VER. 12, 13.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 369
things secretly in our own thoughts, and to please ourselves in our own darkness; the power of Christ in the word will reach and search out all; for it “pierceth to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow.” So that,—
Obs. TV. Though men may close and hide things from themselves and others, yet they cannot exclude the power of Christ in his word from piercing into them.
Men are apt strangely to hide, darken, and confound things be- tween their soul and their spirit,—that is, their affections and their minds. Herein consists no small part of the deceitfulness of sin, that it confounds and hides things in the soul, that it is not able to make a right judgment of itself, So men labour to deceive them- selves, Isa. xxviii. 15. Hence, when a man can countenance him- self from any thing in his affections, his soul, against the reflections that are made upon him from. the convictions of his mind or spirit, or when he can rest in the light of his understanding, notwithstand- ing the perverseness and frowardness of his affections, he is very apt to be secure in an ill condition. The first deceiveth the more igno- rant, the latter the more knowing professors. The true state of their souls is by this means hid from themselves. But the power of Christ in his word will pierce into these things, and separate be- tween them. He doth so as to his—l. Discerning, his 2. Discover- ing or convincing, and his 3. Judging power. 1. Let things be never so close and hid, he discerneth all clearly and distinctly; they are not hid from him, Ps. exxxix. 4; Jer. xxiii. 24. See John ii. 23-25. And where he designs, 2. The conviction of men, he makes his word powerful to discover unto them all the secret follies of their minds and affections, the hidden recesses that sin hath in them, their close reserves, and spreads them before their eyes, to their own amaze- ment, Ps. 1.21. So our apostle tells us, that by prophesying, or expounding the word of Christ, the secrets of men’s hearts are dis- covered ; that is, to themselves,—they find the word dividing asunder between their souls and spirits; whereon they fall down and give glory to God, 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25. And hereby also, 3. He exerciseth his judging power in men. Let men arm themselves never so strongly and closely with love of sin and pleasure, carnal security, pride, and hatred of the ways of God, until their brows become as brass, and their neck as a sinew of iron, or let their sins be covered with the fair pretence of a profession, Christ by his word will pierce through all into their very hearts; and having discovered, divided, and scattered all their vain imaginations, he will judge them, and determine of their state and condition, Ps. xlv. 5, cx. 6. Hereby doth he break all their strength and peace, and the communication of supplies in sin and security that have been between the mind and the affections, and destroys all their hopes. Men are apt to
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370 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
please themselves in their spiritual condition, though built on very sandy foundations. And although all other considerations fail them, yet they will maintain a life of hopes, though ungrounded and un- warrantable, Isa. lvii. 10. This is the condition of most false pro- fessors; but when the word of Christ by his power enters into their souls and consciences, it utterly casts down all their confidences, and destroys their hopes and expectations. Nothing now remains but that such a person betake himself wholly to the life which he can make in sin, with its lusts and pleasures; or else come over sincerely to him in whom is life, and who giveth life unto all that come unto him. So he “slays the wicked with the breath of his lips,” Isa. xii 4, And this is the progress that the Lord Christ makes with the souls of men:—1. He discerneth himself their state and condi- tion, what is good or evil in them. 2. He discovereth this unto themselves, or convinceth them of their sins and dangers; which surpriseth them with fears, and sometimes with amazements, 3. He judgeth them by his word, and condemns them by it in their own consciences. This makes them give over their old security and con- fidences, and betake themselves unto new hopes that yet things may be better with them. 4. He destroys these hopes also, and shows them how vain they are. And hereon they either betake themselves wholly to their sins, so to free themselves from their convictions and fears, or sincerely give up themselves unto him for relief. To this purpose, again, it is added, that this Word of God is “ a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart;” that is, one that so discerns them as to put a difference between them, and to pass judgment upon them.
Obs. V. The Lord Christ discerneth all inward and spiritual things, in order to his future judgment of those things, and the persons in whom they are on their own account.
Our discerning, our judging, are things distinct and separate. Discerning every thing weakly, imperfectly, and by parts or pieces, we cannot judge speedily, if we intend at all to judge wisely. For we must “judge after the sight of our eyes, and reprove after the hearing of our ears;” that is, according as we can take in by weak means an understanding of what we are to make a judgment upon. With the Word or Son of God it is not so; for he at once discern- ing all things perfectly and absolutely, in all their causes, circum- stances, tendencies, and ends, in the same instant he approveth or condemneth them. The end of his knowledge of them is com- prised in his knowledge itself. Hence to “know,” in the Scripture, when ascribed to God, doth sometimes signify to approve, accept, and justify; sometimes to refuse, reject, and condemn. Where- fore Christ’s judging of the thoughts and intents of men’s hearts is inseparable from his discerning of them, and the end why he fixeth