try and exercise the faith and obedience of the church; whence they were the means of giving glory to himself in the world. And from this expression of them do our faith and obedience take the denomination of profession. And thereby are they proved in this world, and must be tried at the last day.

This profession we are to hold in the manner expressed in the opening of the words; that is, with watchfulness, diligence, constancy, and our utmost endeavour in all of them. And this duty hath respect unto the contrary sins, which the apostle dehorts us from. Now these fall under two heads. 1. Apostasy, or a total desertion of our profession. 2. Declension, or going back gradually from our diligence, progress and attainments in it; which make way for the former evil.

First, Some totally fall off from their profession. These the apostle describes and reflects upon, chap. vi. chap. x. In which places we must take their sin and punishment under consideration. And against this evil, it is our duty to hold fast our profession. None doubts of it until they are under the power of the contrary evil, and are blinded or hardened thereby. And this total desertion from the gospel is two-fold. 1. Express, by an open abrenuntiation of them. This we hear not much of amongst us, because none is tempted thereunto. The prodigious eruptions of some men's Atheism we consider not. 2. Interpretative; when men really cast off all inward regard unto the authority of Christ in the gospel, and their outward compliance with any thing required in it, is on motives foreign to the gospel itself. And this too much abounds in the world. Our apostle supplies us with considerations of the greatest and highest nature that can be conceived. In brief, 1. The glory of God in Christ, is in the highest manner concerned in it. Every sin tends to the dishonour of God; all sinners dishonour him. But all is nothing, as it were, to the despite that is done to him by this sin. So it is described, Heb. x. 29. It is a treading under foot the Son of God; an act of the highest despite, malice and contempt that a creature can be capable of. 2. Assured destruction attends it; and that in a peculiar, terrible and dreadful manner, Heb. x. 29-31. 2 Pet. ii. 1. It is, therefore, undoubtedly our duty and our wisdom to hold fast our profession, so as neither by the blindness of our minds, nor sensuality of life, to lose and fore

go it.

Secondly, It is so as to the degrees of it. All the parts of our profession have their degrees whereby they are varied. Faith is strong or weak, stable or infirm. Obedience may be more or less exact, precise and fruitful in good works. Our observance of instituted ordinances of worship, may be exact and circumspect, or loose and negligent. In holding fast our

profession, an endeavour to keep up to the degrees that we have attained, and a pressing forwards in them all towards perfection, is required of us. That which our Lord Jesus Christ blames in his churches, Rev. ii. iii. is the decay in their profession, as to these degrees. Their faith, their love, their diligence were decayed. And they performed not the works they had sometimes been fruitful in; and in all these things are men liable to let go their profession. Again, Growth and progress in all these is required of professors. The kingdom of God is a growing thing, and ought to be so in all them in whom it is by its grace, and who are in it by the observance of its laws. Where growth is not, profession is not held firm. This is in general the nature of the duty we are charged with. The principal intendment of this verse and of those following, is to declare the encouragement and assistance which we have in Christ, for its discharge as he is our high Priest, which must further be insisted on, and therein a fuller explication of the things contained in this verse, will be given. And the whole of what is aimed at, may be comprised in this

observation.

Obs. III. Believers have great encouragement unto, and assistance in the constancy of their profession, by and from the priesthood of Jesus Christ. So it is expressly laid down in the text; and to that end is it by us to be improved. And to this purpose, First, The priesthood of Christ in itself, and our relation thereunto, is proposed and asserted; "we have an high Priest." Secondly, Described. 1. By the qualification of our high Priest. He is "a great high Priest." 2. By his actions and his exaltation therein. He is " passed through the heavens." 3. By his name and nature, he is "Jesus the Son of God." And from every one of these considerations, we have both encouragement and assistance in the great duty of holding fast our profession.

First, The Lord Christ is an high Priest, and we have in our obedience and profession, a relation unto him; he is our high Priest, the high Priest of our profession. He is the high priest over the house of God, not only to direct us in our profession, but also to assist us in it. The difficulty of this duty lies in the opposition that is made unto it, by sin, Satan and the world, as we have shewed. He that hath not found this difficulty, never yet knew what it was to profess the gospel. And the effects of it lie open to view every day; they have done so in all ages. And we can never be jealous enough of our own hearts and ways, lest we should be made an example unto others, as others have been unto us. But herein lies our help and relief. For,

i. While we are in this condition, our high Priest pitieth us

and bath compassion on us, chap. ii. 17, 18. This is part of his duty and office, chap. v. 2. And there is some help in pity, some relief in compassion. Want hereof our Saviour complained of as a great aggravation of his distresses, Psal. Ixix. 20. "I am," saith he, "full of heaviness, I looked for some to take pity, (or lament with me) but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none." Compassion indeed doth not communicate new strength, yet it greatly refresheth the spirits of them that suffer; especially if it be from those whom they greatly value. And this we are assured of in and from our high Priest, in all the oppositions and sufferings that we meet withal in the course of our profession. See chap. ii. 17. and the two verses following in this place. He is himself on his throne of glory, on the right hand of the Majesty on high, in eternal rest and blessedness; as having finished his personal works and labour, as hath been shewed. But from the habita tation of his holiness, he looks on his labouring, suffering, tempted disciples, and is afflicted in all their afflictions, and is full of compassion towards them. So, saith he, was I tempted, so was I opposed. And what thus befals them is for my sake, and not for their own; and his bowels are moved towards them, Whose heart will not the consideration hereof refresh? whose spirit will it not revive?

2. As our high Priest, he gives us actual help and assistance in this case. The ways whereby he doth this, have been partly declared on chap. ii. 18.; and must yet be spoken unto, ver. 16. of this chapter. At present I shall only show in general, that the aid which he gives us, is sufficient to secure our profession, and to conquer the opposition that is made against it. For, as hath been observed, there are three parts of it; our faith, our obedience in general, and our especial observance of instituted worship. And there are three especial principles of the opposition made to them.

First, Our faith is opposed chiefly by Satan and his temptations, with a contribution of aid from the world, and our own corruptions. Faith's overthrow is his principal design, Luke xxii. 31, 32. No such irreconcileable enemies as faith and the devil. And this adversary is prevailed against by our high Priest. He hath contended with him, "bruised his head," conquered him, bound him, spoiled him, triumphed over him, and destroyed him, Gen. iii. 15. Col. ii. 15. Heb. ii. 14, 15. And shall we suffer ourselves to be deprived of our profession, by one thus dealt withal in our behalf? he shall not prevail in his attempt. Secondly, Our obedience is opposed principally by our own corruptions, aided by Satan and the world. These fight against our souls," 1 Pet. ii. 11. and tend to death, Jam. i. 14.

Whence our apostle warns us to take heed that these

prove not the cause of our apostasy, chap. iii. 13. And against these also there is relief for us in and by our high Priest. For as he was "manifested to destroy the works of the devil," 1 John iii. 8., or all the effects of his first temptation in our hearts; so whatever evil it intends towards us, there is a remedy provided for it and against it, in his grace, his blood, and by his Spirit. Thirdly, Our profession formally as such, consisting in the diligent observance of the laws and ways of Christ, is continually opposed by the world, not without assistance from Satan, and the treacheries of indwelling sin. But he also hath overcome the world, John xvi. 33. He hath overcome it for us, and he will overcome it in us. And who on this account would not be encouraged to contend earnestly in the preservation of that profession, wherein they are sure they shall be assisted ?

sons.

Secondly, Professors have an aim and an end in their profession. They do not run in vain, nor fight uncertainly, nor beat the air in what they do. Now their great design is to have their profession and their persons therein accepted with God. Without this they must acknowledge themselves to be of all men most miserable. For what would it avail them to spend their time in fears, hazards, conflicts, sorrows and troubles in this world, and when they have done all be rejected of God, and have their everlasting portion amongst them who take the full of their sins and satisfactions in this world? And if it be so, why do they yet suffer persecution? And yet there are two things that do vehemently assault their faith and hope in this matter. 1. The sinfulness and unworthiness of their own perWhatever be the duties that they perform, yet they find their persons on many accounts so vile, as that both they and their duties may be justly rejected of God. Hence they suppose themselves to defile whatever they touch. The guilt and defilement of their consciences by sin, perplex their thoughts, when they consider what it is to appear before the great and holy God. 2. They find that even the duties themselves wherein their profession doth consist, are so weak, so mixed and imperfect, as it is hard for them to conceive how they should obtain acceptance with God. Their endeavours are weak and faint, their strivings against sin uneven and uncertain, their prayers oft-times languid, and a fading is on all their duties. And say they often in themselves, What ground of hope is there that a profession so made up, will be accepted with God, and rewarded by him? But against all these considerations believers have relief in their relation to this high Priest. in this matter lies the principal part of his office. As such, he hath undertaken to render our persons and duties accepted with God. This he respects both in his oblation and intercession, by which two ways he dischargeth the duties of this office.

For

1. By them he gives acceptance with God to our persons. For as he hath made "reconciliation for our sins," chap. ii. 17. so he hath brought in "everlasting righteousness," Dan. ix. 24. Yea he himself is our "righteousness," Jer. xxiii. 6. in him have "we righteousness and strength," Isa. xlv. 24. he being made" of God unto us righteousness," 1 Cor. i. 30. having been made "a curse for us, that the blessing of faithful Abraham might be ours," Gal. iii. 14. who believed, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, Gen. xv. 6. So that although we have no such righteousness of our own as on the account whereof our persons may be accepted with God, yet on the account of him and his who is ours, we shall not fail thereof.

2. He dealeth so likewise in reference to our duties. For, as he bears the "iniquity of our holy things," Exod. xxviii. 38. that they should not be rejected because of any sinful imperfections cleaving to them, so he adds to them the sweet incense and perfume of his own righteousness, Rev. viii. 3, 4. which causeth them to come up with a grateful and acceptable savour before the Lord.

And these few things have I mentioned as instances of the encouragements that we have to abide in our profession, in the midst of all hazards and against all oppositions, from the consideration of this one thing, that we have an high Priest; the end aimed at in this place by our apostle.

Secondly, There is weight added hereunto from the qualification of the person vested with that office here expressed. He is a "great high Priest." He is so both comparatively and absolutely. He is so in comparison of others so called, and not so only; for he may be great in comparison of another, who is but little in himself. But he is so absolutely also, as we shall see afterwards.

First, He is great comparatively with respect to Aaron, which the apostle, as was shewed, hath in this assertion regard to. For he is now entering on his great design, of shewing his answering to Aaron, and his pre-eminence above him. The high priest, in his office, sacred garments and administrations, was the principal glory of the Judaical church. If that office ceased, all their solemn worship was to cease. And so excellent was his office, so beautiful were his garments, so glorious was his work and ministry, that these Hebrews, though now in some measure instructed in the doctrine and worship of the gospel, could not be persuaded utterly to relinquish that sacred service of which he had the conduct. And here lay the principal occasion of their obstinate adherence to Mosaic institutions. They had an high priest, whose order and service they were exceedingly pleased withal. The prevalency of these thoughts on their minds our apostle obviates, by letting them know, that they' VOL. IV.

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