his coming and the discharge of the work he had undertaken: law, temple, sacrifices, must all be removed, to give way unto his coming. 24. Truth is never so effectually declared as when it is confirmed by the experience of its power in them that believe it and make profession of it. 25. It is a holy glorying in God, and no unlawful boasting, for men openly to profess what they are made partakers of by the grace of God and blood of Christ. 26. It is the best security, in differences in and about religion (such as these wherein the apostle is engaged, the greatest and highest that ever were), when men have an internal experience of the truth which they do profess. 27. The sovereign will and pleasure of God, acting itself in infinite wisdom and grace, is the sole, supreme, original cause of the salvation of the church.

VER. 11-14.-1. If all those divine institutions, in the diligent observance of them, could not take away sin, how much less can any thing do so that we can betake ourselves unto for that end! 2. Faith in Christ doth jointly respect both his oblation of himself by death and the glorious exaltation that ensued thereon. 3. Christ in this order of things is the great exemplar of the church. 4. It was the entrance of sin which raised up all our enemies against us. 5. The Lord Christ, in his ineffable love and grace, put himself between us and all our enemies. 6. The Lord Christ, by the offering of himself making peace with God, ruined all the enmity against the church and all the enemies of it. 7. It is the foundation of all consolation to the church, that the Lord Christ, even now in heaven, takes all our enemies to be his, in whose destruction he is infinitely more concerned than we are. 8. Let us never esteem any thing or any person to be our enemy, but only so far and in what they are the enemies of Christ. 9. It is our duty to conform ourselves to the Lord Christ in a quiet expectancy of the ruin of all our spiritual adversaries. 10. Envy not the condition of the most proud and cruel adversaries of the church. 11. There was a glorious efficacy in the one offering of Christ. 12. The end of it must be effectually accomplished towards all for whom it was offered. 13. The sanctification and perfection of the church being that end designed in the death and sacrifice of Christ, all things necessary unto that end must be included therein, that it be not frustrated.

VER. 15-18.—1. It is the authority of the Holy Ghost alone, speaking to us in the Scripture, whereinto all our faith is to be resolved. 2. We are to propose nothing, in the preaching and worship of the gospel, but what is testified unto by the Holy Ghost. 3. When an important truth consonant unto the Scripture is declared, it is useful and expedient to confirm it with some express testimony of Scripture.

CHAPTERS X. 19-39, XI.

THE OBLIGATION, ADVANTAGE, AND NECESSITY, OF STEADFAST ADHERENCE TO THE GOSPEL INFERRED AND URGED FROM THE PRECEDING DOCTRINES, AND FROM THE TRIUMPHS OF FAITH AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE SAINTS.

CHAP. X. VER. 19-23.-1. It is not every mistake, every error, though it be in things of great importance, while it overthrows not the foundation, that can divest men of a fraternal interest with others in the heavenly calling. 2. This is the great fundamental privilege of the gospel, that believers, in all their holy worship, have liberty, boldness, and confidence, to enter with it and by it into the gracious presence of God. 3. Nothing but the blood of Jesus could have given this boldness, nothing that stood in the way of it could otherwise have been removed, nothing else could have set our souls at liberty from that bondage that was come upon them by sin. 4. Rightly esteem and duly improve the blessed privilege which was purchased for us at so dear a rate. 5. Confidence in an access unto God not built on, not resolved into the blood of Christ, is but a daring presumption, which God abhors. 6. The way of our entrance into the holiest is solemnly dedicated and consecrated for us, so as that with boldness we may make use of it. 7. All the privileges we have by Christ are great, glorious, and efficacious, all tending and leading unto life. 8. The Lord Christ doth peculiarly preside over all the persons, duties, and worship, of believers in the church of God. 9. The heart is that which God principally respects in our access unto him. 10. Universal, internal sincerity of heart is required of all those that draw nigh unto God in his holy worship. 11. The actual exercise of faith is required in all our approaches unto God, in every particular duty of his worship. 12. It is faith in Christ alone that gives us boldness of access unto God. 13. The person and office of Christ are to be rested in with full assurance in all our accesses to the throne of grace. 14. Although that worship whereby we draw nigh unto God be wrought with respect to institution and rule, yet without internal sanctification of heart we are not accepted in it. 15. Due preparation, by fresh applications of our souls unto the efficacy of the blood of Christ for the purification of our hearts, that we may be meet to draw nigh to God, is required of us. 16. Universal sanctification upon our whole persons, and the mortification in an especial manner of outward sins, are required of us in our drawing nigh unto God. 17. These are the ornaments wherewith we are to prepare our souls for it, and not the gaiety of outward apparel.

18. It is a great work, to draw nigh unto God so as to worship him in spirit and in truth. 19. There is an internal principle of saving faith required unto our profession of the doctrine of the gospel, without which it will not avail. 20. All that believe ought solemnly to give themselves up unto Christ and his rule, in an express profession of the faith that is in them and required of them. 21. There will great difficulties arise in, and opposition be made unto, a sincere profession of the faith. 22. Firmness and constancy of mind, with our utmost diligent endeavours, are required unto an acceptable continuance in the profession of the faith. 23. Uncertainty and wavering of mind as to the truth and doctrine we profess, or neglect of the duties wherein it doth consist, or compliance with errors for fear of persecution and sufferings, do overthrow our profession and render it useless. 24. As we ought not on any account to decline our profession, so to abate of the degrees of fervency of spirits therein is dangerous unto our souls. 25. The faithfulness of God in his promises is the great encouragement and supportment, under our continual profession of our faith, against all oppositions.

VER. 24.-1. The mutual watch of Christians, in the particular societies whereof they are members, is a duty necessary unto the preservation of the profession of the faith. 2. A due consideration of the circumstances, abilities, temptations, and opportunities for duties in one another, is required hereunto. 3. Diligence, or mutual exhortation unto gospel duties, that men on all grounds of reason and example may be provoked unto them, is required of us, and is a most excellent duty, which in an especial manner we ought to attend unto.

VER 25.-1. Great diligence is required of us in a due attendance unto the assemblies of the church, for the ends of them, as they are instituted and appointed by Jesus Christ. 2. The neglect of the authority and love of Christ in the appointment of the means of our edification, will always tend to great and ruinous evils. 3. No church order, no outward profession, can secure men from apostasy. 4. Perfection, freedom from offence, scandal, and ruinous evils, are not to be expected in any church in this world. 5. Men that begin to decline from their duty in church relations ought to be marked, and their ways avoided. 6. Forsaking of church assemblies is usually an entrance into apostasy. 7. When especial warnings do not excite us unto renewed diligence in known duties, our condition is dangerous as unto the continuance of the presence of Christ amongst us. 8. Approaching judgments ought to influence unto especial diligence in all evangelical duties. 9. If men will shut their eyes against evident signs and tokens of approaching judgments, they will never stir up themselves nor engage into the due performance of present du

ties. 10. In the approach of great and final judgments, God, by his word and providence, gives such intimations of their coming as that wise men may discern them. 11. To see evidently such a day approaching, and not to be sedulous and diligent in the duties of divine worship, is a token of a backsliding frame, tending unto final apostasy.

VER. 26, 27.-1. If a voluntary relinquishment of the profession of the gospel and the duties of it be the highest sin, and be attended with the height of wrath and punishment, we ought earnestly to watch against every thing that inclineth or disposeth us thereunto. 2. Every declension in or from the profession of the gospel hath a proportion of the guilt of this great sin, according unto the proportion that it bears unto the sin itself. 3. There are sins and times wherein God doth absolutely refuse to hear any more from men in order unto their salvation. 4. The loss of an interest in the sacrifice of Christ, on what account or by what means soever it fall out, is absolutely ruinous unto the souls of men. 5. There is an inseparable concatenation between apostasy and eternal ruin. 6. God oftentimes visits the minds of cursed apostates with dreadful expectations of approaching wrath. 7. When men have hardened themselves in sin, no fear of punishment will either rouse or stir them up to seek after relief. 8. A dreadful expectation of future wrath, without hope of relief, is an open entrance into hell itself. 9. The expectation of future judgment in guilty persons is, and will be at one time or another, dreadful and tremendous. 10. There is a determinate time for the accomplishment of all divine threatenings and the infliction of the severest judgments, which no man can abide or avoid. 11. The certain determination of divine vengeance on the enemies of the gospel is a motive unto holiness, a supportment under sufferings in them that believe. 12. The highest aggravation of the greatest sins, is when men, out of a contrary principle of superstition and error, do set themselves maliciously to oppose the doctrine and truth of the gospel, with respect unto themselves and others. 13. There is a time when God will make demonstrations of his wrath and displeasure against all such adversaries of the gospel as shall be pledges of his eternal indignation. 14. The dread and terror of God's final judgments against the enemies of the gospel is in itself inconceivable, and only shadowed out by things of the greatest dread and terror in the world.

VER. 28, 29.-1. It is the contempt of God and his authority in his law that is the gall and poison of sin. 2. When the God of mercies will have men show no mercy as to the temporal punishment, he can and will, upon repentance, show mercy as to eternal punishment. 3. Though there may be sometimes an appearance of great

severity in God's judgments against sinners, yet when the nature of their sins and the aggravation of them shall be discovered, they will be manifested to have been righteous and within due measure. 4. We ought to take heed of every neglect of the person of Christ or of his authority, lest we enter into some degree or other of the guilt of this great offence. 5. The sins of men can really reach neither the person nor authority of Christ. 6. Every thing that takes off from a high and glorious esteem of the blood of Christ as the blood of the covenant, is a dangerous entrance into apostasy. 7. However men may esteem of any of the mediatory actings of Christ, yet are they in themselves glorious and excellent. 8. There are no such cursed pernicious enemies unto religion as apostates. 9. The inevitable certainty of the eternal punishment of gospel despisers depends on the essential holiness and righteousness of God, as the ruler and judge of all. 10. It is a righteous thing with God thus to deal with men. 11. God hath allotted different degrees of punishment unto the different degrees and aggravations of sin. 12. The apostasy from the gospel here described, being the absolute height of all sin and impiety that the nature of man is capable of, renders them unto eternity obnoxious unto all punishment that the same nature is capable of. 13. It is our duty diligently to inquire into the nature of sin, lest we be overtaken in the great offence. 14. Sinning against the testimony given by the Holy Ghost unto the truth and power of the gospel, whereof men have had experience, is the most dangerous symptom of a perishing condition. 15. Threatenings of future eternal judgments unto gospel despisers belong unto the preaching and declaration of the gospel. 16. The equity and righteousness of the most severe judgments of God, in eternal punishments against gospel despisers, is so evident that it may be referred to the judgment of men not obstinate in their blindness. 17. It is our duty to justify and bear witness unto God in the righteousness of his judgments against gospel despisers.

VER. 30, 31.-1. There can be no right judgment made of the nature and demerit of sin, without a due consideration of the nature and holiness of God, against whom it is committed. 2. Nothing will state our thoughts aright concerning the guilt and demerit of sin, but a deep consideration of the infinite greatness, holiness, righteousness, and power of God, against whom it is committed. 3. Under apprehensions of great severities of divine judgments, the consideration of God, the author of them, will both relieve our faith and quiet our hearts. 4. A due consideration of the nature of God, his office, that he is the Judge of all, especially of his people, and that enclosure he hath made of vengeance unto himself, under an irrevocable purpose for its execution, gives indubitable assurance of