multiplying of the instances here given by the apostle, and it is, that

Obs. VII. It is a great and difficult matter really and practically to convince professors of the practical judging omniscience of Jesus Christ the Word of God.-On the account hereof, added to the great importance of the thing itself to our faith and obedience, doth the apostle here so multiply his expressions and instances of it. It is not for nothing, that what might have been expressed in one single plain assertion, is here set out in so many, and with such variety of allusions, suited to convey a practical sense of it to our minds and consciences. All professors are ready enough to close with Peter in the first part of his confession, "Lord thou knowest all things;" but when they come to the other, "thou knowest that I love thee," that is, to make a practical consideration of it with respect to their own hearts and ways, as designing in all things to approve themselves to him as those who are continually under his eye and judgment; this they fail in and are hardly brought to. If their minds were fully possessed with the persuasion hereof, were they continually under the power hereof, it would certainly influence them to that care, diligence and watchfulness, which are evidently wanting in many, in the most of them. But love of present things, the deceitfulness of sin, the power of temptations, cares and businesses of life, vain and uncertain hopes, do effectually divert their minds from a due consideration of it. And we find by experience how difficult it is to leave a lasting impression of it on the souls of men. Yet would nothing be of more use to them in the whole course of their walking before God. And this will farther appear, if after the precedent exposition of the several particular parts of these verses, and brief observations from them, we duly consider the general design of the apostle in the words, and what we are instructed in thereby.

In the foregoing verses, having greatly cautioned the Hebrews against backsliding and declension in their profession, acquainting them with the nature and danger of unbelief, and the deceitfulness of sin, whereby that cursed effect is produced; the apostle in these verses gives an account of the reason of his earnestness with them in this matter. For although they might. pretend, that in their profession they gave him no cause to suspect their stability, or to be jealous of them; yet he lets them know that this is not absolutely satisfactory, seeing that not only others may be deceived in the profession of men, and give them a name to live who are really dead; but they also may please themselves in an apprehension of their own stability, when they are under manifold decays and declensions. The principles and causes of this evil, are so close, subtle and de

ceitful, that none is able to discern them but the all-seeing eye of Jesus Christ. On the account whereof he minds them fully and largely of his power and omniscience, whereunto they ought to have a continual regard in their faith, obedience and profes sion. Hence we are instructed,

1. That the beginnings or entrances into declensions in profession, or backslidings from Christ and the ways of the gospel, are secret, deep and hardly discoverable, being open and naked only to the all-discerning eye of Christ.

2. That the consideration of the omniscience of Christ, his all-searching and all-seeing eye, is an effectual means to preserve the souls of professors from destructive entrances into backslidings from the gospel.

3. The consideration of the omniscience of Christ duly improved, is a great relief and encouragement to those who are sincere and upright in their obedience. For the apostle intends not merely to terrify those who are under the guilt of the evil cautioned against, but to encourage the meanest and weakest sincere believer, who desireth to commend his conscience to the Lord Jesus in his walking before him. And these things being comprehensive of the design of the apostle, in these weighty words of truth and wisdom, and being greatly our concernment duly to consider, must be distinctly handled and spoken to.

Ŏbs. VIII. For the first of the propositions laid down, it is the design of the apostle to teach it, in all those cautions which he gives to these professing Hebrews against this evil, and concerning the subtilties and surprizals wherewith it is attended. See chap. iii. 13. xii. 15. Every where he requires more than ordinary watchfulness and diligence in this matter. And plainly intimates to them, that such is the deceitfulness of sin, so various and powerful are the temptations that professors are to be exercised withal, that unless they are exceedingly heedful, there will be no preventing of a surprisal or seduction into some degrees at least of declension and backsliding from the gospel. There will be some loss or decay in faith or love or works, one way or other.

The churches of Asia are a sad exemplification of this truth. In a short time the most of them were greatly fallen off from their first gospel engagements; yea so far as some of them are threatened with excision and casting off from Christ. And yet no one of those churches seemed to have had the least sense of their own decays; and those especially who had made the greatest progress in falling away, were yet justified by others with whont they conversed, having amongst them a name to live, and applauded themselves in their condition, as that which was good and in nothing blameable. In this state the Lord Christ comes to make a judgment concerning them, as all things lay open

and naked under his eye. In the description that is given of him on his entrance into this work, it is said, as was observed before, that his "eyes were as a flame of fire," chap. i. 14. Seeing all things, discerning all things, piercing at one view from the beginning to the end of all. And he declares that he will so deal with them that all the churches shall know that he "searcheth the hearts and reins of men," chap. ii. 23. And what work doth he make amongst 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 them; and most of them with va rious decays and miscarriages, and those such as themselves took no notice of. But his eye, which stays not on the outside of things, be they never so gay or glorious, but pierceth to the secret embryos and first conceptions of sin and declensions, found them out, and passed judgment on them in righteousness and equity.

First, Now one great reason hereof, is taken from the subtilty of the principal causes of backsliding, and of the means or false reasonings whereby it is brought about. That which is wrought subtilly and deceitfully, is wrought closely, and is therefore secret and hidden. And the first impressions that these subtile and deceitful causes make on the minds of profes sors, the first entanglements which these deceitful reasonings cast on their affections, if they are not merely transient, but abide on their souls, there is in them an entrance begun into a defection from the gospel. And for these causes of declensions, they are every where expressed in the Scripture, and every where expressly declared to be subtile and deceitful. As,

1. Indwelling sin is fixed on as the next cause of declensions and backslidings. This the apostle in this epistle chargeth, (under the names of a root of bitterness,' of the sin that doth so easily beset us,' an evil heart of unbelief," and the like) with the guilt of this evil. And he himself declares this principle to be deceitful, subtile; that is, close, secret, hidden in its operation and tendency, chap. iii. 13. To this purpose is seducing, enticing and craft, assigned to it in the Scripture. And it hath amongst others innumerable, this advantage also, that being within us, dwelling in us, having possessed itself of the principles of our natures, it can insinuate all its corrupt and perverse reasonings, under the specious pretence of natural self-love, which is allowable. This our apostle was aware of, and therefore tells us, that when he was called to preach the gospel, "he consulted not with flesh and blood," "Gal. i. 16. By flesh and blood, no more is intended but human nature as weak and frail. But in and by them the deceitfulness of sin is so ready to impose on us its own corrupt reasonings, that the VOL. IV. Сс

apostle thought not meet to entertain a parly, with the very principles of his own nature about self-preservation. But this deceitfulness of sin, I have handled at large in another treatise. Here only I observe, that the effects of this deceitful principle are, at least in their beginnings and first entrances, very close and secret, open only to the eye of Christ.

2. Satan also hath a principal hand, in effecting or bringing about the declensions of men from, and in their profession. It is his main work, business and employment in the world. This is the end of all his temptations and serpentine insinuations into the minds of professors. Whatever be the particular instance wherein he dealeth with them, his general design is to draw them off from their first faith, their first love, their first works, and to loosen their hearts from Christ and the gospel. And I suppose it is not questioned but that he carrieth on his work, subtilly, secretly, craftily. He is not called the old serpent for nothing. It is a composition of craft and malice that hath laid him under that denomination. His methods, his depths, his deceits are we cautioned against. Hereabout treats our apostle with the Corinthians, 2 Cor. xi. 3. "I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." It is true Eve was so beguiled, but who should now beguile the Corinthians? even the same old deceiver, as he informs them, ver. 14. "For Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light," namely, in his fair and plausible pretences for the accomplishment of his wicked and abominable ends. He works in this matter, by deceit beguiling the souls of men; and therefore doth his work secretly, closely; "for in vain is the net spread before the eyes of any fowl." But his work also lies under the eye of Christ.

3. The world also hath its share in this design. The cares of it and the deceitfulness of riches, further this pernicious work on the minds and ways of professors, Mat. xiii. 22. By them is the seed of the gospel choked, when they pretend only to grow up with it, and that there is a fair consistency between them and profession. Now, though backsliding from Christ and the gospel be thus distinctly assigned to these causes, and severally to one in one place, to another in another, and that as they are especially or eminently predominent in the particular instances mentioned, and so the effect is denominated from them; this is from indwelling sin, this from Satan, and that from the world: yet indeed there is no apostasy or declension in the minds of any which is not influenced by them all. And they are mutually assistant to each other in their work. Now where there is a contribution of subtilty and craft from several principles, all deeply depraved with that vicious habit, the work itself

must needs be close and hidden, which craft and deceit do principally aim at. As that poison must needs be pernicious which is compounded of many poisonous ingredients, all inciting the venom of one another. But the Lord Christ looks through all this hidden and deceitful work, which no eye of man can pierce into.

Secondly, The conjunct reasonings of these deceitful princi ples, whereby they prevail with professors to backsliding, are plausible, and thereby the malignity of them, and their secret influencing of their minds, hardly discernible. Many of them may be referred to these heads, wherein they do consist. 1. Extenuations of duties and sins. 2. Aggravations of difficulties and troubles. 3. Suggestions of false rules of profession.

First, Profession is our avowed observance of all evangelical duties, on the account of the authority of Christ commanding them; and abstinence from conformity to the world in all evil, on the same forbidding it. The forementioned principles labour by all ways to extenuate these duties, as to their necessity and importance. Granted it shall be that they are duties, it may be, but not of that consideration but that they may be omitted or neglected. Consider the severals, in that which is comprehen sive of them all.

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This is constancy in profession, in a time of danger and persecution. The hearts of men are often seduced with vain thoughts of holding their faith and love to Christ, which they hope will save them eternally, whilst they omit that profession of them, which would endanger them temporally. A duty that also shall be allowed to be; but not of that necessity or importance, as not to be omitted totally, or at least partially, and gradually, to save our present concerns; especially whilst the substance of faith and love to Christ is in our hearts entirely preserved. This ruined many of the rich and great among the Jews, John xii. 42. " Among the chief rulers many believed on him; but because of the pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue." They went a great way in believing: and considering their places and conditions, who would have required more of them? Would you have men, merely on the account of outward profession, hazard the loss of their places, interests, reputation, and all that is dear to them? I know not well what men think in this case, the censure of the Holy Ghost in this matter concerning them is, "They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God," ver. 43. than which, nothing almost can be spoken with more severity. And these Hebrews were influenced into declensions from the same fallacy of sin. They had fallen into days wherein profession was perilous. And therefore, although they would not renounce the faith whereby they hoped to be