Obs. I. The gospel, in the dispensation thereof, is not only at- tended with promises and rewards, but also with threatenings and punishments. This, for the substance of it, hath been already spoken unto, on chap. ii. 2, 3.
Obs. II. Gospel comminations ought to be managed towards all sorts of professors promiscuously, be they true believers, temporary, or hypocrites. So they are here proposed by the apostle unto the Hebrews without exception or limitation, and amongst them were persons of all the sorts mentioned. But this also will be comprised under the third proposition; namely, that,—
_ Obs, III. Fear is the proper object of gospel comminations, which ought to be answerable to our several conditions and grounds of ob- noxiousness unto those threatenings.
This is that which the apostle presseth us unto, on the consider- ation of the severity of God against unbelievers, peremptorily ex- cluding them out of his rest, after they had rejected the promise. “ Let us,” saith he, “therefore fear.’ What fear it is that in re- spect unto believers is here intended hath been declared. We shall now inquire how far and wherein the minds of men ought to be
206 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
influenced with fear from gospel threatenings, and of what use that is in our walking with God. For there is, as was said, a threaten- ing included in the example of God’s severity towards unbelievers, before insisted on... And unto that the apostle hath a retrospect in this exhortation; as well as he hath also a regard to the present promise, whose consideration ought to have the same influence on the minds of men, as shall be declared.
Gospel threatenings are distinguished first with respect to their objects, or those against whom they are denounced or to whom they are declared, and also with respect to their own nature or the subject- matter of them. Of the persons intended in them there are three sorts:—1l. Such as are yet open or professed unbelievers. 2. Such as make profession of the faith, profess themselves to believe, but indeed do not so in a due and saving manner; who also admit of many respective considerations. 3. True believers. For the sub- ject-matter of them, they may be referred unto these two general heads:—1. Such as express displeasure to be exercised in temporary things. 2. Such as denounce everlasting wrath and punishment. According to this distribution we may consider what is or ought to be their influence on the minds of men with respect unto the fear which we inquire about.
1. Some gospel comminations respect, firstly, properly, and directly, professed unbelievers, as such, and so continuing. As the sum of all promises is enwrapped in those words, “He that believeth shall be saved,” Mark xvi. 16, so that of all these threatenings is [enwrapped ]} in those that follow, “ He that believeth not shall be damned.” An alike summary of gospel promises and threatenings we have, John ui. 36, “ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” And threatenings of this nature are fre- quently scattered up and down in the New Testament. See Rom. i. 8, 9; 2 Thess. i. 6-10; 1 Pet. iv. 17, 18. And these threatenings may be so far called evangelical, inasmuch as they are proper to the gospel, and distinct from all the threatenings of the law. The law knows no more of gospel threatenings than of gospel promises. The threatenings of the law lie against sinners for sins committed; the threatenings of the gospel are against sinners for refusing the re- medy provided and tendered unto them. They are superadded unto those of the law; and in them doth the gospel, when rejected, become “ death unto death,” 2 Cor. i. 16, by the addition of that punishment contained in its threatenings unto that which is con- tained in the threatenings of the law. Now the end of these threatenings,—(1.) On the part of Christ, the author of the gospel, is the manifestation of his power and authority over all flesh, with his holiness, majesty, and glory, 2 Thess. i. 6-10. (2.) On the part
VER. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 207
of the gospel itself,—[1.] A declaration of the necessity of believing; [2.] Of the worth and excellency of the things proposed to be be- lieved ; [3.] Of the price and esteem which God puts upon their acceptance or refusal,—and in all, the certain and infallible con- nection that is between unbelief and eternal destruction; [4.] The vindication of it from contempt, 2 Cor. x. 6. (8.) On the part of unbelievers, to whom they are denounced, the end and design of them is to ingenerate fear in them:—[1.] A fear of dread and terror, with respect unto the authority and majesty of Christ, their author ; [2.] A fear of anxiety, with respect unto their present state and condition; [3.] A fear of the punishment itself to be inflicted on them. And these things do well deserve a more full handling, but that they are not here directly intended.
2. Gospel threatenings may be considered with respect unto all sorts of wnsound and temporary believers. For, besides that this sort of persons, continuing such, do and will finally fall under the general thréatenings against unbelief and unbelievers, there are peculiarly two sorts of threatenings in the gospel that lie against them:—(1.) Such as respect their present, and, (2.) Such as respect their future condition, (1.) Of the first sort are those severe intima- tions of anger and displeasure which our Lord Jesus Christ gave out unto sundry members of the churches in the Revelation, not- withstanding the profession that they made. He discovers their hypocrisy and falseness under all their pretences, and threatens to cut them off if they repent not, chap. il. 14-16, 20-23, iii. 1-3, 15-18. And this duty is always incumbent on them to whom the dispensa- tion of the gospel is committed, namely, to declare these threaten- ings unto all that may be found in their condition. For not only may they justly suppose that such there are, and always will be, in all churehes, but also many do continually declare and evidence themselves to be in no better state. And the discovery hereof unto them by the word /is a great part of our ministerial duty.