rest of God, when

they were in a most full and quiet enjoyment of the whole land. And if it be said that the promise might belong to those in the days of David, because that worship of God, which had respect to the land of Canaan, was in all its vigour; but now as to these Hebrews, that whole worship was vanishing and ready to expire: I answer, that whatever alterations in outward ordinances and institutions of worship, God was pleased to make at any time, the promise of the gospel was still one and the same, and therein Jesus Christ "the same yesterday, to-day, and fo ever," Heb xiii. 8. This then I take to be the sense of the words, namely, that as the first preaching of the gospel to their forefathers, belonged in the privilege of it to those Hebrews by virtue of the covenant of God with them, so the obligation to faith and obedience thereon, was no less on them, than on those to whom it was first preached. And the present dispensation of the gospel was but the carrying on of the same revelation of the mind and will of God towards them. We may now take some observations from the words.

Obs. I. It is a signal privilege to have the gospel preached unto us; to be evangelized.-As such it is here proposed by the apostle; and it is made a foundation of inferring a necessity of all sorts of duties. This the prophet emphatically expresseth, Isa. ix. 1, 2. "Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations; the people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." The connexion of this prophetical discourse is judged by many obscure and difficult; but the general design of it as applied by the evangelist, Mat. iv. 16. is not so. For reckoning the various afflictions and distresses that God at several times brought upon the Galilean parts of the land, which lay exposed in the first place to the incursion of their enemies, and whose people were first carried away into captivity, whereby outward darkness and sorrow came upon them; he subjoins that consideration, which though future, and for many ages to be expected, should recompence and out-balance all the evil that had in an especial manner befallen them. And this consisted in that great privilege; that these people were the first that had the gospel preached unto them; as the evangelist manifests in his application of this prophecy.

Hereunto he adds the nature of this privilege, and sheweth wherein it doth consist; in a description of their condition before they were partakers of it, and in the relief which they had thereby. Their state was that they walked in darkness, and dwelt in the land of the shadow of death," than which there can

be no higher description of a condition of misery and disconsolation. When the psalmist would express the utmost distress that could befal him in this world, he doth it by this supposition, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," Psal. xxiii. 4. And these persons are said to dwell in that land, which he thought it so dreadful and horrible to walk through. And it denotes the utmost of temporal and spiritual misery. And these people are but occasionally singled out as an instance of the condition of all men without the light of the gospel. They are in hideous darkness, under the shades of death, which in its whole power is ready every moment to seize upon them. Unto these the gospel comes as 7718, "a great light," as the light of the sun, called 7787, the great light in its first creation, Gen. i. 16. In allusión whereunto, the Lord Christ in the preaching of the gospel is called py wow, Mal. iv. 2. the Sun of righteousness," as he who brings righteousness, life and immortality to light by the gospel. Now what greater privilege can such as have been kept all their days in a dungeon of darkness under the sentence of death, be made partakers of, than to be brought out into the light of the sun, and to have therewith a tender of life, peace and liberty made unto them? And this is so much more in this matter, as spiritual darkness in an inevitable tendency to eternal darkness, is more miserable than any outward temporal darkness whatever; and as spiritual light, the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of JESUS CHRIST," excelleth this outward light, directing the body in the things of this world. Hence Peter expresseth the effect of the gospel by this, that God by it, "calleth us out of darkness into his marvellous light," 1 Pet. ii. 9. And this is but one instance of the greatness of this privilege, for men to be evangelized. It is the gospel alone that brings the light of God, or life and blessedness unto men, who without it are under the power of darkness here, and reserved for everlasting darkness and misery hereafter. And more I shall not add; let them consider this, by whom it is not prized, not valued, by whom it is neglected, or not improved.

Obs. II. Barely to be evangelized, to have the gospel preached unto any, is a privilege of a dubious issue and event. - All privileges depend as to their issue and advantage on the use and improvement of them If herein we fail, that which should have been for our good, will be our snare. But this hath in part been spoken to before.

Obs. III. The gospel is no new doctrine, no new law.—It was preached unto the people of old. The great prejudice against the gospel at its first preaching, was, that it was generally esteemed to be xain didaya, a “new doctrine," Acts xvii. 19. a matter never known before in the world. And so was the preaching of

Christ himself charged to be, Mark i. 27. But we may say of the whole gospel what John says of the commandment of love. It is a "new commandment," and it is an "old one which was from the beginning," 1 John ii. 7, 8. In the preaching of the gospel by the Lord Jesus himself and his apostles, it was new in respect of the manner of its administration, with sundry circumstances of light, evidence and power wherewith it is accompanied. So it is in all ages in respect of any fresh discovery of truth from the word, formerly hidden or eclipsed. But as to the substance of it, the gospel is that which was from the beginning," 1 John i. 1. It is the first great original transaction of God with sinners, from the foundation of the world. Hence the Lord Christ is said to be a Lamb slain, año Xarabokng nooμov, Rev. xiii. 8. " from the foundation of the world." It is not of the counsel and purpose of God concerning him that the words are spoken; for that is said to be, go xarтaborns xooμov, Eph. i. 4. before the foundation of the world," that is from eternity. And 1 Pet. i. 20. he is said expressly to be fore-ordained, zeo xaτabodas xocus, " before the foundation of the world," that is eternally in the counsel of God. But this ano arabodng zooμon, is as much as presently after or from the foundation of the world. Now how was the Lord Christ a Lamb slain "presently upon the foundation of the world?" Why this xaraboàn xorμov, the foundation of the world contains not only the beginning, but also the completing and finishing of the whole structure. So is the whole creation expressed, Psal. cii. 25, 26. Heb i. 10. Gen. ii. 2, 3. Now upon the day of the finishing the world, or of completing the fabric of it, upon the entrance of sin, the promise of Christ was given; namely, "That the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head," Gen. iii. 15. In this promise the Lord Christ was a Lamb slain, though not actually, yet as to the virtue of his incarnation, whereby he became a LAMB, the LAMB of God, and of his death, wherein he was slain to take away the sins of the world. Now the declaration of the Lord Christ as the Lamb of God slain to take away the sins of the world, is the sum and substance of the gospel.

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This then having been given out and established ao xatabolns κόσμου, "from the very beginning of the world;" this was the rise of the gospel which ever since hath been the ground, rule and measure of all God's transactions with the children of men. Whatever new declarations have been made of it, whatever means have been used to instruct men in it, yet the gospel was still the same throughout all times and ages. The Gentiles therefore had no true ground to object against the doctrine of it, that it was

For though by the sin and unbelief of themselves and their forefathers, who had lost, despised, and totally rejected the first revelation of it, it was new to them; yea and God in his just and

righteous judgments had hid it from them, and rendered it at length, μυστηριον χρονοις αιωνίοις σεσιγημενον, Rom. xvi. 25. “ a mystery," the declaration whereof was " silenced from the past ages of the world," or all the secula that had passed from the beginning, yet in itself it was not new, but the same that was revealed from the foundation of the world, by God himself. And this is for the honour of the gospel. For it is a certain rule; quod antiquissimum id verissimum, that which is most ancient is most true.' Falsehood endeavours by all means to countenance itself from antiquity, and thereby gives testimony to this rule, that truth is most ancient. And this discovers the leudness of that imagination, that there have been several ways in several seasons, whereby men came to the knowledge and enjoyment of God. Some they say did so by the law, some by the light of nature, or the light within them, or by philosophy which is the improvement of it. For God having from the beginning, from the foundation of the world, declared the gospel in the manner before proved, as the means whereby sinners might know him, live unto him, and be made partakers of him; shall we think that when this way of his was despised and rejected by men, he himself would do so also, and follow them in their ways, indeed their delusions, which they had chosen, in opposition to his truth and holiness? It is fond and blasphemous once so to imagine.

The Jews with whom our apostle had to do peculiarly, derived their privileges from the giving of the law, and concluded that because the law was given unto them of God, that according to the law they were to worship him, and by the law they were to be saved. How doth he convince them of their error and mistake in this matter? He doth it by letting them know, that the covenant, or the promise of the gospel, was given unto them long before the law, so that whatever the end and use of the law were, (and what they were, he there declares), it did not, nor could disannul the promise; that is, take its work away, or erect a new way of justification and salvation, Gal. iii. 17. And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, (that is, the promise given unto Abraham, ver. 16.) the law which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." As if he had said, God made a promise to Abraham, or made a covenant with him, whereby he was evangelized, and the way of life and salvation by Christ made known to him. Now if the end of the law was to justify sinners, to give them life and salvation, then the way of the promise and covenant instituted by God four hundred and thirty years before must be disannulled. But this the faithfulness and unchangeableness of God will not admit. And the apostle insists only on the precedency mentioned, and not that priority which it had of the law of Moses, in that it was preach

ed from the foundation of the world; because dealing with the Jews, it was sufficient for him to evince, that even in their relation unto God, and God's especial dealings with them, the gospel had the precedency of the law. What then John the Baptist said of the Lord Christ and himself," He that cometh after me, is preferred before me, for he was before me," Johni. 15. though he came after him in his ministry, yet he was above him in dignity, because he had a pre-existence in his divine nature unto him. The like in another sense, may be said of the law and the gospel as preached by Christ and his apostles. Though it came after the law, yet it was preferred above it or before it, because it was before it. It was in the substance and efficacy of it, revealed and declared long before the giving of the law, and therefore in all things was to be preferred before it.

It appears then that from first to last, the gospel is, and ever was, the only way of coming unto God; and to think of any other way or means for that end, is both highly vain, and exceedingly derogatory to the glory of God's wisdom, faithfulness and holiness.

And these things have we observed from the first part of the confirmation of the preceding exhortation, taken from the parity of state and condition between the present Hebrews and those of old, in as much as they had both the same gospel preached unto them. The latter part of it is taken from the especial event of giving the promise unto the fathers And hereof also there are two parts. First, An absolute assertion that the word that was preached unto them did not profit them. Secondly, That there might be no semblance of reflecting disrespect on the promise of God, as though it could not profit them that heard it, to whom it was preached, the reason of this event and miscarriage is subjoined in those words, "not being mixed with faith in them that heard."

The subject spoken of in the first proposition is, λoyos s axons," the word of hearing;" which expression being general is limited by rayya, the promise in the verse foregoing. Some would have the report of the spies, especially of Joshua and Caleb, to be intended in this expression. The people believed not the report which they made, and the account which they gave of the land that they had searched. But, as was said, it is plainly the same with the say, or the promise in the other verse, as the coherence of the words undeniably evinces. "The word of hearing." Hearing is the only way and means whereby the benefits contained in any word, may be conveyed unto us. The intendment then of this expression is that which is declared, Rom. x. 17. aga ʼn HIGTIG $1⁄2 axons; ή δε ακοή δια ξηματος Θεού "Wherefore faith is from hearing, and hearing is by the word of God." This is the series of these things. The end of the word