An Exposition of Pauls Epistles, Letter 14 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
FRom the former Reprehension of their slot…fulness, an Exhortation is drawn to perseverance, and making progress in the Faith of the Gospel.
Vers. 1. Therefore leaving the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of Repentance from dead works, and of Faith towards God.
The Proposition is contained in the first words, Yee ought to persevere and make progress in the Faith of the Gospel: For to leave Catechetical Principles (which enters those that are unskilful in the Doctrine of Christ) is to presuppose, and grant, that they are acquainted with those rudiments already in some measure: Therefore hee that writes to them, need not stay in these things, but (leaving Principles) perswade them to perfection, i. e. to persevere and make progress in the Faith.
The Arguments of this Exhortation are fifteen.
Argum. 1. As the foundation of an House, so also of Religion is not to bee laid twice, but being once laid, wee must proceed in raising up the building: Therefore ought yee to persevere in the Faith of the Gospel. Hee reckons up six fundamental or Catechetical Doctrines. (1) Repentance from dead works, or from sins: This foundation comprehends the first Doctrine, touching the Law of God, of the knowledge of sin, and the deserved condemnation following, of grief for sin, and the desire of being freed from sin and death. (2) Faith towards God, which contains the Doctrine of Redemption by Christ, and life obtained by him, and of Faith in him to salvation.
Vers. 2. Of the Doctrine of Baptismes, and of laying on of hands, and of Resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement.
(3) The Doctrine of Baptisms, containing the ground of confirming faith by the Sacrament of Baptism, and the Doctrine of Sanctification, and Affliction, or of bearing the Cross for the defence of the Gospel, which Doctrine is signified by Baptism. (4) The Doctrine of laying on of hands, which was anciently done in the bestowing the gifts of the Holy Ghost for the confirmation of the Divine truth of the Gospel, after an extraordinary manner, in the Primitive Church, now in an ordinary manner it is done in the Ordination of the Ministers of the Church, of whose Authority and Office, as anciently it belonged to all the Catechumeni, so now it appertains to all the faithful to see that they be rightly ordained, that they may the more cheerfully submit themselves in obedience to Ecclesiastical Discipline. (5) The Doctrine of the Resurrection of the dead at the last day. (6) The sixt is of the last Iudgement, wherein eternal life shall bee alotted to the faithful, and eternal death to the wicked.
Vers. 3. And this will wee do, if God permit.
Arg. 2. To perseverance and progress in the faith of the Gospel; I an Apostle by the grace of God, shall, to my utmost, endeavour, that yee may persevere in the faith, so far as it shall seem good to God to bless my labours in the Ministry: Therefore you ought to endeavour after perseverance and progress in the faith of the Gospel.
Vers. 4. For it is impossible for those, who were once inlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5. And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Argum. 3. Whosoever do not persevere after such conviction of the Truth of the Gospel, as you have here described, but start from the Principles of Faith, and slide into that unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, they cannot repent, nor bee saved: Therefore lest yee fall into this sin, yee ought to persevere, and make progress in the Faith of the Gospel.
They, against whom this commination is bent, are described by six Marks; (1) They are illuminated by the knowledge of the Gospel, by whose light the miserable condition of men, and the means of Redemption by Christ, may bee opened even to the unregenerate. (2) They have tasted the Heavenly gift, which may bee by the contemplation of Christ, and heavenly things revealed▪ in the Gospel, for every the lightest taste of truth, sti…s up some rellish of it, although not alwayes solid and permanent. (3) They are made partakers of the Holy Ghost, which may bee by some gifts common both to the Regenerate and unregenerate. (4) They have tasted the good word of God, which may bee by an historical faith of the Gospel, & an apprehension of the possibility of their own …alvation, which that they may actually attain, they do not prosecute. (5) They have tasted the powers of the world to come, in some lighter joyes concerning the life to come, which may come to pass by a temporary faith▪ in those that receive the word in the stony ground with joy, Mat. 13.20. not only our of an apprehension of the possibility of their future salvation, but also the Probability, which they may willingly with Balaam wish for, and hope for with the foolish Virgins, though they have not renounced the world, and their wicked lusts. (6) After all these degrees of conviction, produced by the Holy Ghost, concerning the truth of the Christian Religion, they fall away, or with a total, voluntary an… malicious Apostacy (as will afterwards appear) they revolt from Christ.
Again] The punishment which hee threatens to these kinde of Apostates, is this, That their Repentance, and by consequence, salvation, is impossible, because …fter this sin, Repentance never follows: The Reasons whereof are two; (1) From their malice against Christ, because by their malicious denial of the Son of God, once crucified, they will not bee saved by his death, they abhor that way of salvation, upon which alone Repentance and salvation depends, and indeed, as much as in them lyes, they depose Christ from the Throne of his Celestial glory, and if it were possible, would crucifie him again.
Put him] (2) Another Reason is taken from the scandal given, Because they expose Christ to ignominy, reproach, and the scoffes of Infidels, and that by a more cruel wickedness than they who at first through ignorance, hanged Christ upon the Cross.
Vers. 7. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that commeth o…t upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is d…ssed, receiveth blessing from God.
Arg. 4. To perseverance: As the fruitful earth receives blessing from God, so persevering and proceeding in the faith and obedience of the Gospel, yee receive blessing from God: Therefore ought yee to persevere.
Vers. 8. But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to bee burned.
Arg. 5. As the earth tilled, and often watered, which brings forth nothing but briars and thorns, is rejected, and nigh unto cursing, and at length is to bee burned: So Apostates who have taken in the showres of the word of God, often coming upon them, and bring forth no good fruit, but fall back, and altogether Apostatize, are Reprobates, and being near unto cursing, shall utterly perish, as those who in respect to conversion and salvation are desperate.
Vers. 9. But beloved, wee are perswaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though wee thus speak.
Hee comforts the beleeving Hebrews against the harshness of what he had said, and the supposition of their future Apostacy, which the Apostle might seem inwardly to surmise, had hee not cleared himself, and adds Arg. 6. Although I presupposed danger of your Apostacy, yet wee have perswaded us better concerning your faith and sincere obedience, and perseverance, and other graces, which have a necessary connexion with eternal salvation: Therefore yee ought with so much the more courage to persevere.
Vers. 10. For God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love, which yee have shewed toward his name, in that yee have ministred to the Saints, and do minister.
Arg. 7. Confirming the former, The Justice and Truth of God, will not suffer that the saving grace of God already bestowed upon you, and by your constant and effectual love towards the faithful, or Saints, hath been demonstrated by works, should bee forgotten, but will give you grace for grace, perseverance, and life eternal, promised to you: Therefore, &c.
Vers. 11. And wee desire, that every one of you do shew the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
Arg. 8. By endeavouring after perseverance, yee shall gain more and more a certain perswasion of your hope: Therefore every one of you ought to endeavour after perseverance: And here the Exhortation to perseverance is expresly se… down.
Vers. 12. That yee bee not sloathful, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Arg. 9. By shaking off your sloathfulness, in striving after a deeper knowledge of the Gospel, and proceeding in charity, you ought to imitate the holy Fathers, who persevering in faith and patience, have obtained the promised inheritance: Therefore labour yee after perseverance.
Vers. 13. For when God made promise to Abraham, because hee could swear by no greater, hee sware by himself,
14. Saying, Surely, blessing, I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15. And so after hee had patiently indured, hee obtained the promise.
Argum. 10. The promise of the blessing being made unto the faithful, in the person of Abraham, the father of the faithful, and confirmed by the Oath of the great God, and experienced by Abrahams special experience, persevering patiently in faith and hope: Therefore in the faith of the promise, and hope of the blessing, in like manner ought ye to persevere patiently. That the force of this Argument may appear, yee ought to remember, that this promise made to Abraham concerning the blessing, is to bee understood not of the birth of Isaac onelyonly, but of Christ which was to bee born of Isaac, and of free righteousness and life eternal to bee bestowed in Christ, not onelyonly upon Abraham, but also upon him as the father of the faithful, and upon all beleevers represented in his person, i. e. upon the true heirs of that promised blessing; as the Apostle in this place, and otherwhere takes it for granted, and specially, Gal. 3.9, 10, 13, &c. hee expresly teaches.
Vers. 16. For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Argum. 11. Taken from the former, For as men swear by the greater, and an oath is used for confirmation, to end strife amongst them; So the promise of Blessedness, or Righteousness, and Life freely to bee given in Christ, confirmed by the oath of the most High God to all the faithful in Abraham, ought to bee the end of controversie betwixt God and the faithful, lest they stumble in the Faith of the Promise: Therefore yee beleeving Hebrews, thus confirmed, ought boldly to persevere in the Faith.
Vers. 17. Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.
Argum. 12. Although the bare promise of blessedness had been sufficient, yet God moreover interposed his oath (as a pledge) that those of Isaac, Children and Heirs of the Promise, i. e. that hee might assure all the faithful, of the immutability of his counsel, and purpose to bless them: Therefore yee faithful Hebrews ought the more abundantly to bee confirmed, and persevere in the Faith of the Gospel.
Vers. 18. That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lye, wee might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.
Argum. 13. To this purpose, God hath sworn, to this end, that the faithful who endeavour to persevere, might fetch consolation, strong confidence, and solid rejoycing in God, from two immutable things, against all fear and misery: Therefore yee faithful Hebrews, being animated with this consolation, ought confidently to persevere. Hee describes the faithful Heirs of the Promise (who endeavour to persevere) by their property, that under the conscience of sin, and deserved anger, they flye unto Christ, that they may obtain the hope of eternal life which is promised in him: By the two immutable things, hee means (1) The Promise of God. (2) The Oath of God, whereby the faithful are ascertained of the third immutable thing, i. e. of the purpose and decree of God, for their salvation.
It was impossible] Hee gives a Reason of that twofold immutability, because it is impossible that God should lye, i. e. that hee should not perform what hee hath promised and also sworn.
Vers. 19. Which hope wee have as an Anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entreth into that within the veil.
Argum. 14. Wee Beleevers have a lively hope, as a safe and firm Anchor of the fluctuating soul, cast within Heaven, which was prefigured by the veil of the Temple: Therefore ought yee constantly press towards the Haven of salvation with confidence. The Anchor of hope is called sure, because it safely preserves all that hope, for hope never maketh ashamed. It is called stedfast, both because it is never altogether dissolved, and because it abides firmly fixed and founded upon a Rock, leaning upon the omnipotency, truth, and goodness of God, and the merit of Christ.
Vers. 20. Whither the fore-runner is for us entred, even Iesus made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Argum. 15. Jesus Christ is entred into Heaven for us Beleevers (which was prefigured by the High Priests entring within the veil, into the Holy of Holies) the fore-runner to prepare a place for us, and to intercede for us, that wee faint not in our race, being appointed by his Father, a Priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec: Therefore yee faithful Hebrews ought boldly to persevere in the Faith of the Gospel.