The apostle also intimates the original ground and equity of the removal of the one, and the introduction of the other; (ws tetoinpevwv) as of things that were made; so made, as that they were made only for a season, until a time of reformation, chap. ix, 10.

§4. In the room of these things removed, things that cannot be shaken are to be established; these things in the next verse he calls a kingdom that cannot be moved, which believers receive; that is, the things of the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ; the gospel with all its privileges, worship, and excellency, in relation to Christ, his person, office, and grace; the things that cannot be moved are to remain and be established against all opposition whatever. Wherefore, as the heavens and the earth of the idolatrous world were of old shaken and removed; so shall those also of the antichristian world, which at present in many places seem to prevail; for if God made way for his glory, by the removal of his own institutions, appointed for a season, what else shall hinder its establishment and progress to the end?

$5. And we may hence observe;

1. The sovereign authority and mighty power of Christ are gloriously manifested in that signal change and alteration which he made in the state and worship of the church by the promulgation of the gospel.

2. God was pleased to give testimony to the greatness and glory of this work, by the greatest commotions in heaven and earth wherewith it was accompa nied.

3. It was a mighty work to introduce the gospel among the nations of the earth, seeing their gods and heavens were to be shaken and removed.

VERSES 28, 29.

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire.

$1. The doctrinal and hortatory parts of the epistle here concluded. $2. The state of a gospel is a kingdom that cannot be moved. $3. Which believers receive. 4. The duty exhorted to, the serving of God acceptably. 5. And to have grace. 6. The manner of performing the duty with reverence and godly fear. 97. The reason euforcing the duty. $8, 9. Observations.

§1. THE apostle in these verses sums up both the doctrinal and hortatory parts of the epistle; and from hence to the close of it brancheth his general exhortation into a prescription of particular duties of the most importance to his general end; the note of inference (810) wherefore, may respect either the whole discourse which he hath now passed through, or that immediately preceding, concerning the shaking and removal of the Judaical church state, with the introduction and establishment of the things of the kingdom of Christ; the force of the exhortation ariseth equally from either of them. Note, Such is the nature and the use of all divine truths, that the teaching of them ought constantly to be applied and improved to practice; for faith and obedience is the end of their revelation.

§2. (Baciλelav) a kingdom; an heavenly spiritual state under the rule of Jesus Christ, whom God hath anointed and set upon his holy hill of Sion, Psal. ii, 6 7. The state of the gospel, and the rule of Christ therein was represented and promised from the beginning under the name and notion of a kingdom. And it is usually, but improperly, distributed into the kingdom of grace, and the kingdom of glory; for, according to that distribution, the former part of it would be removed. Wherefore, "the kingdom of heaven," so

often mentioned in the scripture, is that only which we call the kingdom of God. And, at present, those in heaven, and those on earth, constitute but one kingdoni, though they are in various conditions. Christ is the king; the gospel is the law; all believers are his subjects; the Holy Spirit is its administrator; and all the divine treasures of grace and mercy are its rev

enue.

The especial property of this kingdom is, that (acaλevlos) it cannot be moved, or shaken; and to speak of the unshaken, immoveable kingdom, is all one as if expressly mentioned the kingdom of Christ; seeing that only is so. But that which is here peculiarly intended is, that it is not obnoxious to such a shaking or removal, as the church state was under the Old Testament; that is, God himself would never make any alteration in it, nor ever introduce another church state, or worship; but hath, by his eternal Son, put the last hand to it.

§3. Believers receive this kingdom. They have it by grant or donation from God their father; Luke xii, 32, "Fear not little flock, saith Christ, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom;" freely to grant you an interest in his heavenly kingdom. They receive it in its doctrine, rule, and law; owning its truth, and submitting to its authority. And though, with respect to Christ, and his rule, we are absolutely subjects; yet, with respect to others, we are absolutely free; "Ye are bought with a price, be not ye servants of men," 1 Cor. vii, 23. They receive it by an initiation into the sacred mysteries of it, the glory of its spiritual worship, and their access to God thereby. And in all these things, they receive it as a pledge of a future reign in glory.

§4. The duty exhorted to, on the consideration of

this blessed state and privilege is, that we "serve God acceptably." I judge, that here is a peculiar respect to the worship of God, according to the gospel, which was brought in upon the removal of all those iustitutions of worship, which were appointed under the Old Testament. (Evape?ws) acceptably so that we may be accepted, or find acceptance with him. There is an intimation, that there may be a performance of the duties of divine worship, when yet neither the persons that perform them, nor the duties themselves, are accepted of God. The principal things required are— That the persons of the worshippers be accepted in the Beloved; that the worship itself, in all the duties of it, and the whole manner of its performance, be of God's own appointment and approbation; that the graces of faith and love, fear, reverence, and delight, be in actual exercise.

§5. In order to this serving of God, it is required of us, in a way of duty, that we have grace. It is not a privilege asserted, but a duty prescribed. "Grace" here is to be, therefore, taken for the internal spiritual aids of grace, as necessary to enable us for the duty of serving God acceptably. This is the proper sense of the place. "You that have received grace (essentially considered) for your sanctification, endeavor much after an increase of it, in its degrees and measures; that by its being in continual exercise, you may be enabled to serve God acceptably." And, indeed, without this grace we cannot serve God at all. He accounts not that, as his worship or service, which is performed by graceless persons. This is the great apostolic canon, for the due performance of divine worship. "Let us have grace to do it;" all other can ons are needless and superfluous.

§6. The manner of performing the duty is, "with reverence and godly fear." The sense of the words in this place may be learned best from what they are opposed to; for they are prescribed against such defects and faults in divine worship, as from which we ought to be deterred, by the consideration of the holiness and severity of God, as is manifest from the next words: "For our God is a consuming fire." Now these faults are want of a due sense of the majesty and glory of God, with whom we have to do; want of a due sense of our own vileness, and our infinite distance from him in nature and condition; carnal boldness in a customary performance of a sacred duty, under a neglect of endeavoring to exercise all grace in them, which God abhors. Wherefore, (dws, pudor spiritualis) what we render reverence, is an "holy abasement of soul in divine worship, in a sense of the majesty of God and our own vileness, with our infinite distance from him," Ezra ix, 6; Dan. ix, 7. And (evheßeir) that which we render godly fear is, "a religious awe on the soul in holy duties, from a consideration of the great danger there is of sinful miscarriages in the worship of God, and of his severity against such sins and offences." Hereby the soul is moved and excited to spiritual care and diligence, not to provoke so great, so holy and jealous a God, by a neglect of that exercise of grace he requires in his service, which is due to him on account of his glorious excellencies.

§7. "For our God is a consuming fire." The words are taken from Deut. iv, 24; where they are used by Moses, to deter the people from idols or graven images in the worship of God; for this is a sin that God will by no means bear with. And the same description of his divine Majesty is applied here by the apostle, to the rant of grace, reverence, and fear, in that