LECTURE IV.

THE MORAL OF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES, AS STATED IN THE EPISTLE TO THE

HEBREWS.

THIS Epistle doth not only shew us the har

mony of the Old and New Testament, and explain the great doctrine of faith with all the depth of divine learning; but gives us the best precepts, and the weightiest reasons, for a godly and christian life; which all who study this part of the scripture should lay up in their hearts; that they may be doers of the word and not hearers only. These precepts and reasons I shall therefore collect and enforce to your consideration, as they occur to us in the course of the Epistle.

The Apostle having described the dignity of the Son of God, thus argues; that if he was

SO

so great, how important must that way of sal vation be, which he preached to the world? How necessary must it be for us to attend to it? and how dreadful will the consequences beif we do not? If the law of Moses, published by inferior ministers, was so strictly enforced, and every offence against the honour of it so severely punished; how shall we escape if we neglect the great salvation published by Jesus Christ? This is the purport of his reasoning; and now let us consider the weight of it. If God descends from heaven to teach, there must be some great reason for his coming, which will render those exceedingly guilty who do not hear him. Therefore it must be our duty to listen to his words, and study his doctrine, that we may understand it and receive the benefit of it for the salvation of our souls. We may put this off as a matter of no consequence, and escape for the present. The man who tells us of these things out of a pulpit, has no power to punish us; but nevertheless God will not be neglected: he who vindicated his law, shall vindicate his gospel; and then what will become of us? what shall we say for ourselves in that dreadful day, when the reasonings and reserves of every heart shall be exposed and confuted? If the question is demanded

manded of us, how it came to pass that we were so ignorant of the gospel, and so inattentive to its instruction? shall we answer, that we were too busy? What greater business can any man find in this vain world, than to provide for the saving of his soul? If his bu siness could bring the whole world into his possession, what good would that do him? The man that had the whole world for his own, would probably be the greatest fool in it; and care or pleasure would soon destroy him. Yet they who can get but a very small part of the world, and must soon lose even that, make their business an excuse, and have no time to bestow upon their everlas ing interest.

The importance of the salvation spoken of in the text is farther shewn, by the manner in which it was recommended to the world. It was attested by signs and wonders and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost; all intended to raise the attention of mankind, and convince them that they must be lost if they neglected to hear what was so powerfully recommended. Add to all this the amiable, as well as the excellent character of its great Preacher; whose life was spent in teaching; whose only business in the world was to save those, many of whom are too busy to hear him.

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He condescended to the ignorance of the poor; was compassionate to sinner s; argued patiently with the perverse and obstinate; and accommodated himself to the wants of all. At last he tasted death for every man; for you that hear, and for me that speak; and by his exaltation after his sufferings hath shewed us the encouragement we have, and the reward we shall receive, if we follow his example. Nothing but hardness of heart can hinder us from partaking of the benefits of our heavenly calling; as it hindered the people in the wilderness from reaching the promised land. We are therefore to take heed, as the Apostle forewarns us, lest there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. This Egypt, this wicked world, in which we live, must not withdraw our affections, and put us out of humour with the manner and the of trial, by which God shall be pleased to carry us forward in our progress through this wilderness. And we are to exhort one another against the deceitfulness of sin.* We can see how grossly the disobedient Israelites. were deceived, in preferring Egypt to Canaan; and we wonder at them, that they should be so perverse and brutish: let us then not be cheated

way

cheated as they were. How did it happen that they were beguiled of their inheritance? They did not believe the promises of God; and if we are deceived it must be for the same reason. The rest of Canaan was better than the bondage of Egypt; and the service of God is better to us now than the bondage of sin; which can only interrupt the happiness of the servants of God, and fill them with disappointment and bitterness. Miserable is the situation of a Christian, who does not look forward, and press forward, to the promised Rest. He has left Egypt; and there is no better entertainment in this wilderness, than the hope of getting well out of it. But if instead of this, he is only looking back and wishing for the world which he has renounced; he is that double minded man, who is unstable in all his ways; neither a man of the world, nor a Christian; neither easy with God, nor without him. There cannot be a more unprofitable and unhappy character. It is said of the Israelites in the wilderness, that their heart was not whole with God, neither continued they stedfast in his covenant. How many fall under the same censure! they give a portion of their heart to God, and another much greater to the world.

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When