they had crucified unto themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame: and that, therefore, he thought they were the persons who were incapable of repentance, and who resembled the earth which was rejected, and nigh unto cursing, whose end was to be burned.

Το prevent, or to remove this mistake, the apostle added these words, "Beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things which accompany salvation, though we speak. thus." As if he had said, Though we speak with such seeming severity, and lay before you such dreadful considerations; you must not hence conclude that we look upon you AS ALREADY in that dreadful condition. For we are persuaded better things of you; namely, that, AT PRESENT you are in a state of salvation, and in the way to the full and eternal enjoyment of it and the great love we have for you gives us a charitable persuasion or hope, that you will continue therein. Nevertheless, as we

II

see you exposed to great dangers, we think it our duty to warn you in the most solemn manner.

ye

An excellent commentator who wrote on this epistle about the year 1646, and who is strongly recommended by Mr. John Downame, expounds this passage thus; "I am persuaded that you are YET in that state that may be saved, if ye have a will to it." Mr. Wesley's exposition is, We are persuaded you are Now saved from your sins and that ye have that faith, love, and holiness which leads to final salvation, though we speak thus to warn you, lest you should fall from your present steadfastness."* Professor Dickson tells us that the apostle" for fear of hurting their faith." The learned Beza saith, He [the apostle] MITIGATETH and ASSUAGETH all that sharpness, HOPING better of them to whom he writeth. Dr. Doddridge's paraphrase is, "We have this cheerful * See Wesley on the place. + Dickson on the place Beza in loca

3

MITAGATETH HIS THREATNING,

expectation concerning you, though we think ourselves obliged thus to speak; that nothing may be wanting to guard you against the greatest danger." The Calvinian Assembly expound the passage thus: "But beloved

To moderate and sweeten his former harshness, here he shews his good opinion which he had of the Hebrews, and to comfort them, by giving them assurance of God's mercy in rewarding them, if they continue steadfast in their profession. See chap. x.39."† -"Temperat austeritatum præcedentium verborum," says Erasmus: the apostle tempers here the severity of the preceding expressions. Mr. Henry saith, "The apostle having applied himself to the fears of these Hebrews, for the exciting their diligence, and preventing their APOSTASY, now proceeds to apply himself to their hopes and candidly declares the good hope," (not the absolute persuasion)

*Family Expositor.

† Assembly's Annot

t Erasm. in lọc.

"he had concerning them, that they would persevere; and proposes to them the great encouragement they had in the way of their duty."* Mr. Thomas Moore saith, "And now in his supposition he set forth before them the heinousness of the sin and danger of such departing and falling away: comparing such transgressions and transgressors, to briers and thorns, whose end is to be burned, he mollifies the harshness of his sentence in respect of them, and saith, We are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak; which plainly shews the better things to be better than thorns and briers, which tended to damnation; and it shews also that his speech in the warning was direct ed to them; else they needed not to be mollified with, Though we thus speak. Surely none would fancy the apostle to warn the Hebrews, by speaking at such a rate as this! There

*Henry on the place.

is a rock of stability, on which whoever once believeth"-" can no more fall off-and you are upon that rock, &c. Hold fast therefore your confidence; take heed lest any of you fall through an evil heart of unbelief: and give us leave to fear lest any of you come short; for there is an unstable rock, on which, not you, but some others are built. And they that are built on that rock of instability, if they abide they perish; if they fall, they can no more rise."* "By these words," say the Dutch Annotators, "the apostle mollifies the former threatning, and declares in that which follows, why he sets before them the grievous punishment of apostates, namely, not that he held them to be such, but to warn them, and to exhort them to hold fast to the doctrine of the gospel, and to God's promises."† Father Quesnel's remark is, "Ill does that person understand the art of gain

*Mocre's works, page 613. † See Dutch Annotations on the place.