VOL. XXI. 26
402 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
this evil it is our duty to “hold fast our profession.” None doubt of it until they are under the power of the contrary evil, and are blinded or hardened thereby. And this total desertion from the gospel is twofold:—(1.) Hxpress, by an open abrenunciation of it. This we hear not of much amongst us, because none is tempted there- unto. The prodigious eruptions of some men’s atheism we consider not. (2.) Interpretative, when men really cast off all inward re- gard unto the authority of Christ in the gospel, and their outward compliance with any thing required in it is on motives foreign to the gospel itself; and this too much abounds in the world,
Our apostle supplies us with considerations of the greatest and highest nature that can be conceived. In brief,—(1.) The glory of God in Christ is in the highest manner concerned in it. Every sin tends to the dishonour of God, all sinners dishonour him; but all is nothing, as it were, to the despite that is done to him by this sin. So it is described, Heb. x. 29. It is a “treading under foot the Son of God,”—an act of the highest despite, malice, and contempt that a creature can be capable of. (2.) Assured destruction attends tt, and that in a peculiar, terrible, and dreadful manner, Heb. x. 29-31; 2 Pet. ii. 1. It is, therefore, undoubtedly our duty and our wisdom to “hold fast our profession,” so as neither by the blindness of our minds nor sensuality of life to lose and forego it.
2. It is so as to the degrees of it. All the parts of our profes- sion have their degrees whereby they are varied. Faith is strong or weak, stable or infirm. Obedience may be more or less exact, precise, and fruitful in good works. Our observation of imstituted ordinances of worship may be exact and circumspect, or loose and negligent. In holding fast our profession, an endeavour to keep up to the degrees that we have attained, and a pressing forward in them all toward perfection, are required of us. That which our Lord Jesus Christ blames in his churches, Rev. ii. iii, is the decay in their profession as to these degrees. Their faith, their love, their dili- gence, were decayed; and they performed not the works they had some time been fruitful in. And in all these things are men liable to let go their profession. Again, growth and progress in all these is required of professors. The kingdom of God is a growing thing, and ought to be so in all them in whom it is by its grace, and who are in it by the observation of its laws. Where growth is not, pro- fession is not held firm. This is, in general, the nature of the duty we are charged with. The principal intendment of this verse, and those following, is to declare the encouragement and assistance which we have in Christ for its discharge, as he is our high priest; which must further be insisted on, and therein a fuller explication of the things contained in this verse will be given. And the whole of what is aimed at may be comprised in this observation,—
VER. 14.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 403
Obs. III. Believers have great encouragement unto and assist- ance in the constancy of their profession, by and from the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
So it is expressly laid down in the text, and to that end is it by us to be improved. And to this purpose is——1. The priesthood of Christ in itself, and our relation thereunto, proposed and asserted; “we have an high priest.” 2. Described,—(1.) By the qualification of our high priest; he is “a great high priest:” (2.) By his action, and his exaltation therein; he is “passed through the heavens:” (8.) By his name and nature; he is “Jesus the Son of God.” And from every one of these considerations we have both encour- agement and assistance in the great duty of holding fast our pro- fession.
1. The Lord Christ is a “ high priest;’ and we have in our obe- dience and profession a relation unto him,—he is our high priest, the “high priest of our profession.” He is the “high priest over the house of God,” not only to direct us in our profession, but also to assist us in it. The difficulty of this duty lies in the opposition that is made unto it by sin, Satan, and the world, as we have showed: he that hath not found it never yet knew what it was to profess the gospel. And the effects of it lie under our view every day; they have done so in all ages. And we can never be jealous enough of our own hearts and ways, lest we should be made an example unto others, as others have been unto us. But herein lies our help and relief ; for,—
(1. ) Whilst we are in this deulttnion our high priest pitieth us and hath compassion on us, Heb. ii. 17, 18. This is part of his duty and office, chap. v.2. And there is some help in pity, some relief in com- passion. Want hereof our Saviour complained of as a great aggra- vation of his distresses, Ps. lxix. 20: “I am,” saith he, “ full of heavi- ness: I looked for some to take pity,” (or “lament with me,”) “ but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” Compas- sion, indeed, doth not communicate new strength; yet it greatly re- fresheth the spirits of them that suffer, especially if it be from those whom they greatly value. And this we are assured of in and from our high priest, in all the oppositions and sufferings that we meet withal in the course of our profession. See chap. ii. 17, and the two verses following in this place. He is himself on his throne of glory, on the right hand of the Majesty on high, in eternal rest and blessed- ness, as having finished his personal works and labour, as hath been showed; but from the habitation of his holiness he looks on his labouring, suffering, tempted disciples, and is “ afflicted in all their afflictions,” and is full of compassion towards them. ‘So,’ saith he, * was I tempted, so was I opposed. And what thus befalls them is for my sake, and not for their own; and his bowels are moved to-