set themselves at work, what will they not accomplish? and their astonishing effect doth the scripture variously express: "God so loved the world;" "God commendeth his love towards us;" "greater love hath none than this;" riches of grace; treasures of wisdom; exceeding greatness of power; and the like. In this will God be glorified and admired to all eternity. Which way soever we look, whatever we consider in it, here is that which will entertain our souls with delight and satisfaction. The eternal counsel of God, the person of Christ, his mediation and grace, the promises of the gospel, the evil and wrath we are freed from, the redemption and glory prepared, the privileges we are admitted to, the consolations and joys of the Spirit, the communion with God we are called to, how glorious are they in the eyes of believers? or assuredly ought to be, How can we enough bewail that vanity whence it is, that the mind suffereth itself to be possessed and filled with other things? Alas, what are they if compared to the excellency of this love of God in Christ Jesus! Here lies our treasure, here lies our inheritance, why should not our hearts be here also? Were our minds fixed on these things as they ought, how would the glory of them cast out our cares, subdue our fears, sweeten our afflictions and persecutions, take off our affections from the fading and perishing things of this world, and make us in every condition rejoice in hopes of the glory that shall be revealed! What are those things which the better and more refined part of mankind search into? Alas! they are things that came out of nothing, and are returning hitherward apace; things which when they are known, do not enrich the mind, nor at all better it for its eternal condition.

On the contrary; the things of this great salvation are eternal, glorious, mysterious, that have all the char

acters of God's excellency enstamped upon them; whose knowledge gives the mind its perfection, and the soul its blessedness. If we are believers, these things are ours. The rich man is much in the contemplation of his riches, because they are his own; and the great man of his power, because of his property in it. Now all these things are "ours, if we are Christ's;" made over to us in the promise of the gospel, and conferred upon us by the Spirit of grace. And are these things to be despised, are they to be cast aside among the things wherein we are least concerned? What! all these riches ours, all these treasures, this goodly inheritance, this kingdom, this glory, and yet we will not be constant in thoughts and meditations about them? It is undoubtedly a sign, at least, that we question our title to them, and that the evidences we have of them will not endure the trial. But woe unto us if that should be the end of our profession; and if it be otherwise, why are not our minds fixed on that which is our own, and which no man can take from us? Oh! that God would give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, that the eyes of our understanding being opened, they may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, Eph. i, 17-19. Solomon tells us how this wisdom is to be obtained, Prov. ii, 2-5, "If thou cryest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest for her as for silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures! then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." It is by praying and earnest supplications, with persevering diligence, that we attain this wisdom; and many persons, otherwise weak and simple, have by these means grown wise in

the mysteries of God. And how many others, though wise in this world, yet through the neglect of it, walk in darkness all their days?

§22. 2. This will teach us, what esteem we ought to have of the word of the gospel, by which alone this great salvation is revealed and exhibited unto us; the great means which God is pleased to use, to bring us to a participation of it. This one consideration is enough to inform us what valuation we ought to put upon it, seeing we cannot expect the treasure without the purchase of the field. Some neglect it, some despise it, some persecute it, some look upon it as foolishness, some as weakness, but "to them that believe, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God." To neglect the gospel is to neglect and despise the Son of God who was the author of it, and consequently the love and grace of God in sending him. So Christ tells the preachers of the gospel, "he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, dispiseth him that sent me." Neglect of the gospel reflects immediately upon the Lord Christ and the Father; and therefore our apostle bids us to take heed that we despise not "him who spake from heaven," which can be no otherwise done, but by neglect of his word. This word was confirmed and witnessed from heaven, by the mighty works and miracles which attended the dispensation of it; and though we saw not those miracles, yet we have them left on infallible record for our use, that by them we may be yet stirred up to value and attend to the word in a due manner. God hath so ordered things in his holy providence, that no one can neglect the word, without shutting his eyes against such light and evidence of conviction as will leave him abundantly inexcusable at the last day.

VERSES 5--9.

For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the Son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest kim a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

$1-8. The words explained, in connexion with the psalm from whence they are taken. $911. Observations. 1. Great is the privilege of the gospel church. $12--17. 2. Great is the condescension of God. $18---20. 3. God's respect for man in the person of Christ calls for eternal admiration. $21. 4. Inconceivable the love and condescension of Christ. $22. 5. Christ's exaltation a pledge of ours.

§1. THE first words of the fifth verse, (du yaş) for not, declare that the apostle is in pursuit of his former argument, but the particle "for" doth not always intimate the introduction of a reason in confirmation of what is past; but sometimes a progress to somewhat else of the like kind. The "world to come," is not made, nor is any where in scripture said to have been made, subject to angels; but it was made subject to Jesus, and therefore he is exalted above them. This he proves from the testimony of the psalmist to this purpose; all things were made subject to man, who for a little while was made lower than the angels; but this man was Jesus. All things in the event agree to him; he was made "for a little while" lower than the angels; and then he was crowned with glory and dignity, all things being made subject to him, from all which it appears, that it is he, and not angels, to whom the world to come is put in subjection. This is the series of the apostle's discourse. "The world to come, whereof

(haλeper) we treat." The "world" here intended is no other but the promised state of the church under the gospel, with the worship of God therein, with a special relation to the Messiah, the author and mediator of it. Concerning which the apostle "treats" with the Hebrews in this epistle. He "treats" of that which was already done in the crowning of Jesus with glory and honor, as the words following do manifest; and this crowning of him was upon his ascension. The apostle doth not treat directly any where in this epistle concerning heaven, or the blessedness to come; for this is not what he opposeth to the Judaical church-state and worship, but that of the gospel.

$2. Concerning this world, the apostle declares that it is "not made subject to angels:" it was not put in subjection to angels, in its erection or institution, in the rule and disposal of it, or in the power of judging and rewarding. Not the first; for they did not reveal the will of God concerning it; the law, which was the foundation of the Judaical church-state, was only "given by the disposition of angels." Not the second; their office in this world is a ministry, chap. ii, 13, not a rule or dominion; yes, they are brought into a coordination of service with them that have the testimony of Jesus, Rev. xix, 10; xxii, 9; being equally with us subject to him, in whom they and we are gathered into one head, Ephes. i, 10. Not the third; for that is the sole prerogative of Jesus Christ, as the scripture every where testifies.

§3. "But one in a certain place testified:" neither place nor person is specified, but the Hebrews were not ignorant whose words they were, which he made use of, nor where they were recorded. The "one" here mentioned is David; and the "certain place" is the eighth psalm; which was sufficiently known.