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come a task to bring the whole soul into a dislike of that doctrine whereby it is required. Many professors have been quite wearied out with an observance of that holiness which this profession requireth; and hence it is that commonly there are most apostates from the strictest ways of profession. The more universally holiness is pressed, the more weary will prevailing unbelief make men of the ways of God.

$7. A secret dislike of the principal mysteries of the gospel is the original cause of most of the degeneracies, backslidings, and apostasies that are found amongst professors in these latter days. The testimonies to them being so many, so plain, so uncontrolable, what is it that can carry men to contradict them to their own ruin? Why, unbelief doth not like them, and particularly this mystery of "God manifest in the flesh;" and this anti-christian principle insensibly alienates the soul from it, however plainly asserted in scripture; and what men pretend to receive by the conduct of mere reason and argument, is indeed nothing but prejudices imposed on their minds by the power of unbelief. From the power of this proud principle men think it a foolish thing to look for pardon and righteousness solely from another, and not trust to themselves in any thing: and the reason why they have multiplied instances to the same purpose is, because they can indeed find rest and satisfaction in none other, and do therefore please and deceive their souls with this variety. And what is it that hath driven a company of poor deluded souls amongst ourselves, to trust a fancied light within them, and a feigned perfection in their ways? They cannot, forsooth, think it wise, prudent, or safe, to trust for their all one who lived and died so long ago. Men make sundry pretences, use divers arguments and pleas for

turning aside to their own crooked paths, and endeavor by all means possible to justify themselves; but the bottom of all lies here, that this doctrine of the cross is foolishness to them; and they are under the power of their unbelief which dislikes the mysteries of it. That the just should suffer for the unjust; the innocent undergo the punishment due to the guilty; that one should sin, and another suffer; that he whom God loved above all, should undergo his wrath for them, and deliver them whom he had grounds of righteousness to hate and destroy, is a foolish thing to them. This all the Socinians in the world despise; and it is reject ed by the Quakers amongst ourselves; and variously corrupted by the Papists, and others. And there is none of all these, but will plead reasons and arguments for their opinions: but this that we insist on is the true and real ground of their miscarriages. They are under the power of that unbelief, which acts itself by a dislike of the mysteries of the gospel.

§8. The next thing in the words is that special evil which the apostle cautions the Hebrews against; as that which an heart made evil by the prevalency of unbelief would tend to the "departing from the living God;" the object of this departure is particularly expressed (To Oε8 Ewvlos) "from the living God." "It is plain that apostasy from the profession of the gospel is intended; and we must inquire into the reasons why the apostle doth thus peculiarly express it by "a departure from the living God." I shall propose those which to me seem most natural.

1. It may be that these Hebrews thought little that their departure from the profession of the gospel was a departure from the living God. Probably they rather pretended and pleaded, that they were returning to him. For they did not fall off to idols or idolatry,

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but returned to observe, as they thought, the institutions of the living God, and for a relinquishment whereof the blaspheming and persecuting part of them traduced our apostle himself as an apostate, Acts xxi, 28. To obviate these apprehensions, and that they might not thereby countenance themselves in their defection, the apostle lets them know, that after the revelation of Christ and a profession of him, there is no departure from him and his institutions, but that men do withal depart from the living God. So John positively declares, 2 Epist. 9; "whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God; but he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." He then that rejects Christ in the gospel, let him pretend what he will of adhering to one God, cleaves to an idol of his own heart; for neither is the Father without the Son, nor is he a God to us but in and by him.

2. It may be he would mind them of the person and nature of him from whom he would prevent their departure; namely, that however in respect of his office, and as he was incarnate, he was our mediator, our apostle and high priest; yet in his own divine person he was one with his Father and the blessed Spirit, "the living God."

3. And as this property of life, as it is in God essentially, whence he is called the "living God," is exceedingly and eminently accommodated to encourage us to faith, trust, and affiance in him in all straits and difficulties in the way of duty, as our apostle declares, 1 Tim. iv, 10; "for therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God; or, this is that which encourageth us to, and supporteth us in all our laborings and sufferings, because he in whom we trust, from whom we expect present assistance and a

future reward, is the "living God;" so it is that which deservedly casts the greatest awe and terror upon the minds of men in their sins and rebellion against him. Thus he frequently prefaceth expressions of his severity against stubborn sinners with "as I live, saith the Lord;" as it were bidding them to consider what they were to expect. And this seems to me the principal reason why the apostle thus states the sin of their apostasy as "a departure from the living God."

4. He may also express it, at once to intimate the greatness and folly of their sin. They thought, it may be that it was but the leaving of these or the other observances, but, saith he, it is a departure, a flagitious defection and revolt from the living God. And who knows not that this is the greatest sin and highest folly imaginable, to depart from him who will be so great a reward to them that obey him, and so severe a judge of them that forsake him; what greater guilt or folly is the nature of man capable of?

$9. (II.) From the words thus explained, the following observations offer themselves:

Obs. 1. There is need of great care, heedfulness, watchfulness, and circumspection, for a due continuance in our profession to the glory of God and advantage of our own souls. A careless profession will issue in either apostasy, open or secret; or at least great distress; Matt. xiii, 4; Cant. iii, 1-5. Our Christian profession is a warfare, and those who are not circumspect in war, will assuredly be a prey to their enemies; be their strength never so great, one time or other they will not avoid a fatal surprisal. And there is a necessity of this heedful attendance, for the manifold duties that are incumbent on us; our whole life is a life of duty and obedience; if we fail in matter or manner, we spoil the whole; for (bonum oritur ex integris, malum ex quolibet defectu) "any one defect is enough to denominate

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an action evil; but to that which is good there must be a concurrence of all necessary circumstances." And who is sufficient for these things? God alone by his spirit and grace can enable us; but he works these things by us as well as in us; and, where he gives success, gives heedful diligence.

(1.) In a due consideration of our dangers; he that walks in the midst of snares and serpents, and goes on confidently without consideration of his danger, as if his paths were all smooth and safe, will one time or other be entangled or bitten. "A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished," Prov. xxii, 3. It is the highest folly not to look out after dangers, which usually end in sorrow, trouble, and punishment. Men at sea that are in the midst of rocks and shelves, and consider it not, will hardly avoid a shipwreck. Livy tells us, that Philopoemenes, that wary Grecian commander, wherever he went, though he were alone, was still considering all the places he passed by, how an enemy might possess them, and lay ambushes in them to his disadvantage, if he should command an army in those places. Hereby he became the most wary and expert captain of his age. So should a Christian do: he should always consider where, and by what means, his spiritual adversaries may ensnare or engage him, and so either avoid or oppose them, and not, like the simple, pass on heedlessly, and be punished.

(2.) In a due consideration of the specialnature of those snares and dangers that we are exposed to. But here custom, security, false pleasing confidence of our own strength, negligence and sloth, all put in to delude us; and if we are here imposed upon, that we weigh not aright the nature and efficacy of our own

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