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they are exceeding heedful, there will be no preventing a surprisal and seduction into some degrees, at least, of declension and backsliding from the gospel; one way or other, there will be soine loss or decay— in faith, love, or works.

The Asian churches are a sad exemplification of this truth; in a short time the most of those churches were greatly fallen off, and yet no one of them seemed to have had the least sense of their own decays. In this state the Lord Christ comes to form a judgment concerning them, as all things lay "open and naked" under his eye. He will so deal with them, that all the churches shall know it is he who searcheth the reins and hearts, Rev. ii, 23. And what work doth he make among these secure churches? one is charged with loss of love and faith, another of works, a third with lukewarmness and carnal pride, a fourth with spiritual death, as to the generality of its members, and most of them with various decays and miscarriages which themselves took no notice of. But his eye-staying not upon the outside of things, be they never so gay or glorious, but piercing to the secret and first conceptions of sin and declensions from himself found them out, and passed judgment on them in righteousness and equity. The subtilty and deceitfulness of indwelling sin, Satan, and the world; the fallacious reasonings of deceitful principles,-extenuating duties, aggravating difficulties, and suggesting false rules of profession are the principal causes of backsliding.

The beginnings of declensions from Christ and the gospel are deep and hidden, because oftentimes they are carried on by very secret and imperceptible degrees. Some men are plunged into apostasy by some notorious crimes, or by the power of some great temptations. In these it is easy to discover the beginning

of their fall; as it was with Judas, when the devil en tered into him, and prevailed with him, for the sake of money, to betray his Master. And many such there are in the world, who, for the sake of money, or what ends in money, part with their professed interest in Christ and the gospel. And if they get more than Judas did, it is because they meet with better chapmen in the world than were the priests and pharisees. The fall of such men from their profession is like the dying of a man by a fever; the first incursion of the disease, with its whole progress, is manifest. The spiritual decays of others is like an hectic distemper, which at first is hardly known, and in its progress hardly cured. Small negligences and omissions are admitted, and the soul is habituated to them, and so a progress is made to greater evils. Besides, revolters and backsliders do their utmost endeavors to hide the beginnings of their falls from themselves and others. By false and corrupt reasonings they labor "to blind their own eyes," and to hide these evils from themselves. Their "own hearts seduce them, before they feed on ashes."

§18. Obs. 8. A due and holy consideration at all times of the all-seeing eye of Jesus Christ is a great preservative against backslidings and declensions. Some with Sardis, are ready to please themselves whilst they keep up such a profession as others, with whom they walk, approve of, or at least cannot blame; others with Laodicea, think all is well whilst they approve themselves, and have no troublesome accusations rising against their peace in their own consciences, when it may be their consciences themselves are debauched, bribed, or secure. For many regard not smaller things, which neither others observe to their disreputation, nor themselves are affected with to their disquiet, and thereby are insensibly betrayed into

apostasy; one neglect follows another, and one evil is added to another, until a breach be made upon them "great like the sea," that cannot be healed. Herein then lies a great preservative; let us consider constantly that the eye of Christ, with whom we have to do, and to whom an account of all must one day be given, is upon us; and it cannot but keep us jealous over ourselves, lest there should any "defiling root of bitterness" spring up in us.-Let us moreover reflect, that the Lord Christ doth not behold these evils by mere intuition; but as one deeply concerned, and as it were troubled with them; for by these things his good Spirit is grieved and vexed; and great reproach is cast upon his name. Where, therefore, there is any sincerity, there will be a continual care about these things, on account of the concernment of Christ in them. And farther:-We may do well to remember that he so sees all our neglects and decays, as in an especial manner to take notice of their sinfulness and demerit; there is no omission of duty, no neglect of the acting or stirring up of any grace, no sinful miscarriage, or worldly compliance, wherein the beginning of our decays may consist: but together with all their causes and occasions, their aggravating circumstances, their end and tendency-are all under the eye of Christ, and so their whole guilt is spread before him. And oftentimes there is a more provoking guilt in some circumstances of things, than in the things themselves: he sees all the unkindness and unthankfulness from whence our decays proceed; all the contempt of him, his love and grace, wherewith they are attended; the advantage of Satan and the world in them; and the great end of final apostasy whereunto they tend, if not by grace prevented. All these things greatly aggravate the guilt of our spiritual

decays; and the whole provocation lies continually under his eye. Hence his thoughts of these things are not as our thoughts commonly are; but it is our wisdom to make his rule, the rule and measure of ours. Again; He sees all things of this kind in such a manner, as that he will pass judgment accordingly. Alas! it is not the world we are to be judged by; if it were, men might hide their sins from it; nor is it the saints or angels, who discover not the secret frames of our hearts, but it is "He who is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things." And how shall backsliders in heart escape his righteous judgment?

$19. Obs. 9. A due consideration of the omniscience of Christ is a great encouragement to the meanest and weakest believers, who are upright and sincere. Hence he says of himself, that "he will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax," Matt. xii, 20. Be our strength like that of a "bruised reed,” which is next to none at all, he will not bruise it; nay, he will take care to cherish and add strength to it. Nor shall the "smoking flax," the least degree imaginable of grace, be quenched while under his eye and care. Grace in its first communication is new to the soul, which it knows not how to try, or measure; Satan and indwelling corruption use all means possible to darken the mind, that it may not aright apprehend the work of grace upon it; the many self.deceivings which they either observe in others, or read of in scripture, make them (and that justly) jealous over their own hearts, lest they should deceive themselves with hypocrisy. With many other reasonings of the same nature they are entangled; but against all these perplexities much relief may be administered from this consideration, viz. that the Lord Christ with whom we have to do, sees, knows, and approves of the least

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spark of heavenly fire that is kindled in us by his Spirit. The least seed of grace that is planted in us, is under his eye and care, to preserve, water, and cherish it. He takes notice of the least endeavors of grace in the heart against the power of sin; he perceives the principle and actings of grace in that very sorrow and trouble wherewith the soul is even overwhelmed in apprehension of the want of it; he knows that much of many a soul's trouble for want of grace, is from grace; he sees the love that works in trouble for want of faith; and the faith that works in trouble for want of holiThese things he takes care of. How small soever that grace be which he discerns in the souls of his children, he accepts of it, and takes care for its preservation and increase.

ness.

VERSES 14--16,

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

$1. The subject proposed. §2--12. (1) The words explained. § 13. (II.) Observations 1. Great opposition will be made to the permanency of believers in their profession. $14 2. It is our duty, in the midst of all oppositions, to hold our profession firm and steadfast unto the end. $15--18. S. Relievers have great encouragement, in the constancy of their profession, from the priesthood of Jesus Christ. $19-22. 4. The church hath a perpetual advantage in the union of our nature to the person of the Son of God, as our high priest $23, 24, 5. There is many a season, in the course of our profession, wherein we shall need special aid. §25. Other observations.

§1. IN these verses the

improvement of all the

apostle gives us a summary foregoing discourses; and

makes a transition to his great design.

Let us,

I. Attend to the several parts of the words, and

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