortality which the Angels enjoy and shall in time so certainly attaine it that they shall become like unto the Angels 23. To the generall assembly and Church of the first borne So all the Greeke copies have it though the vulgar Latine Erasmus and the Syriack place the word assembly in the former verse and refer it to the innumerable company of Angels But whether this Assembly be taken relatively to the angels or collectively for that great corporation or society composed of Angels and Christians it comes all to one because these conjoyned make up a generall or rather an universall assembly of all the worshippers and servitors of God By the first borne we must understand the first-borne of God for of whom else should they bee the first-borne and there is no doubt but these signifie Christians and not those who lived before Christ for the men of those times are not wont to be called simply and absolutely the Sonnes of God in the plurall number much lesse the first-borne of God unlesse their rulers and such as have received some singular benefit of God are sometimes called Gods and the Sonnes of God But this appellation is in a manner proper to Christians who only are endued with that filiall spirit wherein so boldly and confidently they cry Abba Father Besides as afterward we shall see that company of the godly who lived before the times faith of Christ is signified by another name and called the just men made perfect Now if the first-borne signifie Christians and yet cannot signifie all them as the word and distinction of first-borne between them and those that are come in unto them declares whom by this name shall we better understand then those who first in every place received the Christan Religion and went before those that afterward followed them who also are sometimes called the first-fruits of that place wherein they lived among whom the Apostles and Prophets of the New Testament lead the first file being the first fruits of Judea it selfe and in a manner the first-borne of all the Sonnes of God or faithfull in Christ especially the Apostles But why we think that the Author spake not of these only we are perswaded by the word generall assembly for hither we conceive it should be referred following the common authority of the Greekes which signifies an universall concourse or huge company of people met together
punishment and other evils eminent and Reverence is this fear redoubled or graduated as wee have said The manner therefore how to make our worship and service of God acceptable and pleasing unto him is by seasoning our souls with these two affections of Modesty and Reverence which are the true and firme foundations whereupon are framed those holy gestures of standing up bowing downe and kneeling downe to him which are the proper acts whereof Gods outward worship doth consist as we have formerly specified For if the use of reverend gestures be decent and due to any person upon earth much more is the use of them decent and due to the most high God of heaven Seeing of all other persons in the world we should most fear to displease God by any appearance of indecency in the least circumstance and seeing God above all others hath all power to benefit us and all right to punish us In which consideration the Author immediatly subjoynes 29. For our God is a consuming fire Here he adjoyns the reason why we must worship and serve God in this acceptable manner with modesty and reverence namely because God is a consuming fire God is a fire of anger So God is called by reason of his anger and wrath wherewith he is so provoked by finne that hee growes hot and burnes against it and as often as hee burnes with wrath he consumes and destroyes ungodly men as suddenly and as fiercely as doth a most vehement fire And it seems that Moses from whom the Authour tooke these words tooke occasion to call God by this name Deut. 4.24 because that God descended downe upon Mount Sinai in a great flame of fire the smoke whereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace Exod. 19.18 and because God spake out of the middest of the fire that they who heard his voyce saw no other similitude of him Deut. 4.11 and because a fire proceeding from God burnt up some who in his worship and service carried not themselves toward him with that modesty and reverence that was acceptable unto him So he burnt up the two Priests the sons of Aaron who durst burne incense unto him with strange fire that was not sacred and fallen from heaven Levit. 10.2 So hee burnt up those two hundred and fifty men who being not Priests durst approach to offer and burne incense unto him Numb 16.35,39 Hence also it is that God appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the middest of a bush Exod. 3.2 And in the Psalmes of David God is sometime introduced with a fire going before him and burning up his enemies round about Psal 97.3 And in that vision of Daniel the Ancient of dayes did sit whose throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels like burning fire and a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him Dan. 7.9,10 Yet we must not think that God doth burne with perpetuall flames of anger For God is rather charity as Saint John doth testifie And of love Therefore God is alwayes a fire of love and charity towards men especially Christians unlesse it be when mens sinnes doe quench this fire of love and charity in him and kindle that other fire of anger and wrath Seeing then our God is a fire to consume those who dare presume to worship or serve him immodestly or irreverently or in any manner not acceptable unto him it therefore concernes us to bee carefull that in all our approaches to his worship or service we carry our selves with all modesty and reverence lest our God bee also unto us as a consuming fire The Contents of this 12. Chapter are 1. Duty We must be constant in professing the faith and patient in bearing the the crosses of it ver 1. Motive 1. Because wee have a cloud of witnesses who eye us in our course of faith and piety ver 1. 2. Because we have Christ for an example and paterne who did endure the crosse and the contradiction of sinners and despised the shame of it for the glory set before him v. 2. 3. 3. Because the crosse is but Gods chastisement upon us which argues his fatherly love to us as his children ver 5 6 7. for chastisement is universall whereof all are partakers except bastards ver 8. Wee take it patiently from our carnall fathers v. 9. Jt lasteth but a few dayes ver 10. and it smarts but only for the present v. 11. 2. Duty We must follow peace and holinesse v. 14. Motive Because without them no man shall see the Lord ibid. 3. Duty We must be diligent to keep one another from falling away Motive Because Apostacy is a bitter root that will both trouble and defile many v. 15. 4. Duty We must take heed of profanesse v. 16. Motive 1. Because Esau who first despised his birth-right afterward lost his blessing finally and could not recover it though hee sought it with teares v. 16 17. 2. Because the Church whereto we come is not an earthly mount where a God on earth speakes all in terrour as it was with the Israelites v. 18 19 20 21. But an heavenly mount whereof the assembly is God in heaven and Christ the Mediator thousands of Angels the first-borne of the Church and the spirits of the Righteous v. 22 23 24. 3. Because the Doctrine we are to hear was not spoken on earth as was the law but from heaven v. 25. 4. Because the time shall once come under the Gospel wherein God shall bee more terrible then ever he was at Mount Sinai for hee shall shake both heaven and earth to pieces even to abolsh them v. 26.27 5. Because we receive from God an infinite benefit even a Kingdome that is immutable and inconcussible v. 28. 6. Because God is a fire to consume the profane v. ult CHAPTER XIII 1. LEt brotherly love continue In the former Chapter hee exhorted them to severall duties concerning God as to constancy in the Faith and patience under the Crosse and to Holinesse and also disswading from the maine contrary vices of Apostacy and profanenes Now in this Chapter hee proceeds to humane duties in certaine mutuall good offices of men one toward another beginning with brotherly love which is our first and chiefest degree of Charitie towards men particularly such men as are our brethren They are eminently called our brethren who have one common spirituall father with us and are begotten into Christ from our heavenly Father by that incorruptible seed which is the word of the Gospel For if the faithfull who are sanctified are all brethren unto Christ who doth sanctifie them as was shewed before chap. 2.11 with much more reason are they brethren one to another because their mutuall resemblances between themselves are much more manifold And this brotherly love consisteth in the inward affect of it and in divers outward effects of doing good for faith and love also are both dead if they be ineffectuall This love must continue and remaine