observes, "This is that heart of unbelief which we are bid here to take heed of; this looseth ALL our hold, and UTTERLY estrangeth us from the life of God, and leaveth us ALTOGETHER without him in the world."* The calvinian continuators of Pool say, that the departing from the living God here spoken of implies, "Turning away, standing off, and separating the heart; it implies in it a real, TOTAL, and FINAL defection: actual and formal apostasy from him whom THEY HAD OWNED and RECEIVED.' "So that to apostatize from him [Christ] and his religion, is to apostatize from God, and to renounce ETERNAL LIFE, and to subject themselves to ETERNAL PUNISHMENT." This pas sage then, is another proof, that the apostle was speaking, not only of apostasy; but also, of TOTAL and FINAL apostasy.

4. Again, verse 13. "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day, lest any of you be hardened *Gregory on the place. †See Pool's Comment on the place.

through the deceitfulness of sin. Estius, as quoted by Pool, says, that here we must understand by sin, "Hunc actum peccati, qui est deficere a Christo, ut precedentia et sequentia satis declarant:* that act of sin, which consists in falling away from Christ, as what precedes and follows sufficiently declare. The original word, oxinpuvon, which is here rendered hardened, is the same as that in Acts xix. 9, where the unbelieving Jews, who would not receive Paul's preaching, are said to be hardened. Now concerning their hardness, we may observe three things: 1. They were so hardened, that they would not be persuaded to believe St. Paul's preaching. 2. They were so hardened as to blaspheme it before the multitude. 3. They were so hardened as to cause the apostle to give them up to a reprobate mind. And, therefore, it seems that their disorder was incurable; that it was total and final hardness.

*Synop. Crit. in loc,

Again, the hardness which the apostle supposed these Hebrews to be in danger of, he compares to that which excluded the ancient Hebrews from the land of Canaan. So verse

3. "Harden not your hearts, AS IN the provocation, As in the day of temptation in the wilderness :" verse 9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years." verse 10. "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their hearts, and they have not known my ways." verse 11." So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest."

Now, concerning these Israelites, I observe, 1. That they had seen much of the goodness of God. 2. That they had a promise of greater favours. 3. That, for awhile, they believed and obeyed God, according as he had required of them. But, 4. they did not continue to do this. By this means, 5. God was so grieved with them, that he sware in his wrath, They shall never enter into my rest.

In consequence of this, 6. They nev er did enter in.

2.

Now the parallel intended by the apostle is this: 1. As your fathers saw much of the goodness of God in Egypt, the Red sea, and the wilderness, so have you seen much of it in what he has already done for your souls, in the gospel of his Son. As they had a promise of a greater blessing, even the land of Canaan, that land of rest, flowing with milk and honey; so have you a promise of the heavenly Canaan, that land of eternal peace and plenty.-3. As they, for a while, believed and obeyed in such a manner as they ought; so, also, have you. 4. As they did not continue to believe and obey; so you are in danger of following their example in this particular. 5. As they, for want of continuing in welldoing, provoked God to swear in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest; in like manner you will provoke him to swear in his wrath that you shall never enter into heaven, if you apostatize as they did.

6. In consequence of this oath they never did enjoy the PROMISED LAND; even so, if you provoke him as they shall never enter the king

did, you

dom of heaven. This then is another incontestible proof, that neglecting this salvation, unto TOTAL AND FINAL APOSTASY, was the evil which the apostle apprehended these Hebrews to be in danger of.

5. Verse 14. "We are partakers of Christ, saith the apostle, xalaxwμev, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.". Baxter's comment is, "We are initially made partakers of Christ as our Saviour: but if we will attain salvation by him, we must hold the subsisting faith (or the confidence) in which we have begun-firm unto the end: (for perseverance is made a condition of the promise of salvation."*) Grotius on the words says, "Jus`nacti tumus ut participemus de Cristi claritate; sed jus pendens, datum sub condi

* Baxter on the place,