Every one, therefore, to whom the word is duly revealed, who is not converted unto God, doth voluntarily oppose his own obstinacy unto its efficacy and operation. Here lies the stop to the progress of the word in its work upon the souls of men. It stays not unless it meets with an actual obstinacy in their wills, refusing, rejecting, and resisting of it. And God, in sending of it, doth accompany his word with that power which is meet to help and save them in the state and condition wherein it finds them. If they will add new obstinacy and hardness to their minds and hearts, if they will for- tify themselves against the word with prejudices and dislike, if they
28 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [ CHAP. III.
will resist its work through a love to their lusts and corrupt affec- tions, God may justly leave them to perish, and to be filled with the fruit of their own ways. And this state of things is variously ex- pressed in the Scripture. As,—(1.) By God’s willingness for the salvation of those unto whom he grants his word as the means of their conversion, Ezek. xviii. 23, xxxiii. 11; 2 Pet. 11.9; 1 Tim. i. 4 (2.) By his expostulations with them that reject his word, casting all the cause of their destruction upon themselves, Matt. xxiii. 34. Now, as these things cannot denote an intention in God for their conver- sion which should be frustrated, which were to ascribe weakness and changeableness unto him; nor can they signify an exercise towards them of that effectual grace whereby the elect are really converted unto God, which would evert the whole nature of effectual grace, and subject it to the corrupt wills of men; so they express more than a mere proposal of the outward means, which men are not able say- ingly to receive and improve. ‘There is this also in them, that God gives such an efficacy unto these means as that their operation doth proceed on the minds and souls of men in their natural condition, until, by some new acts of their wills, they harden themselves against them. And, (3.) So the gospel is proposed to the wills of men, Isa. ly. 1, Rev. xxii. 17.
Hence it is that the miscarriage of men under the dispensation of the word, is still charged upon some positive actings of their wills in opposition unto it, Isa. xxx. 15, Matt. xxii. 37, John ii. 19, v. 40. They perish not, they defeat not the end of the word towards them- selves, by a mere abode and continuance in the state wherein the word finds them, but by rejecting the counsel of God made known to them for their healing and recovery, Luke vii. 30.
Obs. IX. Many previous sins make way for the great sin of finally rejecting the voice or word of God.
The not hearing the voice of God, which is here reproved, is that which is final, which absolutely cuts men off from entering into the rest of God. Unto this men come not without having their hearts hardened by depraved lusts and affections. And that it is their nature so to do shall be afterwards declared. Here we only respect the connection of the things spoken of. Hardening of the heart goes before final impenitency and infidelity, as the means and cause of it. Things do not ordinarily come to an immediate issue between God and them to whom the word is preached. I say ordinarily, because God may immediately cut off any person upon the first re- fused tender of the gospel; and it may be he deals so with many, but ordinarily he exerciseth much patience towards men in this con- dition. He finds them in a state of nature; that is, of enmity against him. In this state he offers them terms of peace, and waits thereon, during the season of his good pleasure, to see what the event will be.
VER. 7-11.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 29
Many in the meantime attend to their lusts and temptations, and so contract an obdurate senselessness upon their hearts and minds; which, fortifying them against the calls of God, prepares them for final impenitency. And this is the first thing that is considerable, in the general matter of the exhortation in hand.
Secondly, The time and season for the performance of the duty exhorted unto is expressed,—“ To-day.” “To-day if ye will hear his voice.” ‘The various respects of the limitation of the season of this duty have been spoken to in the opening of the words, The moral sense of it is no more but the present and proper season of any duty; which what is required unto, in this case of yielding obedi- ence to the voice of God, shall be afterwards declared. And in this sense the word is generally used in all authors and languages. So is 01° frequently in the Hebrew in other places, as in this. Anda proper season they called 3{n ni, “a good day,” ‘a meet season,’ 1 Sam. xxv. 8. It may be only a day of feast is there intended, which they called 3) of, “a good day,” ‘a day of mirth and re- freshment, Lev. xxiii. And so it is commonly used by the rab- bins, especially for the feast which the high priest made his brethren after the day of expiation; for on that day they were obliged to many observations, under the penalty of excision. This begat fear and terror in them, and was part of their yoke of bondage. Wherefore when that service was over, and they found themselves safe, not smitten by the hand of God, they kept rip of, “a good day,” whereon they invited unto a feast all the priests that minis- tered. But most frequently they so express a present opportunity or season. So the Greeks use ojmuepov, as in Anacreon,—