Lord thy God." If all this may be ascribed to an angel. then there is one who is an angel by office, and God by nature; or we are bound to take a created angel to be our God. Wherefore, he that then spoke on earth, who gave these divine oracles, was none other but the Son of God himself; or the divine nature acting itself in a peculiar manner in the person of the Son; and to him all things agree. What is purely divine was proper to his person, and what was of condescension belonged to him in a way of office, as he was the angel of the covenant, in whom was the name of God. It again deserves notice, that the opposition expressed is not between the persons speaking, but between earth and heaven, as the next verse sufficiently shews. And that verse declares positively, that it was one and the same person, whose voice then shook the earth, and who under the gospel shaketh the heaven also. But let us inquire,

§4. How the people (Tapaileσapevo) refused him, who spake on earth? The word here used is the same with that which ver. 19, we render by entreated to hear no more, that is, deprecated the hearing of the voice of God. It discovered the want of that faith and filial boldness, which were necessary to enable them to abide with God. With respect hereto the apostle might justly date their departure from God, and refusal of obedience, which immediately ensued on this discovery, so that they liked not the presence and voice of God. But the people's actual refusal of obedience began in their making the golden calf, while Moses was in the mount, Exod. xxxii, from which they did not escape; for, besides that three thousand of them on that occasion were slain by the sword and God made it a record concerning that sin; "In the day wherein I will visit, I will visit their 49

VOL. IV.

sin upon them; and the "Lord plagued the people," Exod. xxxii, 34, 35; after this ensued sundry other rebellions of the people, in all which they refused him who spake on earth.

$5. "Much more shall not we escape if we turn away from (Tov ar' sçavwv) him that is, or speaketh, from heaven." This is fully declared by himself; John iii, 12, 13, "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things." "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man who is in heaven." Add hereto, ver. 31, "He that cometh from heaven is above all; he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.” See John vi, 33-38. These places treat of the same matter as that intended in the text; namely, the revelation of heavenly things, or the mysteries of the will of God by Jesus Christ in each place it is affirmed, that to make this revelation he came from heaven; so that emphatically "he was from heaven;" but withal, whilst he did so, he was still in heaven, "the Son of Man who is in heaven." He was so from heaven in his descent to declare the will of God, as that he was in his divine person still in heaven. Wherefore he is from heaven as for other reasons so eminently on account of his opening heaven, and all the treasures of it, bringing life and immortality to light by the gospel, in comparison whereof the things of the law are called earthly things.

$6. We must next inquire, what it is to turn away from him who thus speaketh from heaven? And sundry things are included in this expression:

1. That in the declaration of the gospel by Jesus Christ from heaven, there is a call, an invitation of

sinners to come to him, to be made partakers of the good things contained therein. And herein it differeth sufficiently from the law in the giving of it. For that was so far from being proposed with an encouraging invitation to come to God thereby, as that it was only a terrible denunciation of duties and penalties, which they that heard could not endure, and removed as far as they could from it.

2. There is in this turning away a dislike of the terms of the gospel proposed to them. And therein they despise the wisdom, grace, and faithfulness of God to the utmost. This is emphatically unbelief.

3. There is in this turning away, a rejection of the authority of Christ; for besides the matter which he declared and preached, his personal authority had its peculiar power and efficacy to require obedience; this the apostle here had an especial respect to. It was he who was "from heaven," and who spake in the name of him that sent him, even in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; so that all authority in heaven and earth was in him, and present with him. It is evident on these considerations, that human nature cannot more highly despise and provoke God, than by this sin of unbelief. But,

4. An obstinacy in the refusal of him is also included herein; it is a turning away that is final and incurable.

§7. (II.) From what has been said observe;

1. Unbelief under the preaching of the gospel is the „great, and, in some respect, the only damning sin, as being accompanied with, yea, greatly consisting in, the last and utmost contempt of the authority of God.

2. There is in all sin and disobedience a rejection of the authority of God, in the giving of the law.

3. No sinner can escape divine vengeance, if he be tried and judged according to the law, see Psal. cxxx, 3. 4. It is the duty of gospel ministers diligently and effectually to declare the nature of unbelief, with the heinousness of its guilt, above all other sins whatever; sins against the light of nature, or express commands of the law, most men are sensible of; but as to unbelief, and all the consequents of it, they regard it not; but it is not more their duty to declare the nature of faith, and to invite men to Christ in the gospel, than it is to make known the nature of unbelief, and to evidence the woful aggravations of it, Mark xvi, 16.

5. This is the issue whereinto things are brought between God and sinners wherever the gospel is preached, namely, whether they wili hear the Lord Christ, or turn away from him. On this one point alone depends their eternal safety or misery; if they hear him, God puts an end to the whole claim of the law against them on the account of all other sins; if they refuse him, they are left under the guilt of all their sins against the law, with the unspeakable aggravation of the contempt of Christ speaking to them from heaven for their relief.

6. The grace, goodness, and mercy of God will not be more illustrious and glorious to all eternity, in the salvation of believers by Jesus Christ, than his justice, holiness, and severity in the condemnation of unbelievers.

VERSES 26, 27.

Whose voice then shook the earth, but now he hath promised, say ing, yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven; and this, yet once more, signifieth the removing of the things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things that cannot be shaken may remain.

$1. Explanation of the words. The voice of Christ shook the earth. 2. And the heavens also. $5. The apostle's inferences. are shaken. $4, And the establishment of the gospel kingdom, §5. ObserThe removal of things that vations:

$1. THESE HESE verses contain an illustration of the exhortation in the foregoing verse.

(On Qavn) whose voice; that is, the voice of him who is from heaven; Jesus Christ the Son of God, the author of the gospel, who is last spoken of; nor is there any other in the context to whom the relative (8) whose should refer. The voice of Christ absolutely is his great power in exercise; so all the mighty effects of Providence are ascribed to the "voice" of God, Psal. xxix, 3-9. In particular, the declaration and exert. ing of his power in the giving of the law is here intended; (TOTE) then; at the time when the law was given, as opposed to what he would do now. (Εσάλευσε την y) shook the earth; referring to the great commotion that was at mount Sinai before described, ver. 18—21; and the shaking is said to be of the earth, because it was all on the earth, and this is put for a part of the earth by a synecdoche; and we have here an illustrious evidence given to the divine nature of Christ; for it is unavoidable, that he whose voice this was, is no other but he that spake from heaven in the promulgation of the gospel; which to deny, is not only far from truth, but all pretence of modesty. It is evidently one and the same person, who both spake from heaven in the promulgation of the gospel, and whose voice shook the earth in the giving of the law, and who promised in the prophet to shake heaven also; unless this be granted there is no sense, no co-herence in the apostle's discourse.

§2. The apostle adds another demonstration of the great power of Christ in what he hath promised to do; "But now he hath promised, saying, yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." The words are taken from Hag. ii, 6, 7; a part only of which text