VFR. 12, 13.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 387—
testifieth a pure, unmixed, uncorrupted faith and love towards him, Where, therefore, there is any thing of sincerity, there will be a continual care about these things upon the account of the concern- ment of Christ in them. And,—
3. We may do well to remember that he so sees all our ne- glects and decays, as in an especial manner to take notice of their sinfulness and demerit. Many of the churches in the Revela- tion pleased themselves in their state and condition, when yet, be- cause of their decays, the Lord Christ saw that guilt in them and upon them as that for it he threatened them with utter rejection, if they prevented it not by repentance; which accordingly befell some of them. We.are apt to take a very undue measure of our failings, and so esteem this or that folly, neglect, or decay, to have no great guilt attending it; so that we may well enough spare it and our- selves in it. And the reason hereof is, because we are apt to con- sider only acts or omissions themselves, and not the spring from whence they do proceed, nor the circumstances wherewith they are attended, nor the ends whereunto they tend. But saith our apostle, ‘All things are open and naked before him, neither is there any thing that is hid from his eyes.’ There is no omission of duty, no neglect of the acting or stirring up of any grace, no sinful miscar- riage or worldly compliance, wherein the beginnings of our decays do or may consist, but that, together with all their causes and occa- sions, their aggravating circumstances, their end and tendency, they are all under the eye of Christ; and so their whole guilt is spread before him. And oftentimes there is a more provoking guilt in some circumstances of things than in the things themselves. He sees all the unkindness and unthankfulness from whence our decays proceed; all the contempt of him, his love and grace, wherewith they are attended; the advantage of Satan and the world in them; and the great end of final apostasy whereunto they tend, if not by grace prevented All these things greatly aggravate the guilt of our inward, spiritual decays; and the whole provocation that is in them lies continually under his eye. Hence his thoughts of these things are not as our thoughts commonly are; but it is our wisdom to make his the rule and measure of ours.
4, He so sees all things of this kind as that he will pass judg- ment on us and them accordingly; it may be in this world, by sore afflictions and chastisements, but assuredly at the last day. Alas! it is not the world that we are to be judged by,—if it were, men might hide their sins from it; nor is it the saints nor angels, who discover not the secret frames of our hearts; but it is he who is “ greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things.” This our apostle directs us to the consideration of; for after he hath given the descrip- tion of the Word of God insisted on, he adds, that it is he to whom
388 AN EXPOSITION OF THE _ [cHAP. Iv.
we must give up our account. And how shall backsliders in heart
escape his righteous judgment? Secrecy is the relief of most in this world, —darkness is their refuge; but before him these things have their aggravation of guilt, and will yield no relief.
5. Again; He so discerns all declensions in the hearts and Baliits of professors, as withal to be ready to give them supplies of help and strength against all the causes of them, if sought unto in a due man- ner. And there can be no greater encouragement to them that are sincere, unto the use of their utmost endeavours, to preserve their faith and profession entire for him. And this will be further im- proved in our consideration of the last observation which we drew from the words of the apostle and the exposition of them, which is that,—
Obs. X. A due, holy consideration of the omniscience of Christ is a great encouragement unto the meanest and weakest believers,
who are upright and sincere in their faith and obedience.
To this purpose are all these properties of Christ proposed unite us, and to be improved by us. They all are suited to give encou- ragement unto us in our way and course of obedience.
Hence is he able to take care of and to encourage the least be- ginnings of grace in the hearts of his disciples. It is his office to take care of the whole seed of God, of all the work of the Spirit of grace. This he could not do without that all-discerning ability which is here ascribed unto him. By this he takes notice of the beginning, increase, growth, and decays of it, from first to last. Hence he says of himself, that he “ will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax,’ Matt. xii. 20. Be our spiritual strength but like that which is naturally in a bruised reed, which is the next degree to none at all, he will not break it; that is, he will take care that it be not bruised, despised, or discouraged, but will cherish it, and add strength unto it. The smoking of flax also expresseth the least degree imaginable of grace ;* yet neither under his eye and care shall this be quenched. It is easy with him to discover and blast the hypocrisy of false pretenders. He did so by one word to him who boasted of keeping all the commandments from his youth, Matt. xix. 18-22. So by the breath of his lips he slays the wicked, Isa. xi. 4 Be their profession never so specious or glorious, do they please them- selves in it, and deceive others by it, he can come to their consciences under all pretences, and by his word and Spirit slay all their false hopes, discover their hypocrisy, and strip them naked of their pro- fession, to the contempt of all. And so doth he know and take care of the least dram of sincerity in the weakest soul that belongs unto him. So he did in the poor woman, when she owned herself