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

S." 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 rests

In consequence of this, 6. They never did enter in.

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. 2. 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 did, you shall never enter the kingdom 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, xalaxwμer, 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 sumus ut participemus de Cristi claritate; sed jus pendens, datum sub condi

Baxter on the place.

tione perseverandi. That is, We have got the right to partake of Christ's glory; but that right given us is suspended upon the condition of perse vering. Calvin says, "Laudat, quod bene cæperint. Sed ne prætextu gratiæ quam consequuti sunt, carnis indulgeant securitati, dicit opus esse perseverantia. Nam plerique delibato tantum evangelio, quasi ad summum pervenerint, de profectu non cogitant. Ita fit, ut non modo in medio studio, adeoque propè ipsos carceres desideant, sed alio vertunt cursum suum. Speciosa quidem est ista objectio, quid ultrà volumus, postquam adepti sumus Christum ? Verum si fide possidetur,in eâ perstandum est, ut nobis perpetua maneat possesio. Ergo hac lege se nobis fruendum dedit Christus, ut eâdem quâ in ejus participationem admissi sumus fide, tantum bonum conservemus usque ad mortem:" That is, He [St. Paul] commends them that they had begun well. But lest under a pretence of that grace,

*Grotius in loc.

which THEY HAD OBTAINED, they should indulge a carnal security, he tells them they had need of perseverance. For many having only tasted lightly of the gospel, do not so much as think of any proficiency, as if they were come to the highest already.Thus it cometh to pass, that they do not only sit down in the midst of the race, yea sometimes at the very entrance of the race; but TURN THEIR COURSE QUITE ANOTHER WAY. This indeed is a very specious objection, When we have gotten Christ what should we desire more? But if Christ, be possessed by faith, we must persist in faith, that our possession in this kind may be perpetual. Therefore Christ hath given himself to be enjoyed by us upon these terms, or by this law, that as we are admitted by faith

to a PARTICIPATION OF HIM, SO we should BY THE SAME FAITH PERSEVERE, and keep so great a good until death. Dr. Heylin saith, "We are

* Calvin in loc.